My Neighbor and I take a Selfie

Wednesday, August 24th

9:48 AM at Robert Brewster High School

John had remained perfectly still after the teacher had presented him before the class. His face remained impassive and professional. Standing at attention, he heard when the teacher also presented Officer Nick Banks, his coworker and friend from work, but he remained still like a statue. His eyes however were scanning the room and reading the looks in the eyes of the students - until he reached Skylar who was averting her gaze from him, looking quite worried and mortified. John could see her having a hushed conversation with two students which he deduced were friends of hers given the casual way they were smirking and giggling at her apparent distress… This made him slightly upset. He didn’t want anyone to make fun of Sky’s misfortunes, no matter how small.

When did he start feeling like this? John had always been a protective person, especially towards people who were in need of aid or needed a guardian. His job demanded he acted in such ways since he took an oath and accepted the implications of that.

But whenever he saw that Sky was sad, angry, looked embarrassed and looked troubled, he felt an overwhelming desire to protect her at all costs. But, to feel like this over something as silly as seeing Sky flustered over her friends’ teasing was puzzling for John.

Then there was the sudden surprise and distress he’d felt when he realized that he had just stepped into Sky’s classroom, in her high school, surrounded by her friends and her normal social circles. He recalled how Det. O’Malley had told him that cryptic message about being on his best behavior during his next assignment. That old fox knew from the start that he was being sent to Sky’s high school and that both of them would be placed in an embarrassing situation - or at least make them both uncomfortable given their relationship outside of their “professional environments.”

John was also concerned about how all this would affect Sky. He was well acquainted with her emotional outbursts and blunt honesty when she spoke her mind. But seeing her so withdrawn and shy made him wonder if Sky had yet another “persona” beside the Sky he knew, the streamer Blue Sky, and now another version of herself he chose to categorize as “Student Aoi”. The contrast in these three possible personalities were quite vexing for Officer Roads.

Like a duck in a pond, John’s outward appearance remained stoic and unmoving, but deep within his mind, he was trying to piece together a puzzle he was not prepared to solve.

Meanwhile, Sky was desperately trying to maintain control of the chaos that was now taking over her mind and her heart!

The instant she saw Johnny, in his police officer uniform: the shirt, the clean pants, the hat, the holstered weapon and the shiny badge on his chest, plus the nametag that displayed his last name “ROADS”, she was suddenly burning up from her face!

If Lola and Val hadn’t shaken her awake, she most likely would’ve hit the floor and passed out! How in the world could this have happened!? What are the odds that the stars aligned themselves in such a way that it made it possible for Johnny - or rather, Officer Roads to be one of the police officers that were coming in today at HER HIGH SCHOOL!

“OhmyGod,OhmyGod,OhmyGod,OhmyGod,OhmyGod,OhmyGod!!! HOW DID THIS HAPPEN!? WHY IN THE WORLD IS OFFICER WEIRDO HERE!?” Sky was tugging at her hair and fidgeting with her school uniform as she tried to make sense of things!

“This is bad! I’m barely just getting over the fact that I got feelings for Johnny and now he just walks in on my turf! The girls are going to tear me apart! I can already tell… they’re already scheming!!!”

Sky sideglanced at both Val and Lola. They were both studying the police officers as if trying to understand why Sky reacted so strangely at the arrival of these two cops. But when they noticed that Officer Roads was looking directly at Sky’s direction, they realized that was going on!

Both girls turned to look at Sky who suddenly blushed and looked to the side, trying to hide her obvious embarrassment. When she saw that Val and Lola were grinning at her she hid her face in her hands.

“DAMN IT! THEY KNOW! They know Officer Roads is actually Officer Weirdo! What do I do!? What should I say!?”

“Pssst… Sky.” Lola tried to whisper at Sky while Val leaned closer to the both of them. “Is that ‘The Guy’? Your crush?”

Sky didn’t have to answer… The way her face turned beet red and her head steamed up as she looked down was all they needed to understand.

“Oooooooh! I can see why you’re so hung up on the guy!” Val nudged Sky a little as she took a good look at John, “He’s buffed! And has that ‘commanding vibe’ that makes him so hot!”

