Danny opened his eyes, confusion swirling around him as he tried to remember what day it was. He ran his hands all around in search of his phone, finding Lacey's first and checking the time. It had been two hours. Did he seriously crash this hard? The weight he had been carrying in his mind was no joke.
Lacey's voice filtered into Danny's consciousness, she was happy, laughing and carrying on from somewhere in the kitchen. He stayed there for a little while and just eavesdropped.
"Wait did you do ballet?"
"Hell no." Whitney giggled, "You?"
"For a little while, I don't really remember it—"
Danny tried to imagine Lacey as a little kid. He wondered what it would have been like to grow up with her in Green Grove instead of clinging to Archie in the city. He realized then that while he knew every inch of her body, he really didn't know much about her at all. Who was her favorite teacher? Did she ever compete in the spelling bee? What was prom like? He knew nothing.
"How long's he been out?"
"Couple hours."
"Atta girl."
"Shush! He was tired—"
"Mmhm." Whitney smiled big, "I'm sure."
Danny listened carefully.
"You okay after all that shit at the bar?" Whitney wondered.
"Oh, you mean losing thousands of dollars and meeting the chick Danny hooked up with? Yeah—I'm great." Lacey said sarcastically, holding nothing back.
Ouch, Danny thought. He hadn't meant to hurt her, to have this weekend be such a shit show. He hoped that things would get better but tomorrow was the day they would visit Archie and in the back of Danny's mind he knew that Lacey didn't care for him and that Archie had felt the same. Maybe this was about to get a whole lot worse.
"Phoebe will pay you back I promise, just let her sleep it off."
Danny could hear pouring and realized the girls must have started drinking together. He wondered if they were two hours in at this point or if they had just started.
"Danny and that chick aren't a thing by the way. Smoke?"
"Yeah, thanks." Lacey took a cigarette from Whitney and accepted a light before blowing out in a huff, "She wants him."
"They all want him." Whitney clarified.
Lacey took a long sip of her wine.
"Can I ask you something?" Lacey asked, perking Danny's ears up. He slowed his breathing even more, trying to hear it all.
"Ask away."
"Have Danny's parents always been—" Lacey struggled with how to define them.
"Total fucking assholes?" Whitney gave the assist as if there were no other words.
"Why are they like that?"
"They never wanted kids." Whitney shrugged.
"So they, what, made a mistake and then kept him just to torture him?"
"I guess."
"Does he have any other family members?"
"He has an aunt, Tara? I think? I think that's her name." Whitney took a turn to chug her wine.
"So where has she been?"
"I don't know. I met her once, she was nice to him, me too. She brought us cookies and then the next thing I remember Vikram was yelling at her and I never saw her again."
Now it was Lacey's turn to realize that she didn't know much about Danny either. She knew he was an only child with shitty parents and a couple of great friends, but what else really?
"Thanks for the drink, Whit. I'm heading to bed."
"No kissing your boyfriend's ex girlfriend tonight?" Whitney pouted genuinely, clearly beyond buzzed.
"Girl—"
"Alright alright." She giggled, "Help me up?"
Lacey helped Whitney to her feet and took care of their glasses.
"Ready for a new and improved Archie tomorrow?" Whitney asked as she weaved a little.
"I'm ready, but will there be one?"
"Meet him again tomorrow, okay? Give him another chance."
"You really like him?"
"Archie's a big dumb goof. And yeah, I do like him. It was always the three of us, you know? There's room for four now, that's all I'm saying. He's been through it this summer too, he's Danny's family, we all are."
Lacey nodded, dreadfully unconvinced but willing to shut up about it until Archie proved Whitney wrong. Danny could hear the hesitation in her silence and his heart hurt a little. Whitney was right, Archie was like a brother and he didn't want to choose between any of them.
"Good night."
"'Night!"
The next time Danny woke the sun was up. He looked over and spotted Lacey wrapped up in a sheet on the floor. He tried to pull her back onto the softer mat to snuggle but she resisted.
"Noo." She grumbled, pissed that he was waking her up, "You smell." She protested while curling herself up tighter.
