Chapter 1: Where We Belong
"All of you suck. Like majorly." JJ complained, lounging upside down on the hammock. No one knew what the boy was on about as he'd thrown the statement out with absolutely no context.
"What the hell are you on about, J?" The boy's sister questioned, busy flipping burgers on the old grill. The slightly rusted hunk of metal had been passed down from Heyward a year and a half ago and resided at the Routledge Chateau, aka where they all currently were.
"No one wants to go skinny dipping. Who doesn't want to skinny dip? Pussies, that's who."
Taking a drink of her beer, CJ's response was cut off by an amused John B. "No, it's 'cause no one wants to see your white ass, JJ." Chuckling, the boy threw a piece of popcorn at his friend before continuing to snack on the rest.
"Are you kiddin' me? People would pay to see my ass. My toned, tanned ass. You're just jealous." He stated, swinging up to lay down on the hammock normally. His head swam for a moment due to all the blood that had rushed to his brain, but he easily ignored it.
Walking over, Pope and Kie joined the group, both carrying various ingredients for their dinner. Kie had managed to convince her dad to give them some things while Pope inconspicuously snagged some condiments from home. The two had been busy in the kitchen cutting up vegetables and making macaroni salad.
"JJ, man, that means you tan naked."
"So? Don't judge what you don't understand, bro. Ladies love a man without tan lines." He told Pope, wiggling his eyebrows before taking a sip of his Pabst. From a yard or so away, his sister gagged and shook her head.
"Can we not talk about your nightly activities? I think I might puke."
"Who said they were only nightly?"
"Dear God, don't puke on the food."
Two different responses came, one from JJ and one from John B. Both made her turn to look at them incredulously before she scoffed and turned to the last two of their group. Pope was busy pointing at John B in agreement, juggling condiments, while Kie held her gaze, eyes full of amusement as she shook her head.
Shaking her head back, CJ couldn't hide the minor amusement she felt as well. Without needing to point it out, the teenagers brought the food to the picnic table placed next to her while she threw cheese on the first batch of burgers. God knew she'd have to at least make a second one for JJ, that kid devoured food. It probably had something to do with the fact that they rarely had any in their house.
While she finished off the burgers, Kie laid out buns and started loading them how everyone always liked them. When they had the works, at least. Pope was easy, mayo with a slice of tomato and ketchup on top. John B liked his with mayo and hot sauce, tomato, and onion topped with ketchup. JJ was the same way. Kie and CJ took theirs the same way as well; tomato, onion, and lettuce with mayo and ketchup. The only difference was CJ liked hot sauce on hers.
Macaroni salad was piled onto the plates; all except Pope's who stole John B's SkinyPop in replacement. The boy complained for a moment but when CJ shoved a plate in his hands with an amused teasing look, he took it with a dumb look on his face, following her movements toward JJ with lovesick eyes. JJ took his food with a pleased smirk, raising his hands in praise toward his barely younger sister.
While the two dug into their food animalistically, CJ shaking her head fondly, Pope and Kie ate more timidly. CJ took a moment to turn off and close the grill before picking up her own food. No one wanted a repeat of the night JJ drunkenly stumbled into the still hot metal.
The five ate in silence, all surrounding their self-made fire pit. JJ was still lounging on the hammock, noises of appreciation falling from his lips every few seconds. John B stood beside him, now leaning against a tree as his chewing had slowed down. He didn't want to waste CJ's heavenly cooking now that he wasn't starving.
Kie had sat down in the metal fold-out chair, Pope standing behind her. CJ had plopped down on a tree stump next to them, staring down at the unlit fire. Most of the sticks littering the hole were broken and burned, leaves scattered around it. The rocks perfectly lined up in a circle reminded CJ of when Kie, John B, and she had made it. It was a cold night, one in which Kie had fought with her mother and run to John B's house. She knew he and CJ were there that night and was hoping to join their slumber party. The three had decided to camp outside but didn't realize how cold it was. Instead of just piling inside the house and snuggling up on the pull-out mattress, they made a fire pit and sat next to the fire talking all night.
Taking a bite of macaroni salad, CJ nodded and turned to Kie with a small smile. "This is delicious."
"Oh, don't look at me. Pope made it."
