PROM QUEEN:
SWALLOW YOUR FUCKING PRIDE.
FUNCTIONING PROPERLY the following morning didn't appear to be written anywhere in Annabelle's agenda, for she woke up with an intense pain shooting throughout her entire body, her muscles sore from having fallen asleep in the most uncomfortable position of all time, leaving a painful strain on her neck.
She wasn't hungover—which was a first—but that's didn't mean that she was in the mood to interact with anyone. After having dealt with the discomfort of sleeping horribly, all she wanted was to have a peaceful day to herself, and for the first hour she'd been awake that morning, it seemed probable—considering her parents were nowhere to be seen—and the two missing cars in the driveway, that hadn't been there when Annabelle got home at two in the morning, made it clear that they'd be gone for what remained of the weekend.
Unfortunately, at around ten o'clock, Annabelle's peace was torn to shreds, not by Athena (she was still busy getting in all the hours that her beauty sleep consisted of), but by her friends, who decided to pay her an unexpected home visit after she decided to sneak off with a very persuasive JJ last night, ditching Janet and Xavier in the process. She'd avoided any text messages and calls that her phone received, and it wasn't because of the poor signal that The Cut had, but because she wanted to separate herself from the life she'd be forced to go back to once she drove to Figure Eight.
A small getaway from her pretentious neighborhood was fun while it lasted, but that pogue lifestyle wasn't something she could claim as her own—even is she wanted to, it wasn't something that could just be offered to her like a piece of candy. At the end of the day, she was a kook through and through.
All of a sudden, Annabelle's head snapped up at the sound of footsteps thudding against the kitchen tiles's. She released her fingers from the neck of the champagne bottle, her palms reaching towards the counter to maintain a steady balance.
At the sight of her older sister stepping into the area, she let out a huff, consumed by a wave of annoyance. She went back to preparing the mimosas, avoiding her older sibling for as long as she could.
"Are you kidding? It's not even noon yet, and you're already drinking?" Athena glanced at her in surprise, walking past her to get to the clear-glass fridge on the opposite side of the kitchen. She almost sounded like she cared about her younger sister's well-being, but Annabelle knew her all too well, and Athena was incapable of feeling for others, at least that's how she made it out to seem sometimes. "If you keep drinking like that, you'll have a ton of AA meetings to look forward to in the future, or worse, you'll die of liver failure by the time you're forty."
"I was aiming for my late twenties so that I wouldn't be alive to see you procreate . . . bummer," Annabelle responded, clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth to express how little she cared about Athena's input.
Ignoring that unwanted response, Athena grabbed the gallon of almond milk from the fridge, using the back of her foot to shut the door. "Where were you last night? You didn't come home until like three in the morning."
Opening up the cabinet that contained the trash can, Annabelle dumped the empty bottle of champagne into it. She took the time to turn in Athena's direction, parting her lips to speak. "That is none of your concern." She shrugged her shoulders, amused at how much that managed to irritate the raven-haired girl. "And it was two, by the way." She added, correcting the statement that her sister had previously made.
"As your older sister, it actually is my concern." Athena blinked at her, not failing to notice how badly Annabelle wanted this conversation to be over with. However, she loved to dig her nose in other people's business, and something deep down was telling her that Annabelle's whereabouts weren't at a place that she typically spent her time at.
"If you want a sister bond, you're a couple of years too late, Athena." Annabelle sneered, her eyebrows furrowed.
"I don't want to know your whole life story, Annabelle. I just wanna know where you were." Athena quickly grew tired of Annabelle's little-detailed responses, her eye formed into slits as she slammed the gallon of milk down onto the marble countertop.
"I was out," Annabelle muttered, heaving a loud sigh to indicate her exasperation towards Athena right now.
Why the hell did she care, anyway? She'd never shown any sort of interest revolving around Annabelle's life, to begin with, so the simple fact that Athena had decided to engage in a conversation with her, was completely throwing the youngest Monroe child off.
Athena tore her eyes from Annabelle, relocating her attention towards the cupboards, where she reached her hand upward to retrieve a glass bowl. "Out?"
The urge to slam her head into the kitchen island tickled at Annabelle's side, the intrusive thought threatening to get the best of her. She hated rhetorical questions with everything in her. "Yeah." She nodded her head, her back turned to Athena so that she wouldn't see her hand balled up into a fist to imitate a fork gushing into her eyeball at this torment of a conversation the two were in the middle of.
