"The hard things in life, the things you really learn from, happen with a clear mind."
― Caroline Knapp, Drinking: A Love Story
"Hey." Lacey raked her hand through Danny's sticky hair. "You feeling better?"
Danny opened one eye. "Yeah. But I feel nasty."
"You are pretty skanky." Lacey teased as she smacked playfully at his chest. "Do you feel like taking a shower?"
Danny arched up his eyebrow suggestively. "Maybe. Are you offering to help?"
"Sure." Lacey bounced out of her chair and pulled Danny up slowly by his arm. "Come on, big guy."
Danny was still sore throughout his body but he had endured the worst part of the pain the last two nights. Now, he needed a good cleansing shower. Lacey helped Danny into the bathroom then put toothpaste on his toothbrush. She turned to start the shower.
Glancing over her shoulder, Lacey ordered. "Brush your teeth then shower. I laid you out some comfortable clothes to sleep in. I'm going to clean up your room while you're showering."
"What you're not joining me?" Danny teased knowing his girlfriend wouldn't go for his suggestion anyway.
"Dream on, Danny." Lacey giggled slightly feeling a little flushed at his suggestion.
"A boy needs to dream." Danny winked before picking up his toothbrush. "Besides, I feel like I was ran over by an eighteen wheeler."
"I'll get to cleaning your room. You get to cleaning up yourself." Lacey smiled revealing her dimples before she marched off to clean up Danny's room.
Sometime after the room was cleaned, Lacey and Danny settled down to watch a movie or two. They fell asleep in each other's arms. Lacey had managed to sneak back into bed before Judy came to wake her for school. She found herself migrating to Danny's room to hold him until he fell asleep each night but left when he was sleeping. She didn't stay the whole night in his room before last night. Lacey wasn't ready to add to her mother's dislike for Danny. It wasn't actually dislike. It was more the fact that Judy thought her daughter could do much better as far as boyfriend material.
Danny was back to normal for two days now. Normal being abnormal to the charismatic teen boy known best for killing. But he wasn't as weak as before. He was sore though and admittedly still had thoughts of the drug at times. Karen had visited Danny every day but kept Jack and Whitney distant from him. She had to tell Jack where Danny was after a week of his absence from the Desai house, which seemed to be taken over gradually by the Taylors. Karen didn't suspect Jack but she did worry of Whitney's role in Danny's drug use. She kept that information from Jack.
Karen was going to allow Danny a whole month of staying with Blake Simms before he returned home. She would see him every day and Danny would be back in school as soon as he felt up to it. Things were looking up/ All that was left was Danny eating a good meal. Which, Anna Perry prided herself on making for the special occasion.
"Wow." Lacey peered over the spread on the table. "Do you plan on making Danny eat for every day he missed eating? Because this sure looks like ten days worth of food."
"I imagine he's starving." Anna placed some strawberries on the table.
Blake came up behind Judy, who was standing by the counter. He snaked his arms around her. He glanced up to see Lacey pouring some orange juice. He took the opportunity to nibble on Judy's neck.
Lacey never looked up. "I saw that."
"Lacey!" Judy reprimanded.
"What? It isn't my fault I have good peripheral vision. Nor is it my fault you both are acting like teenagers." Lacey cocked her head sideways.
"Well. In that case." Judy took the orange juice and poured a large glass. "DON'T let me catch you acting like a teenager."
Blake chuckled before reaching for a large glass of orange juice sitting on the table. Anna slapped his hand away. Blake frowned at his older sister."Hey."
"That's Danny's." Anna went on to fill Danny up a heaping plate of food. "Do you think he'd rather eat in bed?"
"No." Danny walked down the stairs. "I've seen that room way too long."
"Finally!" Judy sighed out in relief. "Our boy is up and about. You look well."
"Accept for the skinniness. Danny, that has got to go." Anna smiled broadly. "You'll love my cooking."
Lacey sat adjacent Danny as she happily watched him thank Anna for the food. "Danny, where did you get such an ugly shirt?"
"That's mine." Blake spoke up feigning hurt. "It is an ugly shirt. But it is comfortable. I need to have Karen get him some more clothes packed."
Anna walked over to get some more biscuits from the oven. Lacey and Danny didn't notice Judy watching their every move.
"You can take it off me if you don't like it." Danny winked as he whispered to Lacey.
"Danny." Lacey slapped him flirtatiously.
Judy smacked Danny up the side of the head with a rolled up newspaper. "Don't be crude."
Danny straightened up quickly in his seat. "Sorry, Ms. Judy."
Judy hated being called her maiden name. However she hated being called Mrs. Ross just as much. So she asked Danny to call her Judy. The teen boy had a difficult time with addressing an adult in such familiar terms. Therefore, he compromised with Ms. Judy. He figured the way Blake and Judy acted around one another, she would soon be called Mrs. Simms anyway.
Lacey blushed with a giggle. Danny mouthed. "Oops."
Judy wondered about the kids. What was their relationship? It couldn't be too serious. After all, they had not been in each other's circle that long again. However, she had to remind herself that sex had happened quickly for the teens. Was there more she wasn't seeing? Surely, she had read the signals wrong of love. That was too soon. But even if something was developing. Judy was sure it was just a crush for now. Yes. Even she knew she was in major denial.
Anna sat down oblivious to it all. "So, we can go shopping if you want to get out of the house this evening, ladies."
