Johnny Baby

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Johnny

    Light floods through the small space between my black out curtains where they didn't close completely.
    The single strip of light bounced back off my mirror and onto my face, making me groan as I rolled over.
    I didn't bother fixing my hair around my face as I buried myself into my pillows, hoping to sleep in a little bit longer. It was the weekend after all.
    Before I could settle back into sleep, I felt the mattress dip beside me, causing me to quickly shoot into a sitting position.
    The sight before me freaked me out momentarily.
    The Nicholas "Nico" Albertali was asleep in my bed.
    For a moment I wondered, "What the hell? Why is he here? When did this happen?"
    Then I remembered. I remembered the knocking on my front door while I was trying to play something on my guitar.
    I remember opening the door and being just astounded at the sight before me. Big, strong Nico all bruised and weak.
    I remember listening to his dumb jokes as he spoke to his friends over the phone while I cleaned up his dirty face and hands. And now, I remember walking back into my room and seeing Nico already fast asleep.
    My pounding heart quickly settled to a normal pace as the memories quickly flooded my mind. 
    I stared at his sleeping form for a moment before slowly letting my legs slide over the edge of the bed.
My weight shifted so I could carefully push myself up off the bed. With quiet steps, I walked around to his side, trying to get a good look at his face. It was somewhat difficult however since his arms were laying over his face.
With care, I gently shifted his arms up above his head. It took several, long, almost painful seconds to shift his forearms from his face to the pillows beneath his head, but finally, I had managed that simple task.
With a now clear view, I examined the bruises and scratches on his face.
The swelling around his bruises wasn't as bad as they were last night. You could still see the bruises, of course. They were bright as day. But, at least the swelling had settled. Even the cuts and scrapes on his face were looking better. They weren't as red and inflamed as they were the night before.
I felt myself flinch when I heard my door suddenly open, the sound followed by giggling girls.
I quickly turned and shushed the small girls that just barged into my room.
Marina and Melanie, My sisters daughters, happily bounded into my room, quickly stopping in their tracks when I shushed them.
"Why are we shushing?" Marina asked, her messy brown hair bobbing up and down as she bounces on her toes.
"There's someone sleeping in here, mamas." I whispered, kneeling down in front of them and smiling at the way they tilted their heads. These two looked so different considering the fact they were identical twins, but they still often moved the same way. They had very similar traits and habits even though they acted so differently.
"But....you're awake?" Marina asked, tilting her head more, Melanie nodding along quietly, her small bunny stuffie held tightly to her chest.
I huffed out a small laugh.
"Yes, but there is someone else asleep in here." I clarified.
Melanie and Marina shared a look before Marina hopped up onto my knees, grabbing onto my shoulders to look over and see who was there.
She let out a gasp that was a bit louder than I appreciated.
"It's a boy!" she almost yelled. My hand quickly covered her mouth.
"Shhhh," I shushed her again, lightly chuckling. Kids really can be something else sometimes.
I glanced back when I heard Nico shift. I watched as he shifted one arm back over his face while the other one moved down, his hand slipping into his jeans pocket.
"Is Grandpa still here?" I whispered.
They both nodded their heads, their small hands now covering their own mouths for me.
"Okay. You go out there and wait for me, okay? Be quiet when you leave though, alright? We can play soon, alright? Go eat first. Don't tell anyone about the boy!" I whispered, smiling as they eagerly nodded before rushing out.
I stayed quiet as I listened to their feet hit the floor as they ran out into the kitchen to probably help Mom with breakfast.
With a swift move I hopped up off the floor and dug through my drawers. I grabbed a random pair of blue jeans and my glasses off my counter and strolled into the bathroom, carefully closing the door behind me.
In only a few seconds I had slid on my jeans and glasses before walking out into the kitchen.
Melanie and Marina stood on a chair, happily helping my mom mix up the pancake mix. My mom hummed to herself as she turned on the stove, letting the pan heat up.
I gently knocked on the wall so I didn't startle my mom as I walked in. She quickly glanced back at me, her warm eyes brightening up.
"Good morning, mi amor." She happily called, tossing her long braid over her shoulder.
    "Morning Mama." I hummed, sliding into a seat beside the counter, watching as the two girls mixed the pancake mix and cleaned up the berries in the sink.
    "How'd you sleep? It sounded like you were up late again." My mom commented, glancing over her shoulder. 
    "Yeah a little bit. I got distracted playing and stuff." I shrugged.
    She went to say something else until my father walked in. His dark hair was partially gelled back, his grey hairs almost blending in with his black ones. He tightened the belt around his waist as he walked over, leaning in to plant a kiss on his wife's cheek.
    "Ya me voy." He hums into her ear before pulling away and pulling his jacket over his button down shirt.
    "Bye girls!" He calls to the young girls at the counter, smiling as they waved at him before getting back to their pancake duty.
    I kept quiet as I waited for him to leave before turning back to my mom.  
    "Yeah okay so I kinda lied." I admitted, blushing faintly at the way my mom sighed and chuckled.
    "I knew it." She said, turning down the heat on the stove and turning to face me. "What did you do?" She asked.