"Out with who?" Athena continued with her questions, pushing Annabelle closer and closer to the point where she'd literally teleport to the opposite side of the kitchen to slap her across the face so that she would finally shut up.
Regardless of how annoyed she was, Annabelle answered the question through gritted teeth. "A friend."
"A friend?" Athena questioned curiously.
"Are you deaf?" Annabelle turned her body towards Athena, feeling the desperate need to shout the question because she truly did not see any point in this.
If this wasn't enough evidence to prove that Athena had done more than enough to wind up on her list of people that got on her nerves, she didn't know what else could.
"No, you bitch." Seriousness glazed across Athena's eyes, a sigh leaving her lips with her hands reaching towards the fallen pieces from her bun to tuck the loose strands behind her ears. "I was at Kelce's party last night. So, imagine my surprise when I saw your entire friend group there, with you nowhere in sight."
"Are you insinuating that I can't have any other friends besides those five?" Annabelle almost felt offended at that, her mouth gaped open with her finger pointed at her friends who were sprawled out by the pool.
Athena didn't deny it, instead, she just shrugged. "Well, I know that you and Kiara Carerra had a friendship going for some time." She sucked air in through her teeth, resisting the urge to laugh at that failed friendship. "And Sarah Cameron has her tongue shoved down Topper Thornton's throat now, giving her zero time to be around any of her friends—" She added, stopping herself to let out a snicker that indicated how little faith she had in Sarah keeping a relationship for more than a few months. "Speaking of, how long do you think until she cheats on mister frosted tips? I'm giving her a good three months, but even that sounds too generous."
"God, you're a bitch." The hypocrisy of how rude Athena was being, just like she normally would be to others, completely flew right over Annabelle's head.
"I'm honest. Learn to differentiate the two." Athena defensively raised her voice up at the awful name-calling. "Seriously, though, where the hell were you?"
Annabelle exhaled, pretending that she was about to be honest about her whereabouts, but instead, she decided to crack a joke that was destined to irk Athena. "Doing crack with the crackheads."
"You're funny." Athena let out a dry chuckle.
At her response, Annabelle placed a hand over her heart, smiling widely. "That's really kind. Thank you for that." She shot her a funny look, returning her attention to the mimosas that needed to be topped with orange juice. "My humor is my way of coping with the insecurities that mommy dearest has brought upon me."
"Speaking of mom . . ."
"Her life doesn't interest me. And neither does this conversation, so if you could kindly just stop talking now, I'd appreciate it a lot." Annabelle shooed her sister away with her hand, dismissing her from this unwanted chat that the two had found themselves tangled in. She wasn't sure whether her aggravation was a result of not getting enough sleep, having to deal with people at eleven in the morning, or just the mere presence of Athena Monroe herself.
Wrapping her hand around the fridge door handle, Annabelle yanked it open to retrieve the orange juice so that she could finish making the mimosas she'd spent the past few minutes preparing for herself and her friends.
"Hey, where are you spending your summer?" Athena resorted to her specialty of changing the subject, her head tilted slightly to express her curiosity.
"Why?"
"So that I don't wind up in the same place as you." Athena hummed to herself, topping off her bowl of cereal with a freshly cut banana. "That would seriously be tragic. It's my last summer before I go to college, and I would actually cry if I bumped into you."
Annabelle let out a short chuckle at her reasoning. She didn't want to be anywhere near her sister this summer either, so she didn't even take offense. "We haven't discussed places—"
"Bora Bora is off the table, so if you and your little friends could restrain yourselves from heading down there, it'd be greatly appreciated." Athena shot her a thumbs up, placing the milk back into the refrigerator before cupping the bowl into her hands to head back upstairs.
"Duly noted." An annoyed look twisted onto Annabelles features, her tongue swirling back and forth against the roof of her mouth. "Though, I wasn't aware that Bora Bora had your name written all over it."
"Well, now you are well aware!" Athena called out, disappearing from sight as she walked towards the staircase.
Consumed by the silence yet again, Annabelle sighed in relief. She took her time preparing the drinks, not at all tempted to head back outside and plaster a fake smile as she lived through the all too familiar routine she'd gotten herself used to. Don't get her wrong, she loved her friends to death, but sometimes, she just wanted to tell them—in the kindest way possible, of course—to fuck off.
