In My Life - George Harrison/The Beatles

Chapter Seven: Temper

September 1957

John and Connie despite two years being between them were like best friends and had been since they were young, and the two of them were really rather similar. Physically, they were both rather tall, both of their eyes were brown and both their noses were the same, whilst mentally they seemed to share a sharp, witty sense of humour and a rather short temper. John more so than Connie, and he was famed for being a troublemaker, not that Connie cared, considering he was still family. Whilst she was known to get into just as many fights as he did, she knew when to control said temper, which made the phone call John got one day at college rather a surprise.

The call had been from the headteacher at the Girl's School Connie went to, who said that Connie had been excluded for the rest of the week and needed someone to come meet her. He was actually quite surprised, though not that it was him who was called. Other than her dad, who was more often than not busy working long shifts at the fire department, John was Connie's last living relative and considering he was older than her, he was technically responsible for her, therefore making the call justified. No, what confused him was what in hell had she done to get excluded?

In his mind John knew she wasn't like him in the way that, yes she could throw a very good punch, but she also knew how to talk her way out of a fight if she had to, and school was one of the situations where she had to. What had she done to get excluded, but more importantly, what had someone said to her to get her angry enough to fight?

And so with that question on his mind John was waiting for her outside the school, a cigarette between his lips as he squinted through his sunglasses to watch her storm out of the school gates, which was rather a sight to behold. Her buttercup yellow hair had been tied off into a high ponytail on top of her head, her hair swinging from side to side as she walked angrily, her school jumper's sleeves were rolled up to her elbows and her tie askew, signalling she'd definitely been involved in a scrap, and her eyes were focused on the pavement in a scowl, an expression that deepened when she noticed him stood waiting for her.

"Where's your real glasses?" Connie questioned, not even meeting his eye as she carried on out of school, her satchel slung over her shoulder.

"Charming greeting, that is," John pointed out, following her down the street. "No 'thank you, Johnny dear for leaving college to come pick me up after I've been thrown out'? Typical,"

"Fuck off, not in the mood," She snarled, glaring at him, though her eyebrows turned down slightly when she noticed what he held between his fingers to his lips. "You got another cigarette?"

"Depends if you're gonna be nice to me," he shot her a look, though he sighed, offering her a small reassuring smile as he took the packet out of his inside pocket, handing her a cigarette and his lighter. She lit up, took a long drag, then threw his lighter back to him. "What've you done this time?"

"Wasn't my fault," she muttered darkly, blowing smoke out in front of her, holding back a cough. She was still new to smoking and it showed. "Got in a fight,"

"Who with?" He asked, sounding rather calm, and she knew it would be hypocritical of him if he had any other reaction, considering he got in plenty of fights himself.

"Dunno, just some bird called Jenny," Connie shrugged, and John could instantly tell that there was more to the story. "She was slagging me off, alright? Made fun of me for only hanging round lads, said Paul and George were weirdos and you were a troublemaker,"

"Well is she wrong there?" John laughed, pulling a face at her. She laughed quietly, though he could tell there was still something bothering her.

At that point the two of them had reached the bus stop, the schedule telling them that they still had a while to wait, which made Connie let out an annoyed grunt. As she sat down on the bench, John watched her carefully, noting that her eyes looked subtly puffy, as if she'd been crying. She rarely cried, so the sight of her red eyes told him that something much worse than a random girl insulting her friend's must have set her off.