PLEASE READ: So, I'm not sure if anyone is even interested in this story anymore because once again it has taken me MONTHS to update. I sincerely apologize for that. Work has been particularly challenging and the constant belittling and degradation from my boss has finally led me to resign. Thankfully I have another job already lined up and it is with a good firm and with good people who I know will treat me like an actual person. Plus, I'm getting married in two months so between the drama at work and the insanity that is putting together a wedding (even though it is a small one) I've had little energy to write. However, this chapter is almost sixty-two hundred words and I hope you like it. I'm going to do my best to get the next chapter up soon but with the transition going on at work right now I can't make any promises.
Please let me know what you think and again I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.
Chapter Fifteen
The cloud filled sky was starting to lighten when Johanna woke up. She was curled into JJ and his arm was securely wrapped around her as he held her close. She was comfortable and didn't want to move, however, it took her only a second to realize why she'd woke up and that was because her bladder was seriously protesting. Sighing softly she placed a soft kiss on his shoulder/chest and slipped away from him. Thankfully, JJ was relatively exhausted so her moving away from him and quietly climbing from the bed didn't wake him. Smiling to herself Johanna cautiously made her way around JJ's room and headed towards the closed door. Once in the hallway, she quietly closed his door behind her and quickly walked into the bathroom and turned on the light.
After doing her business Johanna stood at the sink to wash her hands and looked up at her reflection in the mirror that rested above the sink. She turned off the water and scrutinized her face as she dried her hands. Her eyes were slightly puffy from sleep and her hair had loosened from her ponytail and it hung listlessly around her face. However, she couldn't help but smile as she looked at herself and remembered what had happened with JJ the night before. She had had intended only to close her eyes for a second while she waited for JJ to come back but she fell asleep. Part of her felt foolish for falling asleep but she had felt so relaxed that she couldn't help it. However, she just hoped that JJ wasn't upset or disappointed that she had. A soft knock on the bathroom door broke her from her mental musings and she turned away from the mirror to the door before she opened it only to be greeted by a shirtless, yet smiling, Harry.
"Morning Johanna," Harry said and Johanna felt her cheeks heat in a blush before she cleared her throat and smiled up at him.
"Good morning Harry. How was patrol?" she asked and he chuckled.
"Quiet," he said.
"Did you just get home?" she asked even though she knew she should have just slinked off back into JJ's room and Harry nodded.
"Mhm," he said, a grin still settled on his lips and Johanna nodded.
"Right, well, you probably want to clean up so you can get some rest," she said as she let go of the doorknob and stepped past Harry. "Bye," she whispered before she quickly scampered down the hall to JJ's door, leaving a once again chuckling Harry behind as she slipped into the room and closed the door behind her. She closed the door a little harder than she intended and while she couldn't see a thing since her eyes were still used to the bright light from the bathroom, she heard JJ jerk awake with a gasp and the sheets rustle.
"Jo?" he asked, his voice deep from sleep, before the room was filled with light because JJ had turned on the lamp beside his bed. "What's happened? Is something wrong?' he asked as he sat up and ran a hand down his face before he started to climb from the bed.
"Nothing's wrong, don't get up," she said softly before she walked over to him and placed her hands on his shoulders as she stood in front of him. JJ remained sitting on the edge of his bed and looked up at her, a small frown on his face. "I just had to use the bathroom and Harry surprised me is all," she said as she raised her right hand to rest on his cheek, which already had a small growth of stubble. He sighed softly and raised his hands to rest on her full hips before he leaned forward and rested his head against her chest. Johanna smiled at the movement and lowered her hand back to his shoulder, smoothing both of her hands to his back and resting them on his shoulder blades. "I didn't mean to startle you," she whispered. "I'm sorry I woke you."
