Untangle Me.

The small child stared up at the camera, her eyes full of tears and her nose filled with snot. Danielle couldn’t help but to feel like putting a loaded gun to her head as she watched the child in front of her throw her body down as her little wrist pounded against the wooden floor.

“Maybe we should reschedule?” Danielle said out loud as she looked over at the clock, it was already 10 minutes past her shift.

“I don’t have the time”, she said over her yelling child. “Come on Sofia, please smile.”

All they got in respond was another loud yell. Danielle’s head was pounding while her brown eyes scanned to the ticking clock hung up on the wall. She stared back at the lady with a look that said everything that was on her mind.

“It’s not like you’re helping much”, the mother said with an annoyed tone of voice. “My daughter is crying her eyes out and you’re just standing there with an annoyed look on your face, do something!”

I would love to punch you in your fucking mouth.

“Ma’am, I’ve tried to cheer her up, she’s cranky and probably in need of a nap.”

“Don’t tell me how to raise my daughter.”

Danielle took a deep breath before rolling her neck around relieving all the tension, or a small amount of what was killing her right now.

“Ma’am I assure you, I’m not”, she said with a sigh. “I’m just suggesting rescheduling.”

Danielle watched as the lady looked over at her in disgust. The anger that was shooting out of the ladies mouth made Danielle hold her tongue even more. She watched the lady snatch up her daughter with such anger.

“Never coming here again”, she said before stomping off.

Danielle sighed, she knew she was going to get in trouble but there was so much she could do with that little girl. Danielle turned around to see her manager staring back at her with a displeased look on her face before a grin was spread across her lips.

“You handled that very well, Danielle.”

“I’m so crabby.”

“That’s what happens when you deal with snotty rude people”, she said patting my shoulder. “Go ahead and go on home, I’m sure you have better things to do on a Friday night then deal with a bunch of rude people.”

“Thank you”, she said grabbing her purse from the drawer. “Have a great night Janet”, she said turning to give her manager a smile.

“You too”, she said with a warm smile. “See you Sunday morning.”

Danielle just nodded her head before making her way to her car. She watched as the clock on her radio said it was 8:30, Garrett was picking her up at 9:30. That means she had an hour to get home, take a shower and get ready for the party of the night. When Danielle got home she went straight to the shower ignoring any talk that was waiting for her. When she walked out of the bathroom in merely a towel she noticed Amanda sitting on her bed, legs crossed dressed for tonight.

“Came in here to watch me get changed?”

“Of course”, she said with a laugh. “I have a thing for red heads.”

“Like Nick?”

“Like Nick”, she said with a smirk. “Is he going to be there tonight?”

“Yeah, all the guys are in town.”

“Mr. Santino is a cutie for sure.”

Danielle let out a laugh before walking to her closet grabbing out the outfit she was going to wear. She threw the floral dress and jean vest on her bed before turning around to see Amanda staring over at her.

“So John called me.”

“And?”

“And he asked if your phone was broken or stolen”, she said as Danielle rolled her eyes as she walked to her underwear drawer. “Then when I told him that your phone was completely fine, he asked if you were busier than usual.”

“And what did you say?”

Danielle threw a pair of underwear and then a bra on her bed before turning to look at Amanda with a smirk on her lips. Danielle couldn’t help but to feel empowered, she was ignoring John. She hadn’t caved in to the constant calls and texts. She was tired of John and his games; then there was Garrett. Sweet Garrett made John seem like nothing.

“That you weren’t even busy”, she said before a sly smile spread across her face. “But you and Garrett were always together.”

“Amanda”, Danielle said with wide eyes. “Why did you say that?”

“Well it’s the truth”, she said with a sigh. “Besides he already knows about you and Garrett.”

Danielle suddenly was silent and her body was motionless. She didn’t understand what she had meant, what John knew about Garrett and her. Danielle didn’t even know what was going on between Garrett and her. Garrett and Danielle had gone on a couple of dates and did the couple activities without the couple extracurricular activities. Sure, Garrett had touched Danielle’s body but not the way Danielle wanted him to. Danielle’s heart started to beat faster, John probably thought she was kind of slut. She was pretty sure Garrett did, but what too sweet to say it.

“What exactly does he know?”

Amanda stood up from the bed with a laugh before placing her hand on Danielle’s bare and moist shoulder. “It doesn’t really matter, John is old news.”

Danielle stood still as she felt her friend’s warm hand leave her bare shoulder. John was old news; he was just another guy to Danielle now. When she was with Garrett she didn’t even think about John more than just an asshole once. She turned around to her friend with a smile.

“Right?”

Danielle nodded her head with a laugh. “Yeah, he is.”