Sky noticed how Lola and Val were eyeing John, and this made her furious! For a moment she felt like her friends had betrayed her! Johnny was hers! She saw him first! She wasn’t going to let any other girl take him! She would-

“Get a GRIP, Sky! You know they’re just teasing you! Besides! They don’t know Officer Weir- I mean! Johnny, like I do! They have no chance! Wait… am I… feeling jealous?”

The realization that she was jealous for the first time in her life made Sky realize how her feelings were running wild and without control! This made her feel even more mortified! How in the world could someone as chaotic and emotionally immature as her EVER make a claim over Johnny who stood there, completely still, commanding the whole room, staring right at her eyes and-

“Wait… is… is Johnny staring at me?”

Sky hadn’t realized that for several moments while she was having her meltdown, Johnny had been watching her intently. His poker face didn’t reveal anything, as usual. But there was something intimidating in that look he was giving her…

It was the same look he had given to the landlord, Mr. Gonzalez, when John had protected her from him.

“Is he… angry at me? Or… does he think I’m in danger?”

The more she tried to understand what that stare meant, the less she felt ready to try and approach Johnny while he was acting like Officer Roads.

“Okay, kids! Now that we’ve had our introductions, perhaps a few of you have a couple of questions regarding police work or what kind of life an officer of the law might have!” The teacher was trying to encourage some interactions since the students weren’t THAT interested in talking to cops - this was usually done in elementary school or even middle-school, not High School.

Officers Banks and Roads were looking at the students, but saw no takers. The teacher felt awkward at this turn of events but then one of the students raised her hand.

“You, young lady. Got something for us?” Nick Banks, knowing well that John wasn’t the most sociable, took charge and urged the young lady to speak up.

“I have a question, but it’s for Officer Roads!” Lola stood up, much to Sky’s immediate concern. It was clear that she had the intention of asking a potentially embarrassing question that might expose Sky’s feelings or provoke her into acting out in an outrageous way.

Nick grimaced a moment, knowing that John was going to answer in the most cold way possible. He couldn’t stop him either. Officer Roads had taken a step forward, which made the students on the front row lean back into their chairs out of fright.

“Proceed.” John’s answer was cold and laconic. This made Lola feel a bit awkward.

“Erm… Have you ever been in a dangerous situation while on the job? Like stopping a robbery or protecting an innocent girl from a sleazy landlord or something?” Lola asked this with an innocent look in her eyes, but she had clearly directed those questions to John knowing full well of the story where he had protected Sky from her landlord.

Sky couldn’t help but feel both embarrassed but also curious. She’d only known Johnny as her neighbor who happened to be a cop. Now she wanted to know what happened in the life of the cop who happens to be her neighbor.

“What is your name, young lady?” John asked coldly. His gaze had moved from Sky to Lola. Sky’s friend couldn’t help but feel a chill up her spine when being stared at by “Officer Roads”.

“Umm… I’m Lola.”

“Police work is not as glamorous or as exciting as movies and tv series might show you.” John shook his head dejectedly, his face completely devoid of emotion, “Most of the time it’s mostly paperwork and listening to the concerns of citizens like you.”

Lola felt awkward now. John was looking at her like she had just asked a silly, childish question and it made her the center of attention of this intimidating officer. Sky couldn’t help but smile inwards since she remembered when she had asked John the same question and he gave her the same simple answer.

“However,” John continued as he turned to look at every student that was watching, including Sky who was still trying to avoid staring into his eyes, “I have encountered dangerous situations before while in the line of duty, and even while off-duty, and I have acted upon it without hesitation, without concern for my own wellbeing. I cannot speak for other police officers, but I can honestly say that my purpose as an officer of the law is to protect every person in this city. I took an oath to protect and serve this community. That means I'll dedicate my strength and my life to that mission. I act without hesitation so that all citizens, Miss Lola, may live their lives with a foundation of order and security.”

Lola suddenly felt more at ease after Officer Roads said those words. When she turned to look at Sky, she noticed she was looking at John with dreamy eyes - which was kind of annoying.

“T-Thanks for your service, Officer Roads.”

