Dani had the biggest grin on her face that she just couldn’t wipe off. She was practically floating around the arena. Dani should have been tired after her all night romp session with JC but she had more energy than twenty teenies.
“Well, well, aren’t you just so chipper today?” Tony smiled at his sister,
“I am, I really am.” She grinned,
“I’m beginning to think that you’re bi-polar.” He shook his head and she laughed,
“Nope, not bi-polar, just wonderful little old me.” She shrugged.
“Wow, you must have gotten laid.” Dani’s grin grew mischievous,
“Something like that.”
“What? Who? It’s Justin, isn’t it?”
“Nope, not Justin.” Her smile grew even bigger if that was possible. Just then JC passed the duo and caught Dani’s eye. He winked with a little wave and Dani waved back giggling to herself.
Tony saw the interaction and stared at his sister.
“Jace?! It’s Jace?!” He whispered forcefully,
“Um, yeah.” She replied and Tony grabbed her arm and hauled her into an empty room. She pulled her arm away from him, “Tony, what the hell?”
“He’s my best friend!”
“I know that.”
“Why can’t you get with someone else? Why is it always my friends?”
“He’s my friend too!” She defended and Tony paced with his head in his hands,
“God, first Dale and now JC! Please don’t!”
“What?” She said and he stopped in front of her,
“Don’t do anything with him.”
“Tony-”
“No, please don’t take Jace away. You’re my sister and I just don’t want to have Dale happen all over again.”
“Are you telling me that JC’s gonna cheat on me?”
“No, not at all, I just don’t want to lose another one of my friends again.”
“I never cut you off from Dale.”
“Well I had to choose and of course I picked you. Please Dani.” He brother pleaded and Dani couldn’t take her brother’s sad look. She turned away from him as a single tear fell down her face.
“Okay.” She whispered,
“Hey, baby.” He smirked and she shifted away uncomfortably,
“Hey.” She said quietly and got up our of her seat, turning her back on him,
“Dani, you okay?” He asked worriedly and she let our a long breath,
“Not really.”
“What’s wrong?” He asked getting up off the couch,
“Everything.” She sighed,
“Okay…” He said as he stepped closer to her and she kept her back to him,
“I think we moved to fast with us.” She said and JC froze in his tracks,
“You regret last night.” He whispered,
“No, I regret the whole thing. We don’t work together, we shouldn’t be together.” JC reached for her shoulder,
“No, Dani, we do. You know that, I’ve seen how happy you’ve been till now.”
“I’ve just had some time to think, that’s all. We really didn’t think anything through at all, I didn’t have enough time to think.” JC removed his hand,
“You thought it over for at least a day.” She finally turned around but didn’t look him in the eye,
“It’s just better this way, Jace.”
“Then why won’t you look me in the eye?” She looked down at the floor,
“Because I can’t.” She whispered,
“Because you know that you don’t want this.”
“I’ve made my choice.” She said and walked towards the door.
“Dani!” JC cried out to her and she turned sadly,
“I’m sorry Jace.” She said and left.
“Hey you okay?”
“Not so much.” She sighed,
“What’s wrong?”
“I chose you.” She said sadly getting up, “I’m going back to the hotel for a while.”
“You’re not staying for the concert?”
“I really don’t feel like doing anything right now, but if you need me…”
“No, go back. I’ll see you later.”
“Kay.” She sighed again and walked away. Tony sat down heavily and let Dani’s sad words sink in, ‘I chose you.’ Her sad look had said it all. She must have broken things off with JC. It was for their own good. He saw what had happened with Dale and he didn’t want her to get hurt again. Better to cut it off now than later.
“Tony?” Tony looked up to see JC there. He looked like someone had run over his puppy.
“Hey Jace, take a seat.” JC sat down with a sigh,
“Can I ask you a favor?”
“Yeah sure.”
“Can you see if Dani’s mad at me or something?” He asked and Tony sighed and was quiet for a moment,
“She’s not mad at you.”
“She’s not? How do you know?”
“I just know. Did you guys have a fight or something?” Tony asked playing dumb.
“No, she just-” JC stopped and looked at Tony, “I really like her, she means the world to me.”
“She does to me too.”
“No, you don’t get it. I want to date Dani.”
“I know.”
“You do?”
“Yeah, couldn’t really miss it.”
“How long have you known?”
“Just today.” He paused, “You’ve liked her longer than that?”
“Yeah, for while now. Well I guess I’ve always had feelings for her. I mean since I saw her again at the beginning of the tour. It just took a little bit for me to realize them. But we just fit together, you know? I don’t want to hurt her Tony.”
“You’re really serious about her?”
