Through The Dark

by Jae

“Yeah, I guess so.” Liam answers for the both of us after he nudges my knee with his under the table. “Daisy went to all of my practices last week. It was pretty cool.”

  “Oh, just to watch you practice?” My Mom asks and scrunches her face up a little bit, obviously not understanding why I would ever want to do that.

  “No, she actually practiced with us.”

  “You’re kidding?” My Dad says, looking at me somewhat shocked.

  “No, he’s serious.” I inform my Dad, poking my finger with the point of a crab claw. I was really hoping to avoid this conversation until… Well, I guess the rest of eternity. “The Head Coach asked me to practice with them after he saw a video of me playing a pick-up game with the girls, Liam, and some of the guys on his team.”

  “Yeah, someone took a video and put it on the internet.” Liam adds, excitement building in his voice. “They had a whole segment about it on Sports Center last week.”

  “Oh my God.” My Mom responds in disbelief.

  “Is your knee better?” My Dad asks me, his shocked face now turning into one of confusion.

  “Well, technically no.” I respond, poking my finger again.

  “My Coach is really impressed with her.” Liam continues with a dimpled smile. “He thinks that if she works hard enough at trying to rehab her knee, she should be able to try out for the woman’s team at USC this coming season.”

  “Wow.” My parents say at the same time.

  I watch my Dad sit back in his seat, obviously trying to take in this new information while my Mom stares at me with wide, confused eyes.

  “What do you think, Daisy?” My Mom eventually asks me softly.

  “I don’t know.” I sigh, poking my finger one more time before setting the crab claw down. “I guess I never really thought I would be able to play the same way again until I started practicing with Liam’s team.”

  “Your Coach really thinks she can do it?” My Dad asks Liam with hopeful eyes.

  When I got hurt, not only did my dream get crushed, but so did every dream my Dad had for me. He’s always been my number one fan and never stopped pushing me; especially when I needed it the most. Even though my parents were always super busy, he never missed a single game my entire life. When I came-to after I blacked out, he was the first person I saw. When the trainer told us what I had done to my knee, his eyes where filled with tears, but he never let them fall. I know he was trying to be brave for me. In the time between then and when I had my final doctor’s appointment regarding my knee, my Dad always said to hope for nothing but the best. Through that time, he was my rock and I honestly don’t think I would’ve been able to make it through without him. When we got into the car after my knee healed and the doctor told us I wouldn’t be able to pursue basketball the same way anymore, my Dad slammed his hand against the steering wheel and started to cry. I kept myself together the best I could because I knew that he had finally reached his breaking point and I needed to be his rock now. My dreams were gone and so were all of his dreams for me.

  “He really does.” Liam confirms

  “Wow.” My Dad says again. For some reason, I feel the need to hide under the table when he lets out a deep breath before smiling at me. “That’s great, Daisy! That’s really great!”

  I never seriously considered trying basketball again until this very moment. When Liam asked me to rehab my knee, I agreed to do it just to make him happy. I never thought that I would actually try out for the basketball team. But the look on my Dad’s face right now tells me that I have to do this; that I have to at least give it a real shot.

  “What about Paris?” My Mom asks suddenly.

  “USC offers art and photography programs.” I tell her after picking my crab leg back up. “I can still study them there.”

  “Are you going to completely rule it out as a possibility though?”

  “No.” I tell her with a shake of my head. “This basketball thing might not work out.”

  “But Paris isn’t your number one priority anymore.” My Dad states with a certain firmness in his voice.

  “Tim.” My Mom says while giving him a look that says ‘knock it off and we’ll finish discussing this later’.

  Then just like that, the conversation is over. We continue to eat our food while my parents inform us of their trip some more. I stay relatively quite for the rest of dinner, only speaking when I’m spoken to. I squeeze Liam’s hand when we stand up and walk out of the restaurant to our cars. My parents tell us they’re beyond tired from their flight and are going to head home. We all say our goodbyes, then Liam and I get in his car and wait for my parents to pull out first.

  “What do you want to do now?” I ask Liam.

