Sitting next to Danny during lunch is awkward at first, but thankfully no one mentions the bruises he's sporting. I guess they're all used to me showing up like he is. Though… his bruises aren't the only thing making this awkward. It's also cause sitting next to him makes my heart pound like crazy. Doesn't help when Paulina slides onto the bench next to me and kisses my cheek. God, why does her touch have to confuse me?
Kwan easily picks up on how uncomfortable I am and he gets Danny talking. They touch on space a couple of times and I think I'm the only one that notices the excitement in Danny's voice when he starts discussing a few constellations with my best friend.
Everyone else at the table is talking and I'm just taking it all in, shoving food down my throat to avoid joining the conversation. It's not like I have anything to add anyway. The cheerleaders are discussing some kind of shopping trip from what I understand, and the guys are talking about the game tomorrow. Okay, so I could input something there but I don't care enough to.
When there's a lull in conversation, Danny turns back to me and I meet his gaze. There's a few seconds of silence before he smiles and tilts his head to one side. "You never responded to my snapchat the other day," he says it softly but Kwan's head snaps up and his gaze is instantly on the two of us at the mention of the app.
"You have snapchat again?" he asks, a grin quickly changing his expression. "Since when? I've been trying to get you to add it back for months but you said it's stupid!"
I don't want to admit that the only reason I added it back on my phone is cause Danny asked me to. It'd be a little obvious that Danny means a lot to me if I say that. And I'm not sure that I'm ready for anyone to know that yet.
Kwan laughs at what must be a pretty decent flush on my face. I can feel how hot my cheeks are and I let out a scoff. I drop my gaze back to my tray with a shrug. "It is stupid," I mumble, cramming another forkful of what the school calls food into my mouth before I look up at Kwan again.
He's shaking his head before he looks at Danny. "I've wanted him to add it back on his phone for a long time now. You two start talking and you manage to convince him to do it after knowing him for what, a month? Two?"
Glad to know I'm not alone in this. Danny's cheeks are flushed too and he shakes his head a little before glancing in my direction. I can only hold his gaze for a few seconds before I have to look away again. I highly doubt anyone at this table would let it go if I told him how adorable he looks with the pink staining his cheeks the way it's doing now. Sh-Shit, that's really fucking gay.
The inhale of breath I take is sharp and it's loud in the silence that's blanketed our table. Danny's hand brushes my knee in a silent question. I can't answer with a nod cause I'm not okay. Shit, I should be okay. Nothing hurts but this… it doesn't feel good either.
"You dying over there, Baxter?" Jeff asks with a snort, leaning forward to steal food from my tray. I don't stop him but I do lift my gaze to his and manage to glare at him. He responds by grinning around the mouthful of food he's stolen.
Paulina's turned toward me, one eyebrow lifted and I wonder if she can tell. If she notices the way my eyes have started to linger on Danny and that the more time I spend around him, the less I want to spend with her. And not because it's her and because we fuck up so much. It's been really good between us since the beach and I know a part of me will always love Paulina. She's been in my life since we were both awkward freshmen. But we're just awkward seniors now and even though I know there's no way I can forget about her just because Danny's in the picture… I like Danny a lot. And I really wish I could be happy with being his friend. But I doubt my heart will ever settle for that.
"Gimme your username," Kwan says, interrupting my thoughts. I glance up at him and I wonder what my expression looks like. He raises his eyebrows when he asks it and Danny's hand brushes my knee again beneath the table. I can't stop the groan from leaving me and I prop my elbow up on the table, dropping my forehead into my palm.
I can feel the breath sticking in my throat and Danny mistakes my actions for some kind of need for comfort. His hand easily rests on my thigh, just above my knee, and he traces circles in the denim of my jeans, making me wish we were miles away from here. Alone. Where I could kiss him and see his smile crinkle up the corners of his eyes and the only thing between us would be our own breaths hanging in the air.
Danny's fingers aren't clumsy as he continues to trace shapes on my thigh in an effort to calm me down and I hate how easy he makes it seem. I'm not easy, Danny. Please don't ever think that I'm an easy person. To be around or date or anything really. I've never been easy.
