born to be wild.

***

“No, nothing happened to her. Pretty sure she’s just ignoring you.” He stiffened as Johnny’s hand went across him, suspicious of the snack that was placed in his hands even though Noah had seen exactly where the boy had gotten it from. It wasn’t as if anything could have happened to it right in front of his eyes without him knowing. Yet he still had that feeling of uncertainty that came with being around people like Johnny. He always tried to think of the best of everyone; always tried to be nice whenever he could. Yet, being around Johnny, Noah felt on high alert. He couldn’t help but feel on high alert, because what else was he supposed to feel? It was clear that the boy was out for something, though Noah hadn’t picked up on his intentions just yet.

“Not sure how that’s any of your business, but I’ll be playing football again. Obviously.” He paused for a moment before letting out a sigh. There was no point in trying to pretend like the entire thing didn’t confuse him. Most things confused him, but this certainly did. “Was there something in particular that you wanted, Johnny? I already told you about my sister.”

---

“Obviously,” Johnnie repeated after Noah. It was hard not to mock the guy a little when he made it so easy. Noah was like, the cardboard cut-out of every guy he’d ever been on a team with. He was the pinnacle of what Frank wanted to him be and while Johnnie lived up to most of those standards, he was lacking a good thirty pounds of muscle. (What could he say? He preferred alternative methods of exercise.)

He scanned the booths absently. Nothing in particular stood out to him aside from a busty blonde at the far end of the line. Johnnie winked at her before Noah piped up with more complaints. Naturally, he fastened his hook around his neck like an overly friendly snake.

“Why so suspicious, Lawson? Can’t a guy make some small talk?” he asked.

“Look, it’s a new year. What’s the point of starting it off with so much hostility? The way I see it, there’s you, me and a whole lot of tension that can be worked off in way more productive ways than growling at one another across the pitch.”

Johnnie smiled wide. “We could be growling at each other close up, for example.”

***

“First, gendering cars is dumb. Second, I can list ten things off the top of my head that would get in between you two, including the car finally having enough and going to the great junkyard in the sky and you choosing to ignore rules and parking wherever you please, resulting in Babe getting towed. Which feels very on brand for you. And once you’re temporarily parted, it’s only a matter of time until you realize you could go the same distance in town in either a hybrid car or on a bike. And not the kind with a motor.”

Was Isa surprised to hear that the Ward boy had a band at one point in his life? Not in the slightest. But she had no doubt that he held their talent in far too high esteem, and that he’d gotten it at least half right when he’d called them ‘the shit’.

“The last director was obsessed with Journey, so if you think that’s all we’re capable of then you’re absolutely incorrect. And I’m sure your My Chemical Romance cover band was shit, but again, you’re not invited to relive those glory days,” she made perfectly clear, unable to stop the bitter laugh that erupted from her at his next words. Leave it to Johnnie Ward to bring sex into the most basic of conversations. Sure, it was the only thing they had in common, but that was essentially as dead and gone as the patience anyone would have for hearing Johnnie and the Babes’ cover of Wonderwall.

“You’re hilarious. Yeah, not a loss.”

---

“Of course you’d find humanizing anythin’ dumb,” Johnnie said. “I don’t expect you to get it, T-1000, but Babe ‘n I aren’t ever splittin’ ways. I found her, gutted her and made her mine and might I say, I’m an excellent daddy.”

He wasn’t responsible with a whole lot of things but Johnnie was confident in this: he and Babe were going to die hand-in-wheel together. It would be the last thing he did. At that point, Babe was practically another member of their family. She housed them during arguments, carted them to school and back. Babe had been there while most of his siblings were growing up, including himself.

Call him sentimental, but he was never going to get the little corn flakes out of the grit of his car doors back and some uppity half-pint was never gonna change his mind on the matter.

“We were more Led Zeppelin than MCR, but hey. The point is that we made music, not Kidz-Bop singalongs,” he pointed out. Johnnie stuffed his hands into his pockets and leaned back, cocking his head and taking her derision as a means of victory. 

