Status: Finished
Boy Next Door
Secrets
It’s been three months, that’s it. It’s only June and I am dying to see the guys. I feel like something’s missing in my life. For the past hour I’ve been lying in my bed just trying to figure out why I feel so empty inside. I miss the guys so much. Everything I see reminds me of them. For some odd, strange reason, when I see something that reminds me of Marc, it always hurts a little more than when I see something that reminds me of one of the other guys. I looked over at my clock and noticed that it was noon. It’s a good thing my parents were away for the weekend or else I would have been getting yelled at for sleeping so late. My phone started vibrating. I groaned and reached over to grab my phone. I slid open my phone and attempted to read the text. It was a difficult challenge reading texts with a cracked screen. The only thing I could make out was New Text: Big- Brother. I called him back and he answered in a panicky tone.
“Danielle, I need your help.”
“What do you need help with?”
“My ex-girlfriend doesn’t understand that we’re over. She keeps calling me asking me when I’m going to take her out.”
“Well, what do you want me to do?”
“Can you please pretend to be my girlfriend? Maybe she’ll get the message if she sees me with another girl.”
“I wish I could Mike, but I already have plans with my sister.”
“You have a sister?”
“Yes, her name is Madison.”
“Cool. So, there isn’t anything you could do?”
“Well, there is my best friend Lauren. Our families are really close friends and so are we. She just turned 19 and is going to college at NYU next year. Maybe I could get her to go with you.”
“Seriously? That would be amazing. Thank you so much.”
“Okay, I’ll talk to you later. Bye!” I hung up the phone and rolled out of bed. I walked down the hall and into Maddie’s room. I picked up the pillow that was on her chair and threw it at her. She woke up and gave me a ‘what the hell?’ look. I told her to come downstairs since it was already 12:30. She got up right away so we could start our ‘girls day.’ I went back into my room and changed into a pair of light denim shorts and a purple halter top. I went over to my closet and grabbed my black, lo-top converse with neon blue laces. I finished off my outfit by putting on a long, dangling necklace, a pair of turquoise hoops and aqua stud earrings. I walked into my bathroom and put on some make-up, brush my teeth, etc. I went downstairs and found Maddie on the couch flipping through a magazine.
“Okay, what are we going to do first?” I asked Maddie as she put the magazine down on the table.
“We are going to go to Toronto for some shopping. You’re to New York-ified.” I nodded my head, signaling that I was okay with that.
“Great. I just have to make some calls first,” I said as I walked into the kitchen to make the call to Lauren.
I dialed her number and waited patiently for her to pick up. “Hello,” she answered in a perky tone.
“Hey Lauren! It’s Danielle.”
“Oh hey Dannie. What’s up?”
“I need you to do a huge favor for me.”
“Oh god Danielle. What have you gotten me involved in this time?”
“I need you to go on a fake date with one of my friends.”
“Does he know it’s a fake date?” I chuckled, remembering what happened when I was home last summer. I asked Lauren to go on a fake date with one of my other guy friends after they had gotten dumped. He had been moping around for two weeks and I thought it might boost his self-esteem. After the date he practically stalked Lauren. Then his family moved to Vancouver, so the problem was solved.
“Yes. His ex doesn’t understand that it’s over between them so he thought that if she saw him with another girl she’d get the message.”
“Okay. I’ll be at your house a 6.”
“Oh my god! You’re the best!” I squealed into the phone.
“You so owe me.”
“Sure,” I said sarcastically. Lauren loved hockey, just like me so I know she will think I am the best person ever for doing this. I hung up with Lauren and called Mike.
“Did she say yes?” He asked in an anxious tone.
“Yes. Meet me at my house at 6.”
“Okay. Hey Dannie.” He started, stopping me from hanging up the phone.
“Yes.”
“What’s she like?”
“Well, she’s really nice. She’s outgoing and really easy to get along with. And she really likes hockey.”
“Okay. See you later. Bye.”
“Bye,” I said as I hung up the phone. I walked back into the family room. I told Maddie I was ready to go. I got into my car and started it as Maddie got into the passenger’s seat. We drove into Toronto and parked the car in the outdoor shopping center parking lot.
