THE REDHEAD ☾ jj maybank

11 | sad stories

"At least you had a father that loved you. At least you got to have him there for you growing up, being close to him. I had nothing of the sort." Delilah continues while taking a deep breath. "I get that you miss him and want him back, I really do. But at least think of the happy memories before saying stuff like that to us. We're always going to be here for you, and you know that, JB."

"I'm sorry." John B quietly apologises, guilt laced in his voice.

"Ly..." JJ begins, trailing off.

At the sound of her nickname, Delilah turns around to face the blonde boy where they now notice the fresh tears that are rolling down her cheeks. JJ's face only softens at the depressing sight, his hands lifting to cup her cheeks. The pads of his thumbs gently brush against her pale skin as he wipes the salty tears away, being careful of the bruise that still sits on her cheekbone.

"Hey, it's okay, gorgeous." JJ whispers.

JJ leans forwards and presses a soft kiss against her forehead to reassure her. Delilah is unable to reply as she keeps sucking in sharp breathes to keep calm, and to also prevent herself from completely breaking down. Her head shifts to rest in the crook of the boys neck as he just rubs circles into her back.

"If you guys tell anyone I cried I'm going to beat each one of your asses." Delilah threatens, trying to make a joke out of her crying.

"Who are we going to tell, Lila? We have no other friends." Kie states, smiling.

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The campervan that continues to hold the teenagers comes to a stop as they arrive at the destination; an old red and white lighthouse with large crack that travel up along the side of it can be seen ahead of them all. The doors to the vehicle all swing open as the five hop out and crowd around in a small circle. John B instantly turns around to face Delilah and JJ, noticing how the girl has managed to calm down from the conversation earlier.

"Right, here's what's gonna happen." John B begins as he grabs their attention. "You two are gonna post up and look out for bogeys, okay?"

"Wait, why us?" JJ asks with furrowed brows.

"Because you're both not coming." Pope replies, bluntly too in order to get the point across.

"Why?" Delilah questions.

"Look, guys. There are independent and there are dependent variables. You're both an independent variable. We don't know what either of you are gonna do." Pope explains.

"Shut up!" JJ exclaims, repeating it over the top of the boy talking.

"Guys, guys, stop." John B instructs. "Pope, you stand look out with JJ and Delilah. Okay? If we get split up, we meet back at Red's house."

"Fine by me." Kie agrees.

The boy and the girl proceed to walk away from the conversation before an argument can be created in disagreement to the plan. They hop over the top of the wooden fence nearby, making their way towards the lighthouse. This leaves the other three friends to just stand there and decide what they're going to do to pass time as they simply wait.

"I'm gonna work on my merit scholarship essay, and I'm trying to keep felonies to a minimum." Pope tells the two.

"Alright, would you just shut up already?" JJ fires back, annoyance laced in his voice.

Pope doesn't reply, not willing to create a full-blown argument between them both. He turns around and heads back inside of the campervan to work on his essay like he said he would be doing. Delilah and JJ just climb up onto the roof of the vehicle to avoid bothering the boy with his work — it being the girl's idea specifically, knowing JJ couldn't care less. The pair lay on their backs as they stare up at the white fluffy clouds drifting by in the blue sky.

"Got your juul?" Delilah asks.

"Yeah." JJ replies.

The blond sits up from his place on the roof of the vehicle, allowing himself to rummage through his pockets of his shorts in search for the juul. He pulls the smoking device out and passes it over to the girl, watching as she presses it between her lips. Puffs of smoke exit her mouth as she inhales and exhales it. Delilah just smiles over at him, glancing down at the navy button up that he's currently wearing.

"I like your shirt by the way." Delilah compliments, briefly pausing. "Wait. I swear I brought that."

JJ nods, lightly laughing. "Yeah, you did."

"Hey, you know, I think Topper will probably try to get back at us for what happened on the beach the other day." Delilah tells him.

"Not a problem for us, am I right, pretty girl?" JJ replies, nudging her arm with his elbow.

"True." Delilah agrees.

The two then fall into a comfortable silence , soaking in the relaxation that's been given as a reward for what they've been through so far. The juul is passed between them both as they take it in turns to smoke it. However, the quiet moment is cut short as Pope makes his way out of the campervan and looks up at his friends, squinting because of the sun.

"Guys, I'm bored." Pope informs.

"What do you want to do?" Delilah asks.

"Well, I found a soccer ball." Pope replies.

The pair that are laying up on the roof are quick to sit up before beginning to scramble down the side of it with excitement filling their bodies. Their feet safely land on the hard ground in front of Pope and the soccer ball. The three then start to play a game with one another, creating little goals with fallen branches they found from nearby. There's only a small amount of people playing and it's therefore difficult to play a proper game, but they still manage to make the most out of it.

After several minutes pass by, the little soccer game that was created is interrupted due to the teenagers come to an abrupt stop as a sudden sound fills their ears. Police sirens can be heard whirring in the distance, only growing louder as the vehicle travels closer to their location. As well as that, the faint sign of blue and red flashing lights can be seen through the opening of the tall trees.

Delilah freezes in her place slightly, unsure of whether to stay around and wait for their friends or to instantly peel. But the decision is quickly made as the sound of the cops comes closer by the second, knowing that it's unlikely the two will be able to get out of the lighthouse in time. Pope abandons the ball and sprints back over to the campervan, JJ following closely behind the boy after grabbing onto Ly's arm and pulling her along.

This time, the redhead is the one to clamber into the drivers seat of the vehicle. She twists the key in the ignition to turn the engine on, slamming her foot down onto the pedal. The steering wheel is abruptly spun to one side and causes the campervan to turn around at a rapid speed. They set off along the long narrow roads once again. JJ's head pops up behind Ly, watching the road carefully from over the top of her shoulder.

"Shit." Delilah curses under her breath. "I don't know what way they're going."

"Go left." JJ instructs. "Take the shortcut to your house."

Delilah nods in response, shifting the steering wheel so that they take a hard left. The tires skid against the concrete, creating a high-pitched sound that causes the girl to wince slightly. They then continue to down the roads and through the backroads that will eventually lead to Delilah's house.