Little Red

THIRTY FOUR

⚠️TRIGGER WARNING: THE END OF THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MENTIONS OF VERBAL ABUSE!⚠️

Hours had passed since Mikey had left, and Dani still felt like he had ripped her heart from her chest and stepped on it. No matter how many times Greta tried to reassure her that his leaving wouldn't last long, Dani still had her doubts, which only caused her heartache to double.

After receiving a call from the facility about Hans, Greta had to, reluctantly, leave Dani's side after promising the girl she'd come back as soon as she could. As much as she appreciated the blonde looking out for her, Dani knew that Hans was far more important than her relationship problems, so she'd told the girl she would be alright on her own. Dani could also tell that, even if Greta had refused to admit it aloud, she had conflicting emotions as to who she should've been comforting as, after all, Mikey was still her other best friend. The factor alone only made Dani feel even more guilty for the way things had gone as not only had it affected her relationship with Mikey, it had affected Greta and Mikey's relationship as well.

The sound of the door opening caught Dani's attention, and a smile graced her features as the person walked through, though she knew it conflicted heavily with her reddened eyes.

"Ellie!!" Frankie exclaimed as he ran over to the bed.

Dani laughed softly as he climbed onto the bed to give her a hug, which she instantly returned, having missed him all day.

"Hey, bud!!" she happily greeted him and kissed him on the cheek, and smiled as he giggled at the action.

"Ellie, I missed you!!" Frankie said as he pulled back from her with a big smile.

He then frowned as he examined her face.

"You're crying. Why are you sad, Ellie?" he questioned just as Michelle and David walked into the room.

A small smile curved on Dani's lips as she and her brother both looked over to their parents.

"Hey, guys," she said and cringed at how raspy her voice had sounded.

"Hi, sweetheart!" Michelle greeted back with a smile as she walked over to hug her.

She kissed the girl on the cheek before she pulled back and frowned at her tear-stricken face. "What's wrong, honey?"

David looked over to them with a concerned frown as he placed a bag, that Dani assumed was filled with food, onto the counter.

"You alright, baby girl?" he asked while walking over to them.

Not being able to hold it in, Dani shook her head as the tears reappeared in her eyes.

"Don't cry, sissy!!" Frankie exclaimed with a pout as he gave her another hug. "I don't like it when you cry."

"What's wrong, Dani baby? Tell us what's wrong," Michelle said as she held her daughter's hand in comfort.

David pushed a chair up to his wife so she could sit down before he pulled up another for himself.

Dani sniffed as she looked down at their hands. "Mikey...M-Mikey and I...We..-" she let out a sob and shook her head, "We had a fight and he...he told me we needed space...That we needed some time apart from each other, but I...I don't want time apart! I don't need it, I just need him!"

"What?" Michelle asked with a frown as her husband sat with his jaw clenched. "I don't understand, honey...After everything that's happened, why would he ever choose to just walk away like that?!"

"Because of me," Dani grumbled with a sniff. "He left because of me. God, why do I always mess up everything!"

"Hey, no, don't do that. Don't blame yourself for this, Dani," David said. "Whatever childish reason he left for is on him, sweetheart. Not you."