  “I can think of a few things.” He responds with a smirk.

  “Liam!” I exclaim with wide eyes, knowing exactly what he means. When I hit his arm, his smirk turns into a dimpled grin.

  “Obviously I’m not the only one thinking it too.” He laughs.

  “That’s not what I was thinking.” I tell him with a roll of my eyes, trying my best not to smile. “Let’s go walk down the pier and get one of those cute mini ice cream cones.”

  “Or we could go back to my place and use the ice cream in the freezer for something else?” Liam suggests while wiggling his eyebrows at me.

  I hit his arm again, making him laugh more, and then give my best puppy-dog face and slightly stick my bottom lip out in a pout. He easily caves and agrees to go to the pier, but not without first kissing me and then making me promise we would do his idea some other time.

  “Let’s go.” Liam says after lacing his fingers with mine and we walk back to the pier.

  “Hey, Liam!” Some slutty looking girl says with a flirty smile when we walk past her and a couple other girls she’s with.

  Liam politely nods his head towards them as we keep walking.

  “Am I, like, completely invisible?” I ask Liam once we’re out of ear-shot of the girls. “I know I’m short, but I didn’t think I was see-through also.”

  “What are you talking about?” Liam chuckles when we get in line for the ice cream cones and watches me with amused eyes.

  “Everywhere we go, girls stare at you like you’re the new Prada bag they have to get their hands on. Which, I suppose doesn’t bother me that much. I mean, it’s not technically your fault you’re so ridiculously good looking.”

  “And sexy.” Liam adds, clearly knowing it will only frustrate me more.

  “Whatever, that’s not my point. What bothers me is that they’ll start flirting with you like I’m not even standing there. So that leads me to believe either I’m a lot uglier than I thought and they couldn’t possibly imagine that I could actually be your girlfriend or I’m completely invisible.” I conclude just as the person in front of us moves out of line and Liam orders each of us a mini vanilla ice cream cone.

  “You aren’t invisible.” Liam declares after he hands me my ice cream cone and we make our way further down the pier. “And you’re definitely not ugly.”

  Both of our mini ice cream cones are gone by the time we get to the end of the pier. I let out a sigh and lean against the wooden railing, staring out at the ocean in front of us. The way the waves rise and fall before brushing up against the sand looks so beautiful in the moonlight. I slightly smile when I see an older couple holding hands while walking along the edge of the shoreline, both of them looking at each other with bright, loving eyes and talking about who-knows-what.

  I turn in my spot to face Liam and instantly smile bigger when our eyes meet. I can’t help but let an image of Liam and I all old and wrinkly walking along the beach, like that couple, cross through my mind. Without a word, I place my hand on the back of his neck and pull him down, leveling his face with mine before resting our foreheads against each other as he wraps both of his arms around my waist and firmly holds my body against his. When Liam brushes his lips over mine, teasing me, I think about how perfect this moment is and how much I wish I had my c
amera so I could take a picture to be able to remember it forever.

  Chapter Twelve

  “It’s time to get up, Daisy.” My mom coos while she gently shakes my shoulder. “Ella and her parents are coming over for brunch.”

  I let out a tired groan as I roll over onto my back, slowly opening my eyes after I hear my bedroom door shut behind my Mom once she’s left. As I get up, I look at my alarm clock to see it is 9:30 in the morning. I question God why I am awake at this hour while I walk into my bathroom and start the shower. The hot water feels good against my sore muscles, causing my mind to drift off to the activities Liam and I participated in yesterday morning. A shiver runs through my body as I remember why I feel this way. Though the feeling instantly fades away when I look down and cringe at the sight of the dark bruises on my hips. Shaking my head, I try my best to clear my mind of them as I get out of the shower and dry off before wrapping my towel securely around my body and quickly brushing my teeth.

  “Hey, Daisy!” Ella excitedly greets as she comes skipping into my closet.

  “Hey!” I smile, looking at her through my mirror.

  She’s wearing a sleeveless pleated floral print dress and a pair of red suede gladiator wedge sandals. Her hair is straight and parted on the side, and her makeup consists of a shimmery eye shadow and winged eyeliner.

