My Neighbor’s Blindspot

Wednesday, August 24th

9:47 AM at Robert Brewster High School

Sky couldn’t believe her eyes nor could she utter a word…

She was shocked at what her eyes caught almost to the point of nearly passing out if Val and Lola hadn’t shook her out of it. How could this be!?

The homeroom teacher smiled at the class after an announcement had been made:

"Children, I'd like you to give a warm welcome to one of the city's finest police officers - Officer John Roads, of the Port Seaview Police Department."

John was standing in front of the class in full-on “Officer Roads” mode when he caught sight of Skylar. He suddenly felt surprised, and troubled… but his face didn’t change at all.

“WHAT THE HELL!?” Sky thought to herself.

“What the hell…?” Johnny wondered.

Didn't see that one coming did you?

Maybe it's best if we take a look at the day before, so we can understand how these two ended up in this pickle!

Tuesday, August 23rd

6:21 PM at Sky’s apartment

Sky had been busy all day ever since she woke up. It had been a while since she had actually gotten herself into a routine that didn’t feel forced or imposed by someone else. In fact, strangely enough, she had accepted it and enjoyed it.

It had been four days since she had met Johnny’s mentor, Det. O'Malley, and had the opportunity to speak to the man who was such an important part of her neighbor’s life. While she found the middle-aged man’s jokes a bit old fashioned, she’d grown fond of the simple wisdom and support this man had and how his encouragement helped her settle down her chaotic feelings regarding Johnny.

During the weekend, when she wasn’t hanging out with her friends or creating new content for her channel, she’d join Johnny and O’Malley for some snacks or just spend time chatting away. The Detective had even offered to help her with her homework (as long as it wasn’t algebra or long calculation…). Johnny would talk about the days when O’Malley had helped him during his days in juvie and helped him get properly schooled.

On that Sunday, Sky had made a livestream where she spoke about “finding family” beyond those related to us by blood. For the first time since she’d started streaming, she didn’t use her typical flashy clothes or use fancy make-up to gain popularity - she had honestly asked her viewers “what does Family mean to you?”. This had created such an impactful and open discussion among her fans and new viewers that it earned 100K views in only one night!

Her goal wasn’t yet reached, but she’d achieved quite a powerful milestone!

Then on Monday, when she discussed the details of her livestream to her friends, she was surprised by the fact that all of them believed this had been her best stream to date! Something she would have to consider in the future, if she wanted to achieve her “One Million Views” goal.

On Tuesday morning, the teachers and the school were in a stir which had made Sky a little concerned when she arrived and sat at her desk.

“Val, Lola, what’s going on? Why’re the staff losing their minds?”

“The Fundraising event? It’s tomorrow, Sky.” Lola mentioned simply.

“Yup! Seems the Police Department’s finally got their things in order and will come visiting tomorrow. Wonder who’ll they be sending?” Val pondered as she leaned back into her chair.

Sky looked at her cellphone with the last message she’d gotten from Johnny:

“I might be arriving a little later tonight for dinner. Got some work to do, but it shouldn’t stop me for too long. Det. O’Malley says ‘hi’, by the way. Stay safe.”

Had their relationship evolved to the point where they would text each other like they’d known each other for a long time? It didn’t bother her. But it did make her wonder if things would continue to change as time flew by. She answered his text:

“Just don’t get into trouble, Officer Weirdo! See you at home!”

She was trying to put several heart emojis, but felt her hands trembling and her cheeks turning red several times, so she erased them immediately!

“Say, Sky… you mentioned that Officer Weirdo is a Police Officer too right?” Val asked, which made Sky start up and blush again.

“Y-Yeah?”

“Wouldn’t it be cool if he were among the cops that come here at the school?” Lola smirked at Val, then turned her attention to Sky who was slowly trying to hide her face.

“Riiiiight! That’d be awesome! We’d get to meet the man who’s stolen our sweet Sky’s heart…” Val gasped in dramatic fashion after she said those words.

“S-Stop it guy… geez…” Sky tugged at her hair a little in embarrassment.

