Chapter Thirty-Three- Danny’s Offer

“Almost the Christmas holidays,” I enthused to Danny as I opened my locker. “Then we’ll be free. Free of JC, free of work.”

“Free of me.”

I leant back to frown at him round the door, “What d’you mean?”

He sighed, putting a hand on the door and pulling it back slightly so he could see me better, “Mum wants to go back to Bolton for Christmas and New Year; thinks we should see the family.”

I pouted, “So I won’t see you? Won’t have the New Year kiss with you?” I reached out and pulled his face towards mine, my lips brushing his.

Danny looked apologetic, “Sorry. There’s no way to get out of it. She’s got me trapped.”

“Hm.” I closed my locker, leant back against it thoughtfully, “Mums are cunning creatures. You can never predict what they’re going to do… It’s fine. I can wait to kiss you.”

“Or…” He cocked his head to the side cutely as he stared at me, “You could come with…?”

I blinked slowly, “To Bolton?”

“Yeah.”

“With you?”

He chuckled at my blank responses, “Yeah.” He took hold of my hands; swung them playfully, “Meet the Jones’. They’re all really nice, and they want to meet you. I talk about you so much that they’ve started to get curious.”

“Dan-”

“Well, except Uncle Brett, but he’s old and prejudiced. He’s a bit homophobic but-”

I squeezed his hands, cutting him off. “Dan,” I said firmly, forcing back the panic that was bubbling to the surface.

“What?”

I sighed, moving my gaze away from his again, “I can’t meet your family, Dan. Not right now.”

His eyebrows knotted together as he frowned, “Why not?”

“Because I don’t do well with families.” I let go of his hands and stepped back, scrubbing my own hands on my trouser legs nervously. “Families don’t…”

“Tom!” He reached forward to take hold of my upper arms, pulled me close to him so I was staring back into his eyes. “Calm down.”

“I don’t know how to behave in a family situation,” I admitted to him, my voice low and ashamed. I hated to admit that a family setting scared the hell out of me. “I’ve never had a stable setting, and I don’t know what to do. And I’m not saying this to get any bloody sympathy. I’m fine with living with Mum. I’m just…crap with families, okay? I don’t want to force my way into what I don’t understand. I can’t live with your family for a fortnight or whatever.”

“Because it’s too much commitment?” he asked, letting go of me again. I stumbled back slightly.

“No, it’s not because of that.”

He crossed his arms across his chest, staring me down, “Did you meet Dougie’s family?”

“What does that even ma-?” I jolted as he slammed the heel of his hand into the row of lockers.

“Just answer the question!”

A bunch of people were pausing to see what was going on. Their Wednesday end-of-school wasn’t normally accompanied by a drama production. “Yes,” I hissed at him. “I did, okay?”

“After how long.” he demanded.

“Six months.” I spread my hands, “I met his parents before, but I met the rest when they came down for his dad’s fiftieth. Informal setting, not a family home. What does this even matter?!”

He looked down now, “Oh.”

“Why would you compare this to me and Dougie?” I asked him softly.

A shrug of his shoulders was all I got, “I dunno.”

I frowned at him, then tried to take a lighter tone, “Anyway, Mum and I have a New Years tradition. We watch the Hogmanay TV, overload on junk and chill.”

He grinned now, some of the resentment fading from his eyes, “That’s your tradition?”

“Ever since Dad left.” I began to walk down the corridor, and he fell into step as I expected, “Do you mind?”

He shook his head, “No. I’m sorry for reacting like that. You have fun with your mum.”

I smiled as he put an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close to him affectionately, “We always do.”

*****

“You’re deserting me?” I demanded.

Mum looked sheepish, “Come on, honey… You can spend New Year with your friends. Where’s Harry?”

“Australia,” I remarked darkly. “He left on his birthday. He’s visiting family.”

She glanced at her watch, “So he’ll be seeing in the New Year already.” It was Hogmanay, and- of course- she’d waited until the last possible moment to drop this delightful bombshell on me. “Well, what about Danny?”

“He’s in Bolton!” I let out a sigh. I was being selfish. She had every right to go out with her friends at New Year. “Just go, Mum.”

“Really?” she asked doubtfully. I nodded.

“Really.”