Changes || [Johnny Lawrence]

Chapter 10

The boys had tried to cheer him up today but he knew that they were in much of a funk as he was since this morning. They wanted to talk to Rosana but they were worried he wouldn't like it. And he didn't. If he couldn't talk to her then they weren't allowed to either.

Although, he and the boys made sure they always had eyes on her in case she had another panic attack and needed them.

"So, Bobby, where did you go during lunch?"

"I followed Rosana to the library."

Johnny was immediately brought to reality by the name of the girl that was plaguing his thoughts, "And, did she seem okay?" He tried to act as if he didn't care about the answer but goddamn it, that girl had somehow placed a spell on him. Even though he was hurt and pissed at her, he cared about her safety. Just like this morning when he turned around and followed her to school. He doesn't even remember turning, he just remembers his hands moving on his own, his heart winning over his head as if he was enchanted.

"She seemed okay but a bit sad," Bobby answered hesitantly as he remembers Oliver talking to her and watched as she laughed and smiled up at him. Bobby got a hunch, a big one, that Johnny liked Rosana and if he knew Oliver was trying to move in on Rosana, it will mean trouble.

Dutch rolls his eyes, "Please, I don't think sad could cover it if you saw the way she looked when Danielle practically ignored her when she tried to talk to him. She looked utterly devastated."

"No. I think the worse was when Johnny didn't sit next to her in class today and threw away her note. Crap move, man." Jimmy adds for the fifth time today. The boys had been pissed at him for that as much as he was at himself.

Johnny's eyes darkened in anger and hurt, at her, at himself but mostly anger at Daniel. Rosana and he were completely fine if Daniel had just minded his own business. Fuck, he had hated the look on her face when he didn't sit anywhere close to her and when she passed a note with 'I'm sorry. Can we talk later?', he had looked her in the eye —his eyes cold and his face emotionless— and crumpled the paper up and threw it in the bin. And when tears gathered in her eyes he had almost gotten on his knees to ask her forgiveness. The keyword being 'almost'.

He had tried to get her after class but she practically ran away from him, leaving him cursing at his stupid actions.

"Shut up—" Johnny's words were stuck in his throat when he sees Rosana sitting on his bike, her eyes on that book she has been reading since yesterday.

Johnny's eyes take her in greedily as she puts her book down on the seat of his motorbike then stands when she sees them coming towards her. He wanted so badly to smile as she fiddles with her fingers nervously and move to her feet every few seconds. She was cute when she did that.

"Can w-we talk?" She tucks a strand behind her ear as she bites her lip.

Johnny looks at the boys, "You guys go and get ready for karate class. I'm going to drop Firebird. I'll see you guys there."

The boys smile reassuringly at her before leaving her alone with Johnny.

Johnny had so many things to say to her, so much anger for her assumption this morning but when her grey anxious eyes flitters up to him every few seconds, he couldn't bring himself to be mean to her. And every time he thinks of saying anything rude, that memory of her trusting him to hold her together, of her believing his words that he would always keep her safe made him not want her to ever doubt him or to break her trust in him.

Johnny silently retrieves their helmets while Rosana tucks her book into her bag and put it on her back. Rosana takes her helmet from him and put it on while he climbs on the bike and starts the engine. She climbs behind him and wraps her arms hesitantly around him like he had instructed her to yesterday.

***

When they came to the corner of her apartment complex, both Johnny and Rosana got off the bike —their helmets off— and stood opposite each other.

"Anna, about the note in class—"

Rosana shakes her head, "No, Jay, let me t-talk."

Rosana felt like throwing up because of how nervous she felt. Johnny has been ignoring her the entire day and had tried to stay clear of her and the incident in class made her wary that he might not forgive her.

Between her brother and the boys not wanting to talk to her made her feel awful. She just wanted to make things right. She wanted to have both her brother and her friends without having to choose between the two. She knew that she might need to but right now she was just confused and... gah! She wanted to pull her hair out at how frustrating her thoughts were becoming.

"I shouldn't have said those things to you this morning. I am so sorry. I was hurt by Daniel ignoring me and the argument he and I had gotten into the day before. A-All my life, all I had was Daniel. He's my other half, my partner, my person. He has always protected me, cared for me, been the shoulder I always cried on or the person I'd go to if I had nightmares. I w-would do anything for him but when he asked me to stay away from you and the guys..." Rosana takes in a deep shaky breath, "I-I couldn't believe that I hesitated to do as he asked, that I refused to stay away from all of you. I felt l-like I was betraying him and I was wondering if me choosing to remain friends with all of you means that I might lose my brother..."

"That's why you wanted to be alone this morning, to think," Johnny says in realization.

She nodded solemnly, tears burning her eyes as she swallows the grieve in her throat, "I can't lose him, Jay. I can't. But I don't want to lose you or the boys after everything you guys have done for me. After the possibility that I might belong somewhere... I am just so confused, Johnny... I don't know what to do."

Johnny could feel the familiar rage eating at his stomach; biting and clawing to the rest of his body before it settled in his chest like a living being, his fists clenching and unclenching by his side.

Why couldn't Daniel just mind his own goddamn business? Everything would be fine if he had just butted out.

Johnny's jaw tightened as he sees a tear falls down Rosana's cheek. She reaches up to wipe it away but he catches her wrist and uses his free hand to wipe the tear away with the pad of his thumb gently as they stood an inch away from one another.

His thumb remains on her soft cheek as he slowly opens his fingers to let it smooth over the skin of her cheekbones before cupping the side of her face into the palm of his hand.

Rosana forgot how to breathe as Johnny's furious body almost touched hers, his breath fanning her lips and his blue turbulent eyes clash against her stormy grey ones in a swirl of violence and passion that left her gasping for breath. Despite the anger in his eyes and the tension in his shoulders, his touch was inviting and soft and firm and caring.

"I forgive you for this morning, Anna. I understand but I can't forgive Daniel for making you cry, for hurting you. Brother or not, I'm going to make him regret it."

Rosana felt a warmth spread through her before it quickly turns to dread at the thought of him beating Daniel up again.

Rosana's eyes fills with panic and quickly grabs Johnny's hand when he removed it from her cheek, "Jay, no! Don't hurt him, please. Not Danny."

"We're friends aren't we?"

"Yes, Jay, but—"

"And friends protect each other." Maybe one day we can be more than friends. When that day comes, I won't let him hurt you. Not now, not ever. He thought.

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