“Eh… chances are he ain’t coming here. There’s gotta be thousands of cops out there and only a few High Schools. So, no worries. We won’t get to meet ‘Officer Weirdo’ anytime soon I guess.” Lola said clearly, which kinda made Sky breathe easier.

Now that she was back at her place, and preparing what would be a light dinner for the trio, Sky put the events of the morning aside to focus on the eventual arrival of Johnny and Det. O’Malley. The approaching footsteps of two people who were talking to each other gave her the signal of their arrival.

6:25 PM on the way to Johnny’s apartment.

Johnny and O’Malley were on their way back home after they finished their work and managed to buy some pastries along the way for dinner.

The young officer was listening to his mentor speaking about the latest case he had been working on and how they’d managed to crack the case without further incidents. While John listened, his mind was brought back to the events of the previous days all the way to tonight.

During the past weekend, Johnny had continued his usual routines of working out, doing his laundry, buying some groceries and hanging out in the nearby park with some of the people there who liked to play soccer. He rarely met his coworkers off-duty, so he didn’t really socialize with anyone else outside of work… Until he met Sky and became friends soon after.

It was on Saturday when he and O’Malley got a call for help from Sky. Their protective instincts immediately kicked in and they both rushed to her apartment thinking something bad had happened! To their surprise and relief, she was just trying to do her homework, but was struggling due to the amount she had neglected to do lately. Johnny agreed to help with math and algebra since he was quite adept at it. Det. O’Malley helped a bit on the other subjects since his math skills were less than stellar…

Johnny mentioned that one time, when he was trying to do his math studies, O’Malley’s head steamed up due to the difficulty of the algebra he was working with. Surprisingly, Johnny soon understood after much trial & error, and soon got the hang of it, even teaching his mentor a little bit of it.

He’d noticed that Sky’s face brightened a lot whenever he told stories about his past with O’Malley and how they had worked together to ensure he’d earn his release from juvie hall and return to society as an honest citizen. Sky was still an enigma for John, especially with how explosive her emotions were or how chaotic her demeanor could be. But she had an honest and kind heart. There was something inside of him that compelled him to be mindful of her and to keep her safe…

While Sky did her schoolwork and O’Malley helped her with the simple things, Johnny would usually pick up his guitar and start playing a few tunes to keep a relaxed ambience. From time to time, when he began to sing a little, he’d notice Sky staring at him deeply. When he smiled at her, she’d immediately turn her face and try to focus on her studies again… with her face all red. Was she always this shy?

Today, Tuesday, when he went to the precinct and did his usual duties, Lt. Cole had asked John and Nick to meet with a few others in the briefing room for a special assignment. Turns out that the top brass had finally signed the agreement and gotten the permission from the Mayor to proceed with their fundraising campaign and community approach event with the local high schools.

“Officer Roads and Officer Banks!” Lt. Cole said loudly during the briefing.

Both John and Nick stood up at attention. “Yes, Sir!” they said in unison.

“You’ve been selected from this precinct to attend this event, tomorrow. Thanks to your exemplary performance and flawless attendance, you’ll be given this task instead of reporting to the precinct. I figure you two could use a break after all that running around you’ve been doing.” Lt. Cole and the other officers chuckled.

“Guess we’re gonna be playin’ cops with a bunch of high schoolers. What do you think, Johnny?” Nick turned to look at John who was writing down the details of the assignment on his notepad.

“It’s a good change of pace. I figure meeting the community and letting them know that their support is both welcome and necessary will help both in the end. Win-win.” John looked at Nick with a smirk.

“You know, you’re acting a little differently, Johnny.” Nick pointed out.

“Hmm? How so?”

“You’re not as stiff as usual. Ever since you told me about that thing with your neighbor, you’ve been more sociable.” Nick could see the confusion in John’s face and added, “That’s a good thing, by the way.”

“You’re the fourth person to tell me that.” John scratched his cheek for a second in thought. “First Det. O’Malley, Mrs. Bobbin, Montoya, and now you.”

“It just means you’re gettin’ better, man! Look at you! All friendly and stuff!” Nick patted John on the back with a grin and a chuckle.

“Thanks… I guess? By the way, did they tell us what high school we’ll be visiting?” John got his notepad ready.

