Summary: Kitty and Johnny share another passionate moment, this time without their classmates, and Johnny gets 'deepfrozen'. How? Read to find out!

11

"Don't worry, Dad, Johnny will drop me off at home at eleven," I said. "Not a second later, I promise."

Even though I promised to come home before midnight, Dad still looked sceptically at Johnny. His gaze got stuck on my ripped dress, and his eyebrows moved together, meeting on a point right above his nose. I know what this meant- he was going to argue with me.

But he obviously hadn't count with Johnny. He leaned into the car, smiling at Dad. "don't worry, Pops, I'll drive her home." He said. "No problem."

Before Dad could reply something though, I had seized Johnny's arm and yelled: "Thanks, Dad, until eleven then!" A moment later, we were gone, and I could hear Dad backing out of the driveway and I knew I'd won.

Johnny had disappeared, swallowed by the black night surrounding us by now. I sped up, trying to keep up with him. "Johnny?" I asked into the darkness. "Where are we going to?"

"You'll see," he said flatly. We had reached the place he'd parked his motorbike, and he curtly said: "Get up, Kitten."

I did as he said, grasping for a hold at his old jacket as he got up, too. The cold wind that seemed to die away in the past hour now came back with double strength, and I was chilled to the bones. Wherever we were going to go to, it'd better not be anyplace dumb, I thought.

"We've got no time to loose, Kitten." Johnny said as he accelerated hard, nearly sending me flying off the back seat.

"But where are we going to?" I yelled, the wind that came up as we sped through then night carried my words away. Maybe that's why he did not answer my question- I don't know. I began doubting my decision to stay with him rather than going home on by my own, but it was too late. I could not just jump down the bike, you know?

Johnny stopped the bike, jumping down as soon as he was on a standstill. He dragged me off the back seat, and tottered after him, my legs being numb from the ride here. "You'll ove the view, I'm sure!" he said as he loosened his grip, running away. I had no other choice than to to follow him, eyes still watering from the strong breeze on the bike. Just as I was beginning to find my way, Johnny appeared behind me without a warning and held my eyes shut.

"Johnny…!" I said in a low voice. "What's up?"

"You'll see."

Night already had been black, but with Johnny's hands on my eyes, I could see zero. I could just trust Johnny's word to move forward- trying not to break my leg.

And then, finally, Johnny let go of my eyes, and I could have a look around.

We were standing on a delicate gate on the bridge crossing the small river that ran across the little park in Amity- the only one, by the way. That was what I recognized.

But night had changed the looks of everything drastically. The trees, some of them already clean, looked like some dark border around the scene. The stars I'd admired back at the playground were mirrored in the flowing water that made them look like some streams of silver. As we both watched, a sudden gust of wind lifted a few leaves from the ground, making them dance around us.

"I knew you'd like it," Johnny said in a lowered voice, sounding proud. And then, we finished what we started in that playground back at out school

"Johnny!" I had to gasp for breath when Johnny finally let go of me. "Why did you know… I did not think…"

"That a tough boy like me knows such places?" Johnny said. "What did you think I was doing when I'm skippin' school, Kitten?" Johnny smiled warmly at me again, and I felt the longing to make this moment last forever- just him and me. "I found this place just recently, and I thought you'd like to see it if I ever found some time to show it to you. But that seems to have come earlier than I thought."

My answer was just a deep hug that nearly squeezed the life out of Johnny. I did not know whether he had a girlfriend like me before, and frankly, I did not really care for it. Actually, after what I'd heard of him until now, I doubted this anyway.

Johnny did as I told Dad: He dropped me at my drive yard at half past eleven. Our trip hadn't last that long after all.

When I opened and flickered on the light, I could see a deserted hallway in front of me. Obviously, Mom and Dad had already gone to bed. Good for me, I suppose.

It took me half an hour to clean my face, undo my face and peel my out of my tight-fitting dress. When I was finally done and dressed in my pyjamas, and tottered into my bed, heads first, and fell asleep almost immediately, dreaming of the passionate moment we shared on that bridge.

"Kitty! Kitty, wake up!"

I rolled around in my bed, opening my eyes rather sleepily. "Goomornin';" I greeted my mother. "Whattup?"

