XII

Danielle pushed open the front door, the familiar silence of the house greeting her. She glanced around the empty living room, the usual sounds of the TV or kitchen noises noticeably absent. Her aunt Izzy was nowhere to be seen.

She frowned slightly, tossing her car keys onto the entryway table before making her way through the downstairs rooms. Still empty.

She's probably upstairs.

Danielle sighed, running a hand through her hair as she took the steps two at a time. There was a chance Izzy was on the lower level—maybe out back, or in the study—but statistically? There was a 75% chance she was upstairs, and Danielle wasn't about to waste time searching every room like some kind of detective.

When she reached the top of the stairs, she headed straight for Izzy's room, knocking twice before pushing the door open without waiting for a response.

"Aunt Izzy?"

Danielle stepped into the room, glancing around. The curtains were partially drawn, letting in the warm glow of the afternoon sun. Her aunt's laptop was open on the desk, a half-empty coffee cup sitting beside it—probably cold by now. But the room itself? Empty.

She sighed, leaning against the doorframe. Great. Where the hell is she?

Just as she was about to turn around and check somewhere else, the door to the ensuite bathroom swung open, and Izzy stepped out, towel-drying her hair. She raised a brow when she spotted Danielle standing there.

"Ever heard of knocking and waiting?" Izzy asked, amused as she draped the towel over her shoulders.

Danielle crossed her arms. "I did knock. You didn't answer."

Izzy gave her a look. "Because I was in the shower?"

Danielle shrugged, unbothered. "Not my fault you didn't hear me."

Izzy shook her head with a laugh, sitting down on the edge of her bed. "So, what do I owe the pleasure of my oh-so-busy niece gracing me with her presence?"

Danielle rolled her eyes but didn't answer right away. Instead, she walked over to the desk, picking up the cold coffee cup.

"You really need to finish these before they turn into science experiments," she muttered, wrinkling her nose.

Izzy smirked. "I would if a certain someone hadn't stolen my fresh one this morning."

Danielle sighed dramatically. "Oh, come on. I brought it back."

"Cold," Izzy reminded her.

Danielle sat down on the desk chair, stretching out her legs. "Whatever. You drink iced coffee half the time anyway."

Izzy studied her for a moment, her smirk fading slightly. "Alright, spill. What's up?"

Danielle arched a brow. "What makes you think something's up?"

Izzy gave her a pointed look. "Because you're here, sitting in my room, making conversation instead of hiding out in yours."

Danielle hesitated for half a second before shrugging. "Nothing's up. Just... long day."

Izzy didn't push—she never did—but she watched her carefully, like she could see through the deflection.

"School drama?" she asked casually.

Danielle scoffed. "Always."

Izzy hummed. "Anything to do with the girls you gave a ride to?"

Danielle tensed slightly but covered it with a smirk. "Which one?"

Izzy tilted her head. "The one that keeps pressing your buttons."

Danielle fought the urge to roll her eyes. "You notice way too much."

Izzy grinned. "It's a talent."

Danielle exhaled, looking away for a moment. "It's nothing. Just... Maya she's complicated."

Izzy's expression softened. "Most interesting people are."

Danielle didn't respond right away. She just leaned back in the chair, staring at the ceiling.

Izzy watched her for another second before standing up. "Come on. You can help me make dinner."

Danielle groaned. "Or I could not."

Izzy smirked. "Too bad. I don't take no for an answer."

Danielle sighed, but despite her grumbling, she stood up and followed her aunt downstairs.

Danielle trailed behind Izzy as they made their way down to the kitchen. She didn't know why she'd even bothered stopping by her aunt's room—maybe because it was easier than sitting alone in her own, letting her thoughts circle back to things she wasn't ready to deal with.

Like why she kept noticing Maya Hart.

Or why hearing the word girlfriend leave Maya's lips the other day had made her  twist in a way she didn't want to analyze.

But Izzy had always had a way of sensing when something was on her mind, even if she didn't say anything outright.

"So, what's for dinner?" Danielle asked, leaning against the counter as Izzy opened the fridge.

"Pasta," Izzy replied, pulling out a container of fresh vegetables. "Or, if you actually want to be useful, you can chop these while I start the sauce."

Danielle smirked. "Oh, so I'm allowed to touch a knife now?"

Izzy shot her a look. "Quiet down, Chiron."

Danielle snickered, grabbing a cutting board and starting to slice up the bell peppers. They fell into a comfortable silence, the sound of chopping and the bubbling of sauce filling the kitchen.

After a few minutes, Izzy spoke up again, her tone light but curious.

"So, this blonde girl—Maya."

Danielle's knife paused mid-slice, but she didn't look up. "What about her?"

Izzy smirked at her nonchalant tone. "You tell me. You don't usually go out of your way to give people rides home."

Danielle shrugged, finishing up with the peppers and moving on to the onions. "Riley was there too."

Izzy hummed. "Right. But you don't seem all that interested in Riley."

Danielle sighed dramatically. "Why are we talking about this?"

