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Look Alive, Sunshine

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For the entire day students have been avoiding her like the plague, sure there were the rumours about Johnny and Happy Volts but then she was also hearing some ridiculous accusations. Natasha sighed as she walked down the corridor and groups of students began whispering to themselves.

"I heard she beat up Mandy."

"She probably hangs out with Gary Smith."

"Wasn't he expelled?"

"Who's to say she's wasn't inmates with him?"

"I reckon she's part of a cult."

This was getting out of hand.

She had slapped Mandy (and maybe sprayed her with soda) but it was hardly anything warranting it to be called a beat-up. She has never spoken to Gary Smith nor was she part of a cult. She wanted to scream these things to everyone but she knew there was no point, there wasn't a single person that would listen to her anyway.

Once classes ended Natasha returned to her dorm where she dropped off her books and got changed into some casualwear, she pulled on a pair of well-worn dark denim, a white cotton tank top, then picked out an everyday bag and shoved in the novel she's been reading and a cardigan to keep her warm from the occasional breezes that have grown common in the past few days as winter was nearing. After she had everything she quite literally ran off the campus and got on her bike, just being around everyone made her feel uncomfortable, not only did they not speak to her but now they looked at her as if she was insane.

At the gates she turned left and pedalled down the bridge, she stuck on the main road and parked her bike on the concrete pavement right above the coast. The beach was her usual go-to place where she knew she would be undisturbed, most students like to stay on campus and the people in town did not treat her like some freak of nature.

Natasha propped herself down on the sand and pulled out her book not knowing that this tranquillity would not last long.

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In the abandoned tenements in New Coventry, Johnny was practically inanimate as he silently watched the scene unfolding before him; Lefty and Peanut were arguing over the last piece of pizza and frankly Johnny could not care less, it was pizza from a week ago anyway. There were surely other things he could be doing. Johnny grew tired of their bickering and stood up, he picked his leather jacket off the back of the chair he had been sitting on and headed towards the door.

"Heading out, Johnny?"

"Yeah," Johnny did not even bother to look to see who spoke to him as he sluggishly pulled on his jacket. Just as he was leaving through the door someone asked if he would get them some pizza and Johnny felt what little patience he had to begin with snap. "Do I look like your fucking maid?!"

The room went dead silent after Johnny's outburst and the boys exchanged bashful looks under their leader's heavy gaze. When no one spoke, Johnny simply grunted and turned around to leave. The reason for Johnny's bad mood was that he found one of Lola's old skirts lying around and he's been unrested ever since, quietly brooding away or snapping at anyone that rubbed him the wrong way (which was not difficult to do considering he was annoyed at practically anyone that spoke to him). If Johnny weren't so goddamn scary Peanut would have told him to grow up and get over it, but alas no one dared stand up to Johnny Vincent when he was in such a state.

Outside the tenements the black Cadillac was parked across the street, it took Johnny a good while to get to it with the traffic and mostly because he would space out when the road was busy and miss a chance to cross during the few rare moments the road was cleared. When he finally made it to his car, he hopped in and turned the ignition on; he really needed a drive, ideally a long one but there was not much he could go unless he drove all the way into Old Bullworth Vale and even then it felt it still would not be enough.

Despite being unsure of his route the sea was already coming into view and Johnny decided he would just drive along the beach towards the carnival then maybe even up into the hill then circle back to New Coventry. The cool ocean breeze was already beginning to have an effect, and hopefully the rest of the drive would calm him down some more and maybe he'd even be in the mood to get Lefty that pizza he asked for.

The bliss did not last long though. As slowed around a corner he saw a group of students down at the beach, it was Derby Harrington and Bif Taylor towering over someone and it was her red hair that first drew his attention to them. Without thinking twice Johnny turned the wheel and parked haphazardly on the pavement, almost knocking into some pedestrians.

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"I heard you knocked Mandy's teeth out."

Bif spoke to her in such a condescending tone and his expression was nothing short but unkind, Natasha wanted nothing more than to knock his perfectly modified teeth out. So she retorted if he would like her to do the same to his making both Derby crack a smirk and Bif laughed in that Bif Taylor way that sometimes made her forget that he has turned into an a-class prick.

Natasha almost recoiled when he bent down to her eye-level and reached his arm around her, with her heart hammering in her chest she kept her eyes glued to Derby who had taken a step back to watch them showing only the slightest of interest. Natasha stared at him almost as if she wanted him to intervene but she tried to keep her expression still until Bif pressed his lips to her ear and inhaled terribly slowly stirring her in a way that she hated. Bif has always been forward with her and she used to be able to repel him without much effort but recently his advances have been bolder and it did not help she was not feeling as sure of herself.