  “You look really cute in that dress!” I tell her after I put the finishing touches on my hair.

  “Thanks! You do too!” She smiles, making me look over my outfit in the mirror one last time. I’m wearing a short orange shirt dress with a thin tan leather belt around my waist and a pair of tan suede lace-up booties. My hair is parted on the side and in a loose messy braid that lies over my shoulder, and my makeup consists of thin winged eyeliner.

  “Thanks.” I smile before we walk out of my closet and Ella plops down on the edge of my bed.

  “Did your Mom tell you Tony and Liam are coming over for brunch too?”

  “No, she just told me to wake up because you and your parents were coming over for brunch and then walked out.” I reply, looking at her slightly confused. “I’m still surprised our families are even having brunch. I figured our parents would be somewhat sick of each other by now.”

  “Yeah, I kind of thought the same thing too!” She laughs. “Anyway, my parents met Tony last night and they really like him.”

  “That’s awesome, Ella!” We squeal together. “My parents really like Liam too!”

  “That’s what my Mom told me. I guess her and your Mom talked last night and that’s where the idea of the boys coming to brunch came up. When I woke up, my Mom told me to ask Tony, who asked Liam, and they both said yes!”

  I nod my head in understanding and grab my phone off of my nightstand before we walk downstairs.

  “Good morning, Daisy!” Ella’s parents, Doug and Lydia, greet at the same time.

  “Good morning!” I respond, giving them both quick hugs and then moving onto my parents to do the same.

  “Oh, that must be the boys!” My Mom exclaims when the sound of the doorbell rings through the house.

  “We’ll get it!” Ella exclaims as she grabs my hand and pulls me towards the front door.

  “Ella, calm down.” I say as I pull my hand out of her tight grasp when we near my front door.

  “Hey!” Ella excitedly greets, completely ignoring my comment, when the boys walk in and she instantly throws her arms around Tony.

  Tony’s wearing a dark gray and white baseball shirt that’s scrunched up a little at his elbows, dark jeans, and a pair of red Chuck Taylor All Star Converse shoes. I really like the way he styles his short hair into a sort of fohawk; it suits him well. My breath catches in my throat a little, like it always does, when Liam appears from behind Tony. He’s wearing a white v-neck shirt, dark jeans, and pair of white Chuck Taylor All Star Converse shoes. His curls are messily swept across his forehead and he has the smallest of smiles on his face, making his dimples faintly show. It takes everything in me not to pounce on him when he finally stands in front of me and drops his lips onto mine without a single word.

  “You look beautiful.” He whispers in my ear while tugging on the end of my braid after we pull apart.

  “Thanks, you don’t look too bad either.” I somewhat giggle as I press my lips to his cheek and then bury my nose into the crook of his neck, inhaling the smell of his body wash and cologne.

  Ella quickly pulls us out of our moment when she walks past us, making pretend gagging noises. I roll my eyes, fighting the strong urge to smack the back of her head and say that her and Tony’s reunion of completely sucking face was a lot worse than Liam and I’s, and then also point out that I’m the one who should be making the gagging noises, not her.

  When we enter the kitchen, my Mom immediately pulls Liam into a hug before him and my Dad shake hands. Ella introduces Tony to my parents and I do the same with Liam to her parents. I try my best not to bust out laughing when Lydia winks at me while she’s hugging Liam. I decide to take it as a sure sign of approval. Eventually the guys make their way out to the back patio while we girls finish getting brunch put together. My Mom and Lydia chat to us about how cute Liam and Tony are, how happy they are for us, and that they completely approve of our relationships. When the food is getting closer to being done, my Mom asks me to go set the table. I tap my foot on the glass door and wait as Liam quickly opens it before I can accidently drop all the plates and bowls in my hands.

  “Do you want some help with that?” He teases, taking the bowls off the stack of plates.

  “Thanks.” I reply, bumping our hips while we walk over to the table and set it up.