Surprised with the turn of events, seeing as Pope hated the food, CJ turned to look at him in perplexment. "Now, how'd you manage that? You couldn't try it to see if it was any good."
"Didn't need to." He boasted, chest puffing up slightly with pride. "Found grandma's old recipe. No taste test needed."
"Well, look at you. I can see it now. Pope Heyward: Master Chef." JJ said sarcastically, plate resting on his stomach as he motioned a name in spotlights with his hands. Turning quickly, he stared the teenager down. "Of course, you'd probably be making the food out of human remains, so maybe not such a good idea."
Body scrunching up, JJ giggled as Pope threw a stick at him. "Hey, hey! Watch the food!" He exclaimed, covering his plate with a giant grin on his face.
"Watch your own food, meathead." Pope shot back, stuffing popcorn in his mouth from the bag that now rested on Kie's thighs. She wasn't eating any, she was just holding it for the standing boy.
Shaking her head, CJ looked at her lap as a giggle slipped passed her lips. Most days were like this, sitting in content and amusement with bickering filling the air. It had quickly become one of CJ's favorite noises over the years. Just the sounds of her family teasing one another. Laughing and snickering. If there ever came a day where she couldn't hear it again, she didn't know what she would do.
"You're all idiots."
"Hey, I take personal offense to that." John B responded, his burger dropped to place his hand exaggeratedly over his heart.
"Good." She told him, chewing a bite of her burger and swallowing it down with bottled Bud Light. "You should."
Scoffing, John B shook his head at her, feigning disappointment. Reaching down, he scooped up a forkful of macaroni salad, extremely tempted to throw it at her as he glanced back up at her. Mischief clouded his lidded eyes and CJ was looking between him and his food with apprehension, causing a small smirk to pull up the corner of his lips. "You, star, are rude."
"Well, moony, I learned from the best." She said smugly, a smirk spread on her face as she took another drink of her beer. John B's eyes narrowed on her playfully, gaze staying on her as he took a drink of his Pabst. The two kept eye contact until Pope's small cough shifted their focus. The boy hit a hand to his chest, a twisted look on his face as he swallowed.
"Damn popcorn. Trying to block my trachea."
"You know, you could just say it went down the wrong pipe like a normal person."
"JJ, none of us are normal."
"Thank god for that." CJ mumbled, causing John B and JJ to smirk and raise their drinks in a salute, soon followed by the rest of the group.
After that, the group finished their food in a peaceful silence. There wasn't much left to finish, but when JJ inhaled the last of his burger, CJ rose to her feet. Without a word, but another motion of praise from JJ, the girl walked back to the grill. Getting everything ready, she'd soon thrown another homemade patty on, hearing it sizzle. About two seconds passed before John B and Pope were begging for seconds.
CJ, amused but unsurprised, used her hands to form two more burgers and threw them on the hot metal. The excess could've been used for leftover burgers, but CJ planned to use it to make homemade hamburger cheesy mac the next night.
Finishing off her own food while she cooked, the blonde grabbed a little more macaroni salad. By the time the boys' burgers were done, she had discarded her empty plate on the table.
It only took the three a few more minutes to finished their food. During this time, CJ had started building a fire now that it was getting dark. John B started helping once he finished his food; the two being the proclaimed fire-starters of the group. With a deadly quickness, CJ's ever-present pocket knife was pulled off her hip, the flint on it being used to start the fire. She loved doing it that way, preferring the old method over a lighter or matches.
While she used the flint to spark the fire, John B stared at her from his crouched position across from her. The girl had absolutely no idea, and neither did anyone else aside from his closest friend. From the hammock, JJ watched the interaction with calculating, almost soft eyes. He'd known about John B's feelings for his sister for years, never feeling the need to step in between them. Not only was John B perfect for her, and just about the only person JJ was okay with her dating, but he knew the boy wouldn't do anything. He was scared and even if he wasn't, the 'no Pogue on Pogue macking' rule was always present. Most of the time, JJ thought John B just used that rule as an excuse. The boy was so in love with CJ that he was terrified of losing her. He would do anything, even push his own growing feelings aside, if it meant that she was always in his life. The rule made it easier to stay away from her. He'd brought it up once and John B didn't have the heart to lie and say JJ was wrong.
