(Chapter Three, Pt Two)

She'd just stepped onto the sidewalk when she heard Lavont swearing, and heard Jonathan swearing back. As she rounded the corner, she watched the fight with wide eyes. Apparently, Lavont had help, and was now working Jonathan over really well. She flattened out of sight against the brick wall and when the fight ended, she raced around the corner and sat down beside him on the sidewalk.

Jon sat halfway up, coughing and swearing, vowing revenge. Aurora sighed and said "First you need that cut cleaned out."

"What the fuck do you even care? Go on. Get lost." Jon swore as he glared, coughed. Aurora shrugged and said calmly, "Didn't say I did. Just not going to let you lie here and bleed out from the side of your head either. Now shut the fuck up and come on. My mama's at work, but she's got a first aid kit."

Jon belligerently resisted, and Aurora looked at him and said "Know what? I'm done. Just lie here and bleed to death you fuckin jerk." as she stormed off.

A woman stopped her halfway down the sidewalk and she asked stiffly, "What is it?"

"That kid... he's my son.. And he's not always like that." Jon's mother said quietly as Aurora studied her with a stern facial expression, her hand on her hip, the other hand in her thick dark hair.

"Yeah, I know. But he won't see it. And I'm not gonna stick around and keep takin the shit." Aurora said quietly as she looked at Jonathan's mother a moment, then softened her voice as she explained, "Sorry.. It's just.. My mama.. She lived through all that, I grew up like that."

His mother nodded and then asked, "And you don't wanna wind up getting hurt."

"Exactly. I try to be his friend, he shoves me away. So I'm just gonna leave him alone." Aurora said quietly, as she added as an afterthought, "Even though it'll kill me, cause he's kinda getting to me. And I never.. Nevermind."

She sighed and looked towards the gym, maybe if she danced for a while, she'd be over it. She just needed to clear her mind, and get him off it. He didn't even want her befriending him, much less what she suspected that'd already happened as far as she was concerned.

"If ya love somethin', kid.. Ya fight for it." Jon's mother said quietly, as she studied the teenage girl, then said "He's not this badass he paints himself to be. And he gets hurt, same as you and me. I'm tellin ya this because I know he won't ever tell ya. And now that Jane's gone, he ain't really got too many people that'll actually have anything to do with him."

"Because he pushes them all away, or purposely scares people, Ms. Good."

"Because he's afraid."

"I'm afraid, but even my walls aren't that high. But I'll try and remember what you told me just now." Aurora muttered as she took a deep breath, walked down the sidewalk and into the gym. The second her music was on, she shut the door, went into her own little fantasy world.

And she tried her best NOT to think of the conversation with his mother, or how badly it hurt her to have had to watch everything that'd happened to him during the space of a few hours.

She'd just finished dancing, and whirling around one last time, she wound up smacking straight into his chest, as he stood there, in the doorway, arms crossed, watching her intently.

"Came here because I remembered how happy Jane was in here with ya. And I don't wanna go back to the apartment." Jon said flatly, as he stared down at his shoes.

"O-okay then." Aurora said quietly as she stretched and tried to ignore the way he kept eyeing her, tried not to blush under the weight of his stare.

"About earlier."

"Save it, Jonathan. I'm a big girl, I'll live." Aurora said as she stood, did a few twists and turns, extending one leg almost over her head in the air.

"Don't all that shit hurt ya?"

"No."

"I can go if.."

"Just stay. Don't talk, don't try and pretend to keep honoring this truce. I don't expect you to." Aurora said through gritted teeth as she did an assisted ponche roll and Jon watched her, his hands in his hair.

"I fight. That's why I'm always here."

"Somehow? I'm not surprised." Aurora said as she stopped, sprawled on her stomach on the floor, looked at him, her chin propped on her hands.

"I'm never gonna see her again, am I?" he asked quietly, as Aurora shrugged, and then moved closer, sitting in front of him, studying him intently.

"You might, Jonathan. If you want, I can help you try and get her back.. Something. Because I miss her being here too. I mean she kept me amused, kept my mind off things.."

"Yeah.. I heard you and my ma talkin earlier, on the sidewalk. Surprised me, cause she normally just ignores me, or hits me, lets the bastards she brings home do whatever."

Aurora leaned in, taking her towel off the bench behind him, dabbing some water on it as she quietly started to clean away the dried blood on his face, wincing as she did so. " And now who's listening at god damn walls?" she asked calmly, her voice stiff, the pain in her eyes obvious.

"Yeah, I deserved that."

"Totally. Lean in just a little.." Aurora instructed as she licked her lower lip, kept cleaning out the cuts on his face. "Shit.. this one on the side, by your eye.. It's split in two.. You need a doctor, Jonathan." she said quietly, her tone calm yet worried all the same.

"I'll be fine."

"It needs to be closed or it'll get infected and half your fuckin face will rot off." Aurora insisted stubbornly as his hands closed over her hands, engulfing them completely. "Aurora. I'll be fine. Just stop. I'm not worth worryin over."

She didn't move her hands, but she did lean in and ask quietly, "Why do you keep saying that?"

"Because it's true."

"It's not true, and the fact that you think it is, is severly fucked up, Jonathan." Aurora said quietly as she moved just a little bit closer to him, warily, to make sure there wasn't any gravel or glass stuck in any of the cuts on his face.

"I'm not normal, babe."

"Jonathan, stop it."

"Just tellin you the truth now. I'm never gonna be some good guy."

"You know what? Maybe I don't fucking want you to be some good guy. Maybe people, myself, mainly, have no problem with you the way you are. Besides, it's not like it matters."

"It does."

Aurora sighed and rolled her eyes in mild annoyance, then stood and said "I'm going home now. Wanna walk with me?"

"You askin me, or is this just because you think I'm gonna do somethin stupid and go after Lavont's ass?"

" Jonathan, I'm asking because it's dark and I don't like walking by myself, if you want to think about it that way." Aurora said as Jonathan nodded, and waiting in the doorway hesitantly asked, "So.. we okay?"

"Sure." Aurora said quietly as she pulled on her coat, refixed the messy bun her hair had been wound up in.

They walked quietly down the sidewalk, and she sat on her fire escape talking to him while he sat on his, trying to calm down. Today had been hell, but maybe they'd found someone to confide in, if their worlds came crashing down.