“You’re on crutches.” Dinesh folded his arms over his green, red, and white striped uniform. Everyone who worked at Santa’s Playhouse had to dress like an actual elf.
A voice from behind Danny said, “You can’t go in there if you’re on crutches.”
Danny’s head swung around. Dinesh’s best friend, Craig, sat alone at a table, eating pizza and drinking Mellow Yellow.
“You don’t make the rules, Craig,” Danny said.
“He doesn’t,” Dinesh agreed, “but he is correct. No crutches.” He pointed to the gold star on his uniform. “I’m shift manager.”
“He takes his job very seriously,” Craig said.
Danny dropped his crutches and hopped on his good foot over to the door. The calf muscle on his left leg was going to be double the size of his right by the time he finally got his cast off. “No crutches. Let me in.”
“I don’t think so,” Dinesh said.
“You’re a liability,” Craig added.
“I’m not going to do anything. I’m not even gonna play. I’m just going to sit behind a barrier and watch. All my friends are in there. Please, Dinesh.” Pleading to Craig would’ve been in vain. “I’ll give you free coffee for a month.”
Craig and Dinesh shared a look. Craig shook his head no, but Dinesh pulled open the door. “I’m putting my job on the line for you.”
“I know,” Danny said. “And thank you.”
“Stay on the floor,” Dinesh said. “You’re a spectator only.”
Danny saluted him and hopped into a dark hallway as the door shut behind him. He pulled open the next door, and strobing neon lights assaulted him. He bounced in and grabbed the arm of the first person he saw—Marcus—both to get his attention and to hold himself up.
“What are you doing here, Cap?” Marcus asked. “You’re gonna get hurt.”
“I just want to hang out. Help me sit down somewhere, please.”
He put his arm around Marcus’s shoulders, and the two of them made their way over to a little fort in the middle of the room. “Stay safe,” Marcus said, as he helped Danny sit on a foam bench in front of the main fortress, then hustled away in pursuit of their point guard.
Hunting for Star, Danny glanced around. A trio of cheerleaders chased the point guard up a ramp. Kevin shot the school mascot right in the chest. But no Star. A sick feeling formed in his gut.
Danny should’ve stayed out in the arcade. Really, he should’ve stayed home. This was stupid. Star was probably parked in front of his house right now.
From inside the fort behind him, Danny heard a crash followed by a giggle. He whirled around and caught sight of his girlfriend’s platinum blond braid glowing blue in the black light. She had her arms around someone else, and Danny’s stomach lurched when he realized who it was.
“Phil?”
The team’s student trainer, Phil Waterston, and Star pushed each other away at the same time.
“Danny!” Star wiped her lips with the back of her hand. “What are you doing here?”
Good thing Danny was sitting, because this had knocked his entire world off balance. He couldn’t decide whether to cry or punch the foam barrier in front of him. “I could ask you the same thing. We’re supposed to be on a date.”
Her hand flew to her mouth. “Oh my God, I forgot.”
“Apparently.” Danny tried to push himself up, but he found nothing nearby to grab for balance. His good leg shook from the shock. Star and Phil. Phil and Star. Phil Waterston, the guy who had sat by Danny’s side on the floor while they waited for an ambulance not even two weeks ago.
Phil dashed out of the fort and grabbed Danny’s elbow before he could topple over, but Danny pushed him away while simultaneously grasping for the nearest cheerleader—a freshman. She helped him stand.
“Danny, I’m sorry,” Phil said. “It just…happened.”
It just…happened. It just…happened that his girlfriend—the person he’d been closest to for the past six years—was cheating on him. The cheerleader helped Danny over to a foam barrier, where he rested his hands to keep balance as the girl ran off to find her friends.
“It just happened in the middle of a crowded room where all our friends were hanging out?” That was almost the worst part. They didn’t even have the decency to mess around in private. Anyone could’ve seen. They didn’t even care if Danny found out, or if they hurt him. “This wasn’t the first time, was it?”
“Yes, it was,” Star said. She remained in the doorway of the fort. She hadn’t run over to help Danny or plead with him. She’d kept her distance and let Phil handle the fallout. This was the person Danny had chosen to be with for six years—someone who’d cheat on him without hesitation and then let her new guy act as cleanup crew.
Phil glared at Star. “No, it wasn’t. But we only ever kissed, that’s it.”
Danny’s brain stalled on the image of Star and Phil—Phil!—intertwined. He waved his arms, but he almost toppled over. “I really don’t need the details. I…” He turned to Star as he clutched the barrier to stay upright. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you just break up with me?”
She frowned and glanced at his leg. “Danny.”
“Oh, good. You stayed with me out of pity. Super.” She didn’t care about him. Maybe she’d never cared about him. “Well, I guess this saves you from having to be the bad guy.” Danny glanced around, searching for Marcus or Kevin or anyone who might be able to help him to the door. Everyone stayed hidden, either as part of the game or to avoid blowback from the Danny/Star/Phil triangle. Danny hopped toward the exit. He had to do this on his own.
“Seriously, Danny. Let me help you.” Phil reached for Danny’s arm.
Danny yanked it away. “I’m fine, Phil.” He had to get out of here. His entire chest tightened, like it was about to burst into ugly, blubbering tears. He couldn’t cry in front of his entire team, and he definitely couldn’t break down in front of Star.
Using columns of neon padding as his lifeline, Danny bounced on one leg across the floor and out the door.
“Have fun?” asked Dinesh.
“Best time ever.” Still wobbling on his shaky leg, Danny retrieved his crutches from Dinesh and scanned the floor. Sam and Oliver were still here, but they were with their girlfriends. Everyone was with their girlfriends, something Danny no longer had, which was a completely foreign concept to him. He could barely remember not having a girlfriend. He’d taken Star being his girlfriend for granted, like he’d taken having two unbroken legs for granted. Eyes stinging, he limped to the door and out onto Main Street, which, at least, was snow free. He felt like a spectacle, a sad, girlfriend-less sack with a broken leg.
And, ha-ha, it wasn’t like getting a new girlfriend would be an easy task for him. He couldn’t even have a normal conversation with two strangers in a coffee shop. This was the first day of his new life as a loner.