Relax, Slim Shady, it's a party.

Johnny DiMarco. Degrassi class of 2008. Freshman at TU. Better hair.

[ravinejohnny-blog]

❖ you are water 12 feet deep.

BACKWOODS: stared back at him, knowing very well that she needed to be on his side if he was going to be on hers. She couldn't look down on the idea of Kayla if she was trying to play nice with Johnny. After all this time apart, and given what they had gone through when they were together last, they deserved a bit of peace in their relationship. She nodded as he thanked her, happy to make him happy, too. Though she knew that wouldn't last, given that they both had a very different idea of how the next few days would go for Alli. She watched as he left to go to Kayla's room, silently praying that it would all work. As he was gone, she took the time to look around his room for any hint of the person he was today. From what she saw, he was still very much like the person she knew the year previous -- and that was the guy he had hidden from the rest of the school. The smart guy, the one who was interested in books of all kinds, and that was evident by the stack on his desk. It wasn't long before he returned, and she took that as a good sign. Her face lit up as he gave her the answer, and she nodded. "Right, yeah, one night," she agreed, taking a deep breath and standing up. "Then.. I'll go somewhere," she offered, shrugging her shoulders. This would at least give her the night to figure out a plan. Home wasn't an option for her, she knew that much, and talking to her parents or Sav was the last thing she wanted to do. "Thank you so much, Johnny," she exclaimed, walking up to him and wrapping her arms around him once more. "You were always the only person to understand me," she said, her voice a bit softer now as she decided to pull away from him. Looking up, she offered a small smile, mouthing another thanks.

JOHNATHON GEORGE: was hardly convinced that this was an idea he should have been on board with, but that didn't stop him from being coerced. It was an Alli expertise; the girl always able to sway he and other males alike to oblige her. Time couldn't fix everything. He couldn't say he had expected Kayla to go along with the odd arrangement, and even with her half-hearted blessing, he didn't know whether he was relieved. He wasn't going to kick Alli out on the streets, that much was certain, but he couldn't held but to be leery. With a sigh, he attempted to make the most of it, biting the inside of his lip as Alli expressed her gratuity. "I'd say you should be thanking Kayla, but I doubt that's the wisest bet for any of us. But you're welcome." Gently returning the embrace, one hand lifted through his hair, heavily brushing back the strands. "You're welcome," he repeated, his tone more sincere this time around, even accompanied by a similar smile. A slew of moments passed, Johnny lost for words in the silence. "So... blonde was the best you could do?"

[ravinejohnny-blog]

❖ you are water 12 feet deep.

BACKWOODS: blinked at him, confused by his suggestion. It didn't matter what kind of interests the girl had; she automatically didn't like her because she was dating her first love. Her first everything, really -- but she wasn't going to dwell on that. "Oh, I'm sure I'd love her," she responded, a bit more sarcastically than she had planned, but at least she tried. Selfishly, she had to wonder if the girl was anything like her and if she could blame his new found love interest on him being hung up on herself still. Considering her fate for the night was on this Kayla girl, she was willing to give it a try regardless. "I'm sure she's great if you like her," she said, a bit more serious now. She sighed, patting her knees and looking forward as she thought about it. Of course she wouldn't want her boyfriend's ex spending the night in her room. That sounded like a bad nightmare she had many times when she found out about Johnny's past in the first place. "Fine," she muttered. She watched as he faltered with her stare, happy to still have somewhat of an effect on him. "Thank you, Johnny. Really, thank you. I'll take it." Just by that alone, she could tell he had changed, given that he would have never let a girl decide his fate for him before, or at least that's what she had assumed the many times he turned her down for her own wishes. Still, she admired him -- even more now as she saw him in the university environment. "I think it might be nice for us to catch up anyway, you know," she commented, taking a deep breath.