“I’m joining band again this year but uh, I’m takin’ the reins on this one so you’ll get a little sample of what you’re missin’ out on. Try not to get too jealous.”

Bee watched as the wheels turned slowly in Johnnie’s brain, unable to keep themself from giggling as his eyes fixated somewhere off into the distance. The last of their cigarette died out and with a sigh they tossed it out the window. There went that. Hopefully there would be another pack in their future after this weeks paycheck came through.

“Alright so here’s what the skinny, Ward, gender is hella fake. Like most things in like if’s a human construct that we arbitrarily choose to live by. And it’s cool and rad if you identify within that binary, more power to you, but to dictate certain things as gender specific is dumb. Pink is as inherently feminine as you make it. Muscle cars aren’t just for dudes.  Some girls want to fuck bitches get money. Example, you know Lore’s weird little brother? He’s not any less of a dude just because he openly admitted to crying during To All the Boys. Dudes who wear eyeliner or skirts aren’t any less dudes if they say they’re dudes. I’m agender no matter if I wear a skirt or cut my hair or get acrylic nails or wear flannel that hides my chest. Being a man is however you define it. Gender and sex are two completely different rodeos.”

Bee grabbed the water from the small pile of stuff they were currently living out of. At least the suitcase made a good end side table for the couch. “People have been living outside the binary for forever. It’s this Eurocentric thinking that stifles the ability to explore. Maybe for tomorrow’s lecture I can break your brain with the complex realm of human sexuality which are overly complicated just because people think they should be.”

Babe. Well that made them laugh.

“You can call me babe as much as you want. I don’t mind babe, or dude, or that weird bitch over there. Call me whatever floats your boat other than she, or Annabelle. But for future reference, some nonbinary people don’t appreciate terms like babe or dude so keep and ear out on it. It’s okay to mess up as long as you’re willing to learn.”

Johnnie’s brows furrowed as he tried to digest all the information, like how Finn was a little baby bitch and that crying during mediocre movies definitely made him less than a man in his books no matter how society decided to slice that. Not following some kind of guideline was a foreign concept and while he didn’t feel like unwrapping any of it for consumption, he understood that Bee cared about it and therefore, that was all that mattered.

He slid off of his desk and picked out another cigarette from his box to replace the one behind his ear while searching behind the door of the room.

“Right. So, we have a ‘schedule’-- you know, to avoid any awkward situations. I usually use the car but sometimes a guy needs the leg space,” he explained, showing them the clipboard. It was a valiant attempt of order in a calendar that only had Johnnie’s name on it. “I can pencil you in during the PM if you need some... time alone or like, with a dude... If you’re into those still. Or whatever.”

Bee moved over the to window, choosing to ignore his comment about what Stan liked to blow. They didn’t want to know, they didn’t care to know, and they were certainly going to throw that information out of their brain the second they got the chance. Stan was definitely not the type of person they saw Johnnie swinging for but to each their own. Especially if it gave them a place to sleep.

The cigarette was nice. It calmed their nerves as they let out a cloudy wisp into the air, watching it float out the window. Bee appreciated that Johnnie was wiling to ask questions. Some people were so worried about offending that they decided it was better to just not know and fly blind. As absurd as his questions were, they meant something. Curiosity, compassion, a desire to understand even at a base level. That was all Bee wanted.

For someone to care enough to ask.

“No, not particularly. I identify as agender which means I don’t feel like a boy or a girl. I don’t want a penis but sometimes I can feel…dysphoric. Where my body doesn’t quite match what I have in mind. Sometimes it feels too feminine, because I’m not a woman. And I’m not a man.”

Bee hummed gently, chuckling as they took the last drag of their cigarette. “Sorry. It’s confusing to me sometimes too.”

---

The concept of neither being masculine or feminine didn’t occur to him as a real thing. Everyone was determined a boy or a girl at birth by whether they had a penis or a vagina and the rest...