And that feeling only grew stronger when she looked out into her backyard. She was sure that her head was literally about to explode.
Through the tall, glass windows, she watched Dean and Xavier argue about something, shoving each other back and forth with strong forces until Xavier shoved a bit too rough. Her eyes widened, her hand clamping over her mouth when Dean's left foot tangled with the leg of a chair, his balance growing unsteady as he fell back into the heated pool, a large amount of water splashing upwards to coat Genevieve's skin, who shrieked in horror.
She could hear the loud laughs that emitted through the air as Genevieve gathered up all the anger that was bubbling up inside of her body. For a few seconds, Annabelle thought that the brunette would let it go, but she was proven wrong when the Atkins girl tossed her magazine to the side, placing both of her hands on Xavier's shoulders to shove him back into the pool to join Dean.
"Fucking idiots!" Genevieve shouted, loud enough to alert the entirety of the neighborhood. With an annoyed huff, she wiped the water from her bare arms, stomping her feet against the concrete before storming into the home and into the kitchen to join Annabelle. "I swear, those two will be the reason that I break the law and decide to commit murder." She swiped one of the champagne flutes from the tray, taking a seat on one of the stools by the kitchen island.
"Oh, yeah, help yourself." Annabelle's noticeable sarcasm caused a frown to form on Genevieve's face.
"Sorry, honey." The Atkins girl apologized, a pout replacing her frown. All while maintaining eye contact with Annabelle, she drank from the glass, the bittersweet taste instantly catching her tastebuds attention. "If it makes you feel any better, this is really good." She gave a nod of approval, holding up the Orange-tinted liquid.
Annabelle shook her head, bringing her hands up to her scalp to gather up her hair into a ponytail. "It doesn't, but now that you're here, make yourself useful and take that outside." She motioned towards the beverages she'd prepared. "I gotta go grab towels because two of my idiotic friends decided to take a dip in the pool. They're damn lucky that we have the money to keep it heated all year round."
"Don't you have a maid who does this stuff?" Genevieve hummed, turning her head in Annabelle's direction as the Monroe girl stepped out of the kitchen to head towards a storage closet where the beach towels were located. "Or are you totally infatuated with the whole waitressing concept now, too?" She snickered loudly, standing up from her seat so that she could grab the nearby tray.
A sarcastic laugh escaped Annabelle's lips, her voice muffled from the tight space that the small closet had. "Haha, you're real funny, Gen." She let the silence engulf them for a couple of seconds until she stepped out from the enclosed area with two towels in her possession. "But my parents aren't around this weekend, and I planned on getting some alone time, so I gave her the day off."
Genevieve's brows shot up in surprise, unable to believe what she was hearing right now. "Are you like on a bitch detox or something?" She shook her head at the thought of Annabelle doing something nice for once in her life. It almost felt like she was being pranked. Was she?
Annabelle made a face, absolutely offended by that. First of all, what the hell was that even supposed to mean? "What?" She scoffed.
"Well, don't get me wrong, Anna, but you aren't exactly the type of person who does good deeds out of the greatness of your heart." Genevieve didn't hold back, deciding it'd be best to speak the truth. She figured that five years of friendship granted her the right to be as brutally honest as she sees fit, but Annabelle did not think the same way.
"I'm a nice person." Annabelle defensively said, struggling to see any truth in her words.
A funny look formed on Genevieve's face."On what fucking planet?"
"On planet earth, you bitch." Annabelle scowled at her, deciding to put an end to this conversation before any other insults could be tossed at her. Right now, she was beginning to feel like everyone had it out for her this morning . . . technically, they weren't lying, but still, words hurt.
Stepping outside, Annabelle shook her head in quiet disapproval at the sight of Xavier and Dean, both fully clothed, literally drowning each other inside of the pool, like the immature teenage boys they were. If she hadn't gotten used to their childish behavior that was fueled by the male testosterone that shot through their veins, she would've told them off, but that didn't seem to be the case here, so she just tossed the towels to the ground where they were arms reach away from the two boys. Seeing that they were too busy to even thank her, she rolled her eyes, walking towards a lounge chair to take a seat.
