CHAPTER FIFTEEN.
oceans between you and me

NOVA VAN KIRK was truly the definition of a catch 22 right now more than ever.

After her's and Sarah's conversation from earlier that same evening, Nova decided to head home for the night, wanting to separate herself from her friends so she could be alone. Now Nova was now left to dwell on Sarah's wise words and ponder with the conflicting emotions deep within her beating heart, her mind being plagued with thoughts of the boy who managed to sweep Nova off her feet during the past few weeks they've spent together.

It was strange how someone like JJ Maybank could make her feel this way. There was once a time when Nova would have simply ignored the blond as they passed each other on the street. Coming from two completely different worlds would do that to some people. It was the foundation of an invisible wall that separated the pair. Nova never liked it, but that's how it always seemed to work in a place like Outer Banks, and she just stuck to the rules and stayed in her little bubble wrap surrounded by her picture perfect family, her perfect friends, and even her pathetic excuse of an ex boyfriend, who at the time was easy to be with because he seemed so perfect.

     And now Nova can't help but feel butterflies in her stomach whenever JJ comes into her view, or smile when he says something incredibly witty, and even tremble when his skin came in contact with her own. She couldn't even deny the way her heart swelled in her chest whenever he called her Princess. It was a stupid nickname, and she believed it was incredibly corny, but when JJ says it, it's almost like she's on cloud nine.

Maybe Sarah was right. Maybe she was crushing on JJ. But was that what she wanted to call it? A crush of all things?

     It was no secret she liked him. That's why Sarah Cameron of all people was able to make the connection. She wasn't the only one to see it either. She knew John B inviting her and JJ along on the boat ride today had an ulterior motive, the Routledge boy scheming behind their backs, and even Juno seemed to be on board with John B's master plan. Nova knew how she felt, and normally when she knew how true her feelings were, she wouldn't hesitate to act on them. She was always the type to go after what she wanted, and would do it with zero remorse.

     However, this time, things were different. JJ wasn't just some guy Nova happened to be crushing on. He was more than that. JJ was different compared to Rafe Cameron and that one guy she made out with behind the bleachers at the Kook Academy ( who later spread a rumour that they did more but that was total bullshit ). JJ didn't want Nova for her body. Instead he was sweet, gentle and understanding. Whenever she pushed him away, he held onto her and never left her side, even when he probably should have. And despite being the Pogue who was known for screwing his way through the island — the typical bad boy who broke hearts left and right, he never seemed to do that to Nova.

     He cared about her in ways no other guy has cared before. Those were all reasons to why Nova fell for the Maybank boy in the first place.

     The only problem was that she was still scared of getting hurt. She shouldn't be scared of being broken at the hands of JJ, especially after he's proved time and time again that he would never do what others guys have done to her in the past. But whenever Nova found herself admitting her feelings for JJ, fear would settle in and scream at Nova to bury her love in a shallow grave in hopes that one day her fear will subside and she can finally be truthful to JJ.

She just wasn't sure if that day would ever come.

     Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

     Until then Nova Van Kirk could use a distraction, and hanging around the Pogues and talking about anything other than the future of her and JJ was the best distraction yet. This caused for the girl to make her way towards the front door of her home, her shoes hitting the hard floor beneath her feet, before she stopped in her tracks and wrapped her hand around the handle, goosebumps igniting across her skin when she came in contact with the cold metal in the process, before she pulled the door open to reveal the one face she didn't expect to see.

"Rafe?" Nova spoke up, her entire body tensing in surprise whilst she furrowed her brows together in confusion. She wondered why Rafe Cameron of all people was standing on her doorstep right now. "What are you doing here?" She pressed.

Rafe looked around hastily, his frantic eyes darting all over the place, the boy even looking over his shoulder like he was some paranoid freak, before he turned his attention back to Nova. "We need to talk. Can I come in?" He answered, raising Nova's suspicions a little more.

