"so christmas is coming" ma says 4 weeks later while daniel sits on the table trying to focus on a math question he couldn't quite figure out.
"yea i know ma" he replies rather frustrated that the question just wouldn't make sense.
"and guess who invited us to their beach house for 2 weeks" she teases him excitedly
he groans as his head begins to pound, "i'm not sure ma, who invited us?"
"the lawrences"
daniel immediately freezes, his breath hitching in his throat. he still hadn't spoken to johnny, no matter how many times he had wanted to. they didn't even speak at detentions, johnny didn't even bother to look his way, to caught up in his girlfriend.
"as in laura and- and johnny?" he asks swallowing slowing.
"who else?" ma laughs
"did you say yes?"
"of course" ma pauses "are you not excited?"
daniel still hadn't told his ma about the whole johnny thing, what was he supposed to say, 'hey ma johnny was actually sucking me off on the down low but then he said he didn't want a relationship so i broke it off'
"no of course i am, i was just shocked"
ma smiles as daniel drops his pen, he can always do math later. he can hardly take not talking to johnny at school but now he had to do it while they were in the same house.
he packs up his math equipment and puts it away in his room, taking a deep breath before he goes back out into the living room for dinner.
———————————
the next day at school, johnny seems to be everywhere. no matter where daniel looks, johnny is there.
at lunch, in class, after school. johnny won't leave his sight.
"you alright danny? you look sort of pale" susan chews her bottom lip thoughtfully.
he can feel himself go red when she calls him danny but quickly tries, and fails, to get johnny out of his head. "no yea, just thinking about those math questions. i could not figure them out"
"neither" ali admits shrugging while she spoons another mouthful of yoghurt in her mouth.
"i heard johnny figured it out with his mom" susan looks over to the group daniel had been trying to avoid all lunch
"who'd you hear that from?" barbs asks
"dutch"
"well why don't we just ask him?" barbs offers
"how about you ask ali, he won't say no to you" susan pleads with her
"fine. i'll ask him" ali replies pushing away susan lightly
luckily for her but unluckily for him, johnny and his group comes over just then.
he doesn't even look at daniel.
"oh johnny, we were just talking about you" susan smiles as dutch slings his arm around her shoulder effortlessly
"what were you saying?" he asks and daniel can't help but stare at the way his hair tickles at his eyelashes slightly and the way his ears twitch whenever he talks.
"just saying you're the only one we know of who finished the math questions" ali bites her right cheek
"oh, ok" johnny's voice is soft and daniel feels sick.
"uhm, so i was wondering if you could show us how to do it" ali continues
"okay"
"great so when should we meet?"
"i'll show you now. it's easy"
johnny bends down next to ali, putting his arm on the table and leaning down on it. as he shows her the 'simple math' daniel can't take his eyes off the older boys hands as they move across the table.
he doesn't even have to think hard to remember what those fingers feel like against his bare skin. and suddenly daniels red again. he looks down at his shoes like they're the most interesting thing in the world until johnny finally gets up and leaves.
"he was right, it was actually quite simple"
———————————
during detention he considers asking johnny about
christmas but finally decides against it, why start talking now?
his hands shake slightly as he picks up rubbish and eventually he sits down against the soccer posts taking a deep breath.
he feels dizzy but it's probably just a cold because of all the wind, rain, and snow recently.
johnny hasn't noticed yet and to be honest daniel doesn't want him too.
after a few moments daniel stands up and continues his rubbish picking.
——————————
on the walk back to the bikes daniel stays a few steps behind, watching the way johnnys shoulders move.
"you alright?" johnny says, the first words spoken between them since that monday 4 weeks ago.
"don't worry about it johnny" daniel replies pushing past the older boy and unlocking his bike.
"i was just asking larusso."
from up close johnny looks bad. there's massive eye-bags under his eyes, his skin has lost some colour and his cheeks look hollower. even his hair doesn't have the same fluffiness it used to.
daniel frowns as he bikes away. who does johnny think he is, he doesn't say a single word to daniel over a whole month and then when he finally does he's shocked that daniel doesn't want anything to do with him.
this is all such bullshit.
YOU ARE READING
lawrusso
RomanceDaniel's just trying to fit in at his new school, he never asked for johnny and his friends to beat him up every other day, he never asked for any of it. the multiple detentions, which have him spending up to 2 hours alone with johnny, are definitel...
