Sally sat up fast and climbed over Johnny to grab the clock, "Shit! Shit!"

Johnny groaned at the weight on him, "The hell?" he groaned, looking over at her.

"What time is it!?" she asked frantically, feeling a tight grip of panic. She jumped up and ran to the kitchen to look at the microwave where it too had the time. "WHAT?! It's noon! FUCK!"

She ran into the bedroom, "We missed the first part of class!" she hollered, as if Johnny really cared about that!

Johnny shrugged, "Let's miss the second part too!" he grinned and flopped back into the pillows.

Her panicked expression turned into one of absolute disbelief, "What?" She squinted at him, almost glaring.

"Well hell we missed the first part, what's the sense in going?" he asked.

"You do realize that after a certain number of absences, they won't let you graduate? You do realize that school is a very important part of American Life? You do realize that… Why do I even bother?!" she shrieked, "You wanna be an idiot, fine! I'm going! You can just be an idiot all by yourself!" she growled, going to her dresser and pulling on her uniform expertly fast.

Johnny hopped up, "Aw, Sally!" he said, "Don't get all mad at me after last night!"

She placed her hand out to stop him, "Don't fuckin' talk to me right now… I ASKED you to set the fucking alarm! What the hell did you do? Unplug it and plug it back in?" she hissed, fixing her tie.

"No..." he said and blinked, "I dropped it." he said and grabbed her wrist to stop her from working on her tie.

Yanking herself away from Johnny, "And you failed to mention this, why?" Sally waved him away and sat on the bed, pulling on skin tight pants to stay warm in the cold.

Johnny plopped next to her and held her hands on her knees to stop her from dressing. "I was too tired!" he tried to explain and keep her hands steady from moving.

"So my life, my wants, my needs don't register as important when YOU'RE tired? Would you stop fucking touching me!? I have to get ready! I have a life I want to attend to." she growled.

Johnny sighed and got up to get dressed as well not sure what else he could do to make her less mad at him.

"What are YOU dressing for, Johnny?! Why not just stay in bed and waste away? Or, or, better yet!" she grinned madly at him, "Go ware away a spot on the couch! Not like it would fucking matter, any ways on what you did with yourself!" she threw on socks and quickly left the bedroom for her gym shoes and jacket.

He grit his teeth and hurried up following after her, "I'm sorry, okay?!" he shouted at her back as they rushed down the steps.

"You're only sorry because I'm upset with you! I guarantee you feel no remorse except you won't be getting laid anytime soon!" she said venomously, ready to leave.

Before he could say anything, she threw open the door, walked out, and slammed it behind her. She was so pissed off…

He groaned and resisted the urge to just go to the Tenements and stay there. This relationship WOULD work even if it killed him!

Which, it could.

He ran up behind her and sighed, "Will ya stop?" he exclaimed, "We hardly miss class ever!"

"No. I hardly miss class ever. You miss it all the fucking time. You're not wearing shoes…" she pointed out.

"Aw, hell." he groaned, glaring at his feet and if he were a cartoon steam would had shot from his nostrils as he tried to think of a way to fix the situation.

"I'm going to school. You? You can fuck off, for all I care." Sally said in an unreadable tone before heading down the stairs quickly.

Johnny grabbed her before she could leave, his arms around her waist, holding onto her tightly he did the first thing that came into his mind.

He burst into song...

"I look at you and try to do the best I can but sometimes it ain't that easy... If not today, she said, then tell me when, I think I tried to say I'm sorry... Then she said these words of reverence. Please don't leave me hanging on and on, I see the light in your window, look at the sky and we can go... Away."

And, well, he didn't sound that bad, a little off-key and his voice was deeper than the song called for.

"Let me go! What the hell is wrong with you?! LET GO, DAMNIT!" she tried pushing him away.

He would not be shaken off.

"Get up! Get up! Get up! And I'm gonna! Pick you up and take you where I wanna!" he cried and picked her up easily, holding her still.

She kicked and struggled, "You're crazy! Put me down, Johnny! LET GO! And stop singing!" She would not give in just because he was being an idiot! Again!

"La, la, la, la, la, la!! She sings these words to me! She sings these words to me! Ba-by!" he kept it up and held her tight to his chest.

"I can't breathe, Johnny! Let me go, damnit! We are not doing this. YOU are NOT doing this! Not now!" she wheezed out.