“You’re welcome, Miss Lola.” John nodded at her politely. “Any other questions?”

Suddenly several hands were thrown in the air wanting to ask a question.

Now it was Val’s turn, since she had waved her hand vigorously to get John’s attention. The officer pointed at her which prompted her to stand up.

“Hi, Officer Roads! I’m Val! Thanks for protecting us.” Val’s comment made Nick smile while John simply nodded curtly. “You mentioned you HAVE been in some dangerous situations. If it’s alright to ask, could you tell us one of them?”

Now Sky’s curiosity was rising to the max. Johnny had never spoken about his life as an officer other than the fact that it was boring to her. And yet… as a police officer, it was clear he would be exposed to dangerous situations at some point. Whenever she, O’Malley and Johnny were chatting, it was the Detective who spoke about his cases like a scene from a movie. Johnny never spoke of any such situations happening to him.

“It’s really not that impressive.” John shook his head softly, which had the effect of reducing the interest of the students.

“Hey!” Officer Banks moved in and patted John’s back, “Don’t sell yourself short, Officer Roads. He’s just being modest, Miss Val. Tell you the truth, a couple of days ago he was the first responder to an emergency situation, he even called it in on the emergency channels throughout the city. An apartment building caught on fire, John was walking his beat and ran to offer help!”

The sudden murmurs and side-conversations amongst the students became louder since most of them had heard of this incident. Some even claimed that friends and acquaintances lived in that apartment building.

“Really? And then what happened?” Someone asked.

“I went to the scene of the fire and immediately aided in the evacuation.” Now all eyes were on John who began to reenact the events. Nick smirked and stood aside. “When I arrived on the scene, many people were struggling to get out. After I sent the emergency call, I rushed inside the building to try and help any stragglers. The fire was quite intense but the smoke hadn’t gotten thick enough that I’d need additional equipment. I managed to aid a small family escape from their apartment - a mother, father and a small child. Fire had spread throughout their floor, so we had to take extra care. The father carried the child while I helped the mother and protected her from any debris that might injure them. Thankfully, no one got seriously hurt.”

After hearing the story, most of the students were praising and calling out on John’s heroism. Sky, however, was feeling a strange mix of pride and worry. She remembered hearing about the fire from Lola and Val… but now she knew that John was involved in that. Not only that, he had been the first one to react and went on to help others, putting himself at risk. Had he gotten hurt? Was he in real danger? Could he have…

“Oh God… why am I feeling this pain in my chest? Am I really THAT worried about Johnny’s safety?”

Sky held her hands to her chest feeling greatly distressed… despite the previous embarrassment she had felt before, nothing could’ve compared to the fear she now felt, knowing that Johnny was willingly putting himself in harm's way for others.

“Thank you, Officer Roads! You’re a real hero!” Val smiled at John.

“Just doing my duty, Miss Val.” John finally smiled… This made the entire class suddenly change vibes and applauded.

“Well! Thank you for sharing that story, Officer Roads! Would you humor us with one more question before we move on with the rest of our schedule?” The teacher was finally glad to see that all the students were now engaging in the conversation.

“Sure.”

“I have a question…” One student called out brazenly, “Why are you risking your life and your limb for people who don’t care about you or aren’t worth savin’? I mean, why go through all that hell for people who ain’t all that good anyway?”

This question suddenly made all the students murmur among themselves. The teacher was mortified by it, but couldn’t help but watch as the officers looked at the student with a serious expression.

“Now see here-” Officer Banks was about to speak when John placed his hand on Nick’s shoulder as if to say “I’ll take it from here”.

“That is a very honest and valid question: Why should anyone risk their lives for anyone else? Why stand in front of others to protect them when you don’t know if they will do the same for you? Are there any people really worth saving? Why should we care?” John’s voice suddenly became deep and somber. This made the entire class fall silent… even the student who asked couldn’t help but feel scared.

Sky knew… she knew that John thought like that during his “youthful indiscretions” years. She heard him confess to his anger and the jealousy he’d felt towards people who had it better than he had as a boy.

