Whoever She Is

I woke up the next morning with a headache. The sun was shining through my window, right into my eyes. I groaned and rolled over. I came face to face with John. I must have woken him up when I rolled over. He yawned and looked at me
“Good morning party animal” he chuckled as he looked at me
“Shut up” I laughed and smacked his chest faithfully “Are you hungry? I could make breakfast as a thank you for staying here” I said as we got out of my bed.
“I’m starving” he admitted
We walked down to the kitchen and John sat down at the counter. I rummaged around the kitchen and found stuff to make biscuits, gravy, fried ham, and eggs.
“I hope you like southern cooking. Because that’s the only cooking I know” I told him
“Sounds good to me” he smiled
I made the food and sipped on some coffee, to ease my headache. When the food was ready, I made our plates and we sat at the table.
“So you aren’t much of a partier are you?” he asked
“Why do you say that?” I asked
“You seemed like a bit of a light weight” he chuckled
“Well parties aren’t my favorite thing” I shook my head at the irony
“Well, it’s nice to know a girl that is as down to earth as you. You don’t meet many like you around here” he said as he ate a piece of ham
“What do you mean?” I asked
“All the girls around here are the same. They are stuck up, bitchy, and slutty. They are cheerleaders or wanna bees. They are typical sorority girls in the making. All the girls are so fake. It makes me sick.” he rolled his eyes “It’s so annoying. I will never date someone like that again”
I nodded my head and chewed silently. I would hate to see his reaction if he knew I was a cheerleader, or the fact I am a legacy for a sorority at Ole Miss. It hurt to know that he and the rest of the guys would hate the real me. I was the type of girl he thought he hated.
We finished eating when John’s phone rang
“Hello?” he answered
“I’m at Danielle’s. She was home alone, so I crashed on the couch” he lied. Well technically he only lied about where he slept
“Yeah. I’ll be there.” He hung out the phone
“That was Tim. He was freaking out because he went to take out the trash and saw my car still in his driveway.” He laughed.
“Well, I have band practice in an hour. I probably need to go home. Shower, change, and what not” he laughed
We got up and I walked him to the door. Before he walked out the door, he engulfed me in a hug
“Thanks for staying John. It means a lot” I said as I hugged him
“Anytime Danielle. Anytime” he smiled and walked over to his car.
I walked into the house and tried to think of something to do today. Chelsea was in New York visiting her cousins, and wouldn’t be back until tomorrow. I decided to lay out by the pool and relax today. I checked my phone and saw a new text
1 New Text from Brian Dales
Dani, we need to talk. I’m in Tempe. Wanna hang?

To: Brian Dales
I’m going to be laying out by my pool. Come join?

1 New Text from Brian Dales
Be there in 15
I walked upstairs and pulled out a swim suita to wear. I changed into it and found a button up cover to wear, until I went outside. I slid on some flip flops so my feet wouldn’t burn on the concrete outside. I went into the kitchen at got a pitcher of tea and two glasses. I walked outside to my pool. I plugged my iPhone into our dock and started playing music. I sprayed some tanning oil on my legs and arms. I stretched out across one of our cushioned lounge chairs and relaxed. I got a text from Brian asking me to walk outside my house to make sure he was at the right one. He had only been to my dad’s a handful of times, so he wasn’t too familiar with the area.
I slipped my cover up back on my body and walked through the cool air conditioned house. I walked out my front door as Brian pulled into my driveway. He got out of the car and smiled
“BRIIIIIIIII!” I yelled as I ran and hugged him. He swung me around as he hugged me back.
“Dani, it has been far too long since I have seen you!” he wagged his finger at me. It had been about a week since his birthday party and I hadn’t been back to Scottsdale since.
“BTW, those guys across the street are staring.” He said as we started walking to my house. I looked over to see all of the guys at Tim and Pat’s house. They were in the garage trying not to look like they were spying. I chuckled and walked into the house.
Brian and I laid by the pool for a bit and caught up.
“So, who are the guys that live across the street?” he asked
“Well only two live across the street. The others are their friends. I met them through Jared who is the son of my dad’s girlfriend. They are all in a band together. I guess we have become friends too since I’ve been here. I’ve hung out with them a lot since I’ve been here.” I explained
“You better not be replacing me D!” he said shaking his finger at me
“Brian Logan Dales, no one could ever replace you in my life” I smiled at him. Brian was the first friend I made in Scottsdale. He is the goofy, class clown that everyone loves. Also, he is even more obsessed with Disney that I am. We regularly have Disney movie nights.
“Ain’t that the truth!” he said while he snapped his fingers in a Z formation. I laughed uncontrollably at his sassiness.
