CHAPTER 38 (LAURA)
"Guys, do you think something's up with Danny?" Tom asked as Dougie, Jessica, Harry and I sat under a tree. A few leaves were falling down in gentle movements.
Surprisingly, we all arrived pretty early. We decided to chat under the tree while waiting for the school bell to ring. There was still a lot of time left. We were even probably the only people here.
"You know, I've been wondering about the same thing. He called me yesterday. He said he was being attacked by a… er… what was it again?" Dougie asked.
"A girl named Laura. He seemed scared you know", Harry finished Dougie's sentence.
I was pretty concerned about Danny. He did seem very scared. I wonder why this 'Laura' girl bothered him so much.
I opened my bag again. There was a small pile of cookies carefully wrapped in plastic with a ribbon tied to it.
I woke up extra early to make these. Danny still had his competition in Chemistry today. I thought that it would be nice to give him something that calm his nerves
And that 'Laura' girl. Just who the heck was she?
"Oh. Speaking of the devil. Here's Danny", Jessica said.
We all turned our heads to the gates. Danny was already entering the gates. He was wearing a green shirt and pants. He was holding s few sheets of paper in his hand and he seemed like he was reciting their contents.
I could feel my heart pounding. I was waiting for this moment to come. I really missed him.
He looked pretty stressed today though. Well, I can't blame him. He's probably going through a lot today. I'd probably look worse if I was in his condition.
He looked up from his papers and grinned when he saw me. It's like all his weariness immediately faded away. Now this was the Danny I grew fond of, and eventually fell for. Funny, lively and happy-go-lucky.
Tom waved to him and grinned. "Hey Danny! You okay dude?"
Danny finally reached our spot. He sat down and sighed, dropping his papers gently on the ground. He also placed his bag on the grass and sat down.
He gave out a huge sigh. "I am NOT okay. I just met the devil himself yesterday".
"Whoa. Tell us what happened then", Dougie said.
"Well, the Chemistry competition went on as always. I managed to qualify for the finals which will take place here later. Then this… whacky girl from the competition too just hugs me after we were done with the last round. It was bloody embarrassing", Danny complained.
"Oh? Did she know you or something?" Harry asked.
"Heck no. I've never seen the freak before in my entire life. I felt like melting to the ground. Everyone thought she was my girlfriend for Pete's sake!" Danny fumed.
Wow… Danny was really pissed off.
"Whoa man. Calm down. You really seem ticked off", Dougie said, trying to calm Danny down.
Danny sighed and began to smile a bit. "Sorry. I'm just worried… you know… about the girl I like. She… er… might get the wrong impression. I don't ever want that to happen".
Tom smiled. "She's that special to you, huh?"
Danny nodded. "Of course. I'd do anything for her… and that means I have to get rid of that she-witch Laura. Ugh… I'll see her at the competition again later. That hag qualified too. Jeez. It's hell all over again…"
I heard Jessica hum the All-American Rejects song 'Gives You Hell'. I grinned at her, holding my laughter. She winked at me.
Hm… it did fit. 'When you see my face hope it gives you hell. Gives you hell".
To be honest, I kind of felt jealous when Danny started talking about the girl he liked. He sincerely liked her. Okay, so there was a chance that I was that girl. But if I wasn't… well. I'll just have to accept that.
Then again, when I think about the kiss that we shared during New Year's, maybe he really did like me…
Uugh. Never mind. Maybe I was hoping too much.
Then again, it's never a bad thing to be an optimist or a dreamer.
I looked at Danny again. Aw… he really seemed stressed. Maybe I should brighten him up a bit.
"Um… don't worry Danny. Never mind that girl. You should be focusing on your Chemistry competition now. Pretend that the girl never existed", I said, grinning.
He suddenly blushed and smiled, picking up his papers from the grassy ground. "Aw… thanks. Yup. You're right".
The school bell suddenly rang. It was still the first one. It meant that only about ten minutes 'till class time.
We all picked up our bags and walked to the classrooms. Danny was going to another room for the competition, so he wasn't tagging along.
I guess I have no seatmate for today.
As we neared the school building, I rummaged through my bag for the cookies. I nearly forgot about those. I finally managed to get the small pack of cookies.
It's a humble gift, but I hope that it could make his day a little brighter.
"Um… Danny… I have a little something for you. It's to wish you luck", I said, smiling as I handed him the small pack of cookies.