"No, you'll just… bombard me with stupid shit like last time," I mumble, aware that I let the silence stretch on too long. Fuck, Kwan's probably worried about me. I'm usually better at holding myself together in front of the guys but god, I can barely think with Danny's hand on me. This really shouldn't be that hard. I'm not hurting, it doesn't hurt… god, does it count as hurting when it's just my chest that feels like it's on fire and my throat that can't draw in the oxygen I desperately need?
Kwan scoffs and he sounds almost insulted. I lift my head just far enough to catch the pout on his face and he draws his eyebrows down, giving me his pleading stare. I can usually only hold out like ten minutes when he looks like that so I drop my gaze back to the table.
"No," I repeat, unconsciously turning a little to face Danny more. His hand stills for a second or two before he picks up where he left off, tracing squares and overlapping circles, his fingers drifting higher and higher up my thigh. He always stops himself when his fingers wander a little too high and I can't decide if it's because we're sitting in the middle of the school cafeteria or if it's because he doesn't want to touch me. Danny's probably not interested in guys but I haven't seen him around girls either… well, unless the girl he used to hang around counts. God, I don't want her to count.
Kwan starts pouting and whining again and I do my best to ignore him. I close my eyes and let the feeling of Danny's hand on my leg distract me. Take me miles away and let me pretend that we're not in the cafeteria. I think about all the things we could be doing right now if we weren't stuck here, surrounded by my teammates and a girl I'm not that interested in anymore. I wonder if we weren't here, if Danny would let me kiss him.
"Danny, will you tell me?" Kwan asks and I snap my eyes open.
I lift my head and drop my hand onto the table. "No, you're not bugging Danny for it either. You'll just make me want to delete the app if I add you again. So, no. You're not getting it." I try to look like somebody who can't be easily swayed but Kwan gives me another pout.
Danny glances toward me, I guess in a questioning sort of way, probably wondering why I won't give my best friend my username and honestly, I don't blame him for being curious. It's not like I really have any reason to keep Kwan from having it. It's just… god, he was so into it when he forced me to download it the first time and he sent me ridiculous photos with even more ridiculous captions.
"Pleeeeeeaassssee, Daaaaannnyyy!" Kwan whines. I've gotta admit, he's got that whine perfected. I don't think any one of my teammates has ever been able to say no when he's sounded like that. Of course, he mostly uses it for stupid stuff like this. And fortunately, I'm mostly immune.
I hesitate a second before I'm able to meet Danny's gaze again and I shake my head a little. A smile is pulling at his mouth and it takes me a few seconds to realize why he's grinning. No way, he wouldn't. "Don't you d-"
"My friends made me, is his username. Dashes between each word," he says, that grin quickly growing. I can't believe him. Why would he just throw me to the dogs like this?
Kwan wastes no time pulling his phone from his pocket and I assume he's friending me. I shoot Danny a glare and he responds with a gentle smile that has the scowl leaving my face instantly. God, why is it so fucking hard to stay mad at him?
I roll my eyes with a scoff when my phone vibrates. I pull it out of my pocket before I fix Kwan with a look. "Y'know… I don't have to accept anything from you, right? I could block you." I have no idea if that's even possible but hell, I'd figure out a way.
A few of my teammates laugh at the fake betrayal Kwan puts on but of course the person that's got my interest is Danny. His laugh is just a little softer than everyone else's and yet, it's the one that stands out to me the most.
Danny gives me a smile when I glance at him again but I have to drop my gaze almost immediately. Thankfully, I have my phone to distract me and I reluctantly load up snapchat. I can only imagine what the hell Kwan's gonna send me from now on.
"Stop scowling, I'm not that annoying," Kwan says, rolling his eyes when I look up at him. "You're acting like your life as you know it just ended. You can ask everyone else, I send great snaps," he says, gesturing to the rest of the table.
Paulina darts a look my way, her smile easily in place again. "Yeah, actually. Kwan's really funny when it comes to snapchat." I can't tell if she's lying to spare my best friend's feelings or not. And honestly, I didn't even know that she used this stupid app either.
"So you all use this, then?" I ask, tapping the 'accept' on Kwan's request.
Jeff slings an arm around Star's shoulders before leaning forward to snag food from my tray again. "Yeah, we're all on it. Though most of these losers just lurk and don't send out any snaps." He rolls his eyes when I look up at him and he crams more of my food into his mouth.
