Chapter 6
Rose sat criss-cross-applesauce on her bed, golden hair up in a messy ponytail. She was looking through an old photo album, her eyes roaming over each picture with a gentle look. The young woman sighed and watched as a tear splashed onto the picture of a ginger haired man whose smile sparkled as he grinned at the blonde haired woman beside him, baby in her arms.
John was not excited to be back at school the next morning but he was overjoyed when he heard that River had discovered a strange artifact on her vacation. Jack had told him after getting an email with his curly haired girlfriend and her odd box with hieroglyphics on it. Jack of course observed the box and River before sending an email back and then forwarding the picture to the other teachers.
River looked beautiful as always, her honey colored hair shining in the desert sun. Her eyes sparkling and her smile wide and bright. The box was sitting in her lap, the edges smashed and cracked. The box itself is a dark grey with carvings of strange symbols not yet deciphered and dirt caked into the crevices. It was a gorgeous picture and John was certain that Jack would print it and keep it in his wallet or maybe frame it for his apartment. Of course Jack would never admit to doing something so domestic, John decided to just keep quiet about it and hope Jack does it anyway.
"Have you seen Rose?" John asked his best friend later that day. It was around lunch and John needed to see her gorgeous smile if he was going to survive the rest of the day and his class with Reinette.
"She called in sick, her sub is super hot though" Jack grinned "He used to be in the navy"
"Sick?" John felt a flare of worry in his chest and tried to stamp it down. Rose is fine, probably just a cold or something, definitely not dying. He should call and check though.
"Ya, she's sick" Jack said, he still had the daydream look in his eyes since the sub was mentioned.
"Ya, um, I should call her" John mumbled
"No, come on, Doc, she's fine" Jack said, snapping away from whatever perverted daydream John would be forced to listen to later.
"Why not?"
"If you were sick would you want to get a call from you? Sleep sounds better in my opinion" Jack answered "Besides, if you call her then she might say not to stop by and giver her soup after school" he grinned toothily and John felt his stomach flip. He couldn't just go to her flat without asking, how rude would that be? But she is sick, and soup is good for sick people and maybe tea also, ya she would love that. She has mentioned her love of tea and he heard her talking to Amy about her mum making her soup when she was little and got sick-that was weeks ago. She wouldn't mind, Jack is right.
"Ya, okay"
"Great!" Jack beamed "Go to this address," Jack continued, shoving a small slip of paper into John's hands. "After school and pick up an order in my name, then go to the second address on the paper-Rose lives there" and Jack was gone in a flurry of smiles and blue fabric. John stood staring at the paper until the bell rang and he was forced to run down the halls or his students would be annoyed with him for being late again.
He flung open the door with a big grin and flushed cheeks. He was only a few minutes late but it appeared that all of his students were present and turned to stare at him.
"Late again, Mr. Smith" a young girl, Martha Jones, said. She is very brilliant and John would often end up in conversations or debates with her during the week.
"Yes, sorry, I was talking to Jack-I mean Mr. Harkness" John said, walking to the board and writing down the pages to turn to in the text books.
"We call him Jack" A boy in the back said- Andy? Whatever the name he never seemed to know what was happening. He always smelled of weed and drugs but John never called him on it-didn't want to be the teacher that busted the kid for smoking a spliff here or there; He, after all, was smoking in high school because of his friends influence.
"Hmm" John rolled his eyes at the board; of course Jack would be the teacher who was called by his first name. The most annoying part was that John didn't know that.
"What was he telling you? He seemed awfully excited when he texted Mrs. Pond" Martha spoke again. How did she know about Jack texting Amy? Another question for another time.
"Mrs. Tyler?" A boy piped up-Shawn Spencer and hyper observant. He notices everything and he tends to tick the teachers off and impress most of the class in the process. John often found him interesting.
"What, no…what?" John stuttered out and dropped the piece of chalk onto the floor.
"It's pretty obvious that you fancy her, it's only logical that Jack would want to help with that" Shawn's friend, Gus, continued.
"Ya, Gus is right" Shawn smiled at his friend "You wanna shag her and Jack loves shagging so he wants to help"
"Shawn!" Juliette O'Hara scolded as her cheeks turned deep pink-along with many of the other students.