Maddie and I talked and shopped all day long. We both bought a lot of shorts and t-shirts and sweatshirts. We weren’t girly-girls by any means. We’d rather be playing sports in the backyard than going to the school dance any day. The same went with Lauren, too.
We got home a little before 6. I ran upstairs and threw my bags into my room. I changed back into my sweats. The doorbell rang, so I ran downstairs to open the door. I opened the door to reveal a very mad Lauren.
“Where is my torture date?” she mumbled. I sighed as she walked over and plopped herself down on the couch.
“Oh it won’t be bad. Trust me,” I said, stifling back a laugh. I went into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. The doorbell rang, again, and I answered the door, again. When I opened the door this time, I saw a very happy Michael Del Zotto. He wrapped me into a bone-crushing hug.
“Oh my god! Thank you! You are amazing!” He yelled.
“I know,” I said. “Lauren! Your date is here!” I yelled. I watched as her emotions went from angry to shocked, then back to angry again.
“Danielle. Can I talk to you in the kitchen for a minute?”
“Why can’t we just talk out here?” I asked. She let out a frustrated sigh and dragged me into the kitchen.
“Why didn’t you tell me I was going on a date with Michael Del Zotto?” she whisper screamed to me.
“I didn’t think it would matter,” I honestly responded.
“Well now I’m going to make an idiot of myself!”
“He’s just a normal guy Laur. Just be yourself and you’ll be fine. I’ve made an idiot out of myself in front of him numerous times.”
“Fine,” she sighed as she walked back into the hallway. I received one more hug and thank-you from Mike before they left to go on their date. I went into the family room where I saw Maddie with a bunch of movies and a box of pizza on the table. I sat down on the couch as Maddie put in the first movie. I sighed as I realized what movie she put in; Alvin and the Chipmunks 2: The Squeakquel. It reminded of my last night in New York, and more importantly, it reminded me of Marc.
“What’s wrong little sister?” Maddie asked me.
“Everything,” I sighed overdramatically.
Maddie paused the movie and looked at me with a very confused expression on her face. “Danielle, I don’t know how everything is wrong in your life. You have a full ride to NYU. You have amazing best friends. And, you have an amazing big sister, if I do say so myself.”
“Okay, maybe just one thing is wrong.”
“Don’t tell me it’s the big sister!” she gasped as she put a hand to her mouth.
“No. It’s the best friend thing.”
“The famous ones?” she asked. I nodded my head in response. “I don’t understand how that could be a problem, but, enlighten me.”
“Well, I think I like one of them.”
“You think?” she asked like it was a ridiculous statement. I gave her a ‘not helping’ look. “Well, which one do you think you like?”
“Marc.”
“Tell me why you think you like him, and don’t say because he’s famous.”
“Well, he’s got the most adorable smile and he’s the nicest guy ever. Whenever I see something that reminds me of him it always hurts a little bit. I feel like I miss him a little bit more than the other guys. Shit, I really do like him.” I ran a hand through my hair realizing my true feelings for him. “What should I do Maddie?”
“As I see it, you have two options. You could either tell him-”
“And risk my friendship!” I yelled, interrupting her.
“Or you could not interrupt me and wait until I’m done talking,” she said, annoyed.
“Sorry.”
“Or you could not tell him and that way you don’t jeopardize your friendship.” She turned the movie back on and let me process what she said for a few minutes. I thought about it and still didn’t know what I should do. Oh well, I still have a couple months left to think about it. Right now, I’m just going to enjoy some quality time with my sister.
*~*~*~*~*
“Go grease lightning you're burning up the quarter mile
Go grease lightning you're coasting through the heat lap trial
You are supreme the chicks'll scream for grease lightning
Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go,” Maddie and I sang out. We used to watch Grease all the time before she went to college. We knew all the words to every song, so it was kind of like a karaoke party to us. We also knew all the dance moves to the song, so we were dancing around the house, too. I danced my way over to the door as I heard the doorbell ring. I opened the door and saw Lauren and Mike with huge grins on their faces. I guess they really hit it off. Lauren told me she had to go since it was close to midnight (another reason why I thought they had a good time), and said she’d call me tomorrow. I faintly heard Maddie say she was going to bed in the background. As soon as I was sure she was upstairs I pulled Mike outside and shut the door behind me.
