AN: Hey there folks! I'm sorry for the delay, life got in the way the last couple of weeks but now I'm back and I'll try to post regularly :)
This chapter is not really long, but I needed the transition and also wanted to introduce this other two characters. I hope you like them!
Many, many thanks to EmilyAndTheDiamonds who is beta reading this! :)
P.S.: bold text is from John's POV, normal text is for Rose POV and underlined text is for others POV (in this case Jackie's one) and it'll be like this for the whole story
John got home, slammed the door shut and stomped darkly to his room.
Unfortunately he found his bed occupied: his ginger sister was sitting on it, mobile in her lap, eyes now focused on him.
The taller sibling let his bag drop from his shoulders and slouched down on his bed, both avoiding and ignoring his sister.
"Hi to you too!" She exclaimed sarcastically. "How did the competition go?"
"Fine." Muttered the boy, muffled by the pillow.
"Good fine or bad fine?" Donna asked curiously.
"Good fine. If I go on like this I'll qualify for the spring nationals this year."
"Woah, that's great! Didn't seem like this good" She joked.
When she received only a muffled "mmh" as an answer she got worried.
"What's the matter then?"
"Nothing." He huffed.
"Joooohn!" Donna whined, putting a hand on his back and shaking him.
"Come on, don't you trust your sister?" she pouted.
John sighed and turned around looking at his sister.
"Where's Jack?" he asked suspiciously.
"He's at a football match. And mum took him there so they're both gonna be away for a while" She explained dutifully, knowing that her brother needed quiet and solitude to speak his mind.
John "mh"-ed and scooted a bit towards the wall, leaving some room for his sister.
Donna laid down next to him and sighed.
"Come on, spill!" she said after some silence.
John sighed heavily once again, then started talking, "There's this girl, Rose... Y' know the one I told you about?"
The redhead only nodded.
"Well, today I talked to her."
Donna immediately propped herself on her elbow and stared at him.
"Really?" she asked excitedly .
John, keeping his eyes on the ceiling, nodded.
"And what happened? What did you say to her? What did she say?" she asked without a breath.
"Well, she was really worried and, I think, freaking out, so I tried to reassure her and I thought it had worked..."
Donna watched as worry, happiness and then sadness passed on her big, soft brother's face:
"What?" she asked softly.
"The trainer called me and I left her just before the competition. I saw her in the call room and she smiled back at me... But then I saw her rush out of the changing room avoiding me and when she turned around before getting in the car her face was so sad and heartbroken and oh god... Why am I such a coward?! All I wanted to do was go to her and instead I just let her go and be depressed..."
Donna smiled sympathetically, her brother was a bit of a softie and had a big heart. Although she didn't understand this new obsession for the girl; he didn't even know her yet!
"You don't even know her, John! It would probably have been creepy..." she tried to reassure him.
"Yes but... Ugh!" he said annoyed.
"Why do you care so much about her, anyway?" Donna asked, unable to keep a grip on herself.
John stared harder at the ceiling.
"I don't know... I guess she reminds me of myself when I first got here... And she's also properly breathtaking." He blushed a little.
Donna smirked and rolled her eyes.
"Ooh, now I see.." she said with a light slap on his shoulder and a malicious smile.
"Wait! Don't just make assumptions on things you don't know! I don't like her!" The boy exclaimed offended.
"Of course!" was all his sister said before running out of the door, avoiding a pillow at the last second.
"Mum, mum! What does Rose have?" Tony asked, tugging on his mother's sleeve.
Jackie sighed, her boy sometimes was far too perceptive for a four year old.
Rose was really down after her last competition but she had never cried in front of Tony.
"Why don't you go ask yourself?" She said lightly, hoping that her brother's presence could cheer her up.
Rose was lying on her bed, earbuds plugged in her ears, sad music blasting through them.
She couldn't believe how much "Welcome to my life" by Simple Plan fitted her.
Her eyes started glistening with tears while the song went on.
The door bursting open had her wiping furiously at her eyes before looking toward the intruder. Already prepared to attack with a pillow.
She took her earbuds out when she saw her little brother looking up at her with wide, honest, worried eyes.
"Hey bud, what's up?" She asked trying to keep her voice from cracking.
"Rose, what do you have?"
"What do you mean?" She asked confused.
"You're always sad and you don't smile anymore..." He said with a little cute frown, as if he was puzzled.
It had been three days since the competition and she hadn't gotten back to the pool yet.
The fact that her brother had noticed warmed her heart.
Only her family had seen this, and while it made her angry because her "best friends" didn't notice, her brother's sweetness made her feel better.
"Come here..." She said, taking him in her arms and hugging him tightly.
Her brother timidly wrapped his little arms around her neck.
"I'm better now. Right as rain." She said with a small smile before releasing him.
"Thank you." She added, gaining him a kiss on the cheek.
She giggled, then started tickling Tony, making him laugh.
After some seconds she stopped, smiling at her brother's happy face.
"Come play with me?" He asked with the best puppy dog eyes known to man.
Rose stood up, pulling him up to have a piggy back, and started to his room.
"Allons-y!"
Tell me what you think!