I flip him the bird and he responds with a laugh. Star leans back further into his arms and closes her eyes. My friends fall back into silence and I steal a glance at Danny. He gives me a small, encouraging smile before I have to drop my gaze, letting my stare drift across the table again.
Keith's staring down at his phone, a frown creasing his features, and it's only after I receive a notification that I realize why.
"Fucking hell, you too?" I ask, scoffing when he looks up at me.
He tries to keep it in but a smile quickly takes over his expression and he can only offer up a pathetic shrug. "You can blame Kwan for that. He dragged me into it last summer," he responds, lifting his drink to his mouth.
Kwan glances at him and rolls his eyes. "Shut up," he says before he swats him on the shoulder and leans over to steal fries from his tray. "You know that you love my snaps, admit it."
"If you hate it that much, why'd you download it after I told you to?" Danny asks. His voice is soft but from the expression on Kwan's face when he looks at me, I'm guessing Danny wasn't quiet enough. I really don't want anyone to know yet but I guess Kwan's figuring it out. Fuck, maybe it'll be good to have someone else know that Danny's not just a math tutor to me anymore.
I shrug, setting my phone on the table, my fingers shaky with the movement. "Cause you told me to," I respond. As soon as the words leave my mouth, I realize how it sounds. Shit, I guess now is the moment that everyone's gonna figure out that Dash Baxter might be fucking gay.
Danny's eyebrows draw downward but he doesn't get a chance to voice the question that's clear in his expression. The bell rings out, completely cutting him off, and we're all ordered to report to the gym immediately. Our principal repeats the announcement and everyone in the cafeteria exchanges glances before my teammates start getting to their feet.
"Jeez… they haven't herded us all into the gym in forever. I wonder what this is for," Kwan says, glancing around at our classmates, all abandoning their food and lining up to exit the cafeteria.
Keith stands from the table with a sigh. "I don't know, I just hope that whatever it is, it doesn't take too long." He hesitates a split second before adding. "I'm supposed to see Lily during my free periods today."
"How's she doing, man?" Jeff asks, sliding his arm around Star's back again. They both get to their feet and somehow, he manages to keep his arm around her. She turns to look at him, pressing another kiss to his cheek with a smile.
Keith hesitates a second before exhaling, nodding a little as he drops his gaze. "She's um… she's doing good. Every day is a different story but right now, she's… she's doing okay." He smiles when he looks at Jeff and I can't tell if he's forcing that smile or not. With how often I do it, I should probably know when someone else is.
We all fall in step with each other as we leave the cafeteria and somehow, Paulina and Danny end up on either side of me. Paulina slides her hand into mine and I hate the way that I instantly wish it was Danny's instead. God, I should just be happy with Paulina. Things are finally okay with us and I really think it could work this time. But I guess as long as Danny's in the picture, it'll never work.
The doors to the gym are open and two people in white clothing are standing on either side of the entryway. They're each holding a tablet of some kind and they mark down whenever a student passes into the gym. There's already a line stretching outside so we just form along behind it.
Paulina lets go of my hand as the line moves forward and she's up behind Roxane. Danny's in front of me but he's turned my way. His entire body is tensed as he stares ahead at the people checking students off and he looks like he's torn between making a run for it and waiting the situation out.
"What do you think this is for?" Jeff asks, grinning when I turn to look at him. "You think they finally decided to figure out who stole the bus?"
Star laughs a little, shaking her head. "What's the point? Everyone already knows who was behind that. You guys weren't exactly subtle." Jeff puts his hand over his chest like he can't believe what she's accusing him of but it only makes her laugh again.
The line moves forward and I turn away from Jeff and Star, watching Danny fidget as he steps up to the people in white. The guy on the left takes notice of him, but quickly looks to his device again. "Name?"
"D-Daniel Fenton," Danny stammers out. I can tell his fingers are trembling around his backpack strap but I wonder if anyone else picks up on it. The guy nods as he jots it down. After a second or two, he waves Danny past. He barely glances up as he calls for the next person and I step up, still partially paying attention to Danny. There's another person in a white coat standing at a table a few feet inside the gym and they've stopped him.
