Notes

Done

Damaged

"Hey Danny, sorry for not answering your calls and taking off like I did. I just needed to get away for a while, clear my head. I want you to know how sorry I am for everything I've put you through. I'm sorry I wasn't as strong as you and wasn't able to tell the world how much I love you. I just can't face them now. You are the love of my life, my best friend and I don't ever want you to forget that or all the good times we shared. Bye Danny."

.........

Wednesday morning

Danny lowered the phone from his ear and sat it beside him on the bed. He hadn't been to sleep the entire night and it was now close to five. Picking up the photo of Jackson that resigned on his nightstand he couldn't stop himself from crying. Suddenly he heard footsteps outside his bedroom door and quickly wiped his face before putting the photo back just as his mother walked in.

"Hey baby, shouldn't you be getting ready for school?" Carol says.

"I know I'm just getting up now." He waited until she left before getting up. The last thing he wanted to was talk to his mom about Jackson. He ended up leaving the house around six. Getting in his truck he began his drive to school. He was making his way to Mr. Harris first period class when he saw two girls leaning against the locker kissing. One was a redhead and the other was a dark haired one. He still found it strange that everyone was so out about their sexuality and that was something he was never use too. Looking away he headed to his first period class, not really caring that it was empty. He sat in the back near the corner and pulled out his phone. Jackson was still his screensaver so as soon as he saw him it reminded him of what was to happen this weekend and he wasn't looking forward to it, Jackson's birthday. Putting his phone to his ear he once again played the last voicemail that Jackson had left. He was so caught up that he didn't hear his name being called until a hand was placed on his desk. He looked up and wiped his face, not knowing that he was crying. "Miss Morrell, I didn't hear you come in."

"I saw, are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah just thinking about some stuff." Danny shut his phone off and put it back in his pocket.

"You want to talk about it?"

Danny sighed. "It's really nothing Miss Morrell."

"Okay." She knew there was more to that Danny wasn't telling her but she didn't push it. Danny would open up to her whenever he was ready. "So how's everything else going with you? Are you adjusting to your new life here?"

Danny nodded. "Yeah, the people here are really nice."

"Yeah it's nice." She looked at her phone and sighed. "I better go but I'll see you after school and maybe we can talk some more. I'd like for us to meet every Wednesday afterschool, is that okay with you?"

"Yeah that's okay." Replied Danny.

"Alright then."

Danny gave her a smile but as she left the classroom it fell a little. His mind drifting back to Jackson and the voicemail. Suddenly he was pulled from his thoughts when he heard voices, looking up he saw Stiles and Scott enter the room. "Hey guys."

"What's up Danny." Replied Scott. He headed to the back and sat next to Danny while Stiles sat in front of him.

"Nothing much." Danny looked towards the door when a few more kids came in, Ethan being one of them.

Ethan scanned the room and saw Scott and Stiles sitting in the back talking while Danny eyed him, he smiled. He sat in the empty seat next to him and turned to face him. "Hey guys, hey Danny."

"Hey." Danny Replied.

"Are you okay?" Ethan asked. "You looked a little distracted."

Danny paused before giving Ethan a smile. "Yeah, I just didn't get that much sleep last night."

"Are you sure because you don't just look tired you look sad." Ethan says. Danny sighed but remains silent. "Are you doing anything after school?"

"No." Replied Danny.

"Do you maybe want to hang out with me?" Ethan says. "Maybe we can talk more, about what's bugging you."

"Well I have to see Miss Morell but we can talk after." Danny says. "I can stop by your house when I'm finish up here if that's okay."

"Okay."

"Okay."

....

As the day went on with the company of Ethan, Danny found himself in a slightly better mood. It was now last period and he was packing up to leave when he saw Ethan weaving through the crowd of kids coming towards him. He stood up, threw his bag over his shoulder before leaving, heading right to the counselors office for his session.

....

When Ethan got home he went right up to his room and started to straighten it up. He was just finishing up when his dad walked in. "Hey shouldn't you be at work?"

"Yeah I was just grabbing something to eat." Chris says. "I heard you rushing upstairs and thought something was wrong."

"Oh I was just cleaning up a little, no big deal." Ethan glanced at his bedside clock before looking back at his dad. "Was there anything else?"

Chris folded his arms and leans against the door frame. "What's got you so jittery Ethan?"

Ethan sighed but sat on his bed. "Fine I asked Danny to come over later, my room is a mess and I didn't want him too see it like that."

Chris laughed a little. "You really like him, don't you?"

Ethan rubbed his hands up and down his legs. "When I'm with him everything feels less horrible. I'm my old self again and he knows what it feels like to lose someone who was incredibly close and important to you and I think that's why I can talk to him."

"Well I think it's great that you're getting back out there." Chris says. "It's nice to see you smiling again."

"Feels nice to do it." Replied Ethan.

"Well I better head back to work, I'll probably be home late tonight so why don't you order out." Chris says. "I'll see ya later."

Ethan sat there long after his father left. His mind drifting back to his mother and brother.

....

Before going to Ethan's house Danny went home to change. Glad the house was empty he quickly changed before walking across the grass to Ethan's place. Knocking a few times he stepped back and waited. A few seconds later the door opened and Ethan stepped out, he smiled. "Hey."

"Hey, come on in." Replied Ethan stepping to the side.

Danny came in and looked around the room. The first thing he noticed was the pictures on the wall. Most of them were of Ethan and Aidan, he smiled. He saw was of the four of them together. "You look just like your mother, she's beautiful."

Ethan smiled. "Yeah, she was the glue that held our family together. After she left me and my brother closed ourselves out to the rest of the world. A world that came crashing down again after he died. Kept thinking why does this keep happening to me. So afraid that I'm going to wake up one morning and my dad will be gone too." He sat on the arm of the couch. "For so long I've lived in my own world but then I met you and the rest didn't seem so bad. You understood how I felt and helped me open up again." He watched Danny's face when he didn't say anything. "Sorry for rambling like this I just-"

"No it's okay." Danny moved to sit on the couch and Ethan slid down next to him. "I was kinda the same way after Jackson. Between him my and my accident I just didn't want to live anymore. It gets pretty dark sometimes but it's not so dark when I'm with you." He looked down and started playing with his fingers.

"What is it?" Ethan asked.

"Sometimes when I'm alone I find myself listening to Jackson's voicemail." Danny says. "It's like I need to hear his voice every now and again. I know I should let go but it's hard."

"Yeah it is."

Danny looked up and saw the million of tapes lined up on the TV stands. "Okay all of those have to be home movies?"

"They are, my mom was always recording us." Ethan says. "From the day we were born until the day she died. Never missed a birthday, never missed a school event."

"I think it's cute." Danny says sitting back. "Can we watch some?"

"Yeah." Ethan got up and walked over to the TV. "Why don't we start from the beginning."

....

Almost nine that night Ethan was walking Danny to his front door.

"Thanks for walking me, I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Night." Ethan backed away slowly before turning and heading back home. When he got inside he leans against the closed door, not able to stop the warm feeling that was growing in his stomach.