“Hmmm… the Lieutenant said it was called… Robert Brewster Highschool. Do you know anyone there?” He saw John shake his head.

“Can’t say I do. My neighbor is a high school student, but chances are it’s not going to be hers. There’s sixty seven high schools in Port Seaview - odds don’t favor it.”

“Yeah, I hear ya. This high school we’re goin’ to is one of the fancy ones, so I won’t be seeing any of my cousins there.” Nick sighed dejectedly.

“You got cousins all over Seaview, Nick. Isn’t there a chance there might at least be one? Like, twice removed?” John smirked.

“No comment, Officer Roads.” Both officers laughed a bit after that final comment.

After Johnny left the precinct that afternoon and he was given the instructions for the following day’s event at the high school, O’Malley caught up to him right as he was walking out to the street. Both officers walked towards John’s apartment since they had agreed with Sky to have dinner at her place as a way to thank O’Malley for helping her with her homework as well as continue enjoying the companionship of each other.

Making a quick stop at Mrs. Bobbin’s cafe to buy some pastries, both officers arrived at John’s apartment without further delay. Before John could open the door of his place, Sky had appeared at her door and greeted both John and O’Malley with a bright smile and a wave of her hand.

“Welcome back! Dinner’s gonna be ready in a couple of minutes, so just hang back for a bit alright?” Sky smiled when both officers nodded.

“No need to rush, Missy! Johnny and I gotta wash up a lil’ before we come knockin’ at your door. Also, we brought some mini cakes!” O’Malley held the bag with boxed mini cakes and grinned.

“Hope you don’t mind, Sky.” Johnny smiled at her with a look of mild apology. “There’s this coffee shop I visit every day and Mrs. Bobbin, the owner, suggested you try at least one.”

“Oh! T-That’s nice of you. T-Thank you!” Sky still couldn’t act completely cool around Johnny. She was a bit more open to discuss her feelings with Lola and Val, but still couldn’t really face him without acting like a blushing maiden.

“Do you need a hand with something?” John looked like he was about to approach her, but Sky shook her head quickly.

“N-No! No need! T-Thanks! I got this! J-Just… gimme a minute to finish dinner! I’ll see you in a bit!” She rushed back into her apartment and closed her door in a hurry.

“She’s a fireball, that one.” O’Malley chuckled to himself after watching the interaction between Johnny and Sky.

6:30 PM at Sky’s apartment.

Sky had decided to make Sashimi for dinner that night due to its freshness, along with a good portion of gohan to accompany. At first, O’Malley was trying to hide his reluctance to try this meal… he felt eating raw fish like this wouldn’t be too agreeable to his stomach. But when he saw the amazed look on Johnny's face and the proud look on Sky's face after the reveal, the Detective had no other choice but to eat it.

Surprisingly, it was quite tasty!

O’Malley had been careful not to try weird foods in the past after he had tasted one of Johnny’s “cooking experiments” - the fact that this “experiment” had forced him to call in sick for three days was enough to give him nightmares.

Thanks to Johnny’s endorsement and high praise of Sky’s cooking skills, he’d learned to enjoy the dishes she’d cooked for them in the last couple of days. And while he would’ve preferred some good ol’ fashioned hot dogs and pizza, trying out this new food was actually a welcome change for the middle-aged Detective.

But more than the meal, he enjoyed watching his protege, Johnny, finally opening up to other people. He’d learned from the other officers in the precinct that John had been acting differently during his work lately - he was more sociable, he was concerned about his coworkers and even tried to be friendly towards people who needed help.

At the center of John’s evolution was the girl who had managed to get through his “armor” and somehow got him to open up - the streaming sensation Skylar Aoi! Or, as O’Malley knew her, Blue Sky!

It always made him smile when he recalled the time he realized Sky had a crush on Johnny and a pretty big one! It didn’t take a master detective to notice how she looked at John, the way she reacted whenever he was being nice to her or the interest she showed whenever he and John spoke about their past together. Sky was the only person outside of him who had managed to get through Johnny, which meant that she was quite special… even if she isn’t fully aware of it.

