Our Experiment

12: Rumor Has It

Justice's heart was racing with fury as she nearly ran down the bare hallway. She couldn't believe this was happening to her.  She had come to this school to fix the family they had accidentally created. She meant to do so in secret, just as it was created in secret. However, now the secret was out and spreading like wildfire around the school in the most horrifying way.

He had promised not to tell anyone.

She couldn't believe he had lied.

Johnny stood by his locker looking pissed off. He looked exactly the way Justice felt. Bruce and Derek were poking fun at him. Clearly having heard the not-so-wrong rumor.

As she approached him, Justice called out, "I need to talk to you."

He turned, expectantly, as if he had been waiting for her. His blazing eyes bore into hers as she enclosed on him. "Perfect." He said through clenched teeth as he walked towards her. "I need to talk to you too." He grabbed her arm, firmly, and began to nearly drag her out the front of the school.

When they were outside, Justice jerked her arm free and turned to him. He spoke before she could even open her mouth, "You made me promise not to tell anyone but you go and tell the entire school?"

Justice was taken back. For some reason she hadn't expected to be one of the accused. "Me? Why the hell would I tell anyone? I'm just hearing about this before I came to find you." She stepped towards him predatorily. "You blabbed to Bruce and Derek knowing full well they would spread it all around the school."

Johnny scoffed as he rolled his eyes and took a step back. "Sure. Because it definitely wasn't you blabbing away to your new BFF Alli."

"You mean your new girlfriend Alli." 

The pair glared at one another for a long moment -hearts racing, chests rising from their heavy breathing, jaws clenched and fists tight- before the tension cracked.

Justice sighed as the wheels in her brain started spinning. If you didn't tell anyone, and I know I didn't, then who did?" She began to pace. "I only talked to you about this."

"Maybe someone overheard us." Johnny offered.

This made Justice freeze as a sudden realization hit her. She looked at Johnny. "Have you slipped?"

Johnny frowned. "Really? Accusing me again? No."

She held his eyes for a long moment as several thoughts played in her mind. "What about the night you tutored Alli?"

Johnny's eyes grew dark. "How did you know about that?"

Justice looked away. "Don't think she hasn't noticed us talking, Johnny." She looked at him again. "Of course she would do something to try and make me jealous."

A tiny smirk loosened the tension in Johnny's face. "Are you jealous, Justice?"

She rolled her eyes. "Focus, Johnny!" Closing the distance between them, she grabbed his shoulders. "Did you tell her?!"

"No!" He said, forcefully.

"Did you fall asleep?"

A heartbeat of silence.

"What? Why?"

Justice felt her stomach turning. She said quietly, "You talk in your sleep."

His eyes grew wide. How did she know that?

Noticing the sudden look of surprise in his eyes, Justice released him. "You fell asleep at the Ravine a long time ago and spilled the beans on how some older girl let you grope her, okay?" She explained as she slowly stepped away. "Do away with that look, okay. Now tell me. . .Did. You. Fall. Asleep?"