JOHNATHON GEORGE: knew that it was a lost cause before he even uttered it that Alli would ever like Kayla - or any girl in his life that wasn't her. He often times wondered where Alli stood on their friendship now that so much time had passed, but he saw it to be dangerous territory to tread into if he were to ask. It was unrealistic for him to never seek out another mate after the breakup, and all the same he'd be happy for Alli if she found someone new -though from her rushed explanation, she already had, not that he had worked out. He cringed inwardly at the tone she used, regretting bringing the girlfriend up to begin with, but that soon passed as Alli changed her tune. Whether it was for genuine reasons or not remained to be seen, but he would take what he could get if it meant Kayla not being dragged through the mud. "Thank you," he murmured, more so for the effort than the sentiment itself. Nodding softly, he took her words to heart, noting that it did sound nice to be on the same page for the first time in months. Casual checkins and updates were fine to keep their friendship afloat, but really the two didn't know each other anymore, and it wouldn't hurt to be filled in. Sighing softly, he pushed to his feet, offering her a finger to signify he needed a moment before slipping out of the door. Knocking on Kayla's just a moment after, he knew he surely looked like a lost puppy from the moment she answered. He explain the situation as best as he could, and with some pleading (and Alli's own sad eyed tehnique), got the okay. Thanking his girlfriend with a kiss, he returned to his own dorm, closing the door behind him. "One night," he said sternly. "And then you have to go home, or at least call. Deal?"

[ravinejohnny-blog]

❖ you are water 12 feet deep.

BACKWOODS: waited for him to answer her initial question, and her nerves only grew the longer it was put off. It didn't matter if he didn't let her stay here; she would find somewhere else to go that wasn't the Bhandari residence. But as he answered her next question instead, it was almost worse than the negative outcome of the first question. "Girlfriend?" she blurted out in confusion, as if they were still together. She quickly reeled herself back in though, realizing just how obnoxious she was in the split second. "Oh," she said, now speaking in a much calmer voice. "I didn't.. realize." Patting her knees with her hands, she glanced around awkwardly. "Can't you just tell her you're helping a friend? That's what you'd be doing." Back to it, she turned to him, shooting him the same puppy dog eyes she had given him many times in the past (usually succeeding with them, too). "Please, Johnny. I wouldn't normally ask you so much, but I need this. At least for tonight.. I just need a place to stay that isn't home. Or.. whatever that is." Clasping her hands together, she stared up at him and waited.

JOHNATHON GEORGE: wasn't sure what to expect as he let Alli in on a part of him he hadn't previously disclosed. It wasn't as if Kayla was a secret; he would have come clean if he was asked directly, but in the meantime he didn't see fit cause to make mention and potentially upset Alli - a fate that seemed to be in motion already. He could never be sure how antiquated Alli's feelings were for him, so to protect the flame she might have still been harboring, he left well enough alone, until now. Swallowing softly, he nodded, unable to gauge her quick shift in mood, but still treading water. "Yeah, she's into science too, you'd probably like her," he offered, though his doubt was sufficient that the two wouldn't be the best of friends anytime soon. Her request was sensible enough to him, but he wasn't convinced that his significant other would see it in such light. "I know that, but put yourself in her shoes, would you be eager to let my ex stay in my dorm room with me?" His resolve crumbled to nothing as she turned on the signature and begrudging to him charm, and suddenly he knew he wouldn't be winning this war. Sighing audibly, he lifted a hand to his forehead, rubbing the forming ache. "All I can do is talk to her, but if she's not cool with it, I can't go against her wishes."

[ravinejohnny-blog]

❖ you are water 12 feet deep.

BACKWOODS: looked up at him, helplessly and almost hurt by his words. She knew she couldn't expect him to immediately understand or drop everything to help her, but a big part of her wanted to believe that it was as simple as that. She shook her head along to his words, knowing that was the very last thing she could do. She couldn't go home now. At this point, they didn't even know she was missing and it would have all been for nothing. But one of his words stuck out to her, and she squinted at him in confusion. "Okay, first of all -- they don't even know I'm gone yet. Can I just stay here for the night? Until I figure out where to go?" she wasn't backing down and definitely wasn't planning to return home. "And second of all.. who is Kayla and why would she freak?" she questioned, staring at him blankly.

JOHNATHON GEORGE: was losing resolve as the moments ticked away, still so naturally inclined to protect the girl after all this time. If the situation was more logical, he'd do what he could to help her climb out of the hole she'd dug herself into, but he was scrambling to find a solution she'd accept, so far losing that battle by a landslide. Her request was one he didn't have an immediate answer for, knowing it wasn't a wise idea, but not wanting to turn her away to wander the streets. Hesitating, he realized the crucial bit of information he'd released, taking pause to consider how poorly she'd handle the elaboration. "Kayla is... my girlfriend."