They had gotten so sweaty during their session the night before and then Danny had passed out before he could shower. He tested himself and recoiled at the whiff he caught. He got his stank ass up and into the shower.
When he returned, Lacey had taken full occupancy of the bed. He smiled at her all curled up with every blanket he owned. He threw on new clothes and inched his way back into their sleeping space.
Lacey absorbed him back into a tangled heap of arms and legs. His fresh skin making her tingle all over. She finally opened her eyes to find Danny admiring her.
"Better?" He asked softly.
"Yes, thank you."
The two of them spent the next few minutes just staring at each other in deep thought. Both of them knowing they had some work to do on themselves and with each other. Danny knew life in Green Grove was likely in his future so he tried to imagine what that would look like.
"What are you thinking about?" Lacey wondered.
"I'm just thinking about seeing Archie today." He lied.
"Do you really think he had a drinking problem?"
"No." Danny confessed, "A making stupid decisions problem? Yes."
"So what's happening today?"
Danny exhaled, "Meeting him at his parent's house, hopefully convincing them to let us take him out to all of our usual spots—"
"Usual spots?"
"Yah, since you're here I thought we'd show you the city the way I know it, get you to fall in love with it. And like I said yesterday, walking around Halloween night is the coolest."
Phoebe and Whitney seemed to be okay at first. Danny kept an eye on them as they worked to make the four of them brunch in their tiny kitchen.
"Where'd all the wine go?" Phoebe asked after noticing two bottles had disappeared from the counter.
"I couldn't sleep." Whitney shrugged.
"So you drank two bottles of wine?" Phoebe asked as she handed Danny the plate she prepared for him. This was awkward.
"I couldn't sleep either." Lacey spoke up. Phoebe turned around with the plate for Lacey and held it out, "Thank you." Lacey said as she reached to accept it, "I am happy to deduct the cost of the wine from the balance you owe me for the party last night."
Phoebe pulled the plate back to herself and stared at Lacey for a few beats before finally handing it over. Danny could tell that Phoebe wanted to blow up but had nothing of significance to say.
"How much do I owe you?"
Lacey broke the bad news and Phoebe began slamming things into the sink. Danny and Lacey ignored her and began eating. If Phoebe wanted to have a full on tantrum it was none of their business.
"Do you have cash app or something?"
"Yeah, I'll text you the info."
Phoebe made good and sent Lacey the money for the party.
"Thank you for taking care of that, I guess I got carried away last night, I apologize." Phoebe offered.
Lacey checked her account before answering her. Once she saw her money was back she nodded, "You're welcome. Danny asked me to do it. I did it for him."
Phoebe deflated and eventually disappeared into the bathroom.
"I guess I'll make my own breakfast—" Whitney said as she took a turn slamming things around.
"You two didn't make up last night?" Danny was worried for her.
"Nope."
"Whit—" Danny hated that she always seemed to be on the verge of homelessness.
"We're going to have to leave, D."
"When?" Danny asked, hoping his money would arrive before then.
"Today would be nice." Phoebe grumbled as she made her way back into the kitchen.
"I need a few days—" Whitney began to escalate.
Danny knew this was about to get bigger, he stood up and slid himself in front of Whitney.
"Maybe you and Lacey can get a place." Phoebe suggested innocently.
"Here we go." Lacey rolled her eyes, clearly not interested in deescalating this insecure bitch.
"Sounds like a great idea!" Whitney chest bumped Danny's back playfully.
"I'm heading to work for the day, I want you all out before I come back tonight." Phoebe scrounged for her keys and turned to face them again before storming out the door, "Happy Halloween!"
"She really cares about her wine, huh?" Lacey joked and looked over to see Whitney's broken face.
It was more than simple heartbreak, it was dejection, worry and resignation. Lacey could see the hurt but it almost seemed like it was expected for her, like Whitney always knew it would happen and it was all a matter of when. Danny rubbed her back gently.
"Excuse me." Whitney took off for the bathroom.