Nova continued to stare back at Rafe with uncertainty glazed over her eyes. She noticed how paranoid he appeared to be, the way he was practically sweating bullets, and even the fear that burned brightly in his eyes. She wondered if this was just Rafe experiencing the repercussions of some drug he might of took, knowing it was a plausible explanation to his strange and agitated state. A voice in the back of her head told her to say no, that he only brought her trouble, but she moved aside anyways, allowing Rafe to enter her home.

     Sighing quietly to herself, Nova closed the door and turned around to face a very frantic Rafe Cameron, folding her arms over her chest. "I hope there's a very good reason why you're here right now because I'm going to meet up with my friends, so please, whatever this is about, can you speed it up—"

     "I'm in trouble, Nova." Rafe confessed, cutting the girl off in the process. "And I'm not talking about wrecking my old man's car kind of trouble. I'm in deep shit, Nova, and I don't know how to fix it." He elaborated further, his voice laced with desperation whilst he spoke.

Raising her brow, Nova parted her lips to speak. "What kind of trouble?" She inquired curiously.

     "Barry kind of trouble." Rafe breathed out, the mere mention of the name being enough to make Nova shudder.

     Everyone in Outer Banks knew Barry was the well known drug dealer on the island. He could get you anything and everything for a reasonable price. He previously supplied Nova with anything her heart desired. That was until she made a commitment to sobriety, of course. But if you knew who Barry was, then you know that not only was he able to get the best shit, but he was also one of the most dangerous criminals on the island, and would do unimaginable things if you ever crossed him in a bad way.

     "Shit..." Nova trailed off, placing her hands on her hips and try to block out the overwhelming anxiety prickling at her nerves. "What did you do this time?" She interrogated further.

     Rafe raked a trembling hand through his gelled hair, licking his lips, before he parted his lips to speak. "Well, I spent the generator money my dad gave me on that new bike I showed you, and I needed to come up with more money so I went to Barry and asked for some coke that I could sell at Topper's party. He let me have it and I told him I would pay him back, but I'm late on this payment, and now I don't know what to do." He explained, his words being enough to make Nova groan in frustration.

     "Jesus christ, Rafe." Nova muttered harshly underneath her breath. "How many times have I told you not to fuck with a drug dealer?"

     "I know, I know, okay?" Rafe nodded his head. "That's why I'm here. I need your help."

     Nova began to frantically shake her head in response. "No. No way. There's no way I'm doing this for you. You got yourself into this mess and you can get yourself out of it." She refused, deciding it was for the best to not get caught up in Rafe's mess again.

     Rafe stared back at Nova in desperation. "Nova, please—"

     "No, okay?" Nova snapped at him. "I'm clean. I'm at a good place in my life where I'm genuinely happy and I don't need you dragging me back into your mess with Barry. So, if you don't mind, I have somewhere else to be." She told him, making her way towards the door again, latching her hand around the handle and pulling it open slightly.

     However, Rafe wasn't done with her just yet. He was quick to approach Nova and use one hand to push the door close, causing for the blonde to jump before she turned around, her back pressed against the door whilst Rafe toward over her, a mix of the same fear and desperation she saw earlier burning brightly in his eyes once again. It left Nova quivering in fear of her own, a shaky breath slipping past her lips whilst she did her best not to panic. She didn't want the situation to escalate any further than it already has.

     "Please, please, please." He begged, rushing his words in the process. "You have no idea what he's capable of. He did this to me and then stole my fucking bike." He added, raising his arm to reveal a nasty burn mark on his skin, the redness and the blister planted on his arm being enough to make Nova swallow thickly. "I know I was a shitty boyfriend, but please, if there's a single part of you that still cares about me, you'll help me pay this guy back."

     "And if you cared about me, you would go and leave me the hell alone." Nova retorted, her voice shaky whilst she spoke. "So, go. Go, or I swear to god, I'm going to scream." She then threatened.

     Shortly after Nova had spoken, Rafe decided to back away from the girl, his eyes softening at the sight of her, before he opened the door himself and left without saying another word, leaving Nova alone. This caused for Nova to press her back against the door again, before her legs gave in beneath her, the girl falling to the ground with tears rolling down her cheeks, still reeling from what had just happened.