"It's fine," he said, his voice muffled slightly, and the next thing Johanna knew JJ wrapped his arms around her and leaned back onto the bed to lay down and taking her with him. She laughed when they landed and JJ turned them so she was lying on her back and he was hovering above her. "I don't mind when it's you doing the waking," he said before he leaned in and kissed her soundly. Johanna sighed contentedly into the kiss as her right hand once again rested against his cheek and kissed him back. He pulled away too soon for Johanna's liking but he didn't move far because he rested his forehead against hers and remained above her.
Johanna took a deep breath as she ran her thumb along his jaw. She loved the all-encompassing feeling of JJ lying above her and wanting to kiss him again Johanna tilted her chin up and caught his lips with hers. JJ hummed as he quickly kissed her back and shifted so he was lying between her legs. Instinctively Johanna's legs wrapped around JJ's hips, her ankles locking under his backside, and as they kissed JJ's hips rolled into hers making her whimper at the evidence that their kisses and touches were having the same effect on him that they were on her. However, before much more could happen JJ pulled away with a sharp gasp and rolled away from her so he was lying on his back beside her. They both were panting and Johanna felt a little hurt that he had pulled away, but when she heard his deep and even breaths she realized that he had pulled away in order to regain control of himself so they wouldn't cross that line fully just yet.
"I'm sorry, JJ, I got a little carried away," she said softly and JJ opened his eyes and turned his head to look at her. He knew that she couldn't see his face in the darkness of the room as clearly as he could see hers and he watched as she nervously bit her lower lip and a touch of guilt in her eyes.
"It wasn't just you," JJ said before he rolled onto his side and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close to him. She sighed softly and curled into him as he kissed her forehead. "Plus, you were the one that said we were bound to get carried away occasionally since we love each other. You've got nothing to be sorry for, babe," he said as he kissed her forehead once again and Johanna smiled slightly as she placed a kiss on his chest. JJ smiled as he looked up at the ceiling before he sighed softly, content as he laid there with his girl in his arms.
"JJ?" Johanna asked softly.
"Yeah?" he asked in return.
"Since you don't have to work and we're spending the day together I was wondering something," she said and JJ turned his head so he was looking at her. However, she was resting her head on his chest and he could only see the top of her head in the muted light filled room. "I was wondering if you would show me what your wolf looks like today," she said and before JJ could say anything she continued. "I know I saw you that night but it was dark and because of everything that happened I don't really remember what you look like other than the fact that you are huge." JJ snorted at that and Johanna rolled her eyes but smiled as she continued on. "Would you show me?" she asked as she turned her head so her chin was once again resting on his chest and looking at him.
"Of course," he said and he saw the small smile she was giving him widen and he couldn't help but notice that her lips were still slightly swollen from their heated kisses.
"Really?" she asked and JJ chuckled.
"Yeah," he said and Johanna laughed softly before she shifted and kissed him chastely. JJ closed his eyes as her lips slanted against his and he raised his right hand to her left cheek. When she pulled back JJ felt his heart skip at the beautiful smile that was on her face as she looked at him through hooded eyes. He smiled back at her only to heave a yawn a second later. Johanna laughed quietly once more before she kissed his cheek. Johann a knew that she wasn't going to be able to fall back asleep and rather than lay in bed with JJ (even though it was incredibly comfortable) she felt she needed to do something.
"Go back to sleep, JJ, you need to get some more rest," she whispered before she slipped away from him and quickly climbed off the bed.
"Where are you going?" he asked as he sat up on his elbows and watched her gather her clothes before she tossed them into his hamper and picked up the three-quarters full basket.
"I'm going to wash my clothes with yours, maybe tidy up a bit for you guys, and see what you guys have in the kitchen so I can fix us breakfast when I'm done," she said and JJ furrowed his brow but smiled at her.
"Why?" he asked.
"Because I'm not going to be able to fall back to sleep and rather than keep you up when you should be resting I should do something productive," she said.
"Keep me up?" he asked with raised eyebrows.
"It's hard to just lay in bed with you and not take advantage of it," Johanna said rather cheekily and she blushed but her eyes never wavered from him.
