by Chloe Walsh
My heart.
The feels.
I couldn't take it.
"Should we be doing this?" I croaked out, feeling the heat of countless curious eyes on my face.
"This is a dance," Daryl replied teasingly. "We're dancing."
"That's not what I mean," I argued weakly. "We're friends, Daryl."
"Friends," he said flatly. "So, that's what this is, huh?"
No, of course that's not all this was.
"Should we really be considering risking our friendship on an itch?"
"An itch?" He arched a brow. "I'm an itch to you?"
I blushed. "I don't want to get hurt here."
His green eyes seared me. "And you think I'll hurt you?"
Guilt flickered in my eyes.
I couldn't deny it.
Blowing out a pained breath, he tightened his hold on my waist. "I've made some mistakes, and I'm well aware that I'm far from perfect, but this, Molls? You and me? We fit. We work. It's good. I want that. I want you. I don’t know what other way I can say this so you hear me."
"You know what Elvis says about fools rushing in, D," I whispered, shivering.
"Sure do, Dolly," he replied. "I also know what Elvis says about things always being on his mind." She stiffened, but I continued. "Well, you were, Molls. Always on my mind, that is."
I sucked in a sharp breath. "Don't."
"It's the truth."
My heart bucked wildly against my ribcage as I frantically tried to digest what I was hearing. "Are you saying…"
"I'm saying be with me, Dolly," he urged, tone serious, eyes laced with sincerity. "I'm done playing these games. I'm done with this walking on a tightrope shit. I can't hide the way I feel about you anymore, and I sure as hell can't change it. So, be more than just friends with me –"
The music was suddenly cut and I jerked away from him in surprise.
Moments later, a voice boomed through the speakers.
"At this time, we ask you to turn your attention to the stage as we announce this year's homecoming king and queen…"
"For fuck's sake," Daryl groaned. "I can't catch a damn break."
Faking the brightest smile that I could garner, I stepped out of his arms and clapped when the words, "Make some noise for this year's homecoming king and queen; Brittany Beckett and Daryl King!"
28 Daryl
I had finally plucked up the courage to ask my best friend to be my girlfriend, and my name was called through the speakers around us.
Jesus Christ.
I couldn't catch a damn break.
A chorus of screams and cheers erupted around us, and I suddenly realized what was happening.
I'd been crowned homecoming king.
"Congrats, QB1," Molly said, forcing an enthusiastic smile that was as fake as the recently crowned queen's tits. "Go get your crown."
Moments later, she was lost in the crowd as my teammates flocked me, pushing and shoving me towards the stage to where Britt was standing like the crowned queen of Ocean Bay.
Fuck.
My.
Life.
I didn't want any damn crown.
I wanted to stand next to the bitch of the bay even less.
Reluctantly, I climbed onto the stage, took my crowning like a man, and posed for the mandatory picture with the rest of the homecoming court, all the while my eyes sought Molly out in the crowd.
Where was she?
Did she leave?
Unease trickled down my spine.
Fuck, I hoped she didn't bail on me.
"Congrats, king of the bay," Britt bit out between her veneers as she smiled for the flashing cameras, when she was crowned. "Don't forget to smile for your adorning fans."
I rolled my eyes, repulsed by her near proximity. "Right back atcha, Maleficent."
"Maybe now you'll think a little more carefully about the company you keep," she sniped, still fake smiling. "Dancing with that scab isn't good for your image."
My hackles rose. "Get fucked."
"Image is everything in our world, D," she continued, unperturbed. "And Peterson is far from arm candy – especially for a guy in your position."
"Say one more thing about her and I'll throw you off this goddamn stage," I warned. "Image or not. I don't give a damn, Britt."
She scoffed. "I've known you since birth, and you've never put hands on a female in your life."
"Yeah, well, I've been going through some changes as of late," I bit out through clenched teeth. "And there's a first time for everything."
"Whatever," she huffed. "Never realized you were so touchy, King."
