The Forth Wall

There's A New Juliet In Town

The ride to school was completely silent, as Sherlock had expected. Not only was the awkwardness almost too much to bear, but no one had energy enough to try to break the wall of silence that was growing ever stronger in between them. Sherlock was resting his head against the front headrest, his bag thrown onto the seat next to him and his limbs dangling heavily whenever they felt the most comfortable. Victor was leaning up against the passenger seat window, all the while Mycroft was trying to keep his eyes open long enough for them not to wreck his fancy sports car. His pure stubbornness kept his attention peaked long enough for them to arrive safely outside of the school, and after a chorus of rather awkward goodbyes (the second set of goodbyes they had made now within a three hour period) the two sleep deprived boys stumbled into the school hallways, too exhausted now to notice a strange irregularity with the student body. Since Sherlock's eyes were on the floor the whole time (since his neck was too tired to support the full weight of his head) he didn't notice that everyone else's attention was focused on him, and through the ringing in his ears he couldn't hear their laughter. It wasn't every day that he was the center of attention, though this morning he didn't notice any difference in the way the school felt, considering the floors looked exactly the same no matter what was on the general public's mind. It was only after he got to his locker that Sherlock noticed two stapled pieces of paper taped to the outside metal, billowing softly with the conjured breeze of the tight hallways and looking extremely out of place. Sherlock blinked, catching Victor's arm before he could scurry off to his locker and ignore the whole situation.
"What's this?" Sherlock grumbled, first scanning the other lockers to see if they too were hosting a strange decoration. Sometimes clubs would advertise their events in this strange fashion, though since Sherlock's was the only one decorated it seemed highly unlikely that this had anything to do with a school fundraiser. He hesitated, though quickly he snatched the paper off of the locker door and began to squint towards the tiny text, written out in some strange font and printed directly from an obscure website. The advertisements had come along with the formatting, blocks on both sides depicting Click Bait articles and anime themed computer games, all of the typical junk that was advertised alongside of strange websites and questionable tastes... Sherlock struggled to read the fine printed text, though the bolded title at the top was enough to make his heart pause its usual rhythm. First Kiss with A Footballer. The title seemed straight forward enough, so clear that Sherlock had to rip his eyes away and stare instead at the lockers in front of him, terrified to continue on with the rest of the story. He tried to get his mind put together, hoping and praying that he wasn't able to predict what the rest of the text had to present to him.
"Looks like an article off Google Scholar." Victor suggested, though from his distance away he obviously couldn't make out the full title. It was only until Sherlock read on, recognizing his own name within the first couple of lines, that he realized the full meaning of this dreaded paper. It wasn't a scholarly article; it wasn't even a ransom note. It was a depiction, a perfectly accurate depiction, of his interaction with John Watson under the football bleachers. It had their meeting, their kissing, and their conversation, everything to the letter! It even discussed their plan on hitting Victor, and ended as Sherlock took off with his brother in the car. Things were described in here that he hadn't realized were being documented, moments when he considered himself completely in control...
"Oh my God." Sherlock whispered, folding the paper over in his hands as his face lost all color.
"Show me already!" Victor demanded, jumping up and down behind Sherlock's shoulder in an effort to glimpse at a single word.
"It's um...nothing. Cookie recipe." Sherlock lied quickly, his voice struggling to maintain its usual octave.
"Cookie recipes aren't that long." Victor protested in his little squeak, for his confidence was dwindling when he realized his request would not be granted. Sherlock shoved the paper into his jacket pocket, shaking from head to toe now that he realized he wasn't just being controlled, he was also being watched. What was this, had they been watched the whole time? Was someone documenting the interaction with the sole intention of publishing it, therefore ruining their reputations and humiliating them in front of the entire school? Who would do such a thing, and who would post it online?
"I need to find John." Sherlock whispered, quietly enough so that he could keep his own determination to himself. Though victor's ears were sharp, and at the name of John Watson he perked up in newfound interest.
"What does it have to do with him?" Victor scoffed. Sherlock sighed, running his hands through his curls and examining the hallway again, this time noticing that everyone was staring directly at him. They were hiding behind their lockers, inside of doorways, or behind large clumps of oblivious people, but they were watching. And, with the audacity of one hundred men, they were actually daring to laugh!
