flashback

t w e n t y - o n e

 

Danyelle

Ceon had kissed me, and I kissed him back. And I liked it.

I liked him, I liked Ceon Usher and I couldn’t deny it.

I felt so stupid, kissing Teddy moments before. He was only using me, using me to make himself look better than Ceon, to get Ceon back. I was afraid to kiss Ceon. I was afraid to screw up and hurt him more than I had.

But I hadn’t had time to think about it…Teddy had seen, and ridden off. And a car had hit him. But apparently not hard enough, because he just kept going. Ceon had looked at me and made this weird noise, and ran after him, but he came back panting and I knew that Teddy was too far for him to see.

I started crying all over again, and Ceon pulled me into his arms and was whispering into my ear, but I couldn’t hear him. I was so afraid—suppose Teddy broke something, suppose something had happened to him, he was hurt? He’d turn us all in for sure, then.

Eventually I calmed down, and Ceon’s warm words flowed into my ear. I stopped shuddering and he wiped my eyes with a tissue he pulled from his back pocket. He was staring at me again, his eyes full of emotion. I didn’t know what to say, but stared back at him. He looked the same, when he was like this. All the pride gone, the shell fallen away, and his childishness and innocence yelled at me. His eyes were wide and full, and his head was tilted just so. He bit his lip a little before speaking, the silvery braces glinting.

“I—I have to go check on Fletcher and Matt. I have to go home.”

“Okay,” I said.

“I’ll, um, I’ll call you.”

“Okay,” I said.

“I’m sorry,” he said finally after an awkward pause.

“Me too, Ceon,” I said. He opened his arms, and I went into them without hesitation. Ceon was my best friend, more than a friend, but anything but. He hugged me tightly before letting go.

“Are you going home?” he asked me quietly. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. “I bet your mom is worried. You’ve been gone for nearly three days, Danyelle.”

“I’m aware,” I said huffily.

“Sorry,” he said, recoiling. “I just think you should go home. Maybe your mom could help us.”

“You want that?” she asked.

“Why not? We can’t do this forever, running like this. You have school, and I want Sarai and Fletch and Matt to get that too. Today’s the 17th, and I want it to be—’’

He stopped.

“What’s wrong?” I asked him.

“Today’s the 17th. Today’s May 17th, Danyelle.” He repeated this over again in a disbelieving voice with wide eyes.

“Today’s my birthday.” He said finally.

I was shocked. “You forgot your birthday?” I asked incredulously.

“Got more important things to worry about, I guess,” he said with a blithe shrug of his shoulders.

“We can do something tomorrow, after school. We’ll meet up with my mom then and talk if you want,” I said finally. “Happy 16th birthday, Ceon. Even though it kind of sucked.” I added.

He smiled. “I’m glad I at least spent it with people I care about,”

I blushed, and his smile turned into a grin.

“I’ll call you tomorrow morning. I hope you don’t get in too much trouble.” He continued pensively, frowning.

“I won’t,” I assured him, though not too sure myself.

“Hope not,” he said. “Be careful. Get Mario and the guys to walk you home, I’m sorry I can’t do it myself.”

I smiled shakily. “It’s fine, Ceon.”

“I really need your mom to help us, Danyelle,” his frown darkened. “I can’t do this anymore. I need school. I don’t even have a high school diploma, and we can’t continue living there. There’s mold growing in the shower, I pretty much quit my bagging job, and now—’’

“It’ll be fine,” I cut him off. “I’ll get Mario to bring some pizza for lunch for you guys tomorrow. Then we’ll talk to my mom at around 4.”

He puffed out his chest. “I don’t need Mario’s charity,” he said.

“My charity?” a voice from behind me boomed.

I turned around, and Mario and Eric stood with raised eyebrows. I grinned.

“I was just telling Ceon you’d be happy to bring some grub for him tomorrow.”

“Sure,” Mario said immediately.

Eric shrugged, his eyes bright behind his glasses. “I can help.”

“No, no, no, no,” Ceon said, his eyes flicking down to his watch quickly. “I don’t need it,” he said.

“Ceon, you really need to—”

“Respect it, Mario,” he interrupted. “I really have to go now, Fletcher’s probably pacing a hole in the floor.”

“Bye,” I said quietly.

He turned to me before taking a sleepy Sarai’s hand. “I’m sorry, Danyelle,” he whispered.
Then he turned around and crossed the street. The three of us looked until we couldn’t see them anymore.

“He’s a little proud,” Eric said with a sigh.

“You have no idea,” Mario said.

“He’s just trying to help his family on his own,” I said defensively. “He doesn’t want pity.”

“But it’s not pity,” said Mario. Eric nodded, and I just shrugged.

“Look guys, I need to get home too,” I said.

Eric nodded and looked to Mario. “Go on home, man,” he told him. “I’ll walk her home. Thanks for today, man.”

“Thanks a lot, Eric,” I echoed. His eyes were smiling more than his mouth.

“Anything,” he said curiously. He ducked back into the train station.

I started walking towards home, and Mario followed.

“I didn’t get to properly thank you for coming to the rescue.”

“It’s nothing,” he shrugged.

“We could have been arrested.”

“Well you weren’t.

“Thanks to you.”

“Whatever,” Mario said. I looked sideways at him. He was smiling.

“Seriously though,” I said. “Thank you.”

“Sure,” he said, nudging me with his elbow. I giggled and nudged him back.

Sooner than we knew it, we were on my front lawn. I realized my fingers and hands were shaking—partly from the cold but mostly from fear.

Mario looked at me. “You okay?” I nodded, and swallowed.  “I’ll go now,” he said finally. “Maybe you should be alone right now.” I nodded again, gave him a quick hug, and pulled my keys from my bag.

Before I could even open the door, it swung open. My mother stood there with tears in her eyes. “Danyelle—”

And I started to cry when I stepped in, because I had missed my home, and I had missed my mother…

But I didn’t get far before I cried out and fell to my knees. Because sitting in my living room, was none other than my father, Liam McKenzie.