Title: You Could Have it Better
Chapter 1: Girl's all Trouble
Summary: After Johnny's breakup with Lola, Peanut's there to help Johnny back to his feet.(JohnnyxPeanut)
Note: Awesome Airenko beta'd this for me. She has a never-ending stream of patience, because I think the apocalypse may come before I can get a grasp of then/than.

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He snickered under his breath, enjoying the feel of soft flesh under his fist. One punch, two punch, they all connected, all were followed by a cry of pain. There was no better way to get out his frustrations then to beat the living shit out of a snot nosed rich kid. Especially one of the easy ones, like Gord Vendrome, or Parker Ogilvie.

"Stop it-!" Gord gasped, kicking out with his feet. Norton and Peanut grabbed his arms tighter, making sure that if the pain of the punches didn't stop his struggling, the painful twisting would. His yelling dwelled down into a whine, the dim lights from outside the alleyway illuminating his face.

"Shaddup, you stupid preppy!" Johnny snarled. Gord's shopping bags were at the ground around their feet, ridiculously expensive clothes spread out on the dirty ground. Gord whimpered, then let out a half-hearted choke as Johnny buried another one of his fists into Gord's stomach. The poor prep burst into tears from the pain, and Johnny straightened himself, his face smug.

"Go ahead," He looked up at Norton and Peanut, nodding and gesturing towards Gord, "Drop 'im. He's not even worth the effort anymore."

They both dropped him to the ground, taking a step back as Gord fell to his hands and knees. Laughter filled the small alleyway as Gord whimpered and started to meekly collect his fallen bags and clothes. Norton struck out with his foot, kicking one of the bags away. It skittered across the rough ground, belts and a pair of shoes falling out.

"H-hey!" Gord protested, his face paling considerably when he realized what he just said. Norton frowned, grabbing the preppie's collar and hoisting him up without much considerable effort. The size of Norton's hand was about the size of Gord's whole head. Gord cowered, and Norton shook him roughly.

"What?" He yelled. "You got somethin' against me playing a little kickball with your fancy clothes? They too expensive for me to kick around, huh?" Gord whimpered as Norton shook him again.

Peanut laughed as he plucked one of the shirts from the bag Norton had kicked, holding it up to himself. "Oh, look at this!" He held it up. It was a blue sweater, the neckline plunged low and the collar had a trim of lace on it. Peanut's eyes glittered, like he found the jackpot, and when Johnny laughed his grin grew wide. "What the hell is this, Gord? Ya into that sort of thing, the dressin' up like girls?"

"Tranny?" Norton added, and all three greasers started laughing. Norton dropped Gord, who got to his feet and took a few wary steps away like a spooked cat. They made no move to grab him again, so he took a few steps back. He collected a few of his bags, watching the greasers closely.

"Oh, wait, Gord, I ain't finished with the tour." Peanut grabbed something else from the bag. Before he pulled the whole article out, they all knew what it was, and everybody burst into laughter, save Gord. He was standing a few feet away from Peanut, eyeing his last bag and the skirt that Peanut had pulled out. Peanut waved the blue-checkered skirt at Gord. It was much too short that anyone half-decent would wear. "Jesus, this is pretty sad. A skirt?" Peanut held it up to himself, wiggling his hips.

Norton and Johnny erupted into laughter. Johnny let out a whistle. "Lookin' nice, Peanut!" Johnny didn't notice the way that Peanut blushed and dropped the skirt like it was on fire, though Norton did, and he laughed even harder. Gord snatched it before it hit the ground, grabbing it and clutching it to his chest.

Johnny narrowed his eyes, taking a threatening step forward. "So, you a real trans, Gord? How much do y'cost- wait! Why am I asking you?" He held out his arms, looking over to his fellow cronies before flashing Gord a smug smile. "All I have to do is ask Derby and Bif, right? Bet they can recite your prices by heart!" The three greasers started to laugh again, and Gord's face turned red.

