Dear Insanity... I messed up again.

Chapter 15

The cab ride was mysteriously quiet and I found my self looking at Ben sitting next to me out of the corner of my eye. He was especially handsome today. He was dressed in black Asking Alexandria shorts and a black tank top, his hair was messy and everywhere. His eyes met mine and he smiled.

"I missed you." He whispered.

"Yeah." I answered. Yeah?! I'm such a social idiot sometimes. He probably thinks I'm a moron. I blushed and looked to my feet. Instead he smiled and grabbed my hand.

"You okay, love?" He asked, his voice laced with concern. His touch sent the butterflies exploding in my gut. I nodded, not trusting my voice. He smiled. "You sure?" I nodded again. "Good." I'm sorry for my mate. Like I said, he can be pretty stupid sometimes."

"It's alright. Most of that was just me being incredibly silly." I stated. "Ivy woke me up and I was already grumpy with her."

We neared our destination and he paid the cab driver, telling him to keep the change. The driver was surprised.

"Are you sure, sir? That's a big tip..."

"Oh, it's quite alright. You go ahead." He smiled and got out, opening my door for me. I smiled and took his hand.

I looked around for the first time, realizing we were at the beach. I smiled at him.

"How did you know?"

"A little birdy..." He winked and pulled me toward the water.

As soon as my feet hit the sand, I felt instantly better. The waves crashed onto the warm sand, and the gulls called and sea lions barked in the distance.

I smiled and took off running, pulling my hand from Ben's. He raced after me. I collapsed and laid in the sand. I hadn't been to the beach since I was a kid, but I had always wanted to come back. It was the last memory of my parents being together that I had.

FLASHBACK

The sand tickled my toes and I wiggled them, feeling the warmth envelope them. My dad held my tiny hand, and encouraged me to get closer to the water. My mother sat on a blanket, under an umbrella. I hastily grabbed my sand pail and headed to the moist sand. It was the best for making sand castles. I sat in the sand, playing with my shovel and bucket, making different shapes and trying to stack the cones of packed sand.

My dad sat next to me, and picked up a sand rake and started to play with me.

"My little mermaid." He smiled down at me. I returned his smile. I liked that title. He'd called me that for as long as I could remember.

We sat in the sea breeze for quite some time. My dad got up after a while and headed in search of a bathroom. I thought nothing of it.

My mother came down the beach. I was shocked to see she had already packed everything.

"Come, Alexandria. We're leaving."

"Already, mommy?"

"Yes. Come along."

"What about Daddy?" I asked, oblivious.

"He found another ride home. Now come on. Hurry up!"

Without further question, I packed up my things and followed her. I grabbed a shell my dad had found while digging with me. He'd want it back.

I got all ready for the ride home, my mother had strapped me in.

Little did I know, my mother had left my dad there. He was gone, and I haven't seen him since.

END FLASHBACK

I felt the warm tears streaming down my cheeks. Ben grabbed my hands.

"Alex? What's wrong? I'm sorry... I did something wrong didn't I?" I shook my head.

"This is the very beach that my mother ripped me from my father. I haven't seen him since."

I found myself unconsciously rolling the shell on my necklace in my fingers. I had kept it, and made a necklace so he'd always be close to my heart.

"Oh..." His gaze fell, and I could tell he felt bad for it.

"It's okay. I feel close to him here. It's comforting. Really." I smiled and rolled over to face him.

"Come here." He said enveloping me in a hug.

IVY'S POV

As we neared the bus, I could smell bar be que being cooked.

"James must be up." Danny smiled warmly at me. He grabbed my hand and pulled me onto their bus. What a mess. "Sorry for the mess, Ben's a downright slob." He chuckled, while preparing a couple drinks in the small kitchen. "Fancy a movie?" He asked. I nodded. Why not? He gestured toward the stack of them spewing across the living room. In the end, I ended up choosing Resident Evil: Apocalypse. Can't go wrong with some zombie killing action. He took the case and put the disc in the Playstation. "You're sure quiet, aren't ya?" He asked.

"I can be." I replied, blushing.

"There's really no need." He smiled before settling on the couch to my left. I nervously moved and made room for him. "Are you scared? I have my rabies shot too, but I think I have better training than your friend." I laughed.

"Probably. She can get pretty out of hand sometimes."

"So tell me about yourself." He handed me a Corona. I took a sip and was almost surprised that the mere taste didn't make me puke.

"Well, what do you want to know?"

DANNY'S POV

"Everything." I replied. This girl fascinated me. She was gorgeous, but she was different. I had to know everything about her. She sat, thinking about her reply for a few minutes. I studied her while she thought. She chewed on her lip when she was thinking. Adorable. She also twisted her hair between her fingers when she was deep in thought. Also adorable.

"Well, My full name is Ivy Braelyn Shelton. I'm 18 years old."

A baby. No wonder she seems innocent.

"Ummm My favorite movies are horror movies. Mostly zombie movies. My favorite band is Avenged Sevenfold."

Okay, I could live with that.

"I'm single. I've never really had a boyfriend... Alex is WAY more popular with the guys. My mother and I don't get along anymore, and my dad ran out when I was a kid."

Worthless bastard. Who could give up on her?

"I'm Alex's baby sister, and she's ferocious."

I laughed. "No kidding." I stated, looking at the bruised skin on my arm. "Raised by wolves, that one."

She laughed. I loved that sound. She was honest, and I loved that.

The loud sound of a gun going off shook us both from the conversation. I looked at the TV, remembering the movie. We watched in silence for a while. I got her another beer, and grabbed myself some Jack and coke. She looked at me.

"Do you have any Morgan and Dr. Pepper?"

Her question threw me for a loop. "Getting brave, are we?" She nodded.

"I haven't had it in forever and it's my favorite!" She smiled, showing off perfectly aligned teeth. I mixed her a stout drink and handed it to her.

She drank it rather quickly. Before long she was asleep, cuddled up next to me under my Black Sabbath blanket. I kissed the top of her head.

This was not supposed to happen. I felt my heart flutter. Could I, THE Danny Worsnop, be falling in love?