PROM QUEEN:
CHERRY BLOSSOM SCENTED BODIES.
HER BEDROOM smelt of fresh linen with a subtle hint of the cherry blossom perfume she wore every day. The walls were painted beacon gray, the morning sun splattered against them as the fresh air blew past the sheer, white curtains hung by the balcony. Birds clenched their talons around the fine-detailed railing of the balcony, their obnoxious chirps slithering through the small crack of the French doors and into JJ Maybank's ears as he quietly tiptoed across the wooden floor boards, trying to make a secret getaway before the raven-haired girl woke from her slumber.
However, being his nosy self, he stopped before he could reach the balcony (which he hoped to climb out of without breaking a bone in the process). His hand reached for a framed photograph she had sitting on one of the shelves beside her many designer perfumes.
In the photo frame was a picture of a fourteen-year-old Annabelle Monroe, a wide smile etched onto her lips with her head leaned on Kiara Carrera's shoulder, the other girl looking just as content as Annabelle did in the photograph (it was definitely an odd sight to take in). There were a few other familiar faces with them too, but he focused on the two old friends instead. Truthfully, he was still hurt at how abruptly Kiara had abandoned them at the beginning of the ninth grade when she started her first year at the kook academy only to go crawling back to them when things went sideways. He'd never felt like he was anyone's first choice, so for her to just up and leave their friend group at the first chance she was given stung, to say the least, and what hurt even more was when she came back, acting as if nothing had happened.
Whatever. The past was the past and thinking about it wouldn't change anything.
Instead, he drifted back to the present, placing the frame back in its original spot before grabbing the other one beside it. In comparison to the previous one, this one was more recent, the presence of Xavier Danvers allowing him to confirm that. Just the sight of the pretentious douchebag with his arms around Annabelle as he hugged her from behind in the picture caused his eyes to roll, his stomach churning with an unfamiliar feeling surfacing throughout his body to contaminate it with . . . jealousy? No, no, JJ had never been the jealous type when it came to a girl. Whether it had to do with how frantic it made him to even think about relying so much on another human being knowing that they'd end up leaving one way or another, just like his mother had when she walked out on him and his sister, leaving them in the care of their abusive father, or just the sheer thought of committing to another person altogether, he knew one thing. Relationships were not and would never be something that interested him.
Did he find Annabelle attractive?
Well, no shit. Just because he was scared of commitment didn't mean he was blind.
She was the epitome of stunning, her beauty radiating like the freaking sunshine whenever she walked into a room. He was fully convinced that if he got too close to her, she'd literally set his body on fire with her simple touch.
Truth is, he felt like she had this power over him regardless of how hard he tried to stray away from her. It was as if he was a bee and she was the nectar that he desperately craved, no amount of effort able to keep him away from her. Sometimes it felt like they were magnets, the laws of physics attracting them to one another through the waves of strength that pulled them together.
Even now, he couldn't find it in himself to look away from her. He watched as she slept, his gaze set on her freckled face. He'd never actually seen her without makeup, but she never wore an excessive amount, so she didn't look much different without it. Actually, she looked a lot more peaceful . . . if that even made sense. Maybe it was because she was unconscious with her mind at ease as all the problems in her world momentarily disappeared as she slept.
When he did manage to tear his eyes away from the sleeping girl, the first thing he did was place the frame back on the shelf—or at least attempted to seeing that his clumsy self accidentally bumped his knuckles against two perfume bottles, knocking them over. He cursed under his breath, hoping that the noise hadn't been sufficient enough to wake Annabelle up, but it had.
At the sudden sound, Annabelle jolted awake, her blurred vision preventing her from making out JJ's figure as he scrambled to pick up the perfume bottles he'd knocked over. "Send me into cardiac arrest, why don't you?" She groggily groaned, the sunlight making its way into her narrowed eyes while she attempted to sit up in order to rub the sleep from her chocolate-colored eyes. When she could see properly, she tilted her head slightly, snickering at JJ: who had two of her perfume bottles in his grasp. "Are you like a kleptomaniac? Are you trying to steal my Chanel and Dolce & Gabbana?"
