Somewhere Boy

Chapter 2

You know something is wrong when a rustled John Lennon appears on your doorstep, frantically trying to explain something but unsuccessfully doing so. Robyn was greeted by this at around 9 pm, but John was unusually really happy and giddy.

"Robyn! Robyn, I went to Blackpool with Mom tonight and I think I'm gonna keep visiting her." He said hurriedly, holding up a hat that ever so elegantly said 'Kiss Me Quick' as he took in gulps of air.

"Great, great, just come inside before you wake up the whole damn neighborhood." Robyn replied, grabbing his wrist and dragging him inside her home. She was wearing jean shorts with a white button up top, the teen not caring about the obvious bra she had under the shirt. It was hot inside of her house that day, and her mom wasn't home to help change the temperature. John threw the hat on her coffee table.

"Is it alright if I stay over for tonight? You can call Mimi and tell her I'm here," John asked, putting his hands in front of him in a pleading motion. He began to pout and stare into Robyn's eyes. She glared at him and curtly nodded. He smiled brightly and watched her walk into the small kitchen where her phone was located. She dialed Mimi's number and held the phone to her ear, twirling the wire around her finger.

John took this opportunity to look around the home. The living room was barren, with only a lime couch with a matching coffee table. A small television set sat across the items, some show blaring from the small speakers. He noticed a couple messily done paintings above the couch, work of a child, he assumed. One depicted a house with three people, a man and a woman, followed by a small child. The man had brown hair, his eyes brown too. The woman had longer blonde hair, her eyes colored blue. The child next to them was a mix of the two hair colors, one blue eye and one brown eye as well. John knew this was a drawing Robyn made when she was younger, but then he looked over to the other drawing next to it. It was a very well done oil painting of a man, it was black and white but he could depict the brown eyes and hair on him. He had Robyn's smile, and he looked away from the center of the frame. He glistened with youthfulness.

John looked at the other two drawings, both of flowers. One was messy and unorganized, probably drawn on the back of a child's paper menu at a diner while the other was well painted on a canvas. He looked at the front door and saw stairs, the railing tall next to the small front door. The floor was hardwood, obviously worn.

He then glanced into the kitchen. He saw a round table lined with silver, the color a light green. There was two chairs at the table, and two placemats where the chairs sat. John looked at the floor, the tile was black and white, as the countertops held the same green aesthetic as the table and chairs. Robyn was leaning against a countertop, twirling the telephone cord and speaking to Mimi. She was gazing out the window above her sink, small curtains tucked around each side of it.

Robyn then hung up the phone and turned around to look at John in the archway.

"Shes fine with it, but you have to sleep downstairs." She said, walking toward the other teen. He looked at her approaching and smirked.

"I'd throw myself off a cliff if I had to sleep in the same bed with you Robbie." He replied, his snarky tone prominent with his boyish grin. Robyn rolled her eyes and lightly punched John's stomach as she walked by, heading towards the staircase. He let out a small grunt and followed, grabbing his hat and placing it on his head. Robyn turned to go upstairs, going up a few steps then stopping with a creak.

"Come on, I wanna give you a house tour." She said, looking at him. John gazed back at her then nodded, following up the stairs as the two reached the top. Robyn gestured towards a closed door to her left.

"Thats me Mom's room." She whispered before taking a step forward and gesturing to the open door to her left, "thats the toilet," She stepped forward to the last door in the hallway, opening it and walking inside, "this is my room." She said, no longer whispering. She waved John to come in.

John looked immediately at the small orange ball curled up on her bed. He reached over and pet the cat, earning the pet to stretch and yawn, before returning to its ball form. Robyn watched the exchange.

"Thats me cat, Soda," She said, looking at John, "I got him in America, which is why his name's so stupid." John chuckled at her words, continuing to scratch the cat's head and listen to his purr. He stopped petting it to look around the room, seeing a tall mirror next to a closet which was closed. The walls were a soft blue, painted for something other than a girl according to gender stereotypes. A sharp noise of the phone ringing erupted throughout the house, and Robyn began a brisk walk down to answer the phone.

John noticed a desk and picked up a journal. He opened it and debated reading. He didn't want to intrude, and he knows how big Robyn is on privacy. He set the journal back down and looked at the other things on the desk. There were paint brushes, pencils, erasers, textbooks, and a few reading books near the corner, the cups of pencils and brushes on top of the books. Right on top of her textbooks was a compact, thing of eyeliner, eyeshadow, mascara, and lip gloss. He saw a red lipstick laying on the edge of the desk, so he picked it up and took off the cap.

Footsteps approached the door and then Robyn stepped in, her expression no longer happy. She stared distantly at John, but he looked back then put a streak of red lipstick on her button nose. She sighed and grabbed the lipstick from his hands and put the lid on it, throwing it down by her books. Her eyes reddened and tears formed. John noticed this and his expression fell.

"What happened?" He asked, his voice suddenly soft-toned.

"Robert, he broke up with me just now. I heard a girl next to him while he told me the news, and she was all over him." A few tears fell from her eyes when she blinked. She couldn't hold herself after she finished talking, as her face curled into a sob. John saw this and his eyes widened, before he pulled her to him in a big hug. She wrapped her arms around his neck and let out her cries in his vest.

"I'm so sorry, love. Those were his last words," He replied, his last statement with a stronger tone and meaning compared to his first set of words, which were soft and comforting. He squeezed Robyn a little as he heard her small muffled cries.

"I should have seen this coming." She whispered, still holding John tightly. He shook his head slightly and rubbed her back as a form of comfort.

"No, no, no, it is not your fault." He spoke softly, pulling away a little to look at her directly. She avoided his gaze before John placed his hand under her chin and lifted her head up so she was forced to make eye contact. He used his thumb to brush away the tears on her cheeks.

"You don't have to do any of this. I don't need reassurance." She spoke, her voice steady despite her meltdown just a second earlier.

"But I want to." He replied, now looking into her red and teary eyes. She sniffled and pulled herself away a little more; her gaze turned to aim downward after doing so. The two paused in this position.

"You're a very good charmer aren't you?" She said, her tone softer as she broke the hug.

"What? I-" He started, his sadness and empathy replaced with confusion.

"No need to make an excuse. You can go downstairs," She looked up at him, her expression cold and her stare colder.

"I'm trying to help you." He replied, not moving from his initial spot.

"I know. Just go do what I said." She turned around and pet the now wide awake Soda. He stared at her for a moment then turned around and left, his footsteps fading the further away he got.