“I know what that feels like, since I felt like that when I was about your age too.” The entire class felt how the room’s atmosphere had gotten heavier. “Thankfully, I had someone straighten me out and made me see the truth…”

This last comment had the effect of making Sky’s eyes water up a bit as she looked at “Officer Roads” showing a little bit of “Johnny”... the one she knew. She recalled when Johnny had spoken about how Det. O’Malley, even as the cop who had arrested him, had done his best to help reform him. The end results were “Officer Weirdo” Johnny Roads - Super Cop.

“W-What did this person teach you?” The teacher, breaking protocol, asked hesitantly.

“Well…” John seemed to hesitate a bit, “this person told me what every boy needs to know to be a real man.”

John paused. He noticed that everyone (even Nick and the teacher) were waiting for him to continue. For a moment he seemed to struggle between the “Officer” and “Johnny” - unsure of how to handle the situation.

Then he saw Sky was looking directly at him. Her blue eyes were glistening from the tears she was about to shed. Seeing her like that made him resolute as he kept looking at her.

“Sometimes the things that may or may not be true are the things that a man ought to believe in the most,” He paused, took a deep breath to center himself since this was the very core of his beliefs, “That most people are basically good to each other; that honor, courage and virtue mean everything in life; that power, money or fame mean nothing in the end; that good and justice will always triumph over evil and corruption…”

The entire classroom had fallen completely silent as John spoke. Not even a single whisper could be heard from the entire class.

“And… he also told me that Love…” He stopped, as if the mention of the word was enough to shake him, “True Love never dies.”

Everyone in the classroom felt that last statement. A cold and professional looking man like Officer Roads speaking so openly about something as deep as True Love was enough to make most girls swoon and most boys realize that they needed to work harder to become real men.

But while everyone was staring at “Officer Roads”, Johnny’s eyes were directed to Sky who felt like her heart was about to burst as her emotions for him were flooding her entire being.

“It doesn’t matter if these things are true or not.” He continued, “Any man, woman, boy or girl should believe in these things because these are the things that are worth believing in. Does that answer your question?”

“Thank you, Officer Roads! Whoever said those words to you was certainly an exemplary man!” The teacher applauded which was emulated by the rest of the classroom.

Within the noise of the classroom, two people were being awfully quiet… Sky was completely sure now that her feelings for Johnny were not just some silly crush or the belief that she might actually be in love with Johnny. It was the Real Deal… as if she needed more confirmation.

John, on the other hand, reverted to his stoic poker face and professional demeanor. Deep in his mind, he was struggling to understand what possessed him to openly say those things to the class. He had never revealed the nature of his core values to anyone. But… when he looked into Sky’s tearful gaze and saw the honest, heartfelt expression on her face… he couldn’t help himself but open up like that. He had intended to brush aside the questions the other student had made in his usual cold professional way. Why was it that he had now chosen to speak from the heart?

He always did that whenever Sky was present… he found it easy to express himself honestly and without filter when he was around her… This realization made “Officer Roads” question if he had crossed a line.

The bell rang which made most of the class begin chatting amongst themselves as if on cue.

“Okay, kids! It’s time for Phys. Education class, so head to the locker rooms and change up! Officer Banks and Officer Roads will be watching over for a while!”

10:37 AM - Robert Brewster High School Soccer Pitch

When Sky and her friends left the classroom and headed to the gym to change into their sports outfits, Val, Lola and her other friends were constantly asking questions to Sky about “Officer Hot Cop Roads”.

“How often does he work out?”

“What kinda food does he like?”

“Does he mind dating a younger person?”

“Would he be willing to go to the prom with me?”

Every question that passed through Sky’s ears only made her feel angrier…

“These girls are trying to dig their claws on MY Johnny!? Hell no! Not while I’m still around!”

Now they were on their way towards the soccer pitch, where they would do some silly soccer drills just to make their varsity team show off in front of the police officers.

“Seriously, Sky! That neighbor of yours? He’s soooo hot! And the way he talked about ‘True Love never dies’!” Val swooned and blushed like a girl in love, which made Sky’s eyebrow twitch.

Lola sighed heavily while hugging herself, “What I wouldn’t give to have ‘Super Hot Cop’ rescue me from a burning building, pick me up like a princess and carry me away to safety!”

