Our Experiment

3: More Than Friends

They found privacy out at the picnic tables. Johnny sat on the table top with Justice planted on the seat next to his feet. They had been sitting in silence for some time. It had been a long time since they had last spoken. Justice had severed all communication from her former life when she moved. She hoped he didn't resent her for that, but the tension was noticeable. She didn't like this feeling at all, this nervousness. She wanted to hug him but felt no rights to him now that he was with someone else. She tried to act tough, but she was hurting. She had been hurting for a long time.

Johnny broke the silence first, without looking at her, "What made you come back?"

You, Johnny. You're what made me come back. "It isn't the same in Washington, Johnny." The tip of her tongue tingled as she said his name. "I missed you guys."

He looked at her and she met his eyes.

Then why would you leave without a trace? Why didn't you say your goodbyes at least? Why didn't you keep in touch? Maybe you thought there was something better out there than the gang."

Justice could almost sense his feelings, and the guilt made her look away. "I know I left on bad terms, DiMarco, but I want to fix that."

There was a silence. "And how do you plan to do that?"

"Apologize and hope that we can all be friends again." She said. "Bake some cookies?"

He stared hard at her, unmoved by her attempt at easing the tension, "Apologize?" He nearly scoffed. "Washington really changed you."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

Johnny shrugged and looked away. "Depends on how you look at it. You're much nicer now."

"I've always been nice." She said and was taken back as Johnny scoffed again. "Who saved you from drowning, Johnny? Me!"

"Whatever."

Since his first and final attempt at contacting Justice, he had done all he could to forget about her. To remove all the feelings he had for her. He had really grown fond of Justice, and for her to be so heartless as to leave him behind without even an explanation, made him realize that, apparently, he meant absolutely nothing to her. And that what they had together was worthless. Since then, he had gotten lost in life to forget.

She stared up at him, "What do you have against me, Johnny DiMarco? We used to be best friends."

His heart went cold, and almost ceased to beat at her choice of words. Meeting her eyes, he drew his face closer to hers, a haunting look in his own, "We were more than just friends, Justice. Friends don't do the things that we did."

He left her then, and Justice watched after him. Why did he sound more hurt than angry?

***

After her talk with Johnny, Justice decided to skip class and take refuge in the auditorium, watching the theatre students' practice. She thought back on their conversation, wondering just what he could have meant by them having been more than friends. True they experimented and did things normal friends would not do together, but neither had they put a label on themselves. They had not proclaimed exclusivity, nor had they even spoken about it in private. They were just a gang of kids who terrorized and abused other students during the day and explored each other's curiosity at night.

True, she had begun to feel a connection to Johnny that she had been trying to suppress from the day she laid eyes on him, but he had never mentioned liking her, so she brushed off those thoughts of her own. Because of this, she was shocked when he became so defensive at her words. Just by calling him a friend, he nearly blew up! Was it because he had feelings for her as well, or was it because he now didn't trust her? Or was it his new fling?