"You know Nat, you shouldn't give so much attitude now that your reputation is down the gutter and Thompson couldn't care less about you," Natasha shifted slightly when he squeezed her shoulder and she tore her eyes away from Derby, she tilted her head and met Bif's eyes looking more unnerved than thrilled. "Who knows sweetheart, I might just be the last guy that will show any interest-."

"Taylor, you have exactly two seconds to let her go."

The tension between Natasha and Bif instantly broke when the familiar voice cut in, both looked over their shoulders and found Johnny Vincent trudging down the sand and stopping a good distance from them.

"What the hell are you doing here, Vincent?" Bif spat back without moving an inch before looking back down at Natasha. "This is between me and her."

"She's clearly not interested in you so why don't you piss off?"

"How about this rat learn his place and stop sticking his nose in his better's business?" Derby took a defensive step forward, uncrossing his arms as if he's ready to fight. "Instead of worrying about others you should leash that whore of yours."

"What did you say?" Johnny practically growled as he stepped forward and squared up against Derby, holding the prep by his Aquaberry sweater. "Say it again, punk!"

"Johnny!" Natasha grabbed onto one of his arms and she tried to pull him back but it was no use at all as he did not even notice her presence while his mind was clouded by anger. It appears that Derby had not taken kindly to Johnny's hostility and he had grabbed the greaser back. "Johnny, come on stop it! … Johnny! … Bif, help me!"

Natasha did her best to get Johnny's attention but he would not look at her at all, desperate for help Natasha looked to Bif pleadingly and cocked her head towards the two caught in a scuffle. At first Bif looked almost insouciant of the whole ordeal but after seeing Natasha's looks he stepped forward and grabbed a hold of Derby, and Bif was able to tear Derby away from Johnny being the large boxer he was.

"Come on Derby, he's not worth our trouble," Bif pulled his friend back as he tried to calm him blandly. "Let's just go."

Derby hurled a final word of insults towards the greaser before elbowing Bif's arms off and turning around to leave. Natasha let out a quiet sigh of relief once Derby began stepping away and she noticed Bif was still stood watching her and Johnny, she could not stop herself from looking away from his gaze while hiding behind Johnny.

"What are you still gawking at, Taylor?" Johnny suddenly spoke and Natasha froze when she felt him pull his arm out of her hold, she expected him to barge towards Bif for another fight but he shifted around and held her behind his back almost as if to protect her. "Shouldn't you be running along now?"

"This is far from over, Vincent," Bif huffed before leaving without another word to Natasha but she knew the words were directed at her as well. It was only after a while when Johnny released her, he turned around and looked down to meet her face, checking if she was okay.

"What did Harrington and Taylor want with you?" he asked quietly, holding her arm gently when he saw she was shaking slightly. "You alright, doll?"

"Yeah… I'm fine. It's a long story," she rubbed her forehead with a sigh, she bent down to pick up her bag and discarded book. Honestly she wanted nothing more than to leave after such an event. "Bif and I kinda have history."

"What kind?" he beat her to picking up her bottle of water and passed it to her. "Here."

"Oh, thanks," she took it from him and tucked it into her bag. They began walking together almost instantly, and she was subconsciously following him to where he parked his car. "He's just… always been around me, even when I was with Ted he would still be after my attention… that kinda thing. I obviously rejected him because it was never going to happen even if were single… but now that I am single he's been… more forward."

"Guy can't take a hint, huh?" Johnny looked sympathetic. "… What happened between you and Thompson, anyway?"

"Well after I quit cheerleading I wasn't around Ted nearly as much as I used to be, guess he just didn't know what to do," Natasha shrugged as they reached street-level. "Then Mandy replaced me as head cheerleader and I guess it just didn't take much for her to convince him to dump me."

"So he just listened to her?"

"Well yeah. I mean come on, Ted isn't exactly the brightest guy," she forced a smile as they stopped by his car. "It's fine anyway, I doubt things would have worked out even if we had stayed together."

"Well, Thompson's a fool for letting you go," Johnny opened the passenger door for her. "Hop in, let's go do something."

"Uh, what do you have in mind?" it was a genuine smile this time and Natasha couldn't help but feel a little giddy from the smirk on his face after he shrugged back in response so nonchalantly in that cool Johnny Vincent way.

"Anything you want."

"Um…"

"Carnival?" he suggested. "I was heading around there for a drive anyway but walking around with you might be better."

"… Okay, yeah sure," she eventually walked towards the car and slid into the passenger seat. "Oh, I have my bike with me, it's just a little further back."

"No worries, I'll go grab it and dump it in the trunk," Johnny shut the door for her and she watched from the rear-view mirror as he jogged down the street to find her bike.

Natasha strapped herself in and licked her bottom lip to prevent herself from smiling wider. This was the last thing she expected herself to be doing after such a terrible day but she cannot deny that it has really helped with her mood, she had thought her day was definitely ruined with no way to comeback after Bif and Derby appeared but who would have thought that Johnny Vincent would come to her rescue… then offer to take her out…? A walk in the carnival counted in her books.

