Life After Danny

Chapter 8

I returned home, without any interference from anyone, and as soon as I walked through the door, I dropped on the couch and that's where I spent the rest of the night crying. On the way home from the airport, I made sure to stop and get some Ben and Jerry's cookie dough ice cream. For the next couple of days all I did was sit on the couch, watch television and eat cookie dough ice cream. Typical after break up actions. I didn't answer any of my phone calls and just let the machine pick up. There were a few hang ups, and I knew right away who they belonged to. Eli called a couple of times to check on me and so did Asha. Even Jason called me to check on me, and I just groaned at how fast news can travel.

A few days later I was lying on the couch watching some bad talk show when I heard a knock at the door. Narrowing my eyebrows and wondering who it could be, I got up and made my way to the door. I looked through the peep hole and sighed. Then I undone the locks and opened the door.

Before I could say anything Jason threw his arms around me and I stumbled backwards a bit. "Why haven't you answered your phone?" His deep voiced boomed, and I regained my composure and shrugged.

"I just haven't felt like talking to anyone." I said nonchalantly and wondered back over to the couch and sat down. Jason came over and stood between me and the television with his hands on his hips and stared down at me. I looked up at him.

"We need to talk." I groaned.

"If it's about Danny, then I don't want to talk."

"Well too bad, I do." He came over and sat down beside me.

"Jason, I'm warning you. I'm very moody at the moment and I'm not in the mood to discuss Danny Fcuking Jones."

It was Jason's turn to sigh as he reached out for my hand. "Tonya hun, you really need to talk to him."

I jerked my hand away and stood up. "Why is everyone taking his side? He's the one that kissed another girl, and everyone is taking ihis/i side?" Jason just stared up at me and spoke calmly.

"Because we listened to him Tonya." He answered my question. "Believe me, when I first heard what the jerk did, I wanted to beat him to a bloody pulp. But then Asha told me what really happened and about the girl, and I began to understand."

"I can't believe this. Everyone is taking his side." I moved to go around him but he reached out to stop me.

"No Tonya, we're not taking his side. We just listened to what he had to say. Unlike you, we gave him a chance." My eyes flashed as I looked at him.

"Did he tell you about the phone calls he's been getting from his so called sister? Huh? His sister that's named Kaylee." Jason stared at me blankly. "Right, because his sister's name is Katie, not Kaylee." I moved to go around him again and he let go of me.

"I don't know anything about phone calls from a Kaylee, but I know about the girl you saw him kissing. She's a crazy fan Tonya, that's all." I refused to listen to him anymore. I shoved my hands over my ears and closed my eyes making loud noises. Jason took it for only a couple of minutes, then he came over to me and jerked my hands away from my ears.

"Stop acting like a child for two seconds girl." He said, slight anger flashing in his eyes. But that only angered me even more.

"I'm the one who was cheated on, and everybody's taking is side. Tell me how you wouldn't be mad about that."

"Tonya please…" Jason began again.

'No Jason. Forget it. Just leave ok. I want to be alone." Jason stared back at me a moment, not moving, then he lowered his head shaking it from side to side.

"Fine Tonya if you want to be that way, then I'll leave. If you want to be alone and wallow in your misery then fine, do that. But if you want to feel better and know the truth, then call Danny." He turned and walked to the door and opened it. I just continued to glare and he looked back at me one last time, shaking his head, then left. Once he was gone I stomped my foot and growled in frustration, then took off towards my bedroom and cried myself to sleep, for the third night in a row.

McFly

I returned to work a few days later, and as soon as I walked through the door, the girls surrounded me wanting to know everything about the tour. I just glared at them and they backed off upon seeing my look. They didn't say anything about it the rest of the day, but I knew they were burning to know what happened. I just ignored their looks and whispers and went on with my day. I didn't care what they thought or said, I only had a few more weeks left there, and then I was off to England and to my new job.

Ugh, my new job. That meant I had to find a place to live, since Danny and I were no longer together. I called someone from the company and they gave me a few numbers to call and I tried them. There were a couple of places that sounded good, and I told them about how I'd be over there for the first of the year for Eli's wedding and they said I could take a look then. I wasn't technically supposed to start until around the tenth, so that left me some time to get things set up.

