Masqued

13. Look At Me Now

Chapter 13

After that, it was the last week of school.  Finals week.  I didn’t have very difficult finals, just long and tedious.  And since it was finals week, we got out of school early and had time to do anything we wanted.  We usually just went out to lunch and then down to the dance studio. 

Tally, Ashleigh, Dimitri, and Aaron liked the idea of me being DJ Masque.  I officially made all of their tracks for their routines and they absolutely loved them.  They were my best friends.  Of course I was going to make the best for them.

The Wednesday before the last day of school and graduation, I came home after Sam dropped me off at the front of my building.  I told him he could have come up to see my grandma - she absolutely adored him - but he said he had to go get something.  What, though, he wouldn't tell me. 

When I got to my door and opened it, I immediately heard laughter coming from the living room.  And it wasn't just my grandma and Maria. 

When I got to the living room, my eyes widened when I saw David and Cami sitting comfortably on my couch across from Grandma.  Maria was just walking in with a tray of drinks.  She smiled when she saw me. 

"Hello, Dani," she said.

Grandma, David, and Cami all looked at me and smiled as I looked at them strangely. 

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked, looking at David and Cami. 

"We're just talking with your grandma," Cami said with a smile at her.  She looked back at me.  "We were also waiting for you to get here so we could talk to you about something."

Cautiously, I walked over and sat beside my grandma.  She looked over at me and smiled. 

"But first, I want to tell you that I know what you do," she said.  She looked over at David and Cami and smiled.  "They didn't tell me anything about you being a DJ."

My eyes widened as she looked back at me.  "You know?" I asked.

She laughed.  "I've known ever since you started, sweetie," she said.  "You know I know everything about you.  I'm just kind of upset that you didn't tell me yourself."

I bit the inside of my lip and looked down at my hands in my lap.  "I didn't think you would have approved."

"Danielle, darling, if I makes you happy, I wouldn't have told you that you couldn't have done it.  And from some of the stuff I've heard of yours, you're actually quite amazing."

I looked up at her with eyebrow raised.  "And how do you know what it sounds like?" I asked. 

She grinned.  "Wouldn't you like to know," she said.  She looked back at David and Cami.  "Now, there's a reason for them being here and I want you to hear what they're going to propose to you."

I looked over at the two of them.  It was weird having them be here and talking with my grandma.  I never thought this would have happened.

"We're moving to LA," David said in one quick sentence.  He looked a little worried at my reaction. 

I was completely freaking out.

"What?" I yelled, eyes wide.  I could feel the tears starting to well up in my eyes.  "Why are you leaving to move to LA?  Why are you leaving me?"

"Oh, Dani!" Cami said, rushing over to wrap her arms around my shoulders.  "Don't cry!  Just hear us out."

"But I don't want you to leave," I said. 

"Dani, listen," David said.  "We want you to come with us."

"I..."  Hold on, did I hear him correctly?  "What?" I asked.

David smiled.  "We want you to come with us," he said. 

"We knew you were going to take a year off before college so it wouldn't be interfering with any plans for school," Cami said.

"And just why would I be going with you?"

David smiled.  "I'm moving my company to LA," he said.  "And I want you to be my head producer under me."

I think my jaw might have hit the floor.  "What?" I asked. 

He laughed.  "You heard me right," he said.  "I want you to basically be my partner.  My partner in crime."

I laughed.  "Really?" I asked.  "Oh, my God, yes!"

But when I gave my answer, I looked over at my grandma, who was smiling. 

"But what about you?" I asked her.  "What would you do if I moved to LA?"

She smiled wider.  "I'd stay here, of course," she said.  "But expect me to make a weekend trip every few months or so."  She put her hand on my head.  "But what are you going to do about your friends?  Sam?"

My smile instantly faded  at Sam's name.  Oh, God,  what was I going to do about him?  And my friends?  I mean,  I couldn't just leave them.

"When are you going?" I asked.  Maybe I had some time left...

"Well, we're leaving Saturday after your graduation," Cami said. 

"And we need you to leave and come over Sunday," David continued.

Maybe not.

My shoulders slumped.  "My birthday," I said. 

David nodded.  "We've got our first recording session Tuesday.  We were going to take some time to unpack Sunday and Monday and pick you up Sunday if you decided to come.  We're shipping our stuff out Friday.  If you want to take us up on our offer, you'll need to send your stuff with ours."

I nodded, looking down at my lap.  "Can I have a day to think about it?" I asked.

"Of course you can," Cami said, hugging me again.  "But just so you know, we'd love to have you come with it.  It wouldn't be the same if you didn't."

I nodded and stood up to go hug David. 

"It really wouldn't be the same if you didn't come," he said in my ear.  "I can't imagine being across the country from my surrogate little sister."

I laughed, hugging him tighter.  "I can't either.  It's just a lot to leave behind," I said.

"Yeah, but it's a lot that you'll be able to start," he said.  "I mean, look at you now.  You've got everything you wanted."

"But I don't think I'm ready to leave it," I said again.  "Especially Sam."

"Talk it over with him, talk it over with your grandma.  If you come, you don't know how happy I'll be.  But if you don't, I'll understand.  You just better come and visit every few weeks or I'll call you ever single day until you come anyways."

I laughed, wiping a tear from my face as I leaned away to look at him.  "I love you, my amazingly awesome surrogate brother," I said.

David grinned and kissed the side of my head.  "Love you, too, surrogate sis."

***2 more chapters, guys!!!1  :(  I'm actually going to try and see if I can finish it tonight!  Wouldn't you love that?!?  

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