Danny turned red and smiled. He gratefully took the pack of cookies. "Aw… thanks. Really. I feel so much better now".
I smiled. I'm glad that I made him feel better.
"You know, I missed you", Danny smiled.
I blushed; my heart was really beating now. "Thanks Danny. I missed you too".
Oh my gosh. This definitely made my day. I felt like fainting. I was so happy. Nothing bad's going to come my way.
We finally reached the hallway. It was time for us to say goodbye. I wasn't having him as my seatmate for today.
Oh well. I'll have to manage. I just hope that David Kirkby won't sit next to me.
"Well, bye Danny. Good luck. Break a leg!" I cheered enthusiastically.
I should be cheerful. That way, Danny won't be nervous. I should pass on my energy to him. He could definitely win this contest.
Danny smiled. Aw… he looked so cute.
All of a sudden, he gave a small, gentle kiss on my cheek.
I turned pink. Oh my gosh. Why did he have to do that? Now I'll probably daydream throughout the whole morning.
"Thanks for the cookies by the way. It's really helped me. See you soon", he grinned and walked away.
I turned my back, heading towards the classrooms. A wide smile was plastered on my face. Today was going to be a good day. I don't know why I felt so troubled last night.
Unfortunately, I was totally wrong.
I focused on our lesson in Chemistry. My eyes never left the chalkboard. It felt kind of lonely when Danny wasn't here.
Still, I'm glad that he's entering the competition. It just shows that he's really good.
Suddenly, Danny's desk began to move. I turned my head towards it. Why was it moving?
I was horrified to see who was sitting in Danny's desk.
Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Tell me I'm dreaming. Please.
Please tell me that I'm just imagining that David Kirkby's sitting next to me!!!
Much to my dismay, it was no dream or figment of my imagination.
He was smiling widely at me. "Hey Anthea. Danny's not here, eh?"
I seriously wanted to say something awful, but I didn't want to be rude.
"Um… hi. Yup… Danny's not here… unfortunately", I said quietly and paid attention to the lesson instead. The lesson was more worthy of my time.
Suddenly, someone's hand began holding my left hand that rested on my desk.
My body had goose bumps all over, and I meant that in a bad way.
I turned, frowning. I saw that it was David. He was seriously irking me. No. Irk seemed like a light term. He was pissing me off now. What the heck was wrong with this nut job anyway?
"Um… please keep your hands to yourself if you don't mind", I said coldly. He was getting on my nerves.
"Aw come on. I know you like it if I do that", he grinned.
"Ugh! As if!! I'd rather kiss a warty toad!" I hissed back.
Honestly, this boy was downright rude.
He suddenly reached for my hair, hoping to stroke it; but I quickly swatted his hand away. That's it!
I rose up from my desk, went to the front and sat on the floor. I was definitely staying here.
Our teacher looked at me and asked "Anthea? Is there something wrong?"
"Yes. Apparently, I can't see very well. Can I sit here for the moment?" I replied.
"Oh. Sure. As long as you don't mind the floor".
Oh. I didn't mind. I'm much happier here anyway. There was no David Kirkby here to bother me.
I sat in front for the whole morning. I gave the same excuse for each teacher: bad eyesight. Despite my butt hurting, I didn't mind. My morning went much better.
"Hm… Danny should be done by now. I wonder where Jessica is though", I muttered to myself.
It was already lunchtime. I was holding a tray and getting ready to choose from the food displayed. Jessica wandered off somewhere. I could manage on my own anyway.
I looked through the glass. I guess I'll have pizza and broccoli today.
Suddenly, an all-too familiar and annoying voice spoke behind me:
"You know, you can have lunch with me", David offered.
That was the final straw!! No way was I going near him!!!
"David, I want to be alone, okay? So leave me ALONE", I replied.
"Oh come on. Stop avoiding me. I know you like me. Don't feel so embarrassed".
"Shut up David! I've had it! Go away you jerk!"
He suddenly held my arm so I couldn't walk away. Ugh! I hate him!!
"Let go!!" I yelled. He wouldn't let go of me.
Suddenly, a hand tapped David on the shoulder. He turned around and…
BAM!!!!
He got punched in the face. He let go, finally. I turned to see who saved me.
I gasped. Oh my gosh! Danny was the one who punched him!
Danny was really, really angry now. He looked like he could explode. David was cowering already as he leaned against a wall.
"Stay away from her, you hear me? Don't you even dare touch her", Danny growled.
