One x One Behind the Mask

[caij17]

Daniel smiled when she returned a second kiss to him. He let out a breath and thanked God everything went ok. "Don't worry, we'll find a way to deal with her." he assured her placing his hand behind her head when she rested on his chest. "Lets go"he added extending his hand to receive hers as they slowly walked to her car. Daniel had quite a few ideas on how to knock Jessica off her tower. He would need Aniie's help as well as most of the football team, But how loyal were they to their cheer leader girlfriends? Was their a chance that some of the drones would side against their queen? He thought about Sally, how she had warned him moments before the police arrived.


"If you want, we can always transfer schools together" he smiled at Annie. "Riverdale isn't that far away, We could always go there. granting we'd have to drive more than an hour everyday from our houses but still.."he suggested to her. He imagined what his dad and other townsfolk would say if he did transfer. Everyone would see it as a betrayal, more so if he joined the Ravens. "Or we could stay and fight.."he added placing his hand on hers while she drove her truck. "It wont be easy, but it'll be worth it"


The couple arrived at Daniel's house first. Daniel got of the truck but didn't close the door. He leaned inside and asked her a question. "I'd really like to see you tonight if you're not busy.. This time I'll pick you up"he asked while smiling at her.

 

[Cindella]

She smiled, feeling his hand on the back of her head, even if it was only for a moment before they both left the station. She didn't know what he might have planned to stop Jessica from destabilizing what little happiness that they had going for them, but she didn't want him to stoop to her level. She made her opinion on the matter quite clear.

"I don't want to stoop to her level. I don't think ridicule, shaming, even involving the police, is how it should be handled. I'm not that kind of person. I'd sooner transfer, but that's not an option for me." She said with a frown as they got to her truck. "My stepmother is paying for my college, and she is an alumni here at Ellendale, so she gets quite a discount for sending three children here. If I were to transfer, she'd stop paying my tuition."
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Pulling the truck door open, she slid behind the wheel while he got in from the passenger side. It was a short ride to where he lived, and it took her breath away to see what a beautiful house he lived in. However, the feel of his hand on hers brought her out of her mesmerized stare. She blushed sheepishly before he exited the truck, asking to see her that night.
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"I can try, but I have a feeling that tonight's going to be... eventful to say the least..." She said, trailing off as she thought about how livid her stepmother would be. "But, I'll let you know after I get home; make sure I'm not going to have to sweep the yard or something insane for what happened today."
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[caij17]

"I can always help you sweep your yard!" he exclaimed as he watched her truck slowly disappear from sight. He furrowed his brows at the fact that his bag had been left behind in school. He slowly opened the door and heard a voice come from the living room. "Danny get in here!"


Daniel sighed as he slowly walked in and saw his dad sittingdown with his mom. They had placed a chair in front of them for him to sit in. Daniel sat down in front of them and looked at his dad.


"What the hell were you thinking?!" his dad continued putting his beer down on the table. His mom tried to calm his father down before speaking herself. "Danny you shouldnt have done that.. think about your future? Your sister said your name popped up on this twitter thing" 


Daniel didnt bother to read how social media had reacted to what happened in school. He took his phone out of his pocket and scrolled down the app. 


All state hopeful D.Shepherd acquitted of drug charges.


-yeah right.. his rich girlfriend probably bought his ass out of jail#ParisHilton


-Cant believe Danny S would do that,shows what popularity does i guess


-Just another young athlete starting to throw his future away,stay away from drugs kids!


Daniel frowned as he scrolled down to read more, His Dad still angry stood up from his chair. "How many years?! How many years did we work for this?! Youre just gonna throw it away because you wouldnt admit you cheated on Jessica?!


"I broke up with her Dad.." he told him with a straight face. His fathers face suddenly filled up with shock. "You broke up with her?! You want to exchange Jessica and you going pro for this girl?! 


"I Would.." answered Daniel standing up before turning around. "She's pretty much worth it..". His father grew silent as both his parents looked at him. "Dont worry, I was acquited.. I can still play"he told them before he walked to the stairs."That was because of Mr.Georgino Danny!" said his father watching his son disappeared up the stairs. Daniel went inside his room and turned on his stereo. He put his phone on the night table and plopped down on his bed. Slowly dozing off..

