Instead, I told him flatly, “No, you don’t.” My words came out coldly. I could have sworn I heard him flinch a bit at my words.
“Taryn…please,” he pleaded softly.
“Stop kidding me! I’m sick of being a tool you guys use!” I yelled into the phone, “You guys are just like Ryan! Using me when you need to look more wanted, throwing me away when you need change.”
“Taryn,” he called quietly again.
“Danny Kingston,” I said to him, quietly, angrily. Furiously.
“Yes?” he asked, in an innocent voice. Too innocent. Too angelic.
“Shut up,” I whispered at him angrily, since I was suddenly overcome with sadness again at losing Isaac for the second time.
“I’m thinking that your internet connection isn’t good,” he told me conversationally.
“What?” I asked.
“Well, seeing that you are in such a grumpy mood, I’m thinking that your confession letter to Isaac couldn’t be sent, since the internet wasn’t working?” he used his ‘little innocent boy’ voice that always won over me.
Against my better judgment, I giggled a bit. “You wish,” I sighed at last.
“You guys broke up?” he commented. Well, it sounded more like a statement than a question.
I was motionless. Hearing it like that made it sound over. Finished. Ended. Past tense……
“You did, huh?” he asked. No gloating. No sympathy. Just his expressionless words that seemed to be filled with something deep. Love.
“Why do you care?” I asked him, really wanting to know an answer this time.
“You’re my best friend.” Was he’s simple answer. But somehow, I noticed the longing lingering in his words.
“And you just told me you liked me,” I contradicted him.
“Maybe,” he told me seriously, “But I don’t like it when you’re upset.”
“Danny, I have to go,” I told him. I needed some time to think.
“Sure you do,” there was that serious, expressionless voice again. This new, no joking Danny needed some getting used to.
“Bye,” he told me, he’s voice blank, without any hint of emotion.
“B--” I started to say, then found out he had shut his end of the phone.
* * *
“Why not?” Chloe asked me during Math.
“Why yes?” I rolled my eyes.
“Well, Danny’s real sweet, and he cares for you. A lot. You guys are best friends! The whole relationship thing might really work out!” she exclaimed, probably pleased that I was listening to her reasoning for once.
“Those aren’t very good reasons. I mean,” I added hastily, afraid that I had offended her, “They are good, but it’s not exactly true.”
“Why not?” she asked, shocked.
“For one thing, we’re friends, and the relationship might ruin our friendship,” I saw the Math teacher come over, and quickly bent over my book.
Once she was gone, I added to Chloe before she could say a word, “And I don’t want a boyfriend.”
Seeing Chloe’s look of disbelief, I quickly explained, “I mean, I do want, or should I say, wanted one, before. But now, I think I’ll just be single. I’ve had enough heartbreaks to last me for at least two years.”
“Two years?” Chloe’s eyes were as round as, well, could be.
“Yes,” I said firmly, “Two years, maybe even more. Depends.”
She paused, and thought over her words. She smirked, “Good luck with that.”
“I hope so,” I stared at her evenly.
“Okay,” then she changed the subject with tact, “Did Danny ask you to the dance?”
“Why would we?” I scoffed, “We were practically screaming at each other last night.”
Chloe laughed, “Really?”
“Well,” I admitted, “Not all the time, but we weren’t a happy lot…”
“I figured,” Chloe giggled.
“Speaking of which,” I pointed to my book, “We better figure out X and Y, before the math teacher figures that we don’t understand the topic, and starts inviting us to extra classes.”
“Ok,” Chloe said reluctantly, and with a sigh, we both turned towards our books.
After a while, however, Chloe, for once in her life, capped her pen and asked me, “So? Do you want him to invite you anyway?”
I was pretty surprised. Chloe and I weren’t the best students in the school, but we usually finished our work before gossiping, or whatever. “No,” I told her firmly, then my decision immediately wavered. Maybe I did want to be invited by Danny.
“Sure?” she asked me, feigning innocence.
