One

True friendships like theirs is rare. Danielle knows that she would do anything for her friends...her sisters. And they in turn will doing anything for her including lie.

 

Chapter One

 

                Friends – Strangers by birth…Sisters by choice 

 

 

Papers and text books lay scattered, long since forgotten, on the bedroom’s gray carpet.  An open bag of Doritos lay precariously in front of two sets of bare feet.  Having forgotten the snacks and sodas two teenagers belted out the words to the latest George Strait tune that was drifting through the speakers.  Together they danced around the room picturing a packed audience where their best friend sat watching from her perch on the dusky blue comforter. 

            Although not joining in the vocal display, she sat cross legged with her twin raven braids moving to and fro as she swayed and mouthed the same words.  Red licorice danced in her hand before being jammed in her mouth as the music faded.  Clapping she watched as her friends plopped down – narrowly missing the chip bag and soda cans – as a commercial for the local Ford dealer preempted the next song.  Brushing her honey blonde hair from her face Beth sighed dreamily.

“I love his voice.  I could listen to it all day and not get tired.”

“What do you mean could?  Try do.  You really need to listen to the radio a lot more.  Then you would realize there is more to country music than George Strait and Chasin’ Tail.”  Freckled hands reached over and gave her a playful shove while laughingly delivering her lecture.

“Yah, like Clint Black, Reba and don’t forget Garth Brooks.  Now there is one hot looking man.  That cowboy hat…”  Twin braids whipping back and forth Skye shook the image – that had pushed all other thoughts aside – from her head.  “And you have no room to talk.  You’re worse than she is.  Beth at least obsesses about more than one.  You, however, only listen to Chasin’ Tail.”  Having flopped on her stomach Skye peered down at her friend to deliver her teasing blow.

A dreamy look fell over the ivory face of the third member and the owner of the room.  “Since you brought it up….I can now verify that Mike is definitely all man.”  Blonde and black heads whipping in her direction with their excited “What?” had her laughing.

“Danielle Marie Hill!  You will explain that comment right this instance.”  The sound of her mother’s voice from the doorway killed the amusement at once.  Silently searching for an appeasing answer she lowered her gaze to her lap.  “Answer me right now, young lady!  If you are still seeing that man your but will be just as red as your head!  Don’t give me that look.  You may be seventeen, but I will still tan your a*s for disobeying my rules.  And if your statement meant what I think it does I will have his lecherous a*s arrested.  Damn it.  What the hell he sees in someone as young as you I will never know.  You better start speaking now.”  Used to this argument her friends kept their heads down.  Seated next to her Beth squeezed her hand reassuringly.

“Nothing, Mom.  I swear.  I meant nothing by it.”  Fear at the issued threats radiated from her every pore.  The slight trembling of her hand had Beth rushing in to defuse the situation.

“Honest, Mrs. Hill-Matthews, we were just telling our silly stories again.  Today it was Dan’s turn.”  Hand tightening on her friends, she fought to keep her voice steady.

“Let me get this straight Elizabeth.  You want me to believe that she was only talking about a fantasy and not that Ryscroft man?  Is that correct?”  Her eyes pierced each of theirs in search of the truth.

“Yes ma’am.”  Three heads bobbed in agreement quickly.  “In fact, lately her stories have been abo… Stop shushing me and let go of my arm.  Your mom won’t care – in fact she’ll probably be thrilled. – and I’m sure she will keep your crush to herself.  Anyway as I was saying, before I was so rudely interrupted, there’s this new guy at school, Mike Davis.  He seems to be the star of all her latest stories.”  All three girls resisted a sigh of relief as Danielle’s mother visibly relaxed at the news.

“If I find out that you are sleeping with or any guy I will…..”

“Jeeze Mom!  He doesn’t even know that I exist okay.”  Finally a word of truth.  Man why didn’t I just close the damn door.  Staring at her mother down with all the teenage defiance she could muster, Danielle maintained a stony silence until her doorway was empty once more.  Silently rising she closed the door against further intrusions.  “Beth, you are a genius!”  The whispered praise elicited giggles from her friends.  The blonde, now blushing, still seated near Danielle’s vacated spot, smiled.