Johnnie narrowed his eyes, growing uncharacteristically quiet as his brain did the first cohesive jog it’d done in the past three years. The rule of what it meant to be male or female had nothing to do with people’s genitalia, did it? Last time he checked, his dick was pink and it was considered a womanly colour. So did that mean... someone just made it up? That the concept of gender was just all arbitrary guidelines created to put people into easily digestible categories? 

Wait, did that mean Frank was lying? What really made a man then?

The ash from his cigarette fell off onto his jeans amidst his deep pondering. He brushed it off and flicked his cherry out the window before scrambling to sit up right. 

Duckie was slightly taken aback by the warm reception he had received but he wasn’t complaining. He had nothing against making a new friend.

As he was moved away from the crowed of girls that had seemingly swarmed around Johnnie, Duckie couldn’t help but let himself take a couple of deep breaths, still a little winded. It had been a worthy cause in his mind, the Flower Debate, but no one had seemed very interested, something he couldn’t really understand. 

At the mention of the girls, Duckie looked over his shoulder for a moment. It wasn’t exactly a relatable moment in his eyes, the last time Duckie had girls surround him like that was when he broke his arm in sixth grade and they all lined up to sign his cast. 

Regardless, Duckie still gave a (not exactly convincing) nod of agreement.

“Oh, uh, yeah totally! I mean, I get a lot of mothers asking me when I finish my shift at work, but I’m not ready to be a dad to a seven year old girl so I always have to decline.”

His head whipped back to his screen at the mention of the flowers, face paling. “Geez, you think they’d think that? I’ve been getting them flowers for, like, every holiday and birthday since I was a kid….” 

Duckie ran a hand through his hair, eyes wide and visibly stressed. “I’ve totally f’ed up then, man! I’m an awful son, oh my God!”

---

Johnnie’s brows shot up to his hairline at the mere mention of moms, his eyes lighting up with all the hope and wonder of a kid anticipating Santa on Christmas Eve. Okay, maybe he had issues, but what could he say? He liked older women and the thought of mothers in abundance-- well, that was an abandoned child’s wishful dream, wasn’t it?

“Bro, that’s hot,” he said, clearly too eager to catch onto the guy’s hesitance. “How ‘bout you give ‘em my number next time they ask? I love me a good MILF. Tell ‘em I’m real good with kids. I have five siblings and they were all seven at one point in time. Come to think of it, I think Kay’s turnin’ seven this year. Hey-- are you listenin’?”

Johnnie jostled Duckie by the back of the neck as the guy began spiraling over his phone. Couldn’t he see that there were way more pressing matters in hand? Like, his dick? He heaved a long-suffering sigh and clapped a hand over the screen.

“Unfortunately, it happens to the best of us,” he told him sagely. “Don’t sweat it, though, man. I’ve got just the thing.”

He grinned, leaning close as if he were about to impart some extremely important wisdom. “Massages. Moms love being massaged. Think about it, they’ve been workin’ long and hard ‘n rarely take any time off for themselves. Nothin’ says ‘I love you’ more than a good rubdown.” 

***

“I hope they did think it was a cat. Two cats. However many cats necessary to make the noise, because I’d rather my baby brother’s mind not have to absorb that,” Lore insisted. Baby was clearly a loose term but Finn was always going to be her younger brother, and her protectiveness over him extended to shielding him from any explicit details about her personal life. It was like having a friend who still believed in Santa by fifth grade - you wanted to cover their ears for all of December to protect them for just a little bit longer. Finn was by no means stupid and definitely knew certain things about her that she’d tried to keep secret, but the more he assumed alternative explanations the better.

The secret monogamy bomb had been a big one to drop, and while Lore had been hoping to be okay no matter which way the dust settled, she found herself frozen in place as she waited for the male to work things out.

The phrase itself clearly wasn’t a hit, and he could say he wasn’t afraid of what other people thought all he wanted, but neither of those things were actual answers to the question that had more or less been posed. Was he specifically also down for secret monogamy?

