★☆⋆⁎⋆✶★☆⋆⁎⋆✶

𝖍𝖔𝖜 𝖙𝖔: 𝖑𝖔𝖘𝖊 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖌𝖎𝖗𝖑

(CHAPTER ONE)

𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐬

★☆⋆⁎⋆✶★☆⋆⁎⋆✶

"That—that's disgusting."

"It's not disgusting. It's God's creation, baby."

"No, it's disgusting, JJ...JJ—JJ, stop!"

Veronica Dunweather lunged away from JJ as quickly as she could, cringing when he tried to chase after her with the dead guts of a fish on the end of a stick. In her efforts to get away, she accidentally bumped into Pope, and he only snorted and sidestepped out of her way so that she could continue running away from JJ as he chased her down the street. John B watched from behind, a grin flashing in his eyes as JJ eventually caught up to Ronni. All of the onlookers—himself, Pope, and Kie—let out a muffled sound of disgust when JJ secured his arm around her waist with one arm and shoved the fish guts closer with the other.

"She's gonna kill him one day," John B said casually as he watched Ronni send an elbow into JJ's gut.

Kie hummed. "Probably dump his body in the marsh."

"Dispose of the pieces one by one," Pope added.

"Let the sharks eat the remains," John B finished.

"Bye-bye JJ," Kie sighed pitifully, shaking her head in dismay.

John B shrugged, cracking open the beer he'd taken from the blonde boy. "More beer for me."

Ronni and JJ continued to mess around in the middle of the street for a few minutes, her eventually taking a hold of of the fish-gut stick and chasing after him with it next. He had a skip in his step with a laugh, and fell back so that they were back with the rest of the crowd. Ronni sent him another startling glare with a pointed finger in his direction until she dropped the stick completely. He grinned, and his eyes caught with Kie's for a moment only for the curly-haired girl to raise her eyebrows at him. His smile fell instantly. Right, he thought.

So here's another thing: JJ Maybank was pitifully and hopelessly in love with Ronni Dunweather. Like, to the point where he was pretty sure she could drag him with a chain bound to his ankle by her Jeep Wrangler, and he'd just smile until the asphalt ripped off his face and he couldn't anymore. That destructive kind of love―don't get him wrong, he'd probably still let Ronni do that even if he wasn't in love with her because JJ had loved her long before he realized he was in love with her. She was his best friend before anything else. His person. But since she was his best friend, he had to pretend that thinking of kissing her was the equivalent of thinking of kissing John B.

Moral of the story: he was fucked (or he wished he was, but whatever). JJ decided that it was best to lose his feelings for the girl for two reasons: one, was the golden rule between the Pogues that they would never get with another Pogue. Created by himself and John B after the two boys noticed themselves whipped for Ronni at thirteen the second she grew a pair of boobs one day. Two: JJ kind of, sort of, didn't want to absolutely get his fucking heart broken into smithereens the second that he told Ronni he was in love with her, and she tried to let him down nicely because she didn't feel the same. Because she was nice. She was too fucking nice. And he couldn't do the whole "life" thing without her.

And that left everyone in their little friend group with this weird, invisible tension and bubble because―yes, they were all well-aware of the golden rule―but that didn't mean they didn't wish for things. Like, Pope and John B had the hots for Kie for the last three months and everyone knew it but Kie, who was too busy dealing with Ronni's oblivious ass. Just like everyone knew JJ loved Ronni except for Ronni, who was too busy trying to get Kie to realize that the other two boys liked her. It was a shit-show. But it would be ten times worse if the golden rule was not in place, and not a single one of them would ever jeopardize the love they all had for one another by breaking it.

"I'm not giving you another one," JJ shot John B a look as the boy reached for another beer. "Get your own. I worked hard for these."

Kiara shot him a look, having taken them from her dad's restaurant, The Wreck. "You mean I worked hard for those?"

"Kie worked hard for these."

"Thanks, JJ," she said sarcastically, then rolled her eyes as they arrived at their destination.

The home was under-construction, tarp flying in the air and showing off just how much of the place was still missing. They were in Kook territory now. No-mans land. Their favorite place to shit around and get into trouble. Kie and Ronni shared looks before taking off first, pushing one another and grinning when they rounded around the back and completely bypassed the front door. They knew it wouldn't be unlocked, so they went to the next best route of going through the back door which currently had no door.

