Date: April 15, 2009
Title: Only Time Will Tell
Author: Soccer-Bitch
Chapter: 2 of?
Rating: T
Pairings: Tyler/OC, Pogue/Kate, Caleb/OC
Warnings: Some Strong Language
Feedback: All opinions are welcome!
Disclaimer: I own Danielle and the characters you don't recognize, but everything from the Covenant I do not own.
Summary: After leaving Ipswich with her father eight years ago, Danielle Kennedy is back for her senior year at Spencer. Will old friends still be there or will she be seeing the side of them she had never seen before?
A/N: Thanks to those who have encouraged me to do this story!
Thanks: Thanks for the reviews! I appreciate them! And a very special to Carrot Top! I appreciate all the help and everything.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Danielle walked down the stairs at 9:45 wearing brown Capri's and a light green tee. She had to rush putting cover up on her foot to hide the shooting star tattoo that she had gotten on her seventeenth birthday. She knew if her mother ever found out about her foot tattoo or the one on her shoulder that she would throw a fit, just as her dad had done when he saw them. Once she saw her mother she walked a bit further and saw no one was there yet she sighed, a bit relieved. She noticed her mother had brought out the old plates that were for special occasions. Running a hand through her loose hair, she cleared her throat and waited for her mom to look her way, but she didn't even look up until she heard the doorbell ring.
"Your guests are here," Danielle said as she walked off towards the kitchen.
"Where do you think you are going?" Claire asked, making her daughter stop mid-step.
"I am going to get my cell phone that I left in the kitchen and give Dad a quick call since I haven't let him know that I am here yet," Danielle said, looking into her mother's eyes.
"Make it quick, I wouldn't want your guests to wait on you," Claire said before looking at the new butler opening the door.
Danielle watched her mother walk to where the woman came in before she walked off to the kitchen. "Would hate to upset your guests," she muttered under her breath.
"Hey, Mary," Danielle smiled at the cook in the kitchen that she had met last night while she came down for a drink of water.
"Hello, Danielle," Mary said.
Mary was the cook of the house. She had been sorting things for the last minute brunch Claire had told her to make. Mary was a sweet woman with two kids and a husband. Danielle found her to be very easy to talk to, unlike her own mother. "Did I leave my phone in here last night?"
With a smile, Mary handed her the dark blue phone. "It was ringing last night." She informed the young girl.
"Thanks, Mary," Danielle said as she walked towards the fridge to hide herself in case her mother came in looking or sent Caleb or one of his friends looking for her.
"That spot won't hide you forever," Mary told her with a smile on her face.
"I'll have some more soon," Danielle laughed as she dialed the number she knew as home.
The phone call was short; she talked to her dad and let him know that she was in Ipswich and what her mother had planned for the morning. She knew that it was still early in California, but her Dad always made it known that she could call for anything. She asked about Evan and he told her that he was finally sleeping, he had resisted going to bed the previous night and insisted that he wanted his sister. It broke Danielle's heart to hear that, but after promising to call later in the night, Danielle said good-bye to her dad and wiped the tear that escaped her eyes.
"Your mother isn't looking too happy right now," Mary told the young girl.
"And it's been less than a day already," Danielle laughed. "I guess she's gonna be looking like that for a while,"
"Go on," Mary smiled at the teenager.
Danielle walked towards the front room, where she could hear the voices of her mother and their guests. She walked in slowly, mentally preparing herself, and took a deep breath as she waited by the entry way for someone out of the crowd to notice her. She quickly spotted the group of boys her mother had invited and looked between the two dark haired ones. She knew one of them was Caleb, but she couldn't be sure which one, after all it had been years and she hadn't seen a picture of him since she left. As she was about to clear her throat, she met her mother's gaze.
"Danielle, there you are sweetheart," Claire said motioning with her hand for her daughter to come over to where everyone was standing around. Once she was near enough, Claire wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed Danielle into her side. "Evelyn, look at her, hasn't she grown?" Claire gushed. Danielle tried to pull away from Claire, but her mother had a vice grip on her.
