652NONE OTHER THAN
Chapter Nineteen: The Auctioning
"Let the auction begin."
The screams began as the boys filed off the stage, some dancing and working the crowd. Darren laughs as he grabs a stack of note cards off the stand.
"This is incredible!" Sean yells over the crowd. Mom is laughing as Pete jumps off the stage and she pulls her arm out of mine to meet him, throwing her arms around him. He holds her as she sobs and his smile is radiant.
I hope the best for them both.
I catch a glimpse of Ryan as he runs to Emma in the crowd. She hugs him and they start into a conversation, obviously about the auction, and Ryan laughs, picks her up and spins her.
I laugh aloud and turn to Sean, Dan, Sarah and Brent laughing hysterically beside me to release their nerves and their gratitude for everyone pulling all of this together and I join them. I can't find Eleni anywhere, but I decide I will deal with that later. Darren has done this for me and mine and I'm not going to let Eleni ruin that.
Dan slings an arm around me and Sean comes up on the other side, mimicking him. "We won't make any comments about Teigan anymore, Duke. He's a pretty amazing guy if he's doing all of this for you."
"What do you mean?" I ask, turning to Dan, "He did this for all of us."
Dan and Sean exchange a glance over my head, grins spreading on both their faces. "He's doing this for you, Delaney," Sean says. "Look at him." He nudges me and I look up to the stage.
Sure enough, Darren is looking down at me, his face expectant. I smile, thanking him with my eyes and I hope he can tell. I think he understands, because his face lights up and he clears his throat before getting everyone's attention.
"See," Dan says.
"Told you so," Sean smirks next to me.
I elbow both of them slightly and they move away from me and into the crowd, laughing.
"Now remember, the lowest increment to up the bid is one dollar, and our boys all start out at different prices. We are prepared to take cash and checks, but no credit cards. But . . ." he paused, "we will also give you a twenty minute intermission after our four boys in case you need to run to an ATM." He winks at the crowd.
"Are you ready?" Darren yells into the microphone. He takes a step back from the podium, acting as though the volume of the screams had knocked him backwards. It earns him a laugh and I stare at him in amazement.
He was really doing this for me . . .
"Our first contestant is Anthony Thompson," a fresh round of applause and screams arose and Darren grinned. "He's a senior at Oak Ridge and has a very deep love of everything the ladies have to offer." Darren raises his eyebrows as he reads the card, but the girls in front scream as Anthony walks down the stage, swaying with the music now playing with a beat that shook the room slightly. "His words, not mine," Darren says as Anthony strikes several poses. I laugh at how awkward the situation seems and how naturally Anthony seems to feel.
"The bidding starts at twenty dollars," Darren says.
Shouts begin throughout the room, mostly female, though I catch a few males putting their numbers up. Oh, how I would love for Anthony to be sold to a man for a New Years' Kiss!
The numbers keep going up, but the people thin out.
Jenny Kaphrey is still going strong, moving the numbers up to sixty, sixty-five, seventy, and Lily Parett is her only opposition.
At seventy-five, Lily sighs and rolls her eyes, putting her hand down.
"Eighty!" Jenny yells.
Darren pauses for a moment, waiting, then calls out, "going once, going twice . . . SOLD!" He pulls a gavel out of the podium and slams it on the stand, startling us all. Everyone laughs it off as Anthony jumps off the stage to go stand by Jenny. She looks delighted, and he smiles down at her.
He seems sweet to her and it makes me smile. Maybe he just had to find the right person to be true to.
I follow them as they walk to the back of the room near Mr. and Mrs. Milovich, Jenny with her money out and Anthony with his arm around her.
"Toby Weaver is next. A Junior at Oak Ridge who enjoys spending time with his, if I may say so, adorable girlfriend, Anna, who I believe is here tonight." He smiles as several people begin to back away from the stage. "But don't worry, both Toby and Ana have put themselves in for this auction—"
"Whoever wants to bid is welcome," a cute, brown-haired girl called from near the stage where Toby was standing, "but I'm prepared for this!"
Cheers fill the crowd and Darren slams the gavel again. "The bidding for Toby starts at thirty dollars!"
Again the number goes up and up. I watch in amazement as the girls joke around, including several parents—one of whom I'm fairly sure is Toby's mother—as they bid on the shy boy walking, hands in his pockets, up and down the stage in an attempt to let everyone get a good look.
Toby's mother and Anna end up pooling their money together to beat out the girls, and he sells for one hundred and seventeen dollars.