Mom stood over me like an eagle facing its prey, and I was suddenly reminded of Spectra and Bertrand. "What. Is. Up. With. Your. dress??" she asked me, pronouncing every single word. "And. What. Has. Happened. To. Your. Shoes? And. What. About. The. School?"

I yawned and scrambled up. The posters on my walls kinda all were a big blur to my eyes right then, and I shook my head, rubbed my eyes and said:

"Firstly, it somehow got ripped," I pronounced the word 'somehow' with extra care, "Secondly, it wasn't my fault, and I couldn't do anything about the last thing. The decorations suddenly came down, I have no idea why. Yeah, and I did the look of my dress, just by the way."

Mom still stared at me, now obviously speechless. I took the opportunity to slip into the bathroom, look the door and have a nice hot bath in the morning. My mother, of course, kept banging against the locked door and shouted for me to get out, but I simply blended her out somehow. I had more important things to dream about.

Still, after one half of an hour, the water had become cold, and I resigned and climbed out of the bathtub, shivering violently. While I dried myself with my favourite towel, I thought about the trouble that was waiting in the living room, impersonated by Mom and Dad. Mom would shout at me, and Dad would just nod his head at whatever she was saying, as usual. I sighed, unlocked the door and went over to my room to get dressed.

I don't want to repeat the argument between my parents and me. I'd just take too long, and would stretch this story far too much. And I don't want to. It's just that I don't understand why they had to ground me.

Now I was sitting on my bed, cross-legged, facing the wall opposite my door, where I had put a few of my favourite posters showing Bing Cosby and Grace Kelly in the motion picture High Society. It wasn't really my favourite movie, but I like Grace, that's why I put it there. An LP- Player played in the background, but I couldn't quite concentrate on the words, even though I knew them by heart:

They're not making the skies as blue this year - wish you were here

As blue as they used to when you were near - wish you were here

And the mornings don't seem as new

Brand-new as they did with you

Wish you were here, wish you were here, wish you were here

Someone's painting the leaves all wrong this year - wish you were here

And why did the birds change their song this year - wish you were here…

A knock on the door made me jerk around. I'd been to busy sulking to notice what was happening around me, and just mumbled: "Enter."

It was Mom, coming only to tell me that Lunch was ready. I told her I did not want to have any today, and she slammed my door shut again, making some of the pictures on my wall shake. I could hear the key being turned around in the lock twice, and knew she'd locked me in.

But she'd have to lock me out, at least at Monday, when school began again. Even though I did wonder if Spectra had put this idea into her head, I did not really care for it.

Monday at school wasn't as bad as I had pictured it. People just ignored me when I went from class to class, and kept busy with their own stuff when I entered the bus at the morning.

Most of the people on the bus were juniors or seniors that hadn't got a driving license yet. Everybody who could afford it went to school by car. Juniors who had older siblings with a license were loved and admired by their peers, who constantly tried to scrounge a ride on their friend's cars. And those who had neither a license nor siblings with one were stuck with the school bus.

As was I. That Monday, I felt great, even though I assumed my mother hated me by now. I knew I would meet Johnny that day, and it somehow made myself cope with everything.

Well, until I stepped into the main hall after the first period.

"Hello, dolly," someone said. I froze in my tracks. I knew this wasn't gonna be a casual talk. Not with someone like Roger.

"Roger," I snapped at him. "What do you want? Or wait; let your minuscule brain have a second to comprehend that. Or shall I spell it for you?"

Roger completely ignored my insult, and I had the strong feeling that he didn't even get the message- too much information, brain's collapsing, or something like that.

He smiled smugly, kicking a leftover soda can over the polished floor as though his complete attention was meant for this useless crap of metal. "All alone now, huh?"

I sneered: "Oh, you noticed it. I was wondering if you maybe needed a new pair of glasses when you did not jump at me right the second I came in. Bravo Monsieur."

Rogers's eyes narrowed, and I kinda knew I was in for it. That's not about 'feminine intuition', it's common knowledge. It was a fresh bucket of beating for me. It was as thought I was suddenly slipped into Poindexter's life. Creepy.

"You're in for it," I heard Roger say promptly. "Numbered all of your bones?" He clenched his fists (which, by the way were about the size of trash can lids- no wonder was playing football, baseball and even basketball at our school), and gradually came closer to me. And all of sudden, we were surrounded by onlookers.

