"Where's Danielle?" Joey asked, as Justin sat down next to Chris.
Justin shrugged. "She said she wanted to stay outside for a couple minutes.
"What happened?" Katie asked.
"We just talked. That's all. Like we should have ages ago." replied Justin, taking a bite of his cheeseburger.
Joey slid out of the booth. "I'll be right back."
Justin stopped him. "She said she wants to be alone."
"You know Danielle. She never wants to be alone."
"Yeah she does." he argued.
"When has she ever wanted to be alone?"
"When she's crying." Justin's face fell. "Oh my god. She's crying isn't she?!" he jumped up.
Joey nudged him back down. "Let me."
Justin nodded blankly.
He walked outside. Danielle was no where in site. "Danielle?" he called.
No answer.
"Dani?" he jogged over to the wav, and pulled the sliding door open.
Danielle was curled up on the front bench. She looked up, and quickly wiped the tears from her cheeks.
Joey silently climbed in, and shut the door.
Danielle sniffled, and rested her head against the tinted window.
"What happened?" he finally asked.
"Nothing," she replied. "I don't know why I'm even crying. It's so stupid."
"Well, it's gotta be something."
Danielle shook her head. "We were just talking is all. I guess some of the things we talked about just pulled on some strings inside me."
"You and Justin?"
"Yeah."
Joey sighed. It seemed like he was always picking up the pieces of Justin's life. Well, at least the Danielle portion on his life.
"I'm gonna let him see Noah." she said.
"You are? Are yo sure you want to?"
Danielle nodded. "Noah needs Justin. And Justin seems to really want to be in his life. So I guess it's best for everyone."
"Yeah."
It was silent again.
Danielle turned her body to Joey. "He said he still loves me," she whispered. "Do you think he really does?"
Not as much as I do. Why can't you see that? Justin's not worth it. I am.
"Joey?"
Joey looked into Danielle's questioning eyes, where it was still evident she had been crying. "Yeah." he said, finally. "Yeah, I think he does."
Danielle smiled. She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek before climbing over him, and puling open the door. "Come on. Let's go back in." she jumped out of the van.
Joey followed suite. "Feel better?"
"Yup." she chirped. "You always make me feel better."
Joey let his arm fall around Danielle's shoulder. "And you love me for it."
"Yep. The only problem with that is that it seems like every time we've been alone since you got back I've been crying."
"Nah. Only twice."
"In the last two days."
Joey laughed. "Your right. You cry to much."
They entered the dinner, and Joey let his arm fall back down.
"What were you two doing out there?" Lance asked.
"Constructing a plan for world domination." Danielle replied nonchalantly as she and Joey sat down.
"Without me?" Chris cried.
"Sorry pal. You just can't be trusted." Joey said.
"Gosh, you really learn who your friends are when they start planning to take over the world." Chris pouted.
"Ew." Danielle groaned picking up her burger. "It's soggy."
Chris burst out laughing.
Danielle turned around. "What did you do to my food?"
"Oh, nothing." he replied, trying to sound innocent.
Danielle grabbed her fork and stuck it accusingly in his face. "Tell me what you did, or I'll poke you."
"I'll never say a word." he crossed his arms over his chest.
Danielle poked him in the back.
"Ow!" he yelped.
"Tell me." she demanded.
"No."
She poked him again.
"Ow! Ok, ok! I'll tell you! Just stop with the fork Zena Warrior Princess!"
Danielle kept the fork pointing at him.
"I poured a glass of water on it." Chris admitted.
Danielle whirled around sitting correctly in her seat, and pointed her fork at JC and Katie. "And nobody else saw this happen?"
Katie held her hands up. "I was sworn to secrecy."
"Have you always been so dumb?" she asked Chris.
He thought for a moment. "Yeah. Pretty much."
"How can you guys put up with him 24/7?"
"Easy," JC replied. "We ignore him."
Danielle laughed. "Somehow this doesn't work for me."
"Maybe he has a crush on you." Lance suggested.
"Uh, no! Me, have a crush on pig-tails?" he asked, using the nickname he has given her one year when she went to a costume party as Pipi Longstocking.
"Well, you do tease her an awful lot," Brittny pointed out.
"But she's just so. . . teaseable."
Danielle turned around so she was kneeling in the booth, her arms resting on the wooden piece between the two booths, and her face near Chris's.
She leaned over and grabbed one of his fries. "Ya know if you like me," she popped the fry in her mouth, and continued on while chewing. "You should just admit it."
Chris rolled his eyes. "Puh-leeze."
"Why dontcha kiss her?" JC teased.
"I'd rather kiss Busta."
"Oh, so you like it Doggie style?" Danielle asked, grabbing another fry.
Brittny and Katie stifled laughter.
"She can take doggie style pretty well," Justin put in.
Katie's eyes widened. "Something I did not need to know."
"As if you would even know." Danielle said, a jokingly disgusted look on her face.
"Oh yeah, I forgot. You like it straight to the point." he said wryly.
"Again," Katie interrupted. "Something I did not need to know."
"He's just bitter cuz Chris liked Danielle." Joey said.
"I do not like Danielle. You like Danielle."
Danielle laughed. "Anyone else at these tabled like me? I'm three for three now." she joked.
"Sorry, Dani, I'm more into Brittny." Lance said.
Brittny beamed, and gave him a short kiss.
"JC?" Danielle asked. "Got any hidden crushes on me?"
"Nope. Sorry, I love ya and all, but not like that."
Danielle shrugged. "Three outta five ain't bad."
"Make that two outta five." Chris corrected.
"One outta five." Joey put in.
Danielle sighed. "They're dropping like flies! I guess it's just you and me now, Justin."
"Just the way it should be." Justin said.
"Are you two back together or something?" Brittny asked.
"Nope." Danielle replied.
"Oh, because you haven't bad mouthed him all night."
Justin turned to her. "When did you bad mouth me?"
"Only every day for the past year." Brittny answered.
"You deserved every word of it, and you know it."
"Yeah. . I guess. .. "
The tables feel silent.
Hating silent pauses, Danielle turned to Chris. "Knock, knock."
"Who's there?" Chris asked, playing along.
"Chris."
"Chris who?"
"Chris on the cheek!" Danielle gave him a big, wet, sloppy kiss on the cheek.
"Oh, no." Brittny laughed.
"Yuck!" Chris wiped his face off with the back of his hand.
"Get it? Kiss, Chris? Kiss on the cheek, kiss on the cheek?"
"That must have been the most dumb joke ever." Brittny said.
"You have to admit it was pretty creative. I just thought of it."
Katie shook her head. "She's finally lost it."
"She lost it looong ago." Joey said.
"Look!" Lance cried. "Look at Chris! He's blushing! He liked the kiss!"
"He needs one on the lips." JC said.
"We'll save those for later, right Chrissy?" Danielle joked.
"Yeah," he rolled his eyes. "Right."
Part Eighteen
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