"Hey sleepy head," Shane sat on the edge of his sister's bed. "When did you get here?"

Danielle stirred and rolled over on her side, smiling at the sight of her big brother. For a second she thought she was still dreaming, then she remembered she crashed in her old bedroom the second she arrived at her father's house.

"I got in really late last night," she mumbled.

"You drove all the way here from Minneapolis? Last night? You must be exhausted! I thought you were going to stay in the Cities for a day or so?"

Danielle rubbed her eyes and lay on her back. "Yeah, well plans change fast in my world." She began to sit up and held her hands out for Shane to pull her to a sitting position. "Pull, please."

He grabbed her hands and pulled her into a hug and squeezed her tight. "Oh sis, I've missed you!"

Danielle grabbed onto Shane a little tighter, "I've missed you too, Shane. It feels so good to be home."

Shane pulled away and changed his face to a more concerned one. "How are you doing? What's going on that you just pick up and leave school and head for home?"

She rolled her eyes, "It's a LONG story, bro. Let me get dressed, then let's go grab some coffee and breakfast, OK?"

"Sounds like a plan," he agreed. "Don't be too long. The suspense is killing me!"

They both laughed as Danielle shooed him out of her room. She sat on her bed and looked around the room in the daylight. Wow, everything seems so. . .the same. So young, and carefree. She got up and looked at a picture that was on her vanity mirror. It was a photo of her and Shane playing hockey on the frozen lake in the backyard. That picture had to have been at least 10 years ago, she thought. She saw all her old high school memorabilia that she had. What she wouldn't give to have that life back. A simple life. Where you didn't have to share your boyfriend with the world, and living out of a suitcase didn't become home. A simple life. She sighed. I wonder if it is even possible to live a simple life ever again?

Once again, the boys were back on the road. Nick was thankful that they had their own buses, because frankly he couldn't stand the sight of AJ at the moment. This was all his fault! He's the one who scared her away.

Nick was exhausted. He tried calling her all night. She was obviously ignoring his calls. He finally stopped calling when he realized she had turned her phone off. He had no idea where she had gone and didn't even know where to begin looking other than back in Tampa. But he couldn't even do that. He was on the road. And it was times like this when the road was his biggest enemy.

How was he going to explain everything to Danielle anyway? How was he going to make her believe him? Her faith in men at this point was gone. Whatever went on with Joey on Valentine's Day must have done something to her. To make her ditch class and come out to find me? Why didn't I answer my phone? Why couldn't I have found her first instead of AJ? But would he have even listened to her then? He was so angry and hurt. He knew he didn't want to talk to her much less see her. I guess he could understand why she wasn't answering her phone now.

He pulled out the picture of him and Danielle from his party as he lay in his bunk on the bus. "Why do we both have to be so stubborn?" he asked the picture. "What happened with Joey, Danielle? What did you need to tell me?"

Danielle and Shane were just finishing up breakfast at her favorite local café. She took a sip of her coffee then finished speaking to Shane, ". . .So after I had my run in with AJ and Brian, I decided to just come home. There was no reason for me to be there, and I certainly didn't want to run into Nick."

Shane watched his sister closely. He listened to every word she told him and watched how she reacted to her own storytelling.

"You're hung up on this Nick aren't you?" he asked.

"Shane! Don't start, because I am seriously not in the mood for this right now," she snapped.

"All I am saying is that you must really care about him for this to have hurt you so much," he noted.

"Of course I care about him. . .CARED about him! I thought he really was concerned about me! Then I find out about his little 'plan'," she shook her head. "I must be a sucker for assholes, Shane. Who would have thought Joey would turn out to be such a schmuck? Huh?"

"I have to admit I was really surprised when you and Joey broke up. I thought for sure he was the one for you. We all loved him!" Shane told her spreading his arms out.

"Thanks. That makes me feel much better," she added sarcastically.

