I Hate Myself For Loving You

Chapter 7

Johnny attempted to get his unruly locks under control, slicking it back with water and watching the strands of hair pop out of place. He scowled at his reflection in the mirror, brushing the loose strands out of his face. He glanced at his watch as nerves tumbled in his stomach. His date with Daniel was in an hour and he's never been so anxious for a date in his life, and he's been on a lot of dates. He spritzed some cologne on his neck and straightened his shirt collar. He grabbed the candied pink hearts encapsulated in the decorative sheer piece of fabric, knowing Daniel loved the taste of strawberries, and gently put them in his front coat pocket. He glided down the stairs, almost as if his feet never touched the wooden steps. The outside air was sticky with humidity as the sweet scent of Matilija poppies hung like a cloud in the air. He picked a handful of poppies from his neighbor's yard, knowing they wouldn't even notice the flowers had disappeared and made a bouquet out of them. He saw Kreese nearing and his stomach dropped, wondering why the hell he was in his area.

"Don't you ever answer the damn telephone?" Kreese spat out in annoyance. "I've been calling for the last fifteen minutes and you're nowhere to be found."

"Well, clearly I'm not home now, am I?" Johnny said in a dull tone.

"Don't get smart with me, boy. We're having an impromptu practice since the tournament is right around the corner."

Johnny gulped nervously as he began fidgeting with the poppies that were in his hand while saying, "I'm busy tonight. Can't I at least sit this practice out? I'll stay later during the next one."

Kreese scoffed in disbelief, crossing his arms in irritation, and said, "Are you punking me, Lawrence? You're my strongest student and you're just going to sit this practice out? I'll be damned if you think that's happening."

Dread trickled through Johnny as he meekly stated, "I'm not going to practice. I already have plans and I'm not canceling them."

"You don't seem to be understanding me. I said you don't get to just skip a practice."

"No, you don't understand me. I am not going, end of the story." Johnny exclaimed as anger prickled through him.

"You're nothing without me, Lawrence. Absolutely nothing. You're a god damn loser." Kreese angrily shouted, knocking Johnny to the ground and kicking him in the side, causing Johnny to let out a whimper of pain as his face hit the pavement. Johnny closed his eyes as he felt another blow to his already bruising body as blackness fell over him like a blanket while the searing pain seeped through his body. Kreese left the injured boy laying on the pavement as he staggered away.

                             ***
Daniel flung shirt after shirt out of his closet and onto his floor, trying to find the perfect shirt that he could pair with his brown corduroy pants. He finally settled on a powder blue shirt that accentuated his honeycombed eyes. He stumbled out of his bedroom like a klutz, nearly tripping over the rug, and went into the bathroom to finish freshening up while excitement fluttered through him, knowing Johnny would be here any minute. He ran toward the window, looking out of it like a little kid that was waiting for the pizza man to arrive. Fifteen minutes had gone by and there was still no sign of Johnny and anxiety coursed through Daniel's veins as he kept glancing at the clock. He knew punctuality was never Johnny's thing, but after an hour had passed trepidation soon set in and Daniel's palms grew sweaty as he realized Johnny wasn't coming.

"He fucking stood me up." He hissed to himself in anger as shame blotted his cheeks. How stupid he was for really thinking Johnny was going to show up. He couldn't help but wonder if Johnny's feelings towards him were a joke. Was he a prey in Johnny's web of torture? Daniel assumed he'd always just be a twerp in Johnny's eyes and a wave of sadness hit him like a slap in the face.