"I wouldn't mind being kept up if that's the case," JJ said with a smile. However, Johanna only grinned at him in response before she turned around, adjusted the basket so it rested on her right hip, and opened his bedroom door before she disappeared without another word.
By ten o'clock Johanna had the kitchen, bathroom, and living room clean and organized, and once she was dressed in her freshly laundered clothes she ran to the market because the boys' cupboards/fridge were pretty bare save for frozen pizzas, bottled water, stale sugary cereal, and a half a gallon of milk that was a day away from expiration. Johanna knew then that they likely rarely ever ate at home since they didn't have much in the house and their rather extreme appetites. She'd picked up the necessary ingredients to make her mother's pancakes and once she had everything squared away she started making the batter.
Cam woke up feeling slightly confused when he walked into a sparkling and spotless bathroom. The house was usually tidy but Cam was pretty sure the last time the bathroom had been that clean was when they had first moved into the house and as his sharp eyes scanned the living room he was sure that there wasn't even a speck of dust in the room. He furrowed his brow because he hadn't heard the sound of a vacuum or anything and he wondered who had cleaned. However, that question was answered when he heard a familiar voice humming a non-descript tune in the kitchen. Smiling as he scratched his white t-shirt clad chest he made his way into the clean kitchen/dining area and as expected he found Johanna standing at the counter. However, he was surprised by the ingredients she had settled on the counter as she sat a large mixing bowl he knew Aurora had bought them on the counter.
"Good morning, Cam," she said as she looked at him, a small smile on her lips, and Cam's smile grew as he lowered his hand from his chest and walked over to the breakfast bar side of the counter and lowered his tall frame onto the stool that rested there.
"Good morning, Johanna," he said. "How long have you been here?"
"I stayed the night actually," she said and Cam's eyebrows raised. "Not for the reason you're thinking!" she said before she laughed and reached over the counter to shove his shoulder. Cam chuckled before he nodded and held up his hands.
"Okay, okay," he said.
"It's just been a couple of weeks since I've spent any sort of decent time with JJ, and since his dad gave him today off we'd thought we'd make the most of it," she said as she shook her head and started measuring out flour and putting it into the bowl. "I woke up early and cleaned up the place a bit and ran to the store since you guys appear to live on frozen pizza."
"We don't eat here all that often," Cam said with a shrug and Johanna smiled at him.
"I figured as much," she said and Cam grinned.
"So, what are you making?"
"Pancakes," she said. "My mom's recipe."
"Jo?" came the sleep laced voice of JJ and both Cam and Johanna looked to the archway to see a shirtless JJ, whose hair was sticking up on top of his head, and Johanna laughed softly.
"Morning," she said. "Did you get some more rest?" she asked and JJ smiled as he nodded and made his way over to her. He settled beside her and put a warm hand on her lower back before he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her temple.
"You weren't kidding when you said you were going to tidy up, huh?" he asked softly as he pulled back and Johanna smiled, a soft blush warming her cheeks as she looked up at him.
"I may have gone a little overboard and honestly I'm surprised I didn't wake any of you," she said and JJ grinned as he ran his thumb across her back.
"We've all been running raged lately," Cam said, "and when we crash, we're pretty much dead to the world." Johanna smiled at him before she finished putting her batter together with JJ's hand never leaving her back as she reached for what she needed and gently mixed the batter.
"What are you making?" JJ finally asked and she smiled as she picked up the bowl and stepped away from JJ.
"Pancakes," she said simply as she put the whisk into the sink and moved over to the stove, setting the bowl down on the counter that rested beside it.
"We had stuff for pancakes?" JJ asked, sounding confused, and both Cam and Johanna laughed.
"No," she said as she turned on the burner under the pan she had sprayed with cooking spray before she looked at him. "I also ran to the store to get what I needed and I picked up a few other things for breakfast." JJ gave Johanna a lazy smile as he leaned against the counter that made Johanna blush before she looked away from him and at the stove. She put her hand over the pan to see if it was hot enough and satisfied with its temperature she ladled a bit of the batter into the hot pan.