[ravinejohnny-blog]

❖ you are water 12 feet deep.

BACKWOODS: looked up at him, terrified to know what he really thought of all of this. For so long, he had been the only person whose opinions mattered. And even now that they had spent so much time apart and they had both changed, being in front of him didn't change that. Taking a deep breath, she made her best attempt to answer his question. "Because.. even after everything. Everything that's happened between you and I and everything that's happened since you left.. you're the only person I want to talk to right now. Or see, or be with, or.. anything," she admitted, shrugging her shoulders as if defeated. Her mind had run through all her options and everything came back to Johnny. He had been on her mind all year, being the pushing factor in all her new experiments in order to get her mind off of him, though that clearly hadn't worked. And she was starting to believe there was no reason it should have.

JOHNATHON GEORGE: knew this wasn't an easy battle to be won; they never were with Alli, he'd come to learn that a long time ago. He could understand her not wanting to be home, but this was a sticky situation if he ever knew one, and he didn't know how to get her out of it-and now himself. "Okay, but... you know you can't stay here, right? I'd prefer you go home altogether; your parents are probably losing their minds right now, but I know how stubborn you are, so I doubt I can really convince you of that. But you're not even a student here, and Kayla would freak, and you can't just hide away for the rest of your life." It wasn't as though he wanted her out of his life, because that wasn't the case, but it truly was illogical for a dorm room, least of all Johnny's, to be Alli's stowaway.

[ravinejohnny-blog]

❖ you are water 12 feet deep.

BACKWOODS: gulped, long eyelashes fluttering slowly as she looked back up at him. "I'll tell you, but I don't want you to think any differently of me. And I just.. hope you believe me," she sighed, clasping her hands together as she looked straight ahead rather than at Johnny. "I had a boyfriend, and I thought he was perfect.." She cringed at the word, though it was really what she thought at one point. "But I didn't want to give him what he wanted, so he got it from someone else," she stated, letting out a sigh before she looked over at him, giving him a knowing look and hoping he could gather what she was saying, though her words were vague as she still had difficulty actually speaking about it. Her nose scrunched up at the thought of Drew, her very own stink face taking over her features, though she pressed forward. "I found out at a dance and I was really, really mad, and I wanted to get him back.. so I was going to.. hook up with this other guy," she started, only cringing more at the thought of the dirty, skeevy Owen Milligan. "But I couldn't go through with it, and I tried to leave and he didn't really.. allow it, until someone else came in, and.. now everyone's finally over Backwoods Bhandari and has moved on to Boiler Room Bhandari, so so much for my new reputation," she shrugged, letting her hands fall down against her thighs as she spoke more so to herself than him. "That clear it up, mostly?" she questioned, staring back timidly at him.

JOHNATHON GEORGE: wasn't sure how to take Alli's conditions, but if he was to ever know what wound her up in his dorm, he didn't have much choice but to accept. He stayed quiet, peering cautiously in her direction, a silent agreement for her to go on. He almost wished he hadn't pursued an explanation, the one he received giving him unsettle. Alli was a drama magnet, whether she ever intended for the bad situations to occur- which she usually didn't, but this was a severe solution, even for her. He didn't like to hear the details surrounding her problems, and though she had no faces to place to names or descriptions, he already disliked the boys she spoke of. "Just about," he nodded to himself, already earning a bad feeling about it all. "But what I'm still not understanding is why you came here."

[ravinejohnny-blog]

❖ you are water 12 feet deep.

