A/N: So one of you asked me if other characters from Tut are paralleled in this story. They are. When I first started writing this, I had certain characters designated for each other but as I wrote more and more the characters started dictating their own personalities. Tara is someone completely different from who I first perceived but now that her personality has taken full shape, her past identity makes complete sense. As this story progresses, some parallels will be fairly obvious while others will be more subtle. But I don't think you guys should have a hard time figuring out who is who.

If you've seen Tut then you know this road is going to get bumpy. Be prepared.

Chapter Nine

"Come on, Lacey, what did you expect? The guy is a total player! You said so yourself!"

Lacey had little to say in response to her sister's righteously indignant ant. Instead, she scooted herself deeper into the plush chair in which she had folded herself in an effort to disappear completely, struggling against the strong and undeniable urge to cry. She didn't even know why she was freaking out in the first place. She and Danny were just friends, barely even that. She was the one who had set the rules between them and had dictated that there should be no romance between them whatsoever. So why then did she feel like she had been kicked solidly in the gut at the sight of him having an intimate lunch for two with his ex-girlfriend.

"God, I'm such an idiot," she mumbled more to herself than to Clara, "There's no way I can go volunteer at the hospital tonight. She's definitely going to be there and I can't deal with her smugness right now."

Clara suspended her restless pacing across the living room and whipped to face her with a dubious scowl. "What are you talking about? I know you're not going to let that little twit screw with your future!" she cried, "You didn't do anything wrong. So why are you the one hiding?"

"Technically she didn't do anything wrong either," Lacey muttered in a glum tone, "And she did warn me after all...Danny is only out for himself. I was the one who chose not to believe it."

"Well, going by the looks of her today, she didn't seem to have a problem with him 'being out for himself,'" Clara scoffed, "I'm not saying she wasn't speaking the truth about the guy but it was definitely more for her benefit than yours that she warned you away, Lacey. It's pretty obvious she wants him back...though God knows why," she concluded in a mumbled under-breath.

Lacey tucked her knees closer to her chest, blinking back the fresh onslaught of tears that burned in her eyes. "I don't want to talk about it anymore, Clara."

Filled with empathy at the abject misery beneath her sister's sullen reply, Clara dropped down onto the ottoman directly in front of Lacey. "Be straight with me, Lacey. Are you really that into him?"

She shrugged noncommittally but Clara didn't need verbal confirmation when the answer was written all over Lacey's face. "I know you don't get it."

"You're right," Clara sighed in agreement, "I don't get it. He seems like your typical spoiled, rich playboy. But obviously there must be something redeeming about him otherwise you wouldn't be all twisted in knots like this." She tucked her hands between her knees and hunched forward with sincere interest. "So help me understand. Tell me what's so great about this guy...otherwise I'm going to have to hunt him down and beat him to death with something big and heavy."

Lacey grunted a small laugh. "You're insane."

"I'm serious. What is it about this guy that draws you?"

"It's hard to explain."

"Well, since our plans for my free period are shot now and I have no intentions of going back to school, you might as well spill your guts."

"Aren't you tired of listening to me whine about this?"

"Eh, I figure I owe you after all the years you've covered for me with Mom," Clara teased lightly, "You've gotten me out of trouble and saved me from one stupid mistake after another since I was like eleven. I guess it's your turn now."

"Yeah, I guess it is," Lacey mumbled.

"So..." Clara prodded impatiently, tapping Lacey's knee when she fell silent, "What's the big deal? I know he's rich and attractive and enjoyable in bed but there has to be more to it than that."

"You know, on the outside it seems like he has everything," Lacey recounted softly, "Money. Power. Popularity. He presents this arrogant, confidant air about himself but, in reality, he's this scared, lonely little boy...and I see it every time I look at him. I saw it the first time we met even when he was trying to be cool."

"Maybe that's just part of his game," Clara considered, "He wants you to think he's this poor, abandoned puppy so you'll let your guard down."

Lacey shook her head to refute that theory. "I don't think that's what it is," she replied, "It's definitely not a part of himself that he wants me to see...or anyone for that matter. He thinks it makes him weak and he hates himself for it. I can't explain why I feel this way but...Clara, I know Danny in my heart, in my soul like I've never known anyone else in my entire life and there's so much more to him than what he lets people see."

