Note: Your eyes aren't deceiving you, this is a new chapter! Thank you so much for the great feedback everyone. I am so so so sorry this took many, many years to get out. I didn't mean to be gone this long from it but unfortunately this fic is on the waayyy back burner. I don't know when there will be another update, I'm not abandoning this fic but it may be a while before another chapter is written.
I did add in a couple paragraphs in the previous 2 chapters and just changed some minor things here and there. So those have been updated as well.
However, I am excited they've started putting out the seasons to this show on DVD. Saw Season 1 came out in June 2018, I hope they put the rest out.
Also I know next to nothing about flowers, what I learned about them I got from the internet. So if it's wrong, sorry.
Chapter 2Next MorningDana could feel eyes on her all morning as she got ready for school. She knew Karen and Al were staring at her, not quite sure what to say to her or about the situation. As she started to put her books and binders into her backpack Karen finally spoke up.
"So you and Cody have seriously been seeing each other for nine months?" She questioned, even though, after last night, she already knew the answer.
"Yes." Dana simply said, not stopping her task.
"Kissing and groping dating?" Karen asked. Again it was an answer she knew after last night but she couldn't quite believe it, even after the make out session she and the rest of the family stumbled upon.
Dana finally stopped and turned facing her sister and step-sister. "Karen you and I both know what you saw last night. What gives you the impression that it's not a kissing and groping type of dating?"
"I'm just trying to wrap my head around it Dana. I mean, for years you kept saying that you'd never be with Cody and that he was a cheese head. Now it turns out you've been having middle of the night van rendezvous for months. It's going to take some getting use to."
"Are you just embarrassed to be seen with Cody?" Al finally spoke up after staying silent all morning. She crossed her arms and stared Dana down. "Why would you keep him a secret? Why keep your relationship a secret?"
"Al—I'm not embarrassed to be with Cody." Dana softly but firmly stated.
"Then what? Why the charade?" She wanted to make sure Dana was worthy of Cody. Just because Cody said he was in love with Dana, every day it seemed like, didn't mean she was any good for him.
"How much of last night did you hear?" Dana asked.
Al shrugged her shoulders but didn't deny that she had heard some things. "I only heard bits and pieces. Mostly Carol yelling but also that you and Cody slept together."
"What I told Mom and Frank last night was that we kept it secret and would have kept it secret till I was eighteen. That's the truth. You know if I told Mom when Cody and I started going out, when we actually went on our first date, she would have insisted Cody and I not date till I reached eighteen. To be with Cody," Dana tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, "I would have disobeyed Mom to be with him and clearly I did. At least the way we did it we didn't have Mom keeping a close eye on us. It wasn't perfect but I'd do it again."
Al thought over what she said before slowly nodding her agreement. "Ok, I get why you kept it secret. And I don't hate you for doing it either. Carol can be pretty intense."
"No kidding. Thankfully since I'm so close to my eighteenth birthday its unlikely Mom will make Cody and I stop dating till then."
Karen shook her head in disbelief. "I still can't believe my sister, my feminist sister, the sister that follows the straight and narrow path, was having a secret love affair with Cody." She laughed joyfully.
"Ok, well while you're slack-jawed with shock, I'm going to go eat breakfast." And hopefully Cody would be there soon to take her to school, that way she wouldn't have to be stared at all breakfast. Dana grabbed her backpack and hurried downstairs. Not wanting to miss the show, Karen and Al rushed out behind her.
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Dana descended the kitchen stairs with a spring in her step. She and Cody were officially out to their family, she didn't have to hide how she felt anymore. She didn't have to stop herself from touching him, she didn't have to stop herself from kissing him, and he could put his arms around her without worrying if anyone would find out about their relationship. It was a brand new day.
As soon as she reached the bottom step silence greeted her. Cody wasn't there yet and the rest of the family had stopped what they were doing and just stared at her. It would be comical if she wasn't the center of that attention.
"Dana, would you like some eggs?" Frank asked, breaking the silence.
"That would be great." She smiled at him, grateful for the attempt at normalcy. Mom jumped up from the table and hurriedly plated Dana's breakfast.
