"Doesn't change the fact that Erika has a huge crush on you." Pope Heyward said, his face half buried in a sandwich as he gestured with his head towards June March. She rolled her eyes at the comment, shaking her head and looking to John B.

"And you act like Abby didn't have a thing for you until you shut her down." John Bs gaze shifted from June who spoke to Pope, the Heyward boy quick to retaliate.

"Yeah...I shut her down because I have a girlfriend. You didn't even shut Erika down...I'm sorry—do you even like girls?" Popes face was full of questioning, June swallowing her bite of her sandwich and looking between the two boys she was eating lunch with. She felt put on the spot, her shoulder shrugging as she looked down at her sandwich and shrugged again.

"I mean—I don't not like them. But right now it doesn't even matter because I have a boyfriend." June said, her cheeks flushing as she admitted to them something she wasn't sure if she had ever even said out loud. John B finally jumped in, his fire aimed towards Pope

"And besides Pope you act like you didn't have a huge crush on her for like a year." Junes head snapped to Pope whose eyes widened , his glare going to John B who had spilled a secret he didn't want to be spilled.

"Says the guy who questioned his life choices after a game of spin the bottle." John Bs face paled instantly before burning a bright red, June scoffing as she looked at the boy who was sitting beside her. She pushed an elbow into his side, a flattered look on her face as she wrapped her arm around his waist.

"Aw does John B want a kiss from me? Come here." She said jokingly, dropping her sandwich and grabbing him by the chin. He immediately fought against her grip as she tried to press her lips to his cheek, Pope laughing from across the table as they fought each other.

"Stop! Stop! It was a confusing time. It was a very confusing time alright?" John B got her hands off of him, his cheeks still a bright red as June laughed at his words. JJ and Sarah approached the table, the two of them in the middle of bickering about something of their own, Junes face lighting up at the sight of the boy. He sat down beside her, reaching for a chip from her bag and pushing it into his mouth as he clasped his hands together in front of him.

"What are you guys talking about?" Sarah asked, seeing John Bs bright cheeks and Junes goofy smile. Pope had a suspicious look on his face, the three of them sharing a look before shaking their heads.

"Nothing really. Where's Kie and Cleo?" June asked, lifting a chip from her bag and holding it up so that JJ could eat it. He bit it, June wiping the crumbs off on a napkin and furrowing her eyebrows.

"Cleo is with my dad and Kie was acting weird earlier when I texted her so who knows?" Pope answered, everyone looking at his curiously to try and piece together what he meant by that.

"Acting weird how? What'd she say?" John B asked, his cheek finally returned to normal color as June looked at him.

"She said she was meeting up with someone but wouldn't say who...that's all." Pope said, taking a bite of his sandwich. Everyone bummed in confusion and acceptance and June lifted her sandwich to see if JJ wanted a bite of it. He reached out and took the entire sandwich, taking a big bite and turning his attention to Sarah who was speaking.

"You think she's going on a date or something?" Her blonde hair was cascading over her shoulder and June traced it up her neck and then over her face, her shoulders shrugging.

"Maybe...good—she needs to find somebody." John B said, everyone looking at him.

"Why?" JJ asked, June holding her tongue on asking for her sandwich back.

"Because we're all in a couples and she's like lonely or whatever. It's been awhile since—she's just—maybe she should try and find somebody y'know?" The group launched into a discussion about Kies love life and who she should date, June thinking back to Pope and John Bs confessions. She smiled to herself, thinking it was quite flattering. She slid her hand towards JJs thigh, running her fingers up it and then giving him a smile. He didn't look at her, but he dropped his hand onto hers acknowledging it, the boy already speaking about the topic at hand.

June smiled to herself as she thought of John B liking her, an idea jumping into her mind. She pulled her hand from JJs thigh and dropped one onto John Bs, her fingers landing on his knee. He jumped, the girl laughing to herself and pulling her hand back to her side. His cheek were a bright red and she thought that was hilarious, her eyes zoning into the table.

"What if it's Zach?" The words came from JJs mouth, her attention being piqued from the mention of her ex. She felt a jolt through her body and she looked at JJ, her lip curling up at the thought of it. She remembered the two of them talking at Midsummers, but she hadn't thought too much about it. It was a possibility, the taste of bile rising at the bottom of her throat and staying there at the mere thought of it.

"Gross...I hope not."

"Why? Because he's your ex?" Pope asked, Junes head snapping to him. Her eyebrows furrowed and then JJ spoke again, not seeming to think really hard about what he was saying.

"Yeah maybe the dude could finally get some..."  June felt an uncomfortable feeling in her chest at the thought of Zach and Kie hooking up, her stomach knotting. June and Zach had never went all the way, so as far as she knew, Zach was still a virgin. Of course it had been awhile, but he hadn't told her about any girls in a long time, so she was almost sure he still was. She thought about Kie and Zach and Kie being the one to take his virginity and she felt disgusted again, her head shaking as she looked back at JJ with  a disgusted look.

"Nice JJ." June said unimpressed, scooting away from him a little bit. She couldn't believe he was on board with this, her face holding a deep expression of disgust as she glared at him.

"What?  The poor guy deserves it at this point." JJ said, not seeming to understand what her argument was at this point. The other three just watched,  wondering where this would go...argument or move on.

