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The picture on side is Danny (read on to find out who Danny is) >>>>>>>>>>>>

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"Did you wash this?" I asked, holding up Griffin's away lacrosse jersey.

"Why?" Griffin said, feigning offense. "Do you not find my man stink sexy?"

I snorted. "No. Sorry, babe, but absolutely not." I took a risk and sniffed the jersey, and I sighed in relief as the laundry detergent scent flooded my nostrils. "Thank god," I breathed, and I pulled the jersey on over my white, long-sleeve shirt.

I glanced at the reflection of my back in the gleam of the nearby trophy case, and smiled at Griffin's last name and number emblazed in electric blue on the black fabric. I glanced at Griffin and smiled. "We match now," I said, pointing at the home jersey that he was wearing.

Griffin laughed, and he slung his arm over my shoulder. "I gotta go," I said, but he didn't let go of me. Griffin had caught me before my math class so that he could give me my jersey, and now, I was pretty sure that I was late. "Seriously, Griff," I said, "My teacher is going to kill me!"

"Just a minute," he replied, pulling me snug to him. "I just want everyone here to notice that you're wearing my jersey, and that you're officially my girlfriend."

I rolled my eyes and pushed myself away from Griffin's chest. "Dude, I think that as I walk around school, people will get the idea. But, I think Mrs. Doyle seriously hates me, and I don't want a detention."

Griffin sighed. "Fine," he said, and I reached up and gave him a lingering kiss. Then, I pulled my backpack back on my shoulders, and I hurried across the hallway to my math class. I burst through the door only to have every pair of eyes on me.

"Well," said Mrs. Doyle, her hand on her hip at the front of the classroom. "Thank you for joining us, Miss Dawson." I nodded as my cheeks flushed, and I rushed down the aisle to my desk next to Norah.

"Nice jersey," Norah whispered, and I glanced over at her to find that she was wearing Colby's jersey as well.

"Yours isn't too bad either," I commented, and we grinned at each other.

As the boring math class went on, I couldn't help but feel a glare burning into the back of my skull. I turned around to find Kaia and her clones staring at me with narrowed eyes. Her face was practically green with envy, which I found particularly amusing.

I winked at her, just to piss her off, and I swear, smoke was practically pouring out of her ears.

Math class ended with Mrs. Doyle handing everyone a giant review packet and giving me an evil eye. Norah and I walked out into the hallway and strolled through the hallway towards our lockers. People were whispering, and I knew that it was about us.

Actually, probably more about Norah then myself. From the small pieces of conversations I'd managed to catch, other students couldn't understand why a lacrosse stud like Colby would go for a bookworm like Norah. As for myself and Griffin, I mostly heard that Kaia was going to kill me.

Bring it.

*

"Bye Grandma!" I said, waving goodbye to Grandma Aggie as I shut the car door. As she peeled away from the curb, I turned and started walking out the turf field where the lacrosse game was just about to start.

I hopped up the metal bleacher steps and searched the stands for Norah, who'd told me that she'd saved me a seat. I spotted her, with her nose in a book of course, and I smiled to myself before calling out her name. Norah's head shot up, and as she focused on me, she closed her book and waved me over.

I waved back and nodded, and then I started making my way over to her when three people formed a wall, preventing me from getting past them. I groaned and planted a hand on my hip. "Can I help you, Kaia?" I asked.

"I just wanted to let you know that even though you're wearing Griffin's jersey, you're not his girlfriend," she stated, and I snorted.

"Excuse me," I said. "I think that's for me and Griffin to decide. And," I added, "We are official, so just back off." I attempted to slip past Kaia, but she grabbed my arms and pushed me back. Anger flashed through me, and I said, "Don't you dare touch me."

"Or what, bitch?" Kaia demanded, taking a step towards me. "Are you going to fight me? Then let's fight. Once Griffin sees what a loser you are, he'll be back with me."

"I'm not fighting over a guy with you," I said with a sigh, "That's incredibly pathetic on your part." I tried to get past Kaia again. However, she and her clones blocked my path, their arms crossed over their chest and their nose turned to the sky.

"So you're afraid you'll lose in a fight?" Kaia asked accusingly. She was so serious that I couldn't stop myself from bursting into laughter.

"Don't you understand?" I said as the giggles died down. Kaia looked at me confusedly, and I rolled my eyes. Obviously not. "I've already won. Griffin chose me over you. The battle is over."

"The battle may be over, but the war is just beginning," she hissed, taking another step towards me.

I arched and eyebrow and said, "Yeah, okay. Good luck with gathering your troops." Then, I pushed past the seething girl and walked over to my spot in the bleachers. I settled down next to Norah, who was looking at me questioningly.