"Bacon or sausage, Dana?" Carol added in.
"Both please and toast too."
Mom paused for a second at Dana saying she wanted both bacon and sausage but shrugged it off. "All right. Orange or apple juice?" Carol asked again.
Dana licked her lips. Mom was trying to keep busy so she wouldn't have to talk about the elephant in the room. "Orange, please. Do you want me to get it Mom?" She began to stand but Mom put her plate in front of her and ordered her to sit and eat and she'd get the juice.
After Mom set the glass down beside her and Al and Karen got their breakfasts, silence set in once again. This was already starting to get really old, really fast. The sounds of forks hitting plates, chewing, and swallowing were extremely loud.
Dana thought it would go on forever but then she heard the tell-tale sign of Cody's van door opening and sliding shut. Just hearing that made her heart speed up with excitement. It happened every time she heard that van door. She bit the side of her lip, out of habit, trying to hide her smile, until she remembered she didn't have to hide it.
With great joy Cody came into the kitchen. "Dudesy! It's a beautiful morning isn't?" Having no qualms about it he made a beeline for Dana, kissed her cheek, and handed her a single white gardenia flower. "For you." He smiled at her as he took the seat next to her.
The family watched with rapt attention at the flower and the girl Cody gave it to. Some expected her to freak at only getting one flower, others expected her to roll her eyes, yet no one expected what really happened.
"Oh Cody." Dana whispered. "Thank you. It's beautiful. What does this one mean?" Anxious to hear what he found out about the flower.
Taking her hand, he kissed her knuckles. "You're lovely." He leaned in and spoke quietly. "And secret love. But we're not so secret anymore."
For the last few months once a week Cody would bring her a flower. Always a different flower and always with a meaning behind each one. She had pressed those flowers in between the pages of her books. She still had every single one.
Cody picked up a fork with his other hand, the one not holding Dana's, and took one of her sausage links, chewing off a bite. Dana hated sausage but she usually got a couple because she knew Cody liked them and he tended to forget to eat anything while he was working on his motorcycle or van. It became a habit to grab a few pieces of Cody's favorite foods whenever she grabbed her own.
JT cringed as he watched Cody being lovey dovey with Dana. "We are eating here." He complained.
"Ooo, heaven forbid you miss one meal out of your normal twelve JT." Dana shot back.
"Hey you two, let's not start with that this morning." Carol wants to stop the bickering between the two before it gets out of control. A normal occurrence with Dana and JT.
"Sorry Mom." Dana took a sip of her orange juice. Again the table had gone silent, except for silverware hitting china. "You know, I need to get to school." She gently tugged on Cody's hand and as a unit the two stood.
Quickly Cody assembled a breakfast sandwich from the food left on Dana's plate, which happened to be most of it. "We'll grab your helmet from my van and get going."
"You have your own helmet?" Al couldn't picture that…but then again she hadn't pictured a lot of the things that have happened in the last twelve hours.
Dana smiled slightly. "Yea, Cody got it for me…bye." She started to leave the kitchen but her mom stopped her.
"Wait, wait Dana. I don't know how I feel about you…riding Cody's motorcycle. It's not very safe."
"Don't worry Carol," Cody wrapped his arm around Dana's shoulders, "I always drive safe and Dana's ridden with me many times. Dude, she's a natural on a bike."
Cody and Dana left the kitchen, but he turned back to the family briefly and grinned wide. "And she's so cute in her helmet." He laughed joyously and shut the door.
From inside the family heard Cody's van door open and close and then his motorcycle rev up. "They're probably going to go make out."
Carol whipped around and glared at Al, "Why would you say that?"
Al crinkled her face into an 'you can't be this dumb' expression. "School doesn't start for another hour. I know Dana's a geek but even she doesn't go to school this early."
"Hop on Dana-burger." Cody shouted over the engine. And even before Carol could run out and try to stop them, they were on their way out of the driveway.
TBC
Note: Hope you enjoyed this new chapter. Again sorry it took so long. Is there anything that you guys want to see in this fic? I can't promise that I'll add it in but I'm still looking for some ideas.
