Everything You Have Done to Me

Home. Finally. As I noticed earlier, I was in a surprisingly good mood that day which my family noticed very quickly. I asked my dad, he was the cook in our family, whether I should help him making food but he refused to let me touch his meal. As if I would be such an aweful cook. So, I made my way up to my room insteat, where I made my homework only within minutes. There weren't that much that day and when I was finished I just lied on my bed and closed my eye for a second. Sadly, my phone pulled me out of my daydreams by vibrating. It was a text from Danny

Danny: When shall I be there?
I checkt the time. 3:37. So, I decided that 4 p.m would be ok.

Zoe: Is 4 p.m ok?

Danny: Sure. see u.

I lied my phone on my bed then and did what I hadn't done in ages. I looked trough my CDs. There were like 50 of them in my little shelf, some of them weren't mine but my dads' so they were very old. I never listend to them though, so I decided that it was a good moment for trying something new. Or old, however you want to see it. The first one I pulled out was called Blood. Sugar. Sex. Magic. by R.H.C.P. I've heard of them but I never even listend to one song. Until then.
The music started and soon my head and my foot moved to the beat. At first I had to get use to it but I learned to like it only within minutes. After I've got enough of it, I pulled out an other CD by my dad which I didn't know yet. The interpret was "Journey" who I never heard of. Only one song-title sounded familiar which was "Don't stop believing". Due to my curiousnes I put the CD in fastly and truned on the song I thought I knew. And yes, it indeed was the "Don't stop believing" I thought it was. For some reasons, it made me proud that I allready knew such an old song even though I didn't really know why. While the song which I began to love, was still running I turned on my PC, ignoring the fact that I wasn't allowed to use it and searched the lyrics to sing along. They were easy to find and I was abel to actually sing along only within some minutes. It was fun singing again. I didn't really do it since the one day, I ran off stage and all this but even before I was abel to put all my heart into the song someone joined my singing. I jumped up in shock and turned around, feeling caught somehow. There stood Danny, leaning against my doorframe, his armes crossed in front of his chest and a smink on his lips. I blushed heavily and turned off the music.
"How about knocking?" I yelled at him. "I did. Like three times." he smiled and entered the room "Shall I...?" he asked while pointing at the door, wondering whether he should close it. I nodded as a respond. So, there we were. I sat on my bed, my legs crossed and he stood in the middle of the room. It couldn't be any more awkward, to be honest. "You can sit if you want.." I tried to make the situation as bearable as possible which Danny thankfully accepted. "I arrived here like ten minutes ago but your dad kept talking to me so I was abel to make it up here by only now." he scretched his back awkwardly "He's nice guy. He told me some things about you, as well." the smile reappearing. "So, what did he say?" I asked, allready holding a grudge on my dad. What was he thinking, telling almost stragers about me? "He told me that you're actually a good girl and that he's very disappointed by you behaving like earlier." he said, an excusing look on his face. It hurted hearing that again but it was the truth, so..."I know that. I am really sorry Danny." I began. I guessed that this was the time for an proper excuse: "I wont treat you like that anymore, I swear." a bright smile appeared on his face and I kept talking: "but I can't speak for the others, you know that." and with that his smile disappeared again. "I know.." he hesitated "but it's good to know, that I was right about you. Thank you." he nodded thankfully. So did I, smiling. It was dangeroursly close to become awkward again but before this could hapen Dannys view panned towards my CD player. "Journey, hu?" he asked with a knowing smile on his face. I blushed heavily, knowing that someone found out that I kind of liked this kind of music as well. "I only know one song." I tried to defend myself but instead of answering, Danny made his way over to the CD player and turned the music back on. The loud music was blarring through my room and I had to move to the beat, immediately. To my surprise, Danny began to sing allong again and yes, he had a beautiful voice which surprised me, ever though I've heard him earlier but only on his PC. I liked his voice better "live" but it also could be that the songs which I've heard on the PC were just older. I listend and looked at him while he did his little performance, joking around which made me laught heavily and hummed the melody along. "Sing for me." he suddenly said and stopped his singing, it was allways nice to see how self-concious he was when music he loved was playing. "What..no!" I yelled and hid my face with my hands "Oooh, why not? You sing beautiful. I've heard you earlier." This was when I remembered, that he heard me singing when he leaned again my doorframe earlier. "Let's do a duett. You don't have to sing alone then." he suggested. I was still very uncomfortable with that and hesitated but then, finally decided that I had to vanish my fears from so many years ago. So I just sang and it was a wonderful feeling. Danny sang with me and I felt like our voices suited each other pretty good.
