Sherlock disappointedly arrives at school alone on Tuesday. He'd gotten used to giving John rides to school over the past four weeks, so now he supposes he'd just better get reacquainted with being without him. That is, until the pretend wounds they both need to have after just breaking up can have time to heal, then after that it will be appropriate for them to be friends again.
He meets Irene and Sally at their usual spot by the vending machine under the stairs, where Anderson and Sebastian are chatting up each girl. When he arrives, Greg grins at him and his eyes trail down Sherlock's long body before Greg bites his lip. Sherlock rolls his eyes. Another thing he'll miss about 'going out' with John is that Greg left him alone, respecting John's friendship.
Sherlock walks up to them and Greg crowds him against the wall. Greg's hand plants flat on the wall next to Sherlock's head and he leans in to Sherlock.
"Good morning, doll."
Sherlock rolls his eyes again.
Just then, they all hear the door nearest them get thrown open and a loud energy's presence is made. Sherlock is completely shocked when whoever it is rounds the corner and he sees that it's John.
Greg pushes off the wall away from Sherlock, no doubt still respecting John's relationship with Sherlock. Sure, everyone knows they broke up yesterday, but Sherlock knows Greg wants John's permission before going after Sherlock again. Sherlock doesn't really care that Greg is respecting John more than him in this whole thing, he's going to deny Greg anyway.
The girls, however, clearly don't care that their friend's just broken up with John. The two of them flock to John like moths to a flame. They reach John before John reaches the rest of the group.
"Looking great, John," Irene says, placing a hand on his upper arm.
Sally grabs the lapels of John's ridiculous suit jacket with two hands. "John, you're taking me out on Friday night."
John grins and pointedly looks at her mouth. Sherlock rolls his eyes again.
"Oh, I am, am I?"
Sally nods, leaning forward and Sherlock thinks she's going to kiss him, but she only wiggles her nose against his. John blushes still, then rubs her shoulders.
Fearing doing some damage to his eyes if he rolls them again, Sherlock storms away from the group before he can hear any more.
John can't believe the attention he's getting. Everyone treats him like a king, which is reasonable. He'd surely fear and admire the guy who broke up with the hottest person in school so publicly. Yes, sure, he feels terrible for embarrassing Sherlock like that, but Sherlock will bounce back. Sherlock's already got it all.
But he feels bad when Sherlock storms away from the group. He's got an arm full of Sally, gorgeous sweet lovely Sally, but he's still watching Sherlock walk away.
No matter, though, because a second later he's being pulled away by Sebastian, who hardly gave him the time of day just last week, and Sebastian's spewing something that sounds like a sex question if John was paying attention. Instead, he's purposefully overhearing Sally and Irene behind him.
"I was going to ask him out!" Irene yells.
"Relax, 'Rene. It's only October."
He glances back to see Irene push Sally's arms off of her, then quickly walk away from her. Sally just looks smug and satisfied, and John can't help but feel smug and satisfied that he's the cause.
"I'll get back to you on that, mate," John says to Sebastian as the next hall comes and he needs to part with the guys.
Sebastian nods and tells John to call him, then he and Anderson leave John alone with Greg.
"Listen John," Greg starts as the boys are far enough away.
"What is it, Greg?"
Greg rubs his neck. "Look, I was just wondering if it's alright if I, y'know…" he grins. "If I take a turn getting tired of Sherlock now."
John laughs. "Sure, mate, no problem. Maybe you'll have better luck than I did."
Greg laughs at him. "Hey, let's hope!"
Greg pats his arm, then takes off after Anderson and Sebastian.
John shakes his head and walks to class, in complete disbelief of how his day is going. And it's not even eight o'clock yet.
Friday comes quickly, and John is so excited for his date with Sally. He's never gone out with a girl before, and he hoped it wasn't too different than dating a boy. The one thing he noted as a difference is that he is to pay for Sally; it was just polite to him. Plus, Sherlock had told John that Sally gets upset because Anderson always makes her pay on their dates, so John wanted to stand out and be a nice gentleman.
He picks Sally up in his dad's car, which is only slightly embarrassing. He'd taped cardboard to the doors of the car, where his dad's tile business was advertised, but the car was still old and dingy. Still, it is better than nothing.
John watches as Sally fixes her hair in the door mirror. She fluffs her frizzy chocolate brown ringlets and John actually wonders if her hair is as soft as Sherlock's.
"Say, does your dad sell carpet?" Sally asks.
"Uh, no. Tile, why?"
Sally smirks. "My granddad sold carpet and he had a car just like this."
John laughs loudly at that.
"So," he asks next, "Why'd you ask me out?"
"You went out with Sherlock. He is Sherlock."
John shrugs. "Can't argue with that logic."
They pull up to the gang's usually hangout and rushes around the car to help Sally out. She giggles and comments how sweet he is, and even if she was just playing a part, John would believe every word of what she said.
Greg, Sebastian, and Irene meet them by the car.
"Aye John," Sebastian says, "Sweet ride."
John laughs, knowing Sebastian isn't serious. "Hey, it gets me from A to B doesn't it?"
Greg pats Sebastian's chest. "Yeah, more than you have, mate."
Everyone laughs.
"Say what is it, John?" Greg asks, peering into the windows of the old car. "An '80, '81?"
John shrugs. "I, uh, yeah, it's a—" he laughs. "I have no idea."
Greg and John join him at the window and each of them peer inside.
"Men and their cars, right?" Sally asks Irene.
"Hey," Greg says, "And it even comes with a place for the ladies to sit."
The car is a long station wagon, so Greg nods at the long bed in the back.
John and Sebastian laugh.
"Hey, right!" Sebastian cries.
John reaches in the window to straighten the blanket in the back that covers the spare tire, but instead he meets contact with a hard little head.
"Harry!" he hisses, and her little face peeks out from under the blanket. She grins and he pushes the blanket back over her, shoving her head down in the same motion.
John looks back at the group and claps his hands together. "Pizza?"
Sally excuses herself to the restroom as soon as they go to the window to order.
"So," Irene purrs, stepping as close to John as possible. "You, me, dance next Saturday night?"
John smiles. "I thought Sally was your best friend."
Irene smirks. "Don't you know that best friends share everything?"
John grins. "Alright, sure."
Irene leans close to John and whispers in his ear. "I bet you're a really…sexy dancer."
"Oh yes," John sighs. "I have moves that defy the laws of gravity."
Irene rubs her nose against John's, then backs away.
"See you later," she says, then she saunters over to Sebastian and wraps herself around him.
"Moves…" John mutters to himself. "Dancing. Shit."
On Monday, in the locker room early in the morning, Sherlock stands against the door while the girls get dressed. He picks at a fingernail and doesn't look at the girls, not wishing to make any of them uncomfortable.
"So…how was he?" Sherlock hears Irene ask.
He glances up at them to make sure they aren't talking loudly to toy with him, but they're not even looking at him.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Sally asks.
"Don't worry," Irene replies, "I will."