I can barely believe what I'm seeing as Seth Goodwin goes next and sells to a pretty blond in her twenties—he's a sophomore—and they walk to the back together. I attempt to do the math in my mind and come up with around three hundred dollars after just three boys.
Sarah and Brent are holding each other in front of me and I smile at them, enjoying themselves. Besides Mom, I was most worried about them and the triplets, and I'm just glad that they seem to be doing all right.
John is next up, and I can see that both girls and boys getting their money ready and recounting to make sure how high they could go.
It seemed to me that the more people started participating, the more fun they were having.
I look around the room to see groups laughing and pooling money together, and I realize how much people are enjoying themselves helping my family. When some of them catch my eye, I smile slightly, and they wave kindly.
I don't think I can ever repay this kind of kindness . . .
The bidding for John started at fifty dollars, which I think is starting to get a little too much, but everyone is still calling out numbers and waving money in the air.
I laugh as two groups begin fighting each other—a group of girls and one of boys, including John's boyfriend, Aaron Kravitz. The two groups yell out numbers alternately, going up in increments of five dollars and then one.
Darren finally calls John sold to the group of boys at one hundred and eighty-nine dollars as the crowd cheers for the winning side. The two groups laugh about it though and joke about sharing John with everyone.
John catches my eye as he jumps off the stage and blows me a kiss. I catch it and hold it to my chest. I mouth a thank you before he turns away, and my attention is brought back to Darren as he speaks into the microphone again.
"Thank you very much for everyone who has participated in the first half of our New Years Eve Auction and congratulations to our winning bidders!" More cheers. "We're now going to take an intermission and anyone who needs to possibly go and get some cash, there is an ATM at the Walgreens around the corner. Thank you very much!"
With that, Darren hops off the stage. I knew he would be heading for me, so I stand with my hand on my hip in the crowd, waiting for him and grinning.
When he finds me he slows his walk and puts his own hand on his hip, mirroring me as he stops. "So do you hate me?" he asks.
I'm silent as I stare at him and he's fine with that—for a moment. He starts tapping his foot, sighs, and shifts his weight before I cave and launch myself forward to hug him. I wrap my arms around him and bury my face in his neck to keep him from seeing a few tears that escape.
"You have no idea how much I don't hate you right now," I mutter into his skin as his arms wind tight around my waist. He squeezes me too him as I squeeze him to me.
I can feel the light laugh rumble through his body as we hold each other in the crowd. "I'm glad," he says, nuzzling my hair.
I giggle, as it tickles, and pull back to see his face. "Thank you," I say seriously. "You have no idea how much this means to me that you would do all of this."
He shrugs, his blue eyes soft. "I ran into Pete as he was leaving the café and he was fuming mad. He told me what had happened without even realizing it, hardly realizing who he was talking to, but when he realized it was me he asked for help. He knew of one way he wanted to help, but he wanted to do something else. I wanted to help too, so we brainstormed and . . ." he shrugs again, " here we are."
"It's hard for me to see Pete agreeing to this."
"He mostly agreed that it would definitely bring in some money, especially with who we know in the school and the fact that if people's parents came, there would be even more donations." He smiles at me as he brushes a strand of hair away from my face. "So many people in this town love your family—your mom for her work at the hospital, your sister for how incredible she was in school, your brothers for their mostly harmless mischief, and you for how willing you are to help anyone who needs it. This is their way of repaying you for all the times you've helped them or influenced their lives."
"Sounds like you've been talking a lot to the people in town."
Darren smiles. "Yeah. I heard some really nice things that have just made me more attracted to you."
I raise an eyebrow. "Oh really?"
He leans in so his lips are close to mine and I can feel his breath when he speaks. "Yes, really." He places a light kiss on my lips and my eyes flutter. He pulls away, though he seems to do so reluctantly. "I have to go set up a few more things for the second part and make sure our mystery man hasn't given himself up yet."
"Do I get to know who he is?"
Darren rolls his eyes. "Of course not! Part of the surprise is that he'll surprise you." He winks before dissolving back into the crowded basement.
I sigh, frustrated but happy.
I wander to the bar that had been set up with alcohol on Christmas Eve, but was now set up with sodas and juices—people of all ages were here tonight. It takes a little longer than I thought it would because people I had met, even only once before, come up to hug me or talk to me and ask how I'm holding up. If my mom is okay and what we're going to do if we can't track down Adam Mason.
