"Oh sweetie you look absolutely beautiful...really—stunning. The blue compliments you." Heather March guffawed and exclaimed when her daughter descended the steps of their home, the whole family dressed for their night at the Midsummers party. June was holding a wide and excited smile on her lips, something she hadn't felt towards Midsummers since she was a kid. However the smile could be attributed to her days, the girl searching the foyer for any sign of the Maybank boy and not letting herself get discouraged when she realized he wasn't there yet. "Just beautiful."

"You look radiant dear." The sound of her fathers voice was next, the man messing with the cuffs of his jacket as he entered the foyer where the two women were. He smiled proudly at his magnificent creation and then felt a surge of warmth when he saw the gleaming smile on her lips. June stood by the door, her mother droning on about bringing a jacket but June tuning her out as she looked towards the door. It was 10 past 5...he was supposed to be there already.

"Where's BJ?" The next voice was Adam Marchs, the boy putting his suit coat on as he started down the steps. June shot an immediate glare at him for his terrible joke, the boy smirking as he slid past her.

"Adam don't be an ass...JJs not here yet. But I'm sure he's on his way." Their mother was the one to answer, June humming in disapproval at her brother before walking into the kitchen. They all scattered to do their own thing but the moment the doorbell rang June practically sprinted to open it, her heart fluttering as she pulled it open.

Sure enough standing on the other side was the boy, dressed in a sleek suit that June would never have imagined him in. At the sight of her his heart rate shot up and so did his smile, his eyes glistening with emotion as he took her in. The blue dress was exquisite, she looked absolutely breathtaking and he really believed that, due to the proof that he in fact...couldn't breathe for a moment. She reached out and pulled him towards her, the girl smiling widely as she ran a hand over his tie, pulling her lips to the side as he looked down at her dress.

"I'm so happy to see you." She said in a wistful tone, JJ feeling a clamor in his chest at her words. He wondered for just a split second how he had managed to accomplish this relationship again, and then the thought fluttered away and he was ready to enjoy the moment.

"You look—wow I don't—you look gorgeous. Blue—"

"Is your favorite color? Yes well...I can neither confirm nor deny whether or not that swayed my decision." His eyes went from hers to her lips and then back up to her eyes, a bewitched look deep in his gaze that made him look lovestruck. He wanted to kiss her but he couldn't, because the second he considered closing the space between them, Jason March walked into the foyer where the two teens were standing.

"Hey JJ...you excited for the party?" The blonde boy put some space between himself and his girlfriend, his eyes fluctuating to a nervous look as he cleared his throat. June thought it was cute that he was nervous around her dad, it felt normal...which was something they had never been before. They were navigating things like regular kids...it was different than before.

"Yes sir...I'm excited. I haven't been included till this year so I'm —"

"You were there last year though...weren't you a waiter?" JJs cheeks brightened at the mention of last year, his stomach dropping when he thought about the ruckus he caused at the Country Club. He was almost entirely unsure of whether or not they would even let him into this thing, due to the fact of his multiple embarrassing instances and public outbursts he had had there.  But no...he hadn't actually been a waiter.

"Yeah...I was a waiter." June heard a strange tone in her voice and she pulled him to her by the side, her arm wrapping around his waist. Jason March fiddled with his cuff links as the rest of the family joined into the silence, the man aiming to speak again.

"Funny how things change am I right?" Before JJ could even decide whether or not he liked that comment, he was whisked away outside with the family, June leading him towards her car. Her parents had agreed she could ride separate because she had insisted on taking JJ home after and also had informed them she might leave early to go hang out with her friends. Their new relationship was still rocky, so at the moment she could get whatever she really wanted. They just wanted to be in her good graces.

June and JJ settled into the seats of the car, the girl turning the key to start it so that they could get the AC going. They sat in silence for a minute, JJ not wanting to frown although he still lingered on that comment her father had made. It felt slightly belittling, but he hoped he had just perceived it wrong.

"Can I kiss you?" Junes voice pulled JJ from his head and he tilted his head to look at her, a polite look in her eyes as she finished buckling her seatbelt. JJs eyebrows furrowed at the question, and June seemed to see that he was unsure why she would ask that. "You looked like you were thinking about something, so I wanted to ask and make sure it was alright with you."

JJ looked over her face and then he leaned across the middle console, his fingers knitting into her hair as he pressed a kiss to her rosy colored lips. She smiled into it and he found unimaginable joy in the moment, her kiss seemingly wiping away his transgressions for the moment. When he pulled back she was quick to plant kisses on his face, her lips pressing against his cheek, his jaw, the corner of his mouth... just so he would know how much  she adored him. He laughed a little bit and then pulled away, JJ grabbing her hand and holding it firmly in his as she put the car in reverse.

The entire way there he told her about some game him and John B had been playing all day, saying that Pope had gotten mad at them for only letting him play a few rounds when really it was because they were dead locked in a war to see who could win more rounds. She listened intently, showing him the attention and interest that she knew he deserved, and genuinely being enamored by anything he had to say. When they pulled into the parking lot of the club she out the car in park, lifting his hand from the middle and pressing a kiss to the back of it before she let go. He joined her at the back of the car and extended his elbow for her, the girl laughing lowly as she wrapped her hands around his arm.

"This way m'lady." He said in an old timey accent, June feeling some wind blow past them as they walked through the parking lot. There was a number of people flocking towards the building, JJ looking around at them as they got closer. Every single one of them were the rich people that used to terrorize him, that used to look down on him and the others...and now here he was—amongst them. He felt dissatisfaction in his chest so he looked towards June, and her cheery expression and bright eyes pulled him away from negative thoughts. He was just her date...he was not these people. Or was he?

