My Neighbor's New Groove

September 5, 7:48 AM - Port Seaview Police Department - 7th Precinct Locker Room

The locker room of Precinct 7 smelled of stale coffee, floor wax, and the damp humidity of the early morning. It was the usual symphony of locker doors slamming, officers groaning about the weekend ending, and the rhythmic sound of Velcro straps being tightened. The shift change was happening and many of the officers were moving with some slow steps due to fatigue or the reluctance of returning to the monotony of their usual police work.

Officer Nick Banks was fixing his shoes while Officer Pete Montoya was sighing heavily- he was checking a message on his phone from his kids.

“What’s goin’ on, Pete? You don’t look too good.” Nick checked to make sure his holster was secured properly.

“It’s my kids again… my daughter keeps telling me I should be watching this ‘streamer girl’ or something. I dunno. She’s been pestering me all weekend telling me her favorite streamer, someone called ‘Blue Sky’ had streamed recently about some ‘fashion miracle’ she’d created or something…” Pete, a father of two girls who were into fashion and streaming, was unable to understand kids these days.

“I feel you man. All my lil’ cousins and sisters are into that stuff too. That ‘Blue Sky’ girl you’re talking about? She’s pretty famous among the young crowd.” Nick checked his watch and furrowed his brow. “Where is that guy?”

“By the way! I heard you and Roads went to this high school, Robert Brewster High School, didn’t ya?”

“Sure did! I tell ya… Johnny? Our boy? He’s got layers,” Nick took out his phone and showed Montoya a video someone had posted on social media with the hashtags - #HowToBeAMan! #SuperCop it showed Officer John Roads saying: “... True Love never dies.”

“Johnny said that? As in John Roads?” Montoya looked puzzled.

“Sure did!” Nick was suddenly distracted by a man who walked into the locker room in a pair of jeans, white shirt and a nice looking leather jacket.

“Good morning.” The arrival said.

“Mornin’, are you new around here?” Nick said absent-mindedly.

“I’ve not been new for years, Nick. What’re you talking about?”

Nick and Pete finally recognized the voice and turned to look at the guy.

The voice sounded like Johnny, but the man before them didn’t look like Johnny.

The man walking in was tall—imposing, actually. He walked with a straight back, shoulders squared, moving with an athletic grace that wasted no energy. His jeans and white shirt fitted perfectly to match his physique, covered a bit by the leather jacket that made him look more dynamic. But it was the face that threw everyone off.

Gone was the shaggy, black curtain of hair that usually hid his eyes. It was cut short on the sides, styled back sharply to reveal a strong jawline and piercing, intelligent eyes that scanned the room with calm precision.

“Johnny? Is that you, man!?” Nick stood up and looked at Johnny with wide eyes and dropped jaw.

“Yeah? Why? Was the change too dramatic?” Roads checked himself thinking he might’ve had a stain on his jacket or his shirt.

“Johnny! You look great, kid!” Pete stood up and patted his shoulders. “You look like a whole different person!”

The sudden attention he was getting made Johnny a little bit embarrassed, especially when the rest of the officers began to whistle and throw wolf calls.

“Damn! Now you look like a real Detective, Johnny!” Nick said with a smile.

This suddenly made Johnny feel warmth in his chest.

“Sky was right… now I actually look like the real deal.” Without thinking, he smiled with pride.

“You better get ready, Roads! Briefing starts in a few minutes.” Pete was chuckling as he patted Johnny’s shoulders. “Wait till O’Malley gets a look at you. He's gonna flip!”

8:00 AM - Briefing Room

Officer John Roads had to avoid the gazes of all his coworkers as he walked from the locker room to the Briefing Room. Everywhere he walked everyone gave him a look like he had transformed into some weirdo or something.

“You’re gonna get a lot of attention now, Johnny!” Nick was teasing the embarrassed Johnny.

“No comment.” Johnny managed to say. Despite the same patrolman uniform he wore every day and the badge that clearly said ROADS, people were still checking out who the ‘new guy’ was.

