THE MID 70'S

lana stops her car in front of the ophanage..

her hands tight on the steering wheel and her heart thumping out of her chest.. was she really about to go throught with this? was she ready too look her son in the eyes? the son she gave up so long ago.. her mind was racing like crazy laying out millions of senarios.. she finally takes a deep breath and steps out the car.. she walks into the school and down the hallway as children begin flooding it.. she looks at all the children's faces as they rushed past her.. lana didn't know his his name all she had to go on was a photo and one name.. "johnny"..

"excuse me ma'am.. are you looking for someone?" the head nun said standing in the hallway..

"im just looking for a boy.. his name is johnny.."

"oh.." the nun says with a plain tone..

"what? is something wrong with him?" lana said

"no its just hes a very distant kid.. doesn't talk and doesn't socialize but hes very creative artist.. he drew this.." the nun points to a drawing on the wall of a t-rex..

"he's very great for his age.."

lana couldn't help but feel a little proud even tho he wasn't hers.. the nun looks over at lana's face seeing her reaction

"johnny is you son isn't he?" he said very straight forward..

lana lets out a huge sigh backing up from the drawing on the wall..

" you asked for him so i figured.."

"no i mean yes.. i-"

"you dont have to explain.."

the nun said softly

" i just want to see him.. just one time that's it.. ill be in and out and thats it.."

the nun nods her head..

"he should be in the study hall.." Lana nods walking down the hall..

"miss winters!"

Lana stops and turns towards her..

"hes a good kid.. just so ya know.."

"thank you sister.." lana said softly to the priest..

--

johnny was sitting down on a bench in the playground.. drawing cartoon dinosaurs quietly to himself..

"hey retard what's that your drawing?!"

johnny continued drawing ignoring the bully..

"i know you hear me motherfucker!"

johnny gets up from the bench going somewhere else still ignoring him.. the bully runs up behind him snatching his backpack..

"what you got in here?"

he pulls out all his stuff from his bag seeing the dinosaur picture..

"you like dinosaurs? you wanna suck a brontosaurus dick?"

"SHUT UP ASSHOLE!" the bully smiles down at johnny's attempt at defending himself..

"who you calling asshole faggot!" the bully pushes him down to the ground.. johnny braces himself for the beating to come until a lana comes out of nowhere after the bully..

"hey you.. you little shit! you back off or ill hurt you in ways you haven't even dreamt of.."

the woman looked dead into the bullies eyes.. the bully walks away shaken up.. lana walks toward johnny still laying on the ground still confused from what happened.. she kneels down to him taking her shades off.. she observed his face taken in every detail on his face.. she always feared this moment what he would be like.. what he would look like.. in that split second she didn't see a monster or an abomination she saw a boy, her son..

"you alright?" lana said kneeling down at johnny..

"yeah i'm fine.."

lana reaches for his glasses and hands them to him.. johnny puts his glasses on getting a clearer view of her..

"you know he was the asshole right?"

"yeah i know.."

lana slightly places her hand on his cheek instantly feels a connection to him.. johnny looks at her confused but he feels it too.. she only touch him for a split second but it felt like forever.. johnny slowly backs away and walks off still confused..

"you should report him!" lana said awkwardly

she just stood in place in shock as johnny walked away..

the boy sat at lunch eating still thinking about that lady from earlier.. then johnny stopped coming to a sudden realization.. "could that woman be my- no impossible!" johnny said thinking to himself.. johnny knew he was an orphan so why now? why come and see him after all this time? before johnny could finish his thought the asshole from earlier returns.. slamming his hands on the table..

"must think your pretty tough shit because that lady saved ya uh? "

"leave me alone.."

"or what?"

"i'm not scared of you!" johnny said bawling his fists up.. "oh now you can fight? well hit me then faggot!"

the bully punches johnny in the face.. johnny lands on the floor..

" you'll never be worth anything you fucking queer!! your always going to a fucking nobody..." the bully spits on johnny..

johnnys eyes feel with pure rage.. his fists ball up until they are bright red.. across the room a nun sees what is happening and starts walking toward them but before she could stop the it.. johnny launches on top of the bully... punching him furiously in the face..

"FUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOU!" johnny said angrily as he punches the bullies face.. the nun pulls johnny off of him laying on the floor with a bloodied up face..

--

"i've done everything i could with the child but he keeps pushing me away.." the nuns words echoed out outside the office.. johnny sat on a bench in the hall with his head down hearing everything..

"sister i will not fail this child and neither should you!"

"sister ive done everything i could.." the nun walks out of the office down the hallway speeding right by johnny..

the head nun steps out of office.. signaling johnny to step into the office.. johnny sits on the chair with his legs left hanging..

"you going to spank me arent you sister peterson?"

"no.. no im not.." sister peterson said sitting at her desk..

"so im free to go?"

"not exactly..."

sister peterson folds her hands and looks straight into johnnys eyes..

"are you mad at me?"

"no of course not.. you defended yourself.." she said still keeping her hands folded..

"johnny.. ya know i was the one who gave you that name? johnny.."

johnnys head slighly raised..

"when you first came here.. you didnt have a name.. i had an old book "johnny appleseed" on my desk when i got your birth certificate and that became your name.. i see a thousand kids come and go around here but for sone reason i always saw patential in you.."

johnny sits up in his seat lifting his head..

"what patential?"

"patential to do great things in life.."

"the kid who bullied me.. he said i was always going to be a nobody.."

johnny said very slowly as a tear rolled down his face..

sister petersons gets up from her and kneels down to johnnys level..

"i know life is hard.. but you cant let what people say dictate who you are.. see i believe god puts us on earth to decide our own fate but its up to us to follow the good path or bad path.. no one or nothing can decide who we are only we can do that.." she wipes johnnys tears away and raises his head..

sister peterson stands up straight..

"you go and head on back to class.."

johnny jumps down from the chair and out the room.. peterson leans back on her desk smiling.. she gets up and walks over at her file drawer in her office she reaches in getting johnnys files.. she opens it to a news paper clipping that reads "who is the missing love child of bloody face?".. she closes it putting it back into the file drawer sighing.. she graps her ccross on her chest..

"i will not fail him.." she said looking up..

--