“What’s up with you and Cole? He has been acting strange since the party and Stephen said he saw you two kiss” he asked raising an eyebrow
“Nothing. He was flirting with me all night. I was drunk. We made out. Then he told me that he didn’t want a relationship and I haven’t heard from him since” I shrugged
“You okay with that?” he asked
“Yeah. I didn’t have a crush on him. You know how I get when I drink. I’m overly affectionate. It didn’t mean anything” I shook my head
“Right. As long as you are okay” he shook his head
“So what did you need to talk about?” I asked him as I took a sip of water
“Well, I ran into someone yesterday. And I wanted to make sure you heard it from me” he sighed
“Who…..” I asked. I had a gut feeling it was going to be bad.
“Seth” he said looking away from me
“WHAT?!” I yelled as spit my water out
“He came to Scottsdale yesterday. Visiting family” he told me giving me a concerned face.
++++++++++++++
Seth was my boyfriend when I was 15. He was my first love. We were together for almost 2 years. He bought me a promise ring and told me one day we would get married. I was young, in love, and stupid. I lost my virginity to him. I went to Jackson to visit my grandparents over Christmas break. I got a call from Chelsea telling me that Seth had hooked up with two other girls while I was gone. I was only gone two weeks! He broke my heart. And when I got home, I broke his nose. I punched him right in the face.
I remember when Chelsea called me and told me that he cheated on me. I was at my grandparent’s house. My cousins and I were in the living room playing cards. It was really loud so I stepped outside, so I could hear her better.
“Hey Chels” I answered
“Dani, don’t hate me for what I’m about to tell you” she said immediately
I sat on the porch swing and pulled on my bulky cardigan. I pulled my knees to my chest and sucked in a deep breath.
“I saw Seth at Cole’s party. He was coming down from the bedrooms with Annabelle. When they got back to the living room, Rosie slapped Seth. Apparently Seth hooked up with her last night. I’m sorry Dani; he cheated on you with two different girls”
“Seriously?” I asked. I didn’t want to believe it.. “He told me he loved me.” I started crying
“I’m so sorry sweetie. I know this won’t help, but Brian and Stephen beat the shit out of him” I was crying uncontrollably. Chelsea was sitting there listening to me. She was trying to calm me down Grayson came outside to check on me
“What happened Elle? Are you okay?” he asked using my nickname. He didn’t like that everyone calling me Danielle or Dani. He wanted to call me something different. So he chose Elle, using the last 4 letters of my name.
“Seth cheated on me, Gray. WITH TWO GIRLS” I cried as he held me. He grabbed my phone and told Chelsea that he would take care of me.
I cried for over an hour. Grayson held me and tried to calm me down. He spent the rest of our trip making sure I was okay.
When I got home from Jackson, Seth was waiting at my house. Gray hoped out of the car and ran right to him
“What the fuck is your problem asshole?” he yelled as he shoved him into the wall of our garage.
“I was drunk. It was a mistake.” He cried out
“You make a mistake once, you did it twice!” I yelled at him from behind my brother. I looked at Grayson and he moved over. I drew my fist back and punched him right in the nose. His nose was bleeding all over his shirt.
“Get the fuck out of my yard and NEVER talk to me or my friends again” I told him as I walked away.
“If you ever come near my sister again, it will be the last thing you do” Grayson told him as he got in his car and drove away.
Shortly after that, he moved to his Dad’s in Nevada. I hadn’t heard from him since.
+++++++
“Dear Lord, this sucks” I said as I laid my head against the chair.
“Hey, I already told him, if he comes near you, or starts any shit, I will personally make sure he will never be able to reproduce. EVER” he told me as he gripped my hand.
“Thanks Bri” I smiled at him “You always have my back”
“That’s what best friends do, D. Someone hurts you, I hurt them” he smiled
I laid on my stomach to make get some sun on my back. Brian and sang along to Disney songs on his iPhone for about 30 more minutes before his mom called and asked him to come home.
I walked him to his car. I had my cover on, but the buttons weren’t done. We walked through the gate, since Theo was in the house cooling off from the heat and we didn’t have to worry about him getting out.
I’ll call you tomorrow. Bye Dani. Love you” he said as he hugged me
“Love you too Bri” I told him as I hugged him back. He got in his car and drove away.
I shook my head. I was about to head back to the backyard when I heard my name being called. I looked up to see, Pat running to me
“Danielle! I haven’t seen you in forever!” he said as he hugged me
“Honey, I saw you last night at the party” I laughed and hugged him back
“Well, I was drunk. It didn’t count.” He laughed “We are having band practice. Want to come watch?” he asked. He gave me those puppy dog eyes. I couldn’t say no to.
“Of course Pat” I smiled, he dragged me to his garage, where the boys were. Tim was sitting on a couch watching the guys. They were in the middle of a hushed conversation.