"You okay?" Nate shifted his gaze to Annabelle's face, his expression showing a deep level of concern for his friend and the dark eye bags lying below her coffee-colored irises. He felt bad about showing up without an invite, especially since Annabelle must've wanted nothing more than to sleep in after having worked her ass off the past five days.
Annabelle pursed her lips, reaching her hand out towards the bottle of sunscreen on the table. "I didn't get home until 2 am last night. I'm just tired." She gave him a thankful smile for checking up on her whenever he felt that she was acting unusual.
Nate's eyes lit up at that piece of information, his pearly white teeth making an appearance. "2 am, huh? What were you up to?"
Knowing she could confide in him with anything, Annabelle prepared herself to tell him the truth, but the familiar sound of Genevieve's voice stopped her from speaking.
"Nassau!" Genevieve suddenly blurted out, the tray in her hands nearly slipping from her grasp. It was something she'd been meaning to mention earlier, but after getting splashed with water, her anger took over and she took off like a bad-tempered child, but from where she was currently standing, she could see the printed picture of the capital on the magazine she'd been flipping through.
"The Bahamas?" Annabelle turned in the girl's direction, letting the idea sink into her brain.
"That's like the most basic fucking place in the world." Janet interfered, not at all liking the idea of having to spend her summer break in The Bahamas.
"Well, it's a good thing that no one's obligating you to go." Genevieve didn't bother sparing Janet a single glance, because she knew if she did, she'd be greeted with a middle finger. Instead, she kept her gaze focused on Annabelle, parting her lips to speak. "Look, I get that it's a vacation hotspot that'll be filled with tourists, but it's the vacation hotspot. And considering your current financial situation, it's convenient, since your parents have a house there. So, we won't even have to worry about hotel expenses . . . that's assuming that we can all crash at your place."
Annabelle slipped into a short-lived daze, envisioning herself sat on a beach towel on a tropical beach, sunscreen coating every perimeter of her body to protect her from the harsh sun rays as they soaked down into her skin. She could picture it perfectly. A getaway from all the chaos that always seemed to chase after her. The temptation to grasp that tranquility was enough to convince her to nod her head at Genevieve's suggestion. "You know, that's actually not a bad idea, Gen." She agreed. "I'm sure I'll have my cards reactivated by then, but the Bahamas does sound like paradise compared to this place. Guys?" She looked at no one in particular, waiting for them to approve Genevieve's plan revolving around their destination for that upcoming summer.
As if he'd been summoned, Dean rose to the surface of the pool, coughing up some of the water he'd swallowed. Using the palm of his hand, he swiped it across his face to get rid of the water droplets that clung to his tan skin. "Hey, so long as I get to see hot chicks in bikinis, count me in." He grinned widely, his voice raspy from the uncomfortable feeling lying in the center of his throat.
"You're a pig." Janet grimaced at his response. "Do the human population a favor and go back underwater."
Dean held his hands up in defense, rubbing the water from his eyes. "I'm a hormonal, teenage boy. Can you blame me?"
A loud snort left Nate's nose, his body nearly falling from the chair he'd been sat on. Regardless of the glare that Janet sent him, he grinned from ear to ear. "I'm with Dean on this. Count me in, too."
"I'm in." Xavier nonchalantly chimed in, his face scrunched up in discomfort at the water that had managed to slip into his nostrils and ears.
"Janet?" Annabelle waited to receive a response from her closest friend, hoping she wouldn't be too stubborn about the situation.
Janet sighed, clearing her throat. "Do I have any other choice?" She questioned, shrugging her shoulder in the process to express her distaste towards the spot that Genevieve had randomly decided on just now, managing to convince the group—excluding herself—to vacation there that summer.
"You can stay home and mope while we all live our best lives in the Bahamas," Genevieve suggested in a cold manner, watching Janet's eyes flood with annoyance. "I'm sure you can have an excellent time on this boring-ass island."
"You're a real cunt, Gen." Janet aggressively spat, one of her hands balled up into a fist, tempted to swing it in Genevieve's direction to get the brunette to shut up.
Genevieve smiled widely just to piss Janet off even more. "Thanks. I try, sweetie."