"Name?" the guy standing on the outside of the gym prompts, jerking my attention back to him. He looks up at me expectantly, index finger hovering over the device.
"Dash Baxter," I respond, watching as he clicks it through. He glances up, giving me a funny look, before he passes me through and I line up behind Danny again. The white coat, a female this time, lets Danny go before focusing on me.
She sets out what looks like a couple of index cards and gestures to the first one. "Legibly write your full name here." She waits until I've done that before she points to an inkpad. "Place your fingertips on this ink and print them here," she instructs, gesturing to the next two cards.
What the fuck?
I decide against questioning it and just do as she says. After she collects the three cards and drops them into a clear plastic bag with a date printed on the outside, she lets me go. I start after Danny and just from his posture alone, I can tell he's not doing that great.
"They've probably dragged us all in here to figure out who's been skipping classes and shit," I say, grinning when Danny looks my way. "Which means half of my teammates will probably be suspended before the day's up."
Danny doesn't crack even a hint of a smile and that bothers me more than it probably should. He barely nods as he looks away from me again, his gaze sweeping across the room. His movements are still tense as he takes a few steps away from me and I'm quick to follow him, pushing past people to keep up.
"Hell, maybe it's just a really fucked up pep rally," I suggest. I don't expect a smile at this point, I'm just trying to distract him from whatever the hell's going on in his mind. He's clearly upset about something but he's trying to pretend like he's not.
I glance over my shoulder at Jeff and Star, having finally passed the first person but they're both still at the table with the second white coat. This is all so strange. I can't remember the last time we were all herded into the gym for a reason outside of a pep rally but this definitely isn't that.
"You wanna sit down?" I ask, turning back to Danny. He barely glances at me as he nods, quickly sinking down onto the bleachers near us. He lets out a low breath and it's only when he reaches up to straighten his hat that I see his hands trembling, along with one of his legs.
He draws in a strangled breath and looks around the gym again, dropping his hands into his lap. A look of concentration passes over his face before he turns to me, not lifting his gaze to mine. "I-I doubt this is a pep rally, Dash," he whispers. I hate how scared he sounds and before I can stop myself, I place my hand on top of his.
"It's gonna be okay. Whatever this is, it's gonna be fine, alright? It's probably something stupid, like some kind of… I don't know, they're probably just trying to enforce some new rules on us or something," I say, pretty sure that it's nothing like that. It's too strange for something that simple. And something tells me that Danny knows what this is really about. If he didn't, he wouldn't look so terrified.
He doesn't pull his hand away from mine and after a few seconds, he turns his hand over and slides his fingers between mine. Danny lets out a soft breath, squeezing his eyes closed with the sound. "I-I can't… it's… th-this is bad," he whispers.
I don't get a chance to ask what the hell he's talking about cause the gym's filled up around us and our principal is standing near the entrance, white coats on either side of her. She looks just as confused as I feel but she addresses us calmly, as if she's in control of whatever the hell is going on.
"Classes and extra-curricular activities are cancelled for the day. You're all to remain here until told otherwise by me or one of these agents," she starts, pausing to look around at all of us.
Agents? What kind of agents? …and what the fuck are they doing at Casper High?
Principal Ishiyama draws in a breath and easily goes on, a frown taking over her features. "We've gathered you all together… to check a few things. Know that none of you are in any danger." She nods like that's the end of it and suddenly, the lights are killed.
A couple of people let out squeals, amidst some nervous laughter but it quickly turns silent again. Well… not entirely silent. There's this weird buzzing sound and the longer it goes on, the harder it is to ignore. I can feel Danny's hand in mine and I really don't want to let him go but fuck, the buzzing sound actually hurts. I manage to cover one ear with my free hand but the noise is deafening to my other one. I can't tell if I've closed my eyes in the darkness but everything sounds so loud and I'm pretty close to vomiting.
Just when I think my head's gonna explode, the sound stops and the lights are back on. I blink in the brightness and I hesitate a few seconds before I drop my hand from my ear, the sound still bouncing around in my skull. Shit, was that as loud for everyone else as it was for me?
Danny shoots a worried look my way when I glance at him but I don't get to see him for long. The lights click off again and this time, there's this sickly glow about the room. It's almost green but with flashes of white occasionally and every time I move my eyes, it seems to get brighter before plunging me back into darkness.