I worm my way out of most of the questions and manage to get an orange soda before turning my back to the bar and staring at the sea of faces.
"I asked for diet, not regular. Get it right," Allison's haughty voice drifts towards me and I turn to see her several feet away down the bar with Jessa. I'm surprised to see her here and she certainly doesn't look happy being here, but I guess that Patrick finally got to show his support for Ryan and myself within their relationship.
"Ugh," Allison says. "I can't believe Patrick is doing this. And if someone else wins him, then I won't get my New Years Kiss! Ugh!" She literally stamps her foot and I stifle a laugh.
"He's doing something good at least. And you'll be able to outbid everyone here. You have enough for it."
"No, Jessa, I don't. I used up a lot of my money buying gifts for myself in Hawaii. I mean, what was I supposed to do, not buy the things I liked? Besides, how was I supposed to know that Patrick would be selling himself to raise money for her family?" I had a feeling the "her" was me.
"I really don't understand what the big deal is. So they're broke. Mrs. Knight is a doctor, she can make money easily."
Jessa just listens to Allison rant a little longer. I'm about to leave to escape her complaining when I hear her say something that piques my interest. "I need you to pay for Patrick. Be the highest bidder. I'm not going to let him kiss someone else tonight."
"But I—"
"No "b-b-b-ut"s about it, Jessa. I tell you to do something and you do it."
I had taken a drink of my soda and I almost gag on it. I cough but Allison doesn't notice me, so I keep listening.
"I told you what you wanted about Duke, Allison, and you said you'd quit this crap about ordering me around and using my money."
My eyebrows rise high on my forehead. I had never heard Jessa speak to Allison like that.
Apparently, neither had Allison. "Don't you dare talk to me that way!" She turns and stabs Jessa in the chest with her finger with each word, "Just do it," she says, before walking away from the bar.
I stare after her, then look back to Jessa who catches my eye. She looks horrified that I might have heard something, and quickly turns in the opposite direction and stalks off.
Well that was interesting.
"Duke! Duke!" I turn to see Ryan and Emma coming towards me, arm in arm. "Can you believe all this, Duke?" Ryan asks. "Emma said she, Carrie, and Avery set it all up today with Tyler and Jake . . . I just can't believe it."
"You just wish you could be up there being fussed about," Emma says, smiling up at him.
Ryan and I laugh. "Maybe. But having you be a part of this is all the fussing I need." He leans down and rubs his nose against hers—an Eskimo kiss.
"Awww" I coo, and Ryan and Emma smack an arm. "Ow!"
"Darren did almost all of this for you, you know," Emma says. I nod and she smiles. "You better treat that boy like he deserves to be treated after this kind of dedication."
"I'll do my best," I grin.
"You better," a voice says next to us. We turn to find Jessica Teigan behind us. "He's a good guy and I'm glad he's found somebody who's actually pretty decent, rather than the other girls that have followed him around for so long."
"Thank you," I say honestly.
"Just treat him right," She says, smiling. "He really does deserve it."
"Yeah, he does," I agree.
The sound of the gavel on the podium catches the room's attention and turns them to Darren on the podium. "We're about to start up the second half of the auction! Just three more handsome young men and a surprise specimen to go! And we have to be finished before midnight so that all our lovely winners get their New Years Kiss, and I get mine," he says, making the crowd laugh and me flush with embarrassment, "so let's get this thing started again!"
The crowd cheers and gathers at the stage again. "Our first man up after intermission is Jacob Zidichowski, a senior at Oak Ridge and a fine basketball player who loves joking around and making people laugh," Darren says as Jake struts his stuff on the stage. He's wearing a nice outfit—slacks and a button down shirt, and his good looks earn him some whistles form the girls.
The bidding started at fifty dollars again, but the number very quickly rose to one hundred, as Carrie is shouting out numbers as fast as she can. The race slows down at around one hundred and twenty dollars, but Jake manages to speed it up again by unbuttoning his shirt and revealing his muscular chest. The crowd of girls—and several guys, again—cheer ecstatically and several groups pool together again.
The race is close and Jake is dancing on the stage with his shirt, earning him whistles and catcalls, when Carrie finally wins the bidding at two hundred and fifty eight dollars.
I can't believe people are spending so much money!
Jake jumps off the stage and walks—very suggestively—to Carrie. The crowd keeps watching, as Jake is still the show, as he places a hand gently cupping the side of her face. He leans in and she wraps her arms around his waist, going up on her tip toes to kiss him when he pulls back. "Not until midnight," he grins wickedly and she smacks him softly with her hand.
