Hey everyone !

Sorry that this took me forever to post , i've just been crazy busy ! I should have more chapters up soon as well so , keep checking back !

Thanks for the positive feedback ! (:

Enjoy !

(p.s. don't worry , this isn't actually the end :P)

(oh and also .. remeber reviews make the world go round ;) !)

CHAPTER 10

The End

It was early evening and the sun was low in the late August sky.

It was cooler than Danny had expected, he was glad he was wearing a long shirt, it was thin but it helped.

He had no idea where he was going but he needed some time alone to clear his head.

To try and figure out what to do next.

He felt bad for just walking out on Gio and Tom when they were only trying to help him.

Why was he such an idiot?

He was pushing everyone who still cared about him away, he pushed his mum away and now Tom and Gio too.

He felt so alone but that was his fault.

The neighbor hood where they lived was quiet, most of the people who lived around here were wealthy and had large houses set far off the street up long curved driveways with big iron gates.

Danny was glad for that at the moment, no one could see him as he walked along the sidewalk, except for the occasional car that sped by.

He wished he could just hop into his car and speed away, he didn't care where he went he just needed to get away, far away.

He wished he could just start over or end the life he had.

Maybe that was the only way out of this?

He wasn't thinking about killing himself was he?

Danny quickly tried to push that thought from his mind but it kept coming back.

Things would get better, they had to because Danny didn't know how much of this he could take.

Danny felt worse than he had ever felt before, that meant things could only get better.

Danny just walked and walked, following the curves of the sidewalk.

He looked at his watch, he'd been out for nearly an hour and it was almost dinner time, he decided he should turn back.

He had no future so back was the only way to go.

Tom and Gio would be worried sick about him not that they weren't already.

He must be scaring them and his mum, he must have scared her so much just hanging up sobbing like that.

He walked briskly, the chill of the air was really starting to get to him, he had goose bumps and his teeth would chatter now and then.

Danny really needed a hot cocoa with those little marshmallows on the top.

He tried to stop thinking about food, he hadn't been eating much since that night, he'd lost nearly 10 pounds in a week and he was already skinny.

He was withering away to nothing, maybe eventually he'd just disappear.

It was starting to get darker and gray, dark clouds were starting to fill the sky.

Pretty soon Danny found himself walking in the rain.

The rain was cold, which didn't help Danny's situation, he began to shiver as he ran to try and get back home faster.

He saw a car in the distance as it sped closer he realized it was Tom's car.

He stopped running as he was out of breath and freezing cold.

Tom pulled over when he reached Danny.

He hopped out quickly, with a blanket which he wrapped around Danny as he helped him into the backseat .

Danny's lips were starting to turn purple and his clothes were soaked.

Gio was sitting in the back too.

She put both arms around Danny as she tried to help him warm up again.

"Tha..a...nk..sss." Danny said shivering.

"No problem. Sorry, it took us so long, mate, we didn't know which way you'd gone." Tom apologized.

"No, it's fine."

Danny felt bad about causing so much trouble.

Tom could see Danny shivering and he could hear his teeth chatter.

"You might want to think about putting on a little body fat there, Danny." Tom joked.

"Yeah." Danny chuckled but really he wasn't in the mood for jokes.

Danny hated how skinny he was.

"Alright, here we are." Tom said pulling into the driveway.

"Danny, you get out of those wet clothes and Gio and I will see about some dinner."

Danny made his way up to his bedroom, removed his wet clothes, dried of and got into a pair of jeans shorts and a Hurley T-Shirt.

Danny's watch was ruined, water had seeped into it and the little hands had stopped moving.

He decided to keep it anyway, it reminded him of Dougie and how they used to be, he set it neatly on his dresser.

He heard a knock on his door "Danny?" he had expected it to be Tom but it was Gio.

"Yeah, just a sec." Danny tried frantically to clean his room up bit, he shoved stuff in his closet and under his bed.

When he was satisfied he invited Gio in "Okay, I uh, think it's safe now."

Gio opened the door with a cup of hot cocoa in her hands, she handed it to Danny "No little marshmallows?" Danny teased.

Gio smiled "Sorry to disappoint."

Danny sipped slowly on the cocoa as it was still very hot and he didn't want to burn his tongue, he hated when that happened.

He finished "Thanks." He handed the cup back to her.

"No problem. You really needed it... Tom just ordered out, I hope that's okay?"

Danny probably wouldn't eat much anyway but he was kind of a sucker for take out, they used to eat so much when they first moved in together so it reminded him of the good old days.

"Take out sounds great, actually."

The doorbell rang "I'll get it!" Tom called from downstairs.

"Let's eat." Danny stood up, Gio followed as they headed down to the kitchen.

Tom was getting some plates out of one of the kitchen cupboards above the stove.

A box from a local pizzeria "Angelo's" sat on the bar.

Tom opened the large, stainless steel fridge and grabbed a half full bottle of Coca Cola and joined them on the bar stools.