"That was nice of them. They basically put a welcome home mat out for us," Ronni hummed as she stepped inside, glancing around at the place. She wrinkled her nose when she noticed all of the white. White walls, white counters, white marble. "Can you imagine all of the stains?"

"Not a problem when you can hire people to clean up your shit for you," Kie said thoughtfully.

Ronni frowned. "Doesn't clean up the shit that doesn't stain."

"True that."

The two girls shared a look with one another and a silent conversation was shared. Of everyone in their group, Kie and Ronni knew the most about the different side of the island where the Kooks lived. Kiara grew up in the lion's den, and Ronni had pity parties in Figure Eight every couple of months when her mother decided to remember she had a daughter. Rachel Porter was real good at spoiling her daughter―the Jeep Wrangler her father forced her to accept for her sixteenth birthday attested to that―but she wasn't too good at loving her. She left all that love for Ronni's bitch ass step-brother, Logan.

"Well ain't this a dandy 'ole place we got here, y'all," JJ jeered as he walked in with the other two boys, raising the beer can to his mouth and downing another long gulp. "Whaddaya say we break it in, Pogues?"

JJ walked up the finished steps with John B close behind, the two of them a chaotic duo that only Ronni could somewhat contain. So she quickly followed behind the boys, remarking blandly to John B when he nearly got a needle pierced straight through his shoes. He gave her a cheesy grin for saving his life, and she rolled her eyes when he pressed a sloppy kiss to the side of her cheek. While John B and JJ explored the outside where the scaffolding looked dangerously unstable, Kiara and Ronni continued to look through the parts of the house upstairs that were finished.

"This is sad," Kiara said, her eyes solemn as she glanced at the big bedroom.

Ronni didn't need her to explain why, just frowned. "I know."

"Is that―" she paused, scowling even more when she noticed something peaking out of the bathroom. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me. Seriously?" But before she could even explain to Ronni what she was even looking at, she turned around and marched over to the open balcony where the boys were lingering at, Ronnie following behind. "They're going to have Japanese toilets with towel warmers."

"Of course they are. Why wouldn't they?" JJ asked sarcastically. He'd climbed up one of the sketchy scaffoldings, already downing his second can of beer in hopes that it will lessen his friendship with gravity.

"This used to be a turtle habitat, but who cares about the turtles, I guess," Kiara hummed with a bitter contempt in her voice.

JJ scoffed, playing up his alternate ego. "I can't have cold towels."

"Careful there," Ronni called up to him, leaning against the scaffolding his legs were dandling off of. She gladly took the half-empty beer can he handed down to her, waving it at him before taking a drink. "You're sounding a bit like my mommy dearest."

"What, a woman of such dignity and poise?" he asked, gasping down at her. He held a hand up to his heart. "I'm honored, Veronica."

Kiara squinted up at the top of the house, noticing that John B was teetering on the edge of the roof. "Can you please not kill yourself?"

"Definitely not drunk enough yet to watch you plummet to your death, JB. Wait a few minutes," Ronni added, raising her can in cheers. "I'd like to save myself of seeing your brain matter―and, no, Pope, it wouldn't be cool. That's gross."

"I think it'd be cool," Pope muttered in reply, shrugging, as he continued to point the needle-gun at John B.

"Don't spill that beer," JJ said, unbothered as he gave a side-eye John B's way. He nudged Ronni's shoulder with the tip of his shoe. "I'm not giving you another one."

"Oh, shit―"

Just like that, the beer that had been holding onto its last life fell from John B's hand and landed on the balcony of the home with a sickening and tragic crunch, the liquid splashing over the wood and creating a stain. Ronni rolled her eyes and downed the rest of JJ's beer while the recipient looked painfully at the growing puddle of wasted beer. If he was going down next, she needed more than half a beer, and JJ was stingy with his alcohol.

"Of course you did. Right after I say something."

Kie rolled her eyes at John B's dramatics. "Dumbass."

"Hey―uh," Pope called for their attention suddenly, leaning over the balcony. "Security's here. Let's wrap it up."

"We haven't even seen the movie theater in the basement though," Ronni said, frowning. Then she reached up with both arms to help JJ get down, grinning at him. "C'mon, princess."

He smirked at her, his teeth catching as he jumped down. "Yeah, you gonna give me true love's kiss?"

"Maybe after I knock you out."

"Damn. Not so charming, baby," he huffed, then he peered his head over to see the ADT security rolling out of their car. "Hey, Gary, is that you? Gary! Good to see you, man!"