Clara digested that with a pensive frown. "Okay, so if you know him so well...why do you think he was having lunch with his ex-girlfriend today? I thought you said they were done."

"All I know is that Jo seems to mean a lot to him and it made him sad when she didn't want to be friends with him anymore," Lacey replied, "But I don't think he's in love with her or anything."

"Is that what he told you?"

"Well...not exactly, but..." Lacey hedged softly.

Clara regarded her with a forlorn expression. "Listen, Lacey, I know this might be hard for you to hear but I wouldn't be a good sister to you if I didn't say it...I think you're just seeing what you want to see."

Lacey drew herself into an even smaller ball. "I knew you would think that. That's why I didn't want to talk about it."

"I think you didn't want to talk about it because you know that it's true," Clara insisted softly, "Otherwise, it wouldn't upset you so much to hear it."

"You're wrong. You don't get it at all."

"Stop saying that!" Clara flared, "I do get it, okay! You fell for the guy. Danny made you believe that he has something with you that he's never had with anyone else! He sucked you in with his charm and his wounded bird routine and now you're invested in him and you feel like you need to heal his broken soul. Don't think he didn't plan it that way, Lacey. I've been there, okay! I learned the hard way not to get attached to any guy. They're all liars and they all leave. Never trust them. Just look at what happened to Mom with Dad."

Now it was Lacey's turn to favor her sister with a pitying look. "I hate that you feel that way, Clara. You're way too young to be so bitter."

"I have good reason to be bitter and so do you. Your problem is that you're always trying to see the best in people and sometimes there is no 'best,' Lacey. Sometimes people are just scumbags and you have to accept it and move on!"

"I don't think Danny's a scumbag," Lacey whispered.

"And I don't think he's the poor, innocent lamb you think he is either," Clara countered sagely, "You need to be smart about him and protect your heart. Otherwise, you're just going to be setting yourself up for more of what happened at that diner today. I don't want to spend the next six months watching you cry over this fool."

Clara had just finished issuing that dire warning when Lacey's cell phone suddenly blared into activity on the side table next to Lacey's chair. Her breath caught in her lungs. The number illuminated on the screen was from an unknown caller but Lacey knew instantly who it was and her heart thumped in anticipation as she was torn between answering his call and ignoring him. She darted an uncertain glance at Clara.

"That's Danny," she said, "I gave him my number after class today and he said he was going to call."

"I know you're not going to answer that," Clara scoffed.

"Why shouldn't I? Okay, seeing him at lunch with Jo today threw me for a loop but... Technically, I don't really have any reason to be upset with him," Lacey reasoned lamely, "It's not like we're dating or anything."

Clara growled at her. "I swear to God if you make one more argument like that I'm going to smother you with pillow!"

"Well, it's true!" She started to reach for her cell just as her ringtone stopped playing. Lacey glared at Clara. "You see what you did! You made me miss the call!"

"Oh, boohoo," Clara snarked, "Let me play you a sad song on the world's tiniest violin."

"I'm calling him back," Lacey determined.

Her sister's scathing, "Don't be pathetic!" momentarily halted her intentions. "How am I being pathetic? You're acting like he cheated on me or something!"

"So what if he didn't cheat!" Clara flung back, "He's given you every reason to believe that you're the only girl he's interested in but the second your back is turned he's all over his ex. It's sleazy!"

"We're just friends! He can talk to whoever he wants," Lacey argued.

"Yeah, I guess that's why you cried the entire way home after you saw them together."

"Whatever! I didn't cry!" Lacey barely finished making the denial when her ringtone began playing anew. "I'm going to answer him this time. I don't want him to think I'm playing games."

She made a quick grab for the phone, hoping to catch the call before she missed it altogether but Clara was too swift for her. Her sister had already swiped up the device and danced out of reach before Lacey's fingers could even touch it. Lacey glared at her darkly. "Clara, I don't have time for this! Give it back!" She jumped out of the chair and made another grab for the phone but Clara, predictably, snatched it out of her reach. Lacey growled in frustration. "He's going to hang up!"

"Let him!" Clara retorted in between wild contortions to keep Lacey from getting hold of the cell phone, "He's a douchebag! You're better off without him!"

