XIII
They spend the night watching different types of movies. From classics to horror to even comedy. And of course by the time they go to bed it's already morning, the sun peaking over the mountains. Peanut's curled under the blankets, cuddling a small, balled up portion. He mumbles in his sleep softly, dreaming of when he first had auto shop classes, seated next to Johnny and a senior, Matt, feeling so small compared to the two teens.
Johnny, however, stayed awake for a bit longer after Peanut had gone to bed, staring at the junior. He was the only one who ever truly listened to him, understood his problems and tried to help, no matter if he wanted to hear it or not. The other greasers would only listen and tell him what he wanted to hear. Especially Lola. Maybe that's why he always felt closer to Peanut than anyone else. Or why he always confided in him with his deepest, darkest secrets.
By the time both teens wake up, it's past the afternoon and becoming evening, Peanut having woken up first and taken his morning shower. And once Johnny's up and done the same, they head out of Johnny's home, walking towards the tenements. With how late it is, the others should be in class, leaving the old building to them. And as they walk up the old, decaying stairs, a thought passes through Johnny's mind. He waits until Peanut's picked up and opened a bag of chips, both sitting on the ground, leaning against a wall.
"So what's amazing about this Vyvyan girl, anyways?" Johnny finally asks, watching his friend practically choke on his chips. "I mean, you seem to obsess over her so much. What's so great?"
"I-I'm not obsessed with her," he replies, letting out a few coughs before clearing his throat. "She's just a friend goin' through the same thing I am."
"Is that it?" he chuckles, watching Peanut avoid his gaze. He knew how easily attached the teen could get to people, especially girls he found attractive. Then again, maybe Peanut was telling the truth. Maybe the girl was what he needed. "You uh… think maybe I could meet her?"
"Who? Vyvyan?" Johnny rolls his eyes with a smile on his face.
"Yes, Vyvyan," he replies. Peanut shifts in his seat a bit, thinking it over a bit. Before long, he's matching Johnny's smile and nodding his head.
"Sure!" He seems to be more excited now, and it eases the worry that was building up in Johnny. He takes out his phone, looking at the time. It's almost 3p.m. and he's not exactly sure when the meetings end, but he's guessing they still have a couple hours. Peanut, however, is already standing up and dusting his pants off, crumpling up his empty bag of chips and throwing it in the corner. He seems ready to go. Johnny takes his time getting up, wondering what he's gotten himself into.
Peanut's practically running ahead of him while they walk down the old, dimly lit tunnel. He admires the pathway as they walk, thoughts of Vyvyan in his mind. He wonders what she'll be like, look like, anything. Peanut never spoke of her too much when he returns from his visits, especially not to the other greasers. But as they make it to the entrance, the junior finally turns to Johnny.
"She's kinda shy at first," he tells him softly. He just chuckles and nods. Whatever he says, he figures. She shouldn't be too shy if she opened up to Peanut. And as they enter the building, he watches Peanut sign in. A large man with a goatee and tattoos stroll through the double doors in front of them. He smiles at Peanut, but it falls when he notices Johnny.
"You here for someone?" he questions, almost in surprise.
"I'm with him," he motions to Peanut, who's finishing signing in and gives a smile to the orderly standing before them.
"Hey, Dan! This is my friend, Johnny," he tells him, "Is it okay if he comes with me to see Vyv?"
"Uh… yeah! Totally!" He leads them throughout the asylum until they get to a small door leading to a room. Johnny couldn't handle the yelling from the other patients in there. He couldn't imagine being locked away in this dump. Dan opens the door, poking his head inside.
"Vyv. Larry's here, and he's brought a friend," He looks back at the two, eyeing Johnny before stepping to the side. He doesn't like the look from the orderly, but Peanut practically drags him inside before he can start any sort of arguments. The room is depressing and dark, and the patient, Vyvyan, is sitting on the bed. She looks skinny, her hair tangled and unkempt. He's not surprised, though. He's almost tempted to give her his comb, though. He couldn't ever think of having his hair so messy. Of course, he wasn't as obsessed with it as Vance was, but he couldn't ever have it too out of place.
"Hey, Vyv," Peanut takes a seat on the bed by the girl, who lights up at the sight of him. "This is my friend, Johnny. The one I told you about?"
"You've talked about me?" Johnny chuckles, and Peanut completely falters. He seems flustered as he tries to get something out. It's amusing, to say the least.
"Leader of the greasers?" comes a soft voice. He's almost surprised to hear the girl speak. "Yeah, Larry talks about you a lot. You seem pretty cool."