“Dude she kinda looks like Danielle.” Garrett said
“Do you think he asked her out since he can’t ask Danielle out?” Kennedy asked
“I don’t know. But don’t say that to him. It’s a touchy subject” Garrett said
“Well. Well.Well. Look what the cat dragged in” Tim laughed as he looked at me walking up the driveway with Pat pulling me by my hand. I didn’t let them know I could hear what they were saying. If they wanted me to know, they would haven’t have changed the subject. The rest of the guys muttered their hellos as they pretended to tune their instruments.
“Well good afternoon to you too” I said sitting next to Tim on the couch
The guys were getting ready to practice. But I noticed John wasn’t here.
“Um correct me if I am wrong, but don’t you need a singer to practice?” I asked as I slipped my flip flops off and pulled my knees up on the couch.
“He is on the phone. Has been for like 20 minutes” Jared shook his head
“Talking to some girl he met at the party” Garrett said as he put his bass down “I’m getting something to drink. Want something Danielle?”
“Yeah, water please” I gave a weak smile.
Tim turned to look at me
“So John stayed at your house last night?” he whispered and cocked an eyebrow
“Yeah. I was drunk and home alone. He slept on the couch.” I told him
Garrett came back with a bottle of water and handed it to me
“Thank Gare” I smiled at him. I heard a door shut, Garrett walked back over to his bass and I saw John walking out. He was walking and texting. I unscrewed my water and took a sip.
“So what’s up with the swimsuit Danielle? Ya looking to be our new groupie” Kennedy joked. John looked up from his phone.
“Um, well I decided to layout in the backyard. My friend came over to hangout. When he left Pat asked me to come over. I didn’t have a chance to change” I laughed
“Well, it’s a good look for you” Kennedy winked at me. I giggled
“Dude stop flirting with Danielle. She is practically my sister!” Jared said slapping the back of Kennedy’s head. Kennedy and I both laughed. John looked upset.
“Was that the Cole guy that you were texting the other day?” Jared asked
“Lord no. That was Brian. He is my best friend Chelsea’s boyfriend. But him and I are extremely close” I told them
“John, did you get that date with Heather?” Garrett asked. I looked over at John. Our eyes connected, and he quickly looked away.
“Uh yeah. We are going to dinner tonight” He stammered. As he talked, I felt this strange feeling in the pit of my stomach. I felt uncomfortable.
“Alright let’s get this rolling” Kennedy said “Start with Daisy”
They started playing. I sat back and watched them. They were really good. John’s voice was heavenly. I was mesmerized. I bobbed my head along with the beat. They finished the song and they all looked at me
“What” I asked confused
“What’d you think?” John asked
“Oh. It was alright” I shrugged. They looked at me. Mouths opened and shocked
“Oh my gosh. I was just kidding guys. Geez! You guys are awesome” I laughed
“That wasn’t funny” Pat frowned
“If you saw your face when she said it, you would have thought it was” Tim chuckled
The guys played a few more songs. I smiled and took in the music. I loved watching them practice. I have sat through many The Summer Set practices since they started. I loved music. I love the passion that artist have with their music.
The guys finished band practice about an hour later. They put their instruments in their holders and cleaned up. I stood up and stretched my body. I noticed John stare at me. I realized I was still wearing my bathing suit and my cover was undone. John blushed when he noticed I saw him looking at me. He quickly turned away and continued putting stuff away.
“So what are you and Heather going to do on your date?” Garrett asked
“I dunno. Dinner and a movie I think.” He shrugged
“What are you going to wear?” Jared asked
“I don’t know. I was thinking about running to the mall and finding something. But I hate going by myself”
“I’ll go with you. I have to go anyway.” I offered
“Really? Thank you!” He smiled
“No problem. I need to change then we can go” I said standing up. I told the boys goodbye and I walked across the street with John behind me.
We walked into my house and John sat on the couch.
“You can come upstairs. I’ll change in my bathroom”
We went to my room. He sat on my bed. I grabbed a sheer top and pink shorts. I walked into my bathroom, I changed my clothes, put a tad bit of makeup on, and let down my curly hair. I walked out of the bathroom. I grabbed my black sandals and sat on my bed to put them on.
“Alright! Let’s do this” I said getting up
We walked down to the garage and got in my car. Death Cab For Cutie filled the car as I pulled out of the driveway
“No fucking way! You like Death Cab?” he asked shocked
“More like love them. I’ve seen them twice in concert” I told him
“You get more awesome every time we hang out” he laughed
We sang along with Death Cab while I drove to the mall. We pulled into a parking spot and got out of the car. We walked into the mall. I followed John into a store and we went straight to the men’s section.
“So what is Heather like?” I asked as I went through shirts for John to try on.
“She is really nice. She is kind of quiet. Short, brown hair, brown eyes. She is a senior like us.” He said as he shrugged
“Okay well, where are you taking her?”
