Author's Note: Yeah, so here's the chapter. Oh, also, you must know that vati is my own personal…sort of German thing. It goes along with a joke, I suppose you could say, in my family. Just understand that it's a nickname Rebecca uses.
Rebecca got ready for school nervously. She didn't know if she was going to be able to tell Daniel anything, but she knew that, in order to satisfy herself, she was going to have to try.
"Well, maybe I wouldn't be so annoyed with it if you called, you know, at a time where I wasn't going to work."
Rebecca took a breath. Her father was in the kitchen, not yet at school, meaning someone was in a lot of trouble. She cautiously walked out of her room, heading quietly into the kitchen, hoping to not bother her dad since he was obviously in a 'mood'.
"Hold on a second," he said, irritated, pulling the phone away from his ear for a moment as he bustled around the kitchen. "Morning, Becky," he said, smiling tiredly.
"Good morning. Is that vati Dylan?" asked Rebecca, smirking. Marco thought it was extremely amusing when she called him that, and she was trying to cheer him up.
Apparently, he wasn't ready to be cheered up. He sighed. "Yeah, it's him. Big hockey star who succeeds at making me late," he put the phone back up to his ear, "for work."
"Uncle Dylan's in troooouble," she said sing-songedly, kissing Marco on the cheek. "See you later, dad. Tell him I'd love to say hi, but my friend awaits."
Rebecca walked out of the house as quickly as possible, which she figured had definitely been a good idea after hearing her father begin cursing loudly the moment she closed the door. She bit her lip, debating on whether or not to go in to comfort him, but she decided Dylan could handle it just fine, and she began walking to the bus stop.
Rebecca walked the hallways of her school, her heart pounding as she did so. Was she really going to tell Daniel? What would she say? More importantly, what would he say? She'd never been so nervous in her entire life! She felt as if she were giving up everything she'd gained from him. They were friends. Wasn't that enough?
Her heart was pounding so loudly as she walked into homeroom that she was sure Mr. Simpson could hear it. "You okay, Rebecca?" he asked.
"Becky," she corrected under her breath, taking a seat. She must have looked awfully worried if he questioned her. "Yes, I'm fine."
"Right, Becky," he said, nodding.
Rebecca's hands were shaking while she sat in the chair, waiting for attendance to be over, anticipating first period with Daniel. Maybe she shouldn't tell him there! Maybe waiting until lunch was the better option.
She closed her eyes, knowing the bell was going to ring at any moment. She couldn't concentrate on anything but Daniel. Seriously, this boy had only known her for a short week, and he'd already changed her from a fearless flirt to a terrified girl in love…maybe not love…
The bell rang, and when Rebecca had lifted herself from the chair, she considered asking Mr. Simpson if she could hide under the desk for a period, but she assumed he wouldn't be so happy with that suggestion. She had to be brave for Daniel, for herself, for Ellie, even for her dad.
She put her bag over her shoulder, pushing her hair out of her face, taking a deep, cleansing breath. She could do this.
Rebecca walked the hallway to her first period class, finding Elizabeth along the way. "You look like you're about to pass out," she said, patting Rebecca on the shoulder. "What's wrong?"
"I am about to tell a boy how I feel. I'd rather a heart attack," she said honestly, arriving at the door.
"Good luck," said Elizabeth, giving her a quick hug before scurrying off to make sure she was on time for her own class.
Rebecca took another deep breath, walking calmly into class. Daniel smiled and waved at her from his usual seat. "I hate this class," said Rebecca, smiling as soon as she saw him.
"Math is simple," he said, rolling his eyes. "You'll get better."
"Mhmm," she murmured, taking her seat next to him.
"You okay?" he asked.
Why was everyone asking her that? Why would he think she wasn't perfectly fine? Could it have possibly had anything to do with her trembling hands, tapping her nails against the desk? Could it have possibly been her breathing like a poor girl having an asthma attack? Perhaps, it was the fact that her face was turning bright red, more and more by the second. Maybe she did look like a tad anxious.