     She needed a getaway, and she knew exactly where to go.

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The sand sunk underneath her weight, her golden blonde hair cascading down her back whilst her crystal blue eyes watched the ocean in front of her, the waves violently crashing together, the girl finding beauty in the elegant violence bestowed on her. The sight of the breathtaking waves that shimmered beautifully underneath the pale moonlight was enough to force a ghost of a smile across Nova's lips, a twinkle of happiness in her eyes as she pulled her legs up to her chest, and rested her chin on her kneecap with a gentle sigh escaping past her lips.

Nova always found peace and tranquillity in the ocean. She saw it as a unique phenomenon — a single abyss of dark ripples that seemed to spread across the entire world that not even the gods above could explain. But the unknown was what she loved so much about it. Every time she saw the ocean become more violent, Nova found a wave of peace washing over her ( yes that was totally an oxymoron by the way ). She always felt lucky knowing she lived close to the beach. Every time she needed to clear her mind or ease her nerves, the beach was the first place she would go.

And she needed it more than ever right now. After her frightening encounter with Rafe Cameron, Nova needed to be on her own for a while in a place that made her feel most safe. Sure, maybe her altercation with Rafe was small, but hearing Barry's name roll off his tongue and Rafe trying to drag her back into his mess was enough to make Nova frightened beyond belief. The last thing she wanted was to be dragged into a mess of his own doing after she's done her best to get this far. She's clean and she has grown as a person. The last thing she wanted was to go back on all the process she's made these last couple of weeks.

     The worse part was that she didn't know if she could keep it up anymore.

     "I thought I might find you here." An all too familiar voice ripped through the deafening silence, causing for Nova to crane her head to the side to see JJ Maybank making his way towards her, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Everyone's been calling you so we could go over the plan to get the gold out of the well. In the end Juno and I went looking for you, and, well, here you are." He elaborated further.

     Nova watched as JJ took a seat down in the sand, filling up the vacant spot next to her, before she raised a brow, looking around to see her best friend was nowhere to be seen. "So, where's Juno?" She inquired curiously.

     "She went home to check on her mom." JJ answered, the mere mention of Juno's mother being enough to stir and uneasy feeling in the pit of Nova's stomach, before JJ parted his lips to speak once again. "Everyone was worried about you, you know. You were suppose to meet up with the rest of us hours ago."

Nova nodded her head in response to JJ's very clear observation, a quiet scoff leaving her lips in the process. "Yeah, well, something came up on my way out." She inferred, her mind flashing back to Rafe in the midst of his frantic state, shivers running up her spine when she pictured her ex boyfriend in her head.

     JJ glanced back at the blonde girl with his brows furrowing together in confusion, wondering what was so important that it caused for Nova to ghost the entire group for the past two hours, before him and Juno decided to come and search for her in the middle of the dark night. It even left the boy feeling concerned, especially when he noticed the way Nova stared out at the ocean displayed in front of her eyes, a look filled with despair flooding her gaze.

"You wanna talk about it?" JJ offered, shrugging his shoulders.

     Nova turned her attention back to the boy, her eyes locking with his as a sigh left her lips. "Rafe came to see me." She confessed.

     JJ tensed at the mention of the familiar name, his jaw clenching at the thought of the Cameron boy coming to visit Nova after all the hell he had put her through. A spark of jealously igniting in his veins ( although he would never admit that out loud ) when he thought about his potential reasoning for showing up on Nova's doorstep, and what they must have talked about, knowing it couldn't have been good, especially after Nova had gone radio silent for the past two hours so she could be alone.

However, JJ did everything he could to hold back the sea of negative emotions that washed over him, the boy rolling back his shoulders before he inhaled sharply. "What did he want?" He interrogated further.

     "He got into some deep shit with Barry, and, well, he wanted my help to pay off his debt." She answered truthfully, causing for JJ to shoot her a look, causing for Nova to roll her eyes before she shook her head. "Don't worry. I told him to get out of my house because I wasn't getting involved with Barry again." She explained in a reassuring voice, the mere mention of Barry's name sending shivers up and down her spine.

