Chapter 41.
I say a couple of things at the end if you want to take a squizz. If not, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Shameless.
Daniela raked a hand through her hair in frustration as her eyes scanned the words of her textbook. Midterms were coming up in a few weeks and she was trying to get a head start on her studies to make sure she did well. So far she had been having trouble maintaining her concentration.
At the sound of a knock on the door, Daniela rose from her desk to see who it was.
"Debbie?"
The younger girl looked slightly put out as she stood outside wearing her backpack. She regarded Daniela with a pout.
"Can I come in?"
"Yeah, of course," allowed Daniela before stepping aside. "Did you come all the way here from school?"
"Yeah."
Daniela frowned before sitting down at her desk again. "What happened?"
"Fiona," answered Debbie with an eye roll. She was clearly angry with her. "She went through my room and threw out my virginity timeline."
Daniela's eye bulged, unsure if she had heard her correctly. "Your virginity timeline? Why do you have a virginity timeline?"
"Because I'm planning for when I turn sixteen," said Debbie as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
Daniela shook her head. "Alright," she muttered to herself, not even willing to question her further. She knew she wouldn't want the details.
They sat in silence for a few moments while Daniela went back to her textbook leaving Debbie to sit there chewing on her lip. She seemed hesitant to ask something.
"You wouldn't happen to have any sanitary pads, would you?" She asked awkwardly.
Raising her head, Daniela regarded her with a small amount of shock. "You got your period?"
Debbie nodded, her mouth pinched. Wordlessly, Daniela swiveled in her chair to reach down into the little cabinet under her desk. She searched around for a little bit before pulling one out and handing it to her.
"Thanks," mumbled Debbie, taking it. "Fiona only had tampons."
Daniela grimaced, remembering her first experience. "Yeah, I get it. They're a little daunting at first." She watched as Debbie's gaze fell to her lap, her fingers fidgeting with the pad. "How've you been handling it?"
"It's alright," she shrugged casually. "I didn't think there would be so much blood. Sammi gave me a few things this morning but I ran out."
"Did you want to go get some?"
"Huh?" Frowned Debbie, her eyes following Daniela's frame as she stood from her chair and grabbed her jacket.
"Come on," she urged, nodding her chin to the door. "We'll go get you some stuff."
Suddenly alert, a surprised Debbie left her school bag on the bed before following Daniela out the door.
/
"Pads; check. Nail polish; check. Copious amounts of junk food," Daniela paused to peer into their shopping basket before grinning at Debbie. "Double check. That should do it."
"Thanks for all of this," said Debbie.
"No worries," shrugged Daniela with a warm smile, falling into step beside her.
"So have you talked to Ian yet?"
Daniela's feet came to a stop at the other girl's question. Her wide eyes stared down at Debbie. "What- Ian?"
"He's back home," informed the younger girl.
"He is?"
"Yeah. I thought he might've called you or something- oof!"
Daniela winced as she saw Debbie collide with another body.
"Oh, shit. Sorry!"
"It's okay," mumbled Debbie as she took a few steps back to stare up at the guy. He offered her an apologetic smile before glancing up, his focus shifting when he caught sight of Daniela who seemed to be frozen herself.
"Chris! Hi."
"Hey," he grinned in return before glancing at Debbie. "Who's this?"
"Debbie," introduced the girl, a small blush rising to her cheeks at the sight of him.
"Nice to meet you, Debbie."
"It looks like you have your hands full there," said Daniela, gesturing to all of the bags he was carrying.
"Yeah, a few of my friends are going to be using the common room to watch movies." He nodded his head to outside where a few more people were standing with bags. Turning back around, he smiled at Daniela. "You two should stop by."
Unsure, she twisted her mouth and motioned to Debbie. "Uh, that sounds great but we actually already have plans."
"Ah, that's too bad," said Chris. "Maybe next time."
Daniela hesitated before nodding. "Maybe."
"Well, you girls enjoy your night and uh, if you change your mind," he trailed off, focusing on Daniela. "You're always welcome."
Nodding in return, her eyes followed him as he gave a short wave to Debbie and left the store. Turning back to her companion, she saw that the girl was already watching her in a quiet appraisal.
"What?" Frowned, Daniela as she readjusted the basket on her wrist.
"He seemed nice."
Rolling her eyes, the older girl just jutted her chin to the register. "Let's just go pay for your stuff."
"Why didn't you want to hang out with him?"
"Because I'm hanging out with you," she reasoned as she began to unload the contents of her basket.
"You could do both," suggested Debbie, her voice lilting. The older girl paused momentarily to observe her before shaking her head in defeat.
