Never Too Late

Chapter Twenty One

Johan walked up to the front door of his house and opened it cautiously while looking around if his parents had arrived yet. Luckily, he didn't see them, so he hurried up to his room and sat on his bed. He took a deep breath and, for a moment, felt anxious before shaking his head and putting his thoughts behind him. Hopefully, Luke had kept his word and not notified their parents, and all he had to do was stay put until he came home from school.

Eventually, he left his room and went to the kitchen to get something to eat, and as soon as he was finished eating, he heard the front door open. Immediately he froze, not sure what to do until he saw it was his father who had come home earlier than usual.

"Luke?" He called from the living room when he caught a glimpse of him, but as soon as he came closer, he laughed. "Oh Johan, you're home already?"

"Yeah," He mumbled, aware that his father would be upset if he found out the reason why.

"I heard you joined the baseball team recently, not feeling up to play today?" He asked as he poured juice for himself and Johan.

"No, not really," Johan lied in hopes his father wouldn't be suspicious.

"Luke told me how good you were, are you nervous?" He inquired of Johan but he shook his head.

"I just need to rest, that's all." He said, trying to persuade his dad.

"Alright, you can go get changed." At his father's words, he retreated back to his room and remained there for the rest of the evening.

While lying in bed, he thought of the smell of Liz's hair, the feel of her body, and the way her eyes ignited his spirit.  Even after leaving her that evening, he knew that she might cause him trouble like times before, but she had caught him under her spell once again, and he could not resist. After another hour his brother came home, so he returned downstairs to ask him about schoolwork he had missed and if anything else important happened.

"School was boring as ever; I told everyone you were feeling sick and decided to skip the day," Luke said, sitting on the couch and going through his bag pack.

"That's good," Johan sighed, relieved that he avoided any issues. "Where's Rachel?"

"Still at dance practice. Don't worry, she won't tell Mom or Dad you missed school." Luke laughed.

"I'm not worried about getting in trouble, I just don't want them to panic," He voiced his feelings as he remembered the way they reacted when he came home late.

"By the way, is your friend okay?" Luke questioned and Johan nodded.

"Yeah, she is. She just needed someone to talk to." Johan said and took a seat next to him.

"You missed the whole day at school just to check on her; she must be a really good friend," Luke smirked, and he nodded.

"Yes, she is." He said getting up and going over to the kitchen table where he had left his Jacket. Upon putting it on his brother glared at him.

"Hey, if you want to borrow my stuff, you've got to ask first," Luke complained, but Johan argued back.

"No, this is my Jacket. I've never seen you in one like this," He said, taking it off and holding it out to him, but his brother shook his head in disagreement.

"What are you talking about? I've had it for a couple of weeks now. You must be confused." Luke protested.

Just then their mother came into the living room without them realizing.

"Why are the two of you arguing?" She asked and Luke turned to her.

"He took my stuff without asking and won't admit it," He chided but Johan spoke up.

"No, I bought it with all the money I had on me." He defended.

"Wait, I think I washed your Jacket this morning," His mother said before leaving the room and returning with an identical Jacket to Johan's. "See, Johan must've noticed you wearing it once and accidentally bought the same one."

Luke took his Jacket and muttered apologies to Johan but he shook his head in disbelief.

"I'm sure today was the first time I saw this Jacket." He argued and his mother smiled.

"You know there could also be another reason; you're both twins, so it's natural you would both like the same things." She told him but Johan was less than thrilled because all that meant was they would have more squabbles in the future.

***

"Good Job, Johanan," Johan's teacher, Mr. Stevenson, applauded him as he finished the chemistry experiment he was working on. He had stayed back after class to help his teacher with it after he expressed interest in understanding more about the subject. "You truly have a bright mind."

"Thank you, sir," Johan responded as he began gathering the beakers when the reaction subsided.

"Tell me, where do you see yourself in the future?" His teacher questioned. Johan glanced at him blankly, he was a gaunt old man about sixty with greying hair but he could see the intelligence in his eyes.

"I don't know, I've never really thought about it," Johan responded as he emptied and thoroughly washed the beakers over the sink.

"Young man, you have a talent for science. You should consider aiming for a degree in chemistry." His teacher encouraged him but Johan shook his head.

"As soon as I graduate, I'm going on the road; I wasn't planning on going to college." Johan took the beakers from the sink and dried them one by one before placing them back on the rack.

The only reason he decided to come to high school was because he wanted to give his parents more time with him. After graduation, he would try to make it on his own and hopefully be able to visit them whenever it was possible. College seemed far greater than him and he accepted that it was more than likely not going to happen.

"Johanan, you can't afford for the knowledge you have to go to waste," His teacher scolded before walking over to his desk. "You might not be interested now but there are a lot of opportunities available to people with a mind like yours!"

Shrugging, Johan removed his lab coat and untied his hair. Even if he wanted to go to college, he didn't know what career he liked or if he would be suited for it. It all seemed like a childish dream and he preferred to stay focused on reality.

"I don't think college is for me, I'm afraid." He sighed but his teacher shook his head.

"Don't write it off right away. Give it some time. You might never know." His teacher encouraged him and he nodded before leaving.