The days began to count down as Christmas time became nearer and nearer. Asha and Dougie were coming over here for Christmas and they, along with Jason and me, were going to Hattie's to spend Christmas. I gathered up some of my belongings, including a new sweatshirt that the girls from the store bought me as a goodbye gift and stuffed them into my bag. Then I went to my jewelry box in search of the necklace that Hattie gave me and remember that it was stolen. But that got me thinking and I reached up to my neck, realizing I forgot all about the little silver lock that hung around my neck. For a moment I wondered if Danny was still wearing his silver key, but pushed the thought out as soon as it came into my mind. I jerked forcefully on the chain and it came off in my hand. I stared down at is as a few tears began to blur my vision, but a knock on my door startled me, and I quickly blinked them away.

I knew it was Jason coming to get me, and I quickly threw the necklace in my bag, not thinking much about it, and took off for the door, making sure that all of the lights in the house were off. Once I was satisfied I followed Jason down the steps and out to his car where Dougie and Asha were waiting. Upon seeing me Dougie threw himself at me and hugged me tightly saying that he missed me a lot. I giggled and told him that I missed him too, and turned to hug Asha. She gave me a small smile and hugged me back then we all got into the car for the long drive to Hattie's place.

McFly

The place was just as I remembered it. Small but homely. So many memories came rushing back to me as we pulled into the driveway and I smiled widely as I saw a short, plump grey haired woman come waddling out onto the porch. Jason had barely parked the car before I jumped out of it and ran towards the house shouting Hattie's name. I ran up the steps on the porch and threw my arms around her neck, being careful not to squeeze to hard. She squeezed me back as tight as she could whispering out "My child," As she did so.

Behind me Asha and Dougie approached the porch, hand in hand, and Asha introduced Dougie to her. She smiled warmly at him and pinched his cheek in her hand saying "You got yourself a cute one there Asha." He blushed lightly and we all giggled at him.

Next Jason came walking up the steps carrying a couple of bags and bent down to hug the old woman. Her eyes lit up when she saw him and she hugged him back too. Jason had spent from the time he was five in Hattie's care. Hattie would have officially adopted him if it wasn't for his drug abuse mother who only wanted custody of him because she got money from his alcoholic father. They both refused to sign their rights over up until he turned 17 so then after that, there was really no point in Hattie adopting him.

We might have been one mixed up, messed up family, but we were still a family. We only had each other growing up, and that's all we needed. We loved one another like we were blood and the fact that we really weren't meant nothing to us.

McFly

I feared that now that Dougie and Asha both had me in a close proximity, they would try to talk me into talking to Danny. But neither of them tried a thing. It was a peaceful few days. We had arrived at Hattie's a few days before Christmas and as soon as we stepped foot in the door she was trying to shove food down our throats.

"You need to eat my child, you're looking way to thin." She said grabbing me by the arms and surveying me. Dougie's head shot up from the table where he was sitting at and he surveyed me too.

I had lost a bit of weight since I'd been back, but it's not like it was that much. However once Dougie really took the chance to look at me, his eyebrows creased together and his face turned hard. But he didn't say anything. He just looked back down at his plate and continued eating. I waved Hattie's hands away and backed up from her.

"I'm fine Hattie, I'm just not hungry right now ok." I said, but the woman began to protest.

"You need to eat Tonya. I don't want you walking around this house looking as thin as a stick like the day you came here. I want you to eat something now. I made your favorite. Mashed potatoes and fried chicken." I looked over at the stove and saw it there. It was so tempting, calling my name. I looked back at Hattie and smiled.

"Did you make green beans too?" She laughed a hearty laugh and turned around to dish me out a plate.

A couple nights later I went out onto the porch to sit on the swing. It was one of my favorite places in the house. I guess because a part of it reminded me of my grandfather and my mother. Whenever I was younger my mother and grandfather would sit with me and my brother and swing us on the porch. It was the only affection I can remember from the old man. It was also one of the only two vivid memories I had of my mother. The other one, well…it wasn't that great of a memory.