Danny collected the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen. He mopped the floor and then he and Lacey began breaking down the walls around Danny's living space.
Danny knocked on the bathroom door after a reasonable amount of time for Whitney to have pulled herself together had passed.
"Yo—you good?"
Whitney didn't answer. Danny shot a look at Lacey and then tried the door handle, it was locked. He pounded harder.
"Whitney, you good?!"
"Jesus. Yes I'm fine—" Whitney opened the door and walked out with her arms wrapped around herself, "I'm sorry Danny." She said as she watched them pack up his stuff.
"It happens." Danny tried to keep it light.
"Where are you gonna go?" She wondered out loud as she slid down the wall and sat by the bathroom door.
"I'll figure it out. What about you?"
"I don't know, maybe with some people from work. I have my car so it's fine."
"It's not fine, you sleeping in your bright red mustang in some parking lot is not happening."
"Don't tell me what I can or can't do—"
"It's not happening." Danny ignored her.
Danny's phone beeped from somewhere, Lacey found it under his clothes from last night. It was a text: Check now. It was from a number, not a saved contact. She handed it over.
"Check now? Who's that from?"
Danny pulled the phone away from Lacey and read it for himself. It was from his lawyer. He hadn't gotten around to adding him into his phone yet.
"You're reading my texts now?" He challenged her, sliding through his home screens until he found his banking app.
"Nice deflection." Lacey expected an answer.
Danny just smirked and entered his log in information.
"Don't you two start. If you fall apart there's no hope left for any of us." Whitney pleaded with them from the floor where she sat stewing in her fresh rejection.
Danny seemed frozen, eyes glued to his phone. Was he ignoring her?
"Danny." Lacey said firmly.
Danny eyes flitted up at her sharp tone and he seemed to snap out of it.
"It's my lawyer, okay?"
"Why'd you make me beg for it then?" Lacey grumbled and hit him with his own pillow.
"Ow!"
"Oh please." She rolled her eyes, "What did he want you to check?"
The pending deposit was now complete.
Danny glanced up at her fiercely through his eyelashes hoping she'd think about her question and remember what he could possibly be checking. He didn't want Whitney involved in this part of his life.
"Ohhh, right." Lacey gave him an apologetic face and kept folding shit.
"Anyway." Danny stuffed his phone into his pocket, "I'll get us all a room tonight while we figure this out, okay? No one is sleeping in their car."
The trio dumped a ton of shit into the dumpster in the alley, packed the rest into Whitney and Lacey's cars and headed over to Archie's parent's house. Danny rode with Lacey and called around to arrange for their hotel rooms for the night during the drive.
"There, that's done." Danny texted the details to Whitney.
"Nine hundred dollars?" Lacey had overheard the total of course. If this was how Danny handled money while facing being homeless then they needed more help than she thought, "I guess I missed the part when you asked to book an entire week—"
"It's two rooms for tonight."
"Ouch."
"I'll find something more permanent okay? Let's just have a comfortable night with a real bed."
"I understand about getting the rooms, but there had to be cheaper options—" Lacey wished they could communicate better, she wasn't trying to nag him.
"She just broke up with her girlfriend, let me spoil her a little—"
"What would you give me if I broke up with my boyfriend?"
"That's not funny."
"I get wanting to upgrade things because you suddenly have the money but I planned to get like fancy coffees twice a week or something—"
Danny thought about what Lacey was trying to say. An eighteen year old becoming a multimillionaire overnight was probably the worst combination to happen when it came to planning a life, but he wasn't just any teenager.
Danny had been through shit most people couldn't relate to. He had essentially been on his own surviving in the city for years. He had come from nothing and had found everything. Friends, a family, wealth and a partner hopefully for life. He wasn't going to waste it. Lacey was right, he couldn't see what was coming so he needed to plan and be smarter about this.
"You're right. I'll work on finding permanent housing or at least a cheaper hotel after tonight. Let tonight just be our fancy coffee this week, okay? I'm still figuring it all out."
"Deal."