Lacey managed to get her into a headlock just as the tune finally stopped. "I'm going to kill you," she promised Clara darkly just as the younger girl managed to wriggle from her hold and scurry across the living room. She stalked Clara's every step, her body poised for chase in anticipation of Clara's impending attempt at escape.

"Why do you have to react with such violence?" Clara pouted, careful to keep the phone cradled closely to her breasts, "I'm trying to help you here!"

"You are so dead!"

"Well, since you're already pissed at me, I might as well delete his number from your phone completely."

Lacey froze mid-step. "You wouldn't dare."

"It would be pretty simple," Clara considered, deliberately executing her actions as she spoke them aloud, "All I have to do is put in your password and...delete...delete...delete..."

Her last words escaped her in a breathless grunt as Lacey abruptly tackled her to the ground with an outraged shriek. That was how Judy found them a few seconds later when she made her way through the front door and immediately went running into the living room to investigate all the screaming. Clara was straddled beneath a wrathful Lacey, her arms drawn up around her head to fend off Lacey's slapping blows. Judy took in the scene with a mixture of weariness, impatience and annoyance.

"What the hell is going on here?"

Clara threw her a desperate glance. "Mom, help! She's gone crazy! She's trying to kill me!"

"Lacey, get off of your sister," Judy ordered tartly, "My God! You're a grown ass woman! Can't you two manage to remain civil to each other for one day?"

While Lacey flailed around to defend herself, Clara wisely took the opportunity to squirm to safety and seek asylum behind her mother. Lacey scowled at her. "You don't know what she did to me, Mom!"

Judy rolled a tired look over at Clara. "What did you do?"

"Just saved Lacey from herself!" She stuck out her tongue at the aforementioned. "You would think she'd show a bit more gratitude!" Clara sniffed.

"Be careful, Clare," Lacey warned ominously as she bent to retrieve her fallen cell phone, "Mom's not going to be able to protect you forever."

Her words caused Judy to groan aloud. "Whatever this is, can't you girls just put aside your differences? I'm dealing with enough as it is without you two bickering over trivial things."

Lacey stiffened with affront. "It's not trivial! Clara is poking her nose into stuff that is none of her business!"

"Oh, it's definitely 'my business' when you're whining to me about it every other day!" Clara retorted.

Judy darted a surveying glance between her feuding daughters before finally asking Lacey outright, "This isn't about Chris, is it? He hasn't tried to contact you, has he? Because if you're plotting to run away with him or something like that, Lacey, I can't-,"

"Mom, no!" Lacey interrupted sharply before she could finish her theory, "It's not about Chris. I'm over him. Trust me."

"Then who is it about?" Judy asked suspiciously, "I just walked in here and found you beating your sister. What's going on with you?"

"It's nothing, Mom," Lacey mumbled, "Anyway, I don't have time to discuss it. I need to get ready to go. I'm supposed to be at the hospital in another hour anyway."

Clara grunted. "Oh, so now you're going to go. Why the sudden change of heart?"

"I guess I could use some distance from you right now," Lacey snapped back.

Before Clara could make an antagonistic reply to that, her mother said, "Don't you dare say one word, Clara." She opened her mouth to argue the perceived unfairness of her chastisement but Judy immediately followed up her earlier statement with, "And what are you doing home at this hour anyway? Shouldn't you be in school right now? Clara LeShawnta Porter, how many times have we talked about you cutting school?"

Lacey flashed her sister a bright, artificial smile. "And while you try to explain your way out of this one, I'll be upstairs getting ready for my shift."

By the time Lacey had finished taking her shower and was in the middle of applying her makeup, much of her ire with her sister had cooled. She recognized that Clara's heart had been in a good place. She hadn't deleted Danny's number to be spiteful in any way. She truly believed she was protecting Lacey. It was just her methods for going about that happened to be questionable. But she wasn't quite ready to let Clara off the hook, at least not until she had apologized. Her baby sister needed to learn that her actions had consequences, good intentions or not.