  “Ella’s parents seem really cool too.” Liam tells me as he wraps his arms around me after we’ve finish setting up the table.

  I nod my head, resting my hands on his biceps. “They’re like another version of my parents.”

  This is also true. Ella’s parents resemble my parents in more ways than just personality. Lydia is absolutely stunning, like my Mom, and average height and Doug is tall and very handsome, like my Dad. The saying ‘attractive people attract other attractive people’ is ridiculously accurate when it comes to Ella and I’s parents. Though they are a couple years older than my parents, you would never know it by how young they look.

  “Don’t you guys ever get sick of talking about sports?” I ask, tilting my head back a little to look at Liam’s face.

  “Why do you think I offered to help you?” Liam chuckles and places a quick kiss to the tip of my nose.

  “I just thought you were trying to be a gentleman.” I playfully scoff and roll my eyes.

  “Oh, of course that’s why!” He quickly adds as Ella, Lydia, and my Mom come walking out with the food and place it all on the table.

  “It’s time to eat!” My Mom announces, causing the other guys to come over to the table.

  My Dad and Doug sit at the heads of the table with me, Liam, and my Mom on one side and Ella, Tony, and Lydia on the other. We quickly dish out the food and eat in silence for a few minutes before more sports talk comes about. My Mom and I inform Ella and Lydia of our plans of a girl’s day next Saturday before the wedding and ask if they would like to tag along. They happily agree and we start to plan out what we should do. Throughout brunch, Liam and I are constantly touching each other in some way, whether it’s holding hands, our legs touching, his hand resting on my thigh, or something else entirely PG rated. I can’t help but let my mind drift off a few times to imagine more days like this of us all spending time together in the future.

  “I’m full.” I sigh after I place my hands on my bloated tummy and lean back in my chair.

  Liam chuckles at my actions while draping his arm over the back of my chair and brushing his fingers up and down my arm.

  “Do you want to swim?” Liam asks me after the table is cleared, following me inside and up to my room.

  “Not really.” I answer softly, listening to Ella and Tony walk out the front door to g
et their swim suits.

  “Why not?” Liam questions when we walk into my room and he closes the door half way. “Is there something wrong?”

  “No.” I sigh, sitting down on the edge of my bed.

  “Is it your time of the, umm… You know, month?” Liam asks, rubbing the back of his neck, obviously feeling awkward for asking me that.

  “No.” I shake my head with a chuckle. “It’s nothing like that.”

  “Then, what is it? Why don’t you want to swim?”

  “Why does it matter?”

  “It matters because you love to swim and there’s obviously something you’re not telling me.”

  I roll my eyes as I stand up and walk into my bathroom.

  “Daisy, wait!” Liam quickly says as he stops the door with his foot and pushes it back open with his hand. “Babe, what’s wrong?”

  “I don’t want to tell you.” I whisper, looking down at the floor.

  “What?” He asks, concern filling his voice. “Why not?”

  I don’t say anything.

  “Daisy, please, you can tell me anything.”

  My vision flicks to his face for a second before I slowly peel my shirt dress up to my belly button. It doesn’t take long for Liam’s concerned eyes to find the dark bruises on my hips. I try to drop my thin clothing back down as fast as possible, but Liam firmly grabs a hold of my hand before I can. I know by the way his eyebrows tightly knit together that he’s completely confused as to where the bruises came from. I watch as realization washes over Liam’s face the longer he studies the formation of the bruises. His fingers hesitantly let go of my hand and drop down to my hips. I can practically see Liam’s heart sink when he places his fingers over the dark spots and realizes they match perfectly. I squeeze my eyes shut at the scared look that builds on his face.

  “I-I didn’t…” Liam stutters, shaking his head. I open my eyes when his breathing increases and see his panicked green eyes desperately searching mine for an answer. “Was that me?”

  I suck in my lower lip and avert my eyes away from his. I gently grab his large hands, slowly pulling them away from my hips and hold them in my much smaller ones. I softly press the palms of his hands to my lips, kissing each one, knowing that my silence is driving him crazy; but I don’t know what to say.