Chapter 04
"Well, I think you have enough material here to write that essay," Danny told his student with a small but proud smile.
Charlotte chewed on her lower lip in uncertainty as she glanced over her notes. "Are you sure?" Her brow creased with worry. "Is my understanding of the symbolism good?"
"Trust me. I think your essay is going to be great," Danny assured her, but he could remember being as worried as Charlotte was when he was in high school. Even after he got up the courage to discuss things with his teachers about class work, he still felt a nervous gut wrenching fear of failing in his school work. His confidence often rose and dipped like going on a rollercoaster, but to his relief, he usually did better than he thought he did.
A knock against the doorframe of the class room interrupted their conversation. Danny turned his head, still feeling a jolt of surprise when Kwan peeked his head into the classroom. The other teacher smiled as he stepped through the doorway.
"I'm not interrupting, am I?" Kwan asked with a wince.
"Ah, no, we were just finishing up," Danny answered. He gave his student a stern look when Charlotte opened her mouth like she might argue. "You have a great understanding of the book. I'm sure you'll have no problems once you get started writing that essay."
Charlotte frowned but gave in with a sigh. "Thanks for the help, Mr. Fenton." She gathered up her notes.
"Did you need something?" Danny asked Kwan as he, too, packed up his things to get ready to leave for the day.
Kwan shook his head. "It's nothing super important. I was thinking on what to make for dinner tonight, and well," he shrugged a shoulder, "I wanted to ask how spicy you like your food. I usually go pretty heavy handed, but if you prefer something less spicy, I can hold back on it."
"Oh, um-" Danny blinked, glancing toward his student when he heard a soft squeak.
Charlotte's face was bright red, and she kept her gaze lowered. "Excuse me!" She hugged her notebook to her chest as she hurried out of the classroom.
Danny arched an eyebrow, frowning as he watched her go. What was that all about? "Right. Um," he shook his head to recollect his thoughts, "I actually had plans for tonight." He winced. "I'm sorry. I forgot to mention it earlier."
"Oh!" Kwan's eyebrows lifted, and a look of surprise entered in his eyes. "I didn't-" His mouth curved into a smile. "Well, I'm glad you're settling in here well. I hope you enjoy your night out."
"I won't be out the whole night." Danny shouldered his bag as he walked over to where Kwan stood. "It's just dinner."
"But dinner could always lead to something more." Kwan nudged Danny in the ribs as they walked down the hall together.
"Ah," Danny nodded, "now I remember why I didn't say anything. I wanted to avoid being teased." He never thought about Kwan teasing him. Dash, however, would likely drive him mad with poking fun at him. Danny frowned, half feeling like they were back in high school with Dash bullying him. The imagery was only reinforced by the fact that they were in a high school at that moment.
"Sorry." Kwan struggled to hold back a smile. "I don't mean to tease. But I do hope you have a good time on your date."
Danny tugged awkwardly at his ear with a nervous laugh. "I'm hoping it goes well, but, uh, we'll see. I guess." It was a first date, which only made him more nervous about the whole thing. He spent the day trying not to think about the date. It helped, a little, but now the date was on his mind again, bringing up all the nervous, jittery energy with it.
"Don't worry." Kwan slapped a hand to Danny's back with a confident smile. "I'm sure it'll go great."
Danny wished he had Kwan's confidence. When they returned to the apartment, he quickly hopped into the shower and got dressed for his date. He was out the door before Dash even managed to question him about where he was going. He was running late by the time he arrived at the restaurant where he agreed to meet his date.
"Sorry," Danny apologized after the waiter showed him to the table where his date waited. "I hope you haven't been here long."
She shook her head, her long black hair falling over one shoulder. "They haven't even brought my drink yet." She leaned her chin in her hand as her brown eyes flicked over Danny. "Your sister didn't mention how cute you were."
"I might start to wonder if my sister thought I was cute, in that way." Danny winced slightly. "So, um, Hayley, Jazz never told me what you did."
"Right now," Hayley sighed as she leaned back in her chair, "just working in a cubicle. Boring stuff like data entry. But I'm determined not to be stuck in this job for the rest of my life. I'm going to move up! I don't know how just yet, but I'm going to do it."
Danny chuckled. "I believe you will." With how confidently she spoke, it wasn't hard to imagine her working her way to the top.
She blinked then blushed lightly. "So Jazz told me you're a teacher. That must have some excitement in it."
Danny smiled. "Yeah, well, some days the students can get pretty rowdy. Being stuck sitting inside listening to lectures all day can leave a person restless, especially at their age when they have all that energy." Sometimes, it felt like only yesterday when he was just like his students, growing easily bored in classes and anxiously counting down the seconds until the final bell. "But there are some good days where the students eagerly engage in discussions."
The waiter returned then with Hayley's drink. After setting it down, he took out a pad and pen. "Have you decided on what you'd like?"
"Uh, maybe a few more minutes," Danny answered as he hadn't even looked over the menu yet. "But I'd some water."
The waiter nodded. "Yes, sir." He walked away to get the water and check on his other tables.
"I guess we should figure out what we want to order." Danny picked up his menu to look over his options.
By the time the waiter returned to drop off his water, they had both decided on what they wanted to order. The waiter jotted it down on his pad before heading to the kitchen. Danny took a sip of water, glancing over at Hayley as his nervousness crept up on him after the break in their conversation. Things seemed like they were flowing smoothly, but now he fumbled for how to pick up the conversation again.
"Jazz mentioned you only recently moved here," Hayley said. "I guess that's why she didn't try to hook us up before now."
Danny bobbed his head. "Yeah, I had a good offer to take a job teaching here. It pays a bit better, and the school is pretty nice." He shrugged a little. "And it was nice to have a change of scenery. I've spent nearly my whole life in Amity Park, and I like it there. But, you know, sometimes you just want to travel to see other places before you die."
Hayley nodded. "I can totally understand that. I liked where I grew up, and I go back to visit for Christmas, but I just couldn't spend all my life in a small town."
The waiter dropped off their food with a pleasant, "Enjoy," before he left them alone again. Despite his nervousness, Danny thought he date went well. He didn't have any embarrassing mishaps, and the conversation had few awkward pauses after the first one. He learned in high school Hayley was part of the debate team and liked swimming. When she was around five, she wanted to be ballerina, and sometimes, she liked to put on some old videos and dance along to them. She was kind and smart, and Danny enjoyed talking with her. When their date came to an end, Hayley leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before pulling back with a light blush. Danny's cheeks warmed in response as he stuttered out, "Good night." They stood awkwardly outside the restaurant for a few minutes before they parted ways to return to their apartments.
jessiejr21: Indeed! XD Hopefully things will be better between Dash and Danny.
Tetractys: I need to work on my own cooking skills. orz I only know how to make a few things.
BlackDawnYaoilover: Aw thanks! 8D I hope I can live up to what people want to see from this story!
Some Weird Chick: XD They better be careful. I can hear the rumor mill starting already.
Kimera20: Thank you! X3
Cabbit and the Weasel: Awwww~~ Thanks! 8D
Asuni: Thanks! =D And I'm looking forward to when these three dorks realize their feelings for each other. XD
LonelyCatAngelKaty: Hm~ I wonder. 8) I bet whatever it is would make Kwan and Danny splutter and blush if they knew. 8D;;
Simplegayme: XD If only they smelled it too!
YumiStar: Did I?
Raven Dalsie: All the students are going to be sitting there like, "Just kiss already!" the whole time. XD And then there will be ship wars out of the three of them. *shot* XD;;