I dragged myself up to my room and collapsed on my bed.
There was only an hour left before our guests arrived so I was to be showered, dressed and back downstairs in half an hour to help set up but all I wanted to do was hide under my covers until the night was over.
The speakers of my walkie-talkie crackled beside me on my nightstand. I looked up and stared at the black device as he crackled some more before Danny's voice finally spoke through the static and brought a smile to my face despite the grim situation I was in. "You who! Anyone around in there?" He called out.
I reached up and grabbed my walkie-talkie. "Hi." I mumbled.
"Did you just wake up or something?"
I sighed and rolled onto my back. "No. I can't go out tonight."
"Oh." He said after a moments pause.
"My dad is having a friend over and I have to be there." He didn't respond and I could tell his was feeling as upset as I was about this. "I'm sure Tom and Harry would love to come over instead. I'm sure they're free tonight."
"Yeah, I suppose." His voice seemed to brighten up just a bit but it was still missing his usual chipperness. "I can't see why you have to be there when it's just your dad's friend."
"His son will be there too."
A long moment passed before he spoke again, knowing now my reluctance to the evening's event. "Do you want me to come over? I really don't care what your dad says, I'll come if you don't want to be alone."
I couldn't help but feel my heart swell and this warm sensation run down my spines at his words. I'd never really known anyone as caring as Danny. None of my friends back home would have ever offered to keep me company or even realize to whom I was referring to when I said 'his son' but Danny did and that meant the world to me. "I appreciate the offer but you hang out with the guys tonight."
"You sure?"
"Yeah." I assured him. "I need to face him on my own, I think."
"Alright. I'll give Tom and Harry a call then."
I smiled. "Have fun tonight."
"You be careful."
I switched off my walkie-talkie and set it back down with a new found sense of confidence about the night to come. Somehow, I felt like I could take on anything that came at me because I knew that I would have Danny there the second I call.