A few more voices joined in the chorus until the sound of the chant filled Danielle O'Malley's ears. Anger bubbled up inside of her, obliterating the initial hurt she felt at their taunts. She had experienced cruelty before but had thought it might finally stop once she got to junior high.
It had been like this for her for as long as she could remember. Shuffled from foster home to foster home, she'd always struggled to fit in, and this school hadn't been any different. It didn't help that her clothes were a bit ragged or that she never had the benefit of a stylish haircut. Most of the foster parents she'd been placed with had enough to do to keep food on the table and shoes on her feet. Jewelled barrettes and cool clothes just weren't in the budget.
Though she'd once tried to be optimistic, she'd learned to lower her expectations. She just wasn't one of the lucky ones. She'd been taken from her single mother when she was six, and placed in foster care. Dani couldn't remember much of her life with Marly O'Malley, only that there had been times when her mother was happy and other times when she was very sad. Her foster parents had whispered words like "suicide" and "depression," but Dani hadn't understood the words until much later.
She did remember one thing from that time. She remembered crying when the social worker told her that her mother had died. It had been the last time she'd shed tears in front of another human being. Tears were a sign of weakness, and even at the young age of six, Dani knew she couldn't allow anyone to see how vulnerable she really was. She was on her own and she had to put on a tough front.
"Dani, Dani, sittin' on her fanny, she's so ugly, she'll never find a manny."
Dani clenched her fingers into a fist. With a low growl, she scrambled to her feet and launched herself at the instigator of the teasing. Ashley Kaplin's face showed a flicker of shock the moment before Dani's fist connected with her pert little nose. They both tumbled onto the dusty playground in a flurry of flailing arms and kicking legs. Dani was able to land a few more good punches before the playground aide dragged her off Ashley.
Dried grass clung to Ashley's hair, and her perfect outfit was now marked with dirt. A tickle of blood ran from her nose to her pouty mouth. Dani felt a surge of satisfaction that she'd been able to draw blood. Maybe now, Ashley and her gang would think twice before they teased Dani O'Malley.
"What do you two think you're doing?" the aide demanded. "This is no way for young ladies to act!"
"She just attacked me for no reason," Ashley whined, forcing a few tears to trickle down her cheeks. "I was just standing here, minding my own business, and she jumped on top of me." She flipped her blond hair over her shoulder.
"She's jealous of me because I wear nice clothes and have pretty things."
"It's true," one of Ashley's cronies piped in. "We weren't doing anything and she just punched her."
The aide glanced down at Dani. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
Dani tipped her chin up defiantly and leveled her gaze at Ashley. But she refused to make excuses. "I hit her. Three times. And I'll hit her again if she comes near me," she warned. "I'll beat the living crap out of her."
The aide grabbed Dani's arm and drew her along to the playground fence, to the spot where all the rowdies and outcasts were banished. "Sit here until recess is over. And after the bell rings, I want you to report to Mrs. Lang's office. She'll decide your punishment."
Dani refused to do as she was told. Instead, she stood, her fingers wrapped in the chainlink, her expression defiant. The aide shook her head and walked away. The instant she was alone, Dani felt tears push at the corners of her eyes. She'd thought maybe this time it would be different. Maybe this time, she'd fit in. Biting the inside of her bottom lip, she focused on the pain, willing the tears away.
"I'm glad you punched her."
Glancing to her left, Dani saw a frail-looking girl sitting on the ground just a few feet away, her knees tucked up beneath her plaid pleated skirt. She smiled, revealing a mouth full of braces.
"I've dreamed about decking her," the girl continued, brushing her dark bangs out of her eyes. "She can be such a snot. And all those girls do whatever she says. I'm pretty sure they share a brain, because not one of them thinks for themselves." She pushed to her feet, the effort causing a flush to rise to her cheeks. "I'm Evie Marshall."
She held out her hand and Dani wasn't sure what to do. Was she expected to shake it? "I'm Dani. Danielle O'Malley."
"I know. You sit next to me in history and math."
Dani hadn't remembered her. "I - I didn't -"
"Notice? The story of my life," Evie joked, the two spots of color in her cheeks blazing against her too-pale complexion. "I could walk down the halls of Walker Junior High stark naked and no one would notice."
"That's not true," Dani said. "I'd notice. And I'm sure Ashley would have a few things to say."
"Oh, she doesn't tease me," Evie said.
Dani felt her defenses rise again. "Why? Are you her friend or something?"
Evie shook her head, her wispy hair falling back into her eyes. "They don't tease me because I'm sick. Or at least I was sick."
"What was wrong with you?"
"I had cancer. A tumor in my brain." She tipped her head down and pointed to a scar that ran across the top of her head. "Everyone is supposed to be nice to me, but they mostly just ignore me."
"I wish they'd ignore me," Dani muttered, kicking her heel back against the chainlink fence.
Evie glanced up at her through her ragged bangs. "No you don't. It's terrible to be ignored. I just wish I had one friend. Then it wouldn't be so bad to come to school."
"You don't have any friends?"
"Everyone is afraid I'm going to die on them so they stay away. Or maybe they think cancer is contagious."
Dani sighed and pushed at a pebble with the toe of her scuffed loafer. She wanted someone to confide in so bad, but it was hard to know whom to trust. She swallowed hard and forced a smile. Maybe she could trust Evie Marshall. After all, they shared at least one thing in common. "I don't have any friends, either," Dani admitted. "Not that I need any. I'm always moving, so it's not worth making friends anyway."
"Why do you move?" Evie asked.
"I'm a foster kid. Usually they ask to have me sent somewhere else. I heard my social worker talking once. She said I have a lot of attachment issues. I figure if I don't let anyone like me, then it won't be so hard when I have to leave."
"Why don't you live with your folks?"
"I don't know my dad. And my mom died a few years ago."
"So you're like an orphan." Evie nodded, as if she understood. "We could be friends," she said softly. "I mean, if you want to. I'll try not to like you too much if you try not to think that I'm going to die."
Dani's heart leapt. A friend! No one had ever offered to be her friend before. And even though Evie was a little sickly, she dressed nicely and her hair was fixed pretty. It was obvious her parents cared about her. Dani's excitement faded. A girl like Evie could never be her friend. They were from different worlds. Sooner or later she'd realize the kind of girl Dani was. She'd been called all sorts of names, most of them a lot worse than what Ashley Kaplin could dream up. "I don't know," she muttered. "I'm not really looking for any friends right now."
Evie's hopeful expression fell and disappointment filled her eyes. "I understand," she said. She drew a ragged breath. "I'm not going to die. My doctors say I'm in remission."
(Continues...)
Excerpted from All She Needed by Kate Hoffmann Copyright © 2003 by Harlequin Enterprises, Ltd.. Excerpted by permission.
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