 

[Cindella]

When Anna got home, she wasn't spared a lecture as well. Opening the door, she barely had dropped her keys into the key dish before her stepmother came racing out of her bedroom, her face a wash of green guacamole. Her hair had been pulled up in a tragic shape to prevent it's golden locks from being tangled in the facial dip. If she were not so scared of her stepmother's backlash, she would have started laughing at the sight. However, now was not the time for that.
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"What the hell, Annabelle?!" She exclaimed, although her face seemed to remain expressionless.
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Confused, Anna arched her eyebrows unsure if her stepmother was mad or just doing it for show now. Behind her, she could see her sister's heads pop out of their bedroom. They were snickering to one another, but low enough that she couldn't make out what they were saying.

"What? I didn't do anything." She said, defending herself.
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In all honesty she hadn't done anything wrong, but just being the cause of a huge scandal between the Georginos and Shepherds was enough for her. It was creepy how angry she was with the blank expression, and Anna finally realized something. There wasn't even a small part of this woman that cared about her; not even the part that loved her for her father. Anna pressed her lips together in a tight line, completely drowning out whatever her stepmother said afterwards, only vaguely hearing her say something about cleaning the house or else she'd stop paying on the tuition. But Anna had had enough. She closed her eyes, trying not to be angry at the one woman who she thought could be a second mother to her, but she couldn't.
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"No!" She exclaimed, not realizing she'd yelled, until she noticed that her stepmother went quiet and the first sign of emotion showed on her face; fear. "No, I'm done. Stop paying my tuition, I don't care anymore. I know that there had to be a time that you did, but now... I don't know what I've done to make you hate me so much."

Anna said, pleading with her stepmother. She's been on a role today, standing up to those that have been oppressing her.
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"I loved you like a mother, did you know that? I wish you could love me the way you love Anastasia and Gisela. But you can't, and I don't think anything I do will make you love me. For that... I don't even know what I'm doing here anymore." Her voice quieted as she looked over the house where all her childhood memories had taken place then back to her stepmother. "I can't live like this anymore..."
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With that, she took off around her stepmother and down the hallway. Once there, she pulled down the ladder that led up to her attic and once she was up, she pulled the ladder to; along with the string to pull it down. Sighing, she kicked off her shoes and flopped down on her bed, and only then did she let herself cry.
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When she had finished, she lay there, staring across her bed at the one picture she had of herself, mother, and father. Numb from the encounter earlier, she moved off her bed and pulled out a flattened box from the corner of her space, then started packing away what little belongings she actually had.
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[caij17]

Daniel stepped out of his room. Although she waited for her message, he hadnt heard anything from Annie. He opened his messenger and sent her a text.


-You must be busy, Im going out for a beer at The Worlds End if you wanna catch up


He slowly descended the stairs hoping his dad couldnt hear the creaks of the old steps. He found his sister at the bottom looking up at him. "Daddys really angry" she told him with a sad look. "Did you really break up with Jessica?" 


"Yeah it didnt work out" he told her with a pat on the head as he passed by her to reach the door. "I didnt like her anyway.." she murmured before moving to the living room. Daniel thought about introducing Annie to her family when everything turned better.  He stepped out of the door and turned to the open garage. He got into his car. It was a  red 92 Toyota Corolla which he had kept since his father bought it some time ago. The engine had been changed along with some other upgrades and the trunk contained some super speakers. "Havent used you in a while.." he thought patting the wheel before driving off to the pub.


About an hour later, Daniel Shepherd was seen in his usual seat at World's End. None of the other Eagles had been there that night, which made the quarterback realize that he didnt really have friends outside the team. Well.. except for the bartender in front of him. 


"Saw the news" said the man fixing the drinks in front of him. He looked at Daniel before putting something else in the tall glass. "You'll get through it" he added before switching to a beer bottle and placing it in front of the quarterback.


"3 teams already backed out"smiled Daniel playing with the bottle in his hand. He placed it near the bartender before grabbing the new one the bartender gave him. His mind wasnt on the scholarships at all but at Annie. He needed to find a way to get Jessica off their backs. But was original plan doable? He certainly couldnt embarass his ex in front of the school so he had to appeal to the good inside her he had seen a very few times.

 

[Cindella]

She had been flipping through an old photo album when she heard her phone chime, alerting her of a new message. Pulling it out, she audibly groaned, having forgotten about Daniel's offer to hang out that evening. She quickly replied, hoping that he wasn't too mad at her for her slip up.