"Heh, thanks, kid," He flashes her a smile, though it's so weird to hear someone use Peanut's first name. Then again, he never did seem fond of it, so it didn't surprise him too much he would ask her to call him something else.
"You can sit, if you want," she tells him, gesturing her head to the spot that's left on the bed. It's not too big, but it's something. "I know it probably doesn't look the greatest, but you won't catch anything from it."
He chuckles at this, going to take a seat by Peanut. The three talk, even though Johnny mainly just sits there listening to them. Vyvyan interacts with Peanut so normally that the senior has to keep reminding himself she's a schizoid. But it's good to see his friend so happy, especially with what's been going on lately. He knew he could never share the same terror as his friend, but he wasn't exactly sure he wanted him getting it from someone in the asylum, no matter how normal Vyvyan acted.
They're there for a couple hours, and though he doesn't want to admit it, Johnny was slowly coming around to the patient. She was respectful and nice to both, and didn't lash out once. He remembered what they put down on her document, but he couldn't see that. Sure, she was a little shy whenever Johnny would ask her something, but he was sure she wasn't exactly the social type, especially if she had to be around so many weirdos all day. He notices how close she sits to Peanut, though. How she perks up anytime he speaks to her and how much she laughs at whatever stupid jokes or stories he tells. It reminds him of how Lola first started getting feelings for him and he smiles. Maybe he was too hard on him yesterday. It was obvious the two were close, and the time he spent with her meant a lot. Maybe it would even help her mentally.
Before they know it, Dan's opening the door and giving them a smile.
"I see you're having fun," he speaks, keeping his gaze on Vyvyan. "I'm glad! But, unfortunately, visiting hours are over and it's time for your meds."
"Oh… alright," The girl seems upset by this, but looks to Peanut. It's apparent this is somewhat of a routine as the junior just gives her a reassuring smile.
"I'll be back tomorrow," he tells her. This brings out her own smile and the two get up to leave, following Dan away from the door after he shuts the door.
"What'd you think of her?" he asks, looking back at Johnny. "I know she's not too much, but she's nice once you get to know her."
"She's okay," he replies. The man nods his head.
"She actually talked to Johnny quite a bit," Peanut chimes in. Dan looks at him, a surprised smile on his face. "I think her social skills are getting better!"
"Ha! Finally!" he cheers, "God, I'm glad I could see more improvement in her before I leave."
"You're leaving?" Dan once more nods, stopping at the exit.
"Yep. Moving to Florida, and someone's gonna be taking my place," he tells him, "Hoping they don't ruin the progress we've made with the patients."
It's almost a shock to Johnny. Normally people who move to Bullworth never leave, at least the older adults, and Dan didn't look anywhere near his early twenties. But they leave the asylum, Peanut signing out and saying goodbye to everyone they pass. They seem to know him and it's not too surprising. The damn kid did miss a lot of afternoon classes to go see her. They probably asked why he wasn't in school when he came around. That bit still did upset him, to be honest. He hated the fact that Peanut missed so many classes just to go see someone.
On the way back through the tunnels, Peanut fills him in on Vyvyan a lot more. How she acted when they first met and the progress she's made. He tells him stories they've shared between each other, and he gives more information on Dan. Johnny just smiles. He seems so excited about all of this. It's good to see him happy. It's good he has someone else to confide in about his problems. And while he's on some tangent about a story Vyvyan's told him, a thought pops into his head. Right. He had gotten Peanut something and had completely forgotten all about it with everything that had gone on over the past few days.
"Let's go back home real quick," Johnny speaks, catching his friend's attention. He gives him a quizzical look, but ultimately nods his head. They take the long way home, making sure to avoid the auto shop as they cross through Bullworth to avoid any questions as to why both of them had skipped class.
It's quiet as they walk down the street towards Johnny's home. The creaking of his front door opening makes him frown, the silence still new to him rather than his mother singing or doing any household chores. Peanut follows him closely behind, still wondering why Johnny had wanted to come home and skip their classes. Thoughts dance around his head, but he knows that his boss is always unpredictable. Still, it was odd. And when Johnny goes rummaging through his nightstand, he finally sees what he's after. A little herb bound together by rubber bands. He cocks his head at it.
"And uh… what's that?" Peanut asks. Johnny just smiles, walking over and handing the grayish green plant to him.
"Sage," he replies nonchalantly, "It's supposed to give you good dreams, so I figured..."
Peanut takes the sage into his hands, the scent wafting up and making him smile. Good dreams from such a little plant? It was a sweet thought, but he doubted it. Though, he was grateful that Johnny was trying. Neither of them were experts on this, but it was a sweet gesture.
"Thanks, Johnny."