Cimorelli Oneshots

She Chose You (A Dani Story)

"You chose her. I get it."

"Of course I did. Did you really think I wanted to be your friend, Dan? Your sister?"

I shake my head.

"That's right. I never wanted you. I only wanted Amy. She's the true sister. The only one I want to be with."

Tears fill my eyes.

"No. Please, no."

Lauren just shakes her head, a pitying expression on her face.

The scene suddenly shifts. I tumble down a cavernous hole, into a thick grey mist that swirls and whirls around me in dizzying manner. Then I stop with a halt, a new scene unfolding in front of me. I see myself from Lauren's point of view, her dark wavy hair framing the edges of my vision.

"You chose her. I get it."

I- she- glances up at me, a wounded yet steely expression shadowing her face.

"Don't try to deny it, Lauren. Just... just leave. It'd be better for all of us."

"It's not like that. Dani, please."

I grab Dani's- my- arm and pull her back to face me. She looks down into my face, her green eyes turning gray and stormy.

"No, you don't want to be with me."

A snarl, and then, "Well, guess what? I don't want to be with you either."

"But I do want to be with you. You're my sister, I love you."

"If you loved me, you would... Nevermind. I don't need to explain it to you."

She wrenches her arm out of my hands and stalks off.

I watch her walk away and feel my heart break, shattering into a million tiny pieces. Please don't go.

The edges of my vision fade to black, a never-ending sea of fuzzy blank space. Slowly, the scene grows sharper. When the color finally returns a new scene has appeared before me.

This time I'm Amy, her movements short and sharp. Her thoughts echo inside my head, loud and grating. She's confused, as she should be. And I can't help but notice the tinge of anger to the words, the stroke of red rapidly swirling into a calm pool of blues.

I fiddle with my bracelets nervously. I know that Dani will be mad at me. Which means I can't spend any more time with Lauren. And then she'll be mad at me. So then all of my younger sisters will hate me, and I won't be hanging out with anyone. Which means I'll be lonely. I'll have no one.

I sigh. Just like it always is. Dani only wants Lauren. She wants to stay Spice forever in their iconic duo. But Lauren's done with that. She wants Dani, yes, but she doesn't want only her. She's ready to branch out, ready to spread her wings. And I'm the first small step to that. But I don't want to be- I don't want to be in the middle of this, stuck in their foolish games. It's something they need to solve on their own.

But I'm afraid they won't.

Ever.

__________________________________

I wake up, panting. I feel like I just ran a race- a marathon, at that.

"You okay?" Lauren watches me, concerned. "Was it another nightmare?"

"Yeah..."

A sob erupts from my throat, thick and painful. Tears begin to form at the corners of my eyes.

"Oh, Dani, I'm so sorry." She reaches out for a hug, and I fall into it gladly.

"Just stay with me," I whisper. "Please don't ever leave."

"I won't," Lauren promises, stroking my head gently. "You know I'll never do that."

I just bury my face further into her chest, soaking her t-shirt with my salty tears. I had never felt as terrified as I was feeling in that moment. Every possible situation runs through my brain, each more horrific than the last.

Lauren seems to sense my anxiety, the levels of nervous energy skyrocketing.

"Hey." She leans back and places a steady hand on top of my knee. "What's going on?

"Nothing," I say, choking back a sob. I quickly reach up to wipe the hot tears from my eyes. "It's all just been a lot."

"I know."

Lauren glances down at the patterned comforter, her warm brown eyes searching for an answer within the curling black swirls.

"I knew she was leaving," Lauren admitted. "She never told me, but anyone could see there was something off from a mile away. I wanted to talk to her, but during the last month she was so... volatile, screaming at every little thing. Saying sorry, sobbing, laughing all within a minute."

I nodded slowly. It was all true, of course. The signs blared at us from all angles, but we ignored them. Or at least, we were too scared to face them head on.

Suddenly, Lauren raises her head, her eyes snapping onto mine.

"Dani, did she ever tell you about him?"

Him.

The one who played us on all sides, drifting from one girl to the next, promising love and attention yet never caring to give an ounce of it. The one Lisa left with last week, without a word or goodbye.

I smile, an ugly grin creeping up my face. Oh, did she ever tell me about him? Never shut up, even though we all knew the truth. Deep down, at least. We'd only ever come to face with the problem when she left. With him.

And even though I hate myself for saying this, I still want him back. My stupid heart still yearns for him, remembering his gentle touch that sent fire through my veins, burning me alive. I know we all feel like that, to some extent. Lauren, for sure. She's fully heartsick, just like me. Though I never asked, I can tell by the way her whole face glows when his name hits the air, sprinkling electricity through our bodies. We were the two trapped the furthest in his web, excluding Lisa. At this point, Lisa could've been his lunch.

And even though Christina's married, I know she was still curious about him. Never enough to explore further, but his easy smile and rich, hearty laugh drew us all in. His gentle yet polite mannerisms and his smooth, melodic voice. We were all intrigued, yet none of us knew what a player he was- is. And we're still playing his game. We're always playing the game.

Sisters. Friends. Enemies.

Who are we really?

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