"What was all that about?" she asked, thrusting her head towards Kaia, who was sitting on the opposite side of the bleachers and glaring at me.

"She was trying to get me to fight over Griffin," I answered, and I gave Kaia an overly sweet smile and waved my fingers at her. Kaia grabbed her purse in her hands and stormed down the steps and practically sprinted from the bleachers.

There was a pang of guilt, but I looked down at the field, searching for Griffin. I saw him standing near the opponent's goalie, and as he turned to look at the stands, I waved to let him know that I was here. Griffin raised a hand in response, and I could almost make out his smile.

We ended up killing the other team, and by the end of the game, we were practically giving them a whole net to shoot on, but they were just terrible. As the fans filed out of the stands, Norah and I waltzed over to the players as they came off the field.

Plenty of other pretty girls were waiting in the same place, but as Griffin emerged from the field, he only had eyes for me. He tugged off his helmet, and his sweaty curls flopped limply against his forehead. I gave him a quick kiss and said, "You were great!"

"Thanks," he replied, giving me a quick squeeze and I tried not to gag at the stench of his sweaty body. The lacrosse coach called his name, and Griffin said, "Meet me near the door so that we can go to the after party, okay?"

"Yeah," I said, and Griffin released me before hurrying to join his teammates in the locker room. I watched Norah do the same with Colby, and we meandered over to our meeting spot with the boys.

"Do you think Kaia's gonna show up to the after party?" Norah asked, and I shrugged.

"I dunno," I replied, "She seemed pissed, and I wouldn't be surprised if she was at home or something." Norah nodded and then pulled out her book and started reading. I leaned against the brick wall of the building and wrapped my arms tightly around my body as the wind picked up.

My eyes gazed lazily across the parking lot, but when I saw a person staring at me, I frowned. I focused, squinting into the dark, and then I took a sharp intake of breath.

No. It couldn't be, could it? There was no way that that was him.

Danny?

*

Tears streamed down my cheeks as I hurried off of the bus, the sound of the jeering students' voices filling my ears. I ran down the sidewalk from the bus stop, my sneakers slapping against the pavement.

I sprinted up the front steps of my house, burst through the door, and without a word to anyone, I rushed up to my room. The door slammed behind me and I jumped onto my bed. I buried my head under my covers and decided then and there that I wasn't coming out.

"Sawyer?"

I remained silent, hoping whoever it was would catch the hint and go away, but there was no such luck. I heard the door creak as it opened, and then there was a pressure on my bed as someone sat down next to me.

"Sawyer?" The person repeated, and I reluctantly turned my head to look up at whoever it was.

"What do you want, Danny?" I asked, wiping my runny nose with my sleeve.

"I want to know was wrong," he stated. I groaned, remembering all of the teasing from today, and I dropped my head back to the pillow.

"Too much to report," I muttered, and I heard Danny sigh.

"Whose fifth grade ass do I have to kick?" he asked, and I giggled. I looked up at him to see him smiling victoriously.

A thought floated into my mind, and I tipped my head to the side. "Why are you here?" I questioned. "I thought you were out of town until the end of the month."

"I came back early," Danny answered, his smile dropping. "Your dad needs me for a job. I was about to meet with him when I saw you sprinting in here, so I thought I'd check on you first."

"Oh," I said, looking away. "You should probably get back to him then."

"Probably," Danny said. After a moment, he poked me in the side and said, "I'll back later for a list of those names."

"Okay," I said, cracking a smile and Danny kissed the top of my head before getting up and leaving the room. As my door closed, I burrowed back underneath my covers.

I hated whenever Danny had a job. He was like my older, over-protective brother, and the thought of him getting hurt was terrifying. There were times I even hated my dad for sending him on dangerous jobs.

According to my dad, Danny was the best, but that also means he could get hurt the worst.

I sent a quiet prayer to God, telling him that I need him to keep Danny safe.

*

"Sawyer?"

I blinked, and whipped around to find Colby and Griffin standing with Norah. "Are you okay?" Griffin asked, coming over to me and wrapping his arms around me.

"Uh, yeah," I replied, glancing back over my shoulder. Danny was nowhere to be seen, and in a split second decision, I decided that it was just my imagination. I looked back up at Griffin, who had a concerned expression on his face.

"I'm fine!" I declared, grinning at him. I hugged him tightly, noticing how much better he smelt after a shower.

"Are you sure?" Griffin asked, looking skeptical.

"Yeah," I said, "Now let's go to that party!"

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So isn't Danny hot?!?!?!? haha, also the video on the side is I Must Not Chase The Boys by a Sweidsh band named Play. I love them. That is all.

Thank you for all the comments and votes!

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