Taming His Heart

DANNY

Finally I can breathe. I do not like guys around all the time. I don’t know how Courtney does it. I am going out of my mind. I take a seat on the couch and then hear Courtney make a mad dash to the bathroom. I can hear her hurling from here. What the hell? Courtney never gets sick.

I get up from the couch and enter the bathroom. Her hair is still down, so I pull it back away. She just groans. I rub her back to try to make her feel better. “Danny, I’m such an awful person.” After a few minutes of hurling, she pulls back and sits with her back against the tub.

“I don’t think you’re that awful. Let’s get you cleaned up.”

I try to give her a hand off the floor. She agrees and helps me but that doesn’t stop her from protesting. “No, I was a bad sister. I should have shown you the ropes. I should have been a better sister.”Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Where is this coming from? Is this just because you’re sick?”

“No, well kind of. I just see all you do. I’m going to have to do that soon. You aren’t going to live with me forever. I have to grow up. I can’t keep being a child and making child-like choices. Choices can last for a lifetime. I have to grow up and make the right choices.”

I get her standing. “Well, how about we start with a shower. I am sure that will make you feel better. I’ll make some soup. I bought some today, so yay. Then you can curl up on the couch and watch a movie.”

I feel her head for a fever. “You don’t have a fever, I don’t know if that is a good thing or a bad thing.”

“It’s a good thing. Trust me.” She groans.

I leave her alone to take her shower. I put the soup on the stove and then gather up the laundry while it’s heating up. Once I have a good size load I head down to the building basement. That is where they keep the laundry room. Thankfully, I am the only one doing my wash right now. I think the others might have done theirs earlier. I start this load and then head up for another. This is how I get my exercise. Spend all day cleaning the house then trudge up three flights of stairs doing laundry.

The rest of the afternoon is pretty bland. Courtney sits on the couch watching some old chick flick, one with mean girls. She keeps crying, that is just odd to me. Maybe someone was mean to her and she is finally feeling what it’s like. I doubt it, but you never know. That makes the most logical sense.

I know I have to go to the movies later with Kyle as more of his parading me around. So I get some homework done while I am doing the laundry. I just manage to finish everything when Kyle walks in the door. He has decided to forgo knocking for now, I guess. “There’s my girl.”

He smiles at me as he grabs me up. His hair is still wet from the shower.

“How was practice?”

He shrugs, “Fine. What’s up with your sister? She looks like she just got hit by a car.”

“Shh, be nice. She’s sick.”

“She can hear you.” Courtney grumbles from the couch. “Thank you Danny, but I can deal with Kyle.”

“Since when do you call her Danny?”

“Since I want to. If you don’t treat my sister right, I am going to break your balls.” Even though I am a little shocked, she never talks about me like that.

“I thought you already did that.” He grumbles.

“Ok, I did not need to hear that.” I kind of shout it out a little. This needs to stop now.

“Sorry Danny.” My sister just turns back to the TV. Jeez, she is acting weird. More of that mood swing stuff. This time it’s just weirder.

Kyle even cocks an eyebrow at her weirdness. “Okay, anyway. You ready to go.”

“Let me change real quick.”

KYLE

Once Danny is out of the room I turn on Courtney. “What kind of game are you playing?”

“No game.” She just shrugs.

“Why are you all of the sudden on Danny’s side?”

“Call it hormones. I’ll probably hate her again tomorrow.” She waves me off.

“Don’t, just don’t. She doesn’t need you being all flippy floppy on her.”

She groans and looks at me. She looks like shit. “You know, I was in the bathroom puking my guts out, Danny came in there and pulled my hair back and rubbed my back while I was at my lowest. I just realized what a bitch I have been to her. She is going to be the only one there for me when this gets out and you know it. My parents will treat me the same way they treat her. I’m alone in this and Danny may be the only person in my corner. Just like she always is.”

“Courtney, if it was mine I would be there for you. But you and I both know it isn’t.” I sigh, frustrated.

She cries a little. “I’m not even upset about that. I am more upset about Danny. She is a great sister. I am a crap sister. She is too good for both of us.”

I rub the back of my neck. “Yeah, well, that remains to be seen. Maybe we can both be better for her.”

Courtney sniffles a little, but looks me right in the eye. “Yeah, maybe we can.”

“Do you need anything before we head out?”

She shakes her head. “No, Danny got me everything. Just bring her back in one piece ok.”

I smile a little. “Yeah.”

She nods. “I know you always liked her. Don’t screw it up this time.”

I stood there shocked. “How did you know?”

She chuckles a little. “I caught you looking at her a lot. It made me so jealous. I knew you were never going to stick with me, not as long as she was around.”

“You pushed me away plenty of times.”

She nods. “I knew we weren’t good together. Two kids, pretending we had it all together. We didn’t know shit.”

I chuckle at that. “Yeah, I know. I’m still not sure I am ready to be grown up.”

“I don’t have a choice.”

I get a grim face. “You know you do.”

“I am not doing that. My parents would think even worse of me. It’s bad enough they are going to think I am a failure. I don’t need them thinking I am a killer too. You know how religious they are.”

“Well, can we put this shit behind us and just be friends. I can be there for you. I just can’t be the father of a child that isn’t mine.”

“What makes you so sure it isn’t. Condoms fail all the time.”

“You know I always check mine.”

She sighs. “I know. I guess I would just rather it be you then someone else.”

“You’re going to have to face that reality at some point. Danny is going to ask who the dad is. You better not tell her that it is me.”

“As long as you keep up your end of the deal.”

“Are you serious Courtney? You know it isn’t me.”

“You are paying me to keep it from my sister. I think that is still something that you want.”

“You are such a bitch.”

“Yeah, well don’t forget it. You hurt my sister and I will make you feel a whole lot worse.”

I have a retaliation, but Danny comes out of the room. She is wearing much the same as she did last night, with my hoodie in her hands. “Alright. Let’s do this.” She is so cute when she looks determined. She doesn’t want to go out and do shit, but she is doing it for me.

“What movie do you want to see?” I wait for her to pull the hoodie on.

“I don’t know. Maybe an action movie.”

It’s adorable when her head pokes through my hoodie and her hair is all messed up and she tries to brush it off her face. I chuckle a little and help her out. “Action movie it is. Let’s go see what we can find.”

Danny goes over to the couch before we leave. “Do you need anything before we leave?”

“No, I’m good, thanks.” Who is this girl and what has she done to Courtney?

“We won’t be out too late. I am sure Kyle will have me back in a few hours.”

“Don’t worry about me. Have fun. If Kyle gets too handsy let me know. I’ll kick his ass.” She smirks over at me.

“Yeah, I’d like to see you try.” I scoff. I pull Danny back to me. “She’s going to be fine. Come on.” I feel like I am dragging Danny out of there. Her heart is just way too damn big.