“Fascinating hypothetical, but maybe we don’t expand on the invite thing,” she tossed out, a slight frown appearing on her face as she worked through a short explanation of where she was coming from with things. “I just don’t trust people not to try and tear this apart. Because people are horrible and they don’t just let people have things. And having lived in Lima since I was seventeen years old I can absolutely confirm to you that people in this town are somehow even worse. And I’ve lived in both LA and New York, which are essentially both Judgement Town USA.”

Taking cues from what Johnnie was doing more than what he was saying, hope had definitely settled into her heart as she stared into his eyes. Tender prolonged eye contact would be such a weird way to break things off with someone or to turn them down…. But then he was speaking and a wave of emotions was flowing through her - not just relief, but an incredible amount of fondness.

God, she really, really liked this boy. What was she getting herself into?

“Thank you,” she murmured as he moved just a tiny bit away. What she actually wanted was to live in a world where she could do whatever she wanted and not be judged for it, but Lima, Ohio was like East High circa whenever the hell High School Musical was set. You stuck to the status quo, lest you wanted to cause a huge choreographed number (probably by Glee Club so you know it’d be bad) in the dining hall. Therefore, a secret relationship was the next best thing.

Shuffling so that she’d reversed positions and made sure that Johnnie was the one trapped (in a nice way!) against the desk, Lore shifted gears. She was on a big actions-speak-louder-than-words kick but there was no reason why both couldn’t be effective.

“Oh, but you see, I only have to resist in public. And locked rooms in parts of school where almost no one goes during Orientation are not technically public.”

---

Right, Finn. Maybe if Johnnie was someone (anyone) else, he might’ve had qualms about shacking up with a buddy’s sister in secret but in his eyes, it was harmless. For all the times he’d been told that he needed to quit gloating about who he was fucking, there should be absolutely no penalty for the one time he did. Besides, what were bros for if they couldn’t be glad for you for getting some?

Johnnie pat down his pockets for a lighter while she spoke. He’d gotten used to the paranoid tirades after the third night in and found that no amount of dismissal would stop her from thinking that he wouldn’t have everything covered if something awful happened-- not that he thought they would. Life was a mixed bag of misery and he took every blow with a big ol’ smile and a good attitude. He didn’t think worrying about every little thing was any fun but Lorelei’s paranoia was infectious. It made him wonder exactly how much she liked him if she figured some nobody could just come in and ruin what they had.

“You’re awfully pessimistic for lil Miss Sunshine,” he commented passively, cigarette bobbing between his lips. Johnnie retreated to head outside and take a smoke break outside in the memory of poor, sad libido when Lorelei came at him like a meteor. A big, sexy, hot meteor. 

“Now we’re talkin’,” he said, woofing as he abandoned the zippo and the cigarette in favour of unfastening his belt and hastily raking her into his arms. Their mouths crushed together in a heated kiss, largely instigated by Johnnie, who’s hands were already making their way up under Lorelei’s shirt. Their feet jostled the chairs, metal clanking against legs and the buttons of an abandoned jacket as things got hot and heavy.

So, maybe Johnnie could be good if being good meant he got more of this. At least for now, it was enough.

Duckie weaved through the small gatherings of people as they sat around the courtyard, letting out a ‘so sorry!’ with each step. He had asked nearly everyone he knew, and had even resorted to total strangers. 

Catching a glimpse of a familiar face across campus, Duckie ran up to their side, breathless. He’d been running around for the last fifteen minutes doing this, attempting to collect data in a way he thought was a lot more accurate than an Instagram poll like he had debated. 

“Hi, quick question I need answered, I won’t say it’s a matter of life and death, but it’s pretty close. Which one of these screams ‘Sorry I Didn’t Text You On National Son’s & Daughter’s Day, But I Totally Didn’t Forget!’ the most?” He dug around in his back pocket for a moment before taking out his phone and pulled up a picture of a boxed flower arrangement of various yellow flowers. He then swiped left, bringing up a picture of what seemed to be the same arrangement besides the inclusion of some baby pink roses and then swiped again, showing yet another strangely similar set of flowers, this one in bouquet format.