The rest of the girls were screaming with excitement as they reenacted the story Johnny had told them a while ago but adding themselves to the scene as if they were trying to write the next hit rom-com for TV. Sky was grinding her teeth all the while, trying to keep herself from exploding with jealousy and demanding they stay away from Johnny!

A few moments later, they arrived at the field where most of the students had gathered and some of the police officers were chatting with some of the students and professors. Unsurprisingly, there were several girls surrounding Johnny and Officer Banks, asking them questions and getting a lot of attention. This only added to Sky’s boiling fury!

“Damn those icky harpies trying to take Johnny away! They’re in for a cold awakening! Go, Officer Wierdo! Turn up the ice!”

While Sky was sending mental messages to the oblivious Officer Roads, Nick was chatting with some of the students as they were asking him questions about him and John regarding their work. Officer Banks was also finding it a bit annoying that they were questioning him regarding John’s values and his “code”. Thankfully, one of the professors asked the students to stop bothering the officers and walked away. John hadn't spoken to any of the students and kept them at a distance with that cold professionalism of his.

“Yo, Johnny…” Nick sighed heavily and approached John who turned to look at him, “Seriously man, you should talk to ‘em a lil’ bit, you know. These kids, they're acting like you just told ‘em the ‘secret to life’ or something.”

“I told them no such things.” Officer Roads’ typical cold response made Nick sigh - Johnny had put on his armor again.

“Still, I never knew you were such a poet, man!” Nick patted John on the shoulder with a smile, “It’s nice to know that you ain’t just ‘Super Cop’ all the time. There’s a human being under the uniform, ain’t it?”

“Perhaps…” John spoke softly as his thoughts lingered on what he said in the classroom.

Sure, they were the core values that moved him to action. They were the life lessons he had learned from his mentor and role model, Det. O’Malley. He had chosen to live by them all those years ago in juvie hall. He couldn’t expect these students to immediately follow them… and yet, perhaps he hoped they would… deep inside.

Maybe all these changes he was going through weren’t such a bad thing after all. Everyone in the precinct told him he was changing for the better. Det. O’Malley hadn’t said a word about him changing or anything, so he hadn’t really thought about it.

And in the center of it all was the neighbor girl he’d met a little while ago - Skylar Sora Aoi, aka. Blue Sky, Rising Streaming Star (he had heard O’Malley call her by that name).

Ever since he had decided to help Sky that night, his life had taken a strange turn. It wasn’t something he disliked or made him angry - it was actually pleasant. They had shared some meals, talked like honest human beings, helped each other out to cover their flaws and got along surprisingly well despite their obvious differences.

Could it be that she had been the source of this positive change in his life? He didn’t have to be a detective to realize he was right on the money.

Keep her safe, boy…

He remembered Det. O’Malley’s words to him - he now understood why he said them.

Just as John was coming to a conclusion, the varsity soccer team appeared to the cheers of the students and the applause of some of the officers. For Officer Roads, a slight rise in excitement trickled on his stone face.

The team was doing their usual warm-up routines and displaying their juggling skills. Nick smirked as he saw John’s body shifting ever so slightly with each movement the players did - he knew that Johnny loved playing soccer.

“Hey, Officers! Would you like to play a little while with us?” The captain of the soccer team called out to the officers, which was received with laughter and polite refusals.

“Hey Johnny… why don’tcha show ‘em what you got?” Nick poked at John who was looking to the side in refusal.

“No, thanks, Officer Banks. I shouldn’t.”

“C’mon! The girls are watching you, man!” Nick pointed in the general direction of where Sky and her friends were, “Why don’t you go a little wild, for once?”

John turned to look at where Nick had directed him and saw Sky. She was arguing with her friends and looked like she was about to have another one of her emotional outbursts. Without thinking, he found himself smiling and chuckling to himself.

Then he felt it… a fire had suddenly awakened in him…

“I’ll need a pair of soccer boots.”

Nick grinned from ear to ear as he saw John’s face change from stone to an excited smile. “I gotchu, man. Yo! Captain! Officer Roads here says he’ll play a lil’ bit with y’all!”