"They're not mine!" Gord suddenly burst out. He felt his knees shake, and he took in a small breath, trying not to whimper, "They're not mine…"

Johnny frowned, taking a threatening step forward. If he was any other person, he would have been gone by now, but his last bag of Aquaberry was at Peanut's feet. Not for all the gold in the world would he abandon a perfectly good bag of fashionable clothes. Gord clutched the three large bags in his hands tighter to his chest, looking up at Johnny fearfully. "Then who's are they, fairy?"

Peanut had started to rummage through the bag, and he let out a snort as he pulled something out. "Alright, no matter what you say, we're not believing you now." Peanut drawled, pulling out a pair of frilly girl's panties. He stretched them, laughing as he put them on his head. Johnny's eyes were still intently glued onto Gord.

Gord gripped his bags. "Larry! Stop it! Those are Lola's!" Right when he said it, he knew he had said too much, and his knees really wobbled as everyone fell silent.

"Whose are those, Gord?" Johnny snarled, clutching his fists.

Gord swallowed thickly. "L-lola's-"

Johnny lunged forward. "You're gonna get it, trust-fund fairy-!" Gord let out an indignant shriek, dropping all of his bags and running like the devil himself was on his heels. Though, that was the case, as Johnny yelled, chasing after him. Peanut let out a surprised cry, rushing after his boss, Norton following on his heels.

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Johnny fumbled with his lighter, flicking it on. His hands were shaking with anger, and it fell from his hands, the flame licking his thumb. He cursed, kicking the lighter across the room. It bounced off the wall, rolling under a pile of dirty clothes.

There was the sound of a door opening, and then closing very loudly. "Jooooohnnny!" Lola called from the front door, heels clicking against the old wood. It didn't take long before his promiscuous girlfriend showed her face, peeking through the open door into Johnny's room. She frowned. "Just 'cause these tenements are run down, doesn't mean you have to be a pig."

"Not now, Lola," Johnny grumbled. Lola smiled, taking a step into Johnny's cluttered room. On each of her arms were two shopping bags, a cursive 'A' stamped on the side. She placed them down, sashaying up behind Johnny and sliding her petite arms around his waist.

"Aw, Johnny. What's wrong?"

Johnny turned his head, glaring over at the bags. "Got those from Gord, didn't you?"

Lola pouted, standing on her tiptoes to place a small kiss on Johnny's lips. His angry face faltered. "No, 'course not, Johnny…"

"He told me." Johnny said gruffly, trying to work up the strength it took to pull away from those warm arms. Instead, he just stood there, letting her pluck the unlit cigarette from his hands. "Gord told me that he buys you stuff."

"How'd you find that out?" She asked curiously, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a lighter. She lit it, taking in a small, dainty puff.

Johnny turned around, suddenly taking the cigarette back and taking a long drag. "I cornered him down… he gave me the information."

Lola smiled, slapping Johnny's chest playfully. "Oh, Johnny, look at you! All big and tough… ooh, what a bad boy…" She leaned up onto her tiptoes, taking the cigarette from Johnny's lips and taking a puff. Johnny smirked as the hand on his chest clutched at his shirt. "You know how much I like bad boys, Johnny…" She whispered, the cancer stick dangling from between her lips.

Johnny leaned down, wrapping his arms around her and pulling his girlfriend close. She blushed and let out a feminine giggle, letting him take the cigarette back. "I'll be your bad boy, Lola…"

"Hey, boss!"

Johnny looked over at Peanut, who was standing in the doorway. Peanut coughed, running a hand nervously through his hair. "I, uhm, got those bags Gord left." He clutched a slightly ripped bag, messily over-stuffed with the clothes they had nabbed from Gord. Johnny's eyes narrowed, and Peanut gently placed the bag in the room, smiling sheepishly.

Lola rolled her eyes. Peanut gave Johnny a meek wave. "S-sorry." He mumbled, quickly walking away.

Johnny suddenly pulled away from Lola. She frowned, hands on her hips. "Aw, c'mon, you lost the mood already just 'cause Larry decided to bother us?"

