~II~
He's scribbling away at the worksheet, copying down what Johnny had written. Class started in an hour and he hadn't even done anything except write down his damn name and date. He really needed to start doing at least a couple questions when he first got it instead of stressing himself out in the morning. He couldn't even sleep in like he had planned.
He's nearly finished with the English homework when he notices something. A figure. He looks up, ready to greet his roommate, but finds a man standing standing before him instead. He's skinny and looks old, wearing a dirty and torn suit. He wants to say something; wants to shout at him for being in his room. But before he can, the man's running at him, his fist colliding with his cheek and sending him backwards.
Peanut wakes up, breathing heavy as he sits up to look around. He's back in the tenement, laying on the old couch they had found with Johnny on the other side of him and Hal asleep on the floor beside them. He supposed his panic had awoken their boss, seeing as he was groaning and sitting up to stare at him.
"Peanut, what's wrong?" he asks, his voice hushed so he doesn't wake the others.
"Just a dream," he replies, laying back down. "Don't worry about it."
Johnny nods, reaching out to pat his leg before going back to sleep. He lays there, calming himself and slowly relaxing. Hell, he didn't even feel like sleeping anymore. Pulling out his phone, he turned it on to be blinded by the bright light. Squinting his eyes, he looks at the time. 6:48 in the morning. School didn't start for another 2 hours and he was already awake. Groaning, he puts his phone back in his pocket. Judging by how quiet it is in the building, he knows no one else is awake. Well, might as well go do something to pass his time.
Getting up, Peanut's careful to not wake up Johnny again and to walk around Hal, heading for the fire escape. It's freezing when he gets outside and he shivers a bit. He pulls out the packet of cigarettes he had grabbed before leaving the dorm, pulling one out and lighting it up. He leans against the rails, looking up at the stars as he blows out the smoke. Thinking back to the dream, it was silly. He supposed it only scared him because of the sudden leap the man had taken. Whatever. It was done now. He takes another drag, trying to see if he could connect some constellations he had remembered seeing in an old textbook. Who even decided to create constellations? Probably someone with nothing better to do.
It takes him a few minutes, but he finally takes the last drag from his cigarette. Throwing it over the edge, he walks back inside. There's shuffling coming from the kitchen and he looks around, smiling when he sees Lefty grabbing a bag of chips from off the counter.
"Mornin', hero," he greets, making the sophomore jump. "Whatcha doin' up this early?"
"God, Peanut," He soon chuckles, shaking his head. "I could ask you the same thing. You okay?"
"Yeah, a lot better now," He leans against the counter, arms crossed as he watches Lefty try to open the bag as quiet as he can. "So, what are you doing up?"
"Vance kicked me in the face," he grumbles, "Couldn't go back to sleep. What about you?"
"Nightmare. Not really tired anymore," he sighs. He can hear him chuckle softly and he's tempted to smack him upside the head for laughing at him. But, he doesn't. Instead, he reaches out, ruffling his hair and making his friend chuckle, shoving his hand away.
They stand there for a bit, Lefty finally getting the bag open and offering Peanut some. He tells his friend about his nightmare, and even remarks about how silly he knows it sounds. There isn't a smart comment from him. Actually, Lefty offers some of his opinions on it, saying that maybe he's just stressing himself out by trying to do well in school. Maybe. He wasn't wrong about Peanut stressing himself out, considering Johnny had been on everyone's backs since school had started and he was worried about everyone not graduating on time after he left. A part of him wondered if they would all still be close like they had planned and talked about. His mother used to say that he would more than likely have no contact with the clique after high school. He did worry about her being right.
They must have been talking for a while because Lucky had finally woken up, yawning as he ran a hand through his hair. He gives them a smile and walks over.
"Up early I see," he speaks, "What's the occasion?"
"Just couldn't sleep," Peanut tells him, "What time is it, anyways?"
"Uh… 7:00 or something like that?" He raises his brows at the answer, almost stunned. Then again, by how the sun was already out and how longed they had talked, he could honestly say he wasn't surprised.
"I don't feel like going," Lefty grumbles, tossing the now empty bag on the counter and crossing his arms. "I'm gonna be so tired!"