"Claire, she's beautiful," Evelyn said, tilting her head and smiling warmly.
Danielle didn't know what to say to that. She was never really one to take compliments well, no matter who they came from. So instead of pondering about it, she just said the first thing that came into her mind. "Thank you, Mrs. Danvers,"
"And so polite," Evelyn said, a bit surprised. Then she turned and motioned to someone else. "Boys come over here," She called.
The three boys that were standing by themselves walked over to where Danielle stood next to her mother and across from Evelyn. Danielle was caught off-guard by how attractive all of them were and concentrated very hard on not letting her jaw drop. "Danielle, this is Pogue Parry and Tyler Simms, they are Caleb's friends." Evelyn introduced. Danielle smiled at them, the guys both nodding at her, and she had to force herself to look away from the one name Tyler. "And you of course you remember Caleb. The two of you would play together when you were little," Evelyn continued, giving her a look that couldn't be overlooked.
Danielle had the biggest urge to roll her eyes. It was obvious to her then that the two women were both up to something and she knew it was going to get awkward before the afternoon came. "Before I moved to California," Danielle said, a smile plastered on her face, but it didn't reach her eyes. She looked at the one standing next to Evelyn and smiled at him, the smile more genuine. "It's good to see you again."
"Yeah, you too. Welcome back," Caleb told her, a small smile on his face. Danielle saw Pogue nudge Tyler out of the corner of her eye but chose to ignore it.
"Thanks," Danielle said putting her thumbs through her belt loops.
She was saved from saying anything else, when Mary made her presence known to everyone in the living room. "Breakfast is ready, Ms. Harris,"
"Thank you Mary," Claire said before motioning for the younger kids to walk to the dinning room.
Danielle couldn't resist the urge to roll her eyes as her mother held her back so that she could walk next to Caleb. It wasn't that Caleb wasn't good looking, because he was, it wasn't hard to see that, but he'd been forever branded in her memory as a little kid she'd spent hours playing with and getting in trouble with. Caleb looked down at her and she shrugged at him, making him crack another smile. When she turned her eyes forward she realized Tyler had been looking back at them. He flashed a quick smile then turned his attention back forward.
At the table, there was fresh fruit, pancakes, waffles and French toast. Danielle couldn't understand why this much food was needed. Unless the boys were gonna eat all that because she knew she wouldn't be. Breakfast was one of the meals she preferred to skip. Sitting in her chair next to Caleb and across from Pogue, she looked at both of the adults; it seemed that they both had a twinkle in their eyes. But that was the thing about Danielle, she didn't ever do what the adults wanted, she did what she wanted on her own time, if she did it at all. That was how her last relationship had come to be.
"You know Evelyn, Danielle is a soccer champion," Claire said as she passed the pancakes to Caleb. Evelyn made a sound of approval and shared a look with Evelyn.
"No, I'm not," Danielle said quickly. Her mother didn't look too happy with what she said. "Soccer is a team sport. Eleven players are on the field at once. It's all about the team work, not just one person." She explained.
"Are you going to try out for the team at Spencer?" Tyler asked, before putting a fork full of blueberry pancakes into his mouth. Danielle looked over at him and momentarily forgot how to form words as he watched her, waiting for an answer. Tyler was cute…
"Of course she is," Claire answered for her.
Danielle snapped out of it and shrugged. "Well, I was just gonna focus on my studies since it's my last year, but I guess it just depends," Danielle said, picking up a strawberry and offering Tyler a small smile before grabbing for an orange.
"I'm sure that you'll have the time for the soccer team," Claire said.
Danielle didn't bother to reply to what she said. There was no point. Her mother would always have her opinion. She wanted the perfect family, but instead, she had Danielle. A teenage girl that had a mind and voice of her own and wasn't about to back down from anything.
