(**A/N**

Don't worry, I promised no official pairing and there won't be. This chapter was originally going to be a lot longer, but I wanted it finished and I had to go to bed. Also originally meant to be part of the previous chapter, but that would have made it too long. I hate this chapter)

Hey mom, how've you been? Well, I've settled into the new job, and it's really great! I get a room and free food, and Todd's amazing. Although he's having some troubles lately, but there's not much I can do about that. But the man who lives next door is pretty scary, and probably insane. But I think by now you probably realise that that means I think I'm in love with him... Although I might have a date with this guy who works at McMeaties. But how're things back home? I really miss all you guys, and say hi to dad for me! Well, I've gotta go, there's someone at my window. Bye mom, love you!

Bethany

She sighed and pulled a heavy box from under her bed, opening the lid and dropping the sheet in before pushing it all back under her bed. Truthfully, she wrote to her mother often, but she never sent any letters, it was more like a diary than anything else, but she never wanted anything that seemed so girly. She hopped over to the window and unlocked it, surprised when she saw Johnny clamber through.

"Why didn't you just use the door?" she asked.

"I never do, windows are easier."

"If you say so. But anyway, Todd's already asleep, so you can probably head back now." She said, kind of nervous about having him see her room. But instead of leaving he walked around, examining the orange and yellow walls, a soft smirk playing on his lips as he saw all the Hawaiian leis hanging everywhere, and the fairy lights hanging down from her ceiling. She just prayed he wouldn't notice the stuffed bear collection.

"What do you want?" she demanded, trying to draw his attention from the bible she was currently using as a coaster for a glass of lemonade.

"You're religious?" he asked, picking the bible up and ignoring her question. She winced as he put the lemonade on the dresser, thinking about the ring that would soon be there.

"No, but both my parents were preachers, so I figured that I should bring a bible with me when I moved. I grew up with it, don't believe anything inside it, but it's a reminder of childhood."

He nodded as if he understood what she was saying entirely, although he didn't seem like the kind of person who really cared about reminders of childhood.

"What about you?" she asked, trying to break the awkward silence. "What did your parents do?"

"Can't remember. Can't remember anything past three years ago, when I became like this." He said simply, spreading his arms as emphasis.

"That's... Sad." She replied, just as simply.

"Why? Who really needs memories and parents, family and friends? You don't need anyone, and they don't need you." He hissed, his voice getting louder.

"Shush! Todd's still sleeping! If you want this conversation to continue we have to leave."

"Brainfreezie?"

"Err, no. My head's fine thanks." She said, wondering why he was being weird all of a sudden.

"No, do you want a brainfreezie?"

"What's that?" she asked.

He froze suddenly, dropping the lamp he had been examining.

"WHAT?" He shouted, eyes flying open and grabbing her by the arm.

"Johnny shut up!" she hissed, trying to tear her arm away from him.

"You're having a brainfreezie now." He demanded, pulling her towards the window.

"Johnny, I really don't- JOHNNY!" Her life seemed to flash before her eyes as he pushed her out of the window and she landed heavily in a bush underneath her window. "Owwwww, that's going to hurt in the morning."

She stood up carefully, checking for broken bones or open cuts. She barely jumped when Johnny landed silently next to her, still standing on both his feet, almost mocking her for falling in the bush. So she threw caution to the wind and pushed him over before stepping over him and heading towards the town.

"Wrong way." He called after her, his voice eerily calm, despite having just been pushed over.

"What?"

"Yeah, it's the other way."

"... Really?" she asked, staring at him suspiciously.

"I swear on my mother's grave." He said solemnly, to which Bethany laughed in his face.

"You don't even remember her, that doesn't mean much." She giggled, aware that at any second he could- and probably will- kill her.

"You're right." He grinned, standing up gracefully and smiling at her. She wasn't quite sure if it was a homicidal smile or a friendly smile but she decided to keep her distance all the same.

***

"So what's so great about these?" Bethany asked, watching him pull the lever and the red slush come out.

"They're the best." He insisted, handing her a cup.

"Thanks." She smiled.

"You're paying for it yourself you know." He said simply, walking over to the counter to pay for his own.

"We'll see about that." She smirked, looking over at a man who had just walked in. Johnny looked over in interest as she approached the magazine rack at the same time the man did, and reached for the same magazine as him. After a long-ish conversation, lots of laughing and showing of various pictures Bethany at last came over to the counter to pay, and so Johnny stepped away, keeping two feet away from her.

"That'll be Two Seventy Three." The cashier droned, eyeing Bethany's chest.

"Okay, no problem!" she gushed, her voice higher than usual. She searched through the pockets in her pyjama pants and took out a couple of coins. "Oh, it's not enough!" she murmured disappointedly.

She span around when she felt a hand on her arm as the man from the magazine rack walked up to the counter and pushed her to the side, taking out his wallet.

"Don't worry, I'll pay." He said kindly.

"What? No no no, I can't let you do that!" she cried, trying to push away the hand with the wallet.

"Please, it'll be my pleasure." He insisted, taking out a five dollar bill.

"Oh my gosh, thank you so much!" she cried, flinging her arms around him and hugging the man tightly.

"It's only a brainfreezie." He muttered, his face red.

Bethany simply beamed at him, her face almost glowing.

"But I hope to see you at the Bird Watching Committee Meeting next month!" he grinned, waving bye to her as she and Johnny walked out the door.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world!" she called back, waving flirtatiously back at him. "Goodbye!"

As the door shut her smile was gone, replaced by a look of mild amusement mixed with disgust.

"Bird watching? Like I'd waste my time doing that." She scoffed, taking a sip of the cherry brainfreezie in her hand.

"I must admit, you work fast." Johnny noted, glancing sideways at her. "I see your charm makes up for some of your physical faults."

