-unedited-
Chapter 1
Darlene
"Danny!" I hear my friend Lisa call my name as I neatly pile my books inside my locker in the school hallway ready to leave. I look up and see her jogging excitedly towards me "There you are! Claudia and I are going shopping after school, and you are coming with us!" She squeals.
I give her an apologetic smile shutting my locker's door. "I'm sorry Lisa, I need to be somewhere else today. I promise to join you guys some other time."
Lisa's excitement dies down and she scowl at me. "That's what you the said last time I asked you to join us! You always keep on making excuses, I'm starting to feel you are avoiding me."
"You know I would never avoid you. You are the sister I never had!" I say trying to comfort her. I know she gets difficult when she is hurt, but a word or two full of love and appreciation never fails to fix that.
"It's the last week of school, and we are all going to move to different colleges soon and might not even see each other, but you still refuse to spend some time with us." Lisa continues.
"Lisa, I'm sorry. I promise I'll spend time with you guys, I really, really want to, but today I really have some thing important to do." I try to explain my situation to her.
"What can be more important than me or enjoying your last week of high school?" She asks not listening to any of my pleading. She pauses for a second. "Wait it's him right? You are going to visit him." She continues sending me an accusing stare.
I open my mouth to refuse, but her knowing gaze shuts me up.
"So you prefer spending some quality time with your old boyfriend over us?" Lisa states annoyance clear in her voice.
"Lisa, he is not my boyfriend!" I comment. "And he is not old."
"Yeah right!" She says sarcastically not believing me. Again. "He is 31! Thirty-fucking-one years old! While you just turned 18 a few months ago! FIY, he can be defined as a pedophile if you were a bit younger then you already are right now. Not that you both have not been together for long already." She hisses through her teeth.
I try my best not to be angry back at her, and try to explain it to her calmly again. "We are not together, he is not my boyfriend, and he is not a pedophile! Lisa he is my doctor for god sake and you know that."
"The doctor that you sneak out to meet behind your parents back!" She whisper-yells "Danny, we have been friends ever since we were six! And I'm worried about you!" Her anger disappears and a genuine concern expression crosses her face. "But you've changed... and sometimes I feel the Darlene I loved like a sister is...gone. Hell you have more secrets then the FBI!" Her anger fades and I could see hurt in her eyes.
I move closer to hug her but she steps back stopping me in my place. Hurt and anger both evident in her eyes. "I hope you know what you are doing Danny, and good luck." She whispers and turns around and starts walking away.
"Lisa. Lis!" I call out behind her but she doesn't turn around.
-
I unlock the apartment door with the spare key that Nathan gave me a while back to help myself in, as I enter the lush apartment I chuck my bag on the floor and lay down aimlessly on the couch with my eyes close. Five minutes later I open my eyes to see Nathan sitting around the island counter of the co-joined kitchen not far away staring back at me. His laptop placed before him with an empty plate beside it. He gives me a small smile when our eyes meet.