"So, Danielle, did you like California?" Pogue asked, speaking for the first time.
"I loved it. Especially when me and Jordan and the guys would be at the beach every day in the summer. Those were good time. There was a night where we went out with boys on their motorcycles. That was a fun night." Danielle said before biting down on the strawberry that was still in her hand.
"So you like bikes?" Pogue asked.
"Yeah, they are a great way to have fun," Danielle smiled which reached all the way to her eyes this time.
With the glare her mother was sending her way, Danielle decided to stop where she was heading with the conversation.
"So you like bikes then?" Pogue asked, his voice filled with a bit of excitement. "There's nothing else like them,"
Danielle looked at him. "You have one?"
"Yeah," Pogue laughed. "It's a yellow Ducati. Maybe sometime I can take you on a ride on it,"
Danielle bit her lip so that the smile on her face didn't spread. Looking down she reached over Caleb's plate and grabbed the bowl of grapes before leaning back in her chair. She thought she heard a groan come from Pogue, but when she looked at him, he was looking at Tyler with a glare on his face. Before she could ask if something was wrong, she heard her mother's voice.
"So Caleb, your mother tells me that you are recently single,"
Caleb looked up from his plate of food sharply. Shock was clear as day on his face that his mother told her friend about his break-up with Sarah Wenham. Danielle looked at her mom in surprise. Why she would bring up something so personal up while everyone was eating, was beyond her. She knew how it felt to have to break up with someone you care about, but to have your mother's friend bring it up was just not right.
"Mom, that's none of anyone's business," Danielle told her. "You didn't like people putting their noses into your divorce with Dad,"
Caleb looked down at his plate and took a bite of his French toast before looking over at Danielle who was sending her mother a disapproving look. When he looked to his friends, he saw Tyler and Pogue were just as surprised by the question as he had been. "It's okay. Sarah and I just decided to go our separate ways."
"Well I am sorry to hear that," Claire said, "I'm sure that you'll find someone else."
"Thanks," he said, looking at Danielle who was looking down at her plate as if it was the most fascinating thing in the room.
"So Danielle what are your plans for today?" Evelyn asked
Danielle looked up and met her eyes. "Oh, I have to get the rest of the bags out of my car and then I have to pick up some last minute school supplies that I forgot about before leaving on my little road trip."
"Why don't you boys help her out?" Evelyn suggested.
"Oh, I wouldn't want to be a bother, I can handle it," Danielle said, not wanting to inconvenience anyone.
"Nonsense, they would love to help out. Wouldn't you boys?" Evelyn said turning her attention to the boys.
"I can help get the stuff from your car, but I've got a date with my girl Kate," Pogue said.
"I've gotta meet Reid for the pool tournament. It should last for a while. If you wanna come watch later on you can," Tyler said, before quickly adding, "But I can help get the stuff from your car as well,"
When Caleb didn't speak up, he met his mother's eyes trying to figure out what she was doing. "I can show you around town, I mean it's been a long time since you've been here." He finally said.
Evelyn and Claire looked pleased.
"You don't have to do that, I'm sure that I can find my way around." Danielle said grabbing her glass of orange juice and taking a gulp of it. Looking at the glass that was now empty she set it back on the table before looking at Caleb.
"It's no problem at all," Caleb told her. "And I can even show you how to get to Spencer the back way so you can bypass all the traffic lights and stop signs."
"So do you all live on campus?" Danielle asked curiously.
"No, I live at home, with my mom," Caleb said.
"I have an apartment," Pogue said. "Its not much, but it works for me. But Kate lives in the dorms."
"I share a room with Reid at Spencer," Tyler said.
"Who is Reid?" Danielle asked.
"That's another one of their friends," Evelyn supplied.
"Reid Garwin. You'll hear all about him on your first day at Spencer. But don't believe everything you hear. Some isn't what you think." Tyler said, sticking up for his friend who wasn't there.