“Danielle, what’s going on? Please don’t tell me that you’re just going to ask me about my date.”
“I like Marc,” I rushed out, not knowing what his response would be.
“Danielle, I need your help.”
“What do you need help with?”
“My ex-girlfriend doesn’t understand that we’re over. She keeps calling me asking me when I’m going to take her out.”
“Well, what do you want me to do?”
“Can you please pretend to be my girlfriend? Maybe she’ll get the message if she sees me with another girl.”
“I wish I could Mike, but I already have plans with my sister.”
“You have a sister?”
“Yes, her name is Madison.”
“Cool. So, there isn’t anything you could do?”
“Well, there is my best friend Lauren. Our families are really close friends and so are we. She just turned 19 and is going to college at NYU next year. Maybe I could get her to go with you.”
“Seriously? That would be amazing. Thank you so much.”
“Okay, I’ll talk to you later. Bye!” I hung up the phone and rolled out of bed. I walked down the hall and into Maddie’s room. I picked up the pillow that was on her chair and threw it at her. She woke up and gave me a ‘what the hell?’ look. I told her to come downstairs since it was already 12:30. She got up right away so we could start our ‘girls day.’ I went back into my room and changed into a pair of light denim shorts and a purple halter top. I went over to my closet and grabbed my black, lo-top converse with neon blue laces. I finished off my outfit by putting on a long, dangling necklace, a pair of turquoise hoops and aqua stud earrings. I walked into my bathroom and put on some make-up, brush my teeth, etc. I went downstairs and found Maddie on the couch flipping through a magazine.
“Okay, what are we going to do first?” I asked Maddie as she put the magazine down on the table.
“We are going to go to Toronto for some shopping. You’re to New York-ified.” I nodded my head, signaling that I was okay with that.
“Great. I just have to make some calls first,” I said as I walked into the kitchen to make the call to Lauren.
I dialed her number and waited patiently for her to pick up. “Hello,” she answered in a perky tone.
“Hey Lauren! It’s Danielle.”
“Oh hey Dannie. What’s up?”
“I need you to do a huge favor for me.”
“Oh god Danielle. What have you gotten me involved in this time?”
“I need you to go on a fake date with one of my friends.”
“Does he know it’s a fake date?” I chuckled, remembering what happened when I was home last summer. I asked Lauren to go on a fake date with one of my other guy friends after they had gotten dumped. He had been moping around for two weeks and I thought it might boost his self-esteem. After the date he practically stalked Lauren. Then his family moved to Vancouver, so the problem was solved.
“Yes. His ex doesn’t understand that it’s over between them so he thought that if she saw him with another girl she’d get the message.”
“Okay. I’ll be at your house a 6.”
“Oh my god! You’re the best!” I squealed into the phone.
“You so owe me.”
“Sure,” I said sarcastically. Lauren loved hockey, just like me so I know she will think I am the best person ever for doing this. I hung up with Lauren and called Mike.
“Did she say yes?” He asked in an anxious tone.
“Yes. Meet me at my house at 6.”
“Okay. Hey Dannie.” He started, stopping me from hanging up the phone.
“Yes.”
“What’s she like?”
“Well, she’s really nice. She’s outgoing and really easy to get along with. And she really likes hockey.”
“Okay. See you later. Bye.”
“Bye,” I said as I hung up the phone. I walked back into the family room. I told Maddie I was ready to go. I got into my car and started it as Maddie got into the passenger’s seat. We drove into Toronto and parked the car in the outdoor shopping center parking lot.
Maddie and I talked and shopped all day long. We both bought a lot of shorts and t-shirts and sweatshirts. We weren’t girly-girls by any means. We’d rather be playing sports in the backyard than going to the school dance any day. The same went with Lauren, too.
We got home a little before 6. I ran upstairs and threw my bags into my room. I changed back into my sweats. The doorbell rang, so I ran downstairs to open the door. I opened the door to reveal a very mad Lauren.