"I think you'll find out soon enough." Sherlock promised, and with that he swept away, not even bothering to arrange his things within his locker. Instead he raced towards the bathroom, the only place he was guaranteed any privacy, and locked himself in the furthest stall. The bathroom seemed to be empty, and so it made a perfect place for him to dump his backpack on the floor and rip the document back out of his pocket, this time trying to read with an open mind, trying to process every detail. But he didn't need to read it, the farther he got the more he realized that he had lived this piece of writing; he had experienced it all firsthand! It was his name, his face, his actions, his words! Everything that had happened between him and John throughout that hour of time all those weeks ago was printed here next to the link to an article about alien conspiracies! What was this, some sort of fanfiction? Or was it pure documentation, the aftermath of some serious stalker work? Sherlock winced as he read the kiss, presented in such vivid detail, describing not only his actions but his emotions throughout the entire episode! How could an observer know exactly what was going on inside of his head, how could they have read his thoughts throughout the entire ordeal? Anxiously Sherlock grabbed his phone from his pocket, wiping away the sweat that was beginning to accumulate on his upper brow. He felt trapped within this small stall, this plastic prison, though he knew it was better than submitting himself to the outside world. Those gazes, those minds which all held his most intimate moments, those eyes who had read the most accurate depiction of his first kiss! How could he bear it, how could he face them? Anxiously he texted John, warning him about the story and insisting they meet to discuss. The only option both of them had at the moment was to deny the whole interaction, but for someone like Victor, who knew that their relationship had been going on for longer than he realized, would be incredibly hard to convince. But how could Sherlock let him in on the whole story, knowing now just how ridiculous it all seemed? A witch was a much easier theory to believe, but now Sherlock had to tell himself that he was trapped within...within some teenaged girl's fantasy series? It was too much to handle, though he knew that he would have to keep up his image nonetheless. The worse he reacted the more believable the story became, and if Sherlock wanted to protect his and John's reputations then he would have to discredit the whole story and keep his head held high. To see such a powerful boy reduced to a mere shrivel by a printed article would be telling enough for all of the eyes which were now watching. His reaction alone would prove to them the sincerity of it all. If Sherlock acted as if he had been struck by a hammer then they would know there was more going on! If he looked as if his secret had been betrayed then the true connotation of this paper would be revealed! As much as it would hurt, Sherlock had to laugh this off. He had to discredit the article before it gained more momentum throughout the school, and before anyone had the chance to wonder the truth behind the kiss Sherlock had to insist that it never happened. Only then could he make sure he lived to tell the story, even though it would seem as though the story had already been told.
"Sherlock, Sherlock are you in here?" called Jeanette's worried voice from the outside of the bathroom.
"What, Jeanette?" Sherlock scoffed, grabbing his backpack and escaping from his bathroom stall. He opened the door to find Jeanette leaning against the water fountains, her backpack dangling from one shoulder and her worried face hidden behind a thick veil of unruly hair.
"Victor told me you were hiding." Jeanette explained with a little shrug, as if that was reason enough for her presence. Sherlock shrugged, but nodded stiffly. Looking around he saw that the hallways were mostly empty, it was only two minutes to the bell and it would seem as if everyone was already in their first block class.
"Ya well, I seem to be the center of attention this morning." Sherlock grumbled truthfully.
"You're always the center of attention, Sherlock. You're beautiful." Jeanette pointed out with a little poke, starting her way down the hall towards their mutual English class.
"I wish it was just that." Sherlock sighed miserably.
"I haven't heard anything." Jeanette assured.
"Not yet, but you will. By this afternoon I'm sure everyone will know. I'm sure the staff will know." Sherlock groaned, sulking into a hunched position so as to hide his face from the on looking world.
"Now don't leave me in that sort of suspense!" Jeanette protested anxiously, nearly bouncing up and down in her enthusiasm to hear the full story. Sherlock sighed, though he figured it would be better for her to hear it from him rather than from outside source, one who might want to skew the details a little bit. Instead of speaking he merely shoved the paper in her direction, allowing the girl to read over the first couple of lines for herself.
"Oh God, what is this, a fanfiction?" she laughed, skimming over the rest of the work and chuckling quietly to herself.
"It would appear to be." Sherlock agreed miserably.
"About you and John Watson? Hysterical!" Jeanette broke into a fit of laughter, though eventually handed the paper back to Sherlock for his own safe keeping.
"It's not hysterical, it's humiliating! Why would anyone write something like this, and why would they post it online?" Sherlock tried to keep his arguments perfectly neutral, not daring to admit the true reasoning behind his utmost dread. From anyone else's perspective this was only an embarrassing slander, without truth in a single word. Though to Sherlock and John there was a much bigger problem to be addressed, one which focused on their lack of privacy and lack of control. Was it really that they were trapped in some falsified world, one that was created by one of their classmates as a sick hobby or a cruel joke? The two made their way down to the English classroom in a mournful march, Sherlock's head now so reclined that he was staring into his own chest rather than at the floor. It was all he could do to avoid attention, though even as he passed the windows of the classrooms he could see excited, laughing faces from the inside. They were watching him as he paced the empty hallways, as if he was a zoo animal on display for their enjoyment! Jeanette was still laughing as she opened the English room door, though her laughter was only matched when Sherlock appeared into the mutual class. Cruel laughter from both sides of the room erupted, the nerds and theater kids chuckling to themselves to see Sherlock's humiliated face, and the jocks slapping John on the back of the head and doubling over in hysterical hoots to see just how red his skin could go
"Romeo and Juliet, here in person!" Mike Stamford exclaimed, to which John gave a hiss and slapped him right across the face. Sherlock slunk towards his chair, keeping his head down and his jaw clenched, wishing that John had used more common sense than he had and avoided this class all together. He knew it would be volatile to put the two of them in the room together, but he had no idea that their only allies would be each other! To everyone this was some big joke, the first unitary prank played on both sides consecutively. Both of their leaders were being slandered, though the joke was shared in the humiliation of them both. Even Sherlock's closest allies were chuckling at the look on his face, and John's best friends were howling at the idea of their secret relationship. It was only the two love birds who had to remain silent, mumbling their denials under the breaths for an audience that would not dare to listen.