    "Okay well, it isn't exactly bad and it was not my fault." I said first and foremost.
    The way my mom raised her eyebrow at me and crossed one leg over the other made me lightly chuckle, my right hand faintly twitching against my leg.
    "Well, uhm-" I didn't know exactly how to say it. Luckily though, I didn't have to say it because suddenly, the girls spoke up for me.
    "The boy is awake!" Marina whisper-yelled in a not so subtle voice.
    I quickly glanced back and watched as Nico ruffled his already mussed up hair. His black locks stuck out in so many random directions in that moment, it looked almost cartoonish.
    "Well, good morning. How do you feel?" I asked, resting my elbow against the back of my chair.
    "Better." He answered, stretching his arms above his head, his bones faintly popping as he did so. His eyes landed on me for a moment, still half-closed from barely waking, but they quickly widened as he saw me.
    "...What?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
    He stared in silent awe for a couple seconds.
    "You wear glasses?" he asked, still sounding shocked.
    I huffed out a laugh and rolled my eyes in response.
    "Uhh..." I turn my head back to face my mom, watching as she stares in slight confusion.
    "Johnny, Mi amor, who is this?" She asked.
    "Just a guy from school." I replied, trying to act casual about it. If I showed any sign of nervousness, my mom would tease me about having a new boyfriend or something.
    "Hey," Nico awkwardly waved to my mom, his other hand scratching at the back of his neck. He quickly stepped forward and shook my mom's hand.
    "Nico," He introduced himself, my mom smiling up at him.
    "Rosa." She responded.
    "Nice to meet you." He smiles, standing up straight again. "Yeah, your son over here saved my a-" He paused, glancing over at the little girls happily giggling as they watched from behind the counter.
    "Uhm. Johnny saved my tail last night letting me come in. I got into some trouble and almost crashed outside your house. I hope I'm not intruding or anything." He apologized, causing my mom to quickly stand up.
    "Oh no! It's perfectly fine. I just wasn't aware you were here." She laughs, lightly dusting off her blue jeans as she walks over to the stove again.
    "Ahh. I guess Johnny is just too embarrassed to admit he likes having me around." Nico jokes, causing my mother to giggle.
    "In your dreams." I mumbled.
    "Nico, we're having pancakes for breakfast. You can have some if you'd like." She offers, grabbing the pancake batter from the girls, giving them big smiles.
    "Ah that's very kind but I should really get going. I desperately need a shower and my friends are dropping by later so I wanna be home." He said. "Thank you though."
    "Alrighty, if you're sure." She shrugs.
    "Do you have a ride?" I finally asked.
    He pauses to think before pulling ou this phone.
    "I don't think so. I tried to call Anthony but he never answered." He explained, muttering a small, insulting word about his friend.
    "I could drive you if you need?" I offered.
    Wait what? No you can't! You hate driving! Are you crazy?
    "Really?" Nico asked.
    "I mean yeah, I don't see why not." I shrugged, glancing back at my mom to see her looking just as shocked and confused as my internal monologue sounded.
    "Alrighty then. Let me just get my boots and jacket." He said, turning and walking back to my room.
    My mom stares at me in silence for a moment.
    "You drive now?" She asked, giving me a comforting smile to show she was only teasing.
    Mama knows my driving anxiety after my crash with Virgil happened, so I can understand why she would be concerned. I'm not even fully sure why I offered to drive him in the first place. I'm probably gonna have a panic attack on the way there and I'll hate myself for it for the next 50 years of my life, but whatever. I  already said I would and I can't back out now I guess.
    "Make sure you hurry back, Johnny. I'm not gonna be happy if you eat cold pancakes." My mom jokes, smiling at me as I stood up.
    "I will, I will." I hummed, grabbing my denim jacket off the chair.
    When did I put this here? Probably yesterday when I got home.
    I slipped the denim jacket on over my shoulders and walked back over to my room.
    I stepped in, watching as Nico pulled on his leather jacket, his eyes focused on his phone. He was probably trying to message his friends or something. Either way, he didn't spare me a glance as I walked over and grabbed my combat boots off the floor, quickly slipping on both and tightening the laces.
    "Ready when you are." I told him before exiting the room. I was just driving him back to his place so I saw no reason to trade out my glasses for my contacts.
    I waltzed out into the living room, grabbing my mom's car keys off the hook in the kitchen.
    "I'll be back soon, Ma." I told her, leaning over to plant playful kisses on my niece's foreheads.
    "Alrighty. Be safe, alright?" She said.
    My mom was like any other good mom. She said be safe anytime I went anywhere, but when it comes to driving, she gets a little anxious for me. I don't blame her though. After the crash, everyone seems to grow anxious when I drive which is very rare. They know I panic sometimes and don't want to risk me panicking in the middle of driving and crashing again. Luckily, I don't drive too often.
    Nico walks out, sliding his hands into his pockets, quietly waiting for me to lead him out.
With a quick adjustment to my jacket, I headed out, saying bye to my mom one last time.
Nico gives my mom a wave as we exit, closing the door gently behind him before quickly hopping down the stairs in front of my house. He seemed to be feeling more like himself than he was last night. I could faintly see the way he stumbled from the jump, but quickly recovered and bounced over to my mom's red car.