The briefing ran as usual but the Lieutenant added that the fundraiser events had reached an excellent result, particularly from students of Robert Brewster High School with a surprising rise in interest in their precinct, positive reviews on social media and even a request for Officer Roads to return to talk to some of the students.

This mention of Johnny made him try to hide behind his notepad, but every person turned to look at him with a smirk.

After the briefing ended and their daily duties had been given, Johnny was asked by the Lieutenant to stick around for a bit. Nick told him to go ahead since he was getting some coffee before they set off to their beat.

Lt. Cole sat behind his desk while Johnny stood at attention like he was in the Army.

“Looks like your time at that high school was well spent, Roads.” Lt. Cole was checking some reports.

“Just doing my duty, Sir.” Johnny said laconically. He was expecting a reprimand, so he prepared for it- he did something out of protocol by playing with the students.

“I know you have, John. And you’ve been one of the finest officers we have in this precinct. Never missed a day, never arrived late, never had any complaints about you nor the way you work.” He looked at John with a calm expression.

“I just want to do what’s right, Sir. I want to become a Detective someday.” John looked at Lt. Cole’s eyes. With his hair now off his eyes and his expression now fully in view, he looked far more resolute and serious.

“You’ve done more than that, Roads.” Cole stood up and walked to John. “Public interest is rising. Parents have called to praise your work and your words. O’Malley must be proud of you.”

John suddenly felt a flush of pride swelling in him.

“The Detective exam is still a couple of months away.” The Lieutenant smiled and gave John a pat on the back. “I’m sure you’ll do great. Return to your duties, John.”

“Yes, Sir. And thank you, Sir!” Johnny smiled inwards and nodded sharply.

Once he was alone, Lieutenant Cole looked at his computer screen at a video:

#HowToBeAMan! #SuperCop

“Go be a real man, Roads.” Lt. Cole smiled as he watched John walking more loose but also with more pride.

11:51 AM - Answering a call regarding shop lifting.

Nick and Johnny had to answer a call when a nearby convenience store had caught a couple of teenagers trying to shoplift a few food items from their stock but slipped before they could make their getaway. While Nick was taking the shop owner’s statement. John was watching over the two young boys who were looking down.

John was looking at them. Really looking…

“Not too long ago I was just like them. Just doing stupid things for no good reason…”

Kintsugi

Johnny remembered Mr. Aoi’s words regarding the practice of mending things with gold. He sat down with the kids who looked at him like he was a weirdo. He took off his hat, letting his new hairdo fall back, letting the kids take a good look at his face. He reached out into his belt and took out two protein bars from a pocket, offering it to them.

“Hungry, boys?”

The two boys looked at him like he was trying to trick them. John simply smiled in a friendly way. Without the hat, he looked just like a regular guy.

“I know what it's like.” He started saying as he began to peel the wrapper from the two bars. “Feeling like no one cares. No one gives a helping hand. Makes you angry doesn’t it?”

The two kids looked down a bit. Everything this guy had said was right on the money.

“You guys have a family? Mom, dad, siblings?” John turned to look at them for a second. One of them didn’t move. The other nodded. “It must be tough to sometimes act this way to try to get attention from them. Maybe your father isn’t there or he’s not a good person. Maybe your mom is too busy with her job to even make dinner. Maybe your siblings are doing better or worse than you. I don’t know.”

The more John talked, the more the two kids seemed to breathe quicker. They were being analyzed without judgement.

“I tell you guys, it’s not worth going to juvie for this. Not for some silly shoplifting. It breaks a mother’s heart. It makes a dad feel hurt. Makes siblings feel ashamed. And it makes us empty inside…” John looked to the ground with a sad expression.

One of the kids started to cry. The other one was fighting it hard. He didn’t want to crack.

“We made a big mistake…” The crying kid managed to blubber.

“It's alright kid. Nobody’s perfect.” John said softly.

“How the hell would you know?” One of them spoke roughly.