JJ feigned offense, a hand placed over his heart. "Me? A kleptomaniac?"
Annabelle rolled her eyes at him, a yawn leaving her lips. She took a few seconds to glance at the clock on her nightstand, the time reading a quarter past nine in the morning. "I thought you'd be gone by now." Her voice was still groggy from just having woken up from her deep slumber.
Placing the perfume bottles back on the shelf, he pointed a finger towards the balcony, his other hand gripping the strap of his backpack. "I was just making my way out."
"Not very quietly, apparently." Annabelle yawned again, tossing the blanket off of her bare legs with goosebumps instantly forming on her tan skin as the cold breeze blew past her. "You can use the front door if you want . . . eliminate the risk of breaking a bone."
"Thanks, but I'll take the risk." He refused her offer. "Plus, I'm ninety-nine percent sure that your dad would kick my ass if he were to see me."
"My parents aren't home. If they were, I wouldn't have offered you a place to sleep last night." Annabelle suddenly remembered the conversation from the previous day, the word parents leaving a sour taste in her mouth. "Sandra's in Chapel Hill for the weekend and my dad is like never home to begin with. Probably off making more Monroe children."
Though JJ was curious as to why she had referred to her mother by her name instead of just saying 'mom', he fixated his question on the first topic, his brows furrowing in confusion. "Why did you?"
See, after having felt sick to her stomach with the amount of greasy food she consumed last night, she did end up driving JJ home—well, technically, she was making her way to the Maybank residence until she found herself offering him a place to sleep. She could tell that "home" was the last place on planet earth that he wanted to be and judging by his comment he'd made earlier that night about John B possibly being with a tourist, she knew that he couldn't exactly show up to the château. Plus, she needed someone's company after the long day she'd endured and JJ was becoming one of her favorite people . . . not like she'd ever admit that out loud.
"You didn't wanna go home." She shrugged her shoulders in response, flattening the wrinkles on her oversized t-shirt that went just the slightest bit past her thighs, covering the black, skin-tight shorts she was wearing beneath.
"Yeah, well, thanks." He gave her a courteous nod and in exchange, she offered a small smile. "I have a shift in like less than an hour, so . . ."
"You wanna shower before you go?" She found herself offering him before she could process what she was saying. She knew that he'd never make it back home on foot on time and still manage to make it to the club. "We have hot water."
"Are you assuming that the Maybank household doesn't have hot water?" JJ feigned offense yet again, his brow raised upward as he turned to face her.
"Does it?" Annabelle placed both hands on her hips, unable to tell whether he was considering her offer or not.
"No, dad's too cheap to buy a boiler." He sucked air in through his teeth, pausing for a minute. "I'll take you up on that offer, though."
Annabelle brushed her fingers through her knotted hair, biting down on her bottom lip. "I don't have any fresh clothes you can change into, but I can offer you a towel."
"It's cool. I carry extra." JJ motioned towards his backpack to assure her that he had a fresh pit of clothes lying inside. Considering how little time he spent at his own house, he'd learned to think ahead.
"Alright then. The bathroom's right there and I'll go get you a towel." Annabelle pointed a finger at her freakishly humongous bathroom that connected to her bedroom, receiving a nod in return to which she didn't respond. Instead, she made her way out of her bedroom while JJ made his way into the bathroom.
Shutting the door behind her, she began to make her way towards the laundry room to retrieve a clean towel, her eyes wandering the hallway until they landed on one of the many wooden doors. She looked around, assuring herself that no one was watching her and when she was certain that no one was looking, she crept towards her mother's office. When she was standing outside, she gripped the doorknob, turning it slightly as she pushed the door open. She stood behind the threshold for a few seconds, her eyes set on the steel safe box behind the polished desk.