"Thanks for letting me stay the night, by the way." He said, slipping his phone into his pocket as he stood beside the red Buick Envision.
    I have to stop for a minute and stare at the genuine statement. Nico is always full of jokes so to hear him be so legit when speaking is odd.
    "Yeah sure. Whatever." I sort of muttered before hopping into the drivers seat, internally groaning when I felt my hands starting to tremble. I just got into the car and I'm already feeling the anxiety creeping up.
    Welp. Shit.
    I anxiously popped my fingers as I sat in the driver's seat, twisting my neck a bit to attempt popping it before just giving up. I didn't want to look weird twitching around in my seat like that so I forced myself to stop. It wasn't too hard stopping the fidgets, but it felt like it made me shake more. After double checking, I knew I wasn't but it still felt like I was.
    "Ready?" I asked Nico, glancing over at him as I pulled my seatbelt across my body and locked it into place.
    "Yep Yep." He answered, just as cheery as ever, happily pulling his seat belt over his chest.
    "Alright. Where am I going?"
    "Jefferson Street."
    "Like, really far out by the skatepark Jefferson street?" I asked. There really was probably only one Jefferson street in our small town but, better to ask than get myself lost and be seen as annoying.
    "That's the one." He responds, shooting me finger guns as he pulls his phone out of his jacket pocket.
    "Got it." I hummed, flicking on the radio to some random station before and shaking out my hands.
    "You can pick the music if you want, I really don't care." I shrugged. I was too anxious to really listen to the radio anyways.
    "Bet." He said happily, leaning forward a bit to scroll through the radio stations.
    The word made me roll my eyes a bit.
    Bet. It sounded funny sometimes.
    Although I thought the word sounded a little dumb, it did help me relax just enough to start driving.
    I carefully pulled out of the driveway before starting to drive down the street.
    Our town really wasn't big. Not at all. Due to my mostly irrational fear of driving, I just walk everywhere or catch a ride with my friends. So, although our town was extraordinarily small and there were very few cars driving ever, it still made me anxious driving around with someone else in the car.
    The car ride was mostly silent other than the radio and the faint crunchy sound of rocks and concrete beneath my tires.
    "You good?" I hear Nico's voice speak from beside me.
    I threw him a small glance. I could barely see him past the hair hanging by my face, but I saw enough. He didn't look too serious but, I could tell the question was genuine. Or at least was supposed to sound like it.
    "Yeah? Why?" I asked, focusing up on the road again.
    "Because, I can see your hands shaking from how tightly you're holding the steering wheel." He states, laughing lightly.
    With a quick glance down at my hands, I noticed he was right. My knuckles were all white and my arms were starting to hurt a bit from how much they trembled.
    "Oh shit." I muttered, loosening my grip on the wheel.
    "You good?" He asked again, clearly not satisfied with my previous answer.
    "Yeah yeah, I'm alright." I answered, shaking out my right hand then the left before focusing on the road again.
    I could feel him staring at me. He's probably not too impressed with my stubbornness. Luckily, he didn't press further. It still felt like he was watching me though.
    We made it to his street fairly easily. You would think that since homecoming was tonight, there'd be more people out getting stuff done and ready since homecoming means a lot to most people. However, the town seemed pretty dead. I spotted a couple kids from school walking around but, very few
    "Alright, I'm on the right at the end pretty much. Right before you turn onto the next street." He said, moving his hands around in front of him to direct better. I didn't need to see his hands to get where to go, but I thought it was kind of cool.
Cool? Cute? Nice? What is the right word to use here?
    I shrugged it off as I drove us down the street, slowing down to make sure I didn't crash into anything.
    I slowed once I reached a house I was pretty sure was his.
    "This one, right?" I asked.
    "Yeah." He said, a faint sigh slipping with the word.
    Nico's house was lowkey huge. It was no mansion of course, but it did have two stories. Most of the houses on this street did, but I guess I just didn't think that Nico would have a big house like this. He doesn't even seem like the type to hang at home often. If I had a house like this, I'd probably never leave it. But, that's probably just me.
    Considering how big the house was, it seemed pretty empty. There were three vehicles there in the driveway. Two pickups and a motorcycle. The trucks were very simplistic black vehicles while the motorcycle was a shiny, maroon color. They really stood out in front of the soft white house. The house really didn't look too special compared to the other houses. There were no big trees and plants. No door mats or door decorations. It was just the house really.
    "Welp, here we are." I said, tapping my fingers along the leather steering wheel
    "Yeah." Nico hummed. He seemed focused on the cars in the driveway before he slowly sighed, combing his fingers through his messy, black hair.
    "Uhm, again, thanks for letting me stay the night without killing me or anything." He chuckles, sliding his phone into his pocket before opening the car door.
    "Yeah, sure. Warning though, if this happens again I might actually have to kill you that time." I joked, smiling lightly at the way he chuckled and playfully glared.
    I watched silently as he shut the door behind him and jogged up to the front door. He turned back to give a small wave before disappearing into the house.
    I sat in the car for a minute or two, settling my anxious hands before starting the short drive back home.