Hell or High Water | JJ Maybank [2]

seven

Jo rolled her eyes and got to her feet. John B had wandered over to the cooler to grab another beer, but stopped in front of it and was staring at the large tree behind the chateau. Jo came to stand beside him and noticed he was looking at a carving JJ, Kie, and Pope must have made. It was a heart with their names in the middle, and Jo felt her eyes welling with tears.

For a little while, she had been able to forget about the impossible problems building up in her life. But staring at the little memorial her friends had made when they thought she and John B were dead brought it all back. She was overwhelmed with emotion, especially fear, because she didn't know what the future held. She didn't know how in the world two orphaned teens would be able to clear their name against someone as rich and powerful as Ward.

Quiet footsteps echoed behind her and Jo jumped slightly. Both siblings turned as JJ came up and stood between them, a small, sad smile on his face.

"That's a cute art project," John B teased tearfully. He sniffled and tried to blink back his tears. "Killed the tree though."

Jo laughed through her tears and wiped her eyes. "Yeah, probably," JJ agreed with a chuckle. "Oops."

The three stood in silence for several minutes, just staring at the tree. Eventually, JJ turned towards John B and pulled him into a hug. "I frickin missed you, man."

"Yeah," John B choked out. "Me too."

Jo watched with a sad smile as the two boys embraced with teary eyes. She wrapped her arms around herself and tried to keep her emotions in check. It had been a wild ride thus far, and she knew it was probably only going to get crazier.

While JJ and John B had their little bro moment, Jo backed away and headed toward the house. She hadn't been inside yet and she wanted to grab a new shirt, so she decided to scope it out. She slowly climbed the stairs and opened the rusty screen door, letting it slam shut behind her. She stood in the entryway and looked around, letting the tears welling in her eyes slide down her cheeks. Everything was exactly the same as when they had left. It was a little bit more messy, indicating that the Pogues probably stayed here frequently in the twins' absence, but that was nothing out of the ordinary. She was glad they still used the house and kept their memory alive.

"Must be weird to be back," JJ said as he appeared behind her.

Jo sighed and nodded her head. "Very," she admitted. "It's so strange," she murmured. "Everything still looks exactly the same. It's like we never left, but... we did. And things couldn't be any more different."

"Yeah," JJ breathed. "But you know what's not different, is you and me."

Jo smiled softly and turned around. She tilted her head to look up at JJ's shadowed face, which was already pointed down as he stared at her. The couple quickly closed the gap between them and crashed their lips onto each other's, and the fireworks and butterflies that erupted inside them was still exactly the same as it used to be. Their lips still felt like they molded together perfectly, moving in sync in a greedy yet gentle way. Jo felt the passion burning in her stomach, finally reunited with her boyfriend after being separated for so long.

JJ wasted no time in deepening the kiss. His hands slid down from her cheeks to her waist and landed on her hips. With a firm grip, he pushed her backwards away from the door and to the opposite wall. Jo was too wrapped up in the kiss to object, so she let JJ move her and press her against the cool wood. She barely even registered the action as JJ slid his hands behind her legs and hoisted her up, holding her as he continued to pepper her in kisses. Jo didn't object, she just wrapped her legs around his waist and let her hand tangle in his hair.