★★★
★★★
The next morning, I woke up. That was all I needed to keep me going. I woke up, and that was enough. I was still tangled in JJ's arms and I was comfortable. I could've just gone back to sleep, but I decided I needed some time for myself this morning.
I snaked my way out of his grip and snuck over to my dresser. I picked out a plain black bikini and gray shorts to put over my bottoms half. I looked back at the sleeping boy, making sure he didn't wake up as I left, and I shut my door behind me quietly.
It was about 9 o'clock when I looked at a nearby watch. I grabbed an orange and a bottle of water as I headed to the door, and I walked to where my board was up against the wall outside. I tucked it under my arm and began to walk to my surf spot.
It took me twenty minutes, but when I arrived, it was worth it. I put my board down in the sand and sat on top of it, peeling my orange and eating it to give myself even a little sustenance. When I was finished with it, I discarded the peel, throwing it into a nearby bush.
It was biodegradable, it's fine. When I got up, I was ready to surf. I got out there, the waves calming me. I used surfing to de-stress, and it was about time I got back out on the water by myself. Don't get me wrong, I loved my friends, but I was in desperate need of some me-time.
The water crept up my arms and soothed me. I had salt-water in my veins, I always have. For as long as I could remember, the ocean was home to me. The water was my happy place, and it was somewhere I could call my own at times. I didn't always have a home with Helen, so I resorted to the water to claim me as its own.
When I was done surfing, it was about that time to go teach the surf lesson again. I made my way back to the Chateau and took the van to Figure 8, not going back inside the house. I didn't know if JJ or Pope were awake, but I didn't want to have to address the panic attack with Pope yet. I needed time to think of some excuse as to why I had the attack, to begin with.
The lesson was short. I supervised the group surfing, sensing the tension between Sarah and Topper, and noticing Rafe hadn't shown up. I took it as a blessing though, it wasn't like I wanted him there. We finished up and I went back home, seeing JJ on the hammock outside. "Where'd you go?" He asked casually, and I told him about the lesson, leaving out my surfing alone.
"Well, we've got a little... news," He said with a weird look on his face. "Ooh, very mysterious. What's the scoop?" I asked, jumping next to him in the hammock and throwing my hair up into a ponytail.
"John B. is little orphan Annie no longer. Ward Cameron offered to be his new legal guardian," JJ said, and I was stunned. "What?" I said, slightly slack-jawed. "It's weird right?" He asked and I nodded. "Super weird," I said, messing with the rings on my fingers. I twirled them around but suddenly felt like I shouldn't be wearing them.
They were Rose's rings, and I now felt uncomfortable having them on. "What's going on in that head of yours?" JJ asked, reaching over and letting me lean into him. "I'm just thinking," I said.
"That's the problem. When you think too much, you stress yourself out," JJ said, and I laughed a little bit. "I just- I mean, what are the odds of something like this happening? His new mom is my old one," I said, realizing how weird it sounded when I said it out loud.
"Oh, shit, I didn't even think about that," He said, running his hand through his hair again. "I don't wanna think about it, but she keeps coming back into my life. How does that even happen? I thought she was dead two weeks ago," I said, and he shrugged. "Life's crazy," He said and I elbowed him jokingly. "Big help," I said.
From behind me, he pulled me in closer to him and we just laid there for a while, neither of us saying a word. The silence was all we needed. Words sometimes complicated things, so this was enough for us. His hand wrapped around my waist on the left and the other one traced circles on my tanned skin.
"Hey, Stevie?" JJ asked, and I looked up at him.
"Yeah?"
"I like you. I mean, I really like you," He said with a breathy laugh, and I smiled. Actually, I beamed. "Do you like me too?" He asked, sounding like a child.
"You're such a dork. Of course, I like you," I said, turning my body just enough to plant my lips on his. It was a quick but meaningful kiss, no longer than a minute, and when we broke apart, he was smiling like an idiot. "I knew it," He said, a triumphant smile on his face. We laughed together for a little bit, then stayed in the hammock for an hour longer.
We held each other, not in a weird way, but in a way that comforted both of us. Two broken souls trying their very hardest to mend each other. We knew we were what each of us needed, and now we knew all we had to do was be together.
"Would you... I don't know, do you want to like, ᵇᵉ ᵐʸ ᵍᶦʳˡᶠʳᶦᵉⁿᵈ ᵒʳ ˢᵒᵐᵉᵗʰᶦⁿᵍ?" He asked, getting quiet on the last part. "What? I didn't hear the last part," I said, and he sighed, his cheeks a slight tint of red.
"Do you want to ᵇᵉ ᵐʸ ᵍᶦʳˡᶠʳᶦᵉⁿᵈ?" He reiterated, and I turned around to face him. "JJ! Speak up!" I exclaimed with a boisterous laugh, punching his lightly in the arm.
"Holy shit, fine. Do you want to be my girlfriend? I want you to be my girlfriend, but I just want to make sure you want that because if not I-" He began to ramble.