I look toward Danny again and the whites of his eyes are practically glowing as he stares back at me. It's too dark to read his facial expression but going off the fact that his hand is still shaking in mine, I'm guessing he's terrified.
He closes his eyes and lets out a breath as I squeeze his hand gently. I don't know why he's so terrified but worry is starting to pick at me too. Not just about him but about whatever the fuck this is. They've got the entire student body in here and there's no telling what this is all for. I don't know if they'll answer any questions we have but I hate not knowing what the fuck is going on.
The lights click on again and murmurs break out across the gym. Everyone just sort of falls silent as several men in white suits step forward, two girls on either side dressed in white scrubs. One of them I don't recognize at all but the other one has a suspiciously curly ponytail that I know belongs to Valerie… what the fuck is she doing here? And who the hell is she with?
Valerie and the other girl each have tablets propped up in their arms like a clipboard and the other girl barely glances at hers before she speaks.
"Kwan Young, please come forward," she calls out, her gaze sweeping around the room. I know I'm not the only one that immediately searches the room for Kwan but my heart's hammering in my chest as I watch him break loose from the crowd and start for the girl that called his name. One of the men in white suits steps forward and leads Kwan out of the gym. What the fuck do they want him for?
Valerie immediately speaks, reading from her tablet. "Hollie Ashton, please come forward," she calls out, turning to look at the crowd. A girl from the volleyball team, that the cheerleaders occasionally hang out with is standing next to Paulina. She leaves the cheerleaders side and starts for Valerie. Another white suit steps forward and she's also led from the gym.
The first girl glances at her device. "Jeff Attwood, please come forward," she calls out and I watch Star glance at Jeff before he leaves his spot next to her on the bleachers. He leaves the gym with another white suit and when the door swings shut behind the two, Valerie speaks next.
"Dash… Baxter, please come forward," she says, faltering between my first and last name. She looks up at the crowd, her eyebrows drawn down as she searches for me. I almost raise my hand to wave but Danny distracts me.
His hand tightens in mine and he lets out a staggered breath. "D-Dash," he whispers, finally meeting my gaze. His eyes are wide and he looks fucking terrified as his hand trembles in mine. "Dash, I-I can't do this… y-you have to stop this, okay? Please. B-Before they can call my name. C-Cause a dis-distraction, a-anything. I can't… oh god, I can't do this."
His hand leaves mine suddenly and he's drawing in one shaky breath after another. Shit, what the fuck am I supposed to do? Danny's practically hyper-ventilating next to me and it's not like I can do anything to stop it. What does he want me to do, ignore whatever the fuck this is and… a distraction? Why does he need me to distract them? And what the hell does he want me to do?
It's not like I can just walk out of here or do something dramatic to stop this whole thing. What the hell can I do to distract everyone? Shit, Danny looks like he's getting paler the longer he hyper-ventilates. I can't leave him like this. I-
"Dash Baxter, come forward," one of the white suits calls out and I look from Danny to the guy. He's impatiently staring into the crowd, trying to figure out if he can find me just by looking. It's not like they know what I look like. Though, I probably only have a couple more seconds to spare before someone points me out to this guy.
I turn to Danny, taking his hand again. He barely glances at me as I run my thumb over the back of his hand and I can only hope that it calms him down a little. Danny wouldn't ask me to cause a distraction if this wasn't serious. I've always wanted to help him and he's finally telling me that I can. I'm not gonna blow this. "I'll figure something out, okay? But I gotta go with this guy for now. I-I won't let them call you," I promise, still trying to come up with some kind of plan.
Danny looks toward me, letting out a soft breath as he nods. The fear is still etched into his features but I don't have the time to ask him what's going on. I just quietly leave my seat and start down the bleacher stairs. The white suit takes notice of me now and I shove my hands into my pockets as I continue toward him.
Valerie glances at me as I pass by her and she slowly shakes her head, her eyes wide. I don't understand the expression she's giving me and I don't have long to process it either. The white suit immediately leads me out of the gym and the doors swing shut behind us.