It took every ounce of strength inside of her to step foot into the space, quickly growing paranoid that she'd end up getting caught despite Sandra being miles away from her on the mainland. Quite frankly, she felt that she didn't owe that woman an ounce of respect after she had treated her like a human punch bag all these years, allowing her to live under there impression that she was her birth mother when that wasn't the case. She hated her. She freaking hated her for all the irreversible damage she'd caused her just because of who her real mother was.
It wasn't Annabelle's fault and yet she felt like she was to blame somehow. Maybe it had to do with Sandra's manipulative tactics that had been used on her these past sixteen years. Whatever it was, she couldn't shake off the conversation from yesterday about her biological mother being related to her adoptive mother and the fact that this woman supposedly hadn't been seen since giving birth.
She knew that if there was anything to know about this mystery woman, Sandra would definitely know about it. Though it probably wouldn't be hidden away in a safe, but it couldn't hurt to search for something—anything, really.
Brushing off the paranoia that threatened to engulf her, Annabelle walked towards the safe behind the desk, crouching down so that her eyes were leveled with the keypad where she punched in the six digits that were Athena's birthday. All she could do was roll her eyes when she heard the lock click, her arm reaching out to pull the heavy door open in order to reveal important documents and other valuable items that Sandra stored inside.
She pushed aside the unnecessarily expensive jewelry lying inside of the safe along with some financial records that didn't interest her in the slightest until something caught her eye. Inside were a few photographs, dated back almost two decades ago with smudged writing on the top right corner that read Topanga, Sebastian, Sandra, Sandy, Fallon, Daryl, and Reese Christmas 2000. Given how distanced both Sandra and Sebastian were with their families, Annabelle didn't see them often (not that she was complaining), so the sight of her aunts, uncles, and her biological mother completely threw her off.
She brushed a finger across the first woman in the photograph's face, her eyes taking in the sight of her mother who wanted nothing to do with her. They shared similar features; the distinguishable freckles on their defined cheekbones and small noses for starters. Topanga's face was just the slightest bit rounder than Annabelle's, which meant that the raven-haired girl had her father to thank for her slim, facial structure. The woman in the photograph was absolutely stunning, but the thought of knowing that the light-haired beauty had left her behind caused Annabelle to shove the small picture back where she'd found it, the temptation to rip it into pieces threatening to get the best of her.
Instead, she locked the safe back up and made her way out of the office, scurrying towards the laundry room where she grabbed a clean towel and a brand new toothbrush before making her way back into her room.
Lightly pounding her fist against the wooden door, Annabelle parted her lips to speak. "Hey, I brought you a towel and a spare toothbrush. Can I come in real quick?"
She waited a few seconds, the sound of the water from the showerhead hitting the shower floor being the only noise she heard until JJ's voice filled her ears.
"Yeah!"
With that, Annabelle turned the knob and stepped onto the bright bathroom, instantly feeling the heat from the hot water that fell from the showerhead and onto the blond's tan body. Her eyes wandered towards the counter, her feet voluntarily moving towards it so that she could set the towel and toothbrush on top of it. While she was there, she decided to grab her own toothbrush so that she could use one of the bathrooms in the hallway to brush her teeth, but before she could make it out of the bathroom, she heard her bedroom door open, a voice following the sudden action.
"Anne!" The familiar voice that belonged to none other than Janet Wilson tore through the atmosphere, Annabelle's face twisting in confusion. When the hell did she even get inside the house that she didn't bump into her while wandering the hallway? "Hey, I texted you like a million times and you didn't answer! I was starting to worry!"
Annabelle felt the toothbrush slip from her grasp, stumbling on her words. "I'm in the shower!"
"I won't peek, I promise." Janet's voice sounded closer, indicating that she was literally right outside the threshold of the bathroom, instant panic engulfing Annabelle who froze in place.
"No, seriously, Janet!" Annabelle made an attempt to stop Janet from welcoming herself into the occupied bathroom, her eyes bouncing frantically around the rectangular-shaped room like she'd magically come up with some sort of plan, but with the lack of time she was given, her options ran short, so when she noticed the door being pushed open, she cursed quietly under her breath. She stumbled on her own feet, her thought process having momentarily disappeared because before her brain could realize what she was doing, she slid the shower door open and slipped inside; and she was suddenly thankful for the hideous frosted doors that had been chosen for this bathroom by Sandra when their home was remodeled years ago.