Amanda let out a laugh before nodding her head and walking out of the room leaving Danielle to get ready. Danielle slipped on the tight floral dress and then placed the vest over her body leaving it open as the necklace that Garrett had bought her at the vintage shop laid around her shoulder dangling below her breast. She reached over grabbing the black boots before slipping her feet in them.

“Are you ready beautiful?”

Danielle turned from her reflection to see Garrett standing there with a smile on his face. Danielle studied Garrett’s attire and she couldn’t help but to smile. She loved the way he dressed; she always thought it was cute. She nodded her head with a smile before standing up from the chair she was sitting on making her way to the auburn colored boy.

“Well hello”, Danielle said with a smirk before wrapping her arms around Garrett’s shoulders. “You look handsome.”

Garrett couldn’t help but to smile as his cheeks turned a deep red. He instantly wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her body closer to his. Garrett’s blue eyes were burning into her brown ones.

How did I get so lucky?

“You look gorgeous, as always.”

Now it was Danielle’s turn to blush and look down at their feet. She let her eyes wonder back up with a wide smile on her lips.

“Thank you.”

“Are you ready?”

Danielle nodded her head before Garrett pressed his lips to her forehead and then grabbing her hand and pulling her out of her room and into the living room where Amanda was waiting for the two with a smile on her face.

“I had to park kind of far, so I’ll go and run to get my car and pick you up from the front”, Garrett said as the three of them walked out of the small apartment.

“Why didn’t you just call to say you were outside?”

“Then what kind of gentleman would I be?” Garrett turned to Danielle with a smirk before pressing his lips against hers softly. “Just met me out front, okay?”

Danielle nodded her head before earning another kiss from the boy before he jogged off. Danielle could feel Amanda’s stare on her as they made their way out of the apartment complex.

“What?”

Amanda let out a laugh as she continued her stare on her best friend. She watched as her
cheeks redden brighter and brighter with every second.

“You guys are good together.”

Amanda watched as the smile on her friends face grew bigger. “We are.”

“Finally you two got together”, Amanda said with a laugh. “It took him long enough.”

Amanda watched as her naïve friend turned to look at her with confused eyes. Amanda wondered if Garrett had told her about his long lasting undying love for Danielle but by the way her best friend stared back at her in confusion that conversation obviously wasn’t had.

“What?”

Amanda just shook her head before saying a nothing as they got in front of the apartment complex waiting for that yellow car.

“Well what did you mean?”

Amanda just shook her head before seeing that yellow car in the distances making its way to where they were standing. Amanda couldn’t understand how Danielle didn’t see it. Didn’t see how in love Garrett was with her.

“Nothing”, Amanda said with a laugh as the yellow car pulled up right in front of them. “Just one of those “I fucked up my words” sentences”, she said completely lying through her teeth.

“Oh I hate those.”

Amanda just nodded her head as the two made their way to the doors, pulling the nob open to hop into Garrett’s car. Amanda slid in the back watching as Danielle leaned in and kissed Garrett softly on the lips. She couldn’t understand how Danielle couldn’t see it. Suddenly Amanda’s phone started to vibrate, John’s number calling. She ignored it suddenly out of fear, that’s when her phone turned into a small earthquake telling her she had a text message.

John O’Callaghan.
Are you and Danielle coming to Matt’s party tonight?

Danielle felt Garrett grab her hand as Ryan Adam’s played softly in the background, the both of them singing along to the lyrics with smiles on their faces. Suddenly Danielle felt a tap on her shoulder, when she turned around she was met with a lit up IPhone. Danielle didn’t understand what Amanda was showing her until her eyes laid on the bolded name on the top. Her heart started to beat faster; she figured John was going to be there tonight she was just hoping he had better things to do. Of course John was going to be there.

“Secrets don’t make friends.”

Danielle let out a laugh staring back at Garrett, an awkward laugh leaving her throat. Before shaking her head and staring back at the blue eyes staring back at her.

“It was nothing, Gary.”

This was going to be an interesting night.

“You know by staring at the door, it’s not going to make her come any faster.”

John turned around at that familiar voice to see Jared standing there with his girlfriend Kourtney wrapped under his arm. John simply rolled his eyes before taking a drink from the red cup in his hands.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Sure, JohnO”, Kourtney said with a laugh. “Danielle’s here”, she said with a smirk staring back at the door that was right behind John.

John sudden whipped his head back to the door with excitement but was only met with Vito walking through the door with a 24 pack in his hand. John felt like an idiot but he played his cool before turning his glance back at the smiling couple.

“Vito with a 24 pack is way better than Danielle.”

“I’m sure”, Kourtney said with an annoyed look on her face.

Everyone was getting annoyed by John and his sudden obsession with Danielle. He didn’t care much about her when he had her in his bed but when she suddenly started to get an interest in someone else; suddenly his interest was greater than anything.