"Jerk," she says, and the crowd laughs.
"That's how it goes folks, no kisses from our men until midnight! That's what you're paying for after all!" Darren says.
"Next up we have a resident of this amazing house—" The cheering already starts and Darren laughs, waiting for it to die down. I walk towards the stage to stand near the podium so I can watch him better. "Tyler Milovich is a senior at Oak Ridge High also on the basketball team and holds a great love of throwing parties, as you can see here, he is also a great host along with his parents, the incredible Mr. and Mrs. Milovich." He begins clapping and the crowd follows, turning to applaud the couple at the back of the room. When everyone looks back to the stage, Tyler is already there, looking shy and at the same time confident as he walks with his hands in the back pockets of his jeans.
"The bidding starts at fifty dollars," Darren says as the yells erupt. At first, it's hard to understand and realize who is bidding what, but as the bids go on and more people drop out, it gets easier.
Tyler stands there, looking adorable, as the bidding comes to a stop very quickly and the last bidder standing is Avery, the girl Tyler had taken to the Winter's dance, looking very triumphant.
Tyler sold for three hundred and eighty four dollars. Wow.
"The bar just keeps rising folks! How much do you think our next young man, Patrick Martell is going to sell for?"
I shake my head as I watch Darren work the crowd, knowing what will make them cheer and what will make them laugh.
Patrick walks on stage and I turn my eyes to the crowd. Jessa is near the front and I can't help but notice a determined glint in her eyes. I scan through the faces and find Allison near the back of the room, watching Patrick on the stage smugly.
She won't do any of the work, but she'll get the prize—of course.
Again, the bidding started at fifty dollars, but before anyone can say anything, Jessa shouted out, "Two-hundred!"
Half the crowd looks at her, stunned for a moment, and the bidding continues. I can't tear my eyes from Jessa and Patrick, because Jessa keeps calling out numbers, the money rising and rising, but her eyes never leave his. Patrick looks confused, but he stares back at her, not even looking for Allison.
I know for a fact he would never let Allison get away with half the crap she does to Jessa if he knew about it.
The bidding keeps going and Darren is laughing by the time the bid is up to four hundred dollars. Only three or four girls are left bidding, and at four hundred and fifty dollars it seems as though none of the four will give up.
Jessa seems to have the same idea because she shouts out "Five hundred dollars!"
The crowd is quiet and Darren, grinning from ear to ear, says, "going once, going twice," and, with a large pause, "SOLD! For five hundred dollars to the lovely Jessa Blymiller!"
The crowd cheers and several people glance from Allison to Jessa to Patrick, they know of the trio's strange arrangements.
But Patrick walks up to Jessa and the two walk to the back table where Allison is waiting. Tyler and Avery are still there, so they wait by the table, Patrick laughing and blushing—most likely embarrassed at the idea that he just sold himself.
When the crowd sees nothing interesting going on with the trio, their eyes turn back to the stage expectantly, waiting.
It's time for the mystery man.
The lights around the stage begin flashing; giving the illusion they are moving and circling the stage clockwise. Several people clap at the display.
"Are you ready for your mystery man?" Darren asks in a low voice, looking at me while he says it. I laugh at his playful expression. "He has a little number planned for you, so we're going to give him the floor before the bidding begins. Enjoy." With that Darren pulls the podium off the stage and clears the microphone cord from the small platform as the lights turn off, leaving the basement completely dark, and music starts.
I'm Too Sexy fills the basement with it's low towns and the lights on the stage turn on, though more dim than before. A long figure in black is on the stage, his back turned to the audience. He is swaying with the music, drawing everyone's attention to his . . . very nice backside.
"This is going better than I thought," I start as Darren whispers in my ear. With how dark it is, I can't see him at all.
"How so?" I whisper back.
"I had no clue he could actually pull off the dancing. I thought it was just going to be funny, but he's good."
"Who is it?" I hiss. "I hate surprises."
I can imagine Darren's grin in the darkness. "You won't have to wait much longer."
The music comes to the basic verse, the part about doing a turn on the catwalk, and the figure turns around to be greeted by cheers and screams as he walks down the catwalk, using everything he's got.
"Oh, my God," I say. The lights are a little brighter now so I'm sure Darren can see my face because he laughs hysterically.
"I knew you'd like the surprise!" He yells over the crowds cheers.
I stare, open-mouthed, as Mason Eatchell dances, shaking his stuff, on the stage to sell his New Years Kiss all for my family.