"I want to stay with Danny after school." Lacey glanced up from taking a bite of her pancake.
"I think that Anna has a good idea. Miriam can come. It will be a girls' day out. Besides, Blake said that Danny and he have to go sign up for group therapy sessions this evening." Judy took a small bite of her own breakfast.
"I guess I do need some time with Miriam." Lacey raised her eyebrow. "Are you going to be okay, Danny?".
"Sure. Enjoy your night out with the ladies." Danny took a large bite of his biscuit. "But now we have to get to school."
"Are you feeling up to going?" Judy glanced up questioningly.
"I don't want to get too far behind." Danny smiled weakly at Judy.
"I'm heading out myself." Anna had containers in her hand. "I'm going to have breakfast with my husband. See you all later." Anna left after all thanked her.
"That's great." Blake winked at Judy. "That you're feeling up to going to school, Danny. But you need to come home right after."
"We get it!" Lacey pretended to be disgusted. "Come on, Danny. The old folks want alone time."
Danny grabbed up two more biscuits before heading out the door behind Lacey.
"Hurry up, Lace." Danny groaned as Lacey took her time getting in the car.
"Why? What's the hurry?" Lacey buckled her seat belt.
"I thought we could be late." Danny turned his head sideways with a mischievous grin.
"Not happening." Lacey frowned teasingly before grinning back. "I didn't think you'd be up to it."
"What?" Danny sighed out. "I'm feeling a lot better."
"Hey, Desai." Miriam walked up to the car with her book bag securely on her shoulder. "Thanks for the ride, Lacey. Isaac wants to get his car detailed."
"Gosh! Miriam!" Danny groaned in disappointment.
"I missed you too." Miriam rubbed Danny's hair. "It is good to see you. Ms. Porter here was very protective of letting anyone see you while you were ill."
Danny smiled genuinely. "Thanks, Babe. I'd rather no one saw me like that."
"Babe? Isn't that the name of that cute little pig? Danny if you're going to use a pet name. Make it NOT a pet name." Miriam sat back as Lacey pulled from Blake's driveway
"I like Babe." Lacey pulled into the school parking lot.
"Were you seriously thinking about that all the way here?" Miriam laughed as she shoved at Danny's shoulder. "You two got it bad."
Danny walked with Lacey down the hall. Their hands were entwined as some students stared their way. The teen couple ignored them. Lacey bumped into his shoulder. "You want to make out in Colbert's class?"
Danny pulled Lacey to face him. "Serious?"
"Mmhmm." Lacey glanced up at him. His grin told her all she needed to know.
Ms. Colbert turned off the lights and began her monotone speech on each slide. It was the Baroque period. This was going to be long winded. Danny waited to make sure Lacey wasn't joking. She scooted her desk to be right next to his. NO joking. Lacey pulled him down by the neck immediately attacking Danny's mouth. Danny and Lacey kissed deeply hidden to most by the darkness of the room as well as being in the back of the room off to the side. Danny 's hand went up the back of Lacey's blouse. He pushed his hand under Lacey's bra enthusiastically.
"This isn't a movie theatre. Cut it out before you two get caught." Matthew leaned over warning his groping friends.
"Sh#*!" Danny stated when he felt Laceys bra break with a small twist of his finger. He was out of practice again and the bra was twisted strangely.
"Excuse me, Mr. Desai." Ms. Colbert turned around to face the flushed teenagers. Luckily, no one could see the evidence of their heatedness.
"Me and Lacey forgot to get admits for our absences." Danny took his foot and slyly pushed Lacey's desk away from his. "Can we go get them?"
"Lacey and I." Ms. Colbert corrected. "The correct usage is Lacey and I and MAY we go get them?"
"May Lacey and I go get our admits?" Danny was a little more like he used to be. Lacey caring so deeply about him gave him confidence in himself.
"Yes." Ms. Colbert turned back around to begin another rant on the slide.
"Give me your keys to the school newspaper, Jo." Danny leaned over and whispered to Jo as he passed. It surprised Lacey he was talking to her no less asking for keys so he and Lacey could be alone.
"No." Jo refused. "I don't want my couch contaminated."
"Jo, come on." Danny glared at her. "It isn't your couch. It is the school's."
"NO." Jo ignored him. "I'll get kicked off the paper if you two get caught."
"Fine." Danny pulled Lacey out of the room by her hand. Lacey had grabbed a book to hide her broken bra.
They marched out of class with Danny pulling Lacey along to the newspaper office. Danny easily picked the lock. He then pulled Lacey inside.
"Finally!" He said as he pulled Lacey to him.
His hands went to her bottom picking her up. He laid her on the couch.
"Are we going to here?" Lacey finally caught her breath. "Because I don't. We can't…."
"Not all the way. I want to kiss you is all. Make it a celebration of being free of drugs." Danny pushed Lacey's hair out of her beautiful face. "I just want to kiss you. Is that okay?"
"Yes." Lacey pushed her hand up Danny's shirt. "Make out."
"Make out." Danny agreed as he lowered his body on Lacey's. His hands went up her shirt as well. However, Lacey stopped him from touching her breasts even if her bra was broke.
Both kissed furiously as they ran their hands along heated skin. No clothes came off. It was like an unspoken pact. But they enjoyed becoming familiar with one another again with seducing touches.