David glared at him and walked away hurriedly. For a while, everyone was looking at us, but then they went back to eating lunch as if nothing happened.
Danny rolled his eyes and sighed. "Hey, you okay?"
I nodded. "I'm fine. Thanks Danny. I was getting really annoyed by him".
"No problem. He's a total jerk anyway. I can't believe he bothered you that much during Chemistry class. And the idiot even sat on my seat".
"Wait. How did you know that?"
"Jessica… er… showed me a video. She ran to me at once and told me what happened to you. She used her phone for the videotaping."
"Whoa. Aw… she couldn't interfere because she was really at the back".
I laughed. Jessica was simply too much.
I suddenly noticed something gold and shiny pinned to Danny's shirt. I finally realized that it was a medal. I read what was written on it:
"1st Place"
"Oh my gosh Danny!! You won first place??" I exclaimed.
Danny grinned. "Yeah. I can't believe it either".
"That's so great Danny!"
I hugged Danny. He chuckled and hugged me back. This was so great! He really was wonderful.
My heart was back to its abnormal pace as I replayed Danny punching David in my mind. He really defended me. It made me fall in love with him even more.
"Hey YOU!! Get off my DAANNYY!!" a screechy voice suddenly yelled.
I let go of Danny and tried to search for the source of the noise.
My eyes finally found the source. There was a girl who had strawberry blond hair, blue eyes, and she was wearing a pink shirt and pants.
She was wearing an enraged expression on her face. She was walking towards us in furious strides. She reminded me of a bull.
"Danny? Do you know her?' I asked Danny.
Danny had a look of horror on his face. "Oh no. why the heck did she have to come? Oh no. Oh no. Why can't she stay away?"
Oh. So this was the Laura that Danny had been so scared of. I don't blame him. She did look scary.
She was fuming when she finally arrived in front of us. She glared at me, never taking her eyes off me.
"Danny, just who is this girl?!?" she demanded.
I was starting to get scared. What the heck is she doing?
"None of your business Laura. You don't need to know. Go away", Danny replied coldly.
The girl only giggled and pinched Danny's right cheek. "Aw Danny!! You're cute when you're angry! Tee-hee!"
Danny gently slapped her hand away. She pouted.
She turned back to me and began to glare again. "And just who the heck are you?"
Okay. Can she be any ruder?
Nevertheless, I decided to reply in a polite tone. I wouldn't want to start a fight.
"I'm Anthea", I replied, smiling even though I feel absolutely irritated now. Control yourself… resist the urge to lunge for her throat…
"Danny, what's her relation to you?" Laura asked.
Danny groaned. He was probably getting tired of this pesky interrogation. "Get away Laura. Please. I'm begging you".
"No. I need an answer", she replied stubbornly.
"I don't want to see you.."
"Aw Danny. Why?"
Danny's answer completely shocked me.
"Because you're ugly", he replied blatantly.
Laura began to pout. "Come on Danny. You can't escape my question sweetie. Answer me darling".
This really pissed me off! How dare she call Danny darling and sweetie! It drove me mad. I was an inch close to slapping her!
"Laura!' a booming voice called.
Laura twirled around. "Tsk. Tsk. It's my teacher. Oh well. Goodbye Danny darling!" She blew a kiss to Danny.
Danny rolled his eyes.
Laura finally disappeared as she was escorted by a stern-looking woman.
Thank God she was gone.
Danny and I decided to get some pizza and sit on our usual spot. The rest of the guys weren't here though. They must be busy.
"Danny, she's out of her mind", I told him.
"Yup. She has issues", Danny agreed.
"I know. Seriously".
"By the way, I am NEVER letting you near David Kirkby. He seriously pisses me off".
"Ugh. As if I'd let myself wander anywhere near him".
"I swear, David's a total idiot. Anyway, I'm back now".
I felt like the sun began to shine on me. Thank God Danny's back.
"That's great! At least I'll feel safer", I replied brightly.
"Yup. I promised to keep you safe right? I can't be absent from my duty", he grinned.
My heart pounded again. gosh why did he have to be so sweet? I think I'm about to go crazy over him.
"Well, let's get going to class then?" Danny asked as he stood up.
I smiled. "Sure Danny".
We walked to class together. Things were definitely going to get better now. David was too scared to come near us. Danny kept on glaring at him.
Well, I guess I have a little competition now.
No worries, I'll definitely beat her. I'm not going down without a fight.