     In that very moment, JJ noticed a strange glimmer that burned bright in Nova's enchanting blue eyes, a look that spoke a thousand words all at once. She showed signs of regret. "You wanted to help him though?" He assumed, earning a sigh and a nod from Nova in response.

     "I know I shouldn't care about him, especially after all the hell he put me through. I'm not naive or oblivious." Nova told him, pausing for a brief moment as she turned her attention to the waves displayed in front of her, the water gliding and crashing against each other in a perfectly imperfect manner. "But despite how I feel about Rafe, I've known him my entire life. We grew up together. He was my friend and then when we started dating, believe it or not, he was the perfect guy. But then he got addicted to coke and changed."

     Nova paused again, a shaky breath leaving her lips as she continued to think about the one and only Rafe Cameron. She knew he didn't deserve to have her think about him the way she did, or even waste a single breath on him. In fact, Nova would love nothing more than to erase Rafe from her mind and all the memories that came with their history. But Nova knew it didn't work that way. Whether she liked it or not, Rafe was always going to be a part of her life, almost like he was poison, tainting her blood and there was no cure. The only thing she could do now was grow from it.

     "I always stayed with him because I believed he would change. I thought how he treated me would just be temporary." Nova continued, her voice shaky whilst she spoke, a dull ache erupting in her chest when her mind drifted back to her ex boyfriend. "But it never did. He just kept using me to get what he wanted and I let him. He wants one thing from me and that's control. That's why he tried giving me those drugs at Midsummers last night. The worse part was that I almost let him have that control over me again." She elaborated further.

     A thought then crossed JJ's mind, the boy using he knee to nudge Nova's, causing for the girl to turn her attention back to the boy. "Would you have done it? Would you have relapsed if the security guy never came in?" He questioned. Truth is, JJ already knew the answer. He just needed to hear Nova say it first.

     Nova sighed again, "At first, I was only going to do it because Rafe promised he would let you go—"

     "Nova, I already told you..." JJ trailed off, pausing for a swift moment, before he parted his lips to speak again. "I'm not worth it."

     "I know what you said." Nova replied, staring at JJ, her eyes softening in the process. "But you're dad already used you as a punching bag. I didn't want something like that to happen to you again, because to me, you are worth it." She added, concern twinkling in her eyes.

     JJ could see she cared about him more than he originally thought, a strange sensation bubbling in the pit of his stomach whilst he stared back at the girl. Truth is, no one really ever showed him comfort in the way Nova did. Sure, he had his friends and they always looked out for him, but there were times where he felt as if he couldn't talk to them the way he could talk to Nova because he didn't want to burden them with his problems. He didn't even want to burden Nova, but unlike his friends, she insisted on helping. Despite everything going on in her life, she pushed them aside for him. No one has ever done that for him before.

     Nova sighed once again, snapping JJ out of his train of thought, listening as Nova parted her lips to speak once again. "But then it wasn't just about helping you. When I saw the drugs in Rafe's hand, I wanted it. I wanted it because despite telling everyone I'm fine, everyday is so hard. It's like I'm stuck in a losing battle with myself everyday. It's like this huge weight crushing me until I can't breathe. Rafe saw that and took advantage. That's what he does best." She explained further, a bone crushing weight applying pressure to her chest, the thought of her ongoing battle being enough to make the girl want to scream.

     As JJ continued to listen to Nova whilst she spoke, a quick thought crossed his mind, his brows furrowing together in confusion, a puzzled look burning bright in his crystal blue eyes. "Then why don't you just cut him off for good?" He inquired, shrugging his shoulders.

"I wish it was that simple. Even if I tried to cut him off, his dad is best friends with mine, so we're always going to be in each other's lives." Nova sighed, staring down at the sand beneath her again. "But, truth is, a part of me doesn't want to. A part of me still hopes that he'll be the same old Rafe Cameron I knew before the drugs ruined everything that was good about him. I know it's wrong, but no matter what he says or does, I want to believe in him."

