Kingdom Domination | Sequel to Becoming Queen | JBFF

fifteen.

As Hadlee sweats off some energy in the gym, making her rounds and helping the other girls, Justin finds himself at Hadlee's front door, knocking three times and waiting for it to swing open.

"Justin, hi. Hadlee's at the gym." Marianna tells him.

"I'm actually here to talk to you, ma'am."

"I told you, call me Marianna," she says, grinning. "Come in. We'll go to the kitchen."

Grinning, Justin follows her inside and to the kitchen, sitting down as she hands him a glass of water.

"What can I do for you?" She asks, giving him a curious look.

"I wanted to talk to you about possibly taking Hadlee away in two weeks for the weekend. As you know, Maverick isn't really..." he pauses, "supportive. So, it's really hard for us to spend time together. We never get to focus on us."

She nods. "I get that. But..."

Justin gulps.

"She's only 16. You're 18, right?"

Justin nods. "I will be tomorrow, yeah."

She nods. "I mean, she's only a few months from being 17, but my point is any sane mother wouldn't say yes to her teenager going away on a trip alone with her boyfriend."

Justin nods. "I completely understand."

"That being said," she starts. "I know you two have been through a lot already in your relationship and I know how unfair it is to have to walk on eggshells because of Maverick. So, I'm going to say yes."

"Thank you..." he says, shocked. "So much. I didn't think you'd say yes but I hoped, y'know."

She nods. "Of course. But, I do think it's important that you ask her father too."

"He was my next stop, ma'- Marianna."

She smiles. "There ya go."

After a moment of silence, Justin sipping his water, Marianna speaks up again.

"Can I ask you something, Justin?"

Justin nods. "Of course."

"I know you said Hadlee makes you want to better. And that's amazing. But, why did you take the chance in the first place? Maverick was your best friend."

Justin clears his throat, nodding. "You're right. It's kinda crazy. But um, basically, I couldn't get her out of my head. We knew nothing about one another and all I wanted to do was know everything from the moment she stood up to Maverick. She's utterly intriguing."

Marianna grins.

"I don't know." he shakes his head. "I really don't. I think it was just a feeling that I had never had before with a girl and I needed to figure out exactly what that meant."

Marianna nods. "I get that... and I like that answer."

Justin chuckles. "Me too. I mean, I actually love how it all happened. Now how it came out... not so much."

She nods. "Yeah, that wasn't ideal."

Justin scoffs lightly, shaking his head. "Not at all. I never thought it would happen like that. Never in a million years."

After talking to Marianna for a while longer, Justin leaves, knowing that Hadlee would be returning home soon and not wanting to get caught.

As Hadlee makes her way home, Justin makes his way to her father's, knocking on the door only to be greeted by Maverick.