* * *
At the end of class, Danni gathered her things and shuffled toward the door, reaching the front of the room at the same time as Darren. They hadn’t even made it out the door before he threaded his fingers through hers. Danni smiled at him, but she didn’t speak until they were outside. There, she pulled him aside while the other students streamed past.
“Please don’t,” Darren said.
Danni knitted her eyebrows together. “Don’t what?”
“Break up with me.”
“Even after all those nice things I said about you, you think I’m going to break up with you?” Danni asked.
“Are you?”
“No, but I meant it when I said I’m not putting up with your attitude anymore.”
“So, if we get in another fight it’s over?”
Danni laughed. “I don’t think it’s possible for us not to fight.”
“Then I don’t get what you want.”
“I want you to stop being such a dick.” Danni smiled as she said it. “It’s okay for us to fight about money or where we want to live or what color to paint our bedroom, but I’m not going to let you pick fights with me because you’re worried I’m suddenly going to realize you’ve only got one arm and bail on you.”
Darren slid his arm around her waist. “Maybe you should break up with me then.”
“No way, I’m not letting you off that easy,” Danni replied. “You’re just going to have to learn to deal with your insecurity.”
“That’s not why,” he said.
Danni frowned up at him. “Then why should I break up with you?”
“I’m just not sure I can be with a girl who’s going to fight with me about crazy things like the color of our bedroom,” Darren said with a grin.
“You should talk!”
Darren pulled her closer. “I love you, Danni.”
“I love you too, D.J.”
“Does that mean we can paint our bedroom orange?”
“Please tell me you’re kidding.”
“I’m kidding,” Darren assured her.
“Good, because I have my heart set on soft pink.”
“I don’t care what color it is as long as we’re in it together.”
Danni smiled as she slid her arms around his neck. Darren was right. As long as they were in it together, the rest didn’t matter.
* * *
“Would you mind telling me what’s so important?” Marcy asked. “I have tons of homework.”
“You can do it at Danni’s house,” Chelsea said.
At Danni’s insistence, the three of them were on their way to her house where she planned on letting Marcy in on Adam’s crush. Not wanting to embarrass her friend in front of Darren, she had suggested an afternoon at her house where she promised huge news that would have a big effect on Marcy.
When she pulled in front of her house, Danni breathed a sigh of relief at the absence of Nick’s truck. If her brother was home, there was no way Marcy would even consider going out with Adam. The girls grabbed their backpacks and purses and climbed out of the car. Once inside the house, Danni made sure to lock the door before Marcy could remind her. Her friend was worse than her mother when it came to stuff like that.
The girls deposited their purses on the living room couch before proceeding into the kitchen with their backpacks. Even though Danni wasn’t interested in doing her homework yet, and thank God it wasn’t French, she knew better than to suggest skipping it. Marcy would have a coronary if she did.
While her friends spread their books and papers out on the kitchen table, Danni grabbed some sodas and chips for them. Then she joined them, although she didn’t retrieve her homework from her backpack.
“So, what’s the big news?” Chelsea asked.
“You’re never going to believe what Adam Westfield told me today,” Danni said.
“He has a huge crush on you and wants to go out with you?” Chelsea guessed.
Danni shook her head. “Not me, but someone at this table.”
Chelsea groaned. “Please tell me it’s not me. The guy’s nice and all but so not my type.”
“No, not you either,” Danni said, smiling at their other friend.
Marcy looked up with wide eyes. “Me?”
“Yes, you,” Danni answered.
Chelsea blew out a breath. “Thank God. You had me worried there for a second.”
Danni furrowed her brow. “Why, what’s wrong with Adam?”
“Nothing at all,” Chelsea replied. “He’s totally nice and sort of cute in that Star Wars, computer geek kind of way, but he’s not my type.”
“What about you?” Danni asked Marcy. “Is he your type?”
Just as Marcy opened her mouth to answer, Danni’s phone rang.
“Aren’t you going to get that?” Chelsea asked when she didn’t move for it.
Danni shrugged. “It can wait. So, Marcy, are you interested in Adam or not?”
“I don’t know.”
Chelsea rolled her eyes. “Please tell me this isn’t about Nick.”
Before Marcy could answer, Danni’s cell phone rang again.
“Maybe you should get that,” Marcy suggested.
“Be right back.” Danni popped up from the table and extracted the phone from her purse just in time to keep the call from going to her voice mail. “Hey, D.J., what’s up?”
“Something weird is going on around here,” Darren answered.
“Around where?”
“My house.”
“Okay, so what’s going on?”
“I don’t know, but it’s definitely weird.”
Danni laughed. “Could you maybe give me a little more info here?”
“Right, sorry about that,” Darren said. “I tried to talk to my mom about the fundraising ideas for my arm, but she wasn’t interested.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just what I said, she’s not interested,” Darren repeated. “She didn’t even want to look at the list.”
“That is weird,” Danni agreed.
It didn’t sound like Darren’s mom at all. After the way Ann pressed the insurance company, Danni figured she would have been all over the idea of fundraising.
“I know, and when I asked her why, she told me to drop it,” Darren said.
