Chapter 5

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by JoJoMcGodd

by JoJoMcGodd

I sit there in the washroom with Jojo, my back against the wall, and neither of us say anything for a while. I listen as his breathing gradually slows and I notice that he stopped shaking. He shakes his head and quietly whispers, "I'm sorry you had to see that." I respond, in a similar tone, "It's no big deal, honestly. I just want to make sure you're okay."

"Yeah. Thank you, for everything," he whispers, again.

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened back there?"

"I... I dunno. I'm just not a huge fan of crowds."

"Yeah, I kind of figured that out by now," I laugh.

He smiles and pushes his shaggy hair out of his eyes. His watery eyes twinkle. I know that it's probably not the right time to be thinking about it, but I can't help but marvel at his beauty.

"You'd think I'd be used to being around lots of people by now," he confesses, his voice faltering.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, with my 96 sisters and all the house is always super crowded."

Ninety-six sisters? How could he have ninety-six sisters? He had said it so casually, as if it were a well-known fact. The only family in Whoville that has that many kids, let alone has the money to support that kind of financial burden, is the mayor's family, the McDodds. Jojo can't possibly be a McDodd; I would've known by now. All of Whoville knows that the oldest McDodd son is always the next mayor. The public's eye would be on the mayoral heir, but Ned and Sally don't seem to have a son yet. Unless...

"Wait... You don't mean- You can't mean-"

"Yeah. I'm a McDodd."

"You're the mayor's son?" I was almost shouting. I just can't believe it. That explains how the chefs know him and why he said they work for his dad.

"Yeah," he admitted. He seems disappointed and frankly, almost embarrassed to acknowledge that fact.

"How come I've never heard of you or seen you, with you being the next in line to be the mayor?"

As I said it, I knew it was a mistake. His eyes were suddenly filled with a horrible mixture of pain and fear. He quickly averted his gaze back down to his Converse. How could I be so stupid. He already was freaked out from earlier, and let my bewilderment and curiosity terrorize him even more. I did my best to fix what I had done.

"I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine," he interjected, seeming tired. "I know. I just don't really want to talk about it. But yeah, I'm a McDodd. Jojo McDodd."

"I'm y/n."

Jojo looks at me and smiles a bit; I feel my heart flutter.

"Listen y/n, I would really appreciate it if you kinda tried to keep it quiet that I'm the mayor's son. I don't really think I'm ready for all of Whoville to know yet. I don't completely know why I decided to tell you, I guess I just feel like I can trust you."

Now my heart spreads wings.

"Of course, Jojo. Your secret's safe with me."

He looks down for a moment, deep in thought, before looking back up and connecting his now-calm eyes with mine. His softened expression tells me that he really does trust me. My heart effortlessly soars through the heavens.

I'm abruptly ripped out of my trance by the sound of my phone ringing far too loudly. I look down at the screen and see an incoming call from Pepper, accompanied with multiple missed texts. The most recent text reads, "WHERE THE F*CK ARE YOU AND WHO IS THAT BOY?!?!? 😡😡😡".