FTB

Danielle smiled while she walked with Nic. He had asked her to go for a friendly lunch with him. She was really hesitant at first. She saw how Michael was at the party. He seemed really protective. He explained that he was only like that because of how she appeared. After talking to the girls about it as well, she decided on going. Nic just talked about what life was like being an all star in the CHL.

"So what about you?" He asked, scooping some of his ice cream with his spoon.

She shrugged. "I'm the same, really. I made some new, great friends, the team is great, my boyfriend is great." She rambled.

"Ah, yes. How is he as a boyfriend?" Nic smirked.

"He's really amazing. He treats me so well. He's my best friend." She blushed.

"Is he better than I was?" He questioned.

"It certain aspects, no. But in others, yeah." She told him.

Nic went to say something but was stopped. Everyone in the city loved Nic. Everyone idolized him for being a big shot. Yeah, he had been drafted and won a gold medal with Canada. But he wasn't that great. Okay, he was that great. But only with hockey. Nic was a good guy but he wasn't as great a guy as everyone believed he was. Nic finished talking to the people and continued walking with Danielle.

"Did you say you're not in the area for any real reason?" She cocked a brow as she drank her milkshake.

"I'm not." He shrugged.

"Then why are you here, Nic?" She stopped, crossing her arms. "And don't bullshit me."

He let out a long sigh. "I'm here for you, Dani."

"What?"

"I can't get you off my mind! You're all I think about whenever something good happens and you're the only person I wanna talk to when something bad happens." He confessed.

"Or the only person you want to blame with something bad happens." She spat.

"That was the old me, Dani!" He cried.

"For two and a half years, you blamed me anytime something went wrong and then you just fucking left me and now you want me back?" She shouted. "Well, guess what, Nic! I didn't sit around waiting for you these last two years. Life kept moving while you were gone. I've had two boyfriends since you and I'm happier than ever with the one I have now."

"Believe me, Dan, I know." He spoke calmly, grabbing her hands. "But I was your first love. Your first everything. There's has to be something deep down that still wants to be with me."

"I don't know." She huffed.

"Just think about it." He kissed her forehead then walked off.

She got in her car and drove straight to Michael's. He was napping but she needed to talk to him. She went straight up to his room. She knocked once. He didn't budge so she barged in. He shuffled a bit. She already felt the tears coming. She was just about to tell her boyfriend that she might still love her ex. She took a deep breath, walking over to Michael's bed. She shook him gently. His eyes fluttered open.

"Hey." He smiled before realizing she was near tears. "Woah, what's up?" He sat up, reaching for her.

She brushed him off. "No, no. I don't deserve that. I don't deserve you." She sobbed as she began to pace.

"Babe, just close the door and sit down." He said calmly.

She nodded. She wiped her face, closing his bedroom door. She walked over and sat right in his lap. He pulled her into him as she cried more. He just held her, kissing her head. He was stroking her hair. She took a deep breath, followed by a sniff. She wiped her face.

"You're not gonna want to hold me after I tell you this. You're not even gonna wanna look at me again." She blubbered on.

"Danielle, it can't be that bad." He argued, pressing his lips to her head as he rocked her.

"So I was out with Nic, and he told me why he came home. He said he missed me and he asked me to think about getting back together with him." She explained.

"Yeah?" Michael continued rocking her.

She was crying harder. "He said that if he was my first love there had to be a part of me that still loved him." Her voice got higher. "And then I actually started thinking about it and I think there is. And you don't deserve that." She broke down again.

Michael just held her. Yeah, that stung but what was he supposed to do? He understood there would always be her first love. Nic would always have that over Michael. He could give her all the love he had and it still wouldn't be the same as her first love. She sat back, staring at him in disbelief.

"Why haven't you kicked me out yet?" She asked.

"Because you've done nothing wrong." He chuckled. "Nic was your first love and if being with him again will make you happy, then that's what I want for you."

She shook her head. "You're too good to be true, Michael Dal Colle." She sighed, stroking his hair

He pecked her forehead before she stood. She gave him a long hug. He told her to text him once she had everything figured out. The second she left, Michael was on the phone. With someone he had never been very close with. Val Nichushkin. Val answered hesitantly.

"Mikey?" He chimed.

"I know this is really random but I need to talk to you about Danielle." Michael clarified.

"Alright." Val furrowed his brows.

"Well, more about someone from Danielle's past." Michael sighed.

"Petan." Val breathed. "When I was with her, I feel like she was constantly trying to compare me to him. I think I was just her rebound, but I wanted to be there for her."

"He asked her to leave me for him and she's considering it." Michael told him.

"That's rough." Val shook his head. "Just hope for the best, my friend."

Val ended his conversation with Michael. He felt for the kid. Danielle had been way hung up on Nic for too long and she needed to get over it. After an internal debate, he decided to call her.

She answered with a laugh. "Are you another ex asking for me back?" She joked.