Sky saw how the Officer with Johnny had called out and said that Johnny would play with them a bit!

“What!? Johnny is going to play with the varsity team? I know he likes soccer but…”

Johnny had made some quick changes to his outfit removing his hat, shirt and borrowed a pair of shorts and boots that fit. Nick gathered his gear and set it aside as John jumped over the fence and stepped into the pitch.

Despite having to borrow most of his kit at least he was able to use his under shirt. Now everyone was able to see that Officer Roads worked out a lot! His undershirt looked like it was a bit to burst from the tensed muscles in his torso and his legs revealed they were made of steel. His slow stride was only interrupted by the occasional stretching exercise to ensure he wasn’t going to end up injured.

In the eyes of all onlookers, he didn’t look like a police officer anymore but more like a professional soccer player who was about to play a little skirmish.

Sky noticed the transformation and felt her heart racing again. She was no stranger to seeing John’s displays of strength, but she had never seen him showing just how well he took care of his health!

He then turned to look at where Sky was and locked eyes with her for a second and he smiled at her… this made her weak in the knees now. She was losing her mind!

The soccer team looked at John and laughed amongst themselves. Was this buffed cop going to keep up with them? Just then, John stepped up to one of the practice balls and began to juggle it - nice and slow with his feet at first, then switching to his knees… then a quick transition to juggling with his head, then juggling with one shoulder then the other. Feeling he had warmed up enough, John then lifted the ball in the air, turned around and with his heel passed the ball to the captain who, along with the rest of the team, was left shocked with surprise.

“HOLY CRAP! Johnny was THIS good!?” Sky’s eyes suddenly began to sparkle as she watched him juggle the ball like a professional!

John then rubbed his hands together with a smile on his lips and said: “Alright, let’s do this!”

11:00 AM at Robert Brewster High School Soccer Pitch

Emotions were tense among the school’s varsity team’s First Team. The officer that had decided to play with them had made some displays of fantastic footwork and juggling skills, was given a scrimmage training vest and was asked to play with the substitute players.

They had seen him exchange a few words with the Sub Players which seemed to have an effect on them - their eyes were full of fire and determination. The First Team let the Sub Players and John kick off first, confident that they would be able to take control soon.

John whispered something to the player that was standing alongside him at the center of the pitch and the ball at their feet. The student looked up to him in surprise, to which John smirked and nodded.

The whistle blew. The student passed the ball to Johnny who suddenly exploded from his spot!

Taken by surprise, the First Team was shocked when they saw the officer charge at them at full speed, faster than any of them ever could!

From the wings, two Sub Players did their best to give chase as Johnny pushed past the midfielders who were trying to steal the ball from him. But the master footwork he was displaying wasn’t letting them even get close to taking the ball.

John’s eyes caught sight of the wingers. He had to make his move. With two quick feints, he managed to fool the two players pressuring him and dribble past them.

Everyone could see a soccer machine in action, but deep within John’s mind he was analyzing everything that was happening around him with a clinical, detective eye. His eyes were quickly cataloguing the defenders - skills, speed and weaknesses. They were being taken apart in split seconds within his mind.

A winger called out! A sudden, laser-guided pass split the defense and the ball found its mark. The Sub Player smiled as he knew that the Officer’s plan was working! They could play at full speed with him as the engine!

The First Team’s captain chased after the winger who was feeling the pressure and had to slow down to try and keep him from taking the ball. Before the captain could slide in and take the ball, he heel-passed to John who was barreling through to offer aid. John caught the ball and passed to the other side, switching the play and changing the rhythm.

Sky watched from the stands along with the other students with excitement and surprise. They’d never seen the First Team having such a hard time trying to stop one man. On top of that, this man was giving power and speed to the Sub Team!

A pass to Johnny forced him to protect the ball from a tall defender who was trying to use his own strong physique to make him lose balance. But he wasn’t strong enough for Johnny. He tapped the ball to pass between the defender’s legs, twisted to turn quickly and dashed past him!

“GO, JOHNNY!!!” Sky yelled out like a fangirl which made her friends look at her with a wide grin, making her blush from head to toes!