JJ then nodded his head, remaining silent. Truth is, he couldn't even form a single word, let alone a whole sentence. A small part of him resented Nova for how she spoke about Rafe. Unlike her, JJ only saw the evil parts to the Cameron boy and that gave him enough reasons to hate Rafe, knowing he had wrapped his hand around Nova and broke her one too many times before. The mere thought of Nova still wanting to believe in the same guy who had hurt her countless amount of times was enough to make JJ's veins twinge with anger and burning jealously.

However, he quickly remembered that Nova's experiences with Rafe were no different to his when it came to his father. On a number occasions ( yesterday being one of them ) JJ faced the harsh end of his father's wrath, his cheeks littered with fresh bruises, like his skin was kissed by the angel of death, the faint black and blue marks leaving a harsh indentation of memories JJ would much rather forget. But despite what his own father would do to him, JJ still wanted to believe the man could change and be the parental figure JJ always needed.

     "I get it, Princess. We all want to believe bad people can change." JJ confessed, his words catching Nova's attention, the girl's eyes softening when she realised he was talking about his dad. But before Nova even had a chance to respond, JJ plastered a small smile across his lips and nudged the girl. "But, hey, at least we have each other, am I right?"

     Nova could tell he was trying to divert the attention away from himself and his situation, a glimmer filled with regret glazed over JJ's eyes the second he brought his father into the conversation. Instead of questioning it further, Nova decided to respect what JJ probably wanted right now, causing for her to plaster a smile of her own across her lips, the girl nodding her head in response to JJ's positive words.

     "Right." She agreed, the pair continuing to stare at one another in silence for a short moment.

JJ was the first to speak up after the brief moment of silence, the boy clearing his throat, before he parted his lips to speak. "Okay, enough of this depressing shit. What do you want to do? We can do whatever your heart desires, Princess." He declared, earning a frown from Nova in response to his words.

     Nova giggled quietly before she let out a quiet sigh and scanned her bright, blue eyes over the beach surrounding her, her gaze shifting from the boy sitting beside her on the sandy beach, to the ocean moving back and forth with the tide. The sight of the waves moving in time with the wind was enough to force a much more genuine smile across the girl's pink lips, before she turned her attention back to JJ, a mischievous plan rolled up her sleeve.

     "I'll race you to the ocean." Nova announced, her words being enough to make JJ pull a confused face.

"What?" JJ inquired, raising a brow in the process.

Nova quickly pushed herself up onto her feet, staring down at JJ with a twinkle of excitement in her eyes whilst she removed her shirt to show off the bikini top she was wearing underneath, the girl slowly beginning to back away and move closer towards the moving tide. "Come on, it'll be fun." She pressed further.

     "Really?" JJ questioned, staring up at the blonde with a ghost of a smile forming across his lips.

     "Really." Nova repeated, nodding her head as she kicked off her shoes. "Come on, JJ. What's the problem? Scared you'll lose?" She challenged, her innocent smile turning into a mischievous smirk.

     JJ shook his head and began to push himself up onto his feet. "Fine. Have it your way, Van Kirk." He chimed whilst he removed his shirt, exposing the top half off his body, before he removed his shoes and began to chase after Nova.

     The sudden action caused for Nova to squeal in excitement, before the girl ran towards the ocean, her toes sinking into the wet sand for a moment, the waves crashing against her ankles and sending spine tingling chills throughout her entire body. All of a sudden, Nova turned around to see JJ was chasing after, causing for the girl back further and further into the water, the waves enveloping her body and pulling her into the ocean, before she splashed JJ, another infectious roar of laughter ripping through the air in the process.

     "That's it. You're done." JJ warned the girl in a playful tone, moving through the water to get closer towards the blonde. "Come here."

     Before Nova had a chance to protest, JJ splashed her back, before he scooped the girl into his strong arms and spun her around, the sudden action being enough to make Nova giggle loudly as JJ placed her carefully back down onto her own two kegs, Nova's feet touching the wet sand beneath her. Nova then lifted her gaze to stare at JJ, her eyes locking with his enchanting ones, her breath hitching in the back of her throat when she realised how close they were, their chests touching and their faces only inches away from one another whilst their bodies coated in small droplets of water clung to each other in this very moment.

