Dance Colors Our Life and Makes It Bright Again

You'd think that now that I'm back home, after about a year, that they'd be happy to have me back and treat me like any other loving parent. That they'd try to make me as happy as possible or at least try to make me feel like I'm still part of the family.

Well obviously not. I just got kicked out. Beaten first obviously, my dad wouldn't do anything unless he goes all out. Gotta get a couple good hits in first. It's just upsetting that he'd gotten Sam out of the house so he couldn't protect me. I hadn't even done anything.

So it's gotta be like 8pm and I'm sitting at the end of the drive way, as the snow falls in soft white puffs around me.

I try to think of who I could stay with but anyone i can think of is busy. My sister's out of town, I'd stay with Ritchie but he's visiting his parents with Delaney up in Concord before he comes back for the banquet, and anyone else I know is off on vacation.

I'm sore and bruised and I the tears are spilling out without my permission. I should call Ritchie. He'd told me to call him if anything happens but I just don't want to ruin the holidays for him. I hardly have enough money to pay for a night in a hotel and even if I did my dad took my keys.

I lose no matter what I do. No where to go, no money, and it's the middle of winter. It's quiet except for the sound of sirens in the distance and cars on the interstate somewhere behind the house. I let the sounds fill my tired ears and I feel even more alone.

I carefully pull my legs up to my chest wrap my arms around them and lay my head on my knees as I cry harder.

I still don't know what I ever did to deserve any of this. It's just not fair.

"Dani?" I hear Chase's worried voice but I don't make any effort to look up at him. "Dani, is that you? Why are you sitting out here it's freezing?"

He hear him set down his bike beside me as he kneels down in front of me and takes my face into his hands. I avoid eye contact but I feel his gently run his fingers over the tender skin on my cheek where my dad had hit me earlier.

"Dani, what happened?" He says, the worry growing in his voice. "Hey look at me."

He struggles to make me look at him but I just don't do it. He brings me to my feet and when I almost fall from loss of energy he lifts me onto his back, picks up his back and carries me away from my house. I wrap my around his neck and snuggle my face into his neck as we go.

It doesn't take long before he lets his bike drop beside us and he opens a door to warm air and closes it behind us. He sets me down on a bed and takes off his coat and boots before sitting beside me.

"Dani, what happened?"

"Nothing."

"Seriously Dani."

I feel the tears well up in my eyes again and I look away from him as they start to fall. He takes me into his arms as I start to sob and he gently rests his head on top of mine. "Okay, how about you just get ready for be okay? You can tell me in the morning. You can crash here in my room."

He wipes away the last of my tears and I change before crawling into bed beside him.

~~~~~~

"Shit!" I'm waken up by Chase's voice the next morning and I sit up quickly. He quickly hops out of bed and runs around his room in search of something.

"Chase?" I call out. I hear a drawer shut and I see him emerge from the bathroom dress only in. His boxers.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"Can you shut up and wait a minute?"

I look away from him, hurt and roll over in his bed until I feel him gently put a hand on my leg.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to be rude to you. Come here."he apologizes. I roll back over and shuffle closer to him.

"Okay, this is an insulin pump. "

"What does it do?"

"Gives my body the insulin it needs. I have Type 1 Diabetes."

I look up to him, shocked.

"I'm sorry for yelling and sorry for yelling at you those other times when we first met. So, the insulin is the sugar my body needs cause my body isn't able to make it by itself. When my blood sugar gets low I feel sick and I act like a complete jerk. Like I was doing a second ago, and that's why I was always so rude to you."

"So when I first met you after watching your sisters for two hours at your house--"

"I was really low. I shouldn't've even been driving. I'm usually low when I come home from the skate park cause sometimes I skip lunch and then I tend to take this off when I practice, even though I shouldn't."

"Why do you take it off?"

"Cause I'm scared ill break it if I fall on it." He shrugs.

"But you're fine now?"

"Sorta, I forgot to change my site last night after dinner so I went all night without it. But I'm starting to feel better now."

I nod."how long have you had it?"

"Diabetes? Since I was 3"

"Damn." I whistle.

"Yea. Anyway, you wanna tell me what happened last night?"

"Honestly, I don't really remember. One minute I was in my room practicing dance and my dad just burst through my door yelling stuff and then he started hitting me and then he told me to get out."

"Let me see?" He stood himself between my legs and rolled up the sleeves on my sweatshirt revealing a bunch of bruises of various sizes. Some blue, some yellowish, some fading red. After, he took my chin in his hand and gently turned my head to the side so he could see the one on my face.

"Damn Dani." He whispers. "How long has this been going on?"

"I don't know, maybe about 9 years."

"You said your dad hits you right? What does you mom have to say in all of this?"

I feel the lump in my throat at the mention of my mother and my eyes sting with tears, threatening to pour out.

"Hey, hey, whoa. What did I say?"

"It's not you, it's just... My mom is dead. She died nine years ago." For a brief moment Chase's face holds a look of shock.He pulls the sleeves on the sweatshirt back down.

"But I thought you said your mom was alive."

I feel him place his hand on my check and I shake my head against his hand as he wipes away my now falling tears with his thumb. "No, she's not. I just like to think she is. Like she's my guardian angel and she's watching over me and trying to protect me as best as she can but sometimes she just can't."

"Is it alright if I ask what happened?" I shrug.

"I don't really remember much. Just that there was a car accident and my mom wasn't wearing a seatbelt." I try to hold back any other tears threatening to fall out but I think I'm all out anyway. "After that my dad just snapped."

He nods silently and pulls my shirt back down for me. "We'll how about we get you something to eat, yea?" He wipes away the last of my tears and lays a soft kiss on the top of my head and pulling me up after him.

I hop onto his back and he cooperatively wraps his arms underneath my legs to give me a piggyback ride. I lay my head down on his shoulder as he walks us out to his car and I almost fall asleep again.

I actually feel safe.