I'm Addicted to the Thrill

"Patrick, it's me... again. Answer the phone. Call me back. Talk to me in some fashion. Hell, text me. E-mail me. We just need to talk. Please. I'm sorry about yesterday. Can my family have another chance?" I said as I left a message for him.

My parents sat on the couch watching TV as I had made a call from my room. They looked up at me and smiled as if they had done nothing wrong. We had spent yesterday doing more things around town, and I was sure that the team wasn't too happy about the loss. I felt bad for them but it wasn't like I had any place to talk to any of them and say that to them.

I sat down in one of the couches and watched Hope prepare lunch with Zach. It had been awkward for him to walk in and immediately say sorry to me when he got here, but I figured that his girlfriend had told him about all that happened. I felt like my business was always spread around to everyone.

"Dani, do you want cheese on yours?" asked Zach. I was startled out of my thoughts when he asked.

"Sure, Zach," I answered.

He nodded and finished up working on our burgers for lunch. The two brought my parents their food as I got up to get my own. We sat around the living room and watched highlights from all the different sporting events of last night as it ended with the Chicago game.

They showed a clip of Patrick getting hit, and I could see my parents grinning at the sight. I rolled my eyes and changed the channel to some movie. We watched eating and not talking. Few words had been shared since the fiasco from yesterday. I was wishing that Thursday would just come so they could leave.

My phone rang suddenly. My hopes rose with the idea that it was possibly Patrick calling me back, but they were crushed once I saw that it was Niki. I figured that she had something about the wedding to talk about, so I excused myself and went to take her call away from the others.

"Ellie, so, Jonathan and I need you to come with us tonight. It's a date. You don't know the guy, but we kinda promised him a date. Everyone else is busy. Please. I'll make it up to you," said Niki the second I said "hello."

"Fine. I'll tell my parents that I have something work related to do," I told her.

"Awesome, I'll pick you up around six. Make yourself pretty," she said before hanging up.

I walked out to the living room again and looked at everyone. Explaining that eventually I would have to leave for an emergency work deal, I sat down again. If I had to look pretty, I knew that this wasn't going to be good for me. Staying how was the better option. It was the one I should have gone with.

-x-

Niki called and told me that she was waiting outside. I walked out waving to my parents who were getting ready to just spend the evening with Zach and Hope like some sort of double date in the apartment. It was odd. They connected with everyone but the person who most mattered.

"So, tell me about him," I said as I got into the car.

Niki shrugged.

"I don't know much about him. Jonny said he's your type in the very least," she answered.

I didn't know what that meant. Jonny didn't really know what my type was, but if he wanted to say he did, fine. This may have just been the way he was help me out with what happened the day before. Granted, I felt like Jonny should have been focusing on Patrick unless this whole date thing had been planned before yesterday. It had to have been.

We got to the restaurant. Niki knew that Jonathan was there already since I had answered her phone for her when he had called. I could tell that this was going to be a bad idea. I wanted to go home and play the awkward fifth wheel.

As we were lead to the table, I saw who my date was with and wanted to just leave. I wondered if this was Niki or Jonny's idea, but there was Patrick sitting with Jonny. Niki saw the change in my expression and pulled me towards the table with more force than I thought she could exert.

I sat down and just stared at the menu. Niki and Jonny looked happy to see each other while Patrick and I would look at any place except at one another. He cleared his throat. I raised my eyes from the menu to meet his. This wasn't exactly how I wanted to spend my Sunday night.

"Can we head outside to talk?" asked Pat. I shrugged and got up.

He lead me back outside of the restaurant. I crossed my arms across my chest and stared at him. He looked at me as though there was no longer anything to say. I didn't want this to be the reason I left.

"I'm sorry about my family," I finally said after a moment of silence.

"I'm sorry I overreacted. But, really, Danielle, you should have said something to them. You didn't make them want to like me," replied Patrick. "Anyway, how'd you get them to let you come with Niki?"

I stared at him. I hadn't said anything to make them like him? I had told my parents that I was happy with him. That there was no way he could destroy my future. Had he just forgotten that he had been there for that? I wanted to just scream and pull my hair in anger, but I couldn't do it. Patrick stared at me and mimicked my stance. I wasn't having fun in this conversation.

"I said I had work thing. And that I may be home late. Or just be dropped off in the morning after crashing on Niki's couch. They accepted that. They're basically treating Hope as the new me," I told him. "Now, I did say something to them."

"Dani, I like you. A lot, but this is not how I wanted to be in a relationship," said Patrick.

I stared at him. He stared right on back. People walked past, and I could hear a few of them whispering about Patrick and I. They knew who he was. They had no clue who I was, but they were making their own guesses as to what was going on between the two of us. One or two people actually got it right. A few just thought that I was the girl he wanted to hook up with for the night. I didn't care anymore about that assumption.

I left him standing there and went back into the restaurant to join my friends. If I had to make it through this double date, I would make it happen. I took my seat as I saw Patrick walking back to the table. This was becoming a common thing for us to do. End up outside with me leaving him and going back indoors. I could only guess that he didn't like that too much.

"Nice talk?" asked Jonny.

"Completely wonderful," I answered.

Patrick rolled his eyes and stared at me. I hadn't been told that this was who I was skipping time with my family to see, but in a strange way, it was completely worth it. My parents didn't like him, and I had no reason to have him around them again. At least he spoke to me again.