"Yes, Jules?" Shawn waggled his eyebrows "You wanna shag him too?"
Many students laughed but Martha Jones kept on with the original topic.
"Are you gonna ask her out?" she asked eagerly "She fancies you too, Mr. Smith"
John felt his heart break from his chest and kill him in the process because there was no way Martha Jones was talking the truth. Rose Tyler-most gorgeous and brilliant and caring person in the entire world-fancy him? Not going to happen. It just can't be true…right?
"A blind person could tell you that" Shawn chuckled.
"Take her someplace simple, she seems like a home cooked meal type a girl" Gus said "You can cook right?"
"Well…" John mumbled, leaning forward on his desk and the assignment forgotten.
"You have to know how to cook something!" Gus gasped
"I've never needed to"
"You're hopeless" Gus thumped his head against the desk and sighed.
"No he's not!" Martha countered "he just needs some help"
"From you? You've never even been on a date" Reinette told her.
Martha looked hurt for a moment before schooling her features and looking back to John. She smiled gently and sighed.
"Just be yourself, but be confident"
"Confident, right" John repeated.
Reinette looked disgusted with everything and John was deeply worried of what she would say or do next. But she simply pulled out her strawberry pink phone and texted at crazy speeds, her long nails clicking on the keypad. John should have taken it away from her but her nails looked dangerous and he really liked his face.
"And tell her she looks nice, girls like compliments" Shawn said.
"But don't be too forward about it, be, you know, cool" Dean-an older boy who TAed for the class said. He was a senior and his little brother-Sam- was in the class and Dean himself was in the class a year or two ago.
"Right" John said
"Right, Cause you're cool" Sam said sarcastically.
"Cooler then you" Dean mumbled
"Just, pull out your books" John said awkwardly.
Her flat was nice, was John's first thought. The living room had a good sized couch and a nice tele; a bookshelf piled high with books was sitting near the wall and a table with a couple chairs was off to the side. The kitchen was clean-of not a bit small- and smelled like warm tea and honeysuckle. There was a door to a bathroom and a bed room down the hall. John handed the surprised blonde a container of soup he had picked up with Jack's orders.
"Uh, thanks" her voice was thick, like she had been crying, or more likely a stuffy noise John mussed. She led him inside and left him in the living room to put the soup in the kitchen.
"It's, uh, cozy" he mumbled nervously.
Rose laughed softly "Ya, it's not the nicest place but it's cheap and homey" she said coming back over.
"You feeling any better?" John asked, looking at her with worried eyes and resisting the urge to reach out and take her hands or touch her face.
"Ya, I'll be at work tomorrow" She said, sniffling.
"Rose?" John looked at her closely. Her eyes were puffy and her cheeks flushed, her voice was raw and she was obviously not sick-she was crying?
"Ya, John?" Rose asked, trying to smile.
"What happened?" he did reach out this time, brushing her fringe away from her shining eyes. She cracked-tears forming in her eyes and her voice wobbling.
"I shouldn't be this upset-it was years ago…I just…" She collapsed against John, her arms wrapping around him and sobs wracking her body.
"Shh" he whispered, rubbing circles on her back and pulling her close. "It's okay; I promise everything will be okay"
It took awhile before Rose calmed down enough for John to sit her on the couch. She leaned against him and he turned worried eyes on her again.
"What happened, Rose?" he asked softly.
"My-" she sniffled "My dad died when I was a baby. Didn't even know 'em but I still get like this each time the anniversary of his death roles around or his birthday or my parents anniversary…I can't help it"
"There's nothing wrong with being sad" he said softly, wrapping his arm around her and resting his head on hers.
"Thank you, Doctor" she murmured, eyes slipping shut and lack of sleeping settling in her bones. "I always feel better around you"
I'm really sorry you guys! High school is an assbutt and i think it's killing me but hey at least it's here right? so please don't hate me i promise not to wait so long next time. Have you guys checked out my AO3? i have more stories and some are even complete over there along with this story if you prefer that set up. (TeddyBearDoctors) Love you guys and thanks so much for everything!