Idle chat was made while Johanna made the boys breakfast and JJ moved to he was sitting beside Cam and watching Johanna move about his kitchen with ease. She brought him and Cam a glass of orange juice before she quickly went back to the stove to make sure her pancakes didn't burn. He liked seeing her there and he would never be able to accurately explain the feeling that filled him when he walked into the kitchen and saw her standing there with a mixing bowl in front of her, making breakfast. However, he was certain that it was a sight that he was looking forward to seeing every day in the not so distant future. JJ had finally torn his eyes from Johanna when Cam started ribbing him about how terrible the Seahawks were going to be that year, which ignited the fire in JJ to defend his favorite team.
After placing plates filled with pancakes in front of the boys she settled into a seat next to JJ with her own small stack of pancakes. The boys thanked her, JJ giving her a kiss on the temple, and poured syrup over their pancakes and continued their conversation as they ate. Johanna smiled to herself as she listened to the boys as they bickered about football since she thought both of them were wrong. JJ didn't know that Johanna had a love of football thanks to her father. Jon was more into soccer and basketball and hated football, but Johanna bonded with her father over it and baseball. The Seahawks weren't as good as they were back in their Super Bowl winning days but they were still a good team, making it to the playoffs the last couple of years only to lose in either the first or second round. They weren't her favorite team but she didn't hate them.
"I'll give you that signing Kingsley was the best signing for them this off season," Cam said before he took a hearty bite of his pancakes and gave Johanna thumbs up when she looked at him and she smiled slightly at him in return.
"Exactly," JJ said with a solid nod. "He's going to give them a better threat down the field." Johanna couldn't help but roll her eyes and the words came spilling out of her mouth before she could stop them as she turned her eyes to her plate.
"Kingsley's overrated and I think the Seahawks not only seriously overpaid when they signed him but were crazy to do so. They were already solid with their existing receiving core and Wallace has better hands and is faster than Kingsley so their down the field threat was just fine with him. Adding a diva like Kingsley is only going create problems off the field and probably on when he doesn't get the ball as much as he wants," Johanna said, her eyes still on her plate, before she took a bite of her pancakes. The silence that followed her words was deafening so Johanna lifted her eyes to the boys only to see them staring at her, Cam with a slightly open mouth and wide eyes and JJ with a look that was much the same. However, there was a spark in his eyes that was not in Cam's. "What?" she asked as she blushed and looked between the pair.
"You follow football?" Cam asked.
"I started watching it with my dad when I was little," Johanna said with a shrug, her cheeks still warm. "I liked it so I never stopped."
"If I didn't already love you, I'm pretty sure I would after you said all that even though you dissed my team," JJ said and Johanna laughed quietly as she shook her head, but her laughter was silenced when JJ gently pressed his lips to hers in a chaste kiss. Her blush deepened as she kissed him back, her right hand dropping her fork as she raised her right hand to rest against his cheek. He pulled back after a second longer and Johanna smiled at him as she lowered her hand to rest on his bare chest and JJ smiled in return.
"Did you guys forget I was here?" Cam asked and Johanna laughed as she removed her hand from JJ's chest and looked around her boyfriend and at the other boy, her cheeks still a brilliant shade of pink.
"Sorry Cam," she said softly and Cam smiled at her before he shook his head, returning his attention to his pancakes that were quickly disappearing. Johanna returned her eyes to JJ and he was still smiling at her before he winked at her and slowly went back to eating his breakfast. For a few beats, Johanna simply looked at JJ before she smiled to herself and resumed eating and the conversation picked up once again, that time the boys including Johanna in their football discussion.
"Stay here, Jo," JJ said softly before his hand slipped from hers. Johanna nodded as she looked up at him and he gave her a tight lipped smile as he took a step backwards from her before he turned around and disappeared behind a small embankment and trees. They'd cleaned up the kitchen after they'd eaten their breakfast and with Cam needing to leave for his afternoon shift at his job on the pier and Harry still sound asleep JJ and Johanna had made their way to the woods where JJ was going to show Johanna his wolf. "Don't be afraid," he called and Johanna shook her head even though she knew he couldn't see her.