“Um, to the movies and probably that diner on 7th street.”
“Well, I think this is a good shirt to wear” I said as I held up a red and black plaid shirt “Go try it on”
He walked to the dressing room. I sat in one of the chairs and waited. It seemed strange to me to be helping John get ready for his date. I liked John. A lot. And here I was helping him get ready for a date with another girl. But I knew I would never have a shot with John. He hated girls from Scottsdale. And he was Jared’s best friend. Just my luck.
I was torn from my thoughts when John came out of the dressing room. He looked handsome. He looked at me, waiting for my opinion.
“I like it” I smiled. He smiled back at me
“So, I should get it?” he asked
“Absolutely” I nodded
He changed back into his shirt. We walked to the counter for him to pay. The girl at the register pushed her boobs out and started flirting with him.
“Is this all for you hun?” she said leaning over the counter
“Yeah” he said pulling his wallet out. He either didn’t notice or didn’t care. She sighed and continued to ring him up. She shot me a dirty look as John turned to me
“Are you ready to get what you needed?” He asked
“Yeah, I just need to pick up a dress I ordered from the shop across from here” I smiled
“Your total is $25.57” the girl said trying to get his attention.
He handed her $30. When she gave him his change, she placed it in his hand and her handed lingered there for a moment
“Come again soon” she smiled
John grabbed his bag. He put his hand on the small of my back and we walked out. I looked at John as we walked into the next store “She was hardcore flirting with you” I laughed
“That was awkward. She was skanky” He laughed
I walked to the counter. I knew the girl who was working the register
“Hey Shay” I greeted as I approached her
“Hey Dani” she smiled as she folded clothes to put up
“I need to pick up that order my mom got before she left” I told her
“Alright. Let me go get it from the back”
I looked over at John. He was looking at the jewelry rack, looking confused. I walked over to him and giggled.
“Why do girls wear so much jewelry? Some of the stuff on them is weird” he asked holding a necklace with a monkey on it. I shrugged as I looked out of the store window. I froze and John noticed.
“Are you okay?” he asked confused
“Uh..um.. yeah” I stuttered. He looked up to see me staring at a boy looking at a kiosk outside of the store.
“Do you like that guy or something?” he said with a hint of jealousy in his voice
“No. He is my ex. He cheated on me with two different girls. I haven’t seen him since I broke up with him over a year ago” I said while shaking my head.
I pretend to look interested at a pair of earrings.
I looked at the corner of my eye and saw him coming towards us. John noticed and laced our hands.
“Danielle” I heard his familiar voice say. I looked up at him
“Seth” I greeted him. John squeezed my head.
“It’s good to see you again. Who is this?” He asked eyeing John up and down
“This is…”
“John O’Callaghan. Her boyfriend” John interrupted me. I looked up at him and smiled
“Oh, I didn’t realize you were dating again” Seth stated looking at me
“I didn’t realize you didn’t understand what stay the hell away from me meant. Isn’t that what Brian reminded you when he saw you last week” I retorted
Shay had came back with my order. I walked away from Seth and thanked her. I walked back over to John leaning over and saying something to Seth. And Seth looked pissed. Seth turned and walked away.
“What did you say to him?” I asked looking at him walk away
“I told him if he ever came near you again I would castrate him” he said seriously
“Thank you John. You didn’t have to do that or pretend to be my boyfriend” I said as we walked out of the store
“You’re my friend. I protect my friends.” He said as he laced our fingers again. We turned the corner and saw Seth again. He bolted into the nearest store.
We walked to my car and headed back home. The car was pretty silent most of the ride. It was not an awkward silent, it was comfortable silence. John was giving me directions to his house. Which was not too far from my dad’s. I pulled into his driveway and parked my car.
“Thanks for this Danielle.” He said looking at me
“Anytime John Oh” I said looking back at him.
“It is was fun hanging with you. You are pretty awesome” he smiled
“Your pretty fun to hang out with too” I smiled
“I’ll have to steal you from the guys more often”
I looked up at him. And he was looking at me. I got butterflies in my stomach.
Our eyes locked. The next thing I know, we are leaning closer to each other. Our lips were centimeters apart, when his phone rang. He pulled back and answered it
“Hello?”
“Yes ma. I’m in the driveway. I’ll be in, in just a second”
“Okay. Love you too”
He hung up the phone and looked at me
“Thanks again” he said as he got out of the car. He walked in front of my car. He smiled and waved as he walked into his house.
I ran my fingers through my hair and let out a sigh. I put my head on the steering wheel.
“What the hell was that?” I asked out loud. He can’t just do that. I am helping him find an outfit for his date with another girl. Then he pretended to be my boyfriend. Then he almost kissed me. I was confused and upset.