Johnny almost wished he hadn't. Almost. He took in a puff of his cigarette, staring at the bag. "Like I was sayin', about Gord…"

Lola scoffed, rolling her eyes. "So he buys me some things! Big deal!"

"It is a big deal! Think about what people might say: 'Johnny Vincent can't take care of his girlfriend, Johnny Vincent needs someone else to buy the duds for his queen.' People will think I'm a shmuck." Johnny frowned, taking a step forward. Lola held her own, taking a forceful step forward that sent Johnny a step back.

"You, Johnny Vincent, can't tell me what to do!" She snapped, taking another step forward. Johnny took a stumbling step back, holding out his hands.

"Hey, Lola, honey, I was just-"

"And you know what?" She snapped, pushing a manicured finger into Johnny's chest. "If I wanna get some new clothes, does it matter who buys them for me? No, 'cause no matter the buyer, they're still looking the same on me."

Johnny frowned. "But those are the preppies, Lola! Those damn trust-fund fairies. Aw, you know he's not doing this stuff for you because he thinks you're a nice gal; he's using you!" His eyes narrowed, "Probably to get at me, tryin' to crawl under the skin of Johnny Vincent, that asshole-"

"Johnny!" Lola's voice snapped him out of his dark mumbling. She frowned. "Look, it don't matter now, right? I've got my clothes, I'm going to wear them." She turned around, picking up all of her bags. Johnny frowned.

"Since when do you wear Aquaberry anyway?"

Lola batted her eyelashes. "When I go out to nice places, Johnny-dear, I can't be wearin' plain old clothes." She sashayed out, leaving Johnny standing there, smoking away.

What kind of nice places were Lola going to without him? He closed his eyes, grumbling obscenities to himself.

---

You say her name, and people always have something to say back. She wasn't one of those people whose name is said and you get back an arched eyebrow and a 'Who?' Everybody knew Lola Lombardi: Slut, tramp, good lay, bad disease, Queen of the Greasers, King of Johnny's heart. People's views are always in a different shade when it comes to Lola, but it's always directed in one direction- the school whore. You may think she's a good whore, you may think she's a bad whore, but nonetheless, Lola Lombardi was a whore.

Lola. Lola, Lola, Lola… Peanut had more then his fill on his opinion about Lola Lombardi. She was manipulative and greedy, promiscuous and flirtatious, heart breaking and insincere. Peanut didn't care for Lola at all, but by how he acted, nobody could ever tell that Peanut had one ill thought in him against Lola. He always complemented her, gave her money when she was going on a date with Johnny, helped her cheat on the English exam.

None of it was for her. It was all for Johnny. If Lola was happy, Johnny was usually happy, and that's all that mattered. Even though he grinded his teeth each and every time Johnny prattled on about that manipulative bitch, he would smile and comment about how lucky he was to have such a girl. And Johnny would nod and smile.

If Peanut knew he could, he would tell Johnny to forget about Lola. She was all heat-break and false promises. Anybody was better then Lola. (He was better then Lola.)

Peanut knew he couldn't give Johnny all he wanted like she could. He envied Lola, perfect in his Johnny's eyes despite her obvious faults. Peanut's faults were much more noticeable: He was short, had greasy hair even without products, and had the questionable name of Peanut. For a greaser, he could be shy, and he had horrible self-esteem. But he was kind, giving, and loyal to the point of obsessive… Lola was his opposite, and Lola got the guy.

He tried to bury all of those feelings. It wasn't right for him to dig dudes, anyway. How tough was a guy who took it in the ass? Not very tough. (Well, except Bif, but Bif was a giant of a prep and could probably beat Peanut in a miniskirt and pumps.) He didn't want to be one of those fairies like Gord, or that weird perverted bully with more acne then a Proactiv commercial. Besides, all of the guys would be weirded out if they found out that he was gay. It would be horrible.