"I won't be," she called back and after a few quiet seconds Johanna watched as a massive wolf slowly walked around the embankment that JJ had disappeared behind. Johanna felt her heart skip as the wolf's dark eyes met hers across the small distance between them and Johanna smiled because just like that night up in the mountains she easily saw JJ in the wolf's eyes.
He was just as big as she remembered from that night and the color of his fur was a dark bronze and even though she knew it wasn't his fur seemed to shimmer as he slowly walked over to her. JJ in wolf form stood just as tall as he did as a human and even though his fur was thick Johanna could see that his wolf was nothing but solid muscle. Once he was in front of her JJ lowered his body so he was lying down on the ground in front her, which made his large face even with hers. She smiled as she took a shuffled step closer and raised her hands to his face before she ran her right hand along his muzzle and then rested her hands on his cheeks as she looked in his eyes.
"It's so weird but amazing to see your eyes looking back at me like this," she said softly and JJ made a rumbling noise before he nudged her chin gently with his wet nose. Johanna laughed softly before she leaned forward and kissed his muzzle, internally marveling that he even smelled the same. "You're beautiful," she whispered when she righted herself, her hands still on his face. He made the rumbling noise once more before he closed his eyes and gently butted/rubbed his head against her, making her laugh and stumble slightly, but her hands in his fur kept her steady. "Okay, fine, you're very handsome," she said as he lifted his head and as his mouth opened slightly and his tongue popped out a bit, Johanna swore he was smiling.
Suddenly, JJ slipped away from her hands and Johanna furrowed her brow slightly as JJ moved so he was still on the ground but now she was standing at his side. He turned his head so he was looking at her and Johanna watched as his eyes flickered to his back and then at her a couple of times. At first she didn't understand what he was doing but when it hit her she shook her head.
"I am not going to get on your back," she said. "I'm too heavy and I'll hurt you." JJ made a rumbling noise that time, which was really more of a growl before he huffed at her and narrowed his eyes. "I'm serious, JJ," she said as she crossed her arms over her chest. That morning Johanna had noticed that her shoulder didn't ache like it had the last couple of days and she was sure JJ's deep massage had been more beneficial than either of them had realized last night. "I'm too heavy," she reiterated and JJ stood then before his body started to shake. Johanna uncrossed her arms and took a step back as wolf JJ turned in a very naked human JJ.
"How many times do I have to tell you that you're not too heavy?" JJ asked as he turned so he was facing her and it took all of Johanna's will power to keep her eyes locked with his as she felt her face become impossibly hot.
"JJ," she said softly as he took a step closer to her but he shook his head.
"You're not too heavy," he said again, "and you're not going to hurt me. I want to take you on a run through the forest. Will you let me do that?" he asked and Johanna bit her lower lip before she nodded her head. JJ sighed softly before he took a step closer to her and pulled her into his arms. Johanna was as stiff as a board and kept her arms at her sides with her hands curled into fists as JJ pressed her to him. "I won't let you fall, Jo," he said softly into her hair. "You don't have to be afraid. Relax."
"I'm not scared about falling or anything like that," she said softly.
"Then why are you so tense?" he asked.
"JJ . . . you're naked," she whispered and it was JJ's turn to tense as he realized that she was right.
"I forgot about that," he said quietly and Johanna laughed as she relaxed slightly and looked up at him. He kept her close as their eyes met and while Johanna knew her face was still red she found herself smiling.
"How could you forget you're naked?" she asked and JJ blushed as he looked down at her.
"I was upset," he said.
"I know and I'm sorry," she said before she rose up on her toes slightly and placed a kiss on his chest since she couldn't reach his chin without JJ's assistance. "I know you don't like it when I say I'm too heavy."