Wordlessly, the guy leads me further down the hallway and I try to formulate some kind of plan to distract everyone. We pass rows of lockers in silence before he stops at a small room that I'm guessing is the teacher's lounge. I've never seen this place before but I think this is what a teacher's lounge would look like. There are two couches facing opposite each other, with a small table in between. A kitchen-type area is on the other side of the room but I don't get to look at it for too long before the white suit speaks.
"Place anything in your pockets or on your person in this," he says, holding out a plastic bag toward me. The fuck is this all for? It's just straight up weird at this point. Why are these people at Casper High? What are they looking for in a bunch of teenagers? Who the hell even are they?
I empty my pockets and drop everything into the plastic bag he continues to hold. My phone is the last thing I drop in there, among the spare change, my wallet, and an unexpected condom in my back pocket. If this was any kind of normal situation, I'd probably be embarrassed about the condom.
"Have a seat, Mr. Baxter," he tells me, gesturing to the couch facing away from the kitchen area. Sitting there, the only thing I'll have to look at is him. I wonder if that's why he picked this area. So there'd be nothing to distract me from whatever the hell this is gonna be.
I only hesitate a few seconds before I sit down, leaning back in the couch with my arms folded over my chest. He glances over my posture before he steps out of the room. He's only gone for a second or two but when he returns, the bag with my stuff in it is missing. He crosses through the room and settles down on the couch opposite me, depositing a small device into the middle of the table, and holding a tablet in one hand.
"You may call me Clark. I'm sure you have a lot of questions, this is fairly out of the ordinary for your normal school day," he says. I expect him to smile with the statement but he doesn't. He just continues to stare at me.
I respond with a shrug and that's apparently all he needs to continue.
"Like your principal told you, we're checking a few things out. I'm a federal agent with the government and I have some questions regarding the citizens of Amity Park. That's where you and your classmates come into play." He taps something on the tablet before leaning back, holding my gaze as he speaks. "Can you answer some questions for me, Dash?"
I'm not sure why he's even asking… It's not like I'm in any kind of position to say no. Even though I could just refuse to cooperate … my brain's still a little stuck on the agent part. "Uhh… sure."
Clark nods like he expected my answer and he marks something on the tablet before looking up at me again. "Tell me, Dash. Have you ever noticed anything weird or strange about any of your classmates? Any of your friends?" he asks, clasping his hands together as he leans forward.
"What? No…?" Unless Blake practically high at the game counts. Something tells me that's not what this agent is looking for. I let out a breath before speaking. "I don't understand what's going on."
The agent doesn't say anything at first, he just stares down at his screen in silence for a few seconds before he looks up at me. "We'll start with your friends, alright? Let's talk about Kwan Young," he pauses to tap something on his device before he continues. "How long have you known him?"
What the hell is going on? Some strange version of twenty questions?
I let out a small scoff, uncrossing my arms to run a hand through my hair. "I don't know, since we were like five or something. Why? What does that have to do with anything?"
Clark simply nods in response. "What's he like?" he questions, raising an eyebrow. "He's on the football team with you, yes? How has his performance been this year in comparison to past years?"
What the actual fuck?
"Kwan's… he's… what?" I question, trying to come up with some kind of reason why government agents are at Casper High. This doesn't make any fucking sense, why are they asking me about Kwan?
The agent lets out a breath and his expression shifts into something so cold as he stares at me. "Alright. Let's try this again." He leans forward and taps something on the device in the center of the table and waits a beat before tapping it again. My gaze drifts down to watch his movements and I realize what the hell that device is.
"Why are you recording this?" I ask, my voice softer than I thought it would be.
Clark glances up at me, slowly leaning back in his seat. "We're with the government, Mr. Baxter. We record everything." He glances over his tablet screen before nodding and looking at me again. "So, your friend Kwan. Has he had any kind of personality shift over the past several months? Anyone new come into his life?"
"Uhh… he met some guy on Grindr or something like… at the beginning of the summer," I say, shaking my head as he nods, repeatedly tapping on his tablet. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"That's on a need-to-know basis, Mr. Baxter. We'll move on for now. What about your girlfriend, Paulina Sanchez? How long have you been together with her? Describe her personality to me."
He continues to stare down at his tablet as the silence stretches on and eventually, he looks up at me with a raised eyebrow. What the fuck does he expect me to do? Offer up whatever information he's fishing for? I don't know a goddamn thing, I have no fucking clue why they've called me back here.