     Nova stayed still, almost like her entire body was frozen in time whilst her and JJ stood in the water, the miniature waves crashing gently against their bodies in the process underneath the pale moonlight. It was a moment anyone could get caught up in. That was why for some strange reason, Nova found herself giving into her greatest desire, the girl leaning in closer towards JJ as an attempt to finally close the gap between them both. There was even a brief moment when Nova's soft lips grazed gently against JJ's, a spark of magical electricity igniting between the pair.

However, before Nova could close the gap between her and JJ completely, JJ was quick to clear his throat, before he backed away from the blonde with a frown forming across his sun kissed features. The action was enough to make Nova tear her gaze away from the boy, her cheeks heating up in embarrassment. She was lucky it was dark because at least JJ couldn't see her obvious signs of humiliation. Nova wondered why JJ pulled back especially after Sarah had convinced her there was an undeniable spark between her and JJ.

     Was he scared to fall in love like she was?

     Or was he just not into her in that way?

     Whatever it was, Nova wouldn't even get an opportunity to speak her mind and question the boy about it because it didn't take long for JJ to speak up once again. "Um, we should, uh, head back to the chateau. It's getting kinda late." He suggested, reaching over behind him and scratching the back of his neck.

     "Yeah, good plan." Nova muttered under her breath, before she emerged from the ocean waves and back onto the sandy beach, JJ following close behind her in the process.

When Nova reached where she previously was before, the girl was quick to pick up her shirt and throw it over her wet body, the article of clothing sticking to her damp skin. Whilst Nova slipped her shoes back on, the girl doing her best to avoid any kind of interaction with the Maybank boy after what had just happened, JJ was quick to pick up his phone that was placed on top of his shirt, switching the device on and reading a text that had quickly appeared across the screen.

After JJ had read the message a few times, the boy felt his heart sink to the bottom of his stomach, the boy swallowing thickly, before he lifted his gaze to stare at Nova with worried eyes. "Uh, Nova..." He trailed off, the sound of her name rolling off his tongue being enough to make Nova inhale sharply, before she turned around to face the boy.

"What?" She inquired, quirking a brow in the process.

"John B said we have to get back to the chateau as soon as possible." JJ continued to speak vaguely, his cryptic words being enough to make Nova worry a little.

"Why?" Nova paused, a shaky and harrowing breath leaving her lips. "What's wrong?"

JJ sighed, a look filled with dread flooding his eyes. It told Nova that she wasn't going to like whatever answer left his lips. "It's Juno. Something's happened — something bad."

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     Words could only describe how Nova Van Kirk was feeling when JJ parked the old Volkswagen out in front of the chateau. Her blood was pumping harshly through her pulsating veins, her head ached with dread and worry, beads of sweat stuck to the skin on her forehead when she thought about what must have happened to Juno between now and the last time she saw her. Nova worried about the events that must have occurred when the O'Connell girl parted ways with the rest of the group to check on her mother.

All these crippling anxieties were enough to make all of Nova's past worries, especially the unknown future of her and JJ disappear as she opened the passenger door to the van, before she climbed out and made her way up the steps of the chateau, JJ following close behind the girl. Nova then stopped to open the door, her shaky hand wrapping itself carelessly around the steel handle of the door, before she opened it up, allowing herself to enter John B's home.

     When Nova and JJ entered the chateau, the girl was quick to spot Pope and John B in the room. Pope was pacing back and forth, whilst John B was sat on the sofa, the boy bouncing his leg up and down, but when he saw Nova and JJ enter the room, he was quick to stand back up onto his feet again. It didn't take a genius to figure out that they were both waiting around worriedly, the boys showing concern for Juno, who's whereabouts was currently unknown.

     Breathing heavily, Nova's frantic blue eyes flickered between Pope and John B, her heart thumping hard against her chest whilst she spoke, "Where is she?"

     John B swallowed thickly, nodding his head into the direction of where all the other rooms in the chateau were. "She's down the hall. She locked herself in the bathroom and she refuses to come out." He informed the girl.