"Because you're not, Johanna," he said. "Even without the whole imprint thing, I'm sure that if I would have met you and gotten to know you, I would have fallen in love with you. Sure, it probably would have taken us a little while to get where we are now but we would have. You're smart, sweet, beautiful, and everything and anything I could want in the person I'm going to spend the rest of my life with. I love you because of those things. Imprinting on you just allowed me to see it instantly." Her cheeks no longer red because of JJ's nakedness but because of his words and she kissed his chest one more time.
"I love you too," she whispered in return and JJ smiled wide as he looked down at her before he lowered his arms from around her and took a step back.
Johanna kept her eyes on his as he took a few more steps back so that there was a good distance between them again. However, Johanna couldn't help but glance down and swallow hard before she licked her lips nervously. JJ let out a small cough that quickly drew Johanna's attention to back to his face. Surprisingly she wasn't embarrassed as her eyes met his once more because she just smiled at him. It was JJ's turn to swallow hard before he winked at her and Johanna watched in amazement as human JJ transformed into giant wolf JJ before he lowered himself to the ground, looking at her expectantly
Johanna laughed then and quickly made her way over to him before she carefully climbed onto his back. Once she was settled and had a solid grip on his fur to ensure she wouldn't fall JJ stood and with a quiet huff and gentle bark before he took off running through the trees. Johanna laughed, loudly that time, and hung on as the wind rushed around her while JJ ran freely throughout the trees a wolfish grin on his face forming at the sound.
The start of school had come all too soon for Johanna and things with Jon were still on shaky ground. It didn't help that their parents still had him under punishment which meant that Johanna drove herself to school that morning while Jon was driven by their mother, who would be picking up the senior boy at the end of the school day as well. Johanna was physically dreading the day ahead. She felt sick to her stomach and her hands shook slightly as her heightened anxiety gripped her. She hadn't breathed a word of Jon's threat to JJ or even Sarah and as she driving to the school and grew closer by the second she was starting to wish she had. Piper, Greg, Boyd, and Ian could be vicious and Johanna was already well aware of that fact since she'd been their victim more than once over the years.
Their attacks in the past had been verbal outside of the cliff incident and Ian 'dating' her a couple years ago so it left an opening for their verbal attacks to turn physical. She could handle whatever they had to say to her. Thanks to JJ and her friends she was more comfortable and confident in her skin, but if one of the boys came after her physically she knew she was no match for them. Piper she may have stood a chance against if need be but the boys were a completely different story.
Taking a deep breath Johanna turned the car into the school parking lot, parked, and slowly headed into the school. Even though no one was looking at her she felt like every pair of eyes were on her as she made her way up the stairs and through the corridors. She'd gotten her schedule in the mail the week before so she simply headed for her first class, which was American literature. The open classroom door was in sight when she was roughly grabbed by her left arm. Thankfully her shoulder was healed but after she was slammed against the wall of lockers pain flared throughout her back and she let out a soft cry as she looked up. Boyd that was standing in front of her, a glare settled on his face, and he was flanked by Greg and Ian who wore similar expressions on their faces.
"We hear you got yourself a boyfriend, Johanna," Ian said and Johanna looked at him as she righted herself and tugged the hem of the long sleeved shirt she was wearing.
"What does it matter to you if I do?" she asked, her brain unable to come with anything else at the moment.
"We also hear he threatened Jon and Piper," Greg said. "We don't take threats to our friends lightly."
"He stood up for me," she said as she glared at him and the three boys laughed.
"JJ's a prick," Ian said and Johanna looked at him, her anger flaring and her fear and anxiety gone as adrenaline rushed through her.
"You're the prick," Johanna said before she could stop herself. "You're just jealous of him because he's smarter and better looking than you, Ian; and he's a much better kisser."
"You fat bitch," Ian said before he grabbed her. Johana struggled against him as he slammed her back against the lockers a couple of times and she managed to get her right arm free. A small crowd had gathered during the struggle as Ian was not quiet as he yelled at her and called her every name in the book, and they were all there to witness as Johanna (meek and quiet Johanna) fisted her hand and punched Ian hard in the face. A sickening crunch sound echoed in the hallway and Ian let out a cry as he let go of her, his hands going to his nose which was bleeding profusely. Everyone gasped as Ian stumbled back and Boyd made to grab at Johanna when a booming voice filled the air.
