AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Come on,” Johnny ordered when he reached me. He placed a hand on my lower back and urged me to walk. “We’re leaving.”
Unsure, I let him guide me away from the staring crowd.
“Where are we going?” I whispered, hurrying to keep his pace.
“Away from here,” he bit out, jaw clenching.
“Why?”
“Because if I stay here and she says something to you, I’ll lose my shit. If you stay here and she says something to you, I’ll lose my shit,” he explained in a tight tone. “Therefore, I need to go”—he paused to pull the glass door open and usher me outside—“and you need to come with me,” he finished, leading me into the rain.
“I, uh, yeah, okay,” I whispered as I hurried along beside him.
My emotions were whishing through me as he led me out through the courtyard.
“You lied to me, Shannon,” Johnny stated quietly as he steered us toward the P.E. hall. “She said something to you.”
“I didn’t want to cause any trouble,” I admitted.
“That wasn’t your call to make,” he replied. “Did you lie about her hitting you, too? About why you’re in pain?”
“No,” I croaked out. “That part was true.”
Regrettably.
“And your neck?”
“That wasn’t her,” was all I replied.
Johnny was quiet for a long moment.
“Don’t ever lie to me again,” he finally said in a quiet tone as he cast me a sideways glance. “I can’t take it.”
“I won’t,” I told him, hating the lie as it fell from my lips.
We reached the P.E. hall and hurried inside, both glad to get out of the rain.
I shuffled behind him, this area of the school more his forte than it was mine. I kept my eyes trained on his back, walking after him. I hesitated when he sauntered into the boys’ changing room, but then he held the door open for me and gestured me inside with an expectant look.
Like a skittish foal, I hurried inside only to jump in surprise when the heavy door slammed closed behind us.
The overpowering smell of teenage boy was the first thing that hit me. The stench of sweat, deodorant, and bodily fluids was so strong I had to force back the urge to gag. It wasn’t a smell I was unfamiliar with—Joey, anyone?—but this particular stench was eye-watering, intensified by the fact that forty or so from the opposite sex used this room at any given time.
Feeling completely out of place, and with my nostrils thoroughly violated, I watched Johnny stroll over to a bench on the right-hand side of the room. He sank down on the bench, dragged a bag out from beneath his legs, and quickly unzipped it.
“Come here,” he ordered as he rummaged around inside of his bag, pulling out socks, cans of deodorant, and empty bottles of Lucozade Sport. “Come here, Shannon,” he repeated calmly.
So, I did. I walked over to where he was.
Johnny elbowed a random schoolbag off the bench and gestured to the space he had made. “Sit down.”
I eyed the bench warily.
Shaking his head, Johnny reached up and snagged my hand.
“Sit down,” he coaxed, pulling me down on the bench beside him.
Our shoulders brushed, and I skittered an inch or two away before wrapping my arms around my stomach.
