The whole family went. And thus, therefore, Danny's attendance was assumed and a given. He hadn't thought much of it. Part of but not really.

They arrived and all headed in, passing by the table to pay. Danny glanced back at the table. Guess they only worried about the Varsity game, not the JV.

He turned back around to catch the two boys running off, Jon tagging along to hang out with his big brother's spotted friends. Then, off ran Katie, loudly declaring she was going to join a bunch of kids screaming and playing in the hallway.

Danny blinked. Stunned at suddenly being the sole kid. He'd thought they'd all sit as a family. To cheer Elizabeth on.

"You're free to head over to the student section if you want Danny."

Okay. He hoped too, so he had an excuse not to get dragged into the student section again. But he really did think with how they were all getting ready and talking before that the plan was the whole family sitting together.

"That's fine, I'd rather sit here."

Edi smiled up at him from where she sat on the bleachers. "We don't mind. Our kids are either running around or hanging out with friends when they don't sit with us. Go ahead, sit with the other kids and make friends."

He didn't want to make friends. And pretty much all the kids here were so nice and exuberant in overtures to get to know him. To pick him to be on their team in gym, to want him as a paired partner in class, to cracking secret agent and ninja jokes about his lunch gone wrong in the cafe, to ask him anything...like how he liked it here. Being friendly. Wanting to be friends.

And it was easier for Danny to not feel like part of the family with them because he was not and everyone knew it. Part, but not really. Dealing with other kids was much more difficult.

There were already a group of them from the student section waving at him, waving him over.

This would be so much easier if they treated him like practically any other kid from back home did!

"No. No. I, uh, had some homework wanted to work on between matches. It'd be less distracting over here with you guys."

Perfect excuse. Except he'd finished up his homework. There was clearly no homework being carried on him.

Edi's mouth pursed, brows furrowing down. "Danny. We're a-"

"I left it in my locker. By accident. Good thing there was a game tonight." Laughing nervously, he pointed vaguely behind him. "I'll just...go get it now."

He'd just...grab his social studies book and read ahead, scribbling out answers to the questions at the end of each lesson. Sell the lie. Make it believable.

"Danny!"

He froze.

Spotted.

Move! Repeat excuse! Go away!

"Sorry-" Not sorry. "-but I've got homework to work on."

"You're always doing homework! Come play with us! At least until Jon gets bored hanging out with Matt! Pleeease!"

Oh. It was only Katie.

Danny sighed in relief, turned, and froze again at seeing Katie peering up at him full force quivering lip and huge pleading eyes.

"I, okay."

Damnit.

"But only for a little bit!"

"Yes! We've got a bunch of the warm up balls in the old gym! Me and Gavin's talked them into playing dodgeball and you're perfect for being a judge, make sure no one cheats."

Letting out a huge breath, Danny followed her to the old gym just a short way down the hallway.

Somehow he went from moderating to playing a game of freeze tag with the rowdy little kids, spending more time than he planned or agreed to, Jon having joined at some point.

Yet Danny stayed.

The kids were having fun. He had something to tell Edi and Dale that wasn't studying, something fun, so Edi didn't have reason to make that concerned face at him. That could come to words or actions about it.

And he didn't have to worry about kids his age. None had come in or spotted him so far.

Relaxing his guard, Danny tossed excuses aside, and hunched over with a loud roar as he chased a screeching kid laughing their head off.

Part of the fun, but clearly not one of them.

Perfect.