"But, Dani, it angers me to no end that he was cheating on you and that he chose to end the relationship the way he did. Now this latest stunt he pulled," Shane shook his head. "Well, let's just say it's a good thing I won't have to see him ever again."

"Such the protector," she teased.

"And, this Nick? He isn't much higher on my list from what you have told me. I thought he was a good guy, but I guess we were both wrong."

"Yeah, we were," she added. "But you know what? I did a lot of thinking on my drive up here, and I'm pretty sure that any feelings I did have developing for Nick, was because he was there and Joey wasn't. I was leaning on him for something that was lacking in my life. And now that I can recognize that, I know that what I really want now is just a normal life again."

"You sure you can ever really go back to having a normal life, after living like you have for the past few years?" he asked her.

"I don't know. But I'm gonna try," she answered.

A week later. . .

Danielle was packing up her bag and getting ready for the long drive back to the Cities. Shane and her dad had offered to ride with her, but she wouldn't hear of it. After all she had to drive the rental back and then how would they get home?

Danielle's dad entered her room quietly and watched her put the last of her things in her bag. "I think you're forgetting a lot of stuff, aren't you?"

Danielle jumped at the sound of her dad's voice, but then she softened when she realized who it was. "Oh, Daddy! You know I can't pack up this whole room. As much as I want to."

"Princess, you know you can come home any time you want," he walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her into a warm hug. The action immediately brought her to tears. "Daddy, I don't want to leave. I want to stay here. I want to come home!" she cried.

"Now, Danielle, you need to not think with your emotions this time. You always think with your emotions. You don't have much time left at school. Go back to Tampa, get your degree. If and when you want to come home after that, you know you are more than welcome," he pulled her away to look at her face. "I promise I won't change a thing in here," he laughed.

She chuckled through her tears as she continued to bury her face in his shoulder. "There's nothing for me there, Daddy. With Joey gone, and Mom. . ." her voice trailed off as her tears grew stronger.

"I know, Princess, I know," he consoled her. "But you do have school. And isn't that is what is most important right now?"

She nodded. If there was one thing that was important to her family was education. She knew that she needed to go back. She was determined to get through her senior year. Then, she was going to come home and try to live a normal, simple life. Just like she used to have.

She grabbed her bag and followed her father out into the kitchen. Shane was waiting there with a travel cup of coffee for her drive to the Minneapolis airport.

"So, how long till I see you next sis?" he inquired.

"You'll be down for my graduation right?" she asked.

"Yeah, of course!" he answered.

"Unless you want to come down and see the Lightning then I guess that's the next time you'll see me," she teased.

They began chuckling together as Shane poked her, "You better watch it, or I may just show up down there!"

"Ooooooooo, I dare you!" she laughed.

The siblings were interrupted by the ringing of Danielle's cell phone. Danielle checked the caller id to see that the number wasn't listed. Danielle was relieved to not see Nick's number, but she still worried about who it could be.

"You answer it," she said throwing the phone at Shane.

"What?" he asked. "Why?"

"Cause I don't want to talk to Joey or Nick. It could be them or it could be Britney," she replied.

"Well, if it's Britney," Shane smirked. He still couldn't believe was a woman little Britney had turned into. He smiled at his sister and answered the phone with a slyness in his voice.

"Hello?"

Nick was getting frustrated that he could not get Danielle to answer her phone. So, he opted for a pay phone so she wouldn't see his number. It rang and rang and finally someone answered.

"Hello?" a male voice answered. What the hell? Nick looked at the phone in confusion.

"Hello?" Nick asked quietly.

"Yeah, hello?" the impatient voice said.

"Uh. . .uh. . .is Danielle available?" Nick asked cautiously, still not knowing if he even had the right number.

"Who's this?" the voice asked.

Who's this? Nick thought. What the fuck. "Who's THIS?" Nick shot back.

"This is her brother," the voice said firmly.

Ohhhhhhh, shit. SHIT! Cover quick, Nick. "Oh, I'm sorry. Uh. . .this is Nick. Is she there?"