BACKWOODS: followed him over to his bed, taking a seat with him and trying to remain as calm as possible. She listened, ready to come back with whatever she needed to say to make him understand. But as he reached for his phone, her eyes widened, and she instantly reached over to grab his phone. As she did, she threw it back on the bed and shook her head. "No, you don't get it. They'll never understand if I give in like that. Maybe running away will make it worse but at least they'll understand what I'm going through," she sighed, leaning forward now and propping her self up by her elbows on her lap, covering her face. "I messed up a lot this year, Johnny. Maybe worse than last year, I don't know," she shrugged, finding it all was blurry together now. "My parents have always thought of me as their perfect little daughter and it's been way too difficult to fit their mold. You know how it's been," she mentioned, looking up at him again and sighing. "But now all they think of me is some kind of floozy, which isn't fair, because I didn't even have sex with those other guys--" she started, immediately growing red as soon as she realized what she said, possibly opening up too much too soon as she thought back to the boiler room incident.

JOHNATHON GEORGE:stared back, palms open with the ghost of the phone that had lying between them moments ago. Going for the phone again would undoubtedly spur a hissy fit, and those were things of the past that Johnny just didn't miss. As much as he stood by the idea of calling home, he /did/ understand where Alli was coming from. She wasn't a bad kid by any means, but trouble had a way of seeking her out and when it came to her parents, those mistakes were rarely understood. Eyes narrowing, he caught the tail end of her ramble, the staggering end sticking out to him above all else. "What... other guys? What exactly was in this file of yours?" He wasn't so sure if he wanted the answer, and seeing as the two weren't together it wasn't necessarily his business, but he figured that if she put it out there-however unintentionally, it couldn't hurt to press the matter.

[ravinejohnny-blog]

❖ you are water 12 feet deep.

BACKWOODS: As Johnny confirmed all that she was trying to do, she realized just what a mess she was in. Not only was there a disaster that had unfolded back at home, but she was only making it worse by running away here -- to the person that had played a huge role in half of her mistakes that her parents just found out about. "Nobody knows where I am.. except you." Her words were soft as she stared up at him, gulping as she tried to read his reaction. "Please don't tell anyone -- don't tell Sav, I just had to leave. My parents found out everything," she said, finally beginning to explain herself. "They read my file. The sexting, the clinic visit.. everything we went through, they know. That.. and everything that has happened this year," she said carefully, not even wanting to get into all of that with him, but assuming it would come up eventually. "They don't want anything to do with me now."

JOHNATHON GEORGE: was at a loss on how to handle Alli's confession. This may have been something he was apt to handle back in high school, but he prided himself on changing his ways since then. He'd slowly but surely made his way out of the bad-boy shell he had created and embraced the better part of him that he'd masked for so long as the only defense mechanism he knew. Alli had worn it thin at times, getting glimpses of his softer side that nobody else was privy to, but even that was a struggle. "Alli," he sighed, taking a seat on the edge of his bed. As she carried out her explanation, he had to cringe, both ashamed of being a fairly critical piece of the file she spoke of, and guilty for causing so much tension even now. "Okay, and I'm sure that totally sucks for you right now, but you don't think running away will make things worse? They're harsh, yeah, but I doubt they want nothing to do with you, especially Sav. You should call him, or I can, you have to let somebody know you're alright," he decided, reaching for his phone and beginning to scroll.

[ravinejohnny-blog]

❖ you are water 12 feet deep.

BACKWOODS: Feeling his arms around her, even if lightly, was already enough to make her feel safe once again. The past few weeks had made her feel entirely too vulnerable to her mistakes and the people she had hurt and been hurt by. Being with Johnny was a blast from her past to when he was the only thing she was concerned about, having not gotten wrapped up in popularity or fighting for the attention of a boy who wasn't worth much. The question was a tough one to answer. /Existing/, really, but she couldn't say that. She felt silly enough even coming here, but this was the place she needed to be. Regretfully pulling away, she looked up at him, her eyes weak as they had done so much crying in the past few days. She skipped over the question, getting right to the point. "Before I say anything, I just need you to know that you're the only person I can trust right now. You're the only person I can even think about without feeling so..." she trailed off, trying to come up with the right word, "..lost." She took a deep breath before going on. "I ran away." Immediately, she held her hands up, "Don't be mad."