In a fit of chaos, in true Pogue fashion, the group of five bustled through the house that was under construction. John B shoved Ronni slightly forward as they ran and she shoved him back, the two of them grinning and laughing as the others ran ahead of them. As they tumbled down the steps, JJ nearly wiping out at the end, they all split up in separate directions, Kie and Ronni going out the way they came in while John B followed. Ronni didn't even see JJ or Pope as she ran, squealing with Kie when they ripped open the door to the van.

"Go, go, go," Kie said, slamming on the back of the driver's seat as John B drove toward the side of the house.

They got there just in time to swing the door open, John B honking when he noticed Pope fall down on the ground after hopping over the fence, JJ not too far behind. "Bus is leaving!"

"Come on, boys!"

Ronni and Kie quickly moved when JJ came stumbling in, knocking shoulders with Kie and hearing her let out a string of curses and hit him upside the head. Pope was not too far behind with a grunt as his leg caught on the bottom of the van, falling fat into Ronni's shoulder and getting a similar reaction out of her that JJ received from Kie. Still, the four of them were a band of giggling idiots, the sunlight only reflecting the excitement in their eyes as Ronni and JJ peered their heads out the side of the open door to see the security guard, Gary, still chasing after their van.

"Check out Gary gunnin' for a raise," Pop cheered, watching out the back as the man ran with his fists waving in the air.

Ronni pouted, feeling bad. "Oh, come on, guys. Be nice to him. At least he's trying."

"Come on, Gary!" JJ called out, sticking his head halfway out the door with a can of beer raised for reward. When he noticed the man falling behind, he quickly turned his head to John B. "Hey, wait, slow down. Slow down, slow down―"

"JJ, you're gonna fall out, you dumbass―" Ronni said, reaching to grab the side of his shirt to tug him back inside. "Stop, JJ, you're being mean."

She felt Kie grab her shirt that time, noticing how close she was to the side too. "And your ass is going with him. You guys, stop. You're going to give him a heart attack."

"You're so close! You can do it!" JJ continued to cheer on the man, and when he got close enough, the blonde-haired boy threw the beer close enough to reach Gary but not close enough to hit him. Well, at least he was considerate enough to do that. "Aw, man. They don't pay you enough, bro."

"JJ, stop," Kiara scolded, now reaching to grab a hold of his shirt too, tugging him. "Stop it."

"Oh, come on. That sort of initiative is just begging to be punished."

Nonetheless, he conceded and fell back into the van, pushing the door closed and grinning at the two girls in the backseat. Both of their faces were flushed from the rush of adrenaline, and JJ would safely say they looked spectacularly beautiful―even when they were scolding him like the mother hen's they were.

"Doesn't mean you have to do it."

JJ sighed, letting his head fall back against the seat behind him. "Lots of lots don't need to be done, Kie, but they're still done. It's called fun. Besides, Gary knows I'm only joking with him. I'm helping him out. Gettin' that cardio in and all for his hot summer bod."

"Should I start getting you to chase the jeep then? Get that summer bod and all―" Ronni asked, only to receive an offended scoff from JJ in turn.

"Baby, you don't have to do that, you know I'm already chasing you. Got me running marathons."

Ronni reached out and shoved her sandaled foot against JJ's leg, shaking her head at his joke while he only grinned and reached for her leg, tugging her closer to him. Kie took her opportunity to tag-team the blonde boy, reaching out to swat at his hand so he could release Ronni, but Pope only grinned and grabbed at Kei. John B. Routledge watched his friends in the back through the rearview mirror, grinning happily to himself that he'd been so blessed to have such an amazing group of friends.

★☆⋆⁎⋆✶★☆⋆⁎⋆✶

"You staying' at the Chateau tonight?"

Harvey Dunweather leaned against the white wooden frame of his daughter's bedroom door, watching as she quickly shoved some things into her backpack. Some thread and beads for her and Kie to make bracelets since they'd been talking all day about how they wanted to make new ones―their old ones were getting a bit weathered, and every time that happened, they just made new ones to add to the collection until the others fell off. Ronni glanced down at her wrists briefly to see three on her left, two on her right, and four of the five were hanging on by a limb.

One of her headphones dangled out of her ear, and she turned to her dad. "Yeah. JB's got all of us coming over. 'Said he wanted us to go out on the water tomorrow. I'm gonna bring them the leftovers, yeah? I think Kie's gonna grab something from the Wreck too."