"Fine," she answered quickly. Daniel could tell she was lying. It didn't exactly take a genius to figure that out…not that Daniel wasn't one. From what Rebecca had seen, he was extremely intelligent. She couldn't believe it. Not only was she rambling about him, but it was in her own mind. Pathetic.
"Becky, please," he said, finally pushing her. He'd obviously gotten tired of her hiding things. "Am I your friend or not?" he asked, looking rather hurt.
Rebecca put her hands on her cheeks, hoping it would cool them down, turning them back to their normal color. "I think we should concentrate on Mr. Armstrong today," she said quietly, turning to the board. Stupid.
"Why?" he asked, laughing slightly. "We never did before."
"Well, I want to today, okay?" she said defensively, turning back. Why couldn't she just tell him? It shouldn't have been so hard, but the feeling that he didn't like her was just so strong within her body.
After first period, Daniel became fairly distant, afraid that Rebecca was angry with him or something. In reality, she was only angry with herself for not being able to do what she really wished.
She couldn't help feeling down for the rest of the morning, wondering if she'd been too harsh with Daniel.
"Great job, Becky," she said to herself. "If you're looking for him as your boyfriend, the best thing to do is scare him away."
She walked into lunch, annoyed with herself. She saw Daniel sitting at their table alone. Elizabeth wasn't there yet. Perfect. It was now or never.
"Hey," said Rebecca, sitting down across from him. "I'm sorry for this morning," she apologized, looking into his eyes hopefully, praying she wouldn't find anger in them.
"Not a problem," he said, pushing his food around his plate. "I made the mistake of buying…I think this is macaroni and cheese," he said, distastefully pointing to his plate.
Rebecca shrugged. "I'm not even hungry."
"You sure?" he asked. "Maybe you're sick too…you really haven't looked good today. Obviously, there's something going around."
Rebecca shook her head, looking down at her folded hands. "Listen…can we talk?" she asked. This was really it.
She caught a glimpse of Elizabeth on the lunch line, and if she didn't do this quickly, she'd lose her chance.
"Sure, Rebecca," he said, unfolding her hands so that he could hold onto one…just a friendly touch, of course.
She would have corrected him, insisting he call her Becky, but he had her permission if he really wanted to do it. But he was the only one. "What's wrong?" he asked.
Nervously, with her free hand, she rubbed the back of her neck. "Daniel…I…" she stammered.
Daniel looked even more confused than before. "Are you okay? Is it about your dad's sickness?"
That was another story. Rebecca shook her head, knowing she wouldn't be able to handle explaining three things at once. "I like you a lot," she said, biting her lip. Had she said that? She needed to go on. There was absolutely no turning back now. "You've become my best friend over," she laughed, "the last few days. I know I haven't known you very long at all, but you're amazing." She couldn't believe the words coming out of her own mouth.
"What I'm saying is…will you go out with me?" she asked tentatively, shutting her eyes tightly, preparing for what was to come.
After she received silence, she decided she had to open her eyes to see his reaction if he wasn't going to speak. Daniel looked upset, and she knew immediately that he didn't feel the same way. "I guess not," she said.
"Rebecca, I am so sorry," he said honestly. She could tell that he really meant it.
"It's fine." She said it as calmly as she could, but she felt tears in her eyes. She should have never told him. It would have just been easier to have not known how he felt. Rebecca never knew it would hurt this badly.
"No…" he said softly, looking away from her. "No, it's not. Listen, you were honest with me, so I should be honest with you."
She looked at him, confused. "Wh—what do you mean?"
"Oh, please don't cry," he said, closing his eyes to avoid the situation. Maybe he thought that it would make her disappear. She wanted to disappear as well.
"I tried to tell you this yesterday…and maybe I should have, but I didn't know what you'd think or say," he said apprehensively. "Promise you won't hate me?"
"Daniel," Rebecca laughed, despite her ill feelings. "Daniel, I couldn't hate you."
"Becky," he said, remembering to use her nickname, "I'm gay."
Rebecca closed her eyes again, resisting the urge to scream. Was the situation insanely ironic or did her life just suck?
Author's Note: Yeah, this is the chapter I have been literally excited and scared for since the beginning of chapter one. So, yes, that's the big secret there. Please review :)