Jo had never seen Danny so distressed. He wasn't talking at all and had barely eaten his lunch.
"You're still mad at me, aren't you?"
Danny glared at Jo with cold, hard, menacing eyes. "If you keep asking me that I will be." He warned her.
"Danny, why don't you just talk to Lacey? Or at least let me talk to her. I could explain to her that the kiss was all my fault."
"It wouldn't matter Jo, that kiss was only one of the many ways I've hurt her. She may recover from it, but what about all the lies I've told? What about," he paused, "Tara."
"Lacey's forgiven you for that. We both have." Jo tried to encourage him.
"Maybe, but she hasn't forgotten. She can never forget, I ruined her childhood." His voice cracked a little. "Every time I get upset, every time we argue. I wonder if she is afraid that I might lose control and-" he fought back the urging tears that had already begun to outline the creases of his eyes.
"Danny," Jo comforted him, "Lacey knows you would never hurt her. Where is all this coming from?"
Danny remembered the night after homecoming. He had received a text from Justin, saying:
If you want what's best for Lacey, let her be happy with a guy that is respectful and sensitive to her needs, a guy that can be there for her when she's had nightmares about traumatic events in her past, a guy that comforts her, not one that lies to her. Face it rope boy, you didn't just mess things up with Lacey. You messed things up for Lacey. Stop trying to save a girl who was victimized by you.
"Nowhere," he replied. "Just something I was thinking about.
...
"Lacey! Lacey!" Jo chased her all the way down the hall before Lacey turned around to let her speak. "What are you doing?"
"What am I doing?" Lacey looked at Jo who was panting, and out of breath.
"I mean, where are you going?"
"I have class Jo, we're at school. Look, if this about Danny, I forgive you. I'm not mad," she said carelessly, trying to walk away but Jo followed closely behind.
"I take full responsibility for that kiss. I kissed Danny, he didn't even kiss me back," she assured her.
"Well that's good to know," Lacey said sarcastically. "Why did you do it?" She turned to Jo in all seriousness.
"I don't know. Jealousy? I was a little curious about what it would be like."
"Oh," that was not a sufficient response, Lacey thought. If she hadn't already predecided to forgive them, Jo would not be making a very convincing argument. "I forgive you both. I'm not mad about it."
"Well that's a relief," Jo sighed. She had never known Lacey to be so forgiving. "So, are you going to talk Danny? Are you going to get back together?"
Lacey furrowed her brow. "Jo, Danny and I are never getting back together." She said simply.
"Why not?"
"Things between us are just too...complicated."
"You both love a challenge." Jo responded quickly.
"We've both hurt each other."
"It just evens out the pain."
"I can't keep barging in and out of his life!" Lacey was becoming annoyed.
"He loves you Lace."
Lacey lamented on the word love. "I'm sorry." She pushed herself passed Jo and continued to the end of the hallway.