JJ quickly turned around at her sudden presence, his brows shooting up in her direction as he brought his hands up to his face, using them to wipe off some of the water droplets from it. She could tell he wasn't bothered at this situation, more amused than anything, actually, which is why she clamped a hand over his mouth before he could say anything, fearing that Janet would quickly figure out that she wasn't in here alone; not like they were doing anything, but still, she'd never hear the end of this.
With the warm water soaking into her clothes as the seconds ticked by slower than usual, Annabelle briefly glanced in JJ's direction, watching as the beads of water dripped into his hair and onto the shower floor. She could feel a smirk grow on his lips, her hand remaining there as she squeezed her eyes shut, wanting nothing more than for this nightmare to end.
"Hey, can I borrow some hair gel? These stupid baby hairs are not cooperating with me today." Janet spoke up again after what felt like an eternity, using the palm of her hand to wipe off some of the condensation that had formed on the mirror. She then proceeded to open one of the many drawers in the bathroom, knowing that Annabelle would tell her to help herself.
Annabelle opened her eyes again, only momentarily managing to lock eyes with JJ till she got too embarrassed and looked towards the shower wall. "Go for it."
"Cool, thanks." Janet hummed, already having located the small container full of hair gel. As she swiped it across the annoying hairs that had been bothering her since she left her own home a few minutes ago, she parted her lips to speak again. "Genevieve would not stop blabbing her mouth last night about you. I swear, I came so close to fighting her." She rolled her eyes at how infuriating the Atkins girl had been the previous night. Sure they were all friends, but it was obvious that she confided in Annabelle in ways that she would never with Genevieve. "Oh, and according to her, you're a pogue sympathizer, which, by the way, is the weirdest insult I've ever heard. I mean, who cares about the social pyramid. I say hang around whoever the hell you want, you know?"
"Mhm," Annabelle murmured, the only thing keeping her sane right now being the vision of her slapping Janet senseless once this nightmare ended.
"And while we're on that topic . . ." Janet trailed off, her attention span momentarily shifting back to her hair as she searched for a thin comb.
Standing there, Annabelle was sure that JJ could hear her heart racing judging by how close they were. She knew what Janet was about to say and she most definitely did not want the blonde-haired boy to hear because god knows he'd never shut up about it.
Janet, shut up!
Janet rummaged through the cabinets, moving things left and right until she finally found what she was looking for. "Have you given any thought to what I suggested a few weeks ago?" She continued, a slight snicker leaving her mouth in the process because she knew that this topic would annoy Annabelle.
"Can we finish this conversation when I'm out?" Annabelle questioned, hopeful that Janet would catch a hint and get out.
But Janet kept going. "Look, I'm just saying. I couldn't help but notice how often you and JJ seem to be hanging around each other these days, so I just assumed that you dived straight into that angry sex that I suggested . . . to loosen the tension, you know?"
Annabelle didn't think of herself as a violent person. She liked to believe that she could fully contain her true emotions and keep them locked away to avoid a devious fight with another human being. While that was far from true, given the fact that she enjoyed picking fights from time to time for her own entertainment, she had never imagined that she'd be wanting to fight Janet of all people. It wasn't because she like hated her or anything—well, actually, scratch that because right now she wanted to wrap her hands around Janet's throat to get her to stop talking.
The girl knew that there was no way out of this, so she made direct eye contact with JJ, her brown eyes burning right into his blue ones. She removed her hand from where it'd been placed at the base of his mouth, the smirk on his lips coming into view. Their ongoing staring contest wasn't intimidating, more tension-filled than anything due to how close her fully-clothed body was to his nude one, though she'd never glanced down once because that would definitely result in one of JJ's dirty comments.
