Redamancy

CHAPTER 5

Perci's POV

I can't believe this. Jason is the Red Hood. The Red Hood. How could I not have made the connection sooner? Every time the Red Hood is around, Jason isn't. He always seems to disappear as soon as Red Hood is needed. This whole time. God. I can't believe I actually had a crush on the Red Hood. Which means I also like Jason. Oh my god... I don't need this. At all. All I have to do is focus on my brother.

"Bitch! I can't believe that Declan is coming home!" Johnny shouted. I laughed at his enthusiasm.

Johnny always looked up to Declan. Declan was the big brother Johnny needed. When Johnny came out as gay to his parents, they didn't initially accept him. His dad told him to get straight or get out and his mom wouldn't even look at him. Declan had stopped by to drop off something that night only to see Johnny on his front porch crying his eyes out with a bag packed laying next to him. Declan brought him home after that. My mom is basically Johnny's second mom so she told him to stay with us until he goes off to college. Declan always looked out for us no matter what.

"Yeah, maybe when he gets here, he'll have Theo with him," I raised my eyebrow suggestively. Johnny's face went red.

"Listen here, it's just a small crush. Kind of like the one you have on Jason," Johnny said with a smile.

"Okay, That small crush might be bigger than I thought..." I hinted. Johnny choked on his water.

"Bitch what?" He said, his voice a higher octave than normal.

"Yeah, you know how I had this crush on the Red Hood?" Johnny nodded. "Well, Jason May or May not be him..."

Johnny then dropped his water bottle spilling a little bit of water on my rug. "Yeah, when I was almost, uhm, mugged last night, the Red Hood saved me and I recognized his body type. I kind of told him that he seemed familiar to me and he started freaking out and telling to not tell anyone so he basically gave himself away and then he took off his helmet. He took it off." Johnny leaned forward signaling he wanted to hear more. "And let me tell you, his helmet hair, is oof."

"Heart eye emoji oof or just oof?"

"Neither he was like, oof, you know?" I put emphasis on oof.

"Oh. By the way, didn't I tell you to not stay out that late?" Johnny cocked an eyebrow at me as I rubbed the back of my neck. "That's what I thought."

~~~

So, after the whole thing with Johnny I decided I would try to help my mom cook. Unfortunately, the only thing I can successfully cook is Ramen noodles. I mean, I'm a seventeen year old girl who isn't very talented in any field really.

I know I didn't tell Johnny the whole thing about me almost being raped, but I shouldn't have to right? Jason knows and that's more than enough people that needs to know. I just don't think that something like that should be broadcasted like a headline on the biggest newspaper in the city. When something like that happens to you, everything in your mind just contradicts itself. I've tried to refrain from wearing any revealing clothing, even if I didn't before. It just doesn't help me cope with anything.

"Honey!"

"What?" I answered.

"No, I need the honey," my mom corrected. I laughed and handed her the honey on the counter. My mom wheeled herself to the cutting board after she put a teaspoon of honey in the cake mix. My mom is paralyzed from the waist down. She has been since an accident two years ago.

I was driving, on my way to show my dad my license that I had just gotten. A semi came out of no where at an intersection and slammed into the side of the car, paralyzing my mom. She didn't talk back to me and I thought she was dead. It wasn't until I had woken up in the hospital when I realized I hadn't killed my own mother, but instead I crippled her because I couldn't pay attention to what was happening around me.

"Perci, you're spacing out again. Is everything okay?" She asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, mom, just thinking."

"Do you need more medication? Write it down on the list if you do. I'll get some when I go out tomorrow." She always has a smile on her face. No matter what, and sometimes, I wish I had that kind of positivity.

"I don't need anymore meds. You keep mentioning them though, do you want to get me high or something?" I joked. My mom just rolled her eyes.

"Did you hear about Declan?" she asked. "He's coming home at the end of the week." I felt my heart just swell.

"Really?" she nodded. "Like, really, really?"

"Yes, Perci. Like really really."

"Yes! Yes!" I started dancing happily.

~~~

"I can't believe Declan gets to come home this week!" I yelled excitedly.

"Me either, do you think he got us souvenirs this time," Johnny said happily. 

I glanced at the time. 

12:46 am

"We should really be asleep right now. We have school tomorrow," I said in a matter-of-fact tone. Johnny shrugged and scooped another spoonful of cookie dough into his mouth. 

"We could also watch the rest of John Mulaney's Come Back Kid Netflix special," he said sensibly. 

I nodded. "Very true," I said as I clicked on the hour long special.

"You ever think about how your life is gonna be in ten years?" Johnny asked spontaneously.

"All the time actually," I answered. Johnny looked at me surprised. "I do. I see myself with at least one child that I have adopted and me being the coach of a football team. Hopefully I'll have a fiance or husband by then though, I wouldn't be able to juggle all that by myself." Johnny nodded along. "What about you?"

"I've thought about the military, but then I thought about construction because I've always liked to build stuff. I don't know if I'll ever get a man, but I guess it would be nice..." he trailed off at the end.

"Johnny, are you okay?" I asked. He shook his head.

"I don't know anymore, Perci. I'm just so confused and I don't know what's happening anymore," he confessed.

"What do you mean?" I was confused as shit at this point.

"I don't know how to tell you, that's the problem. I just can't find the right words to tell you so that you don't freak out for me being what I am," he cried. I watched as a tear escaped his eye. The sight broke my heart. It was like watching my own brother cry. Johnny is my best friend and the brother that I never wanted.

"Johnny, we both know that I'll never leave you," I admitted. He looked away from me, tears clouding his eyesight.

"I don't think I'm gay."