But the song was over soon, sadly and he was starring at me a if he had just seen a ghost or something. "Why are you starring like a maniac?" I asked laughing, lifting an eyebrow. "You sing amazing, Zoe!" I noticed that this was the first time he said my name out loud...and blushed again. Why was I blushing all the time?! "T-Thank you.." I said hesitately without looking at him because I wanted to hide my blush. "May I suggest something?" he asked shy. "What is it?" "Let's do something new for our music-project, together. Let's not just use an old song of mine. I want you on that song as well. Your voice deserves to be heard." and again, I was blushing a deep red which began to annoy me somehow but I was flattered by what he said. "Really?" was everything I could handle to say. "Really." he nodded and so did I. So, I was forced to sing again very soon. I felt a mixture of happyness and worrie but I decided that the happyness was stronger.
Suddenly, a knock on my door appeared: "Sorry for interrupting your little jam-session up here.." my dad said with a bright smile on his face and winked at me. "But lunch is ready. Hungry?" he asked the both of us and only then, I noticed how hungry I actually was. "Hell yes!" we both yelled and had to laught about the similar reactions we showed.
The lunch went by great. My dad and Danny talked a lot about music. I was surprised by how much old stuff Danny knew. I was sure that my dad began to love this guy which was proved seconds later: "Zoe, this guy should come over here more often." I rolled my eyes playfully, waved it off with a "Yeah, sure." and kept eating. But my dad talked again then: "Zoe, did I ever show you a picture of myself when I was like 17, 18?". I thought for a seconde only to realise that he indeed never showed me a picture of him when he was younger. "Nope, why?" I asked, not too interessted. "I will show you two a picture after lunch. I think you will be...surprised." he winked at me and gave Danny a warm smile. "Where is mum, by the way?" I said to change the topic again. My dad looked concerned by then: "Work I guess." he said expressionless but his face turned into a faked smile again seconds after and the conversation kept going on well, again.
After lunch my dad went over to a cupboard and came back, holding a little box in his hands. I've never seen it before. He sat down again, opened the box and took out a little photo which he gave me and Danny. My eyes grew wide, this couldn't be MY dad. Just to explain something: At that moment, my dad was 53. He almost had no hair anymore and only wore pullovers and jeans. Nothing special, really. He looked like a dad was supposed to look like. "How old were you on that picture?" Danny asked suddenly. "About 25." my dad answered smiling. One could tell, that he was proud to show this picture of him. The picture shew a young men with almost shoulder-long, messy, dark hair. He wore a leather jackett and a very tight, ripped jeans with boots on his feet. He looked like a wierd rockstar or something. I was impressed but not as impressed as Danny was: "Wow, you looked badass, Mr. Peeters." he almost yelled. "Thank you, Danny." my dad laught his santa-laugh. "But I have an other one." he took out an other picture and handed it to Danny. "I was in your age then." Dannys' eyes grew wide and when I saw it as well, I knew why. There was my 18 years old dad, all in black, long hair, tight black jeans and one of those creepy t-shirts Danny wears all the time.
And then, it hit me. Now I know why my Dad was so disappointed by my behavior towards Danny. I treated Danny like shit because of how he looked like but my Dad used to look like that as well. I wanted to hit myself by then, I felt like shit. In that moment I decided to stop being so superficial. I was going to change, for my Dads' sake.
"I would kill to have this shirt" Danny said and tore me out of my thoughts. "I love that band." Sadly, I didn't know what band he was talking about and I couldn't read the letters on the shirt my Dad wore in the picture. "I still have it, wait a second." my Dad said and left to get the shirt, I guessed. That was when Danny looked at me again: "You didn't know that?" he asked. It was clear what he ment. "I had no idea..." I was kind of embarassed about that. It was like I didn't know my own Dad at all. But before Danny could say anything, my Dad came back, a black shirt in his hand. "Here, keep it." he handed it to Danny whos eye became twice their sice "Really?!" he yelled in disbelieve. "Really. I don't need it anymore." With that Danny tore the shirt out of my Dads' hands and hugged him thightly. My Dad looked surprised at first but hugged him back only some seconds later. I had to smile about that sight. Maybe it's wierd to say that but they looked like father and son, being proud of each other.
It became late soon which I found sad for some reasons. We talked with my Dad for houres and I felt like I found out more about him that day, then I did the past 19 years of my life. I also warmed up towards Danny which didn't annyoed me at all and my Dad showed us some more of his old photos and also some of his old CDs. I kept some of them... .The time, Danny had to leave, came soon and my Dad kind of bro-hugged him which forced me to laugh. I, on the other hand, just shook his hand and gave him a nice meant nod. So did he and left with a smile.
Before I made my way up to my room again, I kissed my Dad on the cheek and thanked him for the nice day. He thanked me as well and kissed me goodnight. With that, I entered my room, lied down and drifted off in a deep sleep.