"  Hey, sorry, things got a little heated over here.
I'm actually packing... I can meet you in an hour
though, it shouldn't take me long here lol"
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Forty-five minutes later, she had about fifteen boxes littered around her room. They were all full. A weight seemed to lift off of her shoulders and she smiled as she looked around the attic. She couldn't wait to be free of this place. Happily, she kicked down the ladder and made her way down the hall. No one stopped her or asked her to do some pointless chore. It felt strange, but she continued forwards and grabbed her keys from the key dish and slipped out the door. The sun was just disappearing, the last remaining light of it just fading as she went out to her truck and pulled it open. Normally right now she'd be doing homework, or even cleaning the house. Shaking the thoughts of her past, she started up her truck and pulled out of the driveway.
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She pulled up to the bar, just fifteen minutes shy of what she had texted Daniel, and sat out there for a few minutes to calm her nerves. Annie had dabbled in a few drinks before, but nothing to make her completely useless. Either way, she felt that she earned a little release tonight. Exiting the vehicle, she walked across the parking lot and into the building. Once inside, she looked around for Daniel and spied him sitting at the bar and talking to the bartender. Gingerly, she made her way over to him and slid into the seat next to him.

"This seat taken?" She asked, a smile on her face.
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[caij17]

"Not at all" smiled Daniel, inching the seat a bit so the stool next to him would have enough room. As Annie sat down, he glanced over to his girlfriend and back to the bartender. "Annie this is Vinnie..Vinnie .. Annie" he said with a gesture of his hands as the two people he was with greeted each other. Daniel them motioned his beer back to the bartender before moving his attention back to Annie.


"Packing?" he asked her, asking her about the exact part of her medsage. It had surprised him when he read it but before he could think of something to reply or call with,Annie already had walked into the pub.


"Just what are you thinking?" he added looking at her with a serious look. He didnt know much about her and certainly didnt know anything about her family. But coming from his family who were some what close knit  , he wondered what could have went wrong enough for her to do that. Before Annie could answer, Daniel tapped his hand on the bar and asked Vinnie for a small Margarita for her

 

[Cindella]

"Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you Vinnie." She said warmly, reaching out to shake his hand.
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Once done, she turned back to Daniel as he asked her about packing. With a wry smile, she requested something to drink before speaking.

"Can I get the bartender's choice?" She asked Vinnie, before looking back at Daniel. "I suppose it would make more sense if you knew more about me....
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So she launched into the story about her family, before her mother's passing, and how happy they were. She told him about her mother's cancer, how she didn't make it, and how it was just her and her father for quite a long time. Then came her stepmother, with two stepsisters in tow. She seemed to make her father so happy, that she didn't say anything about how they treated her. In her opinion, it was worth it to see him smiling again and so... carefree. It was like the weight of her mother's death had been lifted and he started to live again. At least.. until her and her father were hit head-on by a drunk driver. He was killed almost instantly, and the drunk driver walked away with just a few bruises, and she'd been in the hospital for a few weeks with a broken neck. She also told him how she had an anxiety attack from when Jessica had almost hit her car a week ago, she still has flashbacks from the accident when one almost happens, or does happen. Then, after her father had been buried, her stepfamily treated her no better than the dirt under their nails. She had only stayed because they were the closes thing that she had to a family around Ellendale. Most of her other family lived overseas, grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, cousins... she'd always dreamed of visiting them, as anything would be better than what she currently had. But she felt like if she left, then her stepfamily wouldn't thrive without her. But thanks to Daniel, she now realized that they would be fine on their own. And despite how much she loved her childhood home, it was time to leave the nest. 
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While speaking, she'd been staring at the counter, gently tracing her finger over it with invisible drawings to keep herself distracted. She had teared up a bit talking about her parent's passings, but she'd come to terms with it years ago. Looking up at him, she forced a laugh.

"Although, I'm sure you didn't want my whole life story."
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[caij17]

"Yep not really" he said jokingly after her story.. He slowly turned to face her as his arm reached out to hug her. Once he had a grasp, his other arm reached to do the same. Daniel had ended up leaning forward on his stool to hug Annie. "If it helps.. I'll always be here.. from now on." he whispered before slowly letting her go. "I mean im just a dumb jock but you'll take what you can get right?" he smiled before giving her glass a small clink with his. Now he somewhat understood what Annie was going through, why she was somewhat invisible in school to him. Although some points were still vague to him, in his best reasoning, he hoped he had filled in the details in her summary. He wished he could run away with her to a better place. But there were certain things holding him back to Ellendale, his family for one thing.


The game against Riverdale was set tomorrow. Daniel thought about the dangers of Jessica being there and trying something.. however it was an event he couldnt miss. "Sounds selfish.. but tomorrow's game.. You'll be there? right?" he asked her with a serious look. At this point Daniel wanted to show the whole school that he and Annie were a real couple. There was no better place to prove it than at the game. he finished his drink a little bit before hers and watched her finish hers as well. "I want to stay with you tonight" he told her thinking about her leaving her house. He didnt want her to be alone.