But then there was the concern O’Malley felt about how John would react when Sky eventually confessed her feelings to him. Knowing his protege, he would probably reject her on the grounds of their age. There was no escaping that fact. Which is why he suggested to Sky to slow down… John wasn’t yet emotionally mature enough to accept her feelings without hurting her…

Feeling compelled to protect both these children, he would try and guide them both to a proper path. Sky would need to be patient while John would need to learn to accept Sky’s feelings without breaking her heart, and in the process perhaps she’ll reach the necessary age for John to finally lift the ban he placed upon himself concerning his growing feelings for Sky…

The boy didn’t know it yet… but Ol’ Paul O’Malley was no fool…

While O’Malley was thinking inwards, he was watching Sky and Johnny talking about their daily routine with a warm smile. And while they were speaking, he caught a few words that caught his attention…

“...So there’s quite a buzz going in my school with the whole fundraiser and community event with the Police. Teachers are losing their minds for some reason!” Sky mentioned as John was listening intently. O’Malley simply observed and listened in.

“Maybe they feel like some students might behave poorly and force the officers to act upon it, thus making a fuzz among the student body, someone leaking the story to the press, lowering the reputation of the school, earning disciplinary action from the Board of Education, reducing their budget and making the teacher’s lives miserable.” During Johnny’s thorough explanation, he noticed that Sky was staring at him with a deadpan look in her eyes. “What?”

“That’s a little too specific to be considered an improv line. Where did you come up with THAT particular scenario, Officer Weirdo?” Sky adopted a scolding tone of voice as she spoke to the puzzled John.

“I just keep them in my notes.” Was John’s laconic answer. This prompted Sky to sigh and roll her eyes in exasperation.

“In any case,” he continued as he set his plate down for a moment, “my precinct will also be participating in this event, so we’re hoping this will achieve some positive results, both for the Police Department as well as the community.”

O’Malley noticed the way John spoke and then he recalled the conversations he had with Lt. Cole that morning and how he mentioned that Johnny had been selected to attend this event thanks to his excellent performance.

“Really? Well, when they come around, I’ll be sure to make a proper donation! My dad’s a big believer of law enforcement, so I’m sure he’ll ask me to make a good contribution.” Sky announced proudly, which made John smile.

“Every bit of help is always welcome. I feel well supported knowing good honest citizens like you and your parents are contributing to our community.” John’s honest smile always had the effect of making Sky blush and hide her face.

While this was happening, O’Malley was piecing a few things in his mind regarding what he had heard…

“Johnny’s been selected… but it seems the lil’ Missy isn’t aware of it. Where did Lt. Cole said he’d be visiting? Robin… Rover…. Robert… Robert Brewster High School wasn’t it?”

The Detective’s eyes suddenly opened wide as he caught sight of something… it was Sky’s school bag and her books on the table…. He caught sight of the name of Skylar’s high school…

Robert Brewster Highschool

A playful grin began to curl on O’Malley’s lips as he understood how the stars had aligned for this event…

“Paul O’Malley, you clever ol’ fox you!”

“Detective, is everything alright?” John looked at O’Malley who was grinning from ear to ear.

“Sure thing, my boy! I was just feeling super happy to enjoy this lil’ time with you an’ the lil’ Missy! Hahahaha!” The Detective’s laughter boomed loudly.

“Creepy…” Sky looked at O’Malley while cringing.

O’Malley was enjoying himself far too much to ruin this! They both didn’t know! Oh, he wished he could be there to see it.

“Don't forget your pencils and notebooks, Johnny. You're going to need to be on your best behavior for your next assignment!” John looked at O’Malley with confusion after he made that comment.

“And you, Miss Aoi,” The Detective turned towards Sky who arched an eyebrow, “Hope you're ready to make a good impression on the police, Missy. You'll want to show them what a good student you are.”

Johnny and Sky turned to look at each other in confusion while O’Malley grinned brightly and chuckled with mischief.

“What the hell was THAT about?” Sky thought to herself.

“What the heck was that about?” Johnny wondered.

For the remainder of that night, Detective Paul O’Malley was smiling as both a proud parent and a wicked prankster who couldn’t wait for the events of the following morning to unfold!

NOW you can see this one comin’.