"What in the world is going on here?!" Mr. Johnson, the school's vice principal, demanded as he stalked through the crowd of students and Johanna looked at him.
"She just punched Ian in the face for no reason," Greg said and Johanna turned her eyes to him, her eyebrows raised in shock at his declaration. The older man looked at the boys and then at Johanna. He knew the three boys, they each had taken turns visiting his office several times a year since their freshman year of high school; however, he only knew of Johanna Brooks because of her academic achievements over the years. She was one of the model students even though she was incredibly reserved and mostly kept to herself. He had a hard time believing that she would just punch Ian Marshal without any sort of provocation.
"That's not true," Johanna said breathlessly as she looked to Mr. Johnson once more. "He was slamming me against the lockers . . . I . . . I got my arm free and reacted," she said, her voice trembling as the adrenaline coursing through her tapered off and tears prickled the corners of her eyes.
"She's lying," Boyd said quickly and Johanna sighed heavily as she shook her head and kept her eyes on Mr. Johnson. She doubted anyone that had witnessed the incident would stand up for her. The boys were popular and Johanna was a nobody as far as the students of Forks High School were concerned.
"No she's not," a low tenor voice said and Johanna turned around to see Brandon Newton step out of the small crowd and walk over to stand beside her. Brandon was the star of the basketball and baseball teams and through the peer tutoring program last year Johanna had tutored him in pre-calculous. They'd gotten along and everything but he never spoke to her outside of those ninety minute sessions after school and had pretty much ignored her, so, for him to step forward surprised her. Brandon's sandy blonde hair was slightly disheveled, like he'd been running his hands through it, and his blue eyes were almost apologetic as he glanced at her and then looked at Mr. Johnson. "I saw the whole thing, Mr. Johnson," he said and the vice principal took a deep breath before nodded.
"All right," Mr. Johnson said. "Everyone get to class," he ordered as he looked around and slowly the small crowd disbursed as Mr. Johnson returned his eyes to the five remaining students. "Mr. Marshall, go to the nurse and get your nose looked at; Mr. Barker, Mr. Taylor, Mr. Newton, and Ms. Brooks, let's go to the office. I want to hear what you have to say." Mr. Johnson had the group walk ahead of him with Greg and Boyd leading and Johanna and Brandon in the middle. Johanna glanced up at Brandon and he glanced down at her.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly and Johanna looked at him.
"For what?" she asked just as quietly.
"For not stepping in when I saw them shove you against the lockers," he said. "I should have."
"Why?" she asked and Brandon looked at her once more.
"Because those jerks have always picked on you and you're a good person, Johanna," he said. "You don't deserve to be treated that way." He paused and took a deep breath before he ran his right hand through his hair. "And I'm sorry for how I treated you last year," he added.
"It's okay, Brandon," Johanna said and he shook his head.
"Not it's not," he said. "If it wasn't for your help, I wouldn't have passed pre-calc and I wouldn't have been able to stay on the basketball team and I would have had to sit out the baseball season. I'm not going to let them treat you like that anymore, Johanna. I don't care what anyone else thinks because like I said, you don't deserve to be treated like that."
"I don't know what to say," she said and Brandon gave her a small smile.
"You don't have to say anything, Johanna," he said as they neared the office. "Just know that I'll always have your back when you need me." Johanna couldn't believe it but she saw nothing but honesty in his eyes as he looked at her and from what she knew of him Brandon Newton was always true to his word.
"Thanks," she whispered and Brandon nodded his head as they entered the office. Johanna was nervous as to what punishment she would receive for breaking Ian's nose because she was certain that that was what she did. She just hoped it wasn't too severe because her parents would kill her if she got suspended before the school year even started.