“Because ten years ago, I was sitting where you are, kid. Angry, confused, lost… and about to cry.” He looked at them with understanding and nodded. “Until someone told me what I needed to know. A cop.”

The two boys reached out and took the protein bars John had offered them.

As soon as Nick finished taking the store owner’s statement, he looked around for Johnny. He found him talking with the two kids. The boys’ eyes were red and tears were still wet on their cheeks, but they were really listening to John. Nick didn’t interrupt. He just watched how his partner was talking to them like a big brother would.

“... And remember, it takes a real man to accept responsibility and apologize for their mistakes.” John patted both boys on their shoulders, which made them nod slowly. “Go now, and apologize to the shop owner. Own up to your mistakes and make amends. Okay?”

“Yes, Officer Roads… thanks.” Both boys walked up to the shop owner who looked less than happy, but then was surprised when both of them apologized profusely for their misdeed and hoped he’d allow them to make up for their mistake.

“Hey Johnny.” Nick moved over to John who was watching the two kids being brave. “Store owner’s not gonna press any charges, but he did mention he would if those two ever rolled in here again. What’d you tell ‘em?”

“Just what they needed to hear, Nick. Fixing broken things with gold.” Johnny put on his hat and stepped outside of the shop after saying goodbye to the boys.

“Fixing things with whaaaat? Damn, I'm takin' that! Super Cop!” Nick chuckled as he went outside as well.

6:05 PM - Back in 7th Precinct

Johnny was already storing his equipment and gear in his locker and had changed into his new outfit. He was still drawing a lot of attention from his coworkers, but he was slowly getting used to it.

“Hey, Johnny! Had a good shift?” Pete Montoya came in after a quick shower and a shave.

“Hey Pete. Yeah. It was great.” Johnny felt a good sense of accomplishment today.

“You know? You’re a good lookin’ kid! Never really looked at you but I’m sure you’d be getting a lot of attention from some nice girls.” Pete grinned and sat down heavily.

“I… don’t know about that, Pete.” Johnny’s mind went immediately to the one girl that constantly occupied his thoughts… Sky.

“Wait! Don’t tell me you already got a girlfriend!?” Pete said this so loudly that suddenly twenty officers appeared out of nowhere.

“What!? NO! I don’t!” Johnny’s face immediately shifted to full Officer Roads mode. “That is completely unprofessional behavior, Officer Montoya!”

“Hahaha! Lighten up, Johnny, it was just a joke!” Every officer around laughed and went back to their business.

“Darn it… I let my guard down. Sky is not my girlfriend. I can’t. We can’t… Not yet.” John closed his eyes and took a deep breath. But before he could let it out, a slap on his shoulder forced him to cough.

“Well, well, well! You got yerself a makeover and don’t even think to tell lil’ ol’ me, ya scamp?” Detective Paul O’Malley chuckled and sat down next to Johnny. The young man smiled fondly.

“Hey Detective. Sorry, I didn’t have a chance to show you sooner.” John’s smile was sheepish- he didn’t want O’Malley to make comments about his new looks.

“Oh, don’t give me that! Ya got yer phone, you could take a selfie and send it to me, ya know? Or are you tellin’ me ya don’t know how ta do that?” O’Malley smirked and arched his eyebrow at Johnny.

“Ermm… actually…” Johnny was busted.

“Boy do I have ta teach ya everything?” O’Malley shook his head and patted John’s shoulder with a laugh. “This was Lil' Missy’s handiwork ain’t it?”

“Y-Yeah… just this past Saturday. Went to the mall and-” John stopped when O’Malley got in his face and narrowed his eyes.

“Keep goin’. You two went to the mall… aaaaaaand?”

“Well… she… suggested I get these clothes and… this hair style. She thought it’d help with my image. Make me look more professional.” John sighed heavily as if he was in the middle of an interrogation.

“Well she wasn’t wrong on that one. You look like a million bucks, boy! I’m guessin’ the Lil’ Missy got a lil’ flustered too, eh?” The Sly Old Fox chuckled and poked John’s arm.

“Stop that! That’s not even the half of what happened.”

