The walk to the movie theater had been painstakingly long, June beyond tired by the time they got there. She had had a long day, school, homework, workout, and then this. So to say she was irritated  was a bit on the understatement side, the girl looking down in exasperation as they waited in line for tickets. The talking on the way to the theater had been small talk, JJ a bundle of nerves, the only thing echoing around his brain being that he didn't need to mess things up. But unfortunately for him he had s lot of odds working against him, including June Marchs famous attitude...informing him once again that he definitely had his work cut out for him. On top of her trying to make the most out of this, there was the fact that she didn't want to be there at all...the only thing keeping her there being the fact that she needed the group to be back together so that by Saturday she could propose whatever plan Leon wanted her to do. This was her trying.

She would admit it was a little easier to breathe knowing that JJ and Kie hadn't gotten together, a smile pulling at her lips as she realized none of the three of them had been happy, not just her. It felt rewarding to know the two of them had struggled in misery just like she had, it made her feel better about herself at least.

"What are you smiling about?" JJ asked, pulling June out of her thoughts. The smile instantly dropped when she looked back at him, realizing she had been caught fantasizing about his suffering.

"I was just thinking about popcorn. I haven't eaten all day." This was true, June hadn't eaten at all in fact. She had opted to study with her teacher during lunch today, due to the fact that the SATs were coming up and she couldn't afford to get a bad score. When she had gotten home from school she went directly to talk to her brother which resulted in them working out which  resulted in her stomach growling as she mentioned the food.

"You didn't eat?" He looked concerned, his eyebrows furrowing as he looked at her. She dismissed his evident worry with her hand, her head shaking as they moved up a spot in line.

"I was busy but it's fine...I'm gonna get something here."

"What have you been busy with?" The look she gave him made him realize just how badly he was striking out, June tired of the small talk and mostly ready for this night to be over so she could look at him, say it went great, and then go home and plan out the easiest way for this whole thing to hurry up and be over. Instead of rolling her eyes she looked away, knowing that arguing with him would be the last thing she needed to do. Everything needed to seem okay, at least until Hardy was done with her.

"School, catching up, trying to spend time with all my friends who either hate each other or me...but I'm working on that right now actually. Kie and I made up."

"I heard about that. How'd that go?" Her jaw clenched for a moment and then she let it go shrugging her shoulders as she gave him a deadpan look.

"It went fine. We talked...we're still working things out I guess. I mean I don't know if she really expects me to—I'm sorry. I'm sorry JJ I can't do this. I cant small talk and go watch a movie with you." June said, feeling a snap in her nice demeanor. She was being completely honest, she definitely couldn't do this and act like they don't know each other.

"Okay..."JJ said confusedly, not entirely sure how to answer that. His face was covered in confusion as she seemed to be extremely tense for some reason, all of this coming out of nowhere. "What do you—what do you want to do then?"

"Anything but this. I don't care. We can go do whatever but can we just please not pretend that we don't know each other. Can we please just talk like normal people because  I'm sick of the catching up and the small talk." She couldn't handle the fake mess of the situation, maybe she could with Kie, but it was too overwhelming to do it with JJ. She was doing her part by being here, now she needed him to step up and hopefully make it easier for her to move on from what had happened the last time they had fought.

"Well I just don't necessarily know what to say to you. You told me a few days ago that one day you'd be happy to never see me again , and I just don't know where we stand." JJ said truthfully, his shoulder dropping as he gestured towards her. June crossed her arms over her chest and then answered him, shedding some light on their current situation.

"We stand right here. This is where we're at. You are you and I am me and we are out, and if I wasn't trying to give you some kind of chance then we wouldn't be out, okay? So do with that what you will." She said in a snarky tone, JJ narrowing his eyes at her as he wondered what had even possessed her to change her mind so quickly about him.

"Well why did you say yes? Is it because you were drunk or something?"  She let out a sigh as he accused her of being drunk, her head shaking as she answered him in an obvious tone.

"No I wasn't drunk."