"Look, this is awkward enough as is. But if you really want to, I guess we could stop by later."
Looking satisfied, Debbie grabbed one of the bags off of the counter before following Daniela out of the store.
/
"Are you sure you want to go?"
"Yes," answered Debbie for what felt like the hundredth time.
They were currently on their way to the common room where Chris and his friends would be hanging out and as they grew nearer, Daniela became more nervous. She hadn't wanted to go but after hanging around in her room for a couple of hours painting each other's nails, Debbie had grown bored and suggested they stop by leaving the older girl to grudgingly go along with it.
When they entered the common room, there were a dozen or so people scattered around the place talking and eating snacks. Her eyes skimmed over the faces until she saw the one she was looking for. Heaving a sigh, she walked with Debbie to meet him.
At the sight of them, Chris' smile brightened. "Hey! You guys made it."
"Debbie wanted to check it out," responded Daniela, her eyes falling to the girl who surveyed the room with interest. She had always wondered what college looked like.
"Well, the more the merrier. You guys hungry? Jess just left on a pizza run."
"Yeah, we could eat," answered Debbie for the two of them. Giving Daniela a look, the girl followed after Chris to where most of the food had been laid out.
/
Daniela stood to the side with a hand full of buttered popcorn and a careful eye trained on Debbie and Chris. They had been there for almost an hour and, from her position, things seemed to be going okay though Daniela couldn't help but feel that it was incredibly strange to see her two worlds meet. She wasn't sure if she liked it or not.
Stuffing the kernels into her mouth, Daniela jumped slightly at the sound of her phone. Tearing her eyes away from the two conversing on the sofa, she pulled out her phone, her pulse skipping at the sight of Lip's name.
"Hey," she greeted casually enough.
"Hey, have you heard from Debbie?" She could hear the tenseness in his voice mixed with exhaustion.
"Yeah, she's with me," she answered, sparing the girl another glance. "Why, is everything okay?"
"Yeah, it's just that Carl and Liam are staying with me at the dorm tonight, that's all."
"Oh," she said quietly, sensing that something must have happened back at the house. Rolling her lip between her teeth, Daniela shrugged to herself. "Well, if she wants, Debbie can stay with me for the night. I don't have any classes in the morning so I can drop her off back home."
It was silent for a beat where Lip seemed to be considering her offer. Finally, she heard him sigh. "That'd be great. Thank you."
"It's okay. How's Liam doing?" Asked Daniela, her voice growing lighter at the mention of the boy.
"He's good, yeah," nodded Lip on the other end. "He's happy."
"And you?"
The question seemed to slip off her tongue so easily and the known gentleness laced the words with warmth. Lip fell silent once more leaving Daniela to mentally debate whether she should've even asked.
"I'll be okay," answered Lip after what felt like forever. Still, it was enough for Daniela despite the small tug in her stomach indicating that she wasn't completely satisfied.
Nodding to herself, she whirled around to rest her eyes on Debbie and Chris.
"Well, I better go but we'll talk soon, okay?"
Across the line, she heard Lip release a low breath and a sound of agreement.
"Yeah, okay."
Having said her goodbyes, Daniela locked her phone and slipped it back into her pocket before heaving a sigh and making her way towards the pair who were now in the middle of a bout of laughter. She frowned slightly as she came to stand beside Debbie.
"What's going on?"
Chris smiled up at her and gestured to the girl across from him. "Debbie and I were just talking about this guy she's into."
Nodding, Daniela crossed her arms and plopped down beside Debbie. Her eyes remained on the guy across from her as she quirked an eyebrow.
"And you're giving her advice?"
He shrugged, an impish grin growing on his features. "Well, trying to at least."
"I figured he might know what to do about Matty," added Debbie matter-of-fact, the name ringing a bell in the other girl's mind.
"Matty? That guy you brought to the hospital?"
"Yeah. We've been having some trouble lately," explained Debbie, her eyes falling to her lap sadly.
"I thought that after what happened with Liam we were okay but he's conflicted about it all. It's like one moment he wants to be with me and then the next he's pushing me away and making up all these excuses and then he flips it around again saying he doesn't know what he should do."
"Sounds like someone I know."
Daniela's eyes snapped to Chris' where he sat rubbing his hands together. His attention was already on her and merely waiting to see her reaction. Breaking eye contact, the girl licked her lips and returned to face Debbie.
"Maybe you should move on, you know?" She proposed, waving a hand in the air, all the while aware of the eyes watching her. "Find someone who reciprocates your feelings and wants to get to know you."
"I think you should just wait it out," countered Chris.
Daniela stared back, unimpressed. "Really? That's your advice?"
