Danger Love Ahead

Chapter Fifteen: Dumbledore

(Brandon's version)

"I was a real jerk," Dave was saying, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. Looking at the apology in his eyes, I gave an exasperated sigh. I understood his guilt at the way he had treated April in the beginning and was glad April had forgiven him but I didn't know if I should be getting an apology from him. If I remembered correctly, I was as bad as he was. Looking around the cafeteria, I spotted April and Amanda sitting at one of the tables. Our eyes met and held, the cafeteria easily fading away just as if there was only the two of us. She had her hair down for once, cascading over her shoulders like a thick blanket. I tilted my head to the side to catch the green flecks in her eyes. She really was beautiful, and she didn't even realize it. Or maybe she did, which was why she tried so hard to hide it under a disguise. Her spectacles were dangling from the front of her sweater. She still refused to bear any of her "limbs" and I glanced laughingly at her long pencil skirt that I could picture my dad's secretary wearing. Meeting her face again, my grin widened at the delicate blush on her cheeks. A clap on my shoulder brought me to the present and I turned to catch Dave's expectant expression, his hand still on my shoulder.

"What?" I asked baffled as the noise and movement of the cafeteria caught up with me again. He sighed,

"Dude, could you just save the blushing and lovey dovey eyes for a few seconds to say, "you're forgiven, Dave, my bested best buddy in the world whose like a bro to me", " clutching his chest, he feigned a hurt look. "The guilt is tormenting me inside." I shrugged his other hand of my shoulder and tried to whack his head, but he had ducked too early. His laughter subsiding, he got up and looked at the girls. Mariah joined them with her tray of lunch, looking at us quizzically. 

"Hey, do you know Amanda's number?" he asked suddenly. I snorted.

"Look whose blushing now," ignoring his indignant protests, I went over to the girls and sat down opposite April. "Hi," I grinned at her.

"Hi," she muttered shyly, smiling.

"Yea, let's forget dear old boring Mariah and Am," Mariah grumbled sarcastically. I was about to greet them as well but Dave smartly intervened.

"You're not old," he observed.

"And not boring," I shoved Dave and grinned at both Am and Mariah. Am had her head down, eating her food silently, with her hair curtaining over her face.

"What took you guys so long?" April asked. 

"You both just stood at the entrance, making jokes..or something," Mariah agreed.

"Or something," I replied as Dave guffawed beside me. Recovering, Dave looked around the cafeteria noticing a girl at another table openly staring at him. Reveling in the attention, he leaned back in his chair to grin back at her. Ignoring him, I turned to April.

"How are you going home after school?" Caught of guard, April shifted uncomfortably.

"I'm not going home after school," she answered, using her fork to push her food around the plate. I was curious but was unsure if I should broach the subject any further. She saved me the trouble anyway, "Mom's taking me for a session with a therapist." 

"Is he nice?" Amanda asked quietly, referring to the therapist. Dave's head swiveled back to our table to stare at Amanda. 

"Pfft, they're not nice," Mariah interrupted. "They're sort of neutral. They don't show any humanity." She looked at April's fearful face and added, "But they're not so bad."

"No they're not," Dave assured April gently. I smiled gratefully at Dave for his encouragement. Dave had been through child abuse in his early years. I witnessed a few scenes myself in elementary school when his dad picked him up. My Dad was in London then and Grandpa was responsible for retrieving me from school. There were times when the office had him arriving really late and I was there when Dave's dad arrived, drunk and violent. I received a few bruises myself, trying to protect Dave and Grandpa took the final call in getting the man arrested. Dave's mom didn't have to struggle any without her husband there to drink the money away. She had a good job and provided well for Dave and his sister. They underwent therapy individually and as a family, and got through all right.