A/N: So. I like reviews. More please. Also, I've decided to give all the chapters names now. See if you can figure them out. Yeah. Go for it.

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It took a little bit of preparation, but my plan was now set in motion. It wasn't anything too concrete, but it would probably make Johnny wish he had never been born. Hopefully.

That Monday morning was pretty normal for me. I got up, went jogging, ate breakfast, got dressed… except I was feeling good. Great, actually. I can't really remember a time when I felt so excited over something. This was gonna be so the best day ever.

I walked into school as naturally as I could, but already I could hear everyone buzzing with excitement. No… not excitement, something else. Anticipation. They were all anticipating the news that I was going to bring them. They were counting on me to bring the goods.

And I did. Immediately, a gaggle of girls ran up to me, chattering all at once. "Are you alright?" Janet looked me over, grabbing both my arms and holding onto them. She wasn't really worried about me; I knew that, she just wanted to hear all about it. But that didn't bother me.

I tried not to smile. I looked down demurely, tipped my head to one side, and said, "I'll manage," in a soft, warm voice that sent all the girls into a frenzy of, 'oh you poor thing!' and 'I can't believe he thought he could lay a hand on you!'

"What a perv, seriously," Katie attempted to comfort me. She was a tall, awkward thing with giant brown eyes, so she towered over me.

"What exactly happened?" Janet shook my arms a little bit; I could see that she was struggling between her desire to know everyone's business and her desire to seem sincere. Really, she didn't have to do that, because we both know what she wants. But it was more realistic this way.

"Oh, I don't want to discuss it right now," I continued to stare down at the floor like a woman damaged by someone dreadful. I looked up through my lashes, keeping my head bent downwards, and added, just to tantalize them even more, "I think you all know what happened," and of course that drove them mad.

I spent the day flanked by a horde of gossip-hungry teenagers acting as if they really cared about my well-being. I was bought lunch by three people, I was hugged more times then I could count, people gave me their cigarettes, Jason was practically plastered to my body, and everyone was all, 'Oh Audrey, that poor thing!'

Johnny went through hell. Which was my intention, of course. But sometimes it was painful for me to watch him suffer. Really, it was! I mean, GOD, I was so angry that he would treat me that way, but… I dunno. Maybe it's my conscience acting up again.

Like… for example, I had been sitting in the cafeteria, surrounded by my adoring fans, of course, when he walked past my table. I lowered my head like a frightened animal, so that my forehead was touching the table. That was when I heard a loud 'chuck' sound followed by a brief shocked silence, and then boisterous laughter from all corners of the room.

I looked up to see Johnny covered in what I could only identify as milk. Someone had thrown a milk carton at him, and it had exploded. A milk carton exploded on him. I didn't see his face because his back was to me. He was just standing there, shaking. I doubt that he was crying, I think he was just really pissed.

And then after lunch, in Biology, he bolted out of class and left school. Just left, and no one tried to stop him.

What seems to have happened, was that he was standing beside a table with vials of various liquids. Mark, my ex, body-checked him while walking by, and Johnny ended up stumbling slightly. Apparently, he lost his footing, crashed into the table, and broke all the vials. And Mrs. Briar blamed him for the entire mess.

Then he crushed some of the glass with his boots, said something, which I didn't catch, and walked out. Now no one knows where he went.

Is it weird that I'm a little worried? I mean, like, why? He means nothing to me. We're not friends, we don't even like each other. So… what's the deal here?

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After three days of no Johnny, I decided to do a search party type of thing. By myself. Because it obviously wouldn't make any sense to anyone else if I asked them to look for Johnny with me, since I spread that rumor about him. That probably gave most people the impression that I hated him.

So I did some detective work, and I found his number. I called it. Turns out the phone was disconnected. Then I called some of the kids that I saw him talking to once or twice, and asked them if they knew where he might be.

They didn't. Or maybe they just didn't want to tell me, but I hadn't thought of that when I was calling them.

Thus ended my search. And so I sat at home for the rest of the night watching the evening news. It seemed that someone was running around town committing some gruesome murders. Lots and lots, actually. The police were really stumped and, I'd imagine, they were kind of embarrassed because with this large quantity of deaths, there should be at least one or two sightings. But nope, nothing. No one knows anything.

In the back of my mind, I'm wondering if Johnny could be… but then, that's a seriously stupid thought. He's only a teenager. He might be 'troubled' or whatever, but I seriously doubt he would go as far as to really kill somebody. I mean, yeah, there are those rumors about him and all that, but none of them hold any truth. That would be so ridiculous.