Detective O’Malley’s aura suddenly changed to Papa Paul O’Malley.

“What else did you do, you little scamp?” He was growling menacingly, but from a jolly looking person like O’Malley, he looked like a Pomeranian dog snarling at a statue.

“I got to meet Sky's parents. They’re back in town for a while and we got to chat for a while.” John said that, like it was no big deal.

“My boy… you met her parents?” O’Malley’s eyes began to water up comically, “What’s next? Yer gonna tell me you’re runnin’ for President?”

“I’m serious!” Johnny finally spoke up.

“Well don’t leave me hangin’. Tell me all about it while we close up shop.” O’Malley patted John’s shoulder as the two continued talking about the events of the weekend.

The makeover. The meeting with Sky’s parents. And how they’d acknowledged his efforts to be a good man.

Paul O’Malley had always been proud of Johnny. But this time… this time he really felt like a proud father.

7:43 PM - Arriving at Johnny’s apartment building

It had been a busy day all day. Johnny had never been the center of attention before until the event at Sky’s school. Now he was constantly getting looked at or asked about his new looks by the entire precinct. Even Detective O’Malley had given high praise given Sky’s efforts and the success she had in turning him from an awkward weirdo into a proper looking officer of the law.

His mind was still reeling over this. He’d never thought that something as simple as changing one’s clothes and hairstyle could’ve had such an effect on someone.

Sky had seen the potential. Just like O’Malley did back then. She’d seen he needed to change in order to become a better person- A better man.

“I’ll have to do something nice for her. She saw what I couldn’t see… and she performed a miracle.” Johnny mused to himself as he suddenly caught his own reflection on a pane of glass.

He looked dynamic. Serious but not unapproachable. Strong but not intimidating. People could now see his face. Now they could see the person he was.

All thanks to his neighbor. Skylar Aoi, aka. Blue Sky, the Rising Star of the Streaming World in Post Seaview. He couldn’t help but smile and laugh softly as he walked up the stairs towards his apartment. As he did, he could catch the scent of dinner being cooked. More than likely Mrs. Aoi was cooking with Sky helping her out.

The sudden thumping of footsteps could be heard within the Aoi Family apartment running towards the door which opened in a flash.

Sky’s head popped out and her eyes sparkled when he saw him approaching. She was beaming as she stepped outside of her apartment for a bit.

“Evening, Johnny!” Sky’s cheeks were blushing a little. She was still getting used to looking at her Officer Hotty.

“Good evening, Sky. Are you and your family getting ready for dinner?” Johnny approached and looked at Sky with a soft smile.

“Sure are! Mom’s making curry. And if you thought my curry was number one? Well, hers is God-tier!” Sky winked and giggled.

“Sora-chan! Who’re you talking to out there?” Mrs. Aoi’s voice could be heard coming closer to the door.

“Just talking to Johnny. He just got back from work!” Sky stepped aside letting Eleanor Aoi to appear.

“Ara! John-san! Good evening!” Mrs. Aoi’s smile was bright. “We were about to have curry tonight. If you’ve some time, would you like to join us for dinner?”

“Umm… Johnny? You look like you’re drooling.” Sky pointed out at Johnny’s mouth which was just about to really drool.

“What? Oh! I’m sorry! I just!” A flustered Johnny rubbed the back of his neck which made Mrs. Aoi laugh softly.

“Relax, Officer Weirdo.” Sky walked up to him and poked him on the chest. “I told Mom this was your favorite. So she insisted on making it. So, what do you say?”

“As long as you’ve cleaned up a bit…” Johnny smirked at Sky who suddenly exploded in red.

“DON’T GO SAYING STUFF THAT’S GONNA EARN YOU THE DEATH SENTENCE, BUDDY!” Sky began to hammer her fists against Johnny’s chest, which made him laugh.

Mrs. Aoi couldn’t help but smile at how well these two got along.

“Patience, Sora-chan. You both still need to grow up a bit.”

Suddenly I want to try some curry. Does anyone know a good recipe?