"Yeah, she's here, but she's not available to you."

"Please. . .please, can you just put her on the phone?" Nick pleaded.

"I don't think so, pal. And while I got you on the phone, let me tell you something else. . ." Shane began and continued to bitch Nick out for treating his sister the way he did.

"Whoa! Wait a minute! You got it all wrong. That's why I need to talk to her," Nick broke in.

"I don't think so." Click.

Nick heard nothing but the click and then silence. "Hello?" he said. No answer.

"Did he just hang up on me?" he asked himself out loud. He yanked the phone from his ear and stared at the receiver. "He did not just hang up on me! FUCK!" He hammered the receiver against the pay phone a couple times before finally hanging up.

He turned and leaned his back against the phone and ran both his hands over his forehead smoothing his hair back along the way.

She went home to Daddy's. Why didn't I think of that?

"Is it dead yet?"

Nick jumped at the sound of AJ's voice.

"Man, what you sneaking up on me for?"

"I didn't sneak up on you. You were too busy beating the hell out of the phone to notice me."

Nick turned his head to look at AJ, "Probably because I didn't want to notice you" he replied and started to walk away.

"Are you gonna act like this much longer? Cause this being pissed at me act is getting old. It's been a week," AJ called after him.

Nick stopped and turned, "Yeah, a WEEK and I still haven't cleared things up yet."

"So she doesn't want to talk to you. Maybe that's a sign," AJ told him.

"A sign that you fucked up!" Nick reminded him, storming back to AJ pointing his finger at him. "She was coming to see me! SHE came to ME! And you. What'd you do? You lied to her! And scared her away!"

"I didn't lie to her! I didn't know!" AJ defended himself. "How was I supposed to know?"

"Because I told you!" Nick yelled.

"You didn't tell me shit!" AJ yelled back. "All you said was that you were friends. But then you go and throw the whole thing in Joey's face like she was a trophy. Don't play innocent with me, Nick. I can see through you. Tell me something. . ." AJ started to slowly pace, changing his pitch to a knowing one. ". . .Did you make a move on her? I bet you did. And I bet it was the night of your party too."

Nick's face was getting red. "That's none of your business!"

"Maybe not, but I'm right, aren't I?"

Nick was silent as he and AJ stared at each other. Nick broke their stare and turned away from AJ. He paced away and then quickly turned back, "What's your point?" he yelled impatiently.

"My point is, is that you would have fucked her! But she turned you down, didn't she? You're chasing her for the chase! She's just a trophy, Nick! You really think you have the ability to be faithful to anyone? You really want to screw her and then that's it? No, you don't! If she's as sweet and innocent as you say she is, she's not gonna just fuck you and forget about it." AJ's words shot at Nick like knives.

Nick didn't know what to say. He didn't want to hear what AJ was telling him. He didn't want to start trying to analyze his feelings for her. He certainly didn't want AJ analyzing for him.

Nick's thoughts were interrupted when AJ continued with a smirk, "Of course, if she had slept with you, she wouldn't be so sweet and innocent would she? She'd just be another one of your whores."

At that last comment, Nick's face shot up to look AJ in the eye. His hand shot up next to point his finger in AJ's face. Nick was so angry his eyes were watering and he was mustering all his strength to not hit AJ.

"Don't you ever. . .EVER say that word to me again. I don't ever want to hear that word associated with her."

His temper flared at AJ. "Did I hit a nerve, Nick?"

Nick turned away again and let out a forced chuckle to help calm his anger, "AJ, you are walking such a thin line with me right now. Just don't say another word." Nick waved a pointed finger at him and shook his head.

"Nick," AJ began.

"NOT another word," Nick warned and began to walk away.

"You need to figure out your own motives, bro! I'm not the bad guy, I'm just trying to help you see," AJ hollered after him.

"Don't do me any favors!" Nick scowled as he kept walking.

Chapter 10
Chapter 8
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