"Oh, my God," I repeat. Darren laughs again as the cheers erupt even louder and my eyes grow wide. "Nuh-uh!" I say, because apparently nothing else can come out of my mouth when Mason Eatchell starts taking off clothes.
He seriously takes his shirt off and twirls it around his head, still dancing and moving his hips and his stomach and his chest in suggestive, but not too suggestive ways. He's staying within the boundaries for the age audience—at least the ones who don't really know what's going on . . .
Mason throws his shirt into the audience, grinning from ear to ear—a rare sight—as the song ends and he strikes a pose on stage.
The crowd cheers and I can already see money waving in the air. Darren pecks my cheek and is back up to the stage before I can even see him, the podium already in front of him.
"Let's hear it again for Mason Eatchell, everybody!" he says, clapping himself as everyone cheers once more. "I'm sure you're all eager to bid," more cheers, "but since I can see there are so very many of you willing to buy this handsome young thing, we're going to do a little bit of an elimination round."
"Here's how it's going to work. I'm going to call out an amount, and whoever is willing to go higher than that leave your hands up. We'll keep that up until we get to about ten people and then let the battle begin. Does that sound good to everybody?" Darren asks.
Hands shot into the air in response. "All right, then!" he laughs, "Sixty dollars," he started. He kept rising in increments of ten and I scanned the room, seeing who was bidding. It seemed as though everyone was, but someone caught my eye. Bethany had her hand raised.
I was slightly shocked and wondered if she was bidding to support my family or if she liked Mason in that way and wanted a New Years Kiss from him—though I hadn't heard anything from her about Mason, only some blushing over Dan and Sean.
The bid kept rising until Darren hit six hundred and fifty dollars with ten hands left in the air.
"Let's shout it out, Ladies," Darren says.
Bethany is the first to say anything, shouting out, "seven hundred."
A few gasps run through the crowd. This was becoming a lot of money. I stare at her in the crowd, her face determined and looking up at Mason. His eyes are trained on her as well, a confused look on his face.
Another voice from a person I didn't know well calls out seven hundred and twenty, but Bethany calls again with a voice almost signaling finality. "Seven hundred and fifty."
The two women stare at each other for a moment. "How much do you have, ma'am?" Darren calls to the other woman in the crowd.
"Seven hundred and sixty five to spend, Mr. Teigan," she says politely.
"And you, Bethany?"
"I have seven hundred and sixty eight dollars," she says, her eyes still on Mason. Since when was she so intense? The Bethany I was always around was always hyper and giggling.
"Going once," Darren pauses, "going twice . . . and our mystery man is sold for seven hundred and sixty eight dollars to Ms. Bethany Hutchinson!" Darren says, "Congratulations!"
My eyes are still on Mason and Bethany, so I see that as soon as Darren says "sold" Mason jumps off the stage and got to Bethany as quickly as he could and wrapped his arms around her in a hug—his shirt still off, mind you. Bethany wrapped her arms around him as well and buried her face into his neck. I can see Mason's lips moving, as though he's telling her something.
I swear the crowd almost "ahhs" in unison, but Darren calls their attention back to him. He seems as confused as I am about the situation, as are Dan, Sean, Ryan, Emma, John, and Aaron as I catch their eyes around the room, but he keeps the attention off the two of them.
"Now that our auction has come to an end, we're going to have the floor open for dancing and the bar is still open for soda and drinks. The adults, I believe are welcome to head upstairs for some more adult drinks as well as some poker, I believe. Enjoy the rest of the evening and thank you all for coming and supporting the Knight Family!"
One last great cheer rises from the crowd for Darren and several people clap my back. Carrie comes from nowhere out of the crowd, Jake, looking pleased as ever, comes behind her. Carrie wraps me in a huge hug and Jake wraps his arms around me from behind making a Duke sandwich.
I laugh. "Thanks guys."
"I hope you enjoyed the show," Jake says as the two let go and step back so I can see them.
"Of course I did!" I turn to Carrie, "I hope I didn't run you broke."
"Not at all! This was my Christmas money and I was more than happy to use it to help out," she says, looking up at Jake.
"I leant her a little bit to, just to help out with winning me and all. I wouldn't want our kiss stolen," Jake laughs.
"Nobody likes a stolen kiss," Darren says, coming from behind and wrapping his arms around my waist, his chin settling on my shoulder.
