The Good Race

Chapter 6

"You know, you lay like that and people will get the wrong idea about us," Jackie said, looking to where Danny was laying in the grass with his head on her thigh, his guitar across him as he strummed idly away.

"I don't see you pushing me away," he replied. "Besides, I don't care if people get the wrong idea about us."

"Did you ever think that maybe I did," she demanded in return.

Danny sat up, moved his guitar, propped himself on his hands and scowled at her. "Do you?"

Jackie smiled at his glare then ruffled his hair. "You're messing with my vibes here. I can't get a date with you lurking around like a scowly owl."

He gave her the evil eye, then he stood up grabbed his stuff and stalked about ten feet away, sitting down with his back to her.

"Danny," she laughed. "I was only kidding! Don't be mad."

"Go away!" he replied. "Go sow your wild oats somewhere else."

"Ugh," she sighed. "You're so impossible!" She grabbed her own stuff, then plopped down next to him. "I'm not following you ever again. Next time, you're just going to have to sulk all on your own."

"Who do you want to date?" He was stern on the outside, but on the inside, his stomach was plummeting to his feet. Did he misread her signals? Was she actually interested in another guy?

"I don't want to date anyone," she laughed again. "I was kidding!"

"Yeah? Cooper's not finally getting to you?" He meant it as a joke, but she lost her smile when he said it. "What happened? What's wrong? You were supposed to tell me if he did anything, Jacks."

"No, it's nothing like that," Jackie replied. "As usual, he doesn't do anything. He's just always there. He comes to our room a lot to hang out with Ryan. He just drops by, even when Ryan's in class, and he's got to know Ryan isn't there."

"I thought you couldn't get to your floor without a security card."

"Someone must flag him up," Jackie shrugged.

"What the hell good is security if people are just going to flag others up," Danny shouted.

"Keep your voice down," Jackie said between her teeth. "We have a peep hole. I don't open the door when Ryan's not there."

"He makes you nervous enough that you don't want to be alone with him?" Danny did his best to control the volume and tone of his voice, but these were uncharted waters for him. He never had a girl instill these kinds of feelings in him before. He felt an overwhelming need to protect her. If this guy was making her scared, then he was going to damn well do something about it.

"Danny, everyone makes me nervous enough that I don't want to be alone with anybody."

"That's not true. You have no problem being alone with your brother, Sophie, or me."

"Well, my brother's my brother, Sophie's a girl and you're..."

"What am I," he asked quietly, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "What am I to you, Jackie, that you trust me so much?"

"You're my..."

"What?"

"You're my Danny," was all she could come up with. When she brought her hands up to her face to cover her embarrassment, he gently pulled them away.