I cut him off by kissing him again, hopefully giving him my answer. When he looked at me expectingly, I knew I'd have to say it. "Yes, I want to be your girlfriend," I said with a large smile gracing my face. "Your dimples are so cute," He said with an equally giddy smile.
"Ooh, boyfriend," I said, testing out the new term.
"Ew, girlfriend," He said, teasing me. "Oh, you think you're so funny, huh? Braid my hair," I said, knowing he still didn't know how to. "Now, that's not fair. That's exploiting my weaknesses, and that's- that's just not fair to me," He said with a fake pout on his face.
We suddenly both got texts, our phones buzzing in unison. It was from the groupchat with John B., Pope, Kie, JJ, and I, and there was a single text from John B. saying to meet at the Chateau in twenty minutes. Since we were already there, we had nothing to worry about, but we knew we'd have to break apart and stop our hammock cuddle thing sooner or later.
I chose sooner, it would only make me want to stay there if I was there any longer. I attempted to get up, but JJ pulled my hips back down on his lap before I could get a good footing on the grass and sand beneath me. I fell back and my eyes went wide, but he couldn't see that, so I was safe.
"Come on, it's time to get up," I said, patting his knee. I felt his hot breath on my ear and my stomach fluttered. "We can continue this later," He said in a painfully slow, low tone, and I laughed to cover up how flustered I was. JJ was the only person who made me feel safe in this respect. I trusted him, and not only that, but I was so into him.
And he was hot, which was a plus.
When we stood up, he kissed me again, and I smiled into it. "Get a room you two," I heard from behind us, and I whipped around to see Pope leaning up against the screen wall around the porch. My eyes flew open and I pushed JJ away from me as fast as I could.
JJ jumped back also, trying to act natural, but Pope had a suggestive look stuck on his face. "I already saw it, no point in denying anything," He said with a smirk. "Look, okay, you caught us, but please don't tell the others. We'll do that," I pleaded, and Pope raised his eyebrows.
"We?" He asked, and JJ nodded. "Should we just tell him?" JJ whispered to me, and I pinched the bridge of my nose. "I guess so," I said, not knowing the alternative. He had pretty much already figured it out, so there was no use in lying about it.
"We're... uh... I asked her out, man. We're like... official now," JJ said Pope slowly raised his hands to cover his mouth. "No shit. JJ and Stevie, huh? Wow," He said in actual awe. I didn't expect it either, but I was happy.
"Just, don't be weird about it when everyone gets here?" I asked, and Pope nodded, shrugging as if it was a given, and I looked at him suspiciously. "Can I trust you?" I asked, and he scoffed. "Trust me? Of course, you can trust me," He said, and although I didn't fully trust what he was saying, I gave up.
Everyone arrived shortly, and Sarah Cameron had tagged along with John B., unbeknownst to everyone else. Kie obviously wasn't aware of this, like all of us, but she was the angriest about it. It was a huge problem for her, and when she asked John B. to choose, shit hit the fan a lot faster.
A huge fight. A blow-up, even, went down with Kie and John B. at the very center of it. I had no idea how awkward Sarah felt, but it seemed like she was handling it fine, adding her own sassy remarks every so often, only fueling Kie's fire more.
When everything died down and we all dispersed, I went to the kitchen to eat. I was hungry again, naturally, and the boys were all talking outside. Sarah came inside and made her way over to me. We talked casually for a bit, but she eventually revealed why she really came over.
"I'm really sorry about my brother," She said, and I sighed. "It's not your fault, Sarah, it has nothing to do with you," I said, looking at the strawberries I was cutting up. She seemed to not know what else to say, so with that, she walked out. Little did we know that the boys were scheming outside, and they were cooking up something massive.
★
"What the hell?!" I yelled as the three fucking banditos stranded Kie, Sarah, and I on a boat. "There's food in the cabin, and JJ rolled a blunt!" Pope called out.
"Hydroponic!" JJ piped up.
This was their idea of a little workshop to get Kie and Sarah to like each other and stop being so petty, but my role in this equation was unknown to me. "I still don't get why I'm here!" I called out, my arms flailing as I raised them above my head to emphasize my question.
"You're the mediator! Don't let them kill each other!" John B. yelled, and I groaned. "Hormonal teenaged girls who hate each other, and I have to babysit? You're throwing me in a warzone here, dickheads!" I shouted back, but they all shrugged like idiots.
As they took off, the situation became way more daunting. "Hey, wait! No! Please, take me with you!" I shouted. "Godspeed!" Pope yelled, and I huffed.
I turned around and smiled awkwardly at the two seethings beasts behind me, and they stared darkly back at me.
This was gonna be a shitload of fun.
★★★
And here she is. Another chapter, another day late. I'm sorry, but the schoolwork is piling up and I'm dying over here haha. I will try my best to be more vigilant with publishing. :)