"Excuse me?" She demanded, stopping immediately and glaring daggers at him. "Physical faults?"

"Yes, like your nose, for example." He replied airily, not noticing her sudden wave of fury. "It's very beak-like."

"Well I will tell you that it didn't always look like this, I just have a habit of picking bad boyfriends." She snapped, continuing on the walk with Johnny.

"What do you mean?" he inquired, his voice a little less than friendly.

"Adam. And Stan, and Joshua, and Art, and Jim, and Lucas..." she listed, mixed emotions flickering across her face. "And a bunch of other people. They all seemed to want to take a crack at me, and they tended to focus on my nose. Those heal easier than arms or legs I've heard."

"Wait, so all your ex-boyfriends abused you?"

"Hah, yeah. It's kinda weird isn't it, a girl grows up with the best possible family life, but the second she moves out and starts dating she becomes a punching bag." She laughed bitterly.

"Best possible family life?"

"Look, if I'm going to talk, I wanna sit down." She pouted, plopping onto a bench at a bus stop. Johnny raised an eyebrow but stayed standing, leaning against a lamppost. He stood there watching Bethany until she finally remembered that she was supposed to be talking.

"Okay, so I already told you my parents were both preachers, right? Well, they never forced me to believe in God or anything, they said that once I was ready to accept him, he'd be right there waiting for me. But that's not the point. They always let me do anything I wanted, as long as it didn't involve me getting too hurt, so they were never too restrictive. They let me date whenever, as long as I showed them the boy I was going out with and provided all the phone numbers and stuff. They've always accepted me for who I am, so when I told them I was Bi they cried and hugged me and told me they were so happy I had the courage to admit it to them. But my friends didn't take it so well, so for the second half of grade twelve I had no friends, and I was totally shunned until Graduation, so I got the hell out of Texas—"

"—Wait, you're from Texas?" he interrupted, frowning slightly.

"Nice, you interrupt after I say I'm from Texas, not after I say I'm Bi. Interesting." She laughed. "But yeah, I am."

"You don't really sound Texan."

"That's cause I left when I was seventeen, I was moved up a grade so I was a year younger than everyone else when I graduated. Actually I was sixteen, but I only left at seventeen. But anyway, I left Texas to go to University here- actually it's just down the road from here- and then I made some new friends. But I didn't exactly fit in with them either, because they all came from horrible family lives, so I felt I needed to make something up, so I told them I was mentally abused and disowned by my family. So every night I prayed to a God I don't even think exists that my parents would never come visit me. I cut all ties with them and I haven't spoken to them in six years. Then I got kicked out of University for cheating on a test and failing biology so I came here." She finished, taking a long slurp of her brainfreezie. "You know, there are pretty good!"

She looked up to look at Johnny but didn't see him at the lamppost anymore.

"Goddamn it Johnny, why the hell do you always walk away? I'm telling you my life story and you don't even pay attention... Fucking jerk." she muttered angrily, digging her nails into the wooden bench.

"I am paying attention." Came a soft voice from beside her. She jumped and looked over, and saw that Johnny had just moved to sit beside her.

"Oh." She blushed. "Sorry about that then."

"Oh no, its okay, it's interesting to hear what you say about me when I'm not here." He said it lightly but his eyes glinted eerily.

"Well, I don't generally say that." She muttered, suddenly aware how close he was. I only think it. She started giggling strangely, oddly amused by her thoughts.

"Are you okay?" Johnny asked awkwardly, not sure what to do with himself, not generally being around laughing people.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She nodded once the giggling subsided. "I should probably get back, Todd can somehow seem to sense when I've been out without him."

"Squeegee."

"Excuse me?"

"You said earlier that we should have a name that both of us could call him without him being confused. Squeegee."

"I think it's cute." She beamed, sliding slightly closer to Johnny, who tensed up.

"Bethany?"He asked, sliding away from her.

"Yes Johnny?" She purred, closing the gap between them so their hips were touching.

"Wh-what are you doing?" he asked, sounding genuinely nervous.

"What I've wanted to do since I met you." She whispered, closing her eyes and pressing her lips against his, feeling a sudden rush in the pit of her stomach.

She was suddenly aware that he seemed to be kissing back, although his body stayed tense, so she ran her fingers through his hair, pulling him in closer, and she almost fainted when he put his arms around her waist. She tried hard not to smile, but for the first time in a long time she felt like where she was meant to be, in the arms of someone she loved. Well, liked a lot.

Although every single one of these feelings disappeared as a white hot stabbing pain shot through her back, traveling through her entire body and causing a wet substance to soak her shirt. Johnny leant back, looking disgusted and wiping his knife clean of the blood. She vaguely wondered whose blood it was until she realised it was hers.

"Sorry." She muttered again, aware that if she had any blood left to spare she'd be blushing. But, as it was, all her blood was currently leaking out of her back.

"I should go to the hospital now, shouldn't I?" she asked, surprised at how small and shaky her voice was. Instead of answering Johnny just stood up and left her there, tossing his knife into the garbage as he passed. Guess he doesn't like me. She tried to stand up, but started to black out so she sat back down heavily, mild hysteria spreading in her mind, the fear of dying taking over. She looked up and saw a bus stopping on front of her, so she braved standing up in order to speak with the bus driver.

"Hello, does this bus go to the Hospital?" she asked weakly, trying to put pressure on the wound in her back, but giving up after her elbow started hurting.

"Yessireedoo." He grinned, pulling her onboard. "Do you have money?"

"Yeah." She replied, dumping the coins she had in her pockets into the collection box.

"Good girl." He grinned, pushing her along down the aisle. She groaned as she walked into a pole and fell over, causing everyone on the bus to point and laugh at her. It's been a long day. She thought, right before she passed out.

TBC

Please review, I'd really appreciate it :)