Start a Revolution

"Shit," Drew mutters as her books slip out of her hands, crashing to the floor.

Immediately, two hands appear and grab her textbooks, picking them up. Drew grins, her cheeks blushing a light red. "Here," Joey smiles, handing her her dropped items. His eyes sparkled at her, making her blush even darker.

"Thanks," she murmurs softly. "Sorry. I'm really tired today." She finished putting away her things before slamming her locker door shut, the word SLUT still painted on her door.

"Why?" Joey asks, his arm sliding around her shoulders as they walk.

She yawns on cue, her body instinctively leaning into her ex-boyfriend. "John and I were up really late last night at the library for the project. We got a lot of work done though, so it was worth it." Drew shifted her backpack on her shoulder, noticing the way Joey had fallen silent. She scrunches her eyebrows, bringing her gaze up to look at his face. "What?"

"Huh?" he snaps out of it. "Oh. Sorry. It's just...I didn't know you were spending so much time with him. I bet your parents aren't too happy about that."

The young girl winces, biting her bottom lip. "Uhm, they...I haven't told them."

"You haven't told them what?"

"That he's the one I'm doing the project with," she admits, looking down at her Converse as they turn a corner. She could see the library looming ahead of them, where she was headed for Toybox. "For all they know, my partner is Lisa."

"So, you're lying to them?" Joey asks slowly as they stop right outside the library door, the sight of little kids already running around playing right inside the door.

Drew sighs heavily. "Don't make this harder than it already is."

"I just feel like it's not right to lie to them," Joey tells her. "They should know that you are working with O'Callaghan." In all honesty, Joey couldn't care less about her doing a project with him. He just wanted her parents to find out so they could tell her she was forbidden to be with him. Joey did some digging; he could tell the O'Callaghan boy was starting to feel for Drew. And he couldn't have that when he was trying to win her back.

She shakes her head. "I'll tell them when I want to, okay? I don't want to deal with their wrath just now, when the project is so close to being done." She could tell Joey wanted to talk further on this, but he dropped it.

"So what are you doing after Toybox?" Joey changes the subject, his eyes twinkling.

She shrugs. "I was gonna ask John if he wanted to hit the library again. We still need to figure out a presentation."

Joey nods. "If that doesn't happen, can I maybe take you out tonight?" He grins, his perfect smile blinding her momentarily. She laughs at his slight Southern drawl, making him seem even more charming then normal.

"Maybe," Drew grins back, blushing once again. "Call me and we'll talk."

A swell of happiness burst inside of Joey's chest. He bends down and pecks her cheek, happy to be able to do that again. She smiles as he bids goodbye, walking away.

Drew stands there for another moment before moving into the library, grinning when the kids run over to greet her. John was standing by the bookcases, his eyes slightly narrowed. He had been watching as Joey bent down to kiss Drew, his lips brushing the flesh of her cheek, the way she had smiled as he did.

Joey Rhimes is getting too close to Drew Hemingway for comfort in John's opinion.

Once all the kids were done saying hello to the dark haired girl, John slips over. He leans into the counter beside Drew as she signed in, his arm brushing hers. Electricity shocked his arm, setting goosebumps off on his arm like wildfire.

"So," he says as she flourishes her name across the paper, "after we're done here, do you wanna go to the library and work on the presentation? I have some ideas."

"I can't," she smiles wryly. "Sorry."

His smile drops, instead a hot feeling coils around in the pit of his stomach. "Why not? I thought you said you wanted to work on the project all week this week." He knew instantly that Joey Rhimes had something to do with this.

"Joey and I might go out later tonight," Drew answers, putting the pen down and turning to look at John. She takes a step back, her heart pounding faster when she notices how close their faces were. "We can get together tomorrow. You can take Sandra out or something."

John lowers his brows. "Why would I take her out?"

"Oh," Drew looked surprised, "I thought something was happening between you two. You guys seem to talk a lot during Toybox."

John shrugs. "We used to have a thing, but we never dated. It's been flung by now."

The younger girl makes a face, annoyed that John had talked about a girl that way. "I didn't know women were so easy to you, O'Callaghan." She crosses her arms over chest, blocking herself from him.

He flinches. "No! I didn't mean it that way." Shit, he thinks. "I meant that although we used to date, me and her have nothing going on now."

Drew felt a weird feeling; like a weight being taken off her shoulders.

Did she hope that John and Sandra had nothing going?

No, she scoffs to herself, of course not. Why would she want that? So she just nods and smiles at John before moving over to the kids, sitting down beside little Katie.

John watches her from afar, his hand knocking against the counter in a fast tempo. He only did that when he was antsy or when he was pissed. And as of right now, he didn't know which one of those emotions he was carrying around. So he decides to ignore it, keeping his eyes on Drew as he goes around behind the table to sit beside another group of kids, passing out crayons.



"I tell you," John hisses into his phone, "Joey's up to something. He wants to get back together with her. And I can not let that happen."

"God forbid he wants to get back with her!" Kennedy argues back. "Why can't he? He is her ex-boyfriend, and she's his ex-girlfriend. If they still have feelings for each other, let it happen. Why the fuck do you care anyway?"

The tawny-haired boy freezes, cussing himself out mentally.

"No reason," he sniffs, sitting on his bed. "I just think he's a sleaze."

"But wouldn't you prefer she be set up with a sleaze?" his friends asks skeptically. "Oh my God. I knew it. I just fucking knew it."

"Knew what?"

"Knew that you liked Drew," Kennedy answers, his voice getting louder. "YOU LIKE DREW. Fuck, me and Lisa had a bet to see who would fess up to it first." There was a pause as John grimaces to himself. "I owe her ten bucks."

"Who gives a shit!" John growls, standing up hurriedly. "Help me!"

"Help you with what?"

"Help me with these fucking stupid feelings!" the taller boy answers haughtily, pacing back and forth from his window and his door. "I don't know what to do! I've been taught my entire life to hate Drew, but it's like I just can't anymore! It's like everything she does makes me like her that much more. Kennedy, you're good with women. If she smiles and blushes at what you say, does that mean she likes you back?"

"Dude, take a chill pill," Ken chuckles, his head swimming from the fact that John had a crush. Because John O'Callaghan never has crushes. He had flings and nothing more. "You need to win her over. Take her somewhere special."

"I can't ask her out without my parents knowing."

"Shit."

"Exactly."

"Hm..." Kennedy hums. "Wait! I have an idea."