As I was sitting there, lost in my thoughts, I heard Dougie come out onto the porch and sit beside me on the swing. I moved over to make room for him and he sat down placing his arm on the back of the swing, and I laid my head on his shoulder.

"How was the rest of the tour?" I asked, my eyes closed as I listened to the squeak of the swings chains.

"Not bad. A group of girls flashed us their boobs at our last concert. That was quite interesting." I let out a laugh imagining Dougie's face at that.

"I bet you liked that."

"Oh yeah." He joked and we both laughed together, then fell silent again.

"Tonya, about Danny…"

"Dougie don't." I said coldly and sat up, moving away from him.

"Do you just not want to know what really happened Tonya? Is that it?"

"I know what happened Dougie." I looked out at the street and into the windows of the neighboring homes. Christmas trees were lit up brightly with multi-colored lights and families sat around watching the Christmas Eve program that each station showed.

"No Tonya, you don't. You only know what you saw, and sometimes what you see isn't really all of it."

"Dougie, I saw my boyfriend, someone I loved, someone I just got done showing how much I loved the night before, kissing another girl in the middle of the living room of a suit that I worked hard at getting just for our three month anniversary. That's all I needed to see, that's all I need to know."

"I think you're being foolish Tonya." Dougie said, and I stood up, gaping at him.

"I can't believe you just said that."

"Well Tonya, you're mad at Danny for something that wasn't even his fault, and when anybody tires to tell you what really happened you just blow them off. I think you should listen to someone, hear what really happened and then decide if you want to be mad or not."

I glared daggers at Dougie, but he just gave me a determined look. "Did Danny send you over here to try to talk me into getting back with him?" He looked shocked a moment, but then wiped that look away.

"No. I came over here with Asha, so I could spend some time with her for the holidays and meet the rest of her family. Danny had nothing to do with it."

"Well then good, let's just leave Danny out of it then." I finished before turning and stomping off back into the house leaving Dougie alone out on the porch.

McFly

Christmas went beautifully and untouched by Danny. Neither Dougie nor Asha tried to talk to me anymore about him. We spent the whole day opening presents and getting Christmas Dinner ready. After dinner Hattie had us all go to night services with her, just like we did when we were growing up. We all went, not one of us complaining, and we sat through services and listened to the preacher preach. Afterwards we all went home and climbed into bed after a long and exhausting day.

The next morning I wondered downstairs to find that everyone was up and watching television. Asha was really engrossed in some television show that talked about celebrities. I flopped down on the couch beside her, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes and letting out a big yawn. Hattie was in the kitchen making breakfast, and Dougie and Jason were on the floor messing around with some gadget Jason had got from Asha for Christmas. I watched them a bit until I heard Asha let out a little squeak beside me.

"Dougie look, it's you." Dougie's attention turned to the television, and when he saw himself he just turned a bit red.

"Turn it Asha, I hate watching myself on television."

"No, I enjoy watching your cute little butt run around on television. So I'm going to watch it."

I just stared at the screen. They were talking about the last bit of the guys' tour and they were showing some footage of the guys backstage. Dougie and Harry took turns goofing around in front of the camera, and then it shot to Tom who rolled his eyes and made some remark about them. Next it flashed back to them where they both dog piled Danny who just kind of laughed and pushed them off unenthusiastically. Once they were both off he looked up at the camera and smiled.

That's when I noticed it. His twinkle was gone. He was putting on his media face 100. I felt a little sad for a moment, and then a little angry. iserves him right/i I thought bitterly. However, the longer the camera lingered on Danny, the sadder it made me feel. I didn't hear a word he was saying to the camera, I was just stuck on the look that was in his eyes. He didn't look like the Danny I knew. He looked….broken.

The segment went off and I looked up to noticed all three faces staring at me. I blinked away any emotional look I had on my face and glared at each of them. I was saved from anyone saying anything when I heard Hattie holler that breakfast was ready. I was the first one out of the room, even though I wasn't that hungry.