The Sub Team was quickly threatening the goal and were pushing through. The First Team was already reorganizing and trying to take control of the game. All according to John’s plan.

Now that the attention of the defenders were all on John, he pushed through them with the intention of bullrushing them. Despite their numbers and their strengths, they couldn’t stop the police officer who was built like a tank and dashed like a race car.

They were now inside the penalty bow now! If they didn’t stop John, the Sub Team would score against the First Team! The captain decided to take matters into his own hands and chased after John who was right at the penalty mark and was about to take a shot!

The captain tried to do a sliding tackle to try and interrupt the shot. The goalkeeper rushed in to try and disrupt John’s shot angles.

John then passed to the side… the left forward was left completely unmarked! He took the shot!

“GOAL!!!!” The Sub Team yelled out loud after they scored the first goal. They went over to celebrate with John who was giving high-fives to them.

“This isn’t over, boys! Let’s keep the momentum and get another one!” John’s voice rallied the team and yelled: “Yes, Sir!”

The First Team, shocked by the Sub Team's relentless, organized attack - led by Officer Roads - struggled to adapt. John continued to direct the field, using clinical precision to control possession and set up scoring opportunities. The Sub Team scored two more goals quickly, one from a John-assisted cross and the other from a penalty kick John earned, one of the Sub Players took the penalty, making the score 3-0.

With only a few minutes to go, the First Team was exhausted despite only playing for one half. The Sub Team were also visibly tired, but their morale and the leadership of Officer Roads were the key to their continued efforts.

Sky didn’t care anymore if she was caught in the act. She was screaming every time Johnny took the ball and ran on the pitch. She had never felt this alive since she started streaming. Now she let her heart explode with excitement at seeing Johnny playing his heart out!

There were only a few seconds left to the scrimmage and John was still pushing through without slowing down.

The Sub Players and John were connected now and were playing like a real team - the defenders were quick to act and launched counter attacks from the sides or sending long bombs to the forwards. The mid-fielders were keeping control of the ball and created avenues for their attackers to move.

One of the wingers took the ball from the First Team and ran at full speed towards the goal. There was only one last chance to finish this… he saw a speeding blur heading towards the box. He prayed the ball would reach him and kicked a sharp pass…

Caught in midair, the ball was secured in John’s feet whose eyes turned to look at the goal… he was outside the box, but he knew he could score from there…

“GO FOR IT, JOHNNY!!!”

John heard Sky’s voice… the fire in him burned hotter in his chest… The second his feet touched the ground he took aim and prepared to put all his power into the shot.

“Somebody stop that shot!” The captain of the First Team could only yell out in desperation…

John slammed his foot into the ball blasting it from the ground like a rocket - becoming a black blur that left the goalkeeper paralyzed with shock as the ball found itself fused inside the net!

“GOAL!!!!” The Sub Team rushed to John after he scored.

The final whistle blew and the scrimmage was over.

The entire school was watching and erupted into cheers to see the Sub Team defeating the First Time 4-0 with the help of Police Officer Roads and his incredible soccer skills.

While the Subs were celebrating, John’s eyes turned towards the crowd and found her eyes looking at him. He then pointed towards her…

Sky’s heart was pounding in her chest! She had been cheering for Johnny throughout the scrimmage and even yelled at him like a fan girl. Now… he was pointing at her… he was dedicating his goal to her!

“D-Does this mean… he… he… likes me…?”

1:15 PM

The results of the scrimmage became the talk of the high school.

4-0, the Sub Team had defeated the First Team of the soccer varsity team thanks to the help of Super Cop, Officer John Roads.

Sky was hearing everyone speaking of how awesome Johnny was, how quick he was on his feet, how ripped he was, how he’d look way hotter if he changed his hair style and didn’t look so stiff… She had heard it all.

But deep inside she wasn’t listening to those comments. She was thinking of the way Johnny had looked at her before getting on the pitch. How he seemed to redouble his efforts whenever she was cheering for him. And… the way he had dedicated his one goal to her… she wondered if it meant more than she thought.

Despite all this happening, she hadn’t once approached him all day long. Was she afraid? Was she embarrassed? Or was she trying to avoid putting them both in a troublesome situation here in public?