 

[Cindella]

She rolled her eyes at his joking tone, and gently pushed him in feigning her protest, but she hugged him back.
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"My hero." She commented, smiling at him before adding, "But I wouldn't have it any other way."
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Toasting against his glass, she finished the remainder of her drink and scooted the empty glass towards the back of the bartop. She didn't request another drink, knowing that they'd be leaving soon anyways, and someone needed to be the designated driver. She didn't know how many he'd had before she got here, but figured he wasn't going to be in the best of shape to drive. So instead she opted for a glass of water to help push the alcohol through her system. She sat there sipping it when he started speaking again.

"Sure. But I probably won't be at school tomorrow. I have to go find an apartment or something to move into. But I'll definitely be there for the game." She said, lifting her glass up to finish her water.
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His next words caught her by surprise and she almost choked on the water from the quick inhale that she made. As she coughed, getting the water out of her lungs, she thought about what he'd asked. Did he really ask what she thought? A nervous feeling washed over as she dislodged the water. Wiping the tears from her eyes, that had formed from water going down the wrong tube, she was blushing heavily. Was he asking to sleep with her? She coughed again, clearing her throat to speak.

"Daniel... I... I'm a... I've never..." She stammered, as she gripped her glass hard enough for her knuckles to turn white.
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[caij17]

Her choking on the water had surprised him, as he placed his arm on his back trying to somehow make her choking stop. He assumed that she had simply choked by accident from swallowing water wrong.. hell, it happened to him many times, probably more than normal people. As she slowly tried to speak, he began to understood why she had choked.


"N..no ,Thats.. not what i meant" he tried to assure her, his hand still on her back as she was still letting out some small gasps. " I just dont want you alone, out somewhere.." he said with a faint smile trying to console her assumption. Daniel shook his head at his earlier statement, how it came out wrong. Although it was normal for most couples to do that sort of stuff, he hadnt even reached that part with his only ex-girlfriend. There was always something that held him back. he shook his head and pulled his body back to his stool. "At least let me pay for a place to stay tonight? " he told her assuming the earlier situation had already offended her and meant he couldnt stay with her, he still didnt want her sleeping in the truck.

 

[Cindella]

Her face was pink by the time she finished speaking, her gaze on the bartop to keep from looking at him. However, upon clarification, she small laugh, feeling even more silly for assuming he meant something else.

"Thank you..." She said, coughing again, "But it's okay. You've gotta get rested for the game. I'll be fine."
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She smiled as he leaned back onto his stool and looked at him as he offered to pay for her to stay somewhere. Resting her hand on his arm, she gave it a gentle squeeze before speaking.

"I couldn't ask that of you. You've already done so much for me." She said, declining.
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[caij17]

Daniel gave her a concerned look before talking. " judging by your story, i think im better off money wise than you."he explained. He wouldnt take no for an answer, and he definitly didnt want her trying to find a place by herself. Even if Ellendale was quite small and almost everyone knew each other, it didnt feel safe for her to do it. " look.. were kinda dating, what kind of guy would i be to allow you to do that by yourself." he added before she could voice her objection. Daniel stood up and slid his had to hold hers slowly pulling on in to signal it was time to go. There was some money left on the counter as Vinnie waved his hand in goodbye to them.


He lead her outside to her pickup. His car was also there so he pondered for a second before getting into her truck." keys" he told her with an oustretched hand. He would bring her to a place he sort of trusted. It was a motel, but a bit classier than most in the area.Ellendale didnt really have hotels.


" keys" he said again with an outstretched arm after hearing her complaints. " you really dont have a choice" he smiled as she gave her the keys to the truck. They drove towards the motel he suggested and got out. Daniel got her bag and walked over to  the counter and talked to the man in charge. It seems he knew him well. He got a small red key from him and grasped her hand again leading her to the designated room written on the key's chain. 


" Its not much, but its the best place i could think of under the circumstances." he told her with a small smile while opening the door. " front desk said there are some chips and water so thats good" he remembered. he wanted to stay with her but under the circumstances it wasnt the best thing. As annie voiced her objections to what he had done, he simply put both his arms around her shoulders. " look.. youre important to me.. probably the most imprtant thing in my life right now" he whispered to her as his face turned red." let me do this for you.."


Daniel then kissed her on the lips one last time for the night before he slowly closed the door behind him. " better call me for anything" he said through the door before walking away. For the first time in his life, he was sure of something. That something was being together with her. Daniel whistled contently as he walked down the stairs to wave to a taxi.