Johnny quickly returned and put her bike away before jumping into the driver's seat. Despite his friendly gesture earlier he was quiet for most of the drive and the only reason Natasha can think of was what happened earlier, especially when Lola was mentioned; it was smart on Derby part to exploit the one weakness Johnny had, it was common knowledge that Lola was the one sure thing that could agitate Johnny but not many were brave (or fool) enough to face him angry.

The drive was not long and the sun was just beginning to set as Johnny pulled up outside the gates. They parked and headed towards the ticket box where they each paid for their own tickets, Johnny had offered to pay for them both but Natasha would not allow it knowing that he has had to work hard for what money he has to spend.

The carnival was as boisterous and magical as she remembered, she has only been three times, once with her family when she was very little, the second was a date with Ted and the last time was with her brothers just a few days before the accident. She could not help but smile when she remembered her brothers' determination to win her a prize but ending up with only enough tickets to claim an oversized worn out shirt. They were gutted they had to find out they were terrible at carnival games through such means and she ended up having to wear the thing but it was still an incident that made her laugh every time she thought back to it.

"What are you grinning about?" Johnny broke their silence and she snapped her head around, eyes still practically sparkling and lips in a wide grin. "Well?"

"I was just thinking about the last time I was here."

"Oh, who were you with?" he sounded off somehow, he must have been anticipating her answer to be Ted because his composure noticeably changed when she said it was her brothers. He stuck his hands into his pockets and stopped leading her to stop before him and wait. "… I asked the boys about you… I'm sorry about your parents, I didn't know they died."

"Oh… that's-," Natasha glanced away for a moment before meeting his eyes again. "Yeah, thanks."

"And Matt, he was an alright fella. Hope he's doing okay."

"Oh, he's still recovering," she gave him a tight smile. "He's hospitalised and being treated in Liberty City where my aunt lives at the moment."

She hated lying, especially to a friend which is what she considered Johnny to be now, but she had to for Matt's sake; at least that was what she was told by everyone surrounding her. Her aunt, the lawyers, her family, the orderlies, even Ben has said that the best way to protect Matt is to keep the ruse.

"Well I'm sure he'll be better in no time," Johnny gave her a reassuring pat on the back. "So what happened when you last came with them?"

"Oh, right. Um… we were here for my birthday, they thought it was a good idea to win my present and I kinda ended up with an old souvenir shirt a few sizes too big for me."

Johnny laughed and bemused the idea of the twin star football players being terrible at any physical activities. It's the first time she's seen him genuinely laugh about something related to school or more specifically another clique, she just assumed that being the leader of his own gang meant he disliked everyone else but he had surprised her when he said he thought Matt was decent and he spoke rather nicely about her brothers in general as well. "You'd think they can get you something better than a baggy shirt."

"Well apparently it's a lot harder than it looks," she shrugged back. "Even Ted couldn't win me anything when we were here."

"Haven't we already made it clear that Thompson is an idiot?" Johnny gave her a smile that resembled the one he gave her when he first asked her to get into his car. "Well shall we go win you something nice then? As a man I feel a certain obligation for you to finally get something nice from the carnival."

"No, you don't have to do that."

"Like I said, something inside of me is telling me to do it," he grinned. "To show you just how much better a greaser is."

"Oh Johnny please."

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Wow, who knew Johnny Vincent could throw a good pitch?

In little to no time Johnny had raked up dozens of tickets and went to claim a prize from the tent. Natasha waited outside half excited and half embarrassed over the fact that she actually had a lovely time with Johnny and he had been so sweet with her the entire time. Despite her complaints he paid for all the games and in the end he let her buy them a cotton candy to share because she had felt he was spending his money for her, even then he had barely eaten any himself.

Natasha watched in awe as Johnny stepped out of the prize tent carrying a large stuffed bear, its sheer size made it so that Johnny had to carry it on his back and when he got close he hurled it over his shoulders and passed it to her. Natasha nearly stumbled back as it landed in her arms and she did her best to grip the bear around its neck and held it up.

"Oh geez, I really don't see myself carrying this back to my dorm."

"Hey, I worked hard for him," Johnny poked the bear's nose with a self-satisfied smile. "So you gotta take good care of him, kay?"

"Right, of course I will," Natasha nodded as she held back a laugh from how he had referred the bear. "So what should we do now?"

"Some rides maybe?"

"What? With Mr. Snuggles with us?" she made a show of patting the bear's head. "I don't think he'd fit on any of the rides."

"Mr. Snuggles?" Johnny repeated, his voice laced with distaste. "That's terrible, that's not what we're naming him."

"We?" she laughed. "I thought this bear was for me."

