AN: So, its been awhile... I apologize for my lack of updates. I sort of lost inspiration, then Glass came out on DVD and it smacked my in the face again. If you can't tell, I've had this started since February but just got around to finishing it. Anyway, I hope it was worth the wait and thank you all for your patience!

Johnnie had been sulking for weeks. She was trying super hard not to let Dennis interfere with her other friendships but it was the most difficult thing she'd ever done. It had been six months since she'd last seen him and each day was more agonizing than the last. It surely wasn't getting easier. Especially with valentine's day being today. Ever since the stores began filling with gifts and cards, she grew biter. She couldn't help but pout as she looked around the cafeteria at the couples exchanging presents. As she glared into oblivion, she jumped when a rose was dangled in her face. She turned in her chair to see Barry was the one holding the stem. He was smiling almost nervously.

"Hey girlfriend!" Johnnie eyed the flower.

"What's this?"

"A peace offering. Happy Valentine's Day." Johnnie rolled her eyes and turned back around.

"Yeah right. Fuck Valentine's Day. Stupid hallmark holiday with its stupid made up concepts..." She was muttering, stabbing her scrambled eggs with her fork almost violently.

"Yikes," Barry said, sucking in through his teeth, taking the seat beside her. "A non-believer. I think this will change your mind if you just take it." Stubborn as always, she turned up her nose and crossed her arms.

"Oh, come on Johnnie. I'm going to get enough crap from the others for even doing this so please just take it." He sounded a bit desperate when and her heart skipped a beat even though she shouldn't have let the small glimmer of hope overtake her.

She cautiously took the rose and turned over the little slip of paper attached. She teared up as she read it. In perfect, neat writing the words 'Happy Valentine's Day. I still love you' were printed. Dennis. Her smile grew wider and she clutched the rose to her chest.

"Truce?" Barry asked, holding up his hands defensively but she threw her arms around him.

"Thank you," she whispered, kissing his cheek.

"You're welcome, but that's not all you're getting today. I've got you a present of my own but its kind of big so you have to wait until after school for it." She snorted.

"What, were you too embarrassed to squeeze an oversized teddy bear through that door?"

"Something like that," he cooed with a wink."

Johnnie tapped her foot impatiently, glancing at the clock every two seconds as she waited for the final bell to ring. Although she loved her rose and kept it next to her all day on the desk, she was really curious as to what Barry's surprise could be. She continued to make guesses as they walked in the complete opposite direction of their houses to Felt Park. He denied every single guess, walking her past the swings toward the gazebo. The white structure overlooked the small lake the park was named after. Johnnie looked around but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"Okay," she huffed in irritation. "You've got me. I give up. Just tell me what it is." Barry smirked and turned her around to face the water.

"Close your eyes."

"But I can't even see you anymore," she pointed out stoically.

"Just do it." She closed her eyes and counted to ten before blinking them open again. Nothing had changed. She was starting to get angry and opened her mouth to tell him so when she heard a voice say, "Huh? Where am I?"

Slowly, she turned around, feeling a bit overwhelmed. The boy in front of her looked terrified.

"Who are you?" he whimpered and slowly, she extended a hand but he flinched.

"Kevin?" she asked, "My name is Johnnie. I've been waiting a long time to meet you." The smile she received completely melted her heart.

"Johnnie? Oh yeah. I remember some of the others talking about you. They talk about you a lot. They seem to like you and trust you even which means I should too right?" He took her hand and shook gently before letting go and letting his arm drop to his side. He walked past her, gazing over the railing at the water.

"I remember this place... Felt Lake, right? Dad used to bring me here to feed the ducks." There was a certain sadness to the way he talked about his dad. It hurt her heart. She walked up beside him and took his hand, looking out at the horizon with him. Dennis had told her that Kevin's father had left to find a good doctor to help Kevin but had never come home. His mother blamed it on Kevin and claimed he'd just run off with some other woman because his son was too much to handle. Nobody knew the truth. Nobody around here anyway.

Johnnie slid her backpack off of her shoulders and set it on the ledge, pulling out the safely tucked rose. She removed the little note before extending it to Kevin. He looked extremely confused.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Kevin, she whispered gently, a small smile on her lips.

"But," Kevin protested, lightly taking the flower, "I don't have anything for you..." he looked down sadly.

"Trust me, meeting you was enough." That same smile that had made her heart flutter before reappeared and she looped her arm through his. "Let's go get ice cream."

Over the next few months, Kevin came out a lot more than usual. Barry even mentioned he held the light for much longer than he had in years. Currently, he sat on her couch, watching The Notebook with her. When the onscreen couple first kissed, she found it a little odd the Kevin looked away from the screen.

"Oh come on," she teased, "If you're one of those people who can't stomach romance movies, why'd you agree to watch it with me?" It was all meant to be teasing of course but still, Kevin shifted uncomfortably.

"Its not that," he admitted as the movie played on in the background. "They just make me a little jealous..."

"Jealous?" she asked, tilting her head. "What do you mean?" He shifted again.

"I-I guess it's because I want to know what it's like to be kissed like that." Her heart skipped several beats and she thought back to her kiss with Dennis. It had been one of the best feelings in the world. She thought everyone should know that feeling but everyone was so afraid of Kevin. She wasn't.

"Would you like to find out?" she asked, scooting closer to him on the seat. She hesitated for a moment as she wondered what Dennis would think of this, then she decided she didn't care. He refused to see her or talk to her and although her feelings for Kevin were strictly platonic, he deserved to know what this felt like Without further thought, she leaned in and pressed her lips to Kevin's, keeping it light, sweet and incredibly gentle. She pulled back after a couple moments to find Kevin's cheeks flushed and a shy smile lighting up his face.

"Thank you, Johnnie," he whispered, laying his head on her lap.

"You're welcome Kevin," she replied and for the first time in months, her head didn't hurt so bad.

Johnnie spent the rest of that long evening mentally saying goodbye to all her friends and family. It became increasingly harder with each goodbye and tears flowed heavily from her eyes. She wasn't one to think of death on a regular basis. She'd never even experienced great loss before to ponder the afterlife. She didn't know if she believed in Heaven or Hell and she sure wasn't going to pretend she did now.

Sunlight streamed in through the covered windows when the tears finally dried up. She'd had time to prepare now and had accepted her fate. So, when the silhouette of a massive figure was seen scaling the ceiling, then dropped down in front of her, she didn't even flinch. His chest heaved; his breaths heavy even though he wasn't panting. Johnnie had been close to Kevin's body on more than on occasion and she would have remembered muscles like that. No, this was something else entirely. Someone else. Once she was done with her assessment of the being before her, she mentally grounded herself, then raised her eyes to meet his, her smile coming surprisingly easy to her

"You must be the Beast," she said calmly, but his dark chuckle sent shivers down her spine.

"And you must be the girl who destroyed Kevin's heart. We've been waiting a long time for you to pay for this sin. You will suffer slowly."