“Before you say anything, I know, it’s a hard choice! Do I want my flowers to say ‘loyalty & rebirth’ or ‘happiness & hope?”

---

Johnnie, as per usual, was flanked by a pack of girls who were all too-eager to hear about his summer exploits after he’d abandoned his text app for most of it. The disappearance of Johnnie Ward had only seemed to add more intrigue to his character when his name was inherently linked to most of the big parties that happened on or around campus. 

“Come on Johnnie, don’t lie. You totally forgot to invite us,” said a girl with hooped earrings. The others nodded and chimed in agreement. 

“Now come on, that ain’t fair. Gas don’t pay for itself you know,” Johnnie replied.

The girl crossed her arms and cocked her hip, pinning him with an unimpressed glare. “What was it? A road trip? Some big bash at one of the mansions on the other side of town?”

“Yeah, tell us, Johnnie!”

Johnnie laughed and tossed his head back in disbelief as if their incredulity was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard. Sure, he did more than work, but... 

When Duckie came barreling in like a nerdy baby Jesus, Johnnie took the lifeline and swung an arm around his shoulders like they had been the bestest of friends-- despite having never hanging out before. Like, ever. Johnnie grinned widely, eyes bright and enthusiastic as he steered him a good measure away from the circle of hyenas before daring to glance back.

“Phew, girls these days, am I right? Can’t a guy work a summer in peace?”

Johnnie glanced down at the phone screen, expression faltering a little. “You know that flowers die, right? You wanna tell your ma ‘n pa that your love has an expiration date?”

***

He had been against it the moment he had seen any flash of interest in his sister’s eyes. To him, Johnny wasn’t some big bad boy heartthrob or anything like that. He was just annoying and annoying people didn’t get any less annoying as time went on. That was how he felt about it. But he hadn’t been able to stop her and now apparently, he got to deal with a smug Johnny because of it. Fantastic.

“She’s doing just fine. As to why she hasn’t called you, well there’s always the consideration that maybe she just doesn’t want to call you. Always an option.” Though truthfully, Noah didn’t know why she hadn’t called. There were plenty of things about the girl that he didn’t entirely understand and never had. That was just how life was with her. Maybe Johnny should have learned that before hooking up with her, but whatever. What was done was done.

“Ya know, usually guys learn how to take a hint when a girl isn’t returning your calls.”

---

“Heh, there’s only one thing I take and it ain’t hints, pal.” Johnnie grinned at that, mouth wry like he was entertained by a joke no one else knew but him. He always found the ritual kind of funny. Sister meets boy, boy fucks sister, brother enter stage. His favourite part of the game was always trying to win the family over, whether it was a deep-seated desire to impress all authority or sheer deviancy that made him jump at the opportunity for trouble he wasn’t sure yet. 

He just knew that the genetics in the Lawson family were spectacular and that maybe, if the Lord let him have this one, he’d be more lenient if his sister ever found interest in boys.

“Hey man, not a big deal. I was just worried somethin’ happened to her,” Johnnie replied coolly, clapping a too-familiar hand onto Noah’s shoulder. Nice and sturdy. Hot. 

His hand moved like a snake across Noah’s shoulders, spinning him around to divert his attention back to the club booths. Johnnie plucked a croissant and generously fed it into Noah’s empty hand with all the casualness of a used car salesman insisting on just one more test ride. 

Bee couldn’t help but blanch when Johnnie mentioned just how good of terms he was with the RA. Not that it was any of their business what the hell he was doing in his spare time, but they’d seen Stan a few times and couldn’t imagine why someone like Johnnie would be willing to pal around with him. He could do better.

“Maybe I’ll give this place a clean then. It looks like the set of a teen romcom. I know dudes like to live like this but your newest roommates is going to buy a vacuum ASAP.”

Bee paused and pointed at the little box of cigarettes. “If we’re talking about deep shit any chance you’d be willing to spare one of those.”

Talking about home wasn’t their ideal turn of events. Home was…it was complicated in many ways but maybe Johnnie, who was wiling to share his home with them, deserved to know even the bare minimum of what had happened between their parents and them the night they had come out.