Johnny eased up on her and kept on singing, "The summer's sun is warm, and you, are everywhere. But sometimes it ain't that easy.. I count the days till I see you again. You know I tried and I am sorry. One night can make a difference! Please don't leave me hanging on and on! I see the light in your window, look at the sky and we can go... away"

"FINE! I forgive you for being an absolute and total idiot! Now put me down and shut up!" she shouted.

He shook his head and kissed her. He was so bad at this sort of thing- he never apologized right- and made a fool of himself, frequently, but he was good at kissing. He knew she liked it- plus it shut her up.

Sally had a tongue like a dagger and the stuff she could spit out at him stung- until his lips were crushing hers and she was effectively, finally, and temporarily shut up.

Pulling her head away, "Put. Me. Down. Or you won't get laid for a month, Johnny. I am serious."

The kiss may have toned her down, but it didn't erase her frustration with Johnny.

Johnny sat her down and looked at her, "I'm sorry." he sighed but didn't let go of her arms so no matter what she couldn't turn and storm off. He was a lot stronger, after all. He just hated being physical with her.

"I realize that. I seriously have to go!" she said, trying not to scream or get angry. It was hard to do… Seriously hard.

"No." he sighed, "You're doing that thing again!" he said to her, "When you wig out at me over something dumb and little!"

She inhaled deeply and shut her eyes, jaw clenching, "Let. Me. Go. We can talk about this after class, alright?"

He sighed, "Fine, Sally. I get that it's important, I'll be there when you get out of practice." he said, not roughly, but not gently pushing her out of his grasp and he turned and went back into their apartment.

Sally turned and nearly ran into her neighbor, a nosey woman who was way past her prime, "What?"

"Don't you think you were a little hard on him, dear?"

"Don't you think you should mind your own business, Lady?" Sally retorted rudely before rushing down the stairs and jogged to school.

She got there just in time for the second class.

After it, she didn't have practice, but she didn't go home, she sat in the gym with the Jocks, talking about sports and winter break, swapping amazing stories.

So far, Sally was winning with the crazy break.

Johnny irritably waited on the stands for her, Peanut was with him, nearly attached to his hip as always.

"I said I was sorry!" he huffed for the millionth time, "The hell more can I do?!"

"I dunno…" Larry sighed, he kind of felt like a traitor talking with Johnny about his problems while they waited for Sally.

It wasn't cold and Johnny was in no mood to face Sally when she was surrounded by those damn jocks so they were content to wait for them to come out.

Sally and the Jocks soon came out, joking and laughing, then looked over at the stands.

Heaving a sigh, Sally shook her head, "You guys head on to the dorms and sleep."

The Jocks waved her, Johnny and Peanut farewell.

Johnny made quick work of the stands and was soon next to her, "How was class?" he asked not caring if it sparked another argument.

He had a new strategy now.

Peanut mumbled a quick 'hi seeya!' and ran after the Jocks not wanting to be there for the next fight.

Sally looked nastily at Johnny, "What's it matter to you?"

Johnny looked at her a little tensely, "Nothing. I was jus' bein' nice." he said and started walking forward.

She followed, stepping with him, "I just barely got into it. I'd ask about your day, but that might just make me angry."

"Yeah. Probably would." he said carelessly, "But, everything pisses you off, so it's no different."

Sally sighed, "Listen. I'm… I dunno… Maybe I'm fucking nuts? Maybe I have issues? Maybe they can be fixed, maybe not. I can't keep doing this, Johnny. I want you to care about your future as much as I care about it… But you behave as if you don't. And I just… I just get so pissed off."

Johnny sighed, "I already have a job set up and in place with Uncle Al's friend, grades don't really matter to him, Sally." he told her, "He knows I'm good with cars and he's let me work a bit at his Shop t'prove it. I'm set there when I graduate so there's no reason t'be worried about grades."

"But don't you want to prove that you can be smarter than some mechanic? Don't you want to be set in case something, God forbid, really bad happens to you and you can no longer work on cars?" Sally asked.

Johnny blinked, "What could happen t'me?" he asked her curelessly.

Sally sighed this time, "Lung cancer. Fires, paralyzed from the waist down… Get an arm lopped off, go blind! Johnny, the possibilities are infinite…"

He shrugged, "Sally, you know as well as I do I'm not cut out for that sort of stuff. I'm a mechanic, I've been a mechanic since 'fore I can remember. It's the only thing I understand."

