Kiss Me [COMPLETED]

Part II, chapter 2

December 27, 2004

Danny carefully touched his swollen eye and winced. He was really fed up with his father's ways lately. He was seriously considering just getting out of the house right now, but then he growled softly, thinking that if he did that, his father would just call the police and list him as a run-away.

"Son of a bitch..." he muttered and started walking.

The snow was falling on his head and under his collar, making him shiver.

"Danny..." the shadows on his right whispered softly all of a sudden, and he stopped.

"Who is it?" he called loudly, and almost gasped when he saw her. "Ashlee?" he frowned.

"Hey," she smiled at him, her blonde hair pulled into a ponytail.

She looked different right now. She wasn't wearing any makeup, her face wasn't as bony as before, and she seemed healthier.

"You look nice," he said, and she nodded.

"Thanks... Let's walk, okay?"

They slowly walked in the white dark of the night, and then Ashlee finally said:

"I just wanted to thank you. I never did before, I am sorry."

Danny nodded, immediately knowing what she was talking about.

"No problem. How are you? I haven't seen you since..."

"Yeah," she said. "I took a semester off. I'll come back in the spring... I am good," she added. "Really good."

"Right on," Danny said. "Hey, do you want some coffee?"

"Sure," she shrugged, and they walked towards the coffee shop.

... She wrapped her fingers around the warm cup and smiled at him.

"You know, I am not bulimic anymore," she said suddenly, and Danny just nodded.

"Good for you," he said solemnly.

"I figured you knew..." She shifted in her seat.

"I did," he said simply.

"You always know everything," she smiled, and he shrugged without saying anything else.

She sipped her drink and looked at him with her blue eyes.

"Did you know that Laurie tried to slit her wrists on Christmas Eve?" she asked softly, and Danny winced.

"No," he said slowly. "I did not know that..."

"Yeah," she nodded. "She didn't do it the right way though... She cut them horizontally instead of vertically."

"Good thing," Danny muttered.

"Yeah..." she whispered. "I know about the whole wrist slitting ordeal," she gave him a sad smile and briefly showed him one of her arms.

Danny blinked when he saw a thin, white vertical scar on the inside of her arm.

"Yeah," she said again. "I was a mess after that day... But then I just decided to deal..." She shrugged. "Do you know Jake Berry?" She asked suddenly.

"Is it the guy with the glasses?" Danny frowned, and she laughed.

"Yeah, him... We've been dating for almost two months now. He is really sweet..."

"Cool," Danny gave her a smile. He felt strangely comfortable around her now that she wasn't the same old Ashlee as before.

"So," he said quietly. "Tell me about Laurie..."

Ashlee shrugged.

"She did it at my house," she said. "Thank God for that, because I don't think her parents could deal with that... She went to the bathroom, and then she wouldn't come out for, like, forty minutes. So I went to check on her..." She shrugged again. "I fixed her up pretty nicely though. She was crying. She said that Tyler traded her for Palmer, and that she couldn't live like that any longer."

"Oh, Jesus..." Danny closed his eyes.

"How are you dealing?" She asked suddenly, and he opened his eyes.

"What are you talking about?" he asked evenly, and she just looked at him.

"I am talking about Stephanie," Ashlee said finally.

"What about her?"

"Danny, drop the act. I know," she said simply. "I knew it the minute you came to her two minutes after she called you."

Danny stared into his cup.

"She doesn't know though, does she?" Ashlee asked quietly, and he just shook his head.

"No," he said finally.

She sighed and finished her drink.

"Tyler is still trying to juggle both of them," she said. "And I don't understand why. It's pretty clear, to me at least, that he loves Laurie... Like, really loves her, you know...? I can't understand why wouldn't he just leave Stephanie alone."

"Because Stephanie is not going to let him go," Danny said quietly. "Come on, it's getting really late. Let me walk you home."

"Okay," she said.

They slowly walked down the road, and Danny marveled at how thick the snow curtain got.

"Well, this is my house," Ashlee said, and they stopped. "Thanks for tonight, Danny. It was really nice to talk to you... And I am not just saying it."

"Yeah," he smiled at her. "I enjoyed it too. How's your sister?"

"Paranoid," Ashlee smiled.

"I bet," Danny grinned.

"I better go in, before she starts phoning the local morgue," she said, and Danny nodded. "Thanks again, Danny... For everything," and she planted a light kiss on his cheek.

"See you around, Ashlee," he smiled, and she disappeared in the house.

****

He quietly walked into his house and tiptoed into the kitchen. He turned on the lights, and was startled to see his mother sitting at the table.

"Hey, Danny," she said quietly.

"Hey," he said and opened the fridge.

"Sit," she sighed. "I left you some dinner."

"Oh..." he said uncomfortably and sat down. "Thanks."

She set a plate with food in front of him and sat back down. She watched him eat for several minutes, and then said:

"You are going to move out soon, aren't you?"

He glanced at her.

"Yeah," he said finally.

"Can't blame you," she almost whispered, and he stared at her. She noticed his look and smiled tiredly. "Danny, I am not blind. You and you father will never be able to live under the same roof. He will never change and neither will you. I just want you to know..." She looked away. "I love you, Daniel Christopher."

"I love you too, Mom," he muttered, feeling helpless.

"Well," she got up. "Good night, kiddo."

"Night, Mom..."

She went upstairs, and Danny just sat in the kitchen, staring at his plate. He wasn't hungry anymore.