"I reckon I'm entitled to some naming rights since I got him for you."

"What do you suggest then?"

"… Maybe Fred?"

"How about… maybe… no?" she shook her head. "If you wanna go on some rides how about you take Mr. Snuggles to your car first?"

"Fine then," he lifted the bear out of her hands with ease. "Let's go then, Fred."

Who would have guessed that her day would have ended up with Johnny Vincent rescuing her from Bif Taylor and Derby Harrington, then for them to head to the carnival where he would get her a stuffed bear and then proceeding to them arguing about the name of the bear. Johnny really was a lot more different than she thought he would be, for one he seemed to just go where the wind took him and he had no problems saying what was on his mind – he seemed genuinely unselfish and agreeable when he wasn't in one of his moods. She also liked the fact that he did not care for gossip or drama, a deeper part of her felt rather relieved when she found out that he hadn't known about her family's accident and she was able to be the one to confirm it to him the way she wanted to since he made no assumptions before he spoke to her. He was just an honest if not slightly bold person.

Johnny returned not long after and the pair ventured deeper into the carnival where they went on the Big Squid once and twice on the rollercoaster. Although Johnny was better at the games than the jocks were, he was not even half as tolerant with the rides. After they stepped off the rollercoaster Johnny insisted on going on the ferris wheel instead of going on again.

"Doing alright there, Johnny?" Natasha asked once they have taken their seat on the ride. "Looking a little pale there. Hope the ferris wheel isn't too much for you."

"Oh, shut up," he elbowed her lightly with a hint of a smile. "You're a crazy broad, you know. I've never met one that liked going on those kinds of crazy rides back to back like that."

"Well, what can I say?" she shrugged with a laugh. "I like going fast, the thrill of it just exciting, isn't it?"

"Oh, I'm not sure about the rides but I know about the excitement of going fast."

"… Johnny Vincent, did you just…?"

"It was your fault for saying it," he chuckled as he leaned his head back and stared up into the sky. "… This is nice. I can't remember the last time I just sat back and looked at the stars."

"Yeah, it's my first time on a ferris wheel and it's not so bad."

"What? Afraid it'll be too slow for you?"

"Oh, shut up! stop teasing me."

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In the end Natasha and Johnny ended up staying on the ferris wheel for another three times and was going for a fourth go when the operator asked them to leave as he informed them the carnival was now closing. The two had looked at each other and laughed, neither of them had realised how late it had gotten but it did not seem to particularly bother them either. They were one of the last people to leave the carnival and they were smiling and laughing the entire time they were walking through the now dimmed stalls and rides.

They easily found Johnny's car and she grinned at the sight of Mr. Snuggles strapped in on the backseat.

"This has been… surprisingly fun," she said when she got into her seat and strapped herself in. "… Right?"

"It has," he nodded in agreement, a smile appearing on his face as he turned on the ignition. "You're not bad company, Evans."

"And you're not so terrible either, Vincent."

The pair became quiet as they drove out of the tunnel and onto the main road by the coast. Natasha took a deep breath as she leaned onto the side, with the cool breeze in her hair and her soft gaze focused on the rippling waves illuminated under the moonlight she wanted nothing more than for this very moment to last.

The car eventually came to a halt right outside the academy gate. Natasha climbed out and went to unstrap the bear while Johnny went to retrieve her bike and helped her lock it into its place on the rack, all the while he was doing so Natasha watched him as she hugged the bear close to her neck digging her nose into the toy to hide her face. Johnny did not notice until he was back and trying to meet her face.

"Hey now, what's wrong doll?"

"Nothing…" she averted her gaze. "I'm just smiling a lot and I don't want you to see."

Something stirred inside of Johnny as he felt a strange sensation growing. Again the feeling was one he has not felt in a long time and it was one that was usually reserved for his whore of an ex. The feeling was definitely there… and it could be bad.

"I reckon you're looking pretty cute behind that ol' bear," he said without thinking. Damn, it was worse than bad. It could be dangerous. "Let's see."

"No," he could practically hear the smile in her voice as she stepped back from him and hugged the bear tighter. "I should go now… thanks for everything, Johnny."

"Yeah, alright," he shoved his hands into his pockets as he watched her go, he was about to turn and leave himself when he remembered something and called out to her. She turned around immediately, the bear was now lowered and he could clearly see the surprised look on her face. One of her eyebrows were perked up and her blue eyes seemed to sparkle as she waited for him to continue. "If Taylor or Harrington ever give you trouble again you tell me, alright doll?"

"… Why?" a playful smile appeared on her lips. "Will you beat them up for me?"

"Yes."

Natasha chuckled when she realised he was dead serious and she nodded back sheepishly. "I will, thanks Johnny."

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Thank you Skywalker for your review,

glad you're enjoying it:)

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