XXV. Goodbye for Now

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CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

THE END OF THE WORLD — BILLIE EILISHIf there was five more minutes of airWould you panic and hide?Or run for your life?Or stand here and spend it with me?

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THE END OF THE WORLD — BILLIE EILISH
If there was five more minutes of air
Would you panic and hide?
Or run for your life?
Or stand here and spend it with me?



THERE WAS A heavy feeling that settled at the bottom of Stella's stomach as she and her friends docked the Phantom.

After leaving Barry and Rafe groaning on the floor of the boating garage, they managed to get the old cigarette boat into the water and miraculously the engine still ran. The entire ride from the garage to their meeting point, all Stella could think about was how John B's life was ruined and that she was moments away from saying goodbye to him.

Admittedly, John B and Stella didn't like each other when they first met.

John B thought that she was stealing JJ away from him and Stella didn't like the way he tried to push her away. They would butt heads frequently, always putting JJ into an awkward position and forcing him to mediate. When John B would try to distance himself and JJ from her, Stella would make it a point to never leave them alone. When Stella stood up for herself, John B would resort to ignoring her existence all together. It wasn't until she fell out of the tree JJ dared her to climb that John B realized he cared about the girl more than he originally thought.

She could still remember the look of concern plastered on his face as he rushed to her and asked what hurt. After he carried her to the school nurse, Stella knew that he would always have her back. Their differences were set aside, only to find that they had a lot in common, and their relationship flourished into what it was today.

Stella couldn't fathom a world without him. Nearly losing him after the fall at Hawk's Nest was scary enough, but this time it was real. This time, she was losing him to the law and to Ward Cameron. And while the group planned to follow him to Mexico in two months time, she couldn't tell if that was fantasy or reality.

She knew he had to leave, but God, how she wished he didn't.

Stella's thoughts were disrupted by Kie jumping off the boat and onto the dock. "Dude, where is he?" The curly-haired teen wondered, looking around at the empty space where John B should've been to meet them.

JJ looked up. "Give him a second," he said, eyes catching the nervous look on his girlfriend's face. "He'll be here. He's coming. He'll be fine."

Pope followed after Kie, but not before stopping to offer Stella a helping hand. She took with with a grateful smile and stepped off of the boat, letting go once she was safely on the dock.

From the corner of her eye, Stella could see the flashing lights of a Kildare Police cruiser and her face dropped. "JJ," she called warily, gesturing for him to start the boat again. "We've got company."

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