"And you're satisfied with not even trying for something better?"

He sighed, "You tell me one other thing ya think I'm cut out for, and I'll try, okay?" he asked.

He was pretty sure she wouldn't think of anything. He couldn't think of anything.

She thought a moment, "Mechanic's need some sort of good thing goin' on with Math!"

"I'm okay at it…" he shrugged, "I never failed it, unlike English." he said off-handedly not seeing the connections.

"No, that fat ass of a teacher was biased because he hates all the world! You're better at it than you know, Johnny. Math could secure you some good jobs. Granted they aren't your style, but they pay nicely and you'll be home for dinner!" she said.

He blinked, "Like what?" he asked her.

"You could be an accountant, maybe a banker, you could probably replace that hack and be the Math Teacher…" she listed.

Johnny made a face, "Them're desk jobs. Way boring. Nine t'five" he said.

"I never said they were interesting, and I told you they weren't your style." she said quickly.

Johnny nodded, "Yeah you did." he said and shrugged, "But that all involves college, right?"

"Well, yeah, but if you had cared, you could always do that should something happen." she said, bringing it around to that again.

Johnny thought a moment then stopped and his eyes widened, "Would ya still love me if I was a paraplegic?!"

Sally smiled, "I would think so, even though you'd probably whine more!" she teased.

"I know." he exhaled and shuddered, "I'd die..."

She grinned, "Nothing working from the waist down… That would suck."

"I could never have sex again!" he said, "We better have kids quick!"

She laughed, then, "Oh, yeah. Cause havin' kids early is so the way to go. I want a good paying job first!"

"Okay." he shrugged, then blinked and grabbed her hand and started to walk again, "What is it you plan on doin'?"

Sally frowned in thought, "You know… I've never thought about it."

"You're complainin' at me and you never thought about it!" he laughed and yanked her up into his arms not letting her walk, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Ah! What's with you and picking me up!?" she laughed.

"I'm gonna pick you up and take you where I wanna!!" he sang again.

"Oh, God! Please don't sing again!" she chuckled. "What's with you and that song?"

"I love that song…" he grinned as he walked, "Don't you like it?"

"Yeah… Sure. But I think I'd prefer the original artists to sing it." she smiled, "And I can walk pretty damn good on my own, you know."

"I don't care." he smiled and kissed her.

She laughed, "You know what?"

"What?" he asked.

"I think I should apply for a teaching position at the Academy after we graduate! Would you still love me if I became one of them!" she smirked.

"Yeah duh!" he grinned, "What would ya teach?" he asked.

"Gym, maybe English. I'm pretty damn good at those!" she grinned.

"Yeah I know!" he smiled back at her, "But, if you get a good-paying job like that and I'm a mechanic.. well, our kid's'll be set!"

She nodded, "That'd be good. I think that's a plan!"

"...What are we gonna name our kids?" he asked.

Sally shrugged, "We'll name them when they're here…" she opted.

"Okay" he shrugged easily dropping the subject, "When will that be?"

She snorted, "Later. Hopefully much later. I'd like to be financially stable before we bring a kid into the world."

"Define 'finacially stable'.." he said.

"Where we can afford anything that comes our way, with a house and cars that don't need to be tested every so often to see if it needs a new engine. Maybe have a dog or something?" she shrugged once again.

"Cars ain't a problem." he told her, "I can fix 'em easy."

"I know that… But where we could afford two remotely new cars, you know?"

"I'm gettin an old car." he told her, "Just gotta fix it up and it'll purr." he grinned, "You? I dunno. Depends on what ya want?"

She shrugged, "I'm pretty partial to those Prius cars. I like how they look and I've sat in one, they're nice inside…" she said with a smile, wondering on what Johnny would think of it.

Johnny made a face, "You know you're like, dead if it gets hit, right?" he asked.

"I'm a better driver than you think!" She smirked.

"I never said ya weren't." he said, "They're just... I dunno... dangerous."

"I like them, I'm gonna get one, end." she chuckled.

"It's okay." he shrugged, "I'm gettin a 1964 Mustang!" he grinned.

"I guess we'll both get what we want car-wise." she grinned, "Can I walk now?"

"Fiiiine." he sighed and let her down.

She smiled, "Thank you. So! What would you like for dinner when we get home?"

"I dunno." he shrugged.

"I'll surprise you, then." she grinned.

He blinked, "Okay" he said to her.