“Um…Chloe, shouldn’t we be getting back to Math?” I asked weakly.
“Later,” she shook her hair back impatiently, “So?”
Now what? Now what? “I…um…” Think, think! “I don’t know, after all, it’s his choice who he wants to invite.” At last, an acceptable reason to buy myself some time.
“And? If he does?” Chloe just wouldn’t give up.
“Then I’ll start thinking about it,” I started, well, okay, faked, doing my Math again. “No, match making, please, Chloe.”
“Fine, Taryn,” Chloe tried to sooth me, “Chill.”
Ooh. That was the wrong thing to say. Chill…Isaac’s signature word.
Chloe knew she had accidentally touched a nerve. “Sorry,” she whispered.
It wasn’t her fault, I knew. She had just been trying to get a smile out of me. “No problem,” I shrugged, “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
Slight pause. Then she asked, “Is this why you’re so unwilling?”
“Huh?” I had a feeling I knew what question was coming up. I tried my best to be fascinated with the math, but somehow, I wanted her to ask me about the matter.
“You know,” she shifted uneasily, “You’re so undecided, because you’re still thinking about Isaac?”
“It might be true,” I said at last, slowly. Seeing her scandalized expression, I quickly tried to make her calm down by adding, “But don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. Just need some time, you know?”
Chloe opened her mouth to say something, but I quickly shoved my math book to her, “So, Chloe, I don’t get this question, help me?”
Ok. Fine. So maybe that was a not so subtle way of changing the subject, but at least it worked, sort of.
Chloe sighed, then started explaining, “Just do this……”
Relieved, I settled back to listen to her explanation. The interrogation was over.
For now.
* * *
“I’m going solo,” Danny told me. Wait. Not Danny. More like his serious twin that never smiled anymore.
“Oh, great,” I told him, “But won’t that upset Grace?”
“Never liked her,” he answered lightly, “And she has a whole pack of guys hanging on her heels.”
I laughed a little. A forced laugh. “Well, must have been a sight,” I remarked cheerily.
“Definitely,” he chuckled a little, too. I noted that it was not a natural one.
“I--” I heard my mom yelling for me. “Oh, damn, Danny, I’ve got to go.”
“Okay, guitar class, right?” Just those empty words. Again.
“Yes,” I told him. Trying my best to keep my voice as neutral as his.
“Have fun, bye,” he shut down his end of the phone.
I glared at mine.
* * *
“Sure,” Ken agreed, “You’re not sorry, it’s is.”
Ken is my guitar teacher. I did mean it when I told Danny I had a guitar class. Unfortunately, everything was happening so fast and strangely that my mood wasn’t what you would call the best.
Luckily for me, though, it was the first class of the month, so that meant I could choose to learn a new song. It was my teacher’s way of making class interesting, not that whatever he taught could make it boring. I adored the guitar.
And since I wasn’t in a good mood, I chose to learn a song that was, well, not very happy. You’re not sorry. By Taylor Swift.
“So,” Ken told me, “The chords are E minor, C, G, and D,” he smiled a little, “Think you can handle it?”
“Sure,” I confirmed, starting to strum the first chord. I was already feeling better.
I wish I could stay in class forever, but my 45 minutes were soon over. I exhaled wistfully. It had been a great class, despite all that had happened.
As I walked home, guitar case in hand, I ran through the song lyrics in my head, thinking that I would play it as soon as I reached home. I went through the chorus, again: You don’t have to call anymore, I won’t pick up the phone……
Just then, I felt someone grab me from the back. Startled, I gave a yell.
“Park?” the person asked. Oh, it was Danny.
“Sure,” I agreed.
Sitting on the beach, there was silence. I waited and waited. At last, I couldn’t help myself.
I broke the silence by asking him, “So, Danny, are you going to invite me to the dance?”
He looked at me, eyes suddenly shining. Not with delight. Something else.
He replied.
Please please PLEASE review! You have no idea how it feels when I get one! oh, wait, you do... oh well... but it would mean a lot to me. Please and thank you?