There was no way out of this mess.

"Fight! Fight!" someone jeered, and after one had started, everyone chimed in. Soon enough, the hallway was echoing from all the shouts. If there was going to be a real fight, no doubt Roger would appear the winner of the game.

"Prepare to say our last prayers, Cannonball", he said. Yeah, really clever as he was, he'd found out you could make fun of my last name quite easily. Did not make the thing easier at all.

I closed my eyes as the screams in the back grew louder and louder, and wondering if someone would get a matchbox to collect what was left of me after that fight, I waited for the first strike.

"Let her go, Roger,"

My eyes snapped open, Roger let go of my shirt he'd grabbed earlier, and I turned around. My heart really did a leap (or more like a death-defying leap) when I recognized Johnny at the far end of the hallway. I seriously had no idea where he'd come from, but he was determined to save me.

And then, things moved too quickly for me to take them up. All we knew (and what was carried around school later by gossips) Johnny had Roger tackled to the nearest row of lockers, his eyes seeming almost glowing with fury.

"Never. Do. That. Again!" sounding just like my mother the morning after the fall ball. Johnny held a fist out to Roger, who looked scared, and that despite the fact he was undoubtedly larger than Johnny. "Sniff this?" Johnny now said. Smells like hospital. An' ye know I can do it."

He finally released Roger, who slumped down at the foot of the row of lockers. If he'd been able to, he'd shrunk away completely, I'm sure.

"You'll pay for that, Jinx Boy," he muttered feebly. "For that, for the Fall Ball, and the gas line incident, you little nosebleed."

Johnny stared at Roger his teeth bared, and totally besides himself. He lifted one fist, maybe to show he was not taking any crap from Roger anymore, or something else, I'll never know.

For that very moment, Spectra rounded the corner.

Johnny's situation had just gone from bad to worse. Spectra had her special predator look on her face, the clicking sound of her high-heels on the tiled floor the only sound audible now. You could have been hearing a pin dropping, seriously.

"Mr Owen," she whispered. "My office. Now."

That was the last thing I saw of Johnny for a long time.

Later that day, in my home economics lesson, the door opened, suddenly drawing our attention to it. My stomach gave a lurch when I saw that it was Bertrand, Spectra's dreary-faced assistant. Our old teacher (yeah, the aging-factor strikes again), whose hair was nearly completely balded away, took no notice of him though, at least not until he cleared his throat so loudly even the guys from the last row that were usually pretending to be sound asleep woke up with a start. This was a point where he could not longer pretend Bertrand hadn't come in.

"What's up?" he hissed, rather impatiently. "It's the middle of class, just in case you're not capable of reading the clock!"

"I can it quite well," Bertrand replied in an iced tone that made my hair stood on end, "it's just that I thought you'd like to have your student back." He moved aside, and Johnny stepped into the room. "Mr Owen, please take a seat."

I drew in breath deeply.

Johnny simple looked horrible- even worse than me the day Spectra had picked on me. He rather looked like some of the others that I'd seen leaving Spectra's office the week before the pep race, and I realized he'd not even been in school back then. Though I hadn't had the pleasure to get to know what it felt like to be stuck in Spectra's freezing office, I couldn't get rid of the feeling that it must have been the sheer horror. A living nightmare, at the least.

Johnny was so pale he looked almost transparent, his freckles barely visible now. He was shivering as though he'd spend a week in a fridge, his hands shaking like a smoker's on withdrawal or something.

And I thought my encounter with Spectra was scary.

For the rest of the lesson, Johnny just sat there, even after Bertrand had left, and our teacher had resumed the lesson, looking like a walking zombie. After another lesson, he'd vanished.

Clinging to my backpack, I bit my lower lip nervously.

What had Spectra done to him?

A/N: Sorry, but I think uploads are gonna get rare now. ; 'Course I've got plenty of time (spare the weekend, new eppies of DP coming out), but I just got other things in my hand s now. But I promise there'll be a time where you'll DROWN in my uploads!

Until, then,

Jamcub

PS: I'll attach a chapter wher I'll give credits for all the stuff I used in here. ; Justa be on the safe side.