"Oh. Then why?" He said, truly curious as to why she had all of a sudden gained the ability to be near him, when days before she was threatening to jump out of a window because they were in the same room. June. And to think of an excuse quick, a threat on her brothers life not being the best explanation. She didn't need to raise alarm. She pinched her arm as she lied through her teeth, JJ watching her anxiously to see what she would say.

"I said yes because I was harsh...and even though you did deserve it, you didn't deserve it if that makes sense. Besides if I can forgive Kie I can forgive anyone." JJ agreed with this, still rather amazed by the fact that she had forgiven Kie. He knew June, and he wasn't sure how she had done it so easily, especially when he had seen how much it had hurt her. He looked in her eyes and saw something dark and hidden, JJ silently worrying for her well-being. She seemed like not herself, making these strange decisions. And June didn't feel like herself either, those scary thoughts always echoing in her brain with every breath.

"How about—how about this okay? We start from scratch..."  JJ proposed, and June really liked the idea of it. It was simple, like they were letting go. Like their last fight hadn't ever happened. A clean slate.

"Clean slate?" JJ nodded, lifting his hand to shake hers and speaking.

"I'm JJ." Her face scrunched up in disgust and she tried to go along with it but jsut couldn't, her head shaking as she pushed his hand down.

"Okay that's a little too cheesy for me. Don't do that shit again." She said, looking around in embarrassment it make sure no one had seen or heard that.

"Okay." JJ said in a surprisingly chipper voice, feeling lien they were making a ton of progress.

"Okay so are we actually gonna watch this movie that neither of us want to watch or are we gonna do something that  we actually want to do?" June asked, her eyes going to the sign that held the movie names. She didn't want to see the movie and now she didn't think he did either, JJ giving her a questioning look as she turned bakc to him.

"Like what?" June searched her brain for something they could do, her mind going to the same thing over and over again until she finally spit it out.

"You got fishing rods?" A sly smile grew across his lips as her suggestion and he shook his head, ready to get the hell out of here.

"I know where I can get some."

:::

"So right after I threw the water on Kelce I went out because you know, I knew I was fired. Cant fight with a look at the country club and keep your job. So I went outside and I took my bike...tore the flower beds and shit up. Dirt was everywhere. I flipped them all off as they watched and then I left." JJ seemed proud of his story, the boy sitting back in his folding chair and taking a sip of his beer. He had a smile on his lips as he looked at the fishing rod he was holding, the lights from the dock illuminating them as she looked at him. She saw a reminiscent gaze in his eyes and she felt a break in her cold demeanor when she saw it. His eyes slowly lifted to her and how attentive she was made his stomach turn, JJ wishing he could turn back time.

"Kelce is an asshole. All of them were." June shrugged, her eyes dropping to the can in her hand as she refused to meet his eyes. She was much more comfortable here, feeling infinitely better just relaxing and having peace alone with the exception of him. And while he was still arguably one of the last people she wanted to be out here with...it wasn't going as terrible as she had thought it would.

"All of them still are..." He trailed off, thinking of the Pogue proclaimed death squad. Topper, Kelce, Rafe, and Zach. Except he couldn't really consider Zach a bad guy as much anymore...not at this point.

"No...not all of them. Zachs not." June said, voicing his thoughts. She let out a small chuckle and then put her can in the cup holder, holding the fishing rod with both hands as she leaned forwards. "Isn't it weird how people change? I mean if you told me a year ago that Zach and I would be broken up and that he didn't care about the kook vs. pogue thing and he was actually incredibly decent and my friend I would never believe you. Because a year ago he could never be like that."

JJ looked at her as she seemed to remember something, that reminiscent look that he had now filling her own eyes. He could tell she wanted to say something, her eyes stuck to her hands as she spoke.

"Being a kook isn't everything you perceive it to be, you know? It's the same shit just more hidden. I mean...part of the draw to being a pogue is how incredibly honest the lifestyle is. Nothing is being perceived for anything other than what it actually is."

"I'm sure growing up with money didn't hurt though. It's not the same." JJ made a point, June taking another sip of her beer and then looking back over at him.