About a half hour later the girls were struggling to find parking outside of The Yates' stupid townhome. Whitney knew exactly where she'd find a spot while Danny tied to guide Lacey around the neighborhood only to frustrate both of them when Lacey refused to parallel park in a risky spot.
"There was plenty of room."
"Yeah, for a Vespa or something—" Lacey went around the block again and spied someone leaving from an end space, "YEAH BABY!" She shouted and pulled in perfectly, "Just gotta trust in it." She sang happily and wrestled her seatbelt off.
"Hey—" Danny grabbed her hand and pulled it over for a kiss before moving on to kiss her mouth too, "I'm sorry I'm all over the place, I am not trying to be a jerk."
"We're good." Lacey smiled big.
"I want to be here for Archie today and I don't want you to feel like you're not important while we're here."
Lacey realized that he was scared about losing her the way he had lost everything else in his life that was supposed to be a sure thing.
"Ignore away, I'm not going anywhere." She reassured him.
They both jumped when Whitney knocked loudly on their window.
"Let's go losers!"
Lacey trailed behind the long time friends as they climbed up the steps side by side to the Yates' incredible home. Danny rang the doorbell and then watched his whole demeanor change. He clasped his hands neatly in front of him.
"Dannyyyy—" A short, thin, over done woman greeted him with a big hug. Danny embraced her back warmly.
"Mrs. Yates, nice to see you." Danny gushed back.
Oh. Lacey thought as she put on a fake smile too.
"Whitney, hello dear." She greeted her a little more cautiously, "You know your mother and I still talk—"
"I'm sure you do." Whitney smiled and gave her a polite hug anyway.
"I'm worried about you."
"I'm fine, Danny is taking great care of me, you know how he is." Whitney tried to build him up even more if they ever had a chance to get Archie out of this house tonight.
"Taking care of you? Are you back together?" Mrs. Yates looked between the two ex lovers, not yet seeing Lacey waiting several steps behind them.
"No, ma'am." Danny explained, "My girlfriend is here with us actually." Danny stepped aside and held a hand out to help Lacey climb up beside him, "Mrs. Yates this is my partner Lacey, Lacey this is Archie's mom."
"Oh, Lacey, yes. My son has spoken of you." Mrs. Yates blurted out, her voice fading as she recalled it wasn't for anything positive.
"Nice to meet you." Lacey said politely, immediately feeling Mrs. Yates' silent judgment.
"Alright come on in, Archie is upstairs you're welcome to go on up."
"Thank you." Danny said genuinely and headed up first, followed closely by Whitney and Lacey.
Archie's room was the entire loft on the third floor. As they made it to the top of the stairs the door flew open before anyone could even knock.
"No shit!" Archie gasped and grabbed Danny for a super tight bro hug, dancing the two of them from side to side, "I missed you man."
"Missed you too." Danny slapped him on the back several times before taking a step back.
"Hey assholes, I'm here too." Whitney said and jumped up into Archie's arms, wrapping her legs around his waist and messing up his hair, "Whoa dude, your HAIR!"
Whitney finally realized that Archie's hair was pulled back similarly to how Danny wore his. She pulled his elastic out. It was shorter than Danny's, falling just below his ear.
"Yeah, trying something new."
"Yeah? Danny gets the good pussy so you're trying to get in on that?" Whitney assumed as she tied his hair back up.
"Fuck off."
"Hi Archie." Lacey said as Whitney finally slid off of him.
"Oh hey, Lacey. Hello."
"Welcome home." She added, trying to be friendly.
"Thank you." Archie replied, making no move to hug her or to shake her hand or anything.
"Yeah, Lace surprised me in the city this weekend, figured we could bust you out of here and go show her how the city really works—"
Archie nodded, "Nice." He shut the door behind them and crowded in close behind Danny, "Let's get fucked up tonight."
"Arch—" Danny squinted at his friend.
"I've been poked and prodded and baby sat for three months! They knew when I ate and when I pissed and every time I took a shit. I want a drink, I want to get high, anything, please? Anything."
"Okay, slow down, slow down—"
"Whit, you got a cigarette?" Archie prayed she did.