     That was all Nova needed to hear before she took off down the hall, the boys following close behind her in the process. Nova then stopped outside the bathroom, another shaky breath escaping past her lips as her gaze shifted between the closed door displayed in front of her and the boys who were standing not too far from where she stood, being sure to keep their distance and give Juno the space she needed during this frightening time. Nova knew it was for the best that they stayed back until Juno was ready to confront them all.

All of a sudden, Nova raised her hand knocked three times gently on the wooden door, inhaling sharply before she began to speak. "Juno, hey, it's Nova." She called out to the girl softly, but all she got was silence in return. This caused for Nova to sigh as she continued to speak. "Do you want to, you know, open the door so we can talk? If not, we can always talk like this." She suggested, hoping it would be enough to persuade her friend into responding to her.

However, all Nova got in return was silence once again.

"Juno..." Nova paused, staring at the closed door with a worried look evident in her eyes, overwhelming nerves eating away at her. "You don't have to open the door, but can you please just say something to let me know you're okay." She added.

Nova Van Kirk had experienced this once before. She'll never forget the day she came home and knocked on the bathroom door, cursing at Riley to hurry up because she wanted a shower, but when he didn't respond, that was enough to stir enough worry. She ended up picking the lock with a clip she had in her hair and was shocked to have found Riley in the state he was in. He died later that same day. So there was no denying Nova was getting a sense of deja vu right now, fear of losing her best friend slowly sneaking in. She just hoped tonight wouldn't have the same outcome.

     And when Nova thought all hope was lost, she heard a surprising click from the lock on the door, before she lowered her gaze to see the handle twisting around, the door being pulled open in the process. This caused for Nova to lift her gaze to see Juno was now standing in front of her, her bloodshot eyes locking with Nova's, tear stains running down her cheeks whilst she stared back at Nova, sadness and despair evident in the O'Connell girl's eyes.

     But that wasn't what shocked Nova. What surprised the girl most of all was the large fresh bruise underneath Juno's teary eye and the small cut across her lip. The sight was enough for Nova's breath to hitch in the back of her throat, sadness of her own flooding her eyes whilst she stared back at her best friend with sympathy, the girl putting two and two together, quickly realising what must have happened when Juno went to see her mother earlier the same night.

     "Juno..." Nova breathed out, her eyes brimming with tears when she saw the state her best friend was in.

"I...I saw Barry leave my place earlier so I went in there and fought with her about spending our money. She doesn't work so we barely have anything left and she's wasting it all on her drugs." She explained, stumbling over her words in the process whilst she tried her best not to cry anymore than she already has. "I just lost it and flushed her drugs. Then she...she—"

All of a sudden, Nova stepped closer towards Juno and wrapped her arms around the girl, pulling her into her embrace whilst Juno began to sob loudly into the crook of Nova's neck, the sound of her cries breaking Nova's heart a little more. The girls were later joined by the guys, who were quick to wrap their arms around Nova and Juno, the group sharing one tremendously big group hug, showing Juno the love and comfort that she needed right now more than ever whilst the O'Connell girl continued to cry, her body shaking profusely.

It pained Nova to see her friend in such a heartbreaking state.

She never understood how Vivian O'Connell could turn so cruel after being the perfect mother for so many years. She once loved Juno and would have done anything to protect her from the harsh realities of the cruel world, but the loss of her husband sparked hatred that no one ever knew she had, and took all that anger and all that hatred out on the one person she was meant to love more than anything else in this world. Nova had sat back and hoped the woman would get better so her and Juno could become a family again.

However, if tonight was a clear indication of anything, it was that Vivian O'Connell was too far gone, and Juno had to get out before it was too late.

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authors note.
Did you guys really think you would get through a chapter without drama or heartbreak? Come on you should know by now that this isn't how this story works alsksksksk anyways. . . Juno deserves better and all I'm going to say is that she's going to get the family she deserves very soon!! Also I dropped a hint about a future event between Nova and Rafe in this chapter so if anyone was able to guess it I applaud you.

Until then I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I'll update again soon!!