book 1 of 3
ever since bianca 'b' prescott was born, she was told that she was the fairest of them all. and like any, the island's very own kook princess had a reputation- she was stubborn and shallow and most of all, she was a spoiled bitch. but ev...
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Bianca pushed open the door, greeted by a number of potent smells. The vibrant polishes were arranged neatly in rows, the flower pots were freshly watered and the space itself was air conditioned.
"Fucking kooks," JJ scoffed lowly, his arms crossed over his chest as he stood behind Bianca who was glancing at the variety of polishes. It was unbelievable- how nail salons had power when the Cut didn't.
Bianca ignored his snide comment and whirled around with two bottles in her hand, "Sage or cornflower?"
JJ's scowl only deepened, moving the bottles away from his face, "What the fuck are we doing here?"
"Shh," The girl shushed him, sending an apologetic look to middle-aged woman who was giving them a nasty once over at JJ's language. Bianca was a patron here and she wasn't about to jeopardise her relations with her favorite salon all because the boy couldn't keep his comments to himself.
"It smells," JJ wrinkled his nose dramatically
"Stop being such a baby," Bianca sighed, "It won't take long."
JJ rolled his eyes and followed the girl down the aisle of polishes until one caught her eye. She picked up the bottle he had pulled from the clear shelves. The color itself was a baby pink shade– a perfect balance and it would compliment the color of Rafe's suit and the dress she was supposed to coordinate.
JJ's annoyance seemed to disappear only momentarily, because as soon as she had made her way over to the free nail technician, he was already whining. The blond boy sat in the chair beside Bianca, "Are you almost done?" he mumbled.
"JJ," Bianca narrowed her eyes, "She just started."
JJ took a glimpse of the woman who'd barely finished one hand and this time, he hadn't even bothered to whisper, "How long is this gonna take?"
"Like an hour," Bianca replied while JJ's eyes honed in on how the wet brushed dipped into power and magically transformed into gel.
"An hour?" He exclaimed, "You just sit here and watch him do your nails for an hour?"
Bianca shrugged, "It's really not that bad, JJ."
"What am I supposed to do?" He tried to keep the pout off his face.
The woman still listening, mostly due to JJ's obnoxious not-so-whispers, glanced between the two of them, before briefly gesturing over to her coworker, "She could do your nails if you want."
"No way," JJ spoke instantly, shaking his head.
Bianca's eyes lit up at the idea- maybe this way, he wouldn't whine the whole time, "Yes! He'd love that."
"No. No way. I'm not getting my nails done," JJ stood up from the chair now, backing away slightly as if someone was about to tackle him and force his hand.
"You are," Bianca said, before looking back over to the lady who was patiently waiting to see if she had just gained a customer, "He is."
"No-" JJ protested, glancing down at his dirty fingernails subconsciously, "I'm just gonna mess them up anyway."
"Don't worry," The girl sent him a devious smile, "I'll sugar mama you."
"No way, I'm not letting you pay for me to get my nails done," He scoffed.
Sighing lightly, Bianca pulled out a credit card from her purse, right besides the keycard to her father's office and gesturing to the girl at the front desk, "Can you charge me for two manicures?"
JJ groaned, "Ma'am, no, please don't listen to her."
The woman looked between the two of them, your card in hand, unsure of whose direction to follow, but Bianca added, "And give yourself a $20 tip, too," And with that, she was off to swipe the card.
When the woman came back, she gestured at JJ to take a seat besides Bianca again, but the boy was still pouting. Bianca narrowed her eyes, "JJ- sit."
As the woman returned her card, JJ begrudgingly sat down, watching as the person seated across from him began working. The next few minutes passed in relative silence– JJ didn't talk much, only asking a few questions here and there about what the various products were, but Bianca couldn't get something off her mind.
"I don't get it," She hummed.
"Get what?" JJ practically had to tear his eyes away from where the technician was buffing his nails.
"It was supposed to be Pope, that's what Topper said," She continued, her eyes narrowed, "But you got arrested for it."
"Don't you get it, B?" At the mention of the topic, the scowl returned to JJ's face, "I took the fall."
"Why would you do that for him?" Her voice was shy, timid almost, starkly different to what the boy was used to. Her eyes darted to his, head tilted slightly as if trying to figure him out and it made JJ shift uncomfortably in his seat.
"I've got nothing to lose- I'm going to be stuck being a fucking deadbeat townie for the rest of my life, but Pope- he's got the whole world ahead of him," He turned back to his nails, "It's called being a good friend- you wouldn't know what that feels like."
Oh, but she did. Bianca would do the exact same for Sarah, however misguided it may be, her intentions were always in the right place. Although, she'd never admit it to JJ, so she let him believe that she was the evil witch in his fairytale and turned back to her nails in silence.