"No, but . . ." Annabelle began to say after a few seconds of awkward silence, the mention of the word but causing both Janet and JJ's ears to perk up, intrigued with whatever came after. "I guess I'm not entirely repulsed by his presence anymore. His weird obsession with Yucatán and his need to mention it every single day is kind of annoying . . . as of in, it's literally gotten to the point where I will buy him his ticket so that he can go there and finally shut up about it, but he's a good guy. I honestly thought he was just some sex-crazed hormonal asshole, but he's actually surprisingly sweet. He listens to what I have to say . . . like really freaking listens and doesn't make me feel like I'm borderline insane for feeling the way I do. And he's attentive, in ways that other people aren't. He's passionate about all of his strange hobbies and he's protective of those he cares about. And even when I was a total bitch to him, he gave me another chance by forgiving me, which I'm thankful for." She smiled at JJ, watching his own lips twitch into a smile at the kind sentences she'd used to describe him.
Honestly, it shocked him to know that she actually paid a sufficient amount of attention to him in order to form an opinion on him.
"Hmm, that's sweet." Janet clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, looking at her reflection in the mirror for a few seconds before turning towards the door. "Wanna grab breakfast, I'll wait downstairs for you?" She twisted the knob and opened the door, her eyes fixated on the familiar men's combat boots nearby while she waited for an answer.
"Sure," Annabelle replied, the sound of the door shutting traveling into her ears, but she didn't move.
JJ couldn't help but smirk at the realization that she had yet to step out of the shower. He could tell she was embarrassed because of the crimson color tainting her cheeks which made this that much more enjoyable. "Are we gonna have a steamy make-out session now or are you gonna help me scrub my back? Maybe share a towel? Either option is cool with me."
Annabelle rolled her eyes, sliding the shower door open. "I take back everything nice I just said about you."
"Hey, wait!" He reached his hand out towards her wrist, keeping a loose hold on it as the palm of her hand shot upwards to shield her eyes from catching sight of something she did not want to see. "Yucatán? You and me."
Annabelle furrowed her brows in surprise, removing her hands and keeping her eyes set on his face. From the tone he'd used, she could tell he was being serious and that this wasn't just another joke of his. So, she tilted her head slightly, a smile set on her lips. "Someday?"
"Someday." He nodded in agreement, their agreement sealed within the four walls of the bathroom that confined them.
As Annabelle slid the shower door shut to walk out of the bathroom, she stopped in her tracks. "Oh, and if you ever say anything about this, I will have your face plastered on missing posters all throughout Kildare county, got it?"
"Yes, ma'am."
｡･:*:ˑ༄ؘ ۪۪۫۫ ▹
MUCH TO ANNABELLE'S DISMAY, Janet had left out a minor detail when she suggested getting breakfast that same morning. For starters, it turned out to be a group thing—minus Nate: who was being forced to spend time with relatives that had unexpectedly decided to pay his family a visit that morning. Then there was the part where they were having breakfast at the one place on the island that Annabelle intentionally avoided nowadays . . . her place of work.
She was sitting across from Genevieve, engulfed by the noticeable tension that had been present between the two since yesterday when a series of name-calling unfolded. Unlike Annabelle and Janet—who hadn't argued since seventh grade when Annabelle missed an entire two days of school without telling the Wilson girl about it beforehand—Genevieve and Annabelle argued . . . a lot. But the interesting thing about their arguments was that they were never too serious and being entirely honest, they never actually made up. Instead, they pretended as if it had never happened and moved on with their friendship, never being the kind to dwell on the past.
However, this was different, their inability to even look at one another being the main giveaway. All Annabelle could do was anxiously bounce her foot up and down, fingers laced through the bracelet wrapped around her wrist as she eavesdropped on a conversation occurring a table away from them. Genevieve, on the other hand, was gulping down mimosas like her life depended on it (she'd flirted with some old man to get a tray of them, by the way).
"You know what, I'm feeling a bit of a stomachache coming on from all of these, so I'm just gonna head home." The sound of Genevieve's voice caused Annabelle to look up at the brunette seated across from her, heaving a quiet sigh of relief in the process as she watched her place one last sip of the mimosa before setting the glass cup down.