“Where is my torture date?” she mumbled. I sighed as she walked over and plopped herself down on the couch.
“Oh it won’t be bad. Trust me,” I said, stifling back a laugh. I went into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. The doorbell rang, again, and I answered the door, again. When I opened the door this time, I saw a very happy Michael Del Zotto. He wrapped me into a bone-crushing hug.
“Oh my god! Thank you! You are amazing!” He yelled.
“I know,” I said. “Lauren! Your date is here!” I yelled. I watched as her emotions went from angry to shocked, then back to angry again.
“Danielle. Can I talk to you in the kitchen for a minute?”
“Why can’t we just talk out here?” I asked. She let out a frustrated sigh and dragged me into the kitchen.
“Why didn’t you tell me I was going on a date with Michael Del Zotto?” she whisper screamed to me.
“I didn’t think it would matter,” I honestly responded.
“Well now I’m going to make an idiot of myself!”
“He’s just a normal guy Laur. Just be yourself and you’ll be fine. I’ve made an idiot out of myself in front of him numerous times.”
“Fine,” she sighed as she walked back into the hallway. I received one more hug and thank-you from Mike before they left to go on their date. I went into the family room where I saw Maddie with a bunch of movies and a box of pizza on the table. I sat down on the couch as Maddie put in the first movie. I sighed as I realized what movie she put in; Alvin and the Chipmunks 2: The Squeakquel. It reminded of my last night in New York, and more importantly, it reminded me of Marc.
“What’s wrong little sister?” Maddie asked me.
“Everything,” I sighed overdramatically.
Maddie paused the movie and looked at me with a very confused expression on her face. “Danielle, I don’t know how everything is wrong in your life. You have a full ride to NYU. You have amazing best friends. And, you have an amazing big sister, if I do say so myself.”
“Okay, maybe just one thing is wrong.”
“Don’t tell me it’s the big sister!” she gasped as she put a hand to her mouth.
“No. It’s the best friend thing.”
“The famous ones?” she asked. I nodded my head in response. “I don’t understand how that could be a problem, but, enlighten me.”
“Well, I think I like one of them.”
“You think?” she asked like it was a ridiculous statement. I gave her a ‘not helping’ look. “Well, which one do you think you like?”
“Marc.”
“Tell me why you think you like him, and don’t say because he’s famous.”
“Well, he’s got the most adorable smile and he’s the nicest guy ever. Whenever I see something that reminds me of him it always hurts a little bit. I feel like I miss him a little bit more than the other guys. Shit, I really do like him.” I ran a hand through my hair realizing my true feelings for him. “What should I do Maddie?”
“As I see it, you have two options. You could either tell him-”
“And risk my friendship!” I yelled, interrupting her.
“Or you could not interrupt me and wait until I’m done talking,” she said, annoyed.
“Sorry.”
“Or you could not tell him and that way you don’t jeopardize your friendship.” She turned the movie back on and let me process what she said for a few minutes. I thought about it and still didn’t know what I should do. Oh well, I still have a couple months left to think about it. Right now, I’m just going to enjoy some quality time with my sister.
*~*~*~*~*
“Go grease lightning you're burning up the quarter mile
Go grease lightning you're coasting through the heat lap trial
You are supreme the chicks'll scream for grease lightning
Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go,” Maddie and I sang out. We used to watch Grease all the time before she went to college. We knew all the words to every song, so it was kind of like a karaoke party to us. We also knew all the dance moves to the song, so we were dancing around the house, too. I danced my way over to the door as I heard the doorbell ring. I opened the door and saw Lauren and Mike with huge grins on their faces. I guess they really hit it off. Lauren told me she had to go since it was close to midnight (another reason why I thought they had a good time), and said she’d call me tomorrow. I faintly heard Maddie say she was going to bed in the background. As soon as I was sure she was upstairs I pulled Mike outside and shut the door behind me.
“Danielle, what’s going on? Please don’t tell me that you’re just going to ask me about my date.”
“I like Marc,” I rushed out, not knowing what his response would be.