Annabelle refrained from laughing, focusing her attention on Xavier instead, who pulled his body out from the pool, face twisted at the damp clothes that clung to his body. When he tossed his shirt to the side and began making his way towards her, she sunk further back into the chair, her hand gripping onto the only steady thing around her, which happened to be the armrest of the lounge chair that her body was on top of.
"Hey, come here." Xavier opened his arms out for a hug, approaching the raven-haired girl, who was comfortably engulfed by a vintage crew neck sweatshirt and yoga pants. The last thing she needed right now was to be covered in the chlorine water from the pool, it came with a nauseating smell that disgusted her.
"No, no! Xavier, I will literally knee you in the balls!" Annabelle pointed a stern finger at him, the threat failing to intimidate him in the slightest since he continued making his way towards her until drops of water were falling onto her dry clothing. Stupidly assuming that this would be the worst of it, she began to relax, until she felt herself being lifted upwards, her eyes widening in realization. "I will seriously never speak to you again! Put me the hell down!" She thrashed around in his arms, trying to set herself free.
"Throw her in! Throw her in!" Genevieve chanted, encouraging Xavier's childish actions, all while laughing in the process at the horror that took over Annabelle's features.
And apparently, that's all the encouragement that the Danvers boy needed because seconds after those words left Genevieve's mouth, Annabelle found herself engulfed by chlorine-infused water, her shrieks muffled underwater with intense anger boiling in her veins.
｡･:*:ˑ༄ؘ ۪۪۫۫ ▹
APPROXIMATELY FOUR HOURS LATER, and Annabelle found herself sat in the passenger seat of a Porsche. The luxurious vehicle motored along the horribly constructed road, her eyes focused on the restaurant ahead. She didn't even know why she'd agreed to join Xavier on this so-called: "friendly outing" to begin with considering he'd ruined her day by tossing her into the pool earlier. While she wanted nothing more than to be mad at him, she couldn't pass up the offer of getting food bought for her, so she decided to suck it up and be the grown-up here.
Though, noticing how crowded The Wreck appeared to be due to it being lunch-hour-rush on a Saturday afternoon, made her regret this altogether. It made her wanna go back to her house to enjoy the comfort that the silence would bring her as she did something useful with her time, like study for her AP exams that were bound to kick her in the ass that upcoming May. Coming to think of it, schoolwork was something she often put off, and if she planned on getting accepted to Dartmouth for her grades rather than the advantage that her last name provided her with, she should definitely begin to place her focus there.
Then again, if she didn't have to work her way into an ivy-league school when she had this superiority over others, why not just take the win and enjoy her youth . . . right? Corrupted morals, without a doubt, were the sole reason why teenagers like her, even got into such wealth-infested schools, to begin with. With the proper funds being donated, she had a shot at getting admitted to the college of her choice, and that right there was the problem with the education system.
"Hey, are you gonna keep staring into space, or are you actually gonna get out of the car?" A voice cut through her thoughts, prying her attention away from her mind. It didn't take rocket science to know who was talking to her, and yet, she still jumped in surprise.
"God, Xavier, you're such a gentleman! You make my heart flutter!" Annabelle exclaimed, all while keeping an emotionless look set on her face.
Xavier stared at her in amusement, his brows raised upwards. He knew what she was getting at, and yet, he stayed put for a few more seconds before stepping out of the car to go around, pulling the passenger door open. With a swift motion of his hand, he held it out towards her.
Stepping out of the car, Annabelle swung her bag over her shoulder, smacking his hand away from her at his failed attempt of being a chivalrous man. "You men and the freaking audacity." She spat, crossing her arms over her chest.
"You love me." Xavier mused, lips upturned into a grin.
"I tolerate you. There's a difference." Annabelle retorted, waiting for him to join her side before the two began to walk towards the entrance of the busy restaurant. Obviously, it hadn't been her choice to eat lunch at The Wreck, but because she wasn't the one paying for it, there was little to no complaining that could be done.
On the bright side, she actually enjoyed the food that was served here . . . not so much the daughter of the owners, but the freshly-cooked dishes always made up for the dirty looks that were sent in her direction by Kiara.
Actually, the fact that her mere presence had that effect, only increased the size of her ego, which didn't do anyone any good, not even herself.
"Hey, kids. We're a bit busy right now, so just sit anywhere that's open." Mike Carrera greeted the two from behind the counter with a friendly smile, differing massively from the unfriendliness that Kiara's held the last time Annabelle had been here.