"Are you sure that's what the stomachache is from?" Janet's tone was harsh, implying that she knew something that Annabelle didn't which was enough for her to place her full attention back to the table, intrigued with the sudden wave of aggression that had engulfed her friend.
"Given the fact that it's my digestive system we're talking about, yes, I'm positively sure, Janet." Genevieve rolled her eyes in annoyance, standing up from her seat and accidentally bumping into a familiar face in the process, but Annabelle didn't even notice.
"Is that it? Or is it the guilt settling in from last night when you fucked Xavier?" Janet quirked an eyebrow upwards, not an ounce of regret circulating through her bloodstream as she outed her supposed best friend for what she was: a conniving backstabber who only had one mission last night; to get back at Annabelle for pissing her off.
"What?" Annabelle should've been shocked, but this behavior wasn't anything out of the ordinary for Genevieve. Though she hardly ever bat an eye in most guys' direction, she had flings in the past. They were short-lived, which was why she liked to pretend like they'd never happened in the first place. And the thing that never say right with her was how quick Genevieve was to scoop up her leftovers. She'd never understood why either considering how capable the Atkin's girl was of getting any guy she wanted. Maybe it had to do with proving a point . . . whatever the hell it was, Annabelle was sick of it.
"I didn't—I wouldn't!" Genevieve denied Janet's accusation, her guilty body language saying otherwise which was all Annabelle needed to see in order to confirm that this wasn't just some made-up bullshit. "He's not even my type, Anna!"
Conflicted with how she was feeling right now, Annabelle looked over at Xavier who looked like he could care less about what was happening around him. Dean, on the other hand, was all eyes and ears, attentive to the entire situation with his fingers crossed that someone would throw a punch. All she could do was roll her eyes, running her fingers through her sleek hair. She didn't care that the two had slept together, it's not like she pictured herself being in a committed relationship with Xavier. What irritated her was that this wasn't the first time Genevieve had pulled something like this.
"Anyone who's locked lips with Annabelle is your type." Janet snorted in response, almost as if she'd been waiting to wreck her friendship with Genevieve for some time now.
"Fuck you, Janet!" Genevieve spat, captivating the attention of a few people nearby, but she didn't seem to care much.
"Mmm, I prefer brunettes who aren't cunts." Janet replied with a grin.
Genevieve ignored Janet's cold comment, leaning her body forward with a frown crawling into her lips, having to forge sadness. "Anna, you know me. You know I would never do something like this to you. We didn't sleep together, I fucking promise." She almost sounded like she was telling the truth for a second, but her lack of eye contact and constant cheek biting told Annabelle she was nothing but a liar trying to get her way out of this. And when she noticed that Annabelle wasn't looking convinced, she slapped Xavier's arm, forcing him to look up. "Tell her!"
Now the thing about Xavier was that he could be a complete asshole whenever he wanted to be. He was cold and manipulative for the most part and hardly showed any other emotion aside from annoyance. Except he looked more amused with all of this than anything. "Why would I lie?" He cocked his head to the side, grinning from ear to ear like a damn psychopath.
"He's fucking lying!" Genevieve shouted, hoping to be seen as the innocent one here, but the odds weren't in her favor today.
"Yeah, uh, I'll just come back in a few minutes."
Annabelle turned her head at the sound of the familiar voice, her attention momentarily sidetracked at the sight of JJ dressed in a black polo shirt with khaki pants being held by a leather belt. She flashed him a confused look, wondering when he'd become a waiter instead of a busboy. Of course, she was still completely embarrassed from that moment in the shower that morning, but she was even more curious as to how long he'd been standing there and how much he'd heard.
"Yeah, why don't you go clean some more tables. We're having a private conversation here." Genevieve heaved an annoyed sigh, glaring at him like he was to blame for which seemed to provoke Annabelle.
"Private conversation? I think the whole restaurant knows your business at this point." Janet laughed again, ignoring the harsh glare that Genevieve sent her.