"Because you don’t know shit about me, Beckitt," I bristled. "But I've always known you were a stone-cold bitch."
Her gaze flashed to me and her eyes narrowed in anger. "We have to dance together."
"Not on your life," I shot back with a forced smile, as last year's homecoming queen placed a sash over my head before crowning me with a piece of plastic that matched Britt's.
"We have to," she argued, still smiling, while she held a humongous bouquet of flowers in her arms. "It's tradition, jackass."
"Then for tradition's sake, you better pray that it ain't a slow song, because if you even think about putting those nasty ass hands on me, I'll start a new tradition called 'the homecoming king drops the queen on her ass'."
She rolled her eyes. "You're such a bitch."
"Takes one to know one."
Repressing a shudder, I followed the devil in Prada onto the dance floor while our classmates cheered us on.
Thankfully, the DJ either had a badass sense of humor or a serious chip on his shoulder, because he played Bowling For Soup's High School Never Ends, causing a stampede of moshing by my teammates, much to my so-called queen's disgust.
When Britt's gaze flicked to Rourke, I couldn't stop the smirk that spread across my face. He was so wrapped up in Mercy that he didn't give his ex a second glance.
Throwing Mercy over his shoulder, Rourke spun her around like she was a sack of potatoes, much to Mercy's delight – and Britt's disgust.
Stepsister or not, Mercedes James was exactly what Rourke needed; tough as nails and unwilling to take an ounce of his shit.
The look of shock on Britt's face was picture fucking perfect.
Serves your cheating ass right for repeatedly stepping out on him, I mentally thought as I beamed with pride, grateful that my friend had finally gotten over what I could only describe as the very worst kind of wrong for him.
29 Molly
I watched Daryl get crowned homecoming king and smiled to myself, thinking about the little boy I'd once taken bubble baths with.
He grew up so freaking good.
How I had ended up here was still a surreal and messy blur. Hormones had led me into the lion's den – aka homecoming – and I was over my head.
Sitting at an empty table in the corner of the room, I kept my eyes trained on my ridiculously tall – and even more ridiculously gorgeous – date as he moved from the stage to the dance floor with his queen in tow for their obligatory first dance as king and queen of the school.
This wasn't a new walk for the pair. They'd been crowned together on every occasion possible down through the years, and I had no doubt that we would be back here in a few short months to watch them be crowned prom king and queen.
Unlike his queen who had claimed the crown through bullying and terror tactics, Daryl's popularity amongst our peers was genuine. He was funny kind, and commanded the air around him with a lazy sort of confidence that naturally exuded from him.
Where Britt's reign at school was fear-based, Daryl's was based on friendliness and compassion.
He had come a very long way from the innocent, carefree days of our youth. He was going so many places after high school, going to reach so many new heights and levels that most of the people at this dance could only dream about.
It made me both ecstatic and sad.
Ecstatic because I was so incredibly proud
of him for all he had achieved, but sad, more like devastated, because there would soon come a time when we would once again be separated.
"Sup, pretty lady," a familiar voice said, as a large frame slumped onto the chair next to mine. "Horrific ain't it? Having to watch that skank be crowned queen again and again."
"Hey, Reebo," I acknowledged, offering the big guy a smile. "Yeah, it's pretty horrific alright."
"Don't worry, sweetheart. Her reign is coming to an end. Once high school is over, that girl is going nowhere fast," he offered, leaning back in his seat and giving me his full attention. "She ain't sinking her claws in your boy there, either," he added, pointing to where Britt was trying and failing to dance with Daryl. Every time she took a step towards him, Daryl took two steps backwards. "D's never despised another human being more than Britt."
Wrong, I thought to myself, he hates his stepdad more.
"I don't care about Britt," I replied, and it was the truth. Sure, she enjoyed making my life a misery at any given time, but in the end, she was just another mean girl.
"So, what's happening with you and D?" he asked then.
I shifted uncomfortably. "We're friends."
"Friends."
My face reddened. "That's right."