"You girls spoil those idiots too much," Harvey shook his head.

Ronni grinned, throwing the backpack over one shoulder. "Trust me, we know."

"Be careful," he said, grabbing her head as she passed by him, pressing a kiss to it. "I'm going to run by and talk to Heyward in a bit. He said he might need someone to run and help him grab a few things for the hurricane coming in. I'll probably be out by his place all day tomorrow prepping if you guys want to stop by and say hi."

"Hm, tempting, but Pope might be put on house arrest."

He gave her a look. "Don't think I'm not putting you, JB, and JJ on one when Agatha comes."

"You'll be losing a child at that rate, pops," she said, patting his shoulder. "And not to the hurricane."

He rolled his eyes at her and pushed off the frame, the two of them turning out to the living room of their small home so she could grab the leftovers of their dinner from the kitchen. Nothing big, but bright enough to trick your eyes into thinking it was. Ronni spent too much time on Pinterest, and she'd spent half of the entire last summer redecorating and painting their home with Kie and the boys. A lot of love and DIY's were put into the remaking of their place. Every so often, Ronni ran into a phase where she wanted to completely change everything, and Harvey just watched it happen.

"I'll come and see you tomorrow," she said, pressing a kiss to his cheek on her way out. She grabbed a hold of the keys to her Jeep, ignoring the urge to vomit every time she did so. Ronni didn't like pity gifts. But she needed a car, and it fit all of her annoying ass friends so she accepted unwillingly. "Tell Heyward I said hi, and I'll make sure his son works on that scholarship essay tonight."

He hummed, watching as she jumped off the porch to her car. She didn't really need it. "Thought I taught you better than to lie."

"Ah," she protested as she climbed into the Jeep, the sides and top gone. She turned to him as she put the keys in the ignition. "Alas, you taught me that sometimes the truth hurts more than an easy lie, Pops."

"Thatta girl," he said, smiling at her. "Tell 'em all I said to stay out of trouble tonight."

She smiled and put the car in drive, and on her way pulling out of the dirt-driveway they'd made, she let out a parting goodbye, "Don't tempt JJ with a good time!" then turned in the direction of the Chateau. It only took about three minutes in a car, ten when she was walking, but her surf board was on top of her jeep and it was always better to have a secondary option in the event that the van exploded one day (they predicted her death very soon).

When she pulled up, Kie was dangling half of her body out of the hammock and lifted her head at the sound of the jeep rolling up to the Chateau. Instantly, she shot up with a grin and ran over. The most surprising of friendships was probably Kie and Ronni's. The boys, especially, didn't really know how things were going to go down between the two girls. Kie had trust issues after a previous friendship gone wrong with Sarah Cameron, and Ronni...well, they were her boys. She was used to being the only girl in a gaggle of testosterone―but both girls can safely say that they gained the best of friend in one another and redeemed all quality of good for the female race.

"Hi, pretty girl," Ronni greeted with a smile, unbuckling her seatbelt and handing the girl the four plates of leftovers from her and her dad's lasagna that night. "Courtesy of Chef Harvey. He, once again, would like for us to pass onto your dad that he'd be a great addition to the Wreck. I said he'd need a muzzle."

Kie shrugged and grabbed the plates, waiting for her to grab her backpack and hop out. "I'll warn you, working with your dad sucks sometimes."

"Can't be any worse than when dad tried to teach me how to change a motor in a boat. Took us 'til three in the morning, and I think at one point he tried to chop my hand off, but at least we bonded, y'know?" she said, the two of them grinning as they moved to the porch. "Pope here? Dad said he was going to stop by the shop to help his dad get some things before Agatha hits. 'Figured he'd be hiding from the scut work as long as he could."

"You would be correct. JJ's got another blonde down his throat, by the way. Fair warning."

"Great. Guess I'll be sleeping on the dock tonight..." Ronni's face twisted as they moved to the door, and she quieted down a bit just in case they were near. "What's with him and blondes recently? I was thought he was into brunettes."

Kie shot her a look. "Pretty sure JJ's into anything that breathes in his direction."

As the two girls entered the Chateau, they both immediately let out slight groans in displeasure when they noticed how fucking gross it looked. While neither one of them were OCD about tidiness, they definitely didn't enjoy stepping over old pairs of boxers and accidentally kicking beer bottles into walls so hard they shattered. They shared a look with one another before starting their routine. Pope was sitting at the kitchen table with a pen and notebook, probably trying to start his essay. John B was out in the screened porch, and Ronni barely spared a glance at JJ on the pull-out couch with a blonde sticking her tongue down his throat.

