Just An Ordinary Girl ~A Johnny Depp Story~

Confessions

Ugh...

I opened my eyes blearily and found myself gazing up at a pure white ceiling. I frowned, puzzled, and tried to sit up but for some unexplainable reason it hurt to move, my limbs feeling heavy and uncomfortable, as though they didn't even belong to me. I felt a weird, sharp pain in the back of my head as I glanced around the empty room, straining my ears as I heard some gentle chords of music, strumming from somewhere nearby, beautifully pure against the silent morning air, but suddenly they faded out and I heard a low murmur of voices before soft footsteps drawing closer to me, and I looked up to see the door creak gently open, revealing a unfamiliar dark-haired man with equally dark eyes and olive skin. I smiled, confused, and he broke into a wide grin to see me.

"Johnny! She's awake!" He cried ecstatically, disappearing from view, his footsteps thundering down the corridor. "She's going to sit up, I saw her!" I heard his muffled voice explain to someone.

"You're sure?" I heard another male voice ask excitedly in response, and then two sets of footsteps drew closer to the room again and I glanced up as the door banged gently against the wall to see the dark-haired man standing in the doorway, along with another, more familiar one who was grinning wildly at me, a guitar strapped loosely across him.

Suddenly the last few days flashed back to me, images filling the blanks in my memory like a strange videotape playing in my head as I gazed at Johnny Depp in front of me, as though taking him in for the first time, lean in and painted an ethnic olive color, with a hint of something else difficult to figure out. A colorful beanie was tugged over his ragged dark hair, and his torn jeans and rumpled t-shirt crumpled even more as he slouched towards me in a suave sort of manner, his eyes cast towards the floor shyly.

Johnny. Yes, that was right. I'd met him in my cafe and thought he was a bit too cheeky and arrogant for my liking, but had invited him back to my apartment because...why? Oh yes...because I'd been clumsy...and then he had invited me out to dinner, and it had been...great. Really great. But then...Luke.

Luke.

I gazed down at my wrists and gave a sharp intake of breath. There were deep purple bruises and scratches and cuts traveling upwards, along both of my arms, aching horribly. I traced my fingers over my face, feeling for damage. I had a cut lip and my face was swollen and tender around cheekbone, so I guessed I had a black eye. I glanced up at Johnny, who was watching me sadly. He took a few more tentative steps towards me, shaking his head at the other man who backed off immediately and headed back down the corridor. Johnny sat down on the edge of the bed, still avoiding my gaze.

"Did..." I mumbled hoarsely. "Did you bring me here?" I asked, my throat dry and sore as I swallowed desperately. He nodded pensively, and I noticed his almost black eyes rimmed with their equally dark lashes now matched the dark smudges of fatigue below them, remaining fixed intently on the bed cover.

"And uh...where is here?" I asked slowly, craning my neck to glance out of a nearby window, ignoring the ache this slightest movement caused. Johnny smiled warmly.

"Here..." he paused. "Well, here is my home...or one of them, anyway. This one happens to be on the outskirts of London," he smiled. We fell silent until Johnny suddenly burst out, "I thought...you wouldn't...well, make it."

I glanced up at him questioningly. He sighed and kneaded his forehead with his knuckles as though struggling with his incoherent words.

"After you rang me...well, I'd been waiting for a call all week from you, though to be honest that wasn't entirely the kind I'd hoped for," he smiled weakly. "So...I hurried as fast as I could to get to you, but I was to late; that...that guy had attacked you and I'd come too late," he said bitterly. "You were in a seriously bad state. You passed out in my arms and I didn't know what to do. My car was in the street and I was holding you unconscious and all battered about in my arms. What could I do? I wasn't about to take you to a hospital, not after what you'd said about hating them! So I just put you in the car and rang my friend Ed who awoke you earlier, I believe, and told him I needed help. He didn't ask questions...he knows me well enough by now to know when I'm serious. So I just picked him up on the way to my house. Stupid plan, I know, but he's a doctor and I honestly didn't know what else to do. And we've both been caring for you ever since," Johnny broke off, looking apologetic.

"And how long is 'ever since'?" I frowned.

"Well, this is the fourth day you've been here," he replied, smiling sadly at my shocked expression.

"How bad was it?" I asked quietly, gesturing to the bruises.

"Can't you feel how bad it is?" Johnny grinned. I shrugged and winced as a sharp pain suddenly shot down my arm, my shoulder throbbing.

"Okay, yeah, I can," I smiled. "But what about Luke? Did you see him? Has he been caught or anything?" I asked quickly, feeling suddenly very frightened and vulnerable. Johnny watched me uncomfortably.

"Well...actually...Ed and I decided it wouldn't be a good idea to report him to the police when you were unconscious, just in case you didn't want us to or something. Uh...speaking of which, do you?" he asked awkwardly. I paused, thinking for a while. I gazed at my purple arms and bit my lip.

"I think so," I nodded quietly.

"Okay, I'll ring the police later today," he smiled and then stretched his hand out towards my arm suddenly, as though to pat it comfortingly. I glanced at it, surprised, and made no response. I saw Johnny's cheeks redden slightly and he quickly replaced it on his guitar instead, pulling it towards him. There was an awkward silence and Johnny began to strum the same soft, soothing chords gently on his guitar I'd woken up to earlier. I smiled, listening to him.

"That's beautiful," I remarked quietly.

"Thanks," he mumbled and continued playing for a few more minutes until I interrupted him tentatively.

"So um...where's your girlfriend...Verity?" I asked.

"Vanessa," he corrected me quickly. "Though you're one of the only girls I've met who don't know her name. I find that oddly refreshing," He smiled tolerantly, before continuing. "She's away at some fashion award thing in Paris. I don't really get it...fashion's not really my forte," He grinned, gesturing to his strange collection of garments. "Plus she's been filming there recently too. I haven't seen her for months," He sighed, downcast.

"That must be really weird for you," I said quietly.

"Mmm...it is..." He replied thoughtfully, obviously unwilling to say more on the subject. "I've grown used to it...she's...it's difficult...different sometimes..." He mumbled, once again rendered incoherent, but then he glanced up at me, eager to move the conversation on.

"Alice, I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable or anything, but I think it's about time you told me what's been going on with that boyfriend of yours...why you act the way you do. Please...seeing as I am sort of a...friend now?" He asked, somewhat questioningly. I gazed up at him in surprise.

A friend? Was that really what he was? Though I supposed he was, come to think of it. He'd done so much for me, even though to him I was just a nobody, a random girl who'd happened to spill coffee on him. Yet he'd still helped me out when I was frightened, dropped everything just to come and see if I was alright. He'd taken me to his house, and by the looks of it stayed up watching me and had had barely any sleep. He could in fact....in time, be the best friend I'd ever had...

"It's just...you've listened to me prattle on, and I realize that I...don't know shit about you," he grinned simply, and I laughed out loud at that remark, watching him lick his lips nervously. Yet, as I gazed up at him, I suddenly found all of my past experiences and feelings rushing back to me, and before I quite realized what I was doing, I was pouring it all out to Johnny as he sat on the edge of the bed listening, taking in every word that left my lips. At some point through my stories and explanations I felt his arm drape around my shoulders awkwardly...but somehow it made everything feel a little bit better.