“I came out to my parents as nonbinary. I was tired of having to live in their fantasy world where all I would wear was pink and I’d be a cheerleader and I’d marry a nice rich man who could continue on the fucking corn empire or whatever they hell they wanted. That shit isn’t for me. They were already peeved i chose Gender Studies instead of business as my major and I think that was the final straw. They don’t get it. They think it’s fake and made up and I was just rebelling or something so my dad told me to get the fuck out until I learned my lesson or whatever. But there’s no lesson that’s going to get learned. I’m not going back. I want to be myself fully starting now. As much as I sorta miss the Cheerios, I don’t have the time with how many shifts I’m picking up.”

---

Johnnie looked around the room at the comment. It felt relatively clean in his eyes but he wasn’t gonna stop anybody from doing what they wanted. He pushed the window wide open before taking perch on the edge of his desk by it, propping a foot haphazardly up onto the windowsill while drawing a cigarette with his lips.

“Yeah, but you gotta come here and blow out the window. Stan only likes blowin’ one thing,” he said, holding the box out to Bee. Lighting up the end of his cigarette, he tossed over the lighter after.

He settled in and listened, looking lazy and boneless against the wall but intense in the brow as he tried to make sense of what they were saying. It was like, corn and homosexuality and binaries, which he all understood individually but the combination still sounded confusing. Bee very much felt like a girl when they were together, unless he was missing something very important. He glanced at their legs before averting his eyes out the window before they took that the wrong way. 

“Your parents should know that girls look great in every colour of the rainbow,” he told them sagely, like it was like, a totally valuable interjection and not a loose grab at something insightful to say. He puffed thoughtfully on the end of his cigarette.

Growing up, Frank made sure he understood what being a man was and for the most part, he followed suit. He ran fast, played ball, drove a noisy car and fucked a lot of chicks but college taught him that he could still very much be a man, do all those things and more. Did that make him nonbinary too?

“So, like, what’s that mean exactly? You want a dick now or somethin’?”

***

The farther away Johnnie moved from her, the more Lorelei began to regret even having broached the topic in the first place. She very well could have let the chips fall where they may, letting the summer fling potential fade to be a nice memory to look back on fondly. She could watch the first five minutes of Grease and smile fondly.

But she was greedy. And the first 5 minutes of Grease was not the best part of that movie.

While her anxiety grew with every passing moment as Johnnie clearly worked his way through her suggestion, by the time he was verbally responding he’d luckily already said plenty.

It was very, very difficult to not give in and just take a win where she could get it. She’d mentioned a ‘what are we’ talk and he hadn’t dashed off immediately. He’d acknowledged that he clearly wasn’t any regular boy and that he wasn’t going to spill… but he hadn’t answered the questions she’d asked. Not really. Proximity wasn’t an answer. Maybe she should have just left it at that, but they really hadn’t addressed the one question that was the most pressing for her, the one that she knew she’d be asking herself in the back of her mind constantly if they were to simply keep things going, business as usual.

Since they first began sneaking around at the beginning of the summer Lorelei hadn’t been seeing anyone else. For her, things with Johnnie were only with Johnnie. For him…? You would have had to be living in an entirely different universe to not know of Johnnie Ward’s reputation on campus and Lorelei wasn’t one to delude herself into thinking that she would be the one that changed anything. But if he could assume that he was clearly special to her…

“You’re right, that is something specifically reserved for you. Pretty sure that hiding thing is nothing new, though, considering how my family definitely has no knowledge of this.”

She could feel herself chickening out, backing down from what she’d wanted to make explicitly clear. However, she wasn’t going to let herself off the hook that easy. Only letting her eyes fall to the male’s lips for a second, Lore was shaking her head to get herself back on track before she took a deep breath and dived right in.

“This is about you and me. And the both of us navigating this school year without prying eyes judging our every moves. Cards on the table, here’s where I’m at - secret monogamy is just… the sexiest thing you could possibly imagine, isn’t it? Rhetorical question. I just want to be explicitly clear that for me… this has been secret monogamy. And I figured… you should at least know that.”