Kie started in the kitchen, using her fingertips and picking at different things with a mild look of disgust. Ronni, on the other hand, tried to collect as many beer bottles and cans in her hand as possible, the two of them meeting in the middle to throw things in the trashcan before they continued on their path of cleansing. Pope glanced up when Kie took her arm and dumped the entire table (except his notebook and pen) into the trash.

Ronni went in the direction of the couch with a mild prayer that she didn't pick up a used condom (it happened in the past, she couldn't look JJ or John B in the eyes for weeks). She completely ignored JJ and the blonde, just shoving him over slightly so that she could grab a hold of the take-out box digging into JJ's side. The blonde pulled away, shooting her a frown, but JJ was quick to turn her mouth back in his direction. For his sake so that he didn't have to look at Ronni, and in reckless hope she'd be jealous.

"That'll all be a mess again in the morning," Kie mumbled once they'd finished, now sitting outside in one of the hammocks. Her legs were up by Ronni's head, the two of them messing around with the beads and colored thread in their laps. "John B doesn't stop drinking enough to see his own hands sometimes."

Ronni snorted, the thought triggering her to pull the beer bottle from between her side and Kie's thighs. They shared a look and grinned, both of them taking two huge swigs before they continued to fiddle around with the bracelets. It was a good distraction for Ronni, who would frown and glance up every time she heard the smallest sound of "JJ!" ringing through the screen door from the blonde touron holed up in the Chateau. Ronni ended up downing the rest of the bottle with a growing distaste when she heard the sound again.

"We'll need to bleach the couch before we sleep on it," she said, pulling another red bead through the thread as she finished up John B's. Hers was already secured around her wrist, a pale yellow one in contrast to the blues she'd made previously.

Kie paused halfway through Pope's bracelet, her pale pink one sliding up her arm slightly. "He'd stop bringing them over if you'd show a little emotion about it, you know. He's only doing it to piss you off."

"I know," she said, shrugging. "That's why I don't let it bother me."

"Evil."

"Yes, ma'am," she agreed, and she finished the knot tying the bracelet together.

She glanced at the blue one laid away for JJ. It had been the first one she started on, and she decided to go ahead and give him her favorite color. She pulled out her phone to take a brief break, scrolling through Instagram for a few minutes and letting out a scoff in disgust. Her step-brother, Logan, popped up on her feed, standing in the middle of Topper and Rafe Cameron with solo-cups raised between the three of them.

"I'm disgusted," she said, flipping her phone so that Kie could see the picture.

Kie's nose wrinkled in disgust. "I can't believe I ever thought your brother was cute."

"Not my brother," she quickly interjected, and then she curled her lip in disgust at Kie. "And ew, Kie."

"Oh, chill. I've since recovered from my lapse of brain damage. Besides, the Kook bitch from Hell staked her claim on him before I could even introduce myself back freshman year...still can't believe she cheated on him," Kie's face dropped at the mention of Sarah Cameron. Ronni hated her by association―if Kie hated her, then she would too. "When was the last time you even talked to Logan?"

"Talked or sent hateful glares from afar? I saw him on the beach the other morning when JJ and I went surfing. He looked about as happy to see me as a Kook on Christmas morning."

"That happy, huh?"

"Better believe it."

"What're you two pretty ladies doing out here?"

Both Kie and Ronni glanced up when they saw John B approaching them, solely in a pair of swimming trunks that he'd been wearing earlier. They smiled at him when he came over to lean against side of the hammock, his chin resting on Ronni's leg. He glanced at their laps to see the mess of different bracelets and other items they'd started working on. Then, his eyes lit up excitedly. John B always loved getting the bracelets from them―they all did, really.

"Ooo, gimme, gimme," he eagerly grabbed like a little kid, making the girls laugh when he stuck his wrist out. Ronni wrapped the red bracelet around, having gotten the sizes down by now, and expertly knotted it together so that it would never fall off until it broke completely. "My other one came off while I was working the other day. I wondered when you guys were gonna make more―the blue one yours?"

Ronni glanced down at the one resting on her thigh. "Nope. JJ's. Green's Pope's."

