Maybe This Time: Part Five
I'm back with part five. I hope you enjoy it! I'd love to hear your feedback.
I snuck out of the house as quietly as I could.
On the way down the stairs and out of the house, I thought about how awkward it would be to talk to Johnny again.
But that all went away the instant he grabbed me and hugged me.
Johnny always was good at making things comfortable that way.
I was so happy to see him again. I was surprised by how much I had missed him. I mean, I knew it, but I had managed to push it out of my mind that last while.
Things hadn't been going well for him.
There had been a growing number of people who feared and opposed the existence of alien sims, and some had started to act with violence.
One of these groups had shown up at Johnny's house, looking for his father.
There had been a fight, and Johnny's father ended up in the hospital. It didn't look good.
Johnny's mother had made him hide away while this was happening, and he felt guilty that he didn't help his Dad at all. He was also scared his father was going to die. His mother was afraid too, and she decided to send him away, just in case the mob came back.
The first thing he did was look for me.
"Where will you go?" I asked him. We both knew he wouldn't be able to stay with us. The General hated aliens more than anything else.
"I don't know. Maybe look for Ophelia. Try to find her and help her."
So he didn't know where she was either. I had hoped he would.
I didn't want us to get caught out there, so we hid in the garage.
I told him to stay there and sleep in the space above the garage for the night. He needed to rest.
I helped him set up a sleeping bag. Then we sort of just stood around there for a while, not really knowing what to do. I didn't really know what else to say.
"You didn't call me," he said.
"No."
"I'm not surprised, I guess, but I don't know... I thought you would."
He went silent, looking down at the floorboards, and I realized that he had started to cry.
"Shit... I just..."
I reached over and touched his shoulder, but that only seemed to make it worse.
"Johnny..."
I pulled him closer to hug him, and I just held him there. I didn't know what else to do. I didn't want him to feel like that.
He reached his hand up into my hair, stroking it. He ran it over my face. He turned his head up to look at me. "I've missed you."
"Yeah."
His lips moved closer to mine, and then he was kissing me. I was kissing him back.
"I'm sorry," he said.
He ran his lips over my face and down my neck.
"I'm sorry."
What could I say? I didn't say anything.
He stopped, and stepped back from me. He didn't say anything else, but his face... there was just this look.
I kissed him again, with more force, more intention this time.
I don't know why, but I just did.
We fell back down onto the sleeping bag, and things just sort of went from there.
I hadn't planned to let that happen again, but he was so sad, and he wanted to be with me. He wanted it so badly.
So I gave it to him.
Before you start thinking anything, I didn't do that. It was just like before, sort of, except I was the one... well, you know. I didn't just lie there and let it happen. I guess it'd be hard to deny now, what I did.
But who are you to judge me? I don't give a fuck about what you think. I don't care what anyone thinks of me.
Johnny Smith is my best friend, and nobody cares about me half as much as he does.
He loves me.
"I think... I think I love you, Ripp." That was exactly how he said it, lying next to me on the sleeping bag. I didn't say it back, but I held him close to me. In the morning, he was going to go out into the world, all alone, and I wanted him to know that he at least had me. I cared about him. I wanted him to know that.
I just couldn't say so. Not in words.
I do care about him. I hoped he'd be okay. I hoped he'd find Ophelia too. The thought of her out there all alone, possibly unhappy or unsafe, made me sick with worry.
I didn't really sleep at all. I was afraid I wouldn't wake up before sunrise. I just waited, while he slept, and then I got him up again and helped him get ready to go on his way. We didn't say much. We sort of just went on as if it had been no big deal, just like always.
And then I saw him off.
I'll admit, I was really sad to see him go. Part of me wanted to just drop everything and go with him.
Maybe I should have.
Instead, I went back into the house, careful not to make a sound. It wasn't the first time I'd snuck out of the house, so I knew all the tricks. I just needed to get back in bed without making any noise and everything would be fine. Nobody would have any idea.
"Did you have a good night?"