JOHNATHON GEORGE: was only getting more perplexed as each moment ticked away. He wasn't getting any answers from Alli, and not that she was standing before him, it was abundantly clear that his suspicions were correct and something really was wrong. As she prefaced her news, he panicked briefly, counting back the months to their breakup; she wasn't pregnant, and he was certain that if she was stowing his bastard child away somewhere her parents wouldn't let it go without him owning up, but pacifying those thoughts only left him more in the dark with no other possibilities left in mind. Her eventual admission earned a blank stare from him, blinking a few times. "You ran away," he repeated dryly, narrowing his eyes as he leaned in to push shut his door. "As in, from home. Nobody knows where you are. And you came here."

[ravinejohnny-blog]

❖ you are water 12 feet deep.

BACKWOODS: Running away had become the only option for Alli as everything around her began to crumble. At one point, she had the popularity, she had the boy, and she had everything she had set out to get at the beginning of the school year. But Drew bailed on her, causing her own reputation to falter, and even worse -- her parents finding out about all the things she needed to keep a secret for so long. All of her efforts had been to get her mind off of the boy she had said goodbye to the year previous, but that just wasn't possible the more she tried to get away. At least when Johnny broke her heart, he hadn't done it with the help of another person, and Drew's actions had unfortunately only reminded her just what a hold Johnny still had on her. She couldn't trust Sav, her parents couldn't trust her, and her friends already thought the worst of her. Johnny was her only safety net, surprisingly enough, and she knew where she needed to be. She packed her things quickly and got out of the Bhandari house as fast as she could, making her way to Toronto University and following the path to the dorm building he had once told her about. After a brief phone conversation, assuming he needed at least a few seconds of warning before she popped into his life, she was ready to enter the building and see the boy who had heavily weighed her thoughts for so long. She rushed through the halls, making her way to his dorm and not wasting a second as she barged into his door. But as soon as she opened it and revealed him on the other side, her heart slammed against her chest, realizing what she had done. She was only paused for a moment before she rushed to him, throwing her arms around his neck and embracing him in a long hug. "Thank you," she said right away, even if he wouldn't have any idea of what he needed to be thanked for.

JOHNATHON GEORGE: wasn't the best when it came to emotional honesty, but he knew well enough to hear something in Alli's voice that didn't sit well. It had been a year now since they'd seen one another, and give for a few casual letters back and forth to keep up to date with their seperate lives, the two had very little contact, leaving Johnny completely in the dark as to what tumoil Alli was ensuing. The phone call was unexpected, but hearing that the girl was just outside of his college was even more astonishing, no warning and to his knoweldge no real reason for the drop in. Even so, he wasn't about to turn her away when there was clearly intent for her to have come. Stacking up the few papers and books scattered throughout the room, he tidied what he felt necessary to just barely finishing as his door swung open to brandish a frantic Alli. He was taken back, figuratively and literally as her forceful hug threw him slightly off-center, weakly hugging back through his growing confusion. "What are you thanking me for?"

[ravinejohnny-blog]

✆ ⎯ j. dimarco

Alli: "Yes. Right outside. If you don't want me to come in, that's fine.. I'll go," [waits a moment before continuing] "But I'd really like to come in if it's okay."

Johnny: [Still confused, but unwilling to turn her away sounding so down.] "No, don't. Come up, I feel like you have explaining to do."

[ravinejohnny-blog]

✆ ⎯ j. dimarco

Alli: [closes her eyes, almost regretting coming all this way] "I don't know, Johnny. You could be anywhere." [opens her eyes, looking up at the building ahead of her now] "I'm outside. I'm.. coming in, if that's okay." [gulps, rephrasing her words] "/Is/ that okay..?"

Johnny: "Well I'm not, I'm in my dorm." [Pauses, wondering if he'd heard her right.] "You're... outside my dorm? Right now?"

[ravinejohnny-blog]

✆ ⎯ j. dimarco

Alli: [gulps, blinking slowly as she hears his comforting voice] "Johnny.. I'm really glad you answered. Are you.." [she pauses, taking a deep breath] "Are you in your dorm?"

Johnny: [feeling uneasy,] "Where else would I be this late? Why are you asking where I am?"

[ravinejohnny-blog]

✆ ⎯ j. dimarco

Alli: [shakily hits 'send' on the contact, hoping he would answer her phone call as she shivered in front of his dorm building].

Johnny: [halts on the page he's turning, reaching for his phone. Confused tone as he answers.] "Hello?"