Home [Book 2]

8

"Yeah," I answered, kicking around the water with my foot.

He let out a dry chuckle. "We all get annoyed with him at some point in time. In my opinion, you're the strongest of us all."

"Really? How is that?" I asked, finally looking at him.

"Well, you had to put up with him for almost eighteen years of your life. And not to mention nine months in the womb." Pope said, gently nudging my arm with his. "That must have been a nightmare."

    A brief smile flickered across my face. "Yeah, it was not pleasant sometimes."

    "You want to know something else?" He asked.

    "What's that?"

    "While you were gone, one of the Kook restaurant threw out a pancake and it landed on a bunny."

    "Seriously?"

    "I kid you not. We chased this bunny all day while trying to get the pancake off his head." He said with a large smile.

    I smiled and laughed lightly. "I missed so much while I was gone."

    "You really did." He agreed and put an arm around my shoulders. "You feelings better?"

    "Yeah. Thanks for this."

    "Anything for my best friend." He said with a smile before standing up. "Do you want to head back in, or stay out here a while longer?"

    "I—uh—I think I'm good. Help me up?" I asked.

    "Yeah, yeah, here." He held out his hand and helped me up, steadying me as I slipped on the smooth boat's floor. "Easy there."

    I walked up onto the peer with Pope and we walked back to my house, opening the door and letting me go in first as he came in behind me.

    The house was empty aside from JJ as he set the dried glasses in the cabinet, looking at me as the both of us entered.

    He dried his hands on a dish towel and walked over to me, wrapping me in his arms and kissing my hair as he stroked my hair.

    "You okay?" He asked in a gentle voice, pulling back and looking at me.

    "Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay. I just needed some time alone." I nodded, looking around at the empty house. "Where are the others?"

    "They went to Sarah's to check up on how she's doing. KeKe convinced them all to go. She's persistent, that one." He replied with a smile.

    I smiled and nodded. "Yeah. She is."

———

I felt someone poking my face and telling me to get up, but all I did was move closer  to JJ and have his arms automatically adjust to hold me comfortably, one of his hands on the back of my shoulder.

    "JJ, Riley, wake up. Seriously. We have to get to school." Pope's voice floated overhead.

    I cracked open my eyes and looked up at Pope and Kiara looking at me as KeKe tried to shake my brother away.

    "There she is. Now wake JJ up. We have a Geometry test today." Kiara said, patting JJ's cheek until he woke up.

    I groaned tiredly and got up, stretching and feeling my back pop. "JJ, time to get up. Guys, get your stuff ready. I got this."

    "Okay." They nodded and went to get John B up.

    "J. Hey, time to wake up." I said, snapping my fingers in front of his face. "JJ,"