“That I already know.  Now sit down and tell us what we don’t…”

“Yeah, I want to hear just how much of a man Mike DAVIS was.”  Skye still lying on her stomach, her bare feet tapping the air in time with the muted music, impaled her friend with an expectant stare until she relented.

“Okay, so here’s what you need to know…..It is nonya.”  The groans and the thrown pillow – which she ducked – had her shouting with laughter once more.  “Okay.  Okay.  Seriously it did finally happen last night.  Thanks by the way for the coverage.  I have to say, even with being sore today, it was worth it.”  Hearing footsteps pause outside the room her voice dropped to a whisper.  Scooting closer to the bed so that both her friends could hear she continued.  “He is so much more than I could think to imagine.  Now as I have found my dream man and am not going to reveal anymore, I believe it is time for one of you two to take over.”

“Wow!  I can’t believe I’m the only one left.  You two better not be too busy with your guys to cover for me when the time comes.”  Her brown eyes turned dreamy, her fiends seated on the floor blurring out, as she imagined finding the love of her life.

“God Skye!  You’re just as bad as we are and we’ve got it bad.  You are melting at just the thought of J.T.’s hands on you.”  Beth’s laughing statement pulled her back to the present.

Reaching out, Danielle playfully tugged one of the dangling braids before reassuring her friend.  “We will never be too busy to cover for you.  Not that you’ll need us to.  You can just claim to go on a spirit walk or some s**t.  I wish I lived at your house.”

“You’ve got yourself a deal.  You live there with my foster parents and I’ll live her with your mother.  You can have the freedom.  I want to have someone actually care if I come home at night for a change.”  Tears slipped from her eyes seconds before being angrily swiped away.  Hearing Danielle’s muttered “Crap!”, she hurriedly cleared her eyes to reassure her friend whom she knew was feeling guilty for bringing the pain to the surface.  Skye, however was shocked to find only Beth’s hazel eyes smiling at her, looking like the cat that swallowed the canary.  Confusion did not have a chance to take hold as Danielle returned moments later with her mother and twin brother in tow.  Danielle and her brother, who unlike his sister had their mother’s coloring – although his hair was more on the blonde side of strawberry – skin bronzed by the sun, both had looks identical to Beth’s.  Mrs. HM looked slightly nervous.

“Skye, the kids and I were wondering if you would possibly….that is we’ve done all the paperwork in case you would like to ….maybe stay with us from now on.  Now don’t feel like you have to.  We just thought you might….”

“Yes!!  When?  When can I?”  Bouncing up she flew off the bed and threw her arms around her friend’s mother, feeling wanted and just the tiniest bit loved for the first time in a year.  “Thank you Mrs. HM.  I’ll be good I swear.  I won’t cause you any problems.  I swear.”

“Dear, you’re a teenager.  I expect there to be trouble and lots of drama.  And just a warning, I will yell, but you know that by now.  That doesn’t mean I don’t want you.  I yell, because….Darrin, Danielle and you too Elizabeth pay attention, because it goes for all of you.  I yell out of love.”  Laughter erupted from the teens.

“I just heard that one from my mom.  You guys have got to stop sharing jokes.”  Beth was the first to recover.  The eye roll – so much like her daughter’s – a reaction to her statement had her chuckling again.

Still laughing Skye hugged Danielle’s mom once more.  “Thank you again, Mrs. HM.”

“that is the first thing that is going.  It’s Mandy or Mom.  You too, Elizabeth.  Your mother is referred to as mom by you three and I demand that same respect.  Understand?”  Hands on her hips Mandy tried to hide her smile and deliver a stern parental look to the teens.

“Yes, ma…um mom.”

Smiling at their consent she pushed away from the door.  “Okay so tomorrow is moving day.  So I expect everyone back here right after the game.”

****************

Piling into Danielle’s second-hand, primer spotted Civic forty-five minutes later the excitement had yet to fade from Skye’s face.  “Looks like I may need that alibi one day after all, now that we’re sisters.  Um….Oh…s**t…well….um….you know living under the same roof.”  Seated in the backseat she wished to have her words back as two faces snapped around to stare at her.

“What?  Fine I see how it is.  You’re only sisters if you live under the same roof.”  Thrusting her bottom lip out, Beth pouted as if hurt.

