DISGUISED HERO
CHAPTER TWO

Slamming and locking her locker door, Dani scanned the hallway to see if Harvey, Theo, Sabrina or Roz were nearby. She smiled as she spotted them by Sabrina's locker huddled together just at the end of the hallway. The first few days of school had been surprisingly enjoyable. She supposed she had her new friends to thank for that– it certainly had nothing to do with Mr. Hanson's science class. He and his ways of teaching had been anything but enjoyable for Dani so far. She was sure that, had Rosalind not been in her class, there was no way she would have survived just these few days at Baxter High.

She made sure her bag was zipped up securely and slung over her shoulder before heading in their direction. When the four instantly stopped talking and glanced at each other nervously, Dani frowned. It seemed as though the topic of discussion wasn't meant for her ears. She was used to this kind of behavior in Riverdale, but after how welcoming her new friends at Baxter High had been, she was hurt to be excluded again.

Smiles quickly returned to their faces, though, so choosing to ignore her suspicion, Dani returned the gesture as if she were just as oblivious as they believed her to be. Having forgotten for a moment that Nicholas didn't go to Baxter High, a strange feeling of disappointment dawned on her when she joined her new friends, realizing that she wouldn't be seeing the witty boy for a while. She brushed it off, forcing herself to pay attention to her other friends.

"We were just talking about heading to Cerberus Books," Roz said, Harvey's arm draped around her. Dani noticed Sabrina's eyes flickering back and forth between the couple that stood so close to one another and her hands. "Right, guys?" Everyone chorused in agreement to what Roz had said and Sabrina revoked her attention from the two.

"We're thinking of going there and then to see a movie at the theatre," Sabrina affirmed, nodding. "Wanna come?" Dani opened her mouth momentarily, pausing and shaking her head when she reminded herself of the mass of boxes that were yet to be unpacked.

"I'm sorry, I wish I could. There's so much I still need to unpack. I don't think I can live any longer in the disastrous state of my room."

"Why don't I help you? We could unpack your things and then meet the others later for the movie," Sabrina suggested, the corners of her mouth turned upward like always. Her optimism made it seem like the unpacking would be done in no time, but Dani was sure once the blonde saw the mess in her room she'd regret ever offering to help.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course! I'd be happy to." They all remained by the lockers, chatting a bit more before Sabrina and Dani parted ways with them. Throughout the entire walk to her house, Dani couldn't help the uncomfortable feeling that kept building in her stomach. After all the kindness she'd been shown, she still found it hard to believe that things were going to stay this way. Even something as simple as Sabrina helping Dani prepare her bedroom– which Sabrina herself suggested she help with– discomforted Dani. It was as though the brunette wanted to believe that her new friend would quickly get fed up and bored of helping her. Somehow, she felt more comfortable with Nick than with the four teenagers she'd spent more time with and who actually went to her school. Maybe it was because she saw them more often, or maybe it was just because Nick seemed so different to Sabrina, Roz, Harvey and Theo.

The silence between Sabrina and Dani ended when Dani stuck the key into the front door of her house. They walked inside and Dani immediately directed her to the kitchen, the only remotely tidy room in the house.

"I'm home!" she called out for her dad before stepping into the kitchen, stepping over the few pages of bubble wrap and the screwdrivers that were sprawled messily across the marble floor. "Do you want something to drink?" When Sabrina nodded, she started to pour apple juice into two glasses.

"Dani." She set the juice carton on the table and turned around to see her dad standing by the doorframe. "Hey, Dad." She smiled, walking up to him and giving him a tight hug. As she pulled away, Sabrina stepped forward with her usual wide grin, holding her hand out for her dad to shake.

"Hi, it's great to meet you. I'm Sabrina Spellman."

"Spellman, huh?" Matthew shook her hand gave an intrigued nod. "Not many people with a name like that..." he trailed, his head tilting to the side slightly.

"I guess not." Sabrina nodded with deliberation, giving him a nondescript shrug then turning to Dani.

"Oh, yeah, Dad- I wanted to ask, can I go with Sabrina and a few others to the movies after I'm done with my room?" she asked. Her dad opened his mouth to respond, but after remembering that she had to assure her overprotective father that she'd be home before dark, she quickly spoke up again, not wanting him to interrogate her with a whole list of questions. "The movie starts at like, five, so I'd be home before seven-thirty."

Her dad chuckled at her quick thinking. "I don't know, sweetheart. I don't want you walking home alone."

"I'm sure Harvey could drive you home," Sabrina mentioned, instantly raising Matthew's attention.

"Harvey?" He looked at his daughter with a disapproving look, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

"Dad," Dani whined, throwing her head back in frustration. "Harvey is Rosalind's boyfriend," she told him in a slow voice.

"Alright, alright. Have fun," her dad said, chuckling. "Hey- but not too much fun." He gave her a mock-serious look, failing when the edges of his lips curled upwards.

"Bye, Dad." Dani rolled her eyes and walked out of the kitchen with her glass of juice after glancing back to make sure that Sabrina was following. They climbed up the flight of stairs and when they got to Dani's bedroom, she gave Sabrina an apologetic look before pushing the door open. Even after having slept in the room for several nights already, she couldn't seem to get used to how messy it was. She grimaced at the sight of boxes stacked upon boxes, pieces of clothing hanging out of some of the open ones. Dani was surprised by how Sabrina seemed so unfazed by the state of the room.

She was grateful that she had at least made her bed in the morning. The purple sheets were cleanly set with a matching comforter and pillowcase on top of it. The girls each picked up a large cardboard box and brought it to the nicely made bed. Once the tape was torn open, they began picking folded clothes out of the boxes and setting them into the large closet beside her bed.