"If you are curious, you can always ask one of us about it before voicing what you think," Pogue said. "We won't judge you,"
"Thanks," Danielle said, with a tint of a blush creeping upon her face.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"So will I be completely lost on Monday when I go to Spencer?" Danielle asked as she sat in the passenger's seat to Caleb's silver convertible.
"What? With lessons?" Caleb asked glancing over at her before turning his attention back to the road.
"That and finding my way around the campus," Danielle smiled.
"Naw, the lessons haven't really started too much, but if so, the guys all have our subjects that we are good at and we are more than willing to help if you really need it." Caleb told her with a smile.
"And the campus?"
"I'll help you out in that area, don't worry about it,"
"Thanks," Danielle said. "And I'm sorry,"
"For what?" Caleb asked curiously as he pulled his car to a stop at the light.
"For my mom's nosy question about your personal life and her pushing us to sit together." Danielle said quietly and with a bit of embarrassment. She wanted to rekindle her friendship with Caleb, not have thing be awkward just because of their mom's.
"My mom was just as bad as yours, but it wasn't your fault." Caleb said with a shrug and a laugh. "They've been talking for weeks about how you were coming and how great it would be if their kids got together so they really would be family like they talked about when we were kids," He explained as the light finally turned green.
"It's hard to imagine that at seventeen. Married I mean." Danielle said. "I don't know if that would ever be for me. I would hate to end up like my mom and dad, but on the other hand, I can totally see how much my dad loves Gabby, so maybe marriages aren't too bad,"
"Whose Gabby?" Caleb asked, waiting for the truck in front of him to go.
"She's my dad's wife. They are really happy together. They have a son together, his name is Evan." Danielle said a bit whistfully, thinking of the family she'd left behind.
"You miss him," Caleb stated as he maneuvered so that he could go around the truck that just wasn't moving. "Am I right?"
"Yeah," Danielle sighed.
"You gonna visit them?"
"Over breaks. Dad is flying me back and forth. But its not that I don't appreciate it, I really do, but I guess I'm gonna miss the routine I already had."
"You can call and check on him and see him during your breaks," Caleb told her. "And you will find another routine. It's what I had to do,"
"When?" Danielle questioned him curiously.
"After you left. I was young, I still didn't get that you wouldn't be there after school. So I would go there for months and ask if you could come over or if you were home." Caleb laughed. "Then I found swimming and I put my all into that."
Danielle was touched by Caleb's confession and smiled at him with a while. Caleb gave her a funny look so she continued on with the conversation. "Are you any good?"
"State champs," Caleb laughed. "You'll have to come to a meet or something,"
"Maybe I will, but only if you come to a soccer game if I make the team," Danielle bargained with him.
"I thought you weren't going out for the team,"
"I thought about it and it's hard to stop doing something you love. Dad got me into it right after moving to California and so ever since then, I've been playing. That's were I met Jordan."
"And Jordan is?"
"She played soccer with me for as long as I can remember. It's how we became be-" She stopped mid-sentence when she realized what she was about to say. She looked at Caleb unsurely to see that he was smirking at her.
"It's okay to say it. Best Friends. We haven't seen each other in a long time. I knew that you would find other friends. You were always too sweet and nice not to have a load of friends."
"I thought about you a lot when I moved and when I realized I was coming back, I wondered if you would remember me or not. Cause I was having a hard time picturing what you looked like after all this time and the only thing I could think of was the last time I saw you when I told you I was moving with my dad,"
"I think we both grew up,"
"That we did," Danielle laughed as he pulled up into the parking lot of a store.
One of the perks of moving back after all the years that she spent away, her friendship with Caleb Danvers felt like she had never left in the first place. Danielle felt like she could be herself around him without making a fool of herself. Even with her mother pushing her towards him, she felt that he was one of few great guys that were around and she just hoped that she could find one for herself.