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A sinking feeling that I was not accustomed to settled in on the fifth day of his absence. That was when I started to question myself, and exactly what I was expecting out of him. I couldn't understand. I just couldn't. Why was I so worked up over this freak, this outcast, this reject? I barely know him, not to mention I cannot stand him. The way he acts towards me is just appalling… like he doesn't know who am I! Where I stand in the social structure! He knows, surely, that I can ruin his entire life in a heartbeat.

And yet, he's so… insubordinate. I just don't get him. In fact, I don't think anyone really does. He's an outsider even to the outsiders. Why does he do this? He's just so stupid, it aggravates me.

Maybe… maybe that's why I can't get my goddamn mind off of him for one second. I want to understand why he's so defiant. Maybe because I'm so used to people being lesser then me, having people always under my thumb. I'm not afraid to admit it, I am a control freak. I must have dominance over every last human being that I come into contact with. Because that is who I am.

No one has ever argued that, or tried to go up against me without being shot down. And that's what I did with Johnny, I shot him down. Usually, when a hunter shoots a deer, it doesn't go back and try to fix it, because that was the hunter's original goal - to kill the deer - right?

So what the fuck is wrong with me?

Anyway, I did end up finding him. At Taco Bell, no less. I was working the cash register when I saw him come into the restaurant. He didn't seem to notice me. He went to the other register, ordered something, and stalked away to eat alone in some dark corner.

At first I couldn't figure out what to do. He clearly saw me… but then again, I was wearing my hair in a bun, with a hairnet, and a hat, and I was wearing that hideous uniform. Perhaps he didn't recognize me?

"Oh my god… Lucy, I'm going on break," I called to my manager without even bothering to look at her. I started to leave my place at the register.

"You took a break ten minutes ago!" She yelled back at me.

"Then I'm going again!"

"It's coming out of your pay check!"

"Whatever!"

I rolled my eyes and quickly rushed over to Johnny, who was sitting in a booth at the very back of the restaurant. He had his back turned to me. I jumped into the booth, across the table from him, with a big jolly, "Hey!"

He was drinking, and I must've startled him or something, because the drink went flying out of his hands and almost onto the floor, but he managed to save it. "Holy shit!" His eyes were like dinner plates, which made me snicker. "Are you out of your fucking mind?!" He continued his tirade. "I'm eating! At least, I was eating, before you fucking ambushed me! JESUS. What the fuck do you want from me?! Haven't you had enough already?"

"Just saying hi," I sighed in exasperation at his spazzy-ness. "Why are you so jumpy, huh? Not like you didn't see me coming," I crossed my arms and bobbed my head forward as if that would make my point more obvious for him.

"You're damn right I didn't see you coming!" He took a sip of whatever it was he was drinking. "Have you become a certified stalker now, or is this a delight that only I am privy to?"

"I'm not stalking you. You're not that special. I work here," I paused. "I've never seen you come in here before," I watched him take a voracious bite into his taco.

"I decided on something new for today," He took another bite, swallowed, and continued, not looking at me once. "What are you really here for?"

"What do you mean? I'm just here to say hello," I blinked innocently.

He stopped eating and looked up at me with a bothered glare. "You don't think I'm that moronic, do you?" He asked in a cutting way. "Now just tell me what you want," He grumbled and looked back down at his meal.

I put my elbows on the table, leaning forwards. "How come you haven't been at school this past week? Where have you been? What happened?" I didn't mean to sound so possessed, it just came out that way.

He stopped chewing for a moment, seemed a bit piqued, continued chewing, swallowed. "I felt like taking a little time off. Everyone needs a vacation," He stared at the half-eaten taco in such a way that I could not decipher.

"What?" I spat. "What the hell do you mean, everyone needs a vacation? What about our project? Alton gave us free time in class two days in a row, to work on the project, and you weren't there, and I didn't know what to do with myself!" I was sounding hysterical now. This is not me, I swear.

Johnny looked bored for a moment, then a leisurely smirk crossed his face. "What's the fixation, Audrey?"

That got me really flustered. "No- no fixation, no fixation. I just don't want to fail this thing, and I'm wondering when you're gonna be back from this 'vacation' of yours," I could feel myself blushing. This never happens! Not even with boys I'm attracted to, I never blush. I don't think I've ever blushed in my entire life.

"I'll be back soon," He raised a brow. "Don't cry for me Argentina, the truth is I never left you," He quoted. The smirk remained.

