I'm Addicted to the Thrill

“Jonny told me an interesting story about you,” smiled Niki. I stared at her and knew what she meant. That morning I had been filled in on everything that I said the night before to Patrick, and I couldn’t believe that it had been shared between the others. Christine and Madi both looked between the two of us as I paled.

“I swear if you say a word, I will hurt you,” I hissed. Niki laughed back and smiled impishly.

“Dani said the ‘L’ word to Kaner… drunk!” she screamed. I sank down in my chair knowing the entire restaurant had to have heard that. There was no way that people down the street didn’t hear that either. Hell, my parents could have heard it. I wanted to crawl in a hole and die.

Madi and Christine just stared at me. In all likelihood, I was the color of the jersey that the boys wore. I hid my face behind the menu that was still on the table in case we wanted dessert. Some people stared at our table with raised eyebrows and smirks. I wanted to kill the girl sitting across from me, but why add that to the list of stupid things I had done in my life?

I looked around and couldn’t tell whether I should be happy that the guys were finally showing up to join us, or if I should crawl into a hole and die since they all likely knew if Niki knew. Jonny was already laughing at me when I saw the way I was looking at all of them. They could sense it. They could smell the fear on me as though I was prey and they the predators.

“Hey, Lovergirl and girls,” said Patrick as he stood behind my seat. I looked up at him and narrowed my eyes.

“I hate you so much right now,” I growled. He laughed as I began to look at the table and then kissed the top of my head.

“You don’t mean that,” grinned Jonny. Niki shot him a glance and shook her head. “Fine, can we get out of here? We want to spend the day with you all before we leave.”

-x-

“Dani, I swear, if you don’t talk to me, I’ll… call your parents and tell them what you said,” Patrick said as soon as we entered his apartment. I had avoided saying a word to him the entire time we were out with the others, and I watched as he even texted me to get a response. My phone had sat off in my purse the entire day. “Or I’ll ask Hope to bring them over and tell them with you in person.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” I spat. He grinned and wrapped his arms around me. “You suck.”

He chuckled. I wiggled out of his arms and plopped myself down on the couch. I started to doze off just as he joined me.

“Hey, Mrs. Halbrook,” were the last words I heard before I fell asleep on his couch.

-x-

“Danielle! I swear, Danielle Louise Halbrook, if you don’t wake up!” screamed my mom. I had only slept for an hour. There was no way my snoozing had gone on longer than that. Those few words I heard before my nap were the ones that sealed my fate. Patrick Kane was going to get me killed by my mother.

“Oh, hey, Ellie, your parents are joining us for dinner before I leave tomorrow,” Patrick smirked.

“I will hurt everything you love,” I mouthed to him as my parents sat on either side of me on the couch. He winked back at me. “Did you tell them?”

I hadn’t been lucky enough to keep from saying that part out loud. My parents’ glares were burning into me like the sun on a stick of butter left outside. I wanted to crawl into a hole and die. I guess this had been his plan. Patrick was smarter than I had expected.

“Did he tell us what?” asked my mother. “Danielle, if you a pregnant, I swear we will write you out of the wills and never speak of you or to you again.”

“Is that seriously what you think?” I gasped. “It’s not that bad. I just drunkenly told him I loved him.”

Fuck! the voice inside my head screamed. Patrick started laughing. I had fallen into his trap. I told them. He had to do nothing. My parents both paled at the very sound of my words. I hoped that they would ignore the fact that I had drunkenly said it. They still were in denial that I drank at all.

“Danielle, we’ll discuss this later,” said my father. My mother was staring at me with pursed lips.

“You know what, we won’t. He’s my boyfriend. I’m an adult. You’re treating me like I’m twelve. I don’t have to talk to you about this,” I said standing. I couldn’t sit in between them any longer. I was going to go insane. “Fuck this. I’m leaving.”

I made my way towards the door and out it. I was halfway to the elevators before I heard anyone walking behind me. I didn’t even want to see who it was. If they followed me, I was going to lose it. If he was following me, I was going to scream at him.

“Thank you, Dani,” he said as I reached to push the button. “They’re getting a ride back to your apartment from Hope. I texted her. You left your phone at my place.”

I stopped. The button was under my finger longing to be pushed. I couldn’t do it. I dreaded turning to look at him, but I had to do it. He was smiling at me running his hand through his hair and holding his other hand out to me.

“Let’s spend this time together. You should tell them you still love them more than me though,” he laughed.

“I want to hurt you so badly right now. You have no idea how much damage control I’m going to need to do,” I sighed.

His smile forced one to appear on my lips. I took the hand that was extended towards me and gripped it as tight as I could. Patrick led me back to the apartment over the plush carpeting and past the doors of neighbors I had never seen. I didn’t want to go back in and see them. Yet when they opened the door, they were standing there just not doing anything.

“Ellie, we love you. We’re just going to go home,” said my father. My mother stood there wringing her hands and trying not to cry.

“I love you, both. You know that, right?” I told them. I hugged my parents and watched as they left.

“Hey, Dani,” Patrick smiled as he closed the door. “You’re pretty awesome towards them. I kinda love that about you. Maybe I just love you.”

“You’re joking, right?” I asked. He nodded. Our evening home alone began from there.