Lost At Sea 2 ⋆ JJ Maybank

𝖝𝖎. Golden Wheat

"Jonah," JJ lets out, faking enthusiasm when he sees him.

Josh just spares him a glance, clearly not wanting to get into all that right now. Kathryn inhales through her nose. She's going to start putting things on fire if she has to deal with anymore self-control.

"Hi, Josh," she greets, with what would be a smile.

He smiles back, dazzling. JJ rolls his eyes. "Hi Kat!"

"So, I checked, and we have Maths together?"

That's good news, she figures, because she took advanced Maths and not even Pope was in the class. She nods. "Yeah, probably. Did you need something?"

JJ's eye twitches as he thinks Josh is going to ask for tutoring. But no, surprisingly enough. "I was wondering if I could borrow your book? I don't have mine, so maybe we could share it in class?"

She narrows her eyes at him. She's not an idiot, she knows he's flirting, but it'd be too easy to say yes. There's no implications, no guilt-ridden and overcomplicated backstory, nothing but innocence. She'd be carefree.

She thinks when she says, "Yeah, sure," she says it more to that idea than Josh really.

His grin widens. "Thanks, Kat, you're the best." His eyes fall on the blonde, looking at him with a tad too much intensity for his liking. "...Bye JJ."

"Bye Jared."

Kathryn rolls her eyes as her and the Maybank kid make their way to class, the boy hot on her heels.

"It's Josh. Do you really have to be that annoying–"

"Annoying?" he echoes. "He's the one who wants to 'share your book', d'you really think that's just for studying?"

"It's not like he asked to jerk himself with it!" she retorts.

"Like you would have said 'no' then?"

She stops and turns back to him, nostrils flared and not backing down at the proximity. She's about to lash out, abruptly, but bites down her tongue. Saying no brought a rancid taste to her mouth, and she doesn't want him to feel it, it's not his fault.

But if she has to tell JJ where she stands, be it against the idea or getting together or for, she has to be more firm. And right now, this feels like a bad idea. JJ is already begging for a reason to jump Josh, she shouldn't give him one.

And she can't get with him for that. That'd be a bad reason. After Rafe tried to reason his way through assaulting her, she knows how good and bad feel. She won't let her relationship with JJ turn bad, the reasons turn ill like a wilting flower.

Even if there's no relationship at all in the end. Better it end before it goes bad, than going through the flames again.

She grits her teeth. Coward. "It's not like we're together, JJ."

He watches, bewildered, blinking as she walks in the classroom. "I know that," he says to the void, with a hint of disappointment. He does know it. She told him, again and again.

It doesn't hurt less each time.

Kie and Pope stare at the pair. "That's not going to blow up in everyone's faces at all," she lets out.

Pope sighs. "It's not like we can stop it."

"We'll tell ourselves that when I'll comfort Kat and you'll take care of Jayj."

They hurry in class. The teacher had planned a pop up quiz, which seemed pretty simple, at least for Pope and Kathryn.

She races down the sheet of questions, ignoring the emotions bubbling inside her as JJ doesn't even pick up his pen, staring at the back of her head. Embarrassing, annoying. Why was he even trying now, really?