---

“With how loud we were bein’, I’m sure they’ve got a clue. Unless they really think that was a cat,” Johnnie retorted, though he really had no idea when most of the world was a Gaussian blur for the whole summer. 

“Secret monogamy,” he scoffed, rolling his eyes. It was the dumbest thing he’d ever heard. He didn’t know why he’d ever keep his love on lock down. Especially not something as groundbreaking as monogamy. He couldn’t even spell it, much less entertain the thought of having only one choice of dessert for the rest of his life but... right then, he couldn’t think of wanting to do much else. Maybe old age was making him soft. He’d be 25 eventually and his life would be over before he knew it.

“Darlin’, I ain’t afraid of nothin’. What are they gonna say? ‘Ward’s fucking again, what a cad’. It ain’t news to me. I’d send them invitations to watch and seethe in live colour.”

Johnnie pinched her chin between his fingers and held her steady, gazing into her eyes with an undeniable tenderness before pecking her on the mouth. “But if that’s what you want, then who am I to say no?”

He eased up and inhaled as he smoothed down the front of his shirt like he was brushing all the soft sentiment from his being. Conceding to a girl was one thing but conceding to a girl who wanted to keep him a dirty little secret was another thing but he didn’t like questioning things too much. The whole ruse would only last a good week or two, he was sure of it.

***

Isa had done a great job avoiding Johnnie Ward since their one and only… encounter. They’d spent one night of quality time together prior to Isa learning anything about him, and any even vague interest in meeting up again had been killed the second she’d seen the male stepping outside to light up next to a car (clearly his) that single-handedly was setting any environmental progress back ten years.

She’d deleted his number on the spot and never looked back except for a few passive aggressive comments in passing. Though she’d absolutely had more to say, she could tell when someone was set in their ways. And with Johnnie Ward? Change seemed unlikely.

But now, having spoken up, he’d essentially volunteered himself for an environmental assessment. Her lucky day. And she wasn’t about to give up such a lovely opportunity.

“No, actually,” she clarified, power-posing instinctively. “I was talking to literally anyone on campus except for you and all the other gas-guzzler-driving smokers. But since you brought it up, I think you do have a moment to talk about the environment. Ditch the car, Ward. And the bad habit. And then maybe you will be allowed to audition for my Glee Club. If you can even sing. Or dance. I don’t pretend to know your musical capabilities.”

---

“Sorry, doll, I can’t help that I’ve got style. Babe’s my main girl and nothin’s getting in between us. Not even you.” Johnnie spun around and smiled brightly in the face of her protests, taking her acknowledgment as an invitation to draw closer. He smelled of old leather, tobacco and cheap bathroom cologne-- all of which he was certain she despised. It tickled him to watch her nose crinkle in disgust. 

“I’ll have you know that I had a band back home. We were the shit and-- what do you know-- I brought the front man here with me,” he told her cheerfully, jutting both thumbs back towards himself as he puffed his chest out with pride. 

“It’s just too bad that I’ve no interest in tryin’ out for your Glee club. I’ve got better things to do than sing crappy pop covers of the latest Top 40s.”

He leaned towards her as if he were about to impart some very valuable wisdom, just between the two of them. “You already know what these fingers can do. So sad that you’re going to miss out.”

***

Lore could tell that Johnnie was taken aback by her sudden broaching of the subject, but she was likewise taken aback by what he seemed to be focused in on - somewhat taking offense to the secret idea. But what did he think was going to happen? They were going to come back to school and announce to everyone that they had been hooking up all summer in some Summer Nights-style Glee Club number? And then they’d just move on with their lives? Or… they’d come back, let everyone know, and then continue doing what they’d been doing, just with the absence of a pool as part of the equation? Or they’d actually be dating?