"We do have both leading roles in our class, don't we?" Mrs. Turner asked excitedly, trying to become part of the excitement now as the class showed more energy than they ever had in the past morning classes.
"We sure do!" piped in one of the quietest computer nerds in the whole school. Sherlock even turned to make sure it really was that boy, considering he had never heard him speak in the past.
"Sherlock, Jeanette, any plugs you can make for the upcoming show? It is this coming weekend, is it not?" Mrs. Turner asked politely. Sherlock let his head fall onto the desk, now making it very obvious how much he wanted to avoid all eye contact with his peers. The class exploded into more laughter, and still Mrs. Turner stood enthusiastically in the middle of the room, clapping her hands together in polite encouragement as she fended for the arts rather blindly.
"Ma'am, we don't care about their silly little play. It's a different star struck romance we're interested in. Here, actually, have a copy! You like literature, don't you?" piped up Stanley Hopkins from the seat closest to eh teacher, waving around a familiar two paged copy.
"Don't give it to her!" John wailed, trying to smack the paper out of Stanley's hand before Mrs. Turner could intercept it. Sherlock gave a groan of defeat, seeing now that the story was safely within the woman's grasp. Even she couldn't contain her curiosity, and despite John's protests her eyes began to scan the opening lines.
"Oh dear!" she exclaimed at last, tucking the paper to her chest as if trying to hide the rest of the words from the class. "What is this, some sickening imaginary piece?"
"It's bullying, that's what it is! Arrest him!" Sherlock exclaimed, jabbing his finger accusingly at Stanley, who only slithered innocently into his chair.
"This will have to be reported to the guidance counselors." She agreed with a stiff nod. "This is a terrible thing to do, and a direct attack on two fine young men!"
"Thank you Mrs. Turner!" John exclaimed in his own defense. Sherlock noticed, however, that despite the woman's direct defiance to the work she didn't seem to want to give it up. In fact she kept that paper clenched within her fingers, so tightly that she seemed to feel the need to defend it from anyone who might want to steal it back. Perhaps she was intrigued, despite her more public reaction.
"Oh but it's a match made in Heaven, Mrs. Turner. Obviously someone saw it before any of us, but our eyes are open!" Mike teased.
"Jeanette should be worried about her leading role, now that there's a new Juliet in town." agreed another quiet boy, an extra in their upcoming show. Sherlock hissed at him, surprised to see such vocal agreement from those he had assumed were on his side throughout his four years in high school.
"Oh stop this, all of you stop! We must focus on real literature, the works of Shakespeare not of... WriterGirl505." Mrs. Turner had to reference the pages once again for this obscure username, though in her quick call out she revealed information that Sherlock had not thought to examine. The username, of course! If this was online then there must have been an author, someone who was responsible not only for writing this work but posting it for all to see! A crazy fanatic, one dedicated to seeing her favorite pairing in the school become a reality!
"Or you could read us that one." Mike suggested. "Better yet, we can do a theatrical representation!"
"Mike, I'll throttle you." John warned.
"No violence, stop this!" Mrs. Turner wailed, trying to bring order back into her classroom that had fallen to chaos. "Now put those copies away, all of you, and stop ogling at your peers! We are almost finished with A Midsummer Night's Dream and I want all of you to pay attention! This is the best part, after all."
"Good luck with that." Jeanette muttered under her breath, already shooting some sour looks to Stanley who was making kissing faces from his seat towards where Sherlock was bent over, trying to avoid every external stimulus. He would love to think about Shakespeare right now, but of course he couldn't! Not when John was seated directly in front of him, pondering the same questions that were constantly repeating in his mind! John knew the true significance, just as Sherlock had; John lived through the entire event himself. Surely he must have read through it and realized its terrifying accuracy? He must be pondering the interpretations, the meanings behind such a piece of writing! And yet it was all the boys could do but pretend the other didn't exist, it was all they could do but deny the entire thing. Keep their heads down, their cheeks red, and their lips ready with words of denial! Anything to keep the school fixated on this work of fiction. If they believed they were tormenting the boys with the idea of a relationship then they might be able to get by unscathed, though the moment it came into anyone's head that there was a true meaning behind it, a collusion that had been going on now for longer than they realized, that was when the pedestals fell. John would be eaten alive by his own friends, and Sherlock would be banished for fraternizing with the enemy! The hope of uniting the two sides would be dissolved by cruel acts of domestic violence, until both Sherlock and John found themselves excluded from those who they thought were their friends. This fanfiction only hinted at the true reaction of either side, those who joked about it rather than tried to see the legitimate truth. They chortled and laughed at the idea of a 'perfect relationship' though if they were to be presented with the true pairing in this real world then their support would be washed away with utter shock. No one would want to see the real thing, for it was much too entertaining to make fun of the idea of it. Once the relationship turned to reality, well certainly no one would be laughing anymore.