A loud crash from the corner turns everyone's eyes upon the three people standing there: Patrick, Allison, and Jessa. Patrick is standing in front of Jessa, almost protectively, and Allison looks furious next to a fallen tray of food.
Darren, Carrie, Jake, and I are close to them, so we can easily hear their conversation. I take a step closer, simply worried by their postures about what is happening.
"Allison, you're done," Patrick says, his tone is low and furious, but his face is still calm.
Allison stamps her foot and growls. "I am not!" she yells. "This isn't how this is supposed to work!"
"Allison, I've watched you do trivial things to Jessa for too long and I haven't spoken up about them even when they bothered me. And now I find out that you've been treating her even worse behind my back?" Patrick's voice started to rise in both volume and anger. "You aren't better than everyone, Allison. You don't have the authority to put yourself in a station above someone else. Don't you understand that?"
"But—" Allison muttered, her voice weak.
"No, Allison. I thought that the girl you were when it was just the two of us was who you really were, but apparently it was the other way around. I think its easier to tell a person's true colors when they're around other people than when you're alone with them."
"Patrick!" Allison calls as Patrick begins to turn to speak to Jessa who looks awed and terrified behind his protective body. "You can't just throw this all away!"
Patrick turns around to face her, and his eyes are filled with hatred. "You don't treat other people like personal slaves Allison. The second you asked her to tell you another person's secrets—people that had trusted her—and you threatened her . . ." he takes a deep breath and lets it out. I think he counts to ten before speaking again. "You can't use threats and violence to control people. You ruined us when you ruined their lives. This is your fault and yours alone." He turns completely from her and put his arms gently on Jessa's shoulders and whispers something to her.
She nods softly, her eyes still confused but trusting upon him. He begins to walk towards the stairs, ignoring the silent crowd whose eyes are all on them, and Jessa follows, her hand in his.
Whispers start spreading and evolve to full fledged gossip. My eyes are still on Allison, standing and looking bewildered, her eyes lingering on the stairs where Patrick disappeared. I can feel Darren's eyes on me, but I ignore them. I move forward from his embrace and towards Allison.
I see her falling before she does, and I catch her weight, though it brings us both to the ground with me kneeling, and her awkwardly in my arms. I can see the tears forming in her eyes, but they haven't fallen yet—she's in shock.
"Allison," I whisper. I had always hoped that she would get what she deserved and that I'd be there to see it, but not like this—not with everyone watching, seeing, talking, and gossiping. That wasn't fair.
Her eyes turn to me and she frowns, her brow contorting in pain. "Why now, why did he— why did he have to, why . . . why are you helping me?" she asks, lost.
"Because you need someone to put you on your feet and send you in another direction."
She gives me a confused look.
"You know we don't get along, Allison, and I feel like you deserve a lot of what you just got," she chokes a sob, "but you didn't deserve it in front of everyone. I'm only helping you to stand with some dignity and take what you've received. Think you're up to it?"
She thinks for a moment and her face changes from pained to less pained and determined. "Help me stand," she whispers, so soft I almost can't here her. "Please."
I help her to her feet and Darren is on her other side with her purse. "Thank you," she says, again so soft I can barely hear her.
And with that, she walks up the stairs, everyone's eyes still on her as they whisper.
I turn towards the wall and shake my head. I feel Darren come up behind me and put an arm around my shoulder. "Are you alright, Delaney?" he asks softly. I shake my head and lean into him and he holds me.
He winds an arm around my waist and guides me towards the same stairs everyone has been taking. Some privacy for us, I suppose.
I don't really watch where we're going, but he opens a door and guides me to a chair in the room. I look up and see that we're in a library with shelves on every wall filled to the brim with books.
"Delaney," Darren says, drawing my attention to his face, which is inches from mine. He's kneeling on the floor in front of me. He cradles my face in his hand, his eyes confused. "What's wrong?"
"It makes me sick," I say after a moment of thinking. "Allison's behavior has disgusted me for years and when she finally gets what she deserves I help her?" I move my face away from his hand and stand from my chair.
"She wasn't even here for my family, she was here because of Patrick and jealousy. She didn't want anyone to steal her squeeze." I start pacing in front of the shelves and Darren watches me.
"I overheard her, you know. Telling Jessa to buy Patrick with her own money. And what Patrick said . . . I had some idea that Jessa was the source Allison got all of the secrets for the article from but . . . I can't believe she threatened her. And then I help Allison?"