"No, I'm asking you to get a fucking grip." Val hissed.

"Pardon me?" She gasped.

"You're so hung up on your fairytale relationship that you had with Nic that you're not understanding that it was all a fucking show. He was manipulative and verbally abusive towards you whenever he was unhappy with himself." He ranted.

"Where is this coming from?" She said, her voice shaky.

"From the great guy that you're about to leave for a joke." He told her. "Michael cares about you so much, and you're leaving him for someone you used to loved."

"It's more than that, Val." She tried to defend.

"No, it isn't. You and I didn't work because of Nic. I treated you right and Nic didn't and because I didn't treat you how Nic did, you fled. And you're about to do it again to Michael." He fumed. "Yeah, you loved Nic. Nic loved someone too. Himself. I can promise you, Nic will never treat you the way Michael treats you."

"Val," Dani breathed.

He hung up. Dani sat in her car. She was in shock. Val was always so quiet and he had just went off on her. She burst into tears. Nothing he had said was wrong. She was making a huge mistake. Danielle put her car into drive and sped to the Petans. She parked in front of the house. She ran up the pathway and knocked on the door. Nic answered with a smile.

"I won't do it." She hissed. "I will not leave the one guy that's treated me how I deserve to be treated and loved me the way I deserve to be loved, for you."

"Dan,"

"You never loved me. You loved pushing me around but no more, Nic." She shook her head. "You are a great guy, an amazing person. But you're a terrible boyfriend."

Nic nodded. "I understand. I wish you and Michael the best."

"You too." She smiled before walking to her car.

She texted Michael as soon as she got into her car. He replied. She understood his reply. He told her they would talk in a few days. She nodded to herself before going home to get some well earned sleep. Or so she planned. She received a text from Sam saying Audrey had locked herself in her room and wouldn't talk to him right as she pulled into her driveway. Dani let out before driving to Audrey's. She knocked, being let in by one of the kids. She waved and smiled at Nicole.

"Where's Samson?" Danielle sang.

"In the basement, he doesn't wanna play right now." Jake rolled his eyes.

"I'll go talk to him." She winked at him before walking through the house and down the basement steps. "Oh, Sammy Boy!"

"She won't even look at me. I don't know what I did." He frowned, flopping back on the couch.

She took a deep breath. "You march up there, right into her room, and tell her, we talk now or we spend a week fighting about nothing. She'll crack." She smiled.

He shrugged. "Worth a shot."

He exhaled before he stood up. He walked both flights of stairs. He waited outside of her room. He was nervous. He had no idea why. He'd done nothing for her to be mad about. He took a deep breath and knocked. He expected her to come open the door but instead she just let out a 'yep'. He walked in. Her facial expression dropped.

"Will you please just talk to me?" He groaned, closing her door.

"I have nothing to say." She shrugged as he sat at the foot of the bed.

"Yes, you do. You always have something to say." He teased.

She just glared. "Do you want to be with me?" She tilted her head as her arms crossed.

"Yes. Why would you even ask?" He frowned.

"Because you treat me like a god damn fling sometimes. It's like you're embarrassed to be with me or of me." She explained.

"Audrey, you know damn well you're not just a fling to me. You know I'm the furthest thing from embarrassed to be with you." He argued.

"I don't want to be some high school girlfriend that you joke about to your kids in ten years, Sam. I don't want to know that you only had it in you to care about me until high school was done." She snapped. "I don't want to be a fucking sweetheart, has-been of yours! I want to be the love of your life!"

"You are the love of my life!" He cut her off. "Every morning when I wake up with you in my arms, all I can think about is how I can't wait to do that for every fucking day of the rest of my life!" He shouted. She just stared at him. "I want to be with you until the day I die! I want what your parents have, with you!"

She launched across her bed and pressed her lips to his. "I love you. I love you so fucking much." She mumbled as they kissed.

"I love you, Aud. Please don't ever think I don't." He told her, hugging her as tightly as he could.

Sam's phone beeped with a text from Danielle. All it said was the emoji of a couple kissing. He shook his head. She smiled when it said the message was read. It was time for her to go repair her relationship. She pulled up out front of Michael's house. His parents weren't home and she knew he would be able to hear. She opened all the doors of her car as a song started to blare. Michael opened his front door when he heard the chorus playing. He laughed at Danielle who was walking toward him.

"'Beautiful Soul' was your song choice?" He mocked.

"Because you're a beautiful person, Michael. I can't believe I ever doubted that you're the person I want to be with and I'm sorry for that."

"I get it, Dan. He was your first real boyfriend." He shrugged.

"Honestly, since Nic broke up with me in ninth grade, I've never thought I'd find someone I could love as much as I loved him." She shook her head. "And I still haven't found someone, because I love you more than I ever loved Nic."

Michael smiled a bit. "What do you say you cut the 2000's pop and come say the night?" He suggested.

She nodded. "Of course."

Notes