“What do I do? Do I wait to talk to him later at his place? Should I just… let things happen? I wonder what Detective Fanman would say if he’d seen all this…?”

Sky’s mind was jumping from one side to the other without finding any easy answers. This made her grumble silently to herself.

“Hey, Sky!” Val and Lola appeared out of nowhere. “You seem to be troubled, girl! Whatcha thinkin’?”

“A lot of things, actually…” Sky was unusually guarded now. Lola and Val were her best friends, no doubt. But having shown just how much she felt about Johnny in public, she felt that she needed to keep a few things to herself. At least for now.

Just as Lola and Val were about to tease Sky, Officer Bank and Officer Roads appeared - it was time for them to return to their regular schedule and report to their precinct. Many admirers rushed towards John, who was once again stone faced and stoic.

Val and Lola looked at each other and smirked. They left Sky behind and ran off towards both officers.

“Hey, Officer Roads! Great match out there!” Val called out.

“You think we could get a selfie with you?” Lola took out her trendy smartphone.

Having reverted to his Officer Roads personality, he shook his head softly.

“I appreciate the thought, but respectfully I must refuse. Officer Banks and I must return to our duties. My apologies.” John said nothing more and began to walk away, despite the disappointed groans from the gathered crowd.

“Sorry, kids! As you can see, Officer Stone-Roads there isn’t much for socializing. But give him some time, alright?” Nick Banks was trying to soften the blow of John’s cold refusal.

John’s mind was once again struggling to understand why Sky had such an effect on him. He knew she made him act differently and helped him push himself beyond his duty. Until he could figure out what made Sky so special, he would have to guard his thoughts and emotions even more.

Sky saw how Johnny had gone back to being “Officer Roads” again, which meant he was keeping everyone out. But when she saw him turn down her friends’ request for a selfie with him, she thought of making a bold move…

John was slowly walking away in deep thought towards the school gates…

Sky dashed towards Johnny at full speed!

He needed to find out what was happening to him…

Now!

“Hey, Johnny!”

Johnny turned around just in time to see Sky’s blushing face smiling at him, grab his arm, then hold her smartphone towards them to take a selfie of herself smiling at the camera while he looked completely shocked at this bold move!

“Hehehe! You really didn’t think I’d let you walk away that easily, did ya, Officer Weirdo?” Sky giggled with mischief at the flabbergasted John who was seemingly paralyzed. “I’ll see you back at your place, later. Take care, Johnny!”

Sky winked at him and turned around to run towards her friends.

“OH MY GOD!!! You really went and did it, Sky! You have something no one else could get from him! Now he’s MY Johnny!” When she got close to her friends who were staring at her with shock in their eyes, Skylar, still blushing, smirked triumphantly after she had made her claim public - Johnny was hers now!

John was still and motionless like a statue after Sky “stole” a selfie with him. Nick caught up to him and patted his shoulder.

“Hey, Johnny… you okay, man? You look like someone stole your badge or something. Did that girl say something weird to ya?” Officer Banks turned to look at Sky who was giggling and looking smug with her friends. “Johnny?”

“Huh? What? Oh… umm… no. She didn’t say anything weird… just… took a selfie. That’s all.” John was still recovering from the shock.

“You look a lil’ shaky there. Huh? What’s this? Are you blushing!?” Nick’s face was just as shocked at John’s now.

“What? Blushing? Me? But… I’ve never felt like blushing before! How is that even possible? And… what is this… pinch in my chest?”

John was desperately trying to figure out what was going on with him now. He had never felt this way before over anything or anyone. Ever since he stopped his life of crime and was reformed, he had dedicated his entire life to being an officer of the law - disciplined, organized and with the goal of becoming a Detective, like his mentor.

But… ever since Sky appeared in his life… things had changed…

And then, she does such a bold move as to ambush him and take that selfie!

He felt his heart racing… his cheeks were slightly blushing… he couldn’t stop thinking about Sky’s impish smile after she took the selfie and ran away towards her friends.

That clever little “thief” had stolen something from him… and he felt warm inside…

It finally dawned on him…

“I have a crush on Sky…”

Took you long enough to realize, Johnny…