Darren stands up and walks to me, putting his hands on my shoulders and stopping my pacing. "Delaney," he says softly. I try avoiding his eyes, but he takes one hand and gently tilts my chin up so that my eyes are drowning in his. "It's because of who you are. Someone was hurting and you were there to help. It doesn't mean you support any of her decisions in any way . . . It just means you're a compassionate person who can't stand to see people hurt."
I look away and he leans closer, flicking my eyes back to him. "Just like I can't stand to see you hurt, or your family," he says sweetly.
I close my eyes and lean my head against his chest and he envelops me into a hug. "You know," he says, "with the cover charge and everything, we made over three thousand dollars for your family."
I choke on the breath I just took in and he laughs at my expression. "Are you serious?" I ask.
He nods. "It was five to get in and those boys sold for a lot more than we ever thought they would," Darren smirks, his arrogant smile, pleased with himself for his deeds.
I throw my arms around his neck and squeeze him tight. "Thank you so much, Darren," I whisper.
"You're welcome. But if we don't find somewhere with a clock, we aren't going to get our New Years Kiss and that's like, the main reason I put this whole thing on," he jokes.
I laugh as we walk back out of the room when we run into Patrick and Jessa. They are walking back downstairs, similar to Darren and I—hand in hand.
"I'm so sorry, Duke," Patrick says quickly. "I had no idea that Allison had been acting like . . ." He sighs and looks as though he's looking for the words to say. "I wanted to believe in her so badly that I ignored the things I didn't like," he locks eyes with mine, "but I'm done pretending."
"You don't have to explain yourself to me, Patrick," I say, smiling softly. "You've always been a good friend to me. I don't blame you for anything." We laugh softly as the four of us stand awkwardly in the hall.
"I'm sorry, too, Duke," Jessa says, her voice meek and quiet. "At first I just wanted to be popular, but . . ."
"Did she really threaten you, Jess?" I ask.
She nods and I see Patrick scowl. "It was just little things at first, but the more pissed she got at people, the more she took it out on me." She sighs "I just never had the guts to stand up to her. And . . . I didn't want to stop being around Patrick." She whispers the last part, embarrassed and both she and Patrick blush.
"Wait, what?" I look at their hands, entwined, and start forming an idea.
"So the two of you have liked each other for a while . . ." Darren speculates.
Patrick nods. "Just little things made me look at her differently, especially as Allison started picking on you more this year, Duke. I just realized it tonight how much I think I . . ."
"I've known for a while, but . . . Alisson . . ."
"Yeah," I say. "I think I can understand that.
We smile at each other and Jessa looks up, catching my eyes. "Is there any way we can be friends again, Duke. I know I've acted like such a jerk and I've got a lot of making up to do . . ."
"It might be strange at first," I say softly, "you've been gone for a while . . ."
"I know," she whispers.
"But there's no reason we can't try . . ."
We smile at each other and hear the T.V. in the living room where the adults are gathered being turned up.
Darren squeezes my hand, turning my gaze upon him, "Come on. If we don't hurry we'll miss midnight."
The four of us head back downstairs where the party has continued and no one notices our entrance. We each grab a plastic glass of sparkling cider from the bar as the room starts counting down.
"Five! Four! Three! Two! ONE! HAPPY NEW YEAR!"
Darren pulls me to him and kisses me in a way that my breath catches and my eyes flutter. I think the only reason I'm still standing is because he is holding me around my waist and supporting most of my weight.
"Happy New Year, Delaney Rose Knight," he says softly, his eyes closed as he gently nuzzles my face. "How is it so far?"
I place a hand on his cheek and smile, his eyes opening to look into mine as I respond. "It's looking pretty good from here."
The Knight family has a tradition on New Years Day mornings that anyone is invited to, so long as they participate.
We have a pancake-flipping contest, and thanks to Darren and Pete and the amazing friends we have in town, we were still able to keep up our tradition.
The Teigan's and the King's had joined us, so our kitchen was packed full with people, but they were all smiling and laughing. Patrick and Jessa had showed up as well, trying to make up for the hurt Allison had caused by bringing more pancake mix and chocolate chips for the contest.
Pete was, so far, the best pancake flipper and had been for the past few years. Mom accused him of practicing all year in the café and he didn't disagree.
I smile as I watch the two of them interact in the kitchen and with the guests, and I hope that Pete would be around much more.
"Darren's getting better as he goes," Dan says as he sits down next to me. He's kind of bummed about Bethany and Mason— who, by the way, had been harnessing feeling for each other for at least a year. They both hid it well. They're most likely cuddled up together and reveling in the fact that they finally realized they liked each other and it wasn't just one-sided.