“What does your dad say?”
“I don’t know. He’s not here right now.”
“Maybe you should talk to him when he gets there.”
“I would, but he’ll just take my mom’s side. They always do that united front against the kids thing.” Darren heaved a sigh. “This just sucks, you know. I finally get the guts to start pushing this and my mom’s not behind me.”
“I’ll talk to mine,” Danni said. “I’m having dinner with her tomorrow. I’ll talk to her and see if she’ll talk to your mom. Maybe your mom’s just worried about the legal stuff, and since my mom’s a lawyer, she can help.”
“You think your mom will want to?” Darren asked.
Danni laughed again. “Are you kidding? She thought my last plan was well thought out so she’ll love this one since it means I won’t have to give up my college money.”
“Cool, let me know tomorrow after you talk to her.”
“You know I will.”
“So, what’d Marcy say about Adam?” Darren asked.
“I was just about to find out when you called.”
“Guess I’ll talk to you later then. Love you, baby.”
“Love you too,” Danni replied. Instead of dropping her phone back into her purse, she shoved it into her pocket before retuning to the kitchen. “Now, where were we?”
“What’s up with Darren?” Chelsea asked.
Danni frowned. “He tried to talk to his mom about our ideas, but she wasn’t interested. Don’t worry though. It’s not over yet. I’m going to talk to my mom tomorrow.”
“But tomorrow’s when we…”
“When we what?” Danni asked when Marcy’s words trailed o
ff.
“Nothing,” Marcy said, which made Danni raise her eyebrows.
“Tomorrow’s when we were going to see if you wanted to go to the movies with us,” Chelsea said. “You know, since you missed out last weekend and all.”
“Maybe we could go Saturday,” Danni suggested.
“Yeah, maybe,” Chelsea said, turning to Marcy. “So, Marce, what’s the deal? Are you interested in Adam? And before you say you’re waiting for Nick, you should know by now that’s not going to happen.”
Marcy glared at her. “You’re just saying that because you’re mad about Justin Jacobs being gay.”
“I’m saying it because it’s true,” Chelsea replied with a smile. “I’m saying it in such a bitchy way because I’m mad about Justin too-sexy-for-his-shirt Jacobs being gay.”
Marcy’s glare gave way to a giggle, which Danni caught.
“So, are you going to give the Star Wars geek a chance or not?” Chelsea asked.
“You really shouldn’t talk about my future boyfriend like that,” Marcy warned.
Danni’s eyes lit up. “Are you serious? You’re really going to go out with him if he asks?”
Marcy shrugged. “Why not?”
Danni couldn’t have been happier for her friend. It was about time she found somebody nice. All they had to do now was find a guy for Chelsea and everything would be perfect. Well, almost perfect. There was still the matter of convincing Darren’s mom to give the fundraiser ideas a try so he could get his prosthetic arm, but Danni planned to take care of that tomorrow.
Chapter Twenty-five
“Hey, Mom!” Danni bounded down the hall toward her mother’s room. “Mom, is this okay?”
Charmain frowned as she opened her bedroom door. “What are you shouting about?”
“Is this outfit okay for dinner, or do I need to get dressed up?”
“Oh, no, what you’re wearing is fine.”
“Where are we going anyway?” Danni asked.
Her mom’s frown was replaced by a smile. “You’ll see when we get there.”
“As long as it’s not sushi,” Danni said. “You know how much I hate that stuff.”
“Don’t worry. There won’t be any sushi, just some hamburgers and maybe some potato salad.”
Danni’s stomach rumbled in response to the naming of a few of her favorite foods.
“Let me just get my purse and we can go,” Charmain said.
“Me too,” Danni agreed, and her mom laughed as she shot down the hall toward her own bedroom.
As she descended the stairs with her mom, Danni tried to come up with a strategy for enlisting her help to talk to Darren’s mom about the fundraising plans. She still couldn’t believe Ann didn’t want to listen to Darren. Danni hoped her own mom wasn’t going to shut her down in the same way.
“So, where are we going?” Danni asked again as they climbed into her mom’s Mercedes.
“Nice try, but it’s still a surprise,” Charmain replied.
“Can’t blame me for trying,” Danni said, and her mom laughed.
Danni paid careful attention during the drive. When her mom turned onto Blackstone Drive, she figured they were going to one of the many restaurants that lined either side of the busy thoroughfare. Her mom surprised her by turning off the street a few blocks later.
Danni frowned as they drove deeper into the surrounding residential area. “Uh, you’re not lost are you, Mom?”
“I hope not,” Charmain said.
“If you tell me where we’re going, I might be able to help you find it.”
“No need. I’m going in the right direction.”
“And what direction is that?” Danni asked.
“I told you, it’s the right direction.”
If she didn’t know better, Danni would have thought they were on the way to Darren’s house. This wasn’t the usual route she took there, but she knew the neighborhood well. Her hunch was confirmed when her mom pulled onto Darren’s street.
“Why are we going to the Jacobs’ house?” Danni asked.
“Who said we were?”
“This is their street.”
“Is it?” Charmain asked as she pulled her car alongside the curb and turned off the engine.