Was he- oh god, was he trying to be playful?! Oh. Dear. God. "Okay oh my god please don't ever say that again ever," I tripped over my own tongue trying to get that out. "I just want to know that you're not gonna ditch me and leave me with an entire project to do alone," I was still blushing; I could feel the heat on my face. And thinking about it was making me blush even more. It was like an awful, unbreakable cycle. This must be what ordinary people feel.

He looked at me. Just looked at me. Didn't say a word. I could swear he was trying to read my mind again, and it was getting to be quite unnerving. Then he took another bite of the taco, and an awkward silence reared its downright hideous head.

I had to ask. I just had to. I had to know what the deal was. "Why did you leave in the first place? Was it because Mark made you break the bottles, and Mrs. Briar blamed you?" I felt anxious immediately after asking because I was afraid of what he might do.

He looked up at me again, and he didn't even need to say anything, because I knew what he was thinking. "I needed to take a break from your insufferable friends, yes. They tend to…" He stopped talking and went back to his taco. I wanted to know, so desperately, what he was going to say next, but I didn't ask.

I shifted uncomfortably. "Um…" I began. "I'm… I, uh, um… I'm… I'm sorry," I finally managed to get it out. It felt weird.

Johnny burst out into hysterical laughter. I mean, hysterical. His whole body was shaking and he was practically crying. "That was the best thing I've heard all week!" He cackled. "Come on, say it again, just for fun!"

"What!" I huffed. "No, I'm serious! I'm really sorry," I took a deep breath in to lessen the nausea that came with that phrase. "It's not my nature to apologize, I don't do this sort of thing, so you better take it," I advised.

"Well now, I'm positively thrilled," Sarcastic much?

I moved back into my seat. "No, really," I lowered my tone, in a way that a severely humiliated person might. "I'm serious, now just take it or leave it," I repeated.

"Whatever," He still didn't sound satisfied, but that was a step in the right direction right there.

"So…" I sighed, trying to avoid another silence between us. "What are we going to do about our situation?"

"I didn't know we had a situation," He spoke with lifeless composure.

"I mean, like, every time we get together to work on the project, we end up… you know…" I trailed off, figuring that enough was said.

Of course, he didn't say anything in response.

Grr.

"If we keep up this charade, we'll never end up getting what we want, which is to finish this thing and get it out of the way," I said firmly. "I offered a truce, but you refused to take it. Now I'm offering again."

His eyes glazed over. I think he was mulling over whether I was sincere or not. His quiet thinking was followed by a grin. "But won't you be bored?"

I scoffed. "Boredom… has nothing to do with it," I scratched the back of my neck inelegantly. "All I ask is that we tone down the crazy."

He laughed at me. Again! What is with this kid? "You're better then David Hasselhoff!" He snorted.

I could literally feel my face go blank. "Um. Okay. Thanks?" I couldn't be sure if that was a compliment or not. "And that comment is relevant, how?"

"Never you mind," He sniggered, still evidently amused by me. "And stop being so uptight all the time. Every time I see you it's all 'blah blah blah blah.' Don't you ever shut up? I hate obnoxious people!"

I stared, bewildered. "Whoa… jeez, sorry! And you're telling me I'm obnoxious?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Amazing, really. "You're impossible. See, see! You start all these little spat thingys!"

He started laughing again and I gave up and let him get it out of his system. "Listen," I tried to disrupt his mad giggling. "We're way behind on the Philosophy thing. I've been doing a little studying-"

"Shock!" He gasped.

"Shut up," I grimaced. "I've been studying, and I think I've got a good grip on the subject. But I don't know what we're supposed to do next…"

He rolled his eyes so much I thought they were going to pop out of their sockets. "You're helpless without me, aren't you?"

I pursed my lips and firmly pondered that thought.

Johnny sighed in a manner more befitting to me. "Don't worry, I'll be back at school next week-"And then something completely unanticipated and horrifying and baffling and appalling happened. My stomach did a flip thing. Not an 'AHH SCARY!' flip thing. No, this was an 'ooh excitement!' flip thing. My stomach never does flip things! In the course of half a second, I went through about six different emotions: fear, shock, elation, grief, contentment, and, most of all, perplexity.

Johnny continued talking. "I just have to take care of some business, but I should be quite efficient at it, so…" He kept chitchatting, but I stopped listening and fell back into my head. What brought on this sudden stomach-flip-thing? What could it possibly lead to? What-

OH! OH GOD! OH! NO!

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