Hiya ! Thanks to anyone reading and to anyone reviewing this . I'm sorry about how long this took .

Chapter 25 - Talking

Melvin's POV

Something was wrong with Beatrice . I couldn't my finger on it , but she seemed different in some way . For example , she kept smiling for no real reason in the strangest of situations (such as Biology - you know something's very wrong if your friend starts smiling while dissecting something ) , listening to Johnny's "bike talk" - which was pretty much a foreign language to the nerds - and mentioning little snippets of information about the bikes whenever we used them .

Eventually , it hit me like a wet fish (an expression of my mother's - don't ask) .

"Beatrice , can I ask you somthing ? " I requested in the library .
"Of course you can . " my unsuspecting friend replied , putting her book down .
"Do you like Johnny ? "
"Yes , he's a nice boy . "
"No , I mean do you like him ? " I enquired , working on the bizarre human belief that epeating something helps the penny drop .
"I've just told you that . " Maybe I should shake her just this once .
"Oh for fu - are you infatuated with johnny Vincent ? " I demanded . At this , Beatrice pulled a face I recognised as meaning "Shit , they know my dark secret ! " before saying "No ! " in a manner as convincing as Lola taking a vow of chastity . Bucky picked up on this straight away .
"Beatrice , you would be a useless politician . " he commented , closing his book .
"Why ? "
"Because your attempts to lie are more obvious than Edna's rapidly depleting sanity . "
"I think by that standard I'd be quite a good ... I wasn't lying ! I'm not infatuated with Johnny Vincent . " my one female friend stated in the way you would if someone was holding a knife to your back to make you speak .
"Are you sure on that ? "
"Yes . "
"Swear on Bucky . "
"I'm not swearing on anyone . "
"Why not ? "
"Because ... Because ... Fine . I wish you wouldn't do that5 to me , Melvin . " she accused , sticking her bottom lip out in a childish manner .
"If you would say "yes" in the first place then I wouldn't have to . So then ... "
"So then , what ? "
"Are you going to ask him out ? "
"No ! "
"You have to now . " Bucky stated .
"Why ? "
"Because if you don't , the next time we see them will be really awkward . "
"And it won't be if he turns me down ? "
"He won't . "
"Melvin , have you seen Lola ? I'm hardly his type , am I ? " she admitted ruefully before standing up .
"I have to go see Cornelius . Tell you what ... " she suggested . "If he asks me , i won't turn him down . Will that do ? " . I nodded , knowing that Beatrice would prefer to spend the rest of her life eating rats than have me press the matter any further . Smiling , she walked to the door .
"Melvin ? " she ventured . her hand on the door knob .
"Yes ? "
"If you tell any of the greasers about this ... "
"You'll force me to ingest my own testicles ? " I finished for her .
"Exactly . " she agreed before vanishing out of the door .

Peanut's POV

Someone once said that it's alway's darkest before the dawn . They may have been onto something .

As the months passed , the rage began to simmer and bubble . Chuck in a few stinkbombs , arguements and feelings that didn't help , and you've served up an accident waiting to happen .

The first major fight in the clique unity was when I noticed Johnny giving off the warning signs ; smiling for no reason , talking to Beatrice for hours on end , "the look" if the nerd broad got pushed over in the playground . Eventually I got sick of the goo-goo eyes and asked him straight out the next time we were at the Autoshop .

"Do you fancy Beatrice ? " . The shade his face went told me all I needed to know .
"N-No ! What gave you that idea ? " . At this point Vance piped up .
"Well , Johnny , it could be for a number of reasons ; it could be because you notice when her spots clear up , because you speak to her for the longest we've ever heard you talking without using the word "Lola" , or it could be because I caught you oogling her legs the other day ."
"I wasn't ogling ! "
"You were . "
"I was on the bike . I needed to steer ."
"And how did drooling over Bea help you with that ? "
"I - but ... you really wind me up sometimes , Vance . " he murmurred accusatively .

"It doesn't matter . She's probably with someone . Don't you think , Peanut ? " Norton breezed , hinting madly . Understanding his purpose , I played along .
"Yeah Norton . It's not like she hasn't got guy friends , is it ? Although I get the idea Algie isn't her type . "
"Yeah . It's a shame if no-one's asked her ."
"Hmm . Bet she'd love a date with someone ."
"Yeah , but who ? I mean , who likes her ? "
"It's not going to work , Norton ."
"What ? I'm just saying it's a shame . She's a nice broad ."
"Hmm . Perhaps someone will . After all , there was someone i know oogling ."
"I wasn't ..."
"I never said it was you , I'm just saying that it's a shame ...
"All right ! But if she turns me down ... "

"You'll feed us our own balls" me , Norton and Vance chorused , expecting the major threat which Johnny had been using for years . Smoothing his hair back quickly , he opened the door to see Beatrice a few metres away , her arms wrapped around Cornelius in what any reasonable person could see was an innocent hug between friends .

However , Johnny wasn't and never had been reasonable .