The Thread Between Danny and Me

Chapter 19: You shouldn't be here

When Danny returned to school again I thought things would go back to normal. I thought we'd just go on being friends.

I was wrong.

Danny began ignoring me. If I was in a room, he'd leave it. If I approached him, he'd stiffen. If I went near his friends, they'd shun me.

I was so very hurt.

Was it a coincidence that he started giving me the cold shoulder after I realized I loved him? Was it related? Did he not feel the same?

Was it me or was there something else going on?

The rumors about us spread like wildfire. And naturally, because everybody wanted to be Danny's friend or girlfriend, they took his side. It must've been me. I was too clingy, they said. I was too jealous. I smothered him. I controlled him.

Pick something negative and it was said about me.

I didn't know what was worse: the rumors, or that Danny did nothing to curb them. He said nothing. He just...floundered.

"Ugh, what a jerk," Aurora said one day during lunch. "I knew he was terrible. I always knew."

I kept silent. My gaze ventured across the cafeteria to where Danny sat with his friends. He was unreadable.

Everything hurt.

I knew Aurora was trying to be a good friend by taking my side, but her words ignored the last year-and-a-half Danny and I were friends. It ignored all the fun. The skateboarding. The cookies. The way he hugged me. Our dance.

The fire he'd lit within me.

Danny. Why?

Don't let him get to you," Anna said next to me. "You deserve better."

Did I? It was hard to know without understanding exactly what Danny was going through. But if it had to do with me, I needed to apologize.

Somehow.

"Hey, Maria," Anna said again. "Come on. Cheer up. It's a good thing you found out what he was like. Imagine if you started dating him. Let it go."

Imagine dating him?

I'd imagined it plenty of times. Almost every night. I imagined kissing him. Hugging him. I imagined confessing my love to him and hearing him say those words back to me.

"Yeah..." I let my voice trail. "That's not gonna be easy."

"You got over Josh easily enough," Aurora said.

I whipped my head toward her. "What is your deal? Do you like him or something?"

"What? No! I'm just saying..."

"Seriously. It's been over a year since I broke up with Josh and you still bring it up sometimes. Like, yeah. I know I did bad by him. But we dated for two months. You act as if we got divorced!"

Angry tears formed in Aurora's eyes.

I sighed. "I'm sorry. But I'm tired of you bringing up Josh. If you like him or want to be with him, you should. I'd be happy for you if you did."

Anna looked at both of us like she wasn't sure what to do or say.

Aurora's lips trembled with fury. Her parent's divorce had been difficult and I snapped without thinking. I'd crossed the line.

I stood up. "I'm...gonna go. Sorry, Aurora. I know I shouldn't have said that."

"You've been awfully defensive," said Anna.