Loser in Love

Chapter 3

I fell in love with Riley freshman year. It was on the beach. She was in this blue dress, looked beautiful. The way the sunset hit her made her look like she was wearing a halo. That was when I knew I was in love with her.

Those feelings went away for awhile, then she came back in my life and all the old feelings from high school came back. What good would it do to try to tell her how I feel about her? She probably wouldn't believe me if I did.

"You liked her when she was Fat-Pants?" Tucker asks as he sips his coffee.

"Her weight never mattered to me," I say.

"Danny, you have to tell her how you feel," says Tucker.

"I can't."

"Why?"

"She doesn't feel the same way about me."

It hurt to admit it, but it was the truth. I was in love with a girl who was in love with my brother. It is by far the worst situation ever. Right after Riley broke her fake relationship with me she turned around and pretended to be married to Ben to help him get a promotion.

I can't say it didn't hurt. Watching Riley be lovey-dovey with my brother made me sick to my stomach. He has no idea that she wasn't acting. It meant more to her than it did to him.

"I remember writing Mrs. Riley Wheeler in all my notebooks as a little girl," Riley confesses to Ben.

"What?"

"I'm just coming up with a back story," Riley lies.

"Oh that's a good one," says Ben.

I used to do that too. I would write Mr. and Mrs. Danny Wheeler. I dog-eared all the pages in my year book with pictures of Riley so I could turn to them easier. I traded bedrooms with Ben so my window would be facing Riley's house.

Riley was special. She used to torment Ben by sitting on his head. She still torments me by making my heart throb for her.

Tuck's right, I have to tell her. Maybe if I confess I can finally be with her. Maybe If I confess I could get the girl I have always wanted. Ben may not see how amazing she is, but I do.

I find myself in front of the door to Riley's apartment. I can't bring myself to knock. If I knock I am going to have to tell her. If I don't, I will never know if I had a shot with her.

"Danny? What are you doing?" Riley asks.

Oh she wasn't even home. Wow, she's beautiful. I smile at her, suddenly my palms are sweaty and I choke on the words I want to say.

"Hi, Riley," I say.

"I get it you're here to talk me out of doing something stupid about Ben," Riley says.

I follow her into the apartment. I want to say it. I need to say it. I have to just blurt it out.

"Riley, I have something to tell you," I say.

"Thank you for looking out for me, Danny," Riley says. She kisses me on the cheek. My face burns.

"Riley," I say, I take a deep breath.

"Oh, hold on I have a text," Riley says, "Oh its Jack."

I hate that guy.

"What does Jack want?" I ask coldly.

"To go out with me, I guess I should give up on Ben and go out with someone who actually is interested in me. What were you going to say, Danny?"

"Never mind, it's not important."

If I said it now, would it matter?

Hey, thanks for reading. I am so glad I waited until this week's episode to write this chapter. I got so much out of it. I love Danny. I love the fact that he loved Riley even when she was fat. That shows what a great guy Danny is. I love the writing for his character in the show. They could have made him a shallow jerk, but they didn't.

I am disappointed in the fact that no one cares that Danny liked Riley back when she was fat. As a bigger girl, I appreciate that the writers didn't make Danny shallow. All you see on television are thin beautiful girls who unrealistically can't get the guy they want, but these writers made Riley real by making her a former fat girl who became skinny but still can't get the guy she wants, yet there is the one guy who saw her when she was invisible (or fat in this case). I find the characters easier to relate to, and Danny is drop dead gorgeous in my eyes for being able to see the real Riley, not skinny pretty Riley.

Thank you for reading. Anyways, I am so sorry this chapter is short. I believe I made the point I needed to make in this chapter. But Danny was so close. He gets cock blocked a lot.