So Peanut buried his feelings. It wasn't that hard. He was entirely devoted to his best friend, and as second-in-command nobody really questioned his obsession. It was for the good of the clique, for the good of Johnny…

Peanut smoked at his cigarette, trying to calm his nerves. Thinking about Lola and Johnny- especially Lola and Johnny together- always stressed him out. He ran a hand through his hair, watching as some of the employees of the pool hall placed new signs out front; nice wooden ones with the time and price of drinks.

Peanut grinned, dropping his cig and stomping it out with his heel. He could for some sign smashing right about now…

---

"What would you like me to write on the card, young man?" The shopkeeper asked, his glasses sliding down his nose.

Johnny leaned against the counter, looking at the bouquet of flowers before back down at the cash in his hand, placing the right amount on the counter. " 'To Lola, my queen.'"

The shopkeeper nodded, the fountain pen scratching against the small card as he wrote out the message in the fanciest cursive he could muster. He put the small card in the bouquet, taking the money from the counter and handing Johnny the flowers. "There you go, fella. You're going to make her one happy girl with these."

"I hope so…" Johnny murmured, pressing his face into the flowers and taking in a deep sniff. He wasn't a flower specialist- they all smelled the same, and they all held bees- he thought these had looked the prettiest. He gave the shopkeeper a halfhearted wave, turning and exiting Yum Yum Market with his flowers clutched tight to his chest.

He sighed to himself. Lola Lombardi. What a doll. 'I hope she likes these…' He thought, smiling down at the flowers. It would be their anniversary soon- two straight years of serious dating. Their relationship was mostly flawless in his eyes- and how couldn't it be, with Lola as his girlfriend? She was perfect. They did have conflicts every once and awhile, but they all seemed to fade away when he met her eyes, her warm embrace…

He let out another lovesick sigh, smiling. Yeah, everything was pretty much perfect. He was one lucky guy.

"Hey, boss!" Johnny woke up from his thoughts, looking over at Peanut who was sitting on some steps smoking a cig. He trotted over to him, a bat slung over his shoulder. "Wanna go smash some stuff?" He thumbed back towards where the Pool Hall's new signs had been reduced to splinters, smiling brightly.

Johnny grinned. "Sorry, Peanut, not right now," Peanut noticed the flowers clasped in Johnny's hand, and his face fell. The wrong name was on the tiny card tucked between the petals. "I gotta go give this to Lola."

Peanut shifted, faking a smile and looking at his feet. "That's good…!" He looked away, his enthusiasm disappearing. "Uh, look, you have good luck with that. I bet she'll like 'em." The bat bounced idly in his hands, and he looked over his shoulder.

Johnny smiled, turning. "See you soon, then!"

Peanut flashed him a smile, before looking at his feet so that his frown wasn't apparent. "See ya…"

Johnny gave him a half-wave, going on his way towards the tenements. Speaking of great people in his life, right under Lola was Larry Romano… or, Peanut, as everyone liked to call him. His best buddy, right hand man, the only guy who knew the secret gel he used to get his hair perfect; Peanut was anything a guy could ask for in a best friend.

He strolled up to the door of the tenements, pushing it open and closing it behind him. They were almost never locked. People around here were all dirt poor anyway, and any thief who would try to pull something in these parts would get little for their troubles and more then likely be killed for it later.

He looked around. Nobody seemed to be here at the moment; everyone was probably off studying for finals, or just enjoying the nice weather. Johnny looked down at his flowers, taking a few steps into the tenements, easily side-stepping a rat.

"Lola?" He called. Nothing. "Damn it, she must be…"

And then a small sound caught his ear, and he turned towards the hallway. It seemed like somebody was talking… And it was coming from his room. Curious, and still carrying his flowers, he walked carefully down the hallway, the voices becoming clearer.

His whole face brightened. That voice was clearly feminine, and it was coming from his room. Lola was waiting for him, even after that little argument they had over clothing… 'What a doll.' He grinned, straightening his jacket and smoothing back his hair before pushing through the door.

The first thing that he noticed was the stifling heat in the room, like a summer day with all the windows locked shut. The second was the smell of sex and sweat, a heady smell that masked everything else and would stick itself into his senses for a while. The third, and most important, was that there were two people fucking each other senseless on his bed.

