Chapter 2
Danica's POV
We walked out to the parking lot and located Zoe's truck. I opened my mouth to say how mad I was at her when Zoe said,"Don't be mad at me, Danica. You were amazing on stage! And I think James is into you..."
I sighed and said,"Okay, I'm not mad at you now. But I don't think you understand the concept of volunteering." She looked like she was going to dissagree, but then thought better of it."And James is not into me, Zoe. You're crazy. He's too famous to be into a fan," I added.
Zoe rolled her eyes but kept silent. I put the CD in again and spent the whole ride home singing to it. When Zoe pulled up next to my house, I noticed that all the lights were on in my house. Fear raced through my veins and I said,"Uh, oh."
Zoe looked at me and asked,"Do you want me to come in with you and explain that this is my fault? It is, you know." I shook my head no. It was as much my fault as it was hers. I stepped out of the car and walked up the driveway. After Zoe had driven away, I entered the house. My father was waiting in the hall. He had a beer in one hand and a baseball bat in the other. My heart beat faster in fear. I knew what was coming. My father was a drunk, abusive man.
"Dad, I'm sorry-" I started, but he interuppted with,"SORRY? Well, SORRY, isn't good enough! Not this time, brat!" He took a gulp of beer, sat it down on the counter and launched himself at me. I cried out as the steel baseball bat connected with my shoulder. He slammed the bat into my chest and stomach. I thought I felt a few ribs crack and doubled over in pain. He took the opportunity to bash the bat into my knees. I fell onto my hands and knees and curled up into a ball hoping he would just leave me alone. Dad just continued beating me with the bat. After what seemed like an eternity, he shouted,"GET UP, BRAT!"
I tried to but failed. Falling back to my knees, I nearly passed out. Dad grabbed my arm and yanked me to my feet. I cried out and he yelled,"YOU WILL OBEY ME, YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF SNOT! UNDERSTAND?" I nodded and he dropped me. He grabbed his beer, stepped around me and went into the garage. A minute later, I heard the sound of the garage opening and knew my dad would be gone for a couple of hours. He always left for a while after he was finished beating the crap out of me.
I crawled to my feet and made my way up the stairs. I took a hot shower and noticed all the bruises on my body, thinking,"Well, I'll just have to wear long sleeved shirts more." That was always my solution to hide the marks. When I finished my shower, I dressed, wincing from the pain. I fell into bed.
I thought about what Zoe had said. Could James really like me? He gave me a hug, but that was because it was my birthday. The hug felt really good, except that James had touched one of my many bruises. I fell asleep thinking of James.
James' POV
After the meet and greet was over, they drove to a hotel in Saginaw. The ride was not calm. With James' friends, it never was. But James himself was quiet. He couldn't stop thinking about Danica. She seemed so sweet. She wasn't a poser or full of herself like most of the girls James had known - and he had known A LOT of girls. Some people might call him a player, the amount of girls he had dated.
James became aware of Logan waving his hand in front of his face and said,"What?" Logan answered,"Well, you seemed kind of spacey. I've been waving my hand in front of your face for five minutes. So, are you thinking about that girl - Danica?"
James felt his face turn red and said,"No. And is it okay if I don't feel like talking?" Every one in the car shouted,"NO!" James rolled his eyes and sighed. The car got loud again and this time, James joined in on the festivities. But in his mind he was replaying his moments with Danica. James thought,"Wouldn't it be nice if Danica could come on tour with us?"
They arrived at the hotel and checked in. James nearly tripped up the stairs because he was so preoccupied with the thought of Danica joining the band. She did have a terrific voice. After he had showered and unpacked, he fell into bed. It had been a long day. The last thing that crossed James' mind before he fell asleep was Danica's beautiful green eyes.