"Yeah but with Kie?" June said, her hair moving as she extended her neck towards him as if to exaggerate her point. His eyes glazed over for a second and she knew whatever was coming next was going to be bad.

"Well who would you prefer? Abby? Bethany? Yourself?" The boys groaned when he said it, Junes mouth closing and her lips tightening into a straight line. She narrowed her eyes at him and then looked away, pushing her hand into her chip bag and taking a bite of a chip. JJ swallowed hard, feeling like he might pay for that later. His arm wrapped slowly around her waist and she didn't move away from him, her back staying stiff as she spoke.

"Isn't there a Pogue rule about dating each others exes or some shit?"

"No thats girl code." Sarah said, her hand gesturing towards June. Pope was the next to speak, sensing that suggesting it was Zach was not something that should've been done. He could see the overthinking behind her eyes, the way she was trying to wrap her head around it, already presuming it was true even though it wasn't even confirmed.

"This is hypothetical though because we don't even know if that's who she's with." June nodded in agreement but clearly didn't latch onto what he said, the group falling into silence for a moment. She sucked in a breath to speak and everyone looked to her again, ready to hear what she had to say.

"I'm just saying...there's more than just my exes on this island. Maybe she can start looking there."

"I don't know babe...you've got a lot of them." JJ shot again, the other two boys sharing a look. It was thin ice he was dancing around on and they both knew it, the two of them trying to decide where this would go. They hasn't necessarily hashed out the contingencies of their rekindled romance, they weren't sure where the line was yet. This was uncharted territory at the moment, it felt like it had been forever since the two of them had actually been together.

"Says you. You've probably fucked a third of the island. I've dated two guys other than you. I could probably close my eyes and point and land on someone you've been with." June shot back at JJ, the others laughing and oohing at her words that were most likely true. His lips tightened into a straight line and he frowned in defeat, pulling her into his side by her waist and planting a kiss on the side of her head.

"Maybe I have...but none of them were half as great as you."  Pope fake gagged and June smiled at the boy, her eyes telling him she hadn't forgotten about what he had said about Zach.

"Aw you're so sweet...that's what's actually grossing me out." June said, laughing away the very clear look of worry and wonder on her face. The group continued on with the talking but she was quickly pulled into her own head, her nose scrunching up a little bit as she thought about the theory.

The mere thought of Kiara and Zach was enough to make her ill, but it wasn't for the reason she thought. She was beyond over Zach, but her wavering trust in Kie was what made her skeptical. Going after Zach, pursuing something with him...could it all be an angle. She didn't trust Kie to not hurt him, he had been through enough, and she didn't have the greatest track record with guys at the moment. It actually worried her that something might be going on there, so June pulled her phone out of her pocket, turning out the loud conversation the others were having.

She scrolled through her contacts and pulled up Zach, her eyes refraining from blinking as she chewed on the inside of her cheek. She typed away on the phone, JJ slightly turning his head to see what she was doing. He saw she was texting someone but he couldn't see who, the boy shrugging it off and dipping into the conversation again. June sent her text, pressing the button on the side of her phone and holding it in her hand under the table.

Hey...wyd? Wanna maybe come over later and watch that superhero movie you wanted me to watch?

It was less than a minute when the phone vibrated, June quickly lifting it to read the reply.

I'm down to come over
just need a few hours

The text did not confirm for her that their theory was entirely wrong, her heart dropping as she read of the words again. He need a few hours. A few hours for what? A few hours to spend with his date, Kiara? A few hours to get the chance to get to know her better? What did he need a few hours for?

Maybe you should just come over now.
I'm kind of upset and just wanna hang out w someone

She lowered the phone again, her eyes flitting across the table as she waited and planned an escape. She began to come up with an excuse to leave, her mind going a hundred miles a minute as she felt the buzz of the phone again.

You cant hang out with your bf?

June lifted her head, her eyes flickering to JJ as she pulled a frown across her lips. He was actively trying to about seeing her right this second now, June not entirely sure why she was so worried about this. She couldn't stand to see him hurt by her, not the way she had been.

I just want to hang out with you...is that too much to ask?

JJs grip tightened around her waist and she shot him an absentminded smile, blinking a few times before she felt that buzz again.

No it's not. I'm on my way over.

"Shit." June said, pushing back from the table and shaking her head. Everyone looked at her with widened eyes as she stood above them, the girl pushing her phone into her pocket and realizing she now had to rush home.

"What are you doing?"

"I gotta go." June answered, backing away from the rest of them and pulling her car keys from her pocket.

"Is everything alright?" John B asked, all of them looking at her in confusion as she left in a hurry.

"Yep...just gotta uh—shit." She disappeared from their sight, all of them watching after her and then looking back at each other.

"Charming." Pope said, earning a laugh from the others.

:::

"Why are you so sweaty?" June stood at the edge of her doorstep, her lips parted to catch breaths as she looked at the boy who was standing on her porch. Zach Roberts was asking her on behalf of the fact she was red faced and sweaty, looking like she had just ran a marathon of something to open the door. In reality she had just sprinted to get inside and beat him, only just making it up the staircase when he pulled into the driveway.

"I was working out." She said, convincing him and then stepping back to let him inside. "What were you doing?"

"Nothing really. Just hanging out at home...you know—alone." Zach said, scratching at the back of his neck as he said it. Junes eyes narrowed and she wasn't fully convinced he was telling the truth, she actually wasn't even half convinced.

"Right...alone."