Clark folds his hands over top of each other with a heavy sigh. "This'll go a lot easier if you just tell me what I'm looking for. After we're finished here, you can go home." He glances down at his device again before fixing me with his stare. "What is Paulina Sanchez like?"
"Fucking hell, I don't know. She's a cheerleader. Bubbly as fuck when she wants to be but she can be downright scary when she's pissed off. What the hell does this have to do with anything?" I demand.
He nods like it's exactly the answer he was looking for as I drop my hands into my lap out of frustration. He waits a beat before drawing in a breath. "Any new additions to your group? New students or just people you never noticed before?"
"Why are you asking me this shit?" I don't know what the hell this agent is looking for but whatever it is, I guarantee he won't find it in any of my friends. And why is our principal just letting this go on? Did they convince her this was a good idea? Cause it's fucking not. I don't even know why he's asking these kinds of questions, it doesn't make any sense.
"Dash, have you ever seen something you couldn't explain?" the agent asks, pulling me from my thoughts. He studies me, not waiting for any kind of response before he continues. "Anything that seemed a little strange at the time but now that you look back, it's just… unnatural? Something you think about and you still wonder if you imagined the whole thing?"
I don't like the lump quickly growing in my throat at the first thought that comes to mind. Cause I'm thinking about Danny and when he stopped that car from crashing into my face. I wouldn't have an answer for Clark right now if it wasn't for him. Cause I wouldn't fucking be here if Danny hadn't stopped the car. And I'm pretty sure that's more than a little strange.
"This is the time for you to tell me anything like that. Don't worry or feel guilty for turning your friends in. My team and I are here to help them. Don't you want us to help those that need it, Dash?" he asks, his voice soft. He's talking to me like I'm a little kid he can convince. But there's no way in hell I'm turning Danny over to these guys. I have no fucking clue what they would do to him if I were to even mention the possibility of the car.
Clark watches me in silence for a few seconds before he draws in a breath, leaning forward. "Dash… have you seen something strange?"
I don't know what the fuck the government would want with Danny but I seriously doubt they'd fucking help him. No way in hell am I handing him over to these people. Even if Danny won't tell me how the fuck he stopped the car and even if he'll never admit that there's something strange about him, I'm not gonna let these agents get their hands on him. My voice sounds stilted to my own ears when I utter the lie but I say it anyway. It's the only way to keep Danny safe.
"No."
A/N:
Ayyyyy, nothing like a little angst, huh? ;P
Yoo! Welcome back to another update – this chapter is one of the last short ones. (I actually just noticed that it's literally one long scene? There are no scene breaks O_O ) After this, I'm pretty sure they're all at least 7k. Which is good news for you cause holy shit, do you guys have a lot of stuff coming
I've been waiting to post this chapter for such a long time. I've said this to a friend multiple times but I'm gonna say it for you as well. Chapter 45 for me is very much like hitting a giant "go" button on this fic. It's had a slow as f start/build-up but this chapter is the beginning of everything. We've had enough character set-up and slow-burn to last a lifetime, it's time for shit to start happening. And boy does it. I can't wait for you to see everything unfold and watch your reactions to it. I still can't believe we reached this point in the story and I'm so happy that you guys have stuck it out this far. Thank you for leaving your responses here or through a message on tumblr – it really does mean the world to me
I'm so proud of Dash for realizing his growing feelings for Danny. The boy in this chapter is a far cry from the quarterback I first started writing about. Honestly, watching him evolve every chapter has been so great to watch. He's definitely nowhere near comfortable enough to act on these feelings but he's starting to gain confidence with him. And hey, Kwan's starting to pick up on it now so he won't be alone in this for long
….…so…. how about those government agents? ;p
The Cab inspired this chapter title with their song "Angel With A Shotgun." Overall, I feel that the song isn't as dark as this chapter slowly progressed to but I think it fits Dash's feelings/thoughts toward Danny. He's gunna protect that space nerd forever ;p
Again, thank you for sticking with this story, it means a lot to me. You truly keep this fic going. (Poor Dash would still be in the closet if you all weren't here ;P) I'll see you guys next update! (check my tumblr for more information between/about updates)