"Hm, okay," he said, and he met eyes with Ronni. They had a five-second conversation, one look saying all it needed to between the longtime friends. He patted her shin. "Come on. We're about to eat. JJ let up from the touron long enough to breathe. I think she's asleep right now in the spare room."

Ronni hummed and began collecting the stuff with Kie, shoving it into its small bags. "She finished fast."

"Sure it wasn't JJ?" Kie jeered, and she hopped out of the hammock with a helping hand from John B. When she was on her feet, they turned to stabilize it so that Ronni could slide out next.

"Not even gonna touch that," Ronnie dismissed, raising her hand to let Kie know she wasn't even going to approach having that conversation. "My worst nightmares involve walking in on John B losing his virginity and finding JJ's dick halfway in some girl's mouth. I live with that trauma everyday."

John B winced beside her, pulling her into his side with his arm. "'Least you didn't see much of mine."

"Yeah, 'cause your bitch ass finished in two seconds."

"Ouch. That hurt―"

"Oh, yeah?" she asked, pushing him away as they all walked into the house. "Hurt my eyes too."

John B grinned as they moved over to the kitchen table, seeing Pope still heavy into the first paragraph of his scholarship essay (which he'd been trying to write for over three hours, but they weren't going to bring that up). "Want to talk about that time I walked in on you and Coop―"

"Nope! " she said quickly, popping her words as she moved over to the left-overs where JJ was currently hoarding them, a fork-full and a half of lasagna already shoved into his mouth. She glanced down at his bare chest and flicked it. "You have sauce on you."

JJ raised his eyebrow at her and John B as he handed Ronni his plate so she could take a bite. "What're we talking about?"

"The residual trauma that's been inflicted from our friendship," John B explained, moving around Kie so that he could grab a plate of food while she took her own, then moved to stand over Pope and read his essay. He turned in her direction quickly. "By the way, let's not pretend I haven't seen your boobs more than you've seen my―"

"Stop looking then," Ronni shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest as she leant against the countertop. "'Least you guys have never had to throw away a nasty ass condom off the ground. At least pick up after yourselves."

"Howdoyaknowitwasn'tPope's?" JJ asked innocently, muffled through the noodles as he spoke. When Ronni gave him a look, he shrugged. "Alright. Fair point. Also, why as John B seen your boobs more than I have? I'm offended. I deserve at least a ten second flash to make up for it―"

"Yeah?"

Ronni went to grab at the straps of her tank top and pull slightly on the material so that only the top of her cleavage was shown. Even though he knew she would never do it and he was simply joking, JJ choked on his lasagna at the mere thought of Ronni giving him a strip-tease, having to hit his own chest while she grinned and dropped her hands from her clothes. She and John B met hands to do a quick handshake, grinning to themselves as JJ asphyxiated to their left.

"JJ?"

The five of them turned their heads at the sound of their friend's name coming from a voice they didn't recognize. The tall blonde was standing in the small hallway separating the kitchen from the two bedrooms in the back with flushed cheeks. Ronni's smile fell slowly when she noticed that the girl was wearing the shirt JJ had on earlier. JJ instantly dropped the empty lasagna plate, clearing his throat and rushing back to grab a hold of the blonde, the two of them disappearing through the bedroom door for what they knew would be the rest of the night―if only so that JJ could release the tension that was all Ronni's doing.

Ronni pressed her lips together tightly, clearing her throat and glancing down at her hand. JJ's bracelet was still hanging in it, and she rolled her eyes slightly before pitching it on kitchen table where Pope was staring at her. And then she saw that Kie was staring too, and she didn't even need to look at John B to know that he was already watching her.

"Wanna smoke?" Kie asked her, raising her brows at her best friend. Ronni didn't even need to respond. The two girls walked over to the couch, flopping down on it and grabbing a hold of the lighter and a blunt they'd gotten from JJ's cousin.

Ronni rested her head on Kie's shoulders, the two of them laying down and lighting it quickly before they began passing it between them. That was another reason why Ronni was so thankful for Kie―she understood. The boys did too, in their own way, but Kie just knew. Kind of like a few seconds ago when Ronni was drowning in a jealousy she promised she would never feel, and Kiara tried to pull her out of it immediately. Eventually, John B joined them, and they all turned the music on Kie's phone up as high as it would go when the sounds started in the other room.

Step one: 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐬. And try really hard not to picture her or say her name while deep inside another girl. Because that would be really bad. JJ should know. He'd done it before.

★☆⋆⁎⋆✶★☆⋆⁎⋆✶