Free Danika's Gift by Jayn Wilde

him and gave him a quick nod.  All the while, my heart slowly twisted in two.

Chapter 7
    Danika
    “Come on Dani, forget about him for one night.  Please?  It is your birthday and this party is going to have tons of hot guys.”  Samantha continued to beg outside of the bathroom door.
    I pulled my brush through my hair over and over, trying to get the curls to behave.  I stopped and stared into the mirror.  I couldn’t forget him.  Not even for one night.  Every time I looked at myself and saw the dark circles under my eyes, the way my cheeks and body had thinned out, I remember how he left me.  Just disappeared.
    My voice trembled, “I don’t know Sam, I really can’t think about other guys right now.”
    “Look, you are eighteen now.  You are a true adult.  You don’t have to find a boyfriend tonight.  Just maybe a guy that fits the “Mr. Right Now” scenario.  Have some fun.  Dance.  Sing.  Maybe have a drink and relax a little and have some fun.”
    I yanked the bathroom door open and glared at Sam.  Fun?   Was she freaking serious?  The past two weeks have been nothing but school, work, sleep and occasionally eating something.  I just didn’t have the heart to have fun.
    “I don’t want to go alone Dani.  Just come, hang out and you can be my designated driver.  You can meet some of the sorority sisters and see they’re not like the movies make them out to be.  Come on, just a girl’s night out.  Please?”  Sam’s begging irritated me.
    “Okay.  Fine.”  I shrugged and went to get dressed.
    ****
    After much primping and fussing, Sam helped me look presentable.  I wasn’t going to win any hearts tonight, that was for sure.  I had gotten too skinny over the past two weeks and looked more like a crack addict than a vibrant eighteen year old.  But I was only going for her.  I slipped my cell phone in the back pocket of my black skinny jeans and headed for the door.
    The party was in full swing when we got there.  Sam parked down the block a bit and handed me her keys.  The party was at a frat house and the whole area was full of drunks.  Amazing how people could get so blasted before ten.  I stepped around a kid puking in the street and around another two girls sitting on the curb smoking a joint.  I guess they didn’t worry about the cops around here.
    The frat house was huge.  Once upon a time, I bet it was a beautiful Victorian.  It had a beautiful wrap around porch which was probably white at one point with beautiful spindles in it.  I was never good with architecture, but if you could imagine a beautiful old Victorian home with its rounded front and pointy sections of roof, you’d be pretty close for this house.  I think it was a soft blue at one point, but the paint was faded and peeling that even with the bright porch lights, it was hard to tell.  All I know is that it was a damn shame this house had gone to crap.
    Inside was a whole different story.  As Sam and I made our way through the crowd of gyrating college kids, I could see the inside had been painted, the floors were shiny, there was a huge plasma TV and gigantic stereo system in the living room.  We finally made it into the kitchen, which also had the latest and newest appliances.  Sam grabbed a beer from the keg and I found a bottle of soda in an open cooler.  The music was so loud; Sam and I had to shout to be heard.
    “Come on, let’s mingle.”  Sam winked as she pulled me into the living room again. 
    All the guys seemed to notice as she came through this time.  Sam flipped her long blonde hair over her bare shoulder.  She looked like a supermodel in her fuchsia tank top and denim mini-skirt.  Sam had on sky-high heels that made her taller than me and half the guys in the room.  I glanced down at myself.  Boring. Navy blue tank top, black skinny jeans and my usual white sneakers.
    Sam noticed and said, “I wish you’d have let me lend you some of my clothes.”
    “You know I