Annabelle nodded, smiling in response. "Thanks, Mr. Carrera."
"Grab a table, I gotta wring it out." Xavier tore his gaze from Annabelle's face, pointing at the restroom located towards the back of the restaurant.
Annabelle grimaced at that, her disgust towards teenage boys increasing. "Don't you have a way with words?"
Xavier shrugged. "I try."
Rolling her eyes, Annabelle shoved him away from her, walking towards a vacant table by one of the many windows. After the morning she'd gone through, she was in desperate need of some vitamin D to refuel the energy that her body lacked, and lucky for her, the afternoon sun generously shone through certain parts of The Wreck.
Once she'd taken a seat, her hands reached for one of the laminated menus that were placed on top of the wooden table, her eyes scanning all the delicious items that were sold there. However, to her dismay, something—scratch that—someone, stole her attention before she could decide what she planned on ordering when a waiter or waitress came around to take their order.
If she hadn't grown so used to this already, she might've been shocked. That, however, was not the case in this situation.
"Well, well, well, how the turntables . . ." JJ repeatedly clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, shaking his head while he quoted the well-known line from the famous sitcom series.
A stifled laugh left Annabelle's lips, the menu falling from her hands. "You watch way too many sitcoms." She was quick to catch onto Michael Scott's comical quote, but what she didn't understand was how it correlated with anything. Maybe it was because of how little attention she paid to others, or maybe, just maybe, it was because of how strange JJ could be at times. "And what the hell are you talking about?"
Sliding into one of the unoccupied chairs, JJ went out of his way to re-enact Annabelle's cocky-ridden sentence from the previous day in the locker room, making it much more dramatic than it had been when it was first uttered. "I'm starting to think that you're just a tad bit obsessed with me." His voice went up a couple of pitches, an amused look making its way onto Annabelle's face. "That ring a bell?"
At first, Annabelle didn't respond. She was way too offended at the high-pitched imitation of her voice. She did not talk like that! And when she finally got past that, JJ began to speak again before she could voice her thoughts.
"What's the matter?" The rings on the blonde-haired boy's fingers collided with the table, his palms gathering a good grip as he leaned forward. "Cat got your tongue?"
Shaking her head in response, Annabelle beamed widely. "I just think it's funny." She mused, watching a confused look pinch at JJ's features. "You're so set on proving that you're not totally obsessed with me, and yet, here you are, finding a way to talk to me while I sit here and mind my business."
A mix between a scoff and a nervous laugh escaped from JJ's throat, his specialty of changing the subject whenever he felt like proving itself to be useful because that's what he did. "Are you on a date? With that not-boyfriend of yours?"
Regardless of how much she hated when people changed the subject at their convenience, Annabelle shrugged. "Is that really any of your business?"
"So, that's a yes?" JJ inquired, his eyebrows shot upwards with a dead-serious expression set on his face.
"No." Annabelle shook her head.
"Good. The guy's an ass, anyway." JJ tried to refrain from smiling, but the half-grin that twitched at his lips made Annabelle wonder.
For a slim moment, she could've scorn that his eyes sparkled with joy at her answer to his question. Then again, she was sleep-deprived, so her own eyes couldn't even be trusted right now.
"Would it bother you if I was?" Annabelle furrowed her brows, unsure why he even cared so much about her love life. Even she could give less of a shit about it.
JJ practically had to force himself to shake his head. "Nope."
At that, Annabelle pried her eyes away from his face, focusing them elsewhere. At first, they landed on Kiara, who was way too busy managing orders to even acknowledge the kook's presence. Then, they shifted over to the end of the counter, where John B was sat, a torn MISSING flyer with his father's face, last know whereabouts, and distinctive features printed in bold ink, in his grasp. She hadn't seen one of those since late last year when John Routledge was officially declared a missing person, so the one in his son's hands had to be an old one that he'd torn down due to how deep in denial he was with the likelihood that his father was dead. It was actually quite a sad sight to take in, so she turned towards Pope, who had his attention focused on his trigonometry homework, a cold basket of fries placed beside him. She assumed that it was the cheapest item on the menu that he ordered to prevent Mr. Carrera from kicking him out of the restaurant, and the disapproving glances that Mike sent him from behind the counter, confirmed her speculation. Mike Carrera hated Kiara's friends, and the funny part was that he didn't even try to hide it.
