After they were done bowling, Jo and Danny left the bowling alley. It was 10:30, which meant Jo still had an hour and a half before she had to be home. Danny parked his car on the side of the road and smiled at Jo. "Do you remember when you told your dad that Vikram was killed because of me?"
Jo looked at Danny and then looked down. "He said that he wasn't going to charge you. He solved the case, but didn't give out anything to the public other than that it was an act of self defense." Jo looked at her boyfriend and smiled softly. "I told you he wasn't going to send you back juvie. Especially because he knows that I wouldn't lie about something like that."
So the secret was no longer a secret. Jo had forgotten that she ever told her dad until now. A year and a half ago, when Jo told her dad, Danny wasn't happy with her. Danny and Jo went almost two weeks without talking, and it killed both of them. "I realize that I was really mad when you did that, and I'm sorry for the way I acted. I'm actually really glad that you did that." Danny said with a smile as he then pressed his lips against Jo's.
Danny gave Jo a reassuring smile and then got out of the car, helping Jo get out as well. Danny smiled and took her hand walking with her over to the playground. Jo smiled. "What are we doing here, Danny?"
With a smile on his face, Danny looked at her. "I just thought it'd be fun to play on the playground like we use to." Jo smiled back at Danny while hearing him say these words. He was right. They always enjoyed playing on playgrounds.
Jo smiled and walked over to the swings. "These bring back memories. Both good and bad." She said softly as her smile lessened.
"These aren't the same swings that you and Lacey were on that day." Danny said as he walked over to stand beside Jo, who was now sitting on one of the swings.
"It's nice to know that you weren't the one that killed Tara. I mean don't get me wrong the image of her just laying there is burned in my memory and I don't think it'll ever leave, but it helps some knowing that you weren't the killer." Jo said softly as she looked up at Danny.
With a soft smile Danny looked at her. "It feels good to know that the community has stopped blaming me for her death. They know the truth." Danny said as he picked Jo up and wrapped his arms around her. "How did you record my dad's confession anyways?" Danny asked softly.
"When you all were fighting, I got out my phone and used the voice recorder, then I tried calling my dad but your dad saw me and all of that happened." Jo said softly as she looked at Danny and smiled.
"You've changed my life Jo Marie Masterson." Danny said as he kissed Jo and then hugged her. She had helped better his life, and he knew that he was never going to be able to repay her. The only thing that he could do was be with her for the rest of his life and do everything that he possibly could to make all of her dreams come true.
Jo smiled and looked up at the sky. "Look at all the stars." She said as Danny slowly put her down.
"You wanna know where the stars are the prettiest here in Green Grove?" Danny asked with a small smile not giving Jo enough time to answer his question before he started talking again. "By the lake past my house. Remember? The one we use to go fishing at."
Jo started laughing. She hadn't been fishing since they were little, and she hadn't went to the lake since she was 11, right before Danny was accused of killing his aunt. "Wanna go?" She asked softly.
Danny smiled as if Jo had taken his words out of his mouth. He took her hand and spun her around. "Let's go, princess." Danny said as he led her back to the car and they drove off to the lake that neither of them have been to since they were eleven.
"If you haven't been to this lake since we were eleven, how do you know that the stars are beautiful?" Jo asked with a soft smile as Danny focused on the road.
Without taking his eyes off of the road and his hands off of the steering wheel, he smiled at his girlfriend. "I just remember when we stayed late with our dads fishing. The stars were beautiful." He said softly with a smile.
Jo started to remember how beautiful the stars were that night. Honestly, she had never forgotten. The stars were so pretty that night that whenever she got sad she would remember that night. It made her feel content with the world again, even though that lasted just a few hours in her life.
When they got to the lake Jo got out of the car and looked up at the sky. It was beautiful, and she was glad that she was spending this moment with the man she loved. Danny grabbed a blanket that he had in the back seat and laid it on the ground. He then laid on top of the blanket as Jo laid next to him. "They're beautiful." She said with a soft smile as Danny interlocked their fingers together.
"Not as beautiful as you." Danny said with a smile as he looekd at her. With his other hand he gently moved the hair out of her face and pressed his lips on her. She kissed him back with more force, and that only made him kiss her more. Danny held onto Jo's waist wanting to have their first time together, but not wanting to until he knew that Jo wanted the same.