The bouquet of flowers dropped from his hand, petals falling across the floor, colliding with the clothing that was strewn around. The man looked up, yelping in surprise. Lola looked over, her eyes going wide. Johnny couldn't think. The heat and the stench and the sight got to his head, and all he could do was stare at the two wide-eyed, who had conveniently paused mid-thrust to just show off to Johnny what they had been doing on his bed.

Who was that man…? Oh. Yes. Jerry, one of the townie kids who had dropped out a year or so ago. His face was absolutely pale, and he was still bent over Lola, holding her legs around his waist, his dick still buried halfway in her. "I… I…"

Lola frowned, leaning up and smacking the lean townie in the chest. "Get off, you brute!"

Jerry pulled out quickly, still eyeing Johnny, who was just staring with blank eyes. Lola rolled her eyes, turning away from Jerry and grabbing her underwear and bra from the floor in a rush, starting to tug them on quickly. Jerry pulled the condom off that he was using, throwing it into a nearby trashcan. It made a slightly wet thud, and Johnny flicked back to life.

His head jerked slightly, and Johnny very literally roared to life. He clenched his fists, stalking forward. "What the fuck are you doin', you fuckin' cock sucker?!" Johnny yelled. Jerry paled, quickly pulling his boxers on with one hand and holding up the other towards Johnny.

"Hey, I'm really sorry man, I didn't know-"

"For fuck's sake, you didn't know! Bullshit!" Johnny lunged for him, but he dodged out of the way, ducking down to grab his pants and shirt. Johnny was so animated, so intent of landing a punch he was flailing around wildly. One hit struck Jerry in the shoulder, and the townie snarled in pain, backing up. "Bullshit! Everyone knows… everyone knows that Lola is mine! Johnny Vincent's!"

"Settle down, greaser!" Jerry shouted, backing up towards the door. Johnny lunged, and Lola shrieked as he brought the townie down to the hard floor.

"Johnny!" Lola squeaked, only in her underwear as Johnny grappled with Jerry. "Johnny, stop that!"

Johnny growled, holding down Jerry's arm. He punched him in the jaw, and he howled, kicking up. Johnny cried out when his toe connected with his crotch, rolling off of Jerry in pain. The townie scrambled to his feet, fleeing towards the door. "You're going to regret this, you crazy bastard!" He called after Johnny.

"I'll get you mother fucker!" Johnny howled, his voice cracking slightly as he gripped his sore groin. He winced, rolling onto his side. No, he wouldn't be getting up anytime soon. He let out a half-hearted groan, rolling onto his back and staring up at the ceiling.

Lola walked from the bed, hooking her bra back on and pulling on a shirt. "Look, Johnny…" She paused, struggling for words. Johnny grimaced, sitting up and glaring over at her.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" He snapped. Lola looked over at him, confused. "You… you tramp! You just fucked him." She frowned at him, placing a hand on her hip. Was he… yelling at her? Her eyes narrowed. "You… you fucked him! In my bed, Jesus Christ, in my fucking bed!"

"It's not my fault, Johnny…"

Johnny's eyes widened. He suddenly understood. That townie… he had come in! And forced her! Of course! He started to stagger to his feet, his groin throbbing in pain. "That fucker, he… ooh, I'm going to kill him, kill him for hurtin' my Lola!"

She held out her hands. "Johnny, no!" He stopped, looking over at her with a blank expression. She frowned, sighing and placing her hands on her hips. "He didn't rape me."

"Then…" Johnny said slowly, blinking. "That means…?"

"Yeah," She shrugged, looking away from him. "I did him." Her voice was so blunt and casual.

Johnny's face contorted, eyes bugging in shock. "You what!"

"Look, Johnny," She took a step forward, placing her hands on his broad chest. "I wasn't expectin' you to be home so soon. Things got kinda… carried away…" She trailed off, looking away, her big brown eyes innocently wide.