“More than I ever thought I could be.” He sighed,
“But?” Tony asked,
“She won’t go for it. I don’t know, one minute she’s all about me and the next she dumps me. I don’t get it.” He sighed sadly, “Could you just get her to talk to me? I’m only asking for like ten minutes and she listens to you. She’ll do anything for you.”
“I know.” Tony said quietly staring into his lap,
“So, will you do it?”
“I don’t know…”
“Please, for one of your best friends?”
“I’ll see.” Tony said.
“Whoa, what’s wrong?”
“You’re in a towel.” She said and he pulled her into the room,
“And you’re really upset. I’m gonna out some pants on and be right back.” He guided her to his bed and grabbed a pair of sweats from his suitcase. He ran into the bathroom and quickly ran out. He flopped down onto the bed next to Dani, “Okay lay it on me.” He said and Dani sighed as she tried to hold back the tears,
“It hurts so bad Justin and I feel like crap.”
“What does? What happened?”
“I broke up with Jace.” Tears slid down her face, “And it hurts.”
“Why did you break up with JC?”
“Because blood is thicker than water.” She sighed again.
“Huh? I don’t get it.”
“I suck at relationships and I would just screw up in the end.”
“You don’t know that.”
“But Tony does.”
“Who cares what Tony says?” She sat up straight,
“I CARE! He’s my brother!” She exclaimed pointing to her chest.
“Tony doesn’t like the idea of you and C?”
“No.” She said quietly looking into her lap and Justin sat up rubbing her back,
“You gave up C for Tony?”
“He asked me to, I mean I already took away one of his best friends.”
“What?”
“He lost Dale because of me. I don’t want him to lose JC too.”
“Dale was an asshole, that wasn’t your fault.”
“But if I hadn’t dated him than none of that would have happened and they would still be friends.” She flopped back down on the bed, “This sucks so bad! I don’t want to feel like shit anymore! All I want to do is crawl under the covers-”
“And never come out?” Justin finished for her and she nodded,
“Yeah.”
“Dani, you know I so understand, but really if JC makes you happy than be with him. Tony will come around once he realized how happy you both are.”
“He asked me not to take away his best friend!”
“You’re not going to.” Dani covered her face with her arms,
“I’m so torn right now. I just don’t want to hurt anyone, but I have to chose Tony over everyone, because he’s family.”
“Even if he’s wrong?”
“Yes.” She said and began to cry again. Justin pulled Dani into his arms and let her cry for a little while, knowing it was what she really needed. After she had calmed down a little she wiped her eyes, “Thanks, I needed that.”
“I know, how about we get out of here for a little while?”
“What do you mean? I’m a mess!”
“We’ll go see a movie. It’ll be dark and no one will see us, trust me.”
“Okay.”
“Dani, it’s Tony, open up!” He said loudly but there was still no answer. He sighed and knocked louder, “Dani, wake up! I need to talk to you!”
“Dude, you’re wasting energy. Dani’s not in.” Joey said as he walked down the hall.
“What do you mean? Where did she go?”
“Out to a movie with Justin.”
“When?”
“Like ten minutes ago. I called up Justin to go out and he said that they were on their way. They won’t be back till way late.”
“Great.” He muttered and JC came down the hall,
“Hey guys.”
“Hey C.” Joey said,
“Hey Jace.”
“Tony have you talked to Dani yet?”
“No, because she went out to a movie with Justin.”
“She what? When?”
“Ten minutes ago or so.” Tony shrugged,
“Call her then.” JC demanded,
“Jace, she-”
“No call her!” He yelled,
“If you want to talk to her so bad, why don’t you call her?” Joey said and JC put his hands on his hips,
“Because she won’t talk to me.”
“I don’t want to interrupt the movie, her phone will be off anyways.” Tony said.
“Why won’t Dani talk to you? Did you guys have a fight or something?”
“I don’t know what happened. She just suddenly broke things off with me today without reason and it’s driving me insane.”
“Talk about short relationships.” Joey muttered,
“Jace this isn’t getting anywhere. Just forget about the whole thing. It’s probably for the best, you know?”
“How is being miserable for the best?”
“You only dated her for a day, you’ll get over it.” Joey said,
“It’s been going on for longer than a day. I’m not going to just get over it, especially if she’s right in front of me.”
“If it makes it easier, I’ll just send her home.”
“No! I want her here because I need her!”
“C man, you’re sounding obsessive.” Joey mentioned and JC grabbed his head,
“I know because that’s how I feel! I’m frickin losing my mind over a girl!”
“That girl has a name you know and her brother is standing right here.” Tony said almost glaring at JC. JC turned to Tony,
“Man, I’m sorry. God, I’m acting like a lunatic, no wonder she broke up with me! Maybe you’re right Tone, I should just take a step back.”
“Maybe.” Tony agreed.