"Y'all were beyond tight when we were kids," he teased, his dark curls bopping around as he chuckled. "After that epic PDA in the parking lot, I get the feeling that friendship ain't the only thing going on behind closed doors these days."
"What happened in the parking lot was a blip," I choked out, mortified. "We really are just friends."
"Friends who are having a baby together?"
"That's a lie!" I almost choked out. "I'm not pregnant."
He rolled his eyes. "Uh-huh."
"I’m not."
"I believe you."
"I don’t care if you believe me or not, it's the truth."
"Okaaay…"
Eventually the song ended, and the fast and upbeat rhythm was replaced with My Chemical Romance's Teenagers.
For the millionth time, I searched the dancefloor for the only person I wanted to spend my night with, and when I found him, jumping around with his teammates, I swear my heart somersaulted into my stomach.
"Damn, girl. Pregnant or not, you've still got it bad for him."
I blinked rapidly. "Wha-what? No!"
"Bullshit," Reebo offered with a smile. "If it's rejection that you're scared of, then you have to know that boy's been in love with you since forever, right? Nothing changed for him after you left town. King doesn’t say much – keeps himself to himself, plays his cards close to his chest and all that shit, but this much I do know. He didn't get over you, Molly Peterson. Not a day since you left. Didn’t replace you either. Yeah, he might have messed around while he was waiting for you to come back to him, but he never put his heart on the line for any other girl. He kept that heart locked tight in his chest. Because Daryl knew, like we all knew, that his heart always had and always would belong to a little girl he called Dolly."
My heart, the same heart that had been doing somersaults, flatlined in my chest. "I…no…I…" I let my words trail off, unable to form a coherent sentence as I drowned in what he just told me.
A soft chuckle escaped his lips and he shook his head like he was remembering a fond memory. "Shit, I ain't seem him this happy since we were kids. Don't break his heart, now, ya hear? Took years of therapy for him to get over you the last time."
"But he…" I tried again, but it was no use. "No…" was all I managed to come up with.
Grinning, Reebo shook his head and climbed to his feet. "Come on, darlin'." Grabbing my hand, he gave me no choice but to stand up and follow him onto the dance floor. "You can tell me more of those sweet lies while we dance."
30 Molly
Surprisingly, dancing with Reebo didn’t feel nearly as awkward as I had feared.
As children, he always seemed lighthearted and a safe bet, and even though eight years had passed since we all played together, I was beginning to learn that when it came to Daryl's burly, teddy bear cuddly looking friend, nothing had changed.
Laughing like a couple of idiots as Keith Urban's Somebody Like You blasted around us, Reebo spun me out in a dramatic twirl before pulling me back to him and moving us around the dance floor – Morticia and Gomez style.
The moves were completely out of place, not to mention downright strange given the song, but it was so much fun that I didn’t care.
By the time Daryl made his way over to us, he was minus both his homecoming crown and sash. Looking disheveled and devastatingly gorgeous, he moved through the crowd like he was Moses and everyone at the dance made up the red sea.
"Thanks for looking after my girl," he told Reebo before hooking an arm around my waist and pulling my body flush against his.
"Daryl," I began to protest, but Reebo threw his head back and laughed.
"Anytime, King," he chuckled before disappearing into the crowd.
Both flustered and thrilled by the possessive move, I looked up at him. "That was really rude, D."
"What?" Daryl shrugged unapologetically. "I want to dance with my date."
My heart hammered with excitement. "How many times do I have to tell you that this is not a –"
"Date?" he offered with a smirk, as his hands settled low on my waist – way freaking low.
Wildest Dreams drifted from the speakers around us and I felt a shiver dance down my spine. Daryl's green eyes were so focused on mine that it made it hard to breathe. His hands on my body made it even harder. The feelings and emotions that he evoked from me were so overwhelmingly powerful that I felt off balance.
"So, have you thought about it?" he asked, fingertips skimming the curve of my hip.
"Thought about what?"
"Being with me."
