Together

30. You've always been it for me

I swear to God
I never fall in love
Then you showed up and I can't get enough of it
-Machine Gun Kelly

That night JJ and the Pogues take Kie to the bowling alley to celebrate her birthday. They would have thrown a party, but Kie was still not feeling drinking after the last kegger at the boneyard.

So instead, they grabbed burgers and fries from the concession stand and played Dancing Queen just for the part about being 17, belting it out around Kie, all while daring each other to bowl different ways.

"Use your left hand!"

"Close your eyes!"

"Spin in a circle first!"

"Use two balls!"

Kie was sitting on the seats while JJ finished his turn. He had to swing it under his legs. He lifts his fists in the air in victory when the ball made a mark. He came back to Kie, laying his head in her lap.

"Victory is tiring, Kie," he pants, in fake exhaustion, throwing an arm over his face.

"You knocked three pins down," John B reminds him.

"That's still better than last time," Pope comments.

"I am offended," JJ retorts.

Kie rolls her eyes as the boys banter back and forth. She gets up to grab a ball, as her turn is up. JJ is quick to come up behind her when she starts to walk towards the lane.

"I can teach you how to throw," he says into her ear, throwing her a wink.

"God, you know what, think I'm good," she quips. "Now get away from me," she says giving him a lighthearted shove.

She swings the ball back but before she can bring it forward JJ grabs it, causing her to lose balance. He laughs and holds it away from her, a small game of keep away before it becomes too heavy, and he has to drop it within her reach.

"Dumbass," she laughs.

After her turn she walks back, and he's got his head in her seat.

"Move, before I sit on your face," she threatens.

JJ smirks, "Please."

She rolls her eyes, shooing him up and finding a place under his arm. They're watching Sarah take her turn when she feels her phone start to buzz in her pocket. She pulls it out and her face falls when she sees who's calling.

JJ looks over her shoulder. He looks at her face, concern replacing his playful mood. Kie looks back at him with sad eyes.

"You can take it," he says softly, a protective hand, squeezing her shoulder so she knew he didn't mind. He hated Mike, but he knew fucked up dads. He understood how you could still want them in your life.

Kie looks down at her dad's face on the screen. She didn't think she would ever want to talk to him again. He hadn't reached out to her in over a week. Hadn't even tried to talk to her. She thought she was happy about that. But now, seeing him on the screen, it had her wondering what he wanted. What he would say to her after she told him to fuck off and left home over his manipulation in her personal life.

"I'll be right back," she mumbles, getting out of the chair. JJ's eyes follow her as she quickly walks out of the noisy bowling alley to take the call.

When she gets outside, she walks to the Jeep and sits on the bumper. "Hello?" she says, wrapping an arm around her middle.

"Kiara?" her father asks.

"Yeah," she says back. It was almost awkward now, talking to him. She wasn't expecting it to feel weird.