In the meantime, she could only hope that Danny called her back and she could ask him directly what was going on between him and Jo Masterson. However, the instant the thought occurred to her, Lacey felt weak and pathetic for even considering it at all. Had she really sunk so low that she needed reassurance from a guy she'd essentially friendzoned that he was interested in her and only her? First of all, she was certain that would make her appear needy and insecure and Lacey inwardly balked at giving off either impression. And, second of all, Danny was sure to be confused by what he'd perceive as mixed signals from her. He'd think she was jealous and there was no way Lacey was having that either.

While Lacey didn't necessarily share her sister's abysmally low opinion of Danny Desai, she also recognized the wisdom of not leaving herself open to heartbreak. She wouldn't go out of her way to actively avoid him or anything but there was definitely nothing wrong with waiting for him to call her again. If Danny was being truly genuine about his interest in her then he could put up with a tiny bit of chasing. In the meantime, Lacey was not going to five Jo Masterson even the smallest bit of satisfaction by asking her any details about her lunch with Danny that afternoon.

That was exactly what she wanted, Lacey was sure. No doubt she expected Lacey to barrage her with questions, demanding to know the exact nature of her relationship with Danny. The smug, superior sneer she'd flashed at Lacey that afternoon in the diner basically confirmed her suspicions. She had wanted to rub it in Lacey's face that she was with Danny right then. She was going to be bitterly disappointed if she expected Lacey to crack. True, she had been and was still hurt over having seen them together that afternoon but she would be damned if she let that smirking, blonde twit know it!

Lacey continued to keep that resolve fixed firmed in her mind when she strode through the automated doors of the hospital emergency department and made her way towards the common breakroom to store her things. Her bravado, unfortunately, lasted just as long as it took her to realize that Jo was already there. The instant she heard her enemy's voice, Lacey froze in her tracks. The dread and reluctance she had felt earlier at the prospect of seeing Jo resurged in her breast and, right then, she wanted nothing more than to ignore the blonde girl entirely. She started to turn away from the door when the sound of an unfamiliar male voice abruptly caught her attention. Before she could talk herself out of it, Lacey crept closer and inclined her ear, straining to hear the conversation that was presently unfolding between Jo and the unknown guy.

"...makes you so sure that it's not?" the mystery man was asking, "You should have a test to be sure. There could be a chance but it's like you won't even consider it!"

"I've already told you before that it's not possible, Archie," came Jo's taut reply, "Just trust me, okay, and please stop asking me about it! You're not helping! I'll never figure this mess out if you keep twisting everything around in my head."

Lacey couldn't be sure but she thought his next words to her were, "My offer stands just like before. I'll marry you, Jo."

"Like that's an answer," she muttered.

"And this is a better one? All this sneaking around that you're doing?" he charged.

Her reply was mumbled and petulant but Lacey still managed to make it out. "I'm not sneaking around."

"But you are lying," Archie pointed out, "You're pushing away the people who actually care about you! How do you explain that?"

"That is not what I'm doing! I don't have to tell anyone anything," Jo said, "It's my business."

"And what about Danny? It's his business too, right?"

"Like you care!" Jo snorted, "If you had your way, he wouldn't even be in the equation."

"But he is...and I'm willing to accept that, if I have to. I'm just trying to understand why you haven't told him...about what's going on with you and about us."

"There is no us, Archie. I don't know what we were doing together but it's over now. I told you that it's never going to happen again."

Archie scoffed under his breath. "Because you're too concerned with what Danny might think of you. God, Jo! You didn't betray him! Neither did I."

"How do you think it's going to look when I finally tell him the truth and then, in the next breath, tell him about us. It's not going to look good. He'll have doubts and I don't want that! You don't understand, Archie. I've loved him since I was eight years old. I'm so close to having what I've always wanted. Don't screw this up for me."

"You don't love him, Jo. You love the fantasy version of him that you've built up in your head. You won't let yourself see the real Danny...just like you won't let him see the real you."

"That is not true!"

"We both know who it was that saw that part of you."

"Stop it!"

A tense, ominous silence ticked by before he demanded again, "Then why haven't you told him?"

"You know why! I have never wanted him to feel obligated to me."

"Oh yeah, I forgot. You're waiting for him to realize that you're his soulmate," Archie retorted derisively, "All you're doing is setting yourself up for disappointment, Jo. Don't do this. Let me help you. Let me take care of you. You don't have to do this alone."