"Oh, come on!" Lucky hooks an arm around him. "What are you gonna do with all of us gone?"
"Sleep..." There's a chuckle and the junior just punches his shoulder in a playful manner.
"You can sleep in math," he tells him, removing his arm and starting for the door. "Both of you might wanna get ready to go. Johnny's gonna be up soon and he'll wanna leave."
The two groan, Peanut pushing himself off of the counter he had been leaning against and stretching. He had English this morning and gym for his afternoon class and he wasn't ready for it. Johnny had those classes with him and he was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to sleep through class like he wanted to. Maybe he could convince him?
The rest of the greasers are up a few minutes later, a few leaving before the others to go home and grab their backpacks. Peanut says his goodbyes to Lefty, saying he'll see him either during lunch or just back at the dorm. He then goes to meet up with Johnny, smiling up at him.
"Mornin', kid," Johnny greets, "You got up early, huh?"
"Actually, I never went back to sleep," He gives the senior a sheepish smile, watching him roll his eyes and a sigh escapes his lips.
"What am I gonna do with you?" He makes his way for the stairs, Peanut following him close behind. "I'm gonna stop by my place real quick to grab my stuff and take a shower. You wanna come with?"
"Sure," It had been a while since he had been to his friend's house. He remembered that Johnny's father was usually working, and when he was there, they seemed to fight a lot. He figured that's why his boss was so hotheaded. "You mind if I take a shower while I'm there too?"
"As long as you don't fall asleep in there," The two share a small chuckle as they step outside, the chilly morning air greeting them. Johnny gets on his bike he had parked nearby, Peanut hopping onto the back and holding onto his shoulders with a firm grip so he doesn't fall off. Johnny was the fastest when it came to biking and he was sure he'd suffer more than a few scrapes if he had fallen off. He didn't exactly want to spend his day in the hospital for cracking open his skull by being thrown off a bike.
They get to Johnny's house in a few minutes, Peanut hopping off and following the senior to the front door, who unlocks it and walks inside.
"Johnny? That you, sweetie?" A sweet voice calls out from the kitchen and it makes Peanut smile. Mrs. Vincent was always so nice to them.
"Yeah, ma!" They go into the kitchen, Johnny walking over to his mother. She leans up, going to give him a kiss on the cheek before turning to look at the junior.
"Oh, Larry! I didn't know you were here!" She walks over to him, placing a small kiss on his cheek as well.
"Hey, Mrs. Vincent!" he greets. He liked how motherly she was to him. It felt nice to have someone treat him like that.
"You just missed your father, Johnny," Mrs. Vincent starts, turning back to her son, who's just rolling his eyes.
"Thank god," he grumbles, receiving a smack on his arm.
"Now, don't you start that!" she scolds, "You know, if you would just come home every once in a while, maybe you two wouldn't fight so much!"
"Yeah, ma," It's apparent Johnny's stopped listening and it makes Peanut chuckle softly. It was always so weird to see his boss – king of Bullworth Academy – being scolded by someone.
"Larry, sweetie," Mrs. Vincent turns her attention to the younger teen. "Would you like anything to eat?"
"I'm fine, ma'am. Thank you," She gives him a smile before Johnny walks past them.
"I'm gonna grab a shower," he tells them, making his way for the hallway. "I'll yell when I'm done, Peanut."
"Peanut?" she repeats, "He's been your best friend for a couple years now! You should be calling him by a better nickname, Johnny!"
"Yeah, ma!" And like that, he's gone. Mrs. Vincent just shakes her head, going back to washing some dishes that were still in the sink.
"That boy, I swear," she sighs, "You know, Larry, sometimes I worry about him. I've heard those fights he gets into and I'm just so worried I'll be getting a call from the hospital saying he's in a coma or something."
"He's a great fighter, ma'am," he tells her in an attempt to ease her concern.
"And that Lola girl," she continues, "I don't mean to put her down, but Lord almighty, I wish he would just wake up and realize she's no good."