Whitney rummaged around her back pocket and pulled out her pack and her lighter, "All yours."
Archie grabbed them and headed to the window seat in the far corner of the room. Lacey watched him climb up and crank the window open before settling into the lux cushion and pulling the top of the cigarette box open. Archie's eyes darted up to Whitney's and she smiled.
"Are you serious?"
"Welcome home." Whitney sounded pretty proud of herself.
Archie pulled out the well-wrapped j and smiled.
"Are you fucking serious right now?" Danny asked Whitney, completely exasperated.
"Relax, there's cigarettes in there too—" Whitney knew he'd be pissed but she didn't give a shit.
"Jesus Christ." Danny scrubbed a hand down his face.
"This is exactly what I need—" Archie said around the stem in his mouth as he worked to get the lighter going.
Archie took two long drags back to back, soaking in every precious particle before offering it to Whitney. She bounced over and crawled up beside him to smoke with him.
"C'mon D." Archie waved him over and patted the seat.
"So how was rehab?" Lacey asked the obvious as Archie took the j back and enjoyed another pull.
"It was fine, Lacey, thanks for asking. How's it going being a nosey bitch?" Archie asked in one breath before exhaling, curling his lips to the side to direct the smoke out the window.
"Dude!" Danny threw his hands up in anger.
Being around Danny's merry band of misfits was entirely refreshing and happy most of the time, but Archie was just an egotistical nightmare and Lacey was tired of it. She knew he wouldn't be a different person after rehab.
"I'm sorry, I'd like to enjoy this in my own house without this one giving me backhanded shit."
Danny looked at Lacey and she just let her eyes drop, telling him she was over it and to let it be.
"Seriously, man. What are you doing?" Danny wasn't sure how to handle him, he had hoped he'd want something different after all of this.
"I'm getting high, taking a shower and then getting the fuck out of here. I want drinks, I want a hook up, it's happening."
"Sounds like a perfect night." Whitney was on board.
"I'm not helping with this." Danny was defiant.
"It's fine, D. Go on your city tour with your wife. I can take care of myself." Archie giggled and set Whitney off too.
"I'm not letting you get trashed your first night out of rehab."
"What are you gonna do? Tell my mom? Don't be a dick."
"Let him go." Lacey shrugged as she watched Danny battle with what he should do next.
"I'll stay with him." Whitney promised and pulled out her flask from her waistband.
"Oh shit—" Archie scrambled for it and chugged a shot's worth, "Holy hell this burns." He belched and rubbed his chest.
"I'm out of here." Danny shook his head and walked past Lacey who turned and followed closely behind, "Your key will be waiting at the hotel Whit, don't bring him with you."
"Don't tell my mom!" Archie shouted after him and took another swig, "What's his problem?"
"Danny, you're leaving?" Mrs. Yates met them at the door.
"Yes ma'am, Lacey and I are heading out so I can show her around before she has to head back home."
"I see, so you'll be back later?"
"Not tonight, no." Danny reached for the door knob and Mrs. Yates put a hand over his to stop him.
"How does he seem? Is he—is he better?" Archie's mom pleaded for more information.
This was it, Danny could either say the truth and send his friend back to some sort of facility for god knows how long or he could just let his best friend make the mistakes all on his own.
"He's Archie. I think him and Whitney were going to head out later actually, it'll be nice for them to have time to catch up."
Mrs. Yates' face relaxed a bit and she nodded in agreement, "Yes, that does sound nice."
"Mrs. Yates, you didn't do anything wrong. Archie is an adult now. You can't save him. Let him go make his own decisions."
Mrs. Yates' face was back to worry.
"You did a good job with me too. Thank you for everything."
Danny extended his gratitude to the woman who had given him countless rides to soccer and included him at dinners and other normal family things over the years.
"This sounds an awful lot like a goodbye."
"I just want you to know that without you, my life would have been a lot worse. I'm sorry you're going through this."
"Thanks Danny." Mrs. Yates squeezed him even tighter than before, "Take care of him, he's a good guy—" She said to Lacey while she patted his back.
"I will."