"Look, if this Matt guy is so conflicted about it then you should give him some space so he can think it over, make a decision and then get back to you. Then, while he's making his decision, show him all the reasons why he should go for it." Raising his hands, he shrugged to himself. "But that's just what I would do."
"And what if it's all just a waste of time?" Questioned Daniela in return, her eyes never leaving his. Chris didn't back down but instead rose to the challenge.
"Only one way to find out."
Sensing that the point of conversation had shifted slightly, Debbie glanced between the two of them to see that they weren't so much paying attention to her anymore but that their eyes were now locked onto one another. Pressing her lips together, she raised her brow and sighed.
"I guess I could try both out," she said, snapping each of them out of it. Daniela was the first to recover, offering her a half-smile.
Suddenly remembering her phone call, she placed a hand on Debbie's shoulder. "Oh, your brother called before. He said that Carl and Liam are staying with him for the night so you're staying with me." She paused to assess Debbie's expression. "That's if you want to."
"Uh yeah! That'd be awesome!" Grinned the girl, clearly excited. It caused a warm smile to spread on Daniela's face.
"So that means you two can stick around?" Asked Chris, sounding hopeful.
Daniela shared a look with Debbie who seemed more than eager and nodded. "Yeah, I guess it does."
"Great," he grinned, clapping his hands together. "In that case, let's get these snacks ready for the movie."
/
An hour and a half later, the three of them found themselves splayed out on bean bags. Around the room, over a dozen college kids and their friends sat watching a bootleg of the latest action blockbuster attentively.
Towards the back of the group lounged Daniela and Chris. A few spots in front of her was Debbie who had huddled in with a few of the older girls that had taken to her.
Daniela glanced over at the girl to see her shoving popcorn into her mouth, her attention captured by the film. She didn't notice the small smile on her face until she heard Chris whisper beside her.
"Debbie seems great."
Glancing sideways, she nodded in agreement. "Yeah, she is. She seems to like you too."
"What can I say?" Shrugged a smirking Chris. "I'm great at charming the family."
"Had a lot of experience?" Fired back Daniela just as quickly causing him to clench his eyes shut for a moment.
"I really backed myself into a corner there didn't I?" A simple nod from Daniela was his answer. Sighing, he adjusted himself so that they could speak better without disturbing the others. "Well, to answer your question- no."
"Then how do you know you're oh-so charming?"
"It seemed to work on you."
Daniela's response was a few pieces of popcorn being hurled at Chris' face. He remained unfazed, even managing to catch one in his mouth.
"That was different," she whispered in amusement.
Picking at the last piece of popcorn, Chris chewed it before settling into his bean bag, a light smile on his face. "I like seeing this side of you."
This time she was the one to adjust in her seat. "What side?"
"You know," he gestured wildly with his hands for emphasis. "The real side. Where you're playful and warm and where you're around your people- the ones who know so much about you."
Considering his words, Daniela simply shrugged a little more unsure of herself now. "Well, I guess it's just because I've known them for a long time." Pausing for a beat, she then frowned. "Is the difference really that major?"
Chris shook his head warily. "Not all the time." Daniela's resounding look caused him to clear his throat and elaborate. "Let's just say you're not the easiest person to get a read on."
"Well, who did you think I was before this?"
"I had no idea," he answered honestly. "It's not like you let me in on anything."
Daniela scoffed lightly to herself. "That's because we had rules."
Chris' brow raised. "Had?"
Noticing her slip of the tongue, she rolled her eyes at his smirk and licked her lips. "Have," she clarified though she knew the damage had already been done. "We have rules."
Just as she thought, Chris wasn't able to help the small upturn of his mouth. Laughing under her breath, she shook her head at him; the sound causing his grin to soften.
For a second, Daniela's gaze dropped to her lap and she pressed her lips together in an attempt to steady herself. She hadn't been anticipating the look he was giving her when she met his stare once again.
Chris' attention flicked to her lips which were being nervously nibbled on by her teeth and the rush down her spine when his hand came to rest on her cheek did nothing to quell the twisting in her stomach.
"Can I?" He asked, his voice barely above a whisper as his mouth hovered only an inch away from her own. Daniela didn't even register the small nod of her chin before she found herself sighing into his kiss.
The one resounding thought traveling around in her mind was that this was different from the other ones she'd shared with him. The others had always been full of fleeting heat and desire with none of them crossing the line into something meaningful but for the first time, Daniela's lips moved against his, she felt something else engulf the pit of her belly.