"Shut the fuck up, Janet!" Genevieve snapped, pointing a finger at JJ. "And you! Get. The. Hell. Out. Of. Here." She paused with every word, throwing the demand at the blonde-haired boy as if he were her own personal butler that she could disrespect.
"Hey, what are the breakfast specials around here?" Janet flipped open her menu, turning her head towards JJ as she strayed away from the disaster she'd created by opening her mouth just a few seconds ago.
Annabelle didn't pay much attention to her, though. She was too busy wanting to repeatedly slam her head against a concrete wall at the moment as she listed to Genevieve: who continued to deny the allegations being made. Quite frankly, she could care less if they had sex last night; which she knew for a fact they did given how much blabbering Genevieve was doing right now. She only ever did that when she was guilty. "For fucks sakes, I don't care if you fucked, but don't stand there and lie to me about it!" She finally snapped at the disaster of a girl stood across from her, slamming the palms of her hands down on the table in the process which only earned them even more attention.
"I'm not lying." Genevieve proceeded to lie, pointing a finger at Xavier who was too busy glaring at JJ Maybank to even care about what was going on around him. "Do you know how low I'd have to scoop to fuck that walking std?"
Just for a few seconds, Janet looked up from her menu, a devious smile set on her lips which caused Annabelle to sink back into her seat, her eyes meeting JJ's who looked like he was resisting the urge to burst into laughter at the kook drama that was unfolding right in front of him."Don't you think it's a bit hypocritical to call him a walking std when you've nearly fucked the entirety of the island? I mean, so has he, but—"
"Are you enjoying this, Maybank?"
Annabelle tore her gaze away from JJ's, shifting it over to Xavier who had not only captured her attention but the attention of everyone else sitting at the table. She let out a groan, wishing to go back in time so that she could refuse Janet's offer of getting breakfast.
"Uh—no, no. Of course not, man." JJ looked down at his notepad, a quiet snicker leaving his lips, but only Annabelle and Janet could hear him because they were closest to him. He knew he should've stopped at that, but he kept going; his hatred for the Danvers boy getting the best of him. "Ya know, I'm not one to judge, so if you wanna have sex with the whole island, that's your business, alright? Zero judgment here. None. Nada."
"What'd you fucking say to me?" Xavier stood up from his seat, getting ready to approach JJ when Janet nearly jumped from her seat to press a hand against his chest to stop him from getting any further.
"Hey, wow! Let's get a grip on that male testosterone, why don't we?" She suggested with a fake smile, nodding her head as she agreed with herself.
"No, I'm sick of this pogue thinking he's tough shit." Xavier shoved her hand off of him, only for Genevieve to step in.
Annabelle watched as she wrapped a hand around his bicep, her mouth moving closer to his ear as she whispered something. She scoffed in disbelief at that, hands crossed over her chest at how hellbent the Atkin's girl was on proving her innocence just a few seconds ago only to blow it all with that single gesture. As mentioned earlier, she wasn't jealous, but she was just the slightest bit mad that Genevieve must've done it as a way of getting back at her for their argument yesterday. Honestly, she was more sad than she was mad.
"I'm not lying!" Janet mimicked Genevieve's voice, making it higher than what it actually sounded.
"Keep looking at your stupid breakfast specials." Genevieve glared at her, loosening her grip on Xavier who proceeded to head in JJ's direction, but Janet obstructed the pathway.
"Dude, I'm trying real hard to take you seriously right now, but something about your mere existence just isn't letting me." JJ snorted.
"It's the mustache he's attempting to grow, right? I told him to shave that thing off." Dean agreed with the blonde, earning a surprised look from Annabelle. Of all people, she would've never expected Dean to agree with JJ Maybank on something.
However, she quickly shook that surprise off and turned back towards Xavier. "Leave him alone, Xavier." She let out an exasperated sigh.
"You're defending him now?" Xavier scoffed in response, a wave of anger engulfing him as he stared down the Maybank boy. He didn't appear to be intimidated, though, more amused than anything.
