The Girl Next Door | Baby Daddy

3.2 | Superstition

"Knock knock." I said ironically as I had opened the door with no warning. Tucker and Danny were in the living room, carefully aiming darts at a board labeled with chores. This had become one of their ways to decide the week's responsibilities. I opened the door just in time for Tucker to land a dart in "Laundry."

Danny chuckled. "Awesome! If it's drool, spit-up, or doodie related, it's your problem!" Tucker grimaced at both his new job and his bad luck. "Hey, Cassie. Come get your darts in!"

I gave a long, drawn out, over dramatic laugh, cutting it off anticlimactically. "Yeah, I don't live here." I said, setting a paper grocery bag on the couch. "Okay, Danny. I've got your brand new roll of stick tape, your pre-game Cool Blue Gatorade, and shoe horn to help pry that rank jersey off after the game." I listed, checking to make sure everything was in the bag.

Danny had always been crazy superstitious when it came to pre-game rituals. The routine had been the same since he was a kid playing rec hockey, and some rituals hadn't changed to such an extreme that he still wore the same nasty jersey he wore when he won a championship game when he was fourteen. It hadn't been washed since then. The thing was revolting. It had once been a pristine white, but was now dirtied and brown. Half the letter decals had fallen off, so Danny's name was now "EELE." It stood up on its own and emitted a smell so sickening, it was completely indescribable.

"Thanks, Cassie!" He gushed, kissing me on the cheek. I hoped that my face wasn't as red as it suddenly felt. Danny took the bag and hurried to his room with it to put it with his other equipment.

I watched him leave until I noticed Tucker looking at me. I glared at him and his knowing expression.

"What's your problem, garden gnome?" I asked shortly.

"Girl, don't be playin'. I know your angle." He said.

"What are you talking about?" I responded and he rolled his eyes.

"Come on! 'Oh, Danny, I got you your stick tape. It's in the bag next to the hope you'll admit you're madly in love with me, too!'" Tucker said in a high pitched, mocking tone.

"Honest question, are you high?" I wondered, squinting at him.

"Oh come on, Cassie. It's obvious. You like Danny!"

I scoffed. "Psht! What?! No!" I argued unconvincingly and Tucker gave me a suggestive look.

"You totally do!"

"I do not!" 

"Do too!" Tucker responded and I clenched my teeth. I grabbed a fistful of his shirt and dragged him to the wall, shoving him against it.

"Listen Tuckles, If you say anything to Danny, or Ben, I will personally throw you off that fire escape!" I declared, nodding towards the door.

Tucker breathed unsteadily. "Wow, for a very petite woman, you are abnormally aggressive." I let him go and he straightened his wrinkled shirt.

"Seriously, don't tell Danny or Ben." I ordered.

"Okay, okay. I won't. Until I need material to blackmail you with." Tucker agreed and I shot him a death glare.

"You evil, evil little man."

"Yeah, you'd be surprised how often I get that." Tucker said, acting as though he was dismissing the subject as I fixed my own shirt, calming down. "So, have you always been in love with Danny?"

"Tucker!" I lunged for him, but he bolted back to his room. He slammed his door in my face, just before I got the chance to tackle him. "If you say anything, you're dead!" I threatened, regaining my composure as I turned around to head back down the hall.