“You two have been part of my family since Beth drug me home with her last year.  So stop it both of you.”

“Hey, that reminds me….Please get your mom to stop with the Elizabeth thing.  I feel like I’m in trouble every time she uses my name.”

“You heard her tonight.  Give her the same treatment we give your mom.  So….Not my job.  You do it.”  The drive to the high school – five miles away – took only moments.  The parking lot packed, Danielle circled it twice before settling for a spot on the street.  Attending only as something to do on Friday night, none of the three – unlike the bodies in the stands – wore their school colors.  All three scanned the packed bleachers, after gaining entrance, looking for Beth’s boyfriend who would’ve saved them places.  Spotting him Beth sprinted up the steps to take her place at his side.  Her friends, postponing the thinly veiled disapproval, slowly followed stopping often to chat with other friends.  Sliding in past the wiry thin blonde, who looked anything but pleased, they took their places next to Beth.

“If it isn’t my beautiful sisters.  Hey Charlie.  Did they tell you the awesome news?”  The first quarter had come and gone, leaving the home crowd cheering their last second touchdown, by the time that Darrin joined the group.  Charlie, eyes never leaving the game, acknowledged the arrival with jerk of his chin, showing no interest in the news.  So hey sis….Crap can’t say that now that I’ve got more than one.  Dan, Skye was telling me you wanted to meet my friend Mike Davis.  So I thought I would help a sister out.”  Darrin only smiled wider at his twin’s groan of embarrassment and discomfort as he watched two figures make their way towards them.

With a timeout on the field, Charlie turned to the goings on.  Frowning as he too saw the incoming bodies, he rose pulling Beth with him.  “Gotta go, Derrick and Anne are waiting.  See you guys later.”  Waving goodbye to her friends, although curious as to what Darrin was up to, Beth followed Charlie without protest or a backward glance.

“What the hell does she see in that d****e?”  Frustrated confusion dripped from each of Darrin’s words.  Having already slipped into the older brother – eight months, but still older – mode he glared at the retreating couple.  “She is the poster child for that whole ‘Love is blind’ thing.  If I’m ever missing something that big do a favor will you.  Beat the crap out of me until I wake up.”  Danielle whispered in Skye’s ear.

“Same goes.”  When she finally sees that Charlie only loves himself she’s going to be crushed.”  Watching Beth disappear into the crush of students Skye’s heart clinched at her friend’s impending doom.  Darrin’s elbow to her ribs brought her attention back to Danielle’s approaching surprise, who was now only a few steps away.  Grinning she waited for Danielle to notice her boyfriend’s arrival.

“Hey Sis, I would like you to meet Mike Davis and his friend Bob.  Guys, these are my sisters.  Well two of them anyway, Beth just took off with a*****e boyfriend, Danielle and Skye.”  The mirthful introduction gave away to laughter at Danielle’s shocked expression.

Turning her attention from her departing friend, Danielle prepared to meet her brother’s friend and her newest alibi.  Eyes widening in shock as love swelled in her chest, she found herself staring at the chest she knew intimately.  Emerald eyes slowly scanning upwards, remembering the feel of his hands caressing her body, the sensual roughness of his stubble as his mouth lavished her n*****s, electricity flew through her veins.  The scent of his cologne teased her senses as her eyes reached his neck.  Heart beating faster in anticipation of her eyes finally reaching their destination and the love and security, and total acceptance that she always found in his…..

Pain instantly stabbed through Danielle’s eyes at the blinding whit light that covered his face.  Closing her eyelids against the terrifying, excruciating light nausea hit with her next breath.  The calmness in friend’s voices as they drifted further and further away frightened her more than the painful light.  Head spinning she tried to breath slowly and figure out why no one seemed concerned for her wellbeing.  Don’t they see something is wron….g?  Was that me laughing?.....What the….Mike!  Darrin!  Skye!  Help somebody!  Help I’m falling!  Mike…Mike!  Arms flailing reaching out for Mike blackness enveloped her silencing her pleas.

***************

Chart in hand, the young doctor, nodding to the uniformed officers outside the door, left his still comatose patient in search of her aunt.  That woman was driving him nuts.  At least today he actually had some news to give her.

Author's Note

My goal is to make each chapter their own short story with a beginning, middle and end. What do you think?