Pretend (johnnyboy & curtis sister x cherry)

Chapter 6: Sneaking Around

I just woke up. It's currently five-thirty in the morning. I get up at this time on weekdays because I take a really long time to get ready. Johnny is still sleeping. I go and take a shower, and when I come back to our room I wake him up.

I say to him, "Hey, Johnnycake. It's six o'clock. You'd better wake up.". Johnny is a pretty light sleeper, so he wakes up almost instantly.

"Mornin' Lav." he says, "Ya sleep well?"

"Sure did! Oh, I can't wait for today! You better start getting ready. Let me know if ya need any help, okay Johnny?"

"Alright, help me outta bed and into my chair."

I slowly help Johnny up and provide support for him as we make our way over to his wheelchair. He now has a full feeling in his legs and can walk a few feet with help. The doctor was wrong. He will be able to walk again... someday...

After we both finish getting ready, we go out into the kitchen for breakfast. Soda is cooking, so this should be interesting. He always screws something up when he's in the kitchen. Once, he burnt water. How do you even do that?!

Surprisingly, the food came out normal. The boys all pig out while I just eat an apple. I've never been much of a breakfast person.

"Lavender, aren't you gonna eat?" Johnny asks.

"No, I'm alright. I never eat breakfast." I answer.

"But it's the most important meal of the day!" He says, throwing his hands into the air.

"I'll eat a big lunch, okay?" I say and Johnny just rolls his eyes.

~Time skip to after Two-Bit and Steve pick up Pony and leave for school. Darry and Soda have already left for work~

"So, what do we do now?" asks Johnny.

"Nothing until I change out of this itchy skirt!" I say and Johnny laughs. I go into my room and put on a pair of jeans, and one of Soda's old white t-shirts that I tie-dyed. I can't stand skirts, but I have to wear them for school if I want to fit in.

"Oh, that feels so much better!" I say, returning to Johnny in the living room.

"What do you wanna do today?" Asks Johnny.

"I have a list!" I exclaim. I've been planning this day since Johnny first got in the hospital.

"You and your lists!" Johnny laughs, "So what's on it?"

I pull the list out of my back pocket and say "You'll have to wait and see."

"Oh boy," Johnny says as we lace up our converse and head out the door. "Where are we off to first?"

"The grocery store." I say, "We need to pick up a few things."

~Time skip to at the store~

I need to grab a few things for the surprise picnic in the park I have planned for later. I get strawberries, turkey, cheese, bread, and crackers. Johnny grabs a couple packs of cigarettes. I'm sure he hasn't smoked since the day of the fire. The hospital doesn't allow it. We also get a few cokes because you can't go to the store and not buy them!

We check out from the store and go back to the house. Luckily the grocery store isn't too far from home.

I put away the groceries while Johnny sits at the table and smokes. The guys only smoke inside the house when Darry isn't around, and I don't smoke at all.

"How'd you even get the money to pay for all this stuff?" Johnny asks.

"I have been taking some babysitting jobs here and there."

"Nice."

I finish putting away the groceries and check the time. It's only 9:30. We still have a couple hours before we go to the picnic. We need something to do to pass the time.

"Johnny, we've got a couple hours before the next thing on my list. What do you want to do?" I ask him.

"Umm.." He starts, "I guess we could hang here for a bit then maybe go over to the vacant lot. I've missed that place."

"Sounds good to me". I pour myself a glass of chocolate milk, "Johnny you want some?"

"Sure," He says and I pour him a glass too. Then we go into the living room and I help him onto the couch. I turn on the TV and Mickey Mouse is on.

"Two-Bit's gonna be mad that we're watching Mickey without him" I joke.

"Then we just won't tell him." Then Johnny's expression changes. "Are you sure Darry won't find out we skipped?"

"Johnny, stop worrying! We're gonna be fine! We've just gotta do a little bit of sneaking around. They'll never find out." I say. Johnny can get pretty anxious sometimes. I normally only get anxious when I'm around a lot of people.

"But what if one of the guys rats us out!" Johnny starts to tense up.

"Since when do you think Pony, Steve, and Two are snitches?". When I say this he calms down.

"Yeah, I guess you're right..." He looks calmer now, but still a little tense. Maybe going over to the lot will help him relax.

"Want to head to the lot now?" I ask him.

"Sure," He says then I help him from the couch back to his wheelchair.

The lot is really close to my house so we were there in no time. I saw Johnny's mood become happier the second we got there. I really wonder why he loves this place so much. Johnny and I lay on the grass and start making shapes out of the clouds above us.

"That one is shaped like a hat," I say

'Yeah and that one's a bird!" Johnny responds