"I am with you, D." My heart jackknifed as both panic and excitement coursed through my veins. "I'm with you right now."
"No." His hand tightened on my waist, pulling me closer. "That's not what I mean and you know it."
Yeah, I knew what he meant and the thought terrified me.
Daryl King was all I had ever wanted my whole life, and now, after basically eighteen years of admiring him from a safe distance, from a slightly murky friend zone, he was offering himself to me.
Problem was, I couldn’t understand why he wanted this when he quite clearly could do so much better.
"Look around us, D," the rational part of my brain decided to say, striving for common sense. "I can point out at least a dozen girls that make more sense for you to be with – girls that would be more than ecstatic to be with you."
"Already told you before, Dolly. I ain't looking at anyone else."
"Well you should."
"Why?" Frustration filled his tone and I could tell he was getting pissed. "Is this about the fire? Because of your scars? Because, Christ, Dolly, if you could see yourself through my eyes…" He blew out a ragged breath and tightened his hold on my waist. "If you saw what I see, then you would never doubt yourself again."
"Because this is high school and I don’t have a high school heart," I offered weakly, shivering when he continued to hold me close as we swayed to the haunting music. "You'll go off to college next year and I won't get over it. I won't get over you. I've already told you that I'm not casual, and let's be honest here, everything about a high school fling is casual." I shrugged, feeling more vulnerable and exposed than I could handle. "I've already lost so much in my life, D… I don’t think I can handle another loss." I can't lose you again. "I feel like it's safer for my heart if we stay friends." That way it won't kill me when you leave…
"See, that won't work for me because the thought of walking around on eggshells another damn minute and pretending that I'm not crazy in love with you makes me want to explode," he shot back without a hint of hesitation, blowing my world up with his beautiful words. "And I hear you when you say that you don’t have a high school heart, because I sure as shit don’t
have one either." Pulling me closer, he reached up and stroked my cheek with his thumb. "I've been loving you longer than a long time, Molly Peterson. My whole damn life, to be exact. I don't remember a time when my chest didn't feel like this, when I didn't feel love for you. Nothing about the way I feel for you has ever been casual, and I don’t see that changing when high school ends."
"Oh god." A deep shiver racked through my body. "Don’t say things you can't take back, D."
"I don’t wanna take it back," he pushed, tipping my chin up and forcing me to look him in the eyes. "Not any of it. You came home and everything just…came back to life for me." I could see the truth in his eyes. It was shining bright like emerald jewels. "It's like a light switched on in my head and I can think clearly again. I can see again. And I see you, Molly. Only you. And I might not be able to tell the future, but I know that no matter where we go in life, we'll end up together because I refuse to accept anything less."
31 Daryl
The truth was finally out there.
All of my cards were on the table.
My heart was on the line.
Granted, I could have chosen a more private place to pour my heart out, but feelings had a funny way of sneaking up on a guy, hence the pale-faced girl staring up at me on the dance floor at homecoming.
Molly was quiet for so long that I sort of felt like I needed to repeat all of the shit that had just poured from my mouth just to get a response, but deep down inside I knew that she was untangling all of my words and her feelings.
"Can you say something?" I finally asked, more like begged, as I stared down at the girl who held my beating heart in her hands. "Please? Just say something –"
"You came without a warning label, Daryl King," she told me, voice small, eyes wide and full of innocence. "It's like I was born and there you were. I don’t remember my life before you, and I can't imagine my life without you." Reaching up, she placed a shaky hand on my chest. "You swept me off my feet at an age and a time in my life when I didn’t quite understand what was happening, but I get it now. I realize that I found a love in you that most people can only read about. I couldn’t help falling in love with you when we were kids, and I still can't help it now. It's like I'm programmed to love you and I can't stop. Over the years, my feelings for you haven't faltered. They haven't wilted and faded out. They just burn brighter and harder with each passing day." A lone tear trickled down her cheek as she half-laughed/half-sobbed. "My heart is literally on fire for you."