Chapter 12

How long had it been since someone other than Daniel willingly talked to her?

She took a deep breath as she saw the most popular girls in the grade approach her.

Human interaction, Joy. Just human interaction.

She wondered why she was suddenly so self-conscious about what her voice would sound like, what impression the girls would walk off of her with.

She opened her eyes and there they were, right in front of her. There were three of them. The one in the middle actually looked friendly, in a demonic sort of way. The one on her left was glaring at Joy, and the one on the right looked like she wanted to burst into degrading little giggles.

"So, uh, you're Joy, right?"

Joy nodded. "Yeah." She said hoarsely. Looking away embarrassedly, she cleared her throat and shoved her hands into her pockets.

The middle one looked over at the glaring one. "Well, I just wanted to tell you some boy's locker-room gossip that...well, never mind how I got it." She smirked at the glaring one, who, amazingly, was still glaring, and snapped her gum loudly. "And I heard Daniel talking about you."

Joy's heart sped up. "Really?" She blurted, hoping she didn't sound too eager.

The one on the left obviously couldn't hold her laughter in any more and let it rip, a hideous sounding guffaw followed by sniffing her nose disdainfully. The one on the right directed her glares at the former instead, and Joy looked back to the one in the middle.

The one in the middle leaned in closer, and Joy turned her head slightly. Close to her ear, the girl snapped her gum, loudly, before whispering, "Yeah, really. He said that you were getting him a lot of Service hours."

Taking a step back, the middle didn't even bother to contain her look of victory, and then immediately turned sympathetic. "Just thought I'd like, let you know, y'know? Girl to girl thing." Winking, she turned on her heel, lapdogs close behind.

Joy stood still, mouth agape.

He said that you were getting him a lot of Service hours.

Joy took a step forward, not wanting to be caught in the harsh light the students around her put her in.

Yeah, she's getting me a hell of a lot of Service hours...

She started to run.

Joy? Yeah, she's like a complete mental case. It's like working at a home, but easier.

She raced out into the carpark.

She's mental and easy.

Funnily enough, she found herself by Daniel's car. Placing a hand on the hood, she bent over slightly, breathing hard. She didn't want to stand anymore. She wanted to see him, but didn't. She wanted to ask him, but didn't. What if it was true? What it what the girl told her wasn't a lie? Joy squeezed her eyes shut and gripped the hem of her sweater tightly.

"Joy? What's up..."

Someone put a large hand on her shoulder, and she jumped, knocking the person off and turning quickly to get a good look.

"Hey, what are you all in jitters for?" He grinned at her, concern etched lightly into his features. "Something happen?"

She pursed her lips and could just feel her pupils dilate. Shaking off a feeling of rigidity and weakness, she nodded slowly, trying hard to look directly into his hypnotic eyes.

"Well...what is it?" He coaxed gently, his hand resuming it's position on her shoulder.

She opened her mouth, and then shut it.

Daniel stood waiting expectantly, patiently.

Joy looked at him. Should she say anything? He was already nicer than he should be to someone like her...would she make it worse?

She decided to take the plunge.

"It's...it's about something you said in the locker-room."

Oh, crap. Now it sounds like you were there, eavesdropping and checking out guys.

He obviously thought so, too, raising an eyebrow and trying to keep a smile off his face. "What did I say?"

Joy toed the ground nervously. "I'm just a bunch of hours."

He looked at her blankly. His throat went dry. "What did you say?"

"I said," she said, immediately regretting ever having mentioned it, "that you just look at me to get you Service hours."

Daniel looked at the wide, soulful eyes staring at him. She didn't know it, but she didn't disguise those emotions of hers as well as she thought she did. Her face betrayed her every time. He tried to look away, but it was almost like she was working some kind of spell, and he felt himself sink deeper and deeper into guilt.

She inclined her head a little, waiting for any sort of reassurance that it was all wrong, that she was completely wrong, she was stupid for ever having listened to those girls. Those girls. Since when did she listen to those girls, anyway? She had always known they were lying troublemakers...

How had she heard him? "You heard me say that?"

Her eyes widened, and quickly ducked her head. "No, I wasn't spying on you guys, if that's what you're implying. I heard--"

Daniel gripped her by the shoulders and swallowed, fearing his voice would betray the lies he spoke that contradicted her truth. "Who told you that lie?"

She visibly released a breath of relief and relaxed in his hold, and Daniel felt his hands shake. She smiled shyly. "I knew it wasn't true."

He persisted. "Who told you?"

"Bethany. Oh, forget I said it."

If only he could.

"O-okay, Joy. Don't worry." He tried to cover the shame that was making his heart beat almost painfully with a little chuckle. "She's just jealous 'cause you're hanging with the coolest guy around." He grinned, but couldn't help sneaking a glance her, to see if she was buying it.

She was.

"I think you owe me." He said.

"For what?" She asked, looking up at him, defenses back up.

"For accusing me of something I didn't do."

He pouted, and batted his eyelashes. He shouldn't be making her feel guilty. He knew it.

She sighed, wondering why she felt indebted to him. "What."

"Kiss me."

She looked at him with an expression of sheer shock. "Eugh!"

He laughed out loud and straightened, turning sideways and pointing at his cheek. "Chillax, just here."

Closing his eyes, he held back a wide grin.

Joy contemplated for a while, taking in his stance. Thumbs casually hooked in his jean loops, eyes closed self-assuredly.

Taking in a shuddery breath, she closed her eyes, put her lips together, and got on tiptoe to plant a quick on one his cheek.

On her tiptoes, she was wondering why her lips weren't touching skin, and hoped that he hadn't decided to suddenly back away and make a fool of her. Opening one eye, she saw that he was still in front of her...but she was just short of his cheek.

She went for it again, this time adding a little jump to her tiptoe. Still, no luck.

Cursing her height, she tried again, a little more determined with a challenge in her wake.

Daniel chuckled under his breath, and let out a dramatic sigh.

"Alright, alright, what a way to bruise an ego. I was just kidding Joy--"

As he turned, Joy did the tippiest tiptoe of her life, dead resolute. She was going to prove to him that she wasn't a sissy little girl who let guys tease and push them around. Her lips were going to touch that cheek if she died doing it.

And their lips met.

Her eyes immediately shot open, and for a second, all they did was stare at each with their lips attached. It was almost chilling to be looking into his eyes this close. Her heart pounded in her chest, and her head told her to pull away and run.

Daniel pulled away first and stared at her, temporarily speechless.

Definitely had not expected that.

She looked up at his face, took in the surprise, and felt like sinking in the floor. God, what does he think of me now?!

So she ran, and to her dismay, could only assume that he simply took off in the other direction when he didn’t call her name.

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Heh...that took a while to get out..but, er, I have a good explanation for that. -runs and hides-

OLB