It was my father, The General.
He was waiting up on me to get home.
I snuck out of the house as quietly as I could.
On the way down the stairs and out of the house, I thought about how awkward it would be to talk to Johnny again.
But that all went away the instant he grabbed me and hugged me.
Johnny always was good at making things comfortable that way.
I was so happy to see him again. I was surprised by how much I had missed him. I mean, I knew it, but I had managed to push it out of my mind that last while.
Things hadn't been going well for him.
There had been a growing number of people who feared and opposed the existence of alien sims, and some had started to act with violence.
One of these groups had shown up at Johnny's house, looking for his father.
There had been a fight, and Johnny's father ended up in the hospital. It didn't look good.
Johnny's mother had made him hide away while this was happening, and he felt guilty that he didn't help his Dad at all. He was also scared his father was going to die. His mother was afraid too, and she decided to send him away, just in case the mob came back.
The first thing he did was look for me.
"Where will you go?" I asked him. We both knew he wouldn't be able to stay with us. The General hated aliens more than anything else.
"I don't know. Maybe look for Ophelia. Try to find her and help her."
So he didn't know where she was either. I had hoped he would.
I didn't want us to get caught out there, so we hid in the garage.
I told him to stay there and sleep in the space above the garage for the night. He needed to rest.
I helped him set up a sleeping bag. Then we sort of just stood around there for a while, not really knowing what to do. I didn't really know what else to say.
"You didn't call me," he said.
"No."
"I'm not surprised, I guess, but I don't know... I thought you would."
He went silent, looking down at the floorboards, and I realized that he had started to cry.
"Shit... I just..."
I reached over and touched his shoulder, but that only seemed to make it worse.
"Johnny..."
I pulled him closer to hug him, and I just held him there. I didn't know what else to do. I didn't want him to feel like that.
He reached his hand up into my hair, stroking it. He ran it over my face. He turned his head up to look at me. "I've missed you."
"Yeah."
His lips moved closer to mine, and then he was kissing me. I was kissing him back.
"I'm sorry," he said.
He ran his lips over my face and down my neck.
"I'm sorry."
What could I say? I didn't say anything.
He stopped, and stepped back from me. He didn't say anything else, but his face... there was just this look.
I kissed him again, with more force, more intention this time.
I don't know why, but I just did.
We fell back down onto the sleeping bag, and things just sort of went from there.
I hadn't planned to let that happen again, but he was so sad, and he wanted to be with me. He wanted it so badly.
So I gave it to him.
Before you start thinking anything, I didn't do that. It was just like before, sort of, except I was the one... well, you know. I didn't just lie there and let it happen. I guess it'd be hard to deny now, what I did.
But who are you to judge me? I don't give a fuck about what you think. I don't care what anyone thinks of me.
Johnny Smith is my best friend, and nobody cares about me half as much as he does.
He loves me.
"I think... I think I love you, Ripp." That was exactly how he said it, lying next to me on the sleeping bag. I didn't say it back, but I held him close to me. In the morning, he was going to go out into the world, all alone, and I wanted him to know that he at least had me. I cared about him. I wanted him to know that.
I just couldn't say so. Not in words.
I do care about him. I hoped he'd be okay. I hoped he'd find Ophelia too. The thought of her out there all alone, possibly unhappy or unsafe, made me sick with worry.
I didn't really sleep at all. I was afraid I wouldn't wake up before sunrise. I just waited, while he slept, and then I got him up again and helped him get ready to go on his way. We didn't say much. We sort of just went on as if it had been no big deal, just like always.
And then I saw him off.
I'll admit, I was really sad to see him go. Part of me wanted to just drop everything and go with him.
Maybe I should have.
Instead, I went back into the house, careful not to make a sound. It wasn't the first time I'd snuck out of the house, so I knew all the tricks. I just needed to get back in bed without making any noise and everything would be fine. Nobody would have any idea.
"Did you have a good night?"
It was my father, The General.
He was waiting up on me to get home.