"Is that a problem? He's my . . . friend?" Annabelle had to pause, turning her head towards JJ who shot her a nod at the term she'd gone with to describe their growing relationship. "Yeah, he's my friend. And unlike some people, I value my friendships and I'm not gonna let you try to start shit right now because your end goal is to get him fired in order to show your superiority."
"Yeah, close friends," Janet muttered under her breathe, going unheard due to the noise occurring in every corner of the restaurant.
"God, you're such a hypocrite, little miss queen bee." Genevieve interfered, her tongue clicking against the roof of her mouth with her brows furrowed. She could tell that she'd caught Annabelle off guard judging by the girl's mouth that gaped open at the stereotypical nickname. "Talk about showing superiority when that's literally all you've done your entire life—well, what we've done our entire lives. You know what, Annabelle? I did sleep with your boy toy last night and it felt good. You screw around with so many guys and Janet never says shit about it because she pities you and the fact that you're desperate for some sort of parental love, so she's scared of saying anything because that's your coping mechanism—"
"Shut the fuck up, Genevieve." Janet intervened before Genevieve could continue to belittle the raven-haired girl who looked about ready to smash one of the champagne flutes against her head. "Just admit you find some strange satisfaction in fucking every guy that pays the slightest bit of attention to Annabelle and get moving because quite frankly, not only is your presence unwanted, but it's revolting."
"Real mature, Janet. Is that you talking or is it the alcohol? You've been drowning yourself in it ever since your parents decided to try and fix their fucked up marriage!" Genevieve spat as she slammed her hand against the table which ultimately resulted in even more attention being sent their way.
At this point, Annabelle was over it and decided that her best option right now would be to get the hell out of this hostile environment before everything spiraled further downwards. So that's what she began to do, collecting her designer shoulder bag before stepping out of her seat. While attempting to make a secret getaway, she received a look from JJ. He didn't ask the question, but she knew that he was just wondering if she was okay, so she gave him a reassuring nod in response before proceeding to walk past him, unable to make it far till Genevieve noticed.
"So, that's it? 5 years of friendship down the drain over some tiny mistake? You're pathetic, Annabelle Monroe." Genevieve almost sounded like she was on the verge of tears, but Annabelle didn't have the required strength it took to continue being friends with the girl who repeatedly plunged a knife into her back at every given opportunity.
Annabelle sighed, turning her body back towards Genevieve who was feet away from her. "Being your friend is exhausting, Genevieve. I'm done. I'm fucking done." Her voice was nearly a whisper, her head shaking in the process.
"Seriously, man? You couldn't keep it in your pants?" Dean—once again—voiced another one of his unnecessary comments, which was avoided by both, Genevieve and Annabelle, but taken to heart by Xavier who glared at him in response.
"Whatever. You were a wretched friend, to begin with, and quite frankly, I'm glad I won't have to console you every second of every day anymore. Little miss my mom and dad don't give a shit about me, so I drink myself into oblivion because it's the only way that I don't have to deal with my emotions." Genevieve snarled, the words ripping like fire through the tense atmosphere and setting Annabelle's body ablaze due to how cruel she was being.
"How many lines of coke did you snort this morning, snowflake?" Annabelle retorted, the question being enough to escalate the argument between the two as Genevieve lifted her hand up, the cold metal from her ring colliding with Annabelle's cheek along with her freshly manicured hand. She would've rather balled her hand up into a fist and embedded the large diamond stone into her skin, but she assumed that a punch would result in Annabelle fighting back whereas a simple slap would be enough for her to walk away, but she was wrong.
It was as if she'd been anticipating someone starting a fight with her because Annabelle didn't hesitate to swing at her freckled face, the satisfaction of unleashing her chaotic emotions only momentarily being met. She managed to hit Genevieve a total of two times until she began to feel herself getting dragged away, a ringing noise erupting through the confined space of her head as hell broke loose between the group of friends who once sought a safe place away from their troubled homes within one another.
authors note:
Was that shower scene inspired by PLL? Yes, yes it was.
Anyways, stan Janet and Annabelle.