John B had loved that girl since he first laid eyes on her. Of course, at the time, he wasn't in love with her, but he'd always known she was special. For years their bond grew and they spent more and more time together until that day CJ took him out to their cabin. That was the night he knew he was falling head over heels for her; if he hadn't already. That was the night he sorted through his feelings and told JJ he was in love with his sister. The boy had kind of just laughed until he noticed John B's serious and worried expression. He'd simply said 'seriously? You didn't know that?' leaving John B completely baffled. Apparently, in the month they'd known each other, JJ and Pope had been making bets on when the two would get together. To this day, a twenty-dollar bet was still in place, having been lengthened out over time.
Completely oblivious, just like she had been for years, CJ didn't notice the fond smile that graced her boy's features when she pulled away from the fire with an accomplished grin. The boy barely even noticed she'd gotten the fire started as he stared at her until JJ pulled him away from the heat, sending him a pointed look. Realizing he'd been lost again, he nodded at the boy appreciatively.
Leaning against the hammock, JJ didn't say anything when it pushed slightly to the left. He just reached down and patted John B's chest, casually handing over his dab filled Juul in the process. Or, should he say, his and his sister's. John B's head fell slightly, a barely there smile twitching on his lips as grabbed the pen. He thanked whatever god was out there every day for JJ.
CJ, now also sitting on the ground, was placed between Kie's legs against the metal chair. The Kook turned Pogue played with her blonde hair, making small goosebumps appear on her skin. She always loved when Kie played with her hair and the girl knew it calmed her down. This time was no exception and surrounded by her friends, staring into the fire, CJ was happy. Of course, JJ being JJ had to ruin the content silence.
"Who has the papers?"
"I do." Kie responding, pulling one of her hands back to slip it into her pocket. Pulling out a pack of Raw's - papers JJ had stollen from a Kook - she threw them only for them to be intercepted by CJ. At the turn of events, JJ simply threw over the pill bottle full of weed. He'd rather her roll the joints anyways. He was relaxing.
The empty cheese plate was grabbed by Pope and given to the girl before he finally sat down on the unoccupied tree stump. Pulling out the decent looking buds, CJ smelled one just for posterity's sake before using her nails to rip them apart. Four or five were torn apart, the smaller pieces being picked up and placed into two wrapping papers. Kie was leaning over her shoulder, shielding the joints from wind while CJ rolled them, sealing them with a simple lick. Once she finished the last one, one was handed to Kie while she tried to hand the other to John B. The boy shook his head, stating the packer should get first hit. Despite this being common curtesy and an unwritten rule, JJ reached over and snagged the joint out of her hand. With a small flourish, he lit the piece of paper with a zippo.
"Fuck that, man, she'll just get that one from Kie right after."
Grumbling and slapping JJ's thigh, John B shook his head but took the joint after JJ hit it twice. True to his word, CJ took the first joint from Kie right after. Taking a long drag from it, she relaxed once again, leaning her head back. Kie's thighs were a nice pillow and her nails running through CJ's hair just made the second hit from the joint better; the smoke pouring down her throat and into her lungs.
Out of it, CJ almost passed the mini blunt to Pope before remembering he didn't smoke. Not wanting to move from her comfortable position, she was about to grumble before the joint was plucked from her fingers. John B, while reaching over to hand the other to Kie, had grabbed the joint and handed it over to JJ. A small smile spread on her features at the gesture.
Sitting there, heat from the flames licking at her legs, Kie's fingers in her hair, joints being rotated around the smoke circle, was where CJ belonged. CJ didn't belong a lot of places, she knew that. The group as a whole didn't belong. Not at home, not at school, not on the Figure Eight. But none of that mattered because they belonged here. A band of misfits on water or land, they belonged together. And god help anyone that ever tried to pull them apart.
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I just wanted to say, JJ/CJ have never left the other home alone. Whenever one of them wanted to leave, the other came with or was somewhere other than home. On the night the three made the fire pit at John B's, JJ wanted to be alone and was at the cabin. That's the main reason CJ was even staying the night at John B's.
Anyways, now that that's been covered, I hope you liked this chapter. I liked it a lot more than the prologue but to each their own.
Love you guys,
~SiriusCatBennett