"You remember that night that Zach came over drunk, the night you heard me tell him I loved him?" JJ remembered that night extremely well, he had realized how hard he had fallen that night, and he still remembered how much it hurt to hear her say those words to someone else. He nodded and she pursed her lips, remembering what had happened that night. "He came over because his dad wasn't sober anymore, and he was worried he would do something to his mom. He came over because his dad punched him in the face. And he had been doing shit like that for a long time. Even if he makes seven figures."

"I didn't know that." JJ felt a hint of solidarity as he thought of Zach, of how he never would have expected him to go through the same thing as him. It was eye opening to see into others lives sometimes. June narrowed her eyes and put on a sneaky smile, tilting her head and nodding it slightly as she spoke.

"You ever think maybe we just don't know everything? That you can't just make assumptions because of what you think is going on?" JJ immediately picked up on what she was saying, calling him out for his accusations he had made against her about a particular Cameron boy.

"I see where you're going with this." He said in a accepting tone, his head dropping in defeat as he fought a grin.

"I'm not going anywhere. I'm just...saying." She said, pursing her lips and shrugging. He could tell she was going there, the boy taking a swig of his drink and then validating her.

"I hear you." He said, and while he said it sarcastically, it stung to hear the words come from his mouth. Her half-cocked attitude melted away and she pouted her lips as she looked out at the water, thinking it was funny that he heard her now...when she wasn't begging for him to. She leaned forwards slightly and scratched at the back of her neck, a question striking her.  She contemplated keep it to herself but then she could feel his eyes burning into her skin and she knew she wouldn't be able to go home without getting his opinion on this.

"Do you think things will ever be okay again?" He considered her question pretty quickly, sitting back in his chair and letting out a sigh. He needed her to specify, his lips parting as he realized they were  actually going to be getting somewhere.

"With us or with everything?" June felt a stir in her stomach at the mention of them, feeling something real for the first time  in the night. Anticipation. Her lips pulled at the corner of her mouth and she lifted her eyes to him, JJ surprised by the expression in them.

"With us." He was surprised by the fact she was asking about them, and June was unsure when the whole point of this night had gotten away from her, she was genuinely asking this. She didn't hate being out here with him when there was no pressure and no one putting expectations on them. When they could actually talk like people instead of strangers.

"I hope so. Whatever that means." He said in a genuine voice and she felt that uneasy feeling rise from her stomach to her chest, capturing her heart in its eerie hold. It was startling to have this break in her numbness, to see him for what he really was and what he really wished... he just wanted them to be okay. And somewhere deep down she did too, without the fact that she was being forced into this. Hating him was draining when she knew there was a part of her deep deep down that still loved him.

"Me too." She said, JJs lips rising into a small sorrowful smile as his eyes held sadness. He hated that things had gotten this bad, that she hated him and wished they never met, that somewhere along the way  he had gotten lost in everything else, that he had forgotten what truly meant the most to him.

"June I think that we—" JJ was cut off by Junes rod jerking, her eyes widening as she friend her head. She pushed the chair back and stood, JJ standing as well and putting his rod in his chair.

"Holy shit...this things heavy!" She said in a panicked tone, feeling lien she was being pulled instead of her pulling the fish. "Help me!"

JJ was quick to hurry over, reaching around her and  grabbing the rod with her, trying to pull it. Whatever it was was huge, JJ gritting his teeth as he pressed into her back. It was only a moment later that the line snapped, the pressure of them pulling sending them flying back. In their fall June managed to hit her head on the wooden dock, the girl groaning as she laid halfway on JJ.

"Ow...that hurt." She said in a winded tone, the girl lifting up from where she was and rolling so that she was looking down at him.

"Tell me about—you're bleeding." JJ said, his eyes widening as he saw the small cut on the top of her head. It was significant enough for her to have a few lines of blood on her face, JJ shaking his head as he grabbed her arms. "You're the most accident prone person I've ever met."

"Is it bad?" JJ pushed the hair from her face, getting a better look at the spot and then shaking his head, his fingers burning as they touched.

"No...no it's not too bad. Come on—we need to get you some ice."