“Okay, what are we doing here?”
Charmain smiled. “Why don’t we just go inside and you can find out?”
Danni climbed out of the car and followed her mom up the walkway. Even though she had no clue what they were doing there, she realized just how perfect it was. Both cars being in the driveway told her that Darren’s parents were home, which meant they could both hear what her mom had to say about the fundraising idea. Of course, Danni would have to spring it on them, but she wasn’t going to turn her back on such a good opportunity.
Charmain rang the doorbell and they waited. After a few moments, a beaming Ann opened the door.
“Charmain, Danni! You’re just in time,” Ann said.
Danni frowned. “In time for what?”
“You’ll see.” Ann stepped aside. “Come on in. Everyone’s in the dining room.”
Danni’s frown deepened as she and her mom entered the house behind Ann.
“Justin should be here with Darren any minute now,” Ann said over her shoulder.
If Danni hadn’t known Darren’s birthday wasn’t for another few months, she would have suspected a surprise party. When the three of them entered the dining room, her eyes widened at the sight of Marcy and Chelsea laughing with Darren’s dad.
“What the heck is going on here?” Danni asked.
“Hello to you too,” Chelsea said.
“You’d think I didn’t teach her any manners,” Charmain joked.
“I have manners,” Danni replied. “I’d just appreciate it if someone would let me in on whatever secret you’re all keeping.”
“Well, you see…”
Ann’s explanation was cut off by Justin’s shout. “Mom, we’re home!”
“We’re in the dining room!” Ann called back while Gerald winked at Danni.
Darren stopped short when he and Justin entered the room. The expression he wore was similar to the one on Danni’s face. “Um, what’s up?”
“It’s a family meeting,” Ann said.
“Let’s all take a seat and everything will be explained,” Gerald said.
While Ann and her husband moved to opposite ends of the long dining table, Charmain and Danni sat down on one side. Darren sat beside Danni, leaving Marcy and Chelsea to take their seats alongside Justin.
“Here ye, here ye, this session of the Jacobs’ family meeting is now called to order,” Gerald announced.
The two brothers traded eye rolls while the girls giggled. Even Charmain chuckled.
“Now then, our first and only order of business concerns you, Darren,” Gerald said.
Darren furrowed his brow. “Me?”
“Yes, specifically the myoelectric prosthesis that our insurance company is refusing to foot the bill for,” his father continued.
“What about it?”
“Since the insurance company denied our claim, your mom and I were looking at other options, including me cashing out my retirement.”
“No way, Dad, you already lost your savings because of this,” Darren said.
“I said we were looking at other ideas,” Gerald said. “That was until your brother brought us a rather interesting list of suggestions for securing the money.”
“They weren’t my ideas,” Justin said. “Chelsea gave me the list.”
“And they weren’t mine either; not the good ones anyway,” Chelsea added. “Marcy came up with most of them.”
“Regardless of whose suggestions they were, there were some very good ones,” Gerald said. “And one in particular. Of all the stuff you girls came up with, Ann and I thought opening a bank account for public donations might be the most viable so I placed some calls to find out how we could get it done.”
“Including a call to me, and I provide
d some guidance on how to go about getting the account established,” Charmain said.
Now everything makes sense, Danni thought.
“But that’s not all you did,” Ann said.
Danni frowned at her mom. “What else did you do?”
“Your mom convinced her company to donate five thousand dollars to the Darren Jacobs’ Prosthetic Fund,” Ann explained. “That’s what we’ve named the account.”
“Five thousand dollars?” Danni gasped while Darren’s eyes grew wide.
“My company’s making a donation too, and several of my coworkers are also making individual ones,” Gerald said.
“I talked to the owner of the restaurant yesterday and he agreed to make a donation too,” Justin added.
Danni couldn’t believe what she was hearing. A few days ago this was just an idea on a piece of paper. Now it was a reality. At this rate, Darren would have the money in plenty of time to try out for the college baseball team.
“What do you think, Darren?” Gerald asked.
Darren bit down on his lower lip. “I, um, don’t know what to say.”
“You could start by thanking me and Marcy for being such geniuses,” Chelsea suggested and everyone laughed.
“Hey, a few of those ideas were mine too,” Danni said.
Chelsea grinned. “True, but the idea that’s going to make this happen is actually Marcy’s.”
Marcy shrugged. “What can I say? I’m a genius.”
Laughter broke out once more.
“How come you didn’t tell me what you were doing?” Darren asked.
“Well, we wanted to make sure we could make this happen before we got your hopes up,” Gerald replied. “When it did happen, we wanted to surprise you and your friends.”
“But they were in on the surprise,” Justin said.
“I wasn’t,” Danni said.
“That’s because we didn’t want you to ruin the surprise by telling Darren,” Chelsea explained.
“I wouldn’t have done that,” Danni insisted.
“Please!” Chelsea rolled her eyes. “You two tell each other everything.”
“All right, children, no fighting,” Justin interjected, and Chelsea stuck her tongue out at him.
“I move to adjourn this meeting in favor of having a dinner of barbecued hamburgers,” Gerald suggested.