“Danielle looks really pretty”, Jared said looking past a very skeptic John.

“Yeah she does”, Kourtney said looking from behind John to her boyfriend.

Suddenly John turned around at the sound of a shutting door only to see Max walking in with David. John heard the two laughing as his turned his attention back to them with a smirk.

“That was a good one babe.”

“Well thank you baby”, Jared said as he lifted his hand to give his girlfriend a high five.

“You guys are asshole”, John said with a laugh. “I hope you guys have sex and the condom breaks or little Kourtney here’s birth control doesn’t work and you guys are knocked up.”

The couple just let out a laugh before staring out at the door. Both pairs of their hazel eyes staring at the three people that had just walked through that never-ending revolving doors.

How perfect is this moment right now?”

“John, Danielle’s here.”

“I’m not going to fall for it again”, he said with a roll of his eyes. “I mean come three times in a row; I thought you guys were better than that.”

“John, really”, Jared said looking over at Danielle and Garrett holding hands as they made their way through their group of friends.

“Whatever Jared.”

“Hey Danielle”, Kourtney said with a smile lifting her hand. “Amanda.”

“That was a nice touch.”

“Hey Kourtney.”

Suddenly John jumped back at the sound of the voice and turned his head quickly. With his fast motions his green eyes were inches away from the brown ones staring back at him. He couldn’t help but to feel his heart beat out of his chest and all the words he was practicing over and over again in his head were out the window. He watched as Danielle stared back at him with no emotion in her eyes.

That’s when John’s green eyes drifted from Danielle’s beautiful brown eyes to the younger auburn colored boy holding her hand. John had this urge to break that hand right off of hers. He watched as the three of them walked right past them into the kitchen, John felt like the biggest idiot on the face of the earth. Actually, he was the biggest idiot on the face of the earth. He turned his attention to the couple that was staring back at him with concerned eyes. John simply just shrugged his shoulders before taking a drink of his beer.

“I wonder if he got it in yet.”

Jared and Kourtney looked at each other before looking back at John with an annoyed look on their face. With a roll of their eyes they left John all alone.

Why am I such an idiot!

“Has he tried to talk to you?”

Danielle looked away from John’s stare from across the room before shaking her head to stare back at her best friend.

“Well here he comes.”

Danielle looked away from Amanda to see John walking over to them with determination in his face. Danielle looked away from him to look over at Amanda with pleading eyes.

“Please don’t leave me.”

“Hey guys”, John said standing in front of them with his hands shoved in his pants.

“I’m going to get another drink.”

Danielle looked over at Amanda with wide eyes as she walked off. Thanks bitch.

Danielle looked over at John who was staring intensely at her. Danielle was nervous; she didn’t want to be this close to John. She could smell that sweet scent and see those beautiful eyes that got her every time.

“Hey John.”

“How have you been?” he asked not sure of how to start a conversation with a girl he screwed over with.

John was use to fucking over a girl but he wasn’t use to trying to make it right with them after. He was in a whole other world and he was way over his head.

“I’ve been alright”, she said with a small laugh. “How about you?”

“I’ve been better”, he admitted with a small laugh. “I missed you.”

Suddenly Danielle’s heart was beating faster from a simple three words. She shook away those feelings, John was just trying to play this game with her and Danielle was catching on quickly.

“Listen John, what he had was fun and all but I’m kind of over being humiliated.”

“Dan-“

“No John”, she said cutting him off. “I don’t want to have sex with you anymore or do this anymore, I have Garrett”, she said turning to look over at Garrett who was standing there studying the two in front of him.

“What’s going on between you two?”

“No need to be jealous or overprotective, he’s a good guy”, she said throwing John off his game even more. “So you can relax with that shit”, she said with a laugh as John stared down at the beautiful girl.

“Danielle I really miss you”, he said with such honesty. “I don’t want to have sex or anything I just want to be friends again.”

Danielle was suddenly hurt that he didn’t want to have sex with her anymore but she didn’t let it show. She just simply nodded her head racking her head for a negative that would come from them being friends again.

“Friends?”

“Friends”, John said mimicking her words with a smirk before placing out his hands. “What do you say girlfriend?”

Danielle simply nodded her head with a laugh before grabbing his hand in hers. Danielle ignored that feeling in her gut once their skins touched. The both of them stared at each other with a smile on their lips. They were just going to be friends, friends that had this sexual chemistry that was waiting to be ignited.

“Do I have something to worry about?”

Garrett looked over at Amanda as the two stared at John and Danielle laughing up a storm as they talked. Garrett’s heart was beating fast and he felt jealousy and sadness rush all over him. He stared over at Amanda who was staring intensely at the two. Amanda looked over at Garrett with a shake of her head.

“You’re better for her and she knows it.”

But who did she want more/

Garrett was scared to find the answer.