Lorelei didn’t even know where they currently stood. There was a big mixing of past and present tense even as they were speaking now. Add in the fact that somehow she’d begun to develop actual feelings that she already knew would have some sort of long-term impact on her and things were getting messier by the day. So what was she supposed to say?

“It was. Is. Look, it’s nothing against you, I just-” she started, stopping herself almost immediately so she could choose her next words carefully.

They’d been sneaking around all summer and it was all well and good, but she didn’t have the Cheerios on her back then, wondering when she was going to achieve #powercouple status with any of the eligible bachelors on the Football team. She didn’t have the astounding amount of social pressure that followed her around like some nightmarish shadow the moment classes resumed. She’d been free to do whatever she wanted and she’d wanted to do Johnnie Ward, but was that still true now that reality had come crashing back in?

…yes. More or less. But was that mutual? And if so, could he agree to some new terms and conditions?

“What are we doing, Johnnie? I don’t love that I’m tossing a ‘what are we’ on you right now, but it feels like now’s as good a time as any. School is starting. What are we doing?”

---

“You just?” He stared at her blankly until she brought up the fact that they were at school again as if somehow that factored into anything if she wasn’t lying when she said it wasn’t about him.

Johnnie scoffed and shook his head in disbelief, barking aloud. It was his turn to make a wide circle backwards, spinning on his his heel while his fingers habitually went to his ear to fiddle with a cigarette tucked behind it as he made another round. 

The longer the pauses extended between her arguments, the higher Johnnie’s eyebrows rose. He wasn’t entirely blind to what was happening there. With a past of bouncing through lovers like he did, he could smell denial like a dog could smell a sausage from the BBQ three doors down. Like, on one hand he understood it but on the other, bigger, fatter and more dominant hand, he’d already gotten his grubby paws all on her. And in her. And all around her. He had evidence of it in fun, homemade videos if he had to make the argument in court that she was, in fact, really really into it.

Johnnie wasn’t a scholar but he knew a thing about girls like Lorelei and they didn’t just agree to hand over incriminating evidence with uncertainty. His certainty of that was all the confidence he needed to corner her against a desk, palm stamped firmly on the surface behind her as he sunk onto his palm and closed the distance between their faces, his head cocked and his smile wry.

“What do you think we are, princess? I don’t suppose you go around makin’ home vids with just about any ol’ boy,” he told her baldly.  “I just don’t get why you’re tryna hide it now. You know, I ain’t gonna show nobody.”

Johnnie’s grin spread like an oil slick across his face as he glanced at her lips. “Or is this really about me and your pretty, perfect package?”

her eyes looked down at the drink pooling on the table and she let out a groan - now she was out an energy drink, and would likely have to run for some napkins. or so she thought. much to her surprise and relief, the other didn’t seem to furious about the spilled beverage. guess this stranger isn’t one to cry over spilled caffeine.

“ i oughta hit you upside the head for that one, but i can’t deny that was smooth. ”

but did it fluster her? not necessarily. not much brought a blush to her cheeks, and flirtatious banter was no exception. after years of playfully flirting with her team-mates it didn’t phase her much. crushing the can after dumping the rest in the nearest trash can, rugby returned to the table with crossed arms.

“ rugby, and you must be the local casanova, right? ”

---

Johnnie barked a laugh. “That’s awfully generous. I don’t consider myself a Casanova. I’m just a humble small town boy-- actually, the place I’m from is even smaller than this one. Lima’s practically a metropolis next to my hometown. My name’s Johnnie. Johnnie Ward.”

He slapped his pamphlet onto the spill and sopped up the liquid. Someone had once told him that he was going harm to the environment but he thought he was going pretty good at recycling all the dumb flyers the school’s given him so far. Johnnie polished off the table and cleaned off his thigh as much as he could before crushing the paper into a ball and abandoning it on the bench when the girl came toddling back.

She looked a little defensive if not a bit tougher than most of the girls he spoke to. Johnnie smirked and habitually smoothed a hand over his hair as he propped an elbow on the table.

“So, Rugby, huh? Your folks really into kickin’ balls or is that somethin’ you came up for yourself?”