"We all do..." He looks down, frowning. All of Bullworth knew of Lola's reputation. How she slept around with everyone and always played victim when called out. He would admit, she was stunning, but he hated how Johnny couldn't realize he deserved better.
"Larry," She turns around, staring at him. "you're the only one Johnny's ever brought home, especially from school. What are the others like?"
"You mean the other greasers?" he questions, "Well, we're all really close. We look out for each other, you know? Johnny's been taking care of us, too. Making sure we keep our grades up before he graduates."
"He's such a sweet boy," she starts, "I just wish he didn't inherit his father's temper. It's going to get him in a lot of trouble one day, mark my word! Could you try to keep him out of trouble for me, Larry?"
"I can try, ma'am," He lets out a small laugh, going to rub the back of his neck nervously. "But, you know how he can get."
"And just how can I get, Larry?" Johnny's voice makes him jump and he looks at his boss. He's drying his hair off with a towel, staring at him.
"You know," he replies, "You can get a bit crazy at times and it's hard to get you to stop."
"That it?" he laughs, "And here I was thinkin' you were gonna say something worse. Anyways, you still wanna take a shower?"
"Yeah, sure!" He waves to his friend's mother, Johnny telling him that he's left a towel in there for him. As he makes his way to the bathroom, he can hear Mrs. Vincent voice her concerns to her son, who just responds with simple 'uh-huh's. He just smiles to himself. Being over to Johnny's house always made him feel better.
Peanut shuts and locks the door, undressing and throwing his clothes onto the counter. He's sure Johnny would have some cologne somewhere he could borrow. He steps into the tub, running the water and pulling the pin to start the shower. The hot water hits him and it feels amazing. He tilts his head back, letting the water wet his hair. Running his hands through his brown locks, he removes the grease he'd use the previous day, reaching out and grabbing the shampoo. He can't remember the last time he had a shower that felt this nice.
He takes about five minutes in the shower before he's done, though he wishes he could stay longer. Shutting the water off, Peanut turns to exit the tub. Though, he gasps when he notices a dark figure standing outside the shower curtain. At first, he thinks it's Johnny playing some stupid joke on him, before he remembers that he had locked the door. He stands there, frozen in fear. Suddenly, the figure's running towards the curtain and in surprise he lets out a shriek, slipping in the tub and smacking the back of his head on the little ledge that held the soap. He falls to the floor, and when he looks up, the shadow's gone.
"Peanut!" Johnny's panicked voice snaps him out of his little trance, his hand banging on the door as he tries to open it. "Peanut, what the hell?! Are you okay?!"
"Y-yeah! I'm fine!" he calls, reaching back and grabbing his aching head. "Just slipped..."
"Sweetie? Do you need me to call someone?" Mrs. Vincent's voice is calm, but also worried. "An ambulance or something?"
"I'm fine, thanks," He sighs, hearing them move away from the door. What the hell was that? He rests his head against the wall, groaning. What a great way to end his shower. Slowly, he gets up and leaves the tub, drying off with the towel Johnny had left for him. Putting his clothes back on, he runs his hand through his hair, pushing it back and out of his face. He exits the bathroom, going to Johnny's room. His friend is in there, hunched over his backpack, putting some papers inside. He looks up when he enters the room and is immediately in front of him, looking him over.
"You okay?" he asks. Peanut just nods and he gives a small sigh of relief. "What happened? Lose your balance?"
"I uh… I saw something," he confesses. Johnny stares at him, as if wanting him to elaborate. "I'll tell you on the way."
"Alright," He goes to grab his backpack, both leaving the room. Mrs. Vincent is now in the living room and gives Peanut a worried look when she sees him.
"Are you sure you're okay?" she asks, "You don't feel sick or anything?"
"I'm okay, ma'am. But thank you," She smiles, walking forward to kiss both of their cheeks one more time.
"Okay. You two be safe and have fun!" she tells them as they make their way for the door. "Love you, boys!"
"Love you, too!" They walk out of the house, Peanut shivering as the breeze flows through his still damp hair. They get on Johnny's bike and the senior is going a lot slower compared to before.
"So, you gonna explain now?" he asks, taking a glance back to look a his friend.