"Didn't know you worked here, Maybank." A familiar voice called out, ripping Annabelle from her short-lived daze. She momentarily squeezed her eyes shut, opening them as she looked behind JJ, where Xavier was stood, gripping the crook of the blonde's neck.
"Hey, bro, I'm gonna be real honest, you're being just a little bit too touchy for my liking." JJ bitterly said, shoving his arm away.
The Monroe girl glanced at the two, groaning at the male testosterone that had taken control. She was glad that the loud chatter throughout the restaurant was enough to drown out the sound of their voices, because had that not been the case, she most likely would've been gone by now.
"We're not bros." Xavier almost sounded offended at the use of the word, which caused Annabelle to stare at him in disbelief. It didn't take much to piss him off, and JJ was living proof of that.
JJ laughed at that, pulling his body up from the chair to hold his hands up in surrender. "Oh, oh, sorry, Uhm, what do you prefer to be called?" He continued to find some strange amusement in this conversation. "I have a whole list of names up here, man. I'll name them off and you pick one—"
Annabelle brought her fingers up to her temples, massaging them to lessen the sudden pulsing that broke out. She figured that her input would only add fuel to the fire, but if she did nothing, then that would still somehow intensify this. Really, there was no way in hell that any good could come from her interrupting whatever the hell was occurring.
"Don't call me anything. Don't even talk to me." Xavier clenched his jaw, taking one step forward with his hands balled into fists, ready to throw a punch if necessary.
JJ felt a laugh bubble in his chest, backing away. If they weren't the same height, he might've been a little intimidated, and if he didn't enjoy a good fight from time to time, he might've been annoyed. That, however, wasn't happening here. "Well, technically, you approached me." He sucked air in through his teeth, adjusting the red cap on his head.
"You friends with this guy." Xavier turned to look at Annabelle, who had an amused smile on her face now.
When she noticed the seriousness of his tone, Annabelle loudly gulped down, shrugging her shoulders. She opened her mouth to speak, ready to say something.
"Would that be a problem?" JJ curiously questioned, his tone mocking.
Before Xavier could respond to that, Annabelle snapped her head in JJ's direction. "Could you please just, like, leave?" Her tone grew cold, not wanting to find out how this would end if some unnecessary argument were to break out. For once, she wasn't exactly trying to be rude, but she felt that if she was nicer about this, the words would simply fly over the blonde-haired boy's head. "Please, JJ."
When he didn't move, Xavier took matters into his own hands, eyebrows shot upwards as he tried to make eye contact with JJ, but his eyes stayed on Annabelle. "I'm sure you have functioning ears, right?"
JJ swallowed his pride, turning to walk away . . . but not before saying the next four words that only caused the tension to increase. "See you Monday, princess." He winked in her direction.
Watching him walk away, Annabelle swallowed thickly. Sat there, she tried to wrap her head around what had just happened and who she should be more pissed off at right now. On one hand, she knew about the intense hatred that Xavier had for people like JJ, and she understood that because she was raised to stray far away from anyone that came from the working class. But on the other hand, JJ hadn't done anything wrong—for once in his damn life, that is. To her, he held the same purpose as a pesky little fly, which was to drive her over the edge until she was written off as an insane person.
That's all he was to her . . . a bother.
Right?
RIGHT?!
authors note:
I'm gonna be real honest, this chapter wasn't supposed to have any JJ in it and was only supposed to revolve around Annabelle's friend group (who are irritating as hell sometimes), but of course, I gave in and ended up including him 😳✋🏻.
On another note . . . I hope this book isn't boring you. I wanted to try out something different rather than write about season 1 where you're just reading the same dialogue over and over again (my other obx story revolves around season 1, so I am in no way hating, btw). And while we're on that topic, let me remind you that this is pre-season one, so everything that happens in the show is still relevant to this book :).
Opinions so far? Like, I would seriously love to know what you're thinking as you read this book! I adore reading comments, and I'm gonna do my best to respond to them from now on because I do a horrible job at that.
I seriously appreciate every single person who clicked on this story and continues to support it! Thank you for the support, and thank you so freaking much for 7k reads on this book!!! <3