A cluster of girls waited by the school's back entrance for their friend, Sarah, and they giggled as she approached them.
"What're you all laughing at?" she asked with a smile, for she knew the answer.
"We saw you over there talking to Johnny!" Jeanette giggled.
"He's short but he's so cute!" Sarah gushed.
"What did he say?"
"Come on! Tell us what he said!"
"What did she say?" asked Sherlock, hovering over Johnny at his locker with an intense stare.
"Hang on! I've only just spoken to her." Johnny said, hoisting his rucksack over his shoulder. "But she said yes," he added with a toothy grin.
"So you'll be out with her tomorrow night, then?" Sherlock asked.
"Yes," Johnny said. He had a feeling this would turn into something about Sherlock very quickly.
"I suppose I'll have to find something to do then." Sherlock continued, his voice sounded ever so slightly disappointed.
"Come on, Sher!" Johnny begged. "I'm over your place almost every afternoon. I haven't been on a date in ages."
Something changed in Sherlock's attitude just then. He perked up, as he did, when he was about to tell someone something they already knew that he shouldn't. He was going to deduce something.
"Ah," Sherlock said, with an understanding air about him. "That's what this is. It's to be expected."
"What is?" Johnny said, now annoyed.
"Lately you've been slouching as you walk and sit, that's unlike you. I noticed that you're eating more at school, which means that you're not eating much at home, probably because you're arguing with your parents and so you skip dinner so as to avoid them as much as possible. You also arrive at school early for the same reason. I had a look at your marks for this semester and your grades are falling. Now, you've been over my house dozens of times in the past but never so often as you have these last few weeks, clear evidence that you don't want to be at home. One can only arrive at the conclusion that you are angry with your parents for kicking your sister out of the house, and you are lonely without her. No one can blame you for feeling how you do."
Johnny swallowed hard, largely embarrassed by Sherlock's marvelously accurate deduction.
"You know," Sherlock wondered out loud. "Certain modern scientists believe that sexuality is a genetically inherited trait."
"I am not gay!" Johnny declared, rather loudly, earning glances of peers and one passing teacher.
"I didn't say you were," Sherlock said, unaware of Johnny's embarrassment.
"Look, Sherlock, I'm going on a date tomorrow night. With a girl. Just because my sister is a lesbian, doesn't mean I'm gay,"
"Of course not." Sherlock said as he checked his watch. "Time for first period. What's my class again?"
"You're the smartest guy in school," Johnny complained, "and you can't remember your own schedule. You have Advanced Chemistry first, and then we have Phys. Ed. together."
"Thank you, Johnny. I'd be lost without you!"
Johnny couldn't help but smile as Sherlock bounded off for Chemistry. He so rarely gave praise, it made Johnny's already special morning extra special.
Sherlock didn't even try to hide that he rolled his eyes when he entered Advanced Chemistry. Molly Hooper, he remembered. She was a bright girl, in his eyes, but never stopped talking and was rather clumsy. Oh, and she was permanently seated across from Sherlock. She may have been bright, but she was incessantly annoying.
"Good morning, Sherlock!" Molly greeted him. He gave her a stiff smile, but only because Johnny had ingrained it in his mind that it was rude if he didn't.
"We've just been given our assignment for today," Molly cheerfully informed him. "Doctor Stamford says that if we've finished early, we can have the rest of the period free. If you finished early, and I finish early, -well, of course you will, Sherlock, you always do, you're so brilliant,- would you like to maybe team up on the science fair this year?"
"As engaging as that sounds, Molly, I've already promised Johnny that I'd team up with him."
"Oh. Well, that's nice of you. Best mates, of course." Molly said, unsuccessfully hiding her disappointment.
"Oi, Molly!" whispered Anderson from the back. "I'll be your partner for the science fair!"
"I promised Johnny to be his partner because he's not a very good chemist," Sherlock told Molly. "You are, however, and I suspect Anderson will need all your help to manage."
Molly positively glowed at Sherlock's words and graciously accepted Anderson's offer to work together. Sherlock finished Dr. Stamford's assignment in less than half the time it took the other students to even begin the actual experiment. Molly finished second, and third Anderson. While the rest of the class finished the assignment, Molly and Anderson quietly began a list of experiments to conduct for the science fair; Molly sneaked a peek over at Sherlock once or twice, and hoped he didn't notice.
Johnny hustled to the boy's locker room for Phys. Ed. He was thankful for having Sherlock in his class. Even though Johnny was surprisingly popular with the ladies, he was equally unpopular with the boys his age. Probably because he was stealing all their girlfriends. If Sherlock weren't there to intimidate the other boys, Johnny would surely be used as a punching bag on a regular basis.
Johnny and Sherlock met outside the locker room, as usual.
"How was Chem?" Johnny asked.
"Dreadfully boring. How was...what was it, again?"
"Creative Writing."
"Oh, that's worse than Chemistry!" Sherlock cried. "We're playing basketball today. Are you ready?"
"Ready as ever," Johnny said. With a curt nod aimed towards his friend, they entered the locker room to change into their gym clothes.
Johnny wasn't a bad athlete, and he was, according to at least half the girls at school, very handsome, and according to his grades, very smart, and according to anyone who knew him, very kind. But Johnny couldn't help seeing how short he was, with big ears and a crooked smile, and feeling lesser for it. Johnny stole a glance at Sherlock. He was tall, abnormally thin, and unexpectedly muscular. Johnny admired his physique. His crystalline blue eyes, his high, sharp cheekbones and strong jaw. His air of self-confidence and assurance, his aloofness to everyone and everything.
Johnny caught himself staring before anyone else could, thank God, and got on with the game. It had started out as a great day for Johnny, but it became more and more bleak as the hours ticked on. Sooner and sooner it was until he'd be on his way home again. Back to his mum and dad. Back to his sister's empty bedroom. Back to the empty seat beside him at the dinner table. Back to the shouting at each other and crying and ugliness because now that Harry was gone, there was no one there to hold the family together. Soon, it was back to Hell.