The kiss built along with their growing need for each other. Daniela's arm snaked around his neck, bringing him closer as his hands fell to her waist. Suddenly remembering where they were, Daniela pulled away leaving them both slightly out of breath with fuzzy thoughts. Beside her, Chris wiped a thumb over his mouth whilst she avoided any eye contact.
Instead, she turned her attention to Debbie who was still oblivious to the whole thing. Internally, Daniela breathed a sigh of relief, not knowing what she would say if the girl had seen them.
Settling into the bean bag, she dropped her head back not realizing the arm that was already there. Sneaking a glance, she was able to make out Chris' small smile which was then replicated on her own features.
Not saying anything, Daniela returned her attention to the movie where it was just reaching its climactic point. She didn't question it when she felt a hand drape over her shoulder. The pair watched the rest of the movie in a comfortable silence though, to the both of them, something had shifted and Daniela wasn't sure if she was ready or not.
By the time the credits were rolling and the students were beginning to shift, Daniela's head had managed to fall on Chris' shoulder. Exhaustion was overtaking her and she could barely keep her eyes open as is. Chris moved beneath her, stirring her awake enough so that she could sit up and stretch.
Looking at the faces, she spotted a sleeping Debbie and crawled over to her.
"Debbie," she whispered, tucking a strand of red hair behind her ear. Debbie's brow pinched, her lips mumbling something incoherent as she rolled over. Above her, Daniela shook her shoulders gently. "Come on."
It took a few minutes before Daniela was able to successfully revive the girl long enough so that she could get to her feet. Slinging her arm around her waist to help steady her, Daniela waved goodbye to everyone before heading towards the door where Chris was waiting for them. The walk back to her dorm was quiet save for Debbie's tired mumbles.
When they came to stop outside her door, Daniela gestured for Chris to hang back while she took Debbie inside. Opening the door, she laid the girl down in her bed before tucking her in. She stood back, watching as she was out like a light as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Heading outside, Daniela closed the door behind her before using it to lean against. She turned her eyes up at Chris all the while playing with the sleeve of her hoodie.
"Thanks for tonight, we had fun."
"No problem," he nodded back. "It was nice to finally spend some time with you without you running away."
"I don't…run." Her weak defense was met with a knowing look that caused her to shake her head, the hint of a smile tugging at her lips.
"Hopefully, it won't be the last."
Daniela tilted her head in contemplation. "Maybe."
Her answer seemed to be a good enough start for Chris who nodded once again. "I'll leave you to it then."
Daniela smiled up at him. "Okay, goodnight."
"Wait."
She was in the process of pushing open the door when she felt a hand wrap around her elbow and spin her back around. Her lips were quickly captured by Chris' once again in a kiss that was over almost as soon as it began.
Pulling away, Chris' thumb brushed against her cheek. "Goodnight."
Daniela could feel her cheeks redden and simply decided to nod before backing inside. With the door closed behind her, she let out a long breath and moved towards her bed. She pulled back the covers before huddling in beside Debbie whose back was to her.
She stared at the back of her head as her mind went into overdrive over what the hell had happened in the last six hours. There was a dread in her chest along with an excitement that she hadn't felt in a long time.
Considering too much to worry about at the moment, Daniela instead focused on falling asleep. However, as her eyes lingered on the fiery hair of Debbie, her mind wandered off to another person who shared the same locks and one whom she had royally fucked up with.
/
5 weeks ago.
Daniela's nerves were going haywire by the time the next night rolled around. She had called to make sure that Mandy and Simon were still on board to stop by to which they had both agreed. As per usual, Ian would be out for most of the afternoon and head back around seven where they would be waiting for him.
As the time ticked on, the trio sat patiently for Ian to return from wherever the hell he took off to.
"Chill out," said Mandy, breaking the silence and Daniela's train of thought.
"What?" Blinked the girl, completely clueless.
Simon winced and gestured to her moving feet. "You're pacing."
"Oh." She glanced down to see that she was indeed pacing but somehow couldn't bring herself to stop.
"It'll be fine," assured Mandy though she didn't seem too sure of it herself. This did little to quell the tension in Daniela's shoulders. Her attention snapped to the door when she heard the handle turn.
All three pairs of eyes watched as Ian walked in sweaty from a run. He saw Daniela first and was in the process of smiling when he finally took in the other two standing there.
"What the hell is this?" He fumed, eye narrowing dangerously into slits.
Across from him, Daniela cleared her throat and tried to steady herself. "We need to talk."
Ian cursed under his breath and shook his head in disbelief.
"What's going on with you?" Asked Mandy looking more worried than any of them had ever seen before.
"El told us you've been staying here."
"Oh did she?" Replied Ian spitefully. "Because I recall specifically asking her not to say shit to anyone."
