Her Wish

Her Wish [Chapter 10]

The crisp, evening air overwhelmed Jennie. There were only trees all around, nothing else. No chancy girlfriends waving spatulas in their hands and spewing insult after insult were in sight. None. There were just the sound of crickets and an occasional hoot of an owl that could be heard.

She was home.

It was an environment offering security and happiness, neither of which the place she lived in provided her with any longer.

Stepping into the grassy fields, a lone figure biding time only yards away turned and caught sight of her.

The same boy.

He lent a small smile to her presence, but that immediately fell once he stepped closer and glimpsed the perturbed expression on her face.

As the two walked closer together, gradually filing the gap between them, Danny stared down at Jennie with great concern, though unsure of what to do. Although there had been many instances before when he encountered girls in tears, this was the first time he actually found himself caring.

He stared uncertainly at her for a moment longer as she stood before him, her body trembling and her hands still covering her ears though limping slightly due to lack of energy as goose bumps ran vividly up and down her bare arms.

Slipping off his hooded jacket for the first time in her presence but keeping his hat still intact, Danny stepped closer to Jennie and wrapped it around her.

He stared in amazement as she continued to quiver, wondering what possibly could have happened. Gingerly, he clasped his hands over hers and removed them from her ears, allowing them to fall limply at Jennie’s sides.

Her eyes rose to meet his with a blank stare.

“Are you…?”

But Danny silenced her from speaking any further. With only a split second more of hesitation, he daringly took one step closer, wrapping an arm around her head and drawing it into his chest, hoping to calm both their nerves.

He didn’t know just exactly what he was doing but at the moment, it felt so right that he didn’t bother to resist his own impulses.

Humming softly, Danny began to slowly rock them both from side to side, though unsure if any of his actions would actually help to ease her.

Now enveloped in only warmth rather than the evening’s cool breeze, Jennie’s insides slowed to a calm, steady state, and her consciousness beginning to finally overpower her emotions.

She welcomed Danny’s comfort. Although she hadn’t known it before, she suddenly realized how much her body had craved for such a form of comfort. The only other person in her life who had held her was Jennie’s mother, but even that seemed to feel different than the way Danny was holding her now.

Her arms rose to hug him back as she buried her face into his shirt. For once, she didn’t question why he was there, why he was comforting her, or who he was. For once, she just accepted everything he gave her.

Having felt her return his embrace, Danny smiled softly to himself, relieved that she was returning to her senses, relieved that he had managed to help her. Once her body had stopped quavering, Danny leaned his face down to ask softly, “Are you okay?”

Jennie nodded mutely, still not looking up.

He released her and stepped back, only then taking time to inspect her face more closely. However, Jennie was oblivious to this, too busy trying to quell the overwhelming nervousness that replaced her fear.

“What happened to your face?”

Having entirely forgotten though unsure of how he could tell, Jennie’s hand automatically shot up, covering the cheek that her father’s girlfriend had struck. Turning her head, she sidestepped Danny and walked past him, muttering, “It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”