The summer passed quickly for Court and Dani, Court had finally finished up all his yard work and spent the rest of the summer with Dani, but the summer had now ended and it was time for Dani to start her first year of high school and Court's last. The first two months of school dragged on for Dani. She found that grade nine wasn't to hard and was appreciated for her work, but it had been awhile since she had seen Court and she missed him dearly. Dani sat in her math class working on some problems. She got up and asked her teacher if she could leave to use the washroom. The teacher handed her the pass and she left. After using the washroom Dani wandered around the halls not ready to head back to class. Dani came to a bunch of grade twelve boys in the hallway. They seemed to be skipping class or something, fooling around like jerks in the hallway. Dani stopped where she was and was about to turn around when the boys started calling for her and yelling profanities and cat calls. Dani felt frightened, but went into shock and anger when she saw Court was with these boys and was staring at her.
"Come on lets leave her alone, she's only in grade nine." Court said to the guys and started turning around. The boys looked at him oddly, but followed him. Dani turned away upset and walked back to her class. Dani spent the rest of the school day thinking about Court. Dani sat on the steps of the porch reading a book for school when an all to familiar truck showed up. Dani put the book down on the ground and didn't bother to get up. Court got out of the car and walked towards Dani and stood in front of her. Dani stood up and glared up at Court.
"How dare you!" Dani shouted at Court pounding at his chest. Court grabbed her hands, trying to hold them back looking at Dani sadly.
"I'm so sorry Dani, I was trying to make friends, and I didn't know you were going to be around the halls." Court said apologetically holding Dani's hands at her side.
"That's not the point! What's gotten into you? Your not acting like yourself, it's like you want to be someone else. I want the Court I'm in love with!" Dani shouted. She started to turn around, but Court grabbed her wrist and swung her into his embrace and placed a fierce kiss on her lips. Dani grasped Court's shirt in her hands, but slowly let her grasp drop. Court slowly pulled away from Dani's lips and grasped her harder for her knees had literally given out.
" I'm not going to be someone else Dani, I'm right here, this is who I am." Court whispered resting his forehead on hers. Dani smiled and nodded and laid a gentle kiss onto Court's lips. Just as Dani pulled away Matthew walked out and was taken aback. Dani quickly backed away from Court and looked petrified at her daddy. Matthew walked up to Court angrily and grabbed a fist full of his shirt.
"What do you think you are doing with my daughter?" Matthew yelled making his grasp tighter. Dani reached out for Matthew's arms and tried to pull them off.
"Daddy stop it, leave him alone!" Dani screamed. Matthew looked at his daughter in shock.
"You encourage him?" Matthew asked disappointedly. Dani looked to Court's face then to her daddy's.
"I've been seeing him for three months." Dani said quietly. Matthew looked back at Court with anger.
"I love your daughter sir, I would never hurt her." Court said briefly keeping his head held high.
"Love! Love! Dani is nothing more then a little girl, she doesn't know what love is!" Matthew shouted. By now Abigail and Maureen were watching the scene from the screen door.
"Daddy I am not a little girl! I love him daddy and I know I do. I look at Court the same way you look at mama." Dani shouted feeling tears run down her face.
"Enough! Court go home now, Dani get inside the house." Matthew ordered. Court gave Dani a longing look but turned around and drove home. Dani glared at her father and ran in the house past her sister and mama. Dani lay on her bed with her face buried in her pillow. Maureen walked in quietly with their mama and closed the door. They both sat down on the bed and started to rub her back.
"Oh Dani I know it hurts to go through your first crush, but it happens." Maureen said sympathetically. Dani sat up and looked at her mama and sister in anger.
"No you don't understand I love him!" Dani yelled hysterically.
"Dani you're a little girl, you're to young to love someone." Abigail said softly. Dani screamed in frustration and ran out of the house with her family yelling behind her. She ran to the lake not being able to stop crying. Without thinking Dani jumped into the lake from the high dock in her clothes. Court was swimming in the lake already and watched Dani jump. He swam towards her and watched her resurface. When Dani resurfaced Court couldn't remember ever seeing a time where she looked so hurt before. Dani swam into his arms and held on tighter then ever.