Chapter Seventy-Seven

John smiled as Amelia ran out of her elementary school to see him, kneeling down to wrap her in a crushing hug as she collided with him. "Hey Squirt, how was school?" He asked, kissing her cheek.

She looked up at him, knowing that she could tell him anything. "One of the older kids said I'm a loser like you." She watched as John started scanning the crowd of children, his eyes turning black with what she knew was anger.

"Who was it?" He stood as she pointed to the group of fifth graders all walking together toward what John guessed was one of their homes. "I'll be back in a second." He pointed at the sidewalk, raising his brows to make sure she understood. "Stay put." John marched up to the group of kids, walking around them so that he could stand in their path. "Did you tell Amelia that she was a loser?" He asked, noticing as a wave of fear went through them.

The biggest one stepped forward, shoving John in the stomach. "Yeah. She's a loser like you. She doesn't know anything. She says that you're a knight from a fairy tale, and you killed the monster under her bed. She's a little kid who doesn't know anything, just like you."

John watched as the kid went to shove him again, catching her wrist as she moved and squeezing it enough to send a message but not cause pain. "Sweetheart, I told her those stories because I wanted her to know I would always protect her. See, she is my little sister, and it's my job to keep her safe from bullies like you." He dropped her hand as she pulled back, watching as she noticed his scars. "If I hear that you're bullying her again, I'll go to your parents and let them discipled you how they see fit. I just hope that you get the message." He pushed through them, walking back to Amelia and Claire.

Claire looked him over, noticing the scared looks he was getting from the kids. "What did you do?" She asked, taking in the evil smirk on his face. "Oh God. You cussed them out, didn't you?"

John shook his head, taking Amelia's hand and walking them to the car. "Nope. I just told them not to bully my little princess, or I'd tell their folks." He opened the door for Amelia as Claire ducked into the driver's seat. "Not a single curse left my lips."

Claire rolled her eyes, turning the key in the ignition and putting the car into drive. "Oh. That reminds me, Mom and the other adults thought it would be a good idea to make a swear jar. They'll explain when we get home."

John nodded, looking back at Amelia as she pulled out the notepad he'd given her to write her story on. "How's the story coming?" He asked, chuckling as she shushed him. "In the zone." He smiled, taking Claire's hand in his as he turned back to see where Claire was driving. He noticed a black car in the rear-view mirror, remembering seeing it drive around the school a few times trough the day. He turned back to Claire, leaning over to kiss her cheek. "I love you." He whispered, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand.

She giggled, squeezing his hand to let him know she'd seen the car too. "I love you more."

Clarissa looked up as John, Claire, and Amelia walked through the front door, standing to hug the three. "How was school?" She asked, noticing John's bruised knuckles and the notebook in his backpack. "What happened?" She asked, reaching for the old beaten book, handing it to John to open so that he knew she wasn't trying to intrude.

John flipped the book open, showing her the scratch and ripped out pages. "Medusa got ahold of it." He reached into his pocket, handing the note Principal Anderson had given him. "And I got in a little scuffle because some jackasses were trying to charge me twenty bucks to take a piss."

Clarissa opened the note, pointing to the kitchen. "Go put a dollar and a quarter in the swear jar." She ordered, looking up at his confused face. "We're going to break those habits. We broke the not showering every day, the eating like a pig, and the playing guitar at two AM. Now we're working on the swearing. The F-word, is a dollar and every other word except the S-word -which is seventy-five cents- is fifty cents."

John nodded, pulling a quarter from his pocket and a dollar from his wallet. "Go put this in the jar for me, Squirt." He handed the money to her, looking back to Clarissa. "What's it say?" He asked, watching as her face beamed with pride.

"They want to do an IQ test on you because you're so smart." She smiled, pulling him into a hug. "John, you might be the smartest kid in school."

John rolled his eyes, starting up the stairs to grab his swim suit. "Claire and I are gonna go to the beach for a little bit." He paused for a moment, looking down at his girlfriend. "You're gonna wear that sexy little bikini, right?"

Claire nodded, rushing up the stairs behind him. "You better wear your swim trunks and not those stupid jeans and tank top." She giggled as he grabbed her waist, screaming as he started tickling her. "John! Stop! I'm gonna pee!"

John laughed, letting her go. "Race you to my room!" He took off down the hall, his Converse thundering as they hit the floor.

"Not fair!" She shouted, running after the faster boy. "Your legs are longer!"

"Keep up short stuff!" He laughed, reaching his arm out to catch her at his door. He pulled her close to him, kissing her lips before they went to get their swim suits. "I can't wait to see you in that bikini." He smirked, resting his hands on the sides of her ribs.

She smiled, placing her hands on his hips. "And I can't wait to see your new swim trunks on you." She kissed his neck, pushing away from him to get ready.