"Your dad seems..."

"Overprotective?" Dani spoke for her, laughing lightly. While her dad's constant worrying was annoying, it was also humerus from time to time. Dani believed she knew him well enough to get around his overprotectiveness sometimes.

"I was going to say 'nice'." She chuckled. "Is your mom at work?" Sucking in the insides of her cheek, Dani paused, placing the tank top she had picked up back into the box. Biting her bottom lip, she shook her head. "She passed away when I was younger..." The smile on her face slowly melted into a frown. "I guess that's one of the reasons why my dad's always so protective." She shrugged, turning her back to Sabrina in an attempt to hide the sorrow painted clearly across her features.

"Dani... I'm really sorry." Sabrina's voice was filled with sympathy when she spoke, her brows pulled together in an expression all too familiar to Dani. Pity. But there was more to it than that. It wasn't the same as the looks she'd been given by clueless, condoling people, people who could never understand what it was she was feeling. Sabrina's eyes held an underlying layer of emotion, a look Dani had seen countless times in the mirror.

"Thanks." Dani brushed it off. Talking about it caused an all too familiar lump to form in her throat. "How about you? How come you live with your aunts and cousin?"

"My parents died when I was a baby, so I've been living with my aunts ever since," she explained. Now she knew how Sabrina was able to empathize so much when she heard about her mom. Dani gave her a sad smile of commiseration. "I'm okay though. I have my aunties and Ambrose," she added with a lopsided smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"I've been meaning to ask, by the way..." Dani trailed as she picked her multi-colored perfume bottles gently out of a box, sticking them on top of her dressing table in a uniform line. "When I was talking to your aunt Hilda yesterday, she knew my mom's name somehow. I'd ask my dad but he's not big on talking about her and Calum says he doesn't know either, so I was wondering if you think there's a way they may have known each other?"

"Not that I know of. I could ask if you want." Sabrina shook her head and shrugged.

"It's fine. I doubt it's anything," she said, deciding to take Calum's advice from last night and let it go. There was no use in grilling Sabrina about it when she clearly knew no more than she did.

She and Sabrina continued to unload her belongings from the boxes, moving on from the deep conversation to lighter ones. Dani found herself tempted more than once to ask what the story was between Harvey, Roz and Sabrina and whether Nick had anything to do with it. She was grateful that her rational and constantly over-thinking brain had reminded her that this was probably where she'd be overstepping. Instead of moving onto what could be a sensitive topic, Dani bit her tongue.

"I think we might finally be done, Sabrina," she announced, grinning as she stuffed a pile of jeans onto a shelf in the closet. She was surprised by how much they had accomplished in such a short time. Her large oak-colored closet was already filled with most of the contents of the boxes, and her perfumes and makeup were scattered across her dressing table. She took a step back to look at the pictures of her and her family that they'd hung up across her violet walls. A small smile crept on her face when her eyes landed on the frame that was closest to her bed, a picture of her and her mother. In every single home they had lived in, the picture of Dani and Claire had always been the one closest to her bed; whenever she felt lonely or missed her mom, she'd be right there beside her.

"And just in time for the movie." Sabrina grinned, brushing off the few pieces of lint and dust her clothes had accumulated, while Dani stood from her position on the wooden floor and put her jacket on.

"Thanks for all the help, by the way," Dani mentioned while they exited the house and started walking in the direction of the movie theatre. "I really wasn't expecting everyone to be so nice."

"Hey, no problem. I'm glad your first few days here have been great. May there be many more to come."

"Thanks," she said again and looked around, taking in the colourful pine trees and houses to become more familiar with the area. The houses, shops and streets in Greendale all looked so similar. There was nothing that really stood out in the town. To many, that was negative, but Dani liked its simplicity. It made it seem less prone to chaos than other places.

She could smell the strong smell of popcorn before the movie theatre was even in sight. Climbing up the stairs and entering through the already open doors, Dani and Sabrina scanned the busy entrance for their friends.

"Hey." Sabrina smiled. "Where are the others?"

"Already inside." Harvey passed them each a movie ticket. "The movie is about to start. Come on." They handed the doorman the tickets and thanked him when he allowed them entry before walking into the dark room. Dani was instantly hit by the cool air conditioner and she shivered slightly, pulling her sleeves over her cold fingers. She followed Harvey and Sabrina cautiously, her eyes stuck on the ground, the movie screen just barely lighting up the dark ground. She almost tripped when Sabrina halted in front of her and started walking to the right where their seats were. It was only when she tried to find her seat that her eyes landed on the all-too-familiar face of Nicholas Scratch. As she sat down in the empty seat beside him, he looked at her with the same smirk he'd worn when they first met. He possessed an air of mystery, something that intrigued Dani quite a bit. She couldn't help but feel the urge to unravel his secrets and learn more about what went on under the impeccably dressed surface.

"I didn't know you were coming." Dani leaned her head back against the seat. A smile plastered across her face as she looked into his sparkly, dark eyes.

"I mean, once I found out that Loner Girl was going to be here, it only made sense that I come too. Someone has to be the hero and save you from these losers, right?" he declared as though it were the most obvious thing. With her eyes still lingering on him, his infectious smile that showed his white, even teeth, forced her lips to curl upwards even more than they already had.

When the screen brightened more and the movie began to play, Dani held back the retort she was going to send the charming boy who so confidently believed to be her disguised hero. She turned away from him to pay attention to the movie, but the smile that evoked never left her lips.

_____ ♔_____

→ author's note

i hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! i promise that as this story goes on and we start getting into the main plot points, more action, mystery and stuff is going to go on. the story will generally be more fun to read, so please stick around!

votes and comments are always very much appreciated.

thanks for reading!