"Archie, please stop doing this to me..." she pleaded in a broken voice, "I have a clear picture in my head and you keep confusing me." It was the thread of sorrow and longing in her tone that made Lacey creep even closer. "You have to stop coming after me like this. You can't keep showing up this way. People will start to talk and it will get back to Danny. He's not stupid."

"That's the least of my concerns right now!"

"Fine! How about I don't want you flunking out of school because of me?"

"I'm not flunking," he told her, "But even if I was it wouldn't matter. The only thing that matters to me right now is you, Jo. You're the one who's in trouble. How long do you think you can hide your condition...especially from your dad?"

"As long as I have to."

Lacey frowned, the hairs on the back of her neck prickling at the mention of Jo's "condition." She couldn't really be sure what Archie was so cryptically referring to but she knew that she didn't like the sound of it. Not once did she consider how strange and idiotic she must look to the casual passersby. She was too invested in the conversation to turn away now.

"...you haven't even had proper medical care!" Archie was currently ranting.

Jo expelled a disgruntled sigh at that. "Oh no, not this again."

"Eventually it's going to become obvious to everyone, Jo, even your precious Danny and how do you think he's going to feel about you lying to him this whole time?"

There was more that was said between them that Lacey couldn't make out at all because their voices were so low but somehow that straining silence only ramped up the intensity of the moment. Finally, she heard Jo saying, "...we are finally getting to a better place. We're talking again, Archie, really talking. This could lead to something good. I'm just waiting for the right time to tell him."

"And when the hell is that?" Archie scoffed, "When he stops being a self-destructive screw-up? Danny can barely take care of himself. How is he supposed to take care of you, Jo? He's drugging and drinking just like he's always done!"

"And who's been the one taking him out to get drunk in the first place?" Jo fired back harshly, "Part of me thinks you want Danny to stay a mess just so I'll have no choice but to lean on you!"

"I know I haven't been cleaning up Danny's crap as long as you have but let's not pretend that I haven't dealt with my fair share," he muttered in a bitter tone, "I love Danny too. He's my best friend but, unlike you, I don't wear rose-colored glasses when it comes to him. I know what he is and what he'll never be. I'm just waiting for you to figure it out too."

Lacey had just enough time to scurry away from the door and straighten herself as the heretofore faceless "Archie" came stalking from the break room. He was tall and undeniably good-looking, with dirty blonde hair and striking blue eyes. And while it was evident that he was clearly angry as he practically mowed past Lacey towards the exit, it was also pretty clear that he was hurt as well. She was still staring after him, trying to piece together the fragments of the cryptic conversation she'd overheard when Jo stepped from the breakroom. Lacey tensed immediately.

"You're late," Jo bit out shortly.

Still shaking a bit in the aftermath of what she'd overheard, Lacey surveyed her with a doleful expression. "Actually, I'm not. I'm a volunteer," she reminded Jo, "Technically I can show up whenever I want but keep trying."

"Whatever," the blonde grunted in a tired tone, "Are you here to work or do you just plan to loiter in the hallway all night long?"

"Just tell me where you want me tonight."

"Put your stuff away and I'll give you your assignment when you come to the front."

Lacey stared after Jo curiously as she walked away, noting for the first time how loosely Jo always dressed. She had never seen her when she wasn't dressed in baggy pants or a large loose, fitting jacket. Even the smock they were required to wear for their volunteer services seemed to swim on her. There was also the undeniable fullness to her face, the times when Lacey had inadvertently caught her napping in the breakroom and even the territorial attitude she displayed when it came to Danny Desai. Lacey was beginning to suspect that there was much more to it than Jo Masterson simply being a jealous girlfriend and the implications made her feel a little sick to her stomach. It also made her realize that getting involved with Danny in any capacity more than a friend was probably a very bad idea.

Her thoughts swirling chaotically, Lacey turned to go into the breakroom with a dejected sigh just as she felt her cell phone buzz in the pocket of her smock. She pulled it free and immediately recognized the unknown call from earlier. Danny Desai was calling again. This time, however, Lacey didn't need her little sister to arbitrarily delete the call and turn off her cell phone.

She did it herself.