Johnny made a disgusting noise in the back of his throat, turning his head and pulling away from her touch. "Wasn't… expecting me?! What… what do you…"

"Oh, Johnny, don't be like that. I'm sorry, sugar. C'mere," She placed her hands on her hips, smiling and winking. "You know I didn't mean anything. You're my one an' only, Johnny."

Johnny's face suddenly mellowed; her words were liquid drugs, scattering all of the thoughts in his head. "… He didn't mean anything, did he?" He asked quietly, taking a step forward.

"Course not, Johnny!" Lola smiled. (It only meant something after they had done it more then five times; this was only the third.) She walked over to him, wrapping her arms around him and leaning up to kiss him. She tasted like ash and mint. Johnny frowned, nearly pushing her off, but she leaned up and whispered into his ear before he could: "I love you, Johnny."

He melted, smiling like the sad sappy sucker he was. "Love you too, Lola…" He mumbled, being instantly silenced by one of her kisses. Her hand seductively trailed from his waist to his belt, hooking her fingers under the hem of his pants and nudging him back.

Johnny's held Lola's face, kissing her tenderly, pulling away to trail kisses down her neck. She crooned happily. "Oh, Johnny, you're such a man…"

"Yeah," He said gruffly, his hands gripping her small waist. He started to guide her to his bed, caught up in the kisses and the warm hand that had pushed up his shirt. "Yeah, I am." He growled, her neck warm under his lips.

"Oooh, yes, you are, Johnny." Lola purred, suddenly turning Johnny around so that he was the one being backed up toward the bed. She pulled slightly away, reaching back towards the hook in her bra. "Just sit down, and let me give you a show…"

Johnny grinned, kissing her lightly before flopping back on the bare mattress. A look of shock crossed his face as something vibrated under him, and he flung himself off in fear. "What the fuck?!" He stared, the mattress shaking slightly.

Lola's face paled, and she raised her hand to her mouth. "Johnny, ah, don't-"

Johnny glared at the mattress, pushing it up and roughly grabbing whatever it was. When he saw what he had grabbed, he yelled and dropped it. "Jesus, Lola, you…" It was a dildo. A used dildo, slick with some sort of nasty liquid he didn't even want to think about. He furiously wiped his hands on the wooden floor, looking disgusted and stumbling to his feet.

"Johnny, it, it…"

He shook his head. "Look, just… " He couldn't keep the anger and disgust from his voice, and he couldn't even bare to look at Lola. He scowled, turning his back and walking towards the door. "Get changed and get out." He finished tensely, stuffing his hands into his pockets and walking out.

"Johnny!" Lola called, but he didn't turn around, weaving through the tenements. What the hell was wrong with him? He had nearly made out with his girlfriend after seeing her openly cheat on him, in his own bed!

Johnny grimaced. 'That dirty slut..! She… she…' He couldn't even think straight. Had she done this before? Why would Lola do this to him?

"Johnny!" She was so light he hadn't heard her footsteps, and the arms that spun him around were warm. Lola pouted at him. "Look, baby, I told you I was sorry."

Johnny felt his heart flicker. But his brain beat the overwhelming emotion back, and he turned his head, pushing her off. "No! You've… you've done things like this before, Lola, an'… an' this is the last straw!"

Lola stumbled backward, wide-eyed. Johnny continued, not letting her get in a protest; he knew he would give in if she did. "You can't do things like that and just expect everything to be all instantly good again! It's not right!"

Lola pursed her lips. "What are you sayin', Johnny? That you want to break up with me?"

Johnny stared at his shoes, and then looked up, nodding fiercely. "Yeah! That's what I'm saying." Expecting waterworks, pleads and apologies in three, two, one-

"Fine."

Johnny's face fell. "What?"

Lola shrugged, hands on hips. "Fine. We're through." She turned around, pants clinging to her hips as she strutted off to grab the rest of her clothes that were left in Johnny's room. Johnny gaped at her, his heart crackling and shattering into tiny pieces.

He hadn't really expected that.

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Sorry if this is starting out a little slow. This will pick up pace pretty quickly. Of course, reviews keep me writing, and favorite's are just the cat's meow.