"Because I like knowing what's going on in that head of yours," Izzy said, stirring the sauce. "And because I think you don't even know what's going on in that head of yours."

Danielle rolled her eyes, dumping the chopped vegetables into a bowl. "There's nothing to know. She's just... interesting."

Izzy turned to look at her, raising an eyebrow. "Interesting?"

Danielle hesitated. "Yeah. You know... she's different from what I expected."

Izzy leaned against the counter. "And what exactly did you expect?"

Danielle opened her mouth, then closed it, thinking.

She'd expected Maya to be like every other freshman—annoying, immature, too eager to prove herself. And sure, Maya was sarcastic and had an attitude, but there was something else there. Something guarded. Something familiar.

Danielle finally shook her head. "I don't know."

Izzy didn't push, just gave her a knowing look before turning back to the stove. "Well, if you ever do figure it out, let me know. I love a good love story."

Danielle scoffed. "Not happening."

Izzy just smirked. "We'll see."

Izzy glanced up from the stove, her smirk fading the second she registered the quiet, almost hesitant tone in Danielle's voice.

"I'm scared..."

Danielle hadn't meant to say it out loud. It had slipped out—too fast, too vulnerable, too real.

But now that it was hanging in the air between them, there was no taking it back.

Izzy turned the heat down on the sauce and faced her fully, her expression softer now, more serious. "Scared of what, Dani?"

Danielle exhaled slowly, gripping the edge of the counter. She wasn't even sure she had an answer to that.

Of people finding out the truth? Of what it meant if she did like Maya Hart in a way she couldn't just ignore?

Of looking in the mirror and admitting that the whole charade with William wasn't just about keeping up appearances—it was about hiding from herself?

She shook her head, jaw tight. "I don't know," she muttered.

Izzy didn't push, didn't rush her. She just nodded, waiting.

Danielle swallowed hard, forcing herself to speak. "I just... I feel like I've got everything under control, you know? The way people see me, the way things are supposed to go. And then she—"

She cut herself off, shaking her head again, frustrated with herself.

Izzy watched her carefully. "And then she what?"

Danielle hesitated, gripping the counter a little tighter. "She makes me feel different."

The words tasted foreign on her tongue, but they were true.

Maya made her question things. Made her wonder if the person she had built—this confident, untouchable, popular version of herself—was actually her at all.

And that? That terrified her.

Izzy's expression didn't change, but there was something understanding in her gaze. "Different isn't always bad, Dani."

Danielle let out a humorless laugh, running a hand through her hair. "It is when it messes with everything I've worked for."

Izzy tilted her head slightly. "And what exactly have you worked for?"

Danielle scoffed, pushing away from the counter. "You know. Popularity, status, control."

Izzy gave her a look. "Right. Because those things make you happy?"

Danielle didn't answer. Because she didn't know.

Or maybe... she did. And that was the scariest part of all.

Izzy sighed, turning back to the stove as she stirred the sauce. "Dani, you've been running this game for years. Keeping everything in check, making sure people see you exactly the way you want to be seen. But if that's really working for you, why do you look so miserable right now?"

Danielle clenched her jaw, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. "I'm not miserable."

Izzy let out a short laugh. "Sure, and I'm a world-class figure skater."

Danielle rolled her eyes, but she didn't argue.

Because maybe Izzy was right. Maybe this whole thing wasn't as under control as she wanted to believe.

She exhaled sharply, leaning against the counter again. "It's not supposed to be like this. I wasn't supposed to care about some freshman."

Izzy gave her a look. "You do realise that freshman has a name, right?"

Danielle shot her a glare. "Don't start."

"I'm just saying." Izzy smirked, but her tone was still gentle. "Maya Hart isn't just some random freshman to you. And I think that is what's scaring you the most."

Danielle hated that Izzy was right. She hated that she did care. That she kept thinking about Maya even when she didn't want to.

That she had noticed the way Maya's fingers tightened around that bracelet earlier, like it was the only thing keeping her steady.

That she had noticed the way Maya had looked out the window in the car, her expression a little too distant, a little too familiar.

That she had noticed at all.

Izzy turned off the stove, setting the spoon down before facing Danielle again. "Look, I'm not gonna tell you what to do. But I am gonna tell you this—you can't hide from yourself forever."

Danielle let out a dry chuckle. "Watch me."

Izzy just shook her head. "You think this is something you can ignore? Fine. But the more you fight it, the worse it's gonna get."

Danielle didn't respond. She just stared down at the counter, fingers drumming against the surface.

Izzy sighed again, her voice softer this time. "Dani... you deserve to be happy. And if Maya makes you feel something, maybe it's worth figuring out why."

Danielle clenched her jaw, then pushed off the counter. "I'm going to my room."

Izzy didn't stop her. She just watched as Danielle walked away, her expression unreadable.

And as Danielle climbed the stairs, she tried to convince herself that she could ignore this. That she could keep everything under control.

But deep down, she wasn't sure she believed it anymore.

---

A/N

She's stubborn that's for sure...