Danny would usually eat maybe half a pizza himself but tonight he couldn't even finish a piece.

He poured a small glass of coke and sipped on it every once and a while.

He didn't think that either Tom or Gio had noticed that he wasn't eating.

They both munched on their pizza slices and gulped down several glasses of Coke.

"Are you gonna eat that, mate?" Tom asked hopefully as he pointed to the half eaten slice on Danny's plate, expecting it to be his third or fourth slice.

"Nope, go ahead."

"Thanks." Tom reached over and picked up the slice and began to munch on it happily.

"How much was that?" Danny asked as he reached into the back pocket of his shorts.

"Dinner's on us." Tom smiled, showing off his one dimple.

"You sure, mate? I don't mind."

Danny hated taking charity from people, even his best friend.

"Danny, it's nothing." Tom refused Danny's wallet as he tried to hand it to him.

"Really, Danny it's fine." added Gio.

Danny gave up and slipped his wallet back into his pocket.

"Why don't we all watch a movie downstairs?" Tom suggested, trying to think of something that might cheer Danny up, although he was very picky when it came to films, he didn't like many.

"Thanks but I think I just need to go to bed." Danny wasn't in the mood for a movie and he didn't want to ruin Tom and Gio's good time more than he already had.

Just because he couldn't get on with his life didn't mean that Tom didn't want to.

He was holding his friend back, Tom was stuck with him, stuck babying him while he cried and whined about his stupid problems.

His life was ruined and now he was ruining Tom's.

He couldn't do that to Tom, not to his best friend.

There was only one way to put things right.

"You sure?" Gio asked, hoping he would change his mind.

"Yeah."

"Okay, suit yourself. We'll be downstairs if you need us." Tom said kindly.

"Or if you change your mind." Gio said as she gave Danny a hug, Tom joined in.

"Thanks, you guys.. for everything."

"Of course." Tom pulled away from the hug.

"You're welcome." Gio gave him another quick hug.

Danny turned around and headed towards the stairs but stopped in the doorway, he didn't turn around though, he didn't want them to see that he had started crying again.

"Goodbye."

"Goodnight Danny, you feel better okay?" Gio smiled sweetly.

"I will."

Danny continued toward his bedroom but he didn't go in, he continued on to Tom's bedroom and went inside.

Tom's bedroom was the biggest, the master bedroom, when they first bought the house they all agreed that Tom should have the master bedroom.

Danny was always surprised at how clean it was, Tom was very organized all around.

Danny tried to keep his room clean but never managed, after he'd cleaned it clothes, books and magazines, sheet music, garbage, etc. would begin to gather on his floor.

Danny wished he could be more like Tom, Danny was such a slob when it came to this kind of stuff like this or maybe he was just lazy.

He tried extra hard to keep it clean when he and Jane were together, he didn't want her to come and stay the night when his room looked like a bomb had gone off.

It didn't look as bad as it did now.

Nothing was as bad as it was now.

Tom's bedroom was the only bedroom with a doorway to the balcony, although Danny admired Tom's clean room, that was not the reason he's come in there.

Danny's tears had turned to sobs again.

The doorway to the balcony was two big French doors with opaque white curtains that gave just enough privacy but still let the light in.

Danny pushed the doors open and felt a chill as the cool night air rushed into the room, the rain was still falling but had let up a bit, it was now just a light drizzle.

The curtains fluttered a little in the light breeze which now filled the room.

Danny stepped out onto the balcony leaving the doors open behind him.

It was completely dark now and the only light, coming from Tom's room and the moon lit the balcony.

Danny's tears mixed with the rain droplets as the rain fell on his face and soaked him and his clothes.

Danny just stood there, halfway from the edge of the balcony and the doorway back into Tom's room.

He thought about all that had happened in the past week.

So much had happened but Danny couldn't think of one good thing.

He thought that revealing his secret would make him feel better but he just felt a million times worse.

He hated life, he hated everything that had happened but most of all he hated himself.

Danny took the last few steps forward to the railing of the balcony , he ran his hands along it.

Why had he done this to himself?

Why had he fallen in love with Dougie?

He couldn't imagine himself in love with anyone else, especially another guys, Danny didn't feel like he was gay, Dougie was just one guy.

But he loved this one guy more than he'd ever loved anyone.

And he didn't love him back.

He couldn't even stand to be around Danny anymore, he ran away from him, he was disgusted, he hated Danny.

Danny looked down over the railing, he'd never realized how far down it was.

Directly beneath him was the patio, cold, hard, wet, concrete.

Danny looked back up, and closed his eyes for a moment, he just felt the rain and breathed in the fresh air.

Danny climbed up onto the railing, and stood up.

He didn't look down, he couldn't.

His stomach, felt like it was going to burst out of him, he felt so nervous, scared.

But he couldn't turn back now, this was the only way out, the only way to make it all go away.

The only was Danny could end the pain that he felt everywhere, deep inside.

He held his breath and jumped.