"Seems so, but he won't be able to pass you and Sean up on the mischief twin pass," I joke, nudging his shoulder. Sean and Dan's amazing routine had won them the most creative award in the contest.
What's the prize you ask? Getting to keep a special metal mug that we have for each category for that year. If you lose the next year, the mug goes to the winner. I held the mug for best presentation and planned on keeping it.
"Nah, definitely not," Dan agrees.
"So Eleni really went back to school?" I ask. I had woken up that morning to find Mom in the kitchen with Eleni's note in her hands and shaking her head. She had left on an early plane and didn't plan on coming back.
Dan shakes his head. "Yeah, she talked to me last night and told me. I tried to convince her to stay, but . . ." he sighs. "She's more of a middle kid, Duke. She's got a lot of jealousy issues because of it. She and Sarah were too different and Sean and I stuck together when we grew up. You and Ryan didn't help with that either with how close you grew up." He looks and me and says, "Cut her some slack when she decides to come back?"
I nod, "I think I can do that."
Pete's phone rings as he finishes flipping five more pancakes—we've moved on to simply feeding people for the moment. He's laughing as he answers it, but his face suddenly grows serious as I watch. Mom notices too and follows him out of the kitchen into the living room.
Dan and I exchange a look, but the rest of the people in the kitchen seem oblivious. The two come back in a moment later, Mom still looking confused and looking rushed.
"Something's come up, guys and I've got to head out," he says to the room, looking apologetic. He turns to look at mom and says, "I'll be back as soon as I can," he bends down and gives her a light kiss on the lips.
I'm not sure if I was the only one shocked, but I doubt I was alone. Even though I had speculated the two of them being together, I didn't realize it would happen so fast.
Mom looks after him, bewildered, as he leaves through the front door.
"I think it's time for the mischief twin pass," Sean says from the other side of the room. Dan gets up and walks over, wanting to get the attention off Mom, and the contest and atmosphere seems to melt back to normal. I walk over to Mom and, as soon as she sees me, she pulls me into the other room.
"What was that about, Mom?" I ask.
She shakes her head, "I don't know but it seemed like it was something to do with our problems. I don't know why he wouldn't tell me . . ."
"Maybe he wants to make sure whatever it is, if it has to do with us, is true before he tells us?"
Mom shrugs, "maybe."
"Are you two . . . together?"
Mom smiles and I can see how it softens her face. That was a yes if I ever saw one. "How would you feel if we were?" she asks carefully.
"Ecstatic, overjoyed, enthused, and happy that you're happy," I say. "And I think that goes for all of your kids, Mom." We smile at each other. "We're happy when you're happy."
"Well I'm glad you're happy with Darren too. Maybe mine and Paula's speculations that you and he will get married might still happen after all."
"Mom!" I blush. "I don't think we're quite to that point yet!"
She laughs. "Oh, I know. Just don't let a boy take you away from other things you love. Like your dancing."
I shake my head. "Nothing could take me away from dancing Mom. I've even been excused from paying until we get things sorted out."
"Using the studio for free," Mom says. "That's nice."
The doorbell rings and Mom frowns. "I thought everyone was here," she says as she stands to get the door. I walk behind her as she opens the door.
"Happy New Year," Adam Mason says from our door step.
"Get out," Mom says forcefully. He doesn't move. I can hear other people in the room and see Dan and Sean move to the side of Mom, blocking any way he could get into the house. "I said, get out, Adam, and I mean it."
"Look, all I need is a little cash and I'm gone," he says, holding his hands up as though he's surrendering.
Everyone at the door suddenly looks bewildered. "What," he asks, "What did I say?"
"You already stole every cent we had from our accounts!" I say, moving forward. "How can you possibly ask us for more?"
Now it's his turn to look bewildered. "What are you talking about?" he asks, thoroughly confused.
"Just get the hell out of here, Mason. We don't want to hear from you. Ever again." Sean says as he and Dan step outside and shut the door behind them, herding him out to his car and away from us.
"If Adam didn't steal the money . . ." Mom whispers.
"Then who did?" I finish.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well . . . this is a much longer chapter than I planned. I only read through it once or twice, however, so forgive/point out any grammatical or other mistakes you find and I will do my best to fix them. The next chapter will most likely be the last! (Check out the first chapter of Duckie; Be Happy if you like what you see here. I'm hoping it will be even better!)
Thanks for reading and sticking with me!