"You gave me no choice," said Daniela in defense of herself. "You need to tell us what happened to you. Are you in some sort of trouble because we can help, whatever it is."
"Yeah, I can call my brothers and-"
"No." Ian shook his head, agitation clear on his features as he began pacing. "See this is exactly why I didn't want anyone to know. Because of all of this!" He motioned his hands around the room before focusing on Daniela. "I asked you to trust me-"
"I do trust you, Ian. But the way you've been behaving makes me feel like I have to do something."
"Yeah because that's what you always do," shot back Ian before sucking on his teeth. "I never should've told you- I never should've come here in the first place."
"You're right," nodded Daniela, feeling her own anger rising. "You shouldn't have because ever since you showed up things have going to shit."
Briefly, she registered the shock on her friends' faces before pushing it to the side. The voice at the back of her mind told her that now would be a good time to stop but weeks of pent up frustration were spilling it and she wasn't sure she wanted to push it down anymore.
"You know, I was doing really fucking great. I was ahead in my classes, I had made new friends, I had a new job, I even met someone and then suddenly you show up and I have to spend all this time covering for your coked-out ass. Meanwhile, you're throwing parties in my dorm, smoking weed and waking me up at the crack of dawn every morning!"
"Now, I don't know what it is that's making you spin out so much but you can't stay here anymore." Daniela raked a hand through her hair before resting it on her hip. Her eyes never once strayed from Ian's. "I'm trying to make something of myself and forget about all of the shit that happened before this and you are not helping."
Ian remained silent for a long time; his eyes glossing over as she unleashed her verbal tirade. Behind her, Mandy and Simon stood by awkwardly, just watching the scene unfold.
Eventually, Ian licked his lips and nodded to himself.
"Well jeez, tell me how you really feel," he quipped sarcastically before moving over to where his things were. No-one said a word as he stuffed clothes into his bag and wrapped up his sleeping bag.
Eventually, the guilt began to trickle in causing Daniela to clench her eyes shut and pinch the bridge of her nose.
"Wait," she said tiredly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I didn't mean it."
"Yes, you did," answered Ian straightaway. He tore his eyes away from his things long enough to give her a careless shrug. "And you're right. I'm not wanted here so I'll go."
"Wait, that's not it." She rushed to him, her hand balling into a fist against her chest. "I want you here, I want to help you but I can't do that if you won't let me."
Ian paused from his packing long enough to narrow his eyes at Daniela.
"You know, I thought that after everything that happened with Lip, you would know not to betray someone's trust." Shrugging, he pulled his bag on and registered his friend's surprise. "I guess I was wrong."
Daniela's mouth parted hopelessly as she watched him spare the other two a glance. She had completely forgotten they were even there.
"It was good seeing you guys."
At the sound of the door closing behind him, Daniela exhaled, a weight pushing down on her chest. The palms of her hands dug into her eyeballs and her jaw clenched tightly in frustration. Behind her, she felt the watchful eyes of Simon and Mandy as well as the tense air that permeated the room.
.
Present.
When she had planned it in her mind, she hadn't anticipated that particular ending, nor the words she had spat at him.
The never-ending guilt had been gnawing at her ever since that day; slowly ripping her up on the inside. She hated what she had said to him. Most importantly, she hated that she had meant every bit of it just like he said. That was the worst part- knowing that she didn't want him around.
What kind of monster was she? Pushing away the one person that meant everything to her.
She wanted nothing more than to make things up to him and apologize. She just didn't know how to begin.
.
long ass author's note incoming*
Now we know what happened between them! Was it what you were expecting? I always enjoy writing D scenes so this chapter was a blast and there was a tiny bit of Lip interaction to keep you guys happy. Also, I won't lie to you, I low key ship Daniela and Chris. Sorry.
However, I'm honestly the shittest at updating and for that, I am truly sorry. A lot of it has been distraction, demotivation, life, but also hitting a wall. If you follow me then you probably already know that I've started another story but don't worry! I'm still extremely committed to this one. It's just that this season is the hardest to get through to the point where I've seriously considered just blitzing through it willy-nilly but I don't want to give you anything half-arsed so I took my time getting this out there so that I could at least be happy knowing it's not complete shit.
For future note though, if you do follow me and see me posting chapters for my other story; please don't get disheartened! This is still the number one priority. It's just these next few chapters giving me grief but I swear I know where I'm going after this.
Thank you for being so patient.
Special thanks to RHatch89, Raging Raven, Guest 1 , 13teen and Hapsgurl80 for reviewing; the 12 who followed and the 11 who favorited!
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