Hurting You, Killing Me
Chapter Nine:
Danny's POV:
I knew that the ice crystal heart was probably a bad idea, and I knew that putting the word love on it was probably an even worse idea, but I had to do it. That night at the party had been so difficult for me. Seeing Danielle, seeing the way she looked at Johnny and Kitty, especially the way they looked at her. Like she was the center of their world. I was jealous in ways I couldn't even begin to understand.
Danielle should have been my world, but I was so stupid. Sam was so pissed at me last night. She hadn't known that I'd given Danielle a crystal, but she'd known that I went to talk to her. After we got home that night, I'd gotten an earful from her.
"What the hell, Danny?" she asked, storming upstairs to my room.
"What?" I asked.
"Why can't you just leave her alone? She doesn't need you anyway!"
"I-I don't know, Sam. I care about her."
"Care about her? She's nothing to you and you're nothing to her!"
"Sam, she's my daughter!" I snapped.
"She's your what?" Sam laughed coldly. "She isn't your daughter, Danny, and you know it."
"But..."
"Danny. I don't care what those stupid papers say, Danielle isn't your daughter."
"Fine, Sam, fine!" I said, throwing my hands in the air, unwillingly to argue with her any longer.
"I'll see you later. I need to get home." She kissed my cheek and walked out of my room. As soon as my door shut behind her, I face-planted into my bed.
I still remember what Tucker had said when he found out everything that had been happening; he hadn't seemed surprised at all. I'd called him after I'd gotten into a fight with Sam, after Johnny had returned one of my calls while I was out on a date with her. "She's been changing a lot, D," he said.
"What?"
"You haven't noticed?"
"Well, I...no."
"Clueless," he muttered. "Danny, she's been acting completely different ever since the Disasteroid."
"What do you mean?"
"She's been clinging to you. Whenever all three of us go out, she hangs off your arm and kisses your cheek, glaring at any other girl who even looks your way."
"So, she's my girlfriend, isn't that kind of her job?"
"Whatever, Danny. She's changed."
"Tuck, she hasn't changed. She's just worried about the responsibility it would be putting on me to be Danielle's father."
"You are her father. You've been worried about her ever since the first time you saved her. You can't tell it isn't killing you to not be in her life."
"It's not killing me..."
"I'm just disappointed in you, Danny, and in Sam, too. She should know better than this. It isn't fair to try to make you choose between her and your daughter and it isn't fair on Danielle either."
"Tucker, I'm too young to be her father anyway. Just drop it."
"Fine, D. Look, I've gotta go. I'll talk to you later."
"Bye." I hung up and closed my eyes, feeling a serious headache coming on.