When they made it into the back yard of the club it felt even more intimidating, the suits and dresses and flowers making him realize he was so out of place. Except he wasn't...his hair was combed and he was wearing a suit as nice as any other. He hoped to get out of this jacket when he got the chance, it was getting too warm for him. June dismissed herself to go and grab them something to drink and JJ was left alone before he could even protest. His eyes scanned the crowd and he felt choked up for a moment when he realize he was behind enemy lines, his throat wanting to close as he saw no resolve, nothing but discomfort.

"You got here before us?" And there it was...the resolve. JJ let out a breath as he heard the familiar voice, the boy turning around with a deeply relieved expression as he saw his best friend. John B stood behind him, JJ patting him on the back as Sarah stood at his side. She dismissed herself to go follow June to the drink station, the blonde boy looking out at the party with a loose smile on his lips. "How'd we get here man?"

"Dating hot rich chicks." JJ answered, shrugging his shoulders and giving that smile to his friend.  John B snickered at his honest answer, putting his arm over JJs shoulder as they both looked towards the girls.

June was holding a glass of rosé in her hand,  Sarah dropping two hands into her shoulders as she approached. June turned her head and smiled, her lips pulling into a breathtaking grin as she looked at her friend.  The Cameron girl looked beautiful as ever, even more so when she was done up in her party dress. June unabashedly  looked her up and down, Sarah raising an eyebrow as she reached for a drink from the table as well.

"I saw you and your hot date...interesting that you two showed up together." Sarah alluded to JJ, June shrugging as she threw back the glass of wine, sitting the glass back down in the table and grabbing another one. It reminded her a lot of last years Midsummers.

"We're back together. And I'm sure John B already told you that." June said, bringing another glass to her lips as she confessed they were together again. June thought back to what Sarah said on the boat, silently hoping for validation from her closest girl friend.

"Told her what?"  The voice came from the side of both of them, June feeling her chest contract when she saw who it was. It was Kie, a smile on her beautiful face as she approached them. June and Sarah shared a look and Sarah fumbled with trying to come up with something to say, June not entirely sure how to go about this.

"Me and JJ are back together." June said, not entirely sure what the reaction would be with that. She hoped it wouldn't be bad, she had worked hard to mend their relationship, but she couldn't tell everyone but her. June watched as some life drained from her eyes but her smile did not waver, a sigh leaving the Carrera girls lips as she reached forwards and grabbed a drink of her own.

"Well...we all saw this coming I think. Popes probably gonna shit his pants but...it's about time." June felt relief wash over her as Kie seemed to just be distraught by it, not overtly upset or angry. Sarah said something as June looked past the two of them, her eyes catching on a familiar figure that was entering the event.

"I'll be back guys."  June dismissed herself, grabbing two more glasses from the table and starting towards the two boys who were chatting. She handed JJ the glass with her eyes still on the other person, JJ saying something but June already gone by the time the wind caught it.

"Hey." June said on approach, Zach Roberts standing at the bottom of the few steps that led into the yard. He had a smile on his face the second he saw her, June pulling him into a brief hug as his face lit up.

"Hey—wow, you look great June." She accepted the compliment and pulled back from the hug, her eyes dropping over his suit and then words coming from her lips.

"You're not too bad yourself...did your parents come?" June looked around for any sign of Zachs parents, Zachs face slightly falling at the mention of them.

"Yeah they're over there with your parents. Hey do you by any chance know where—" Just as he started to ask, two arms swung over both of their shoulders, Adam March pulling them both closer to him.

"Look at us! The gangs back together...so exciting." Her brother had a cheerful smile on his face and June smiled back at him, drinking at her drink and then shaking her head at her brother. "Zach my man, go grab us two another drink if you would..."

"Sure." Zach started walking away and June watched after him, her head turning back to Adam. He was staring at her already, the girl looking at him in confusion.

"What?"

"I brought liquor...do you think you can handle it? I don't want a repeat of last year." June rolled her eyes, looking over her shoulder to JJ who was still talking to John B, the two of them crossing the yard towards Pope who had been wrangled into helping his dad again. And on the back of his truck was Cleo, June supposed she also got pulled into helping out.

"Where is it?" She looked back at Adam but he was looking past her now, his lip curled up a little bit as he lifted his finger to point past her.

"What is that?" June turned her head to follow his finger, her eyes slowly widening as she realized what he was talking about. It was Zach Roberts, a flirty smile on his lips as he spoke to the last person anyone would expect on Earth to be flirting back, one Kiara Carrera. June felt pleasantly surprised, turning back to her brother with a confused look.

"Yeah where's that liquor at?" She said, her brother hitting her in the stomach as he laughed and then gesturing with his head for her to follow him. She looked at the boys and then decided she didn't need to tell them, the girl sneaking away with her brother. June and Adam sat in the stall of a family bathroom, sipping away on a handle of vodka for probably about 20 minutes before Adams phone beeped.

"Zach wants us back out there. Let's go. You drank enough?" Both Adam and June knew this party would be hardly bearable without a little buzz, the two of them had been doing this for years, the tradition of getting shitfaced since she was 13 with her brother having to continue. She had had to do it the year before alone, because he had been gone.

"Yeah I'm good." She said in a hoarse voice, her throat tingling as she pulled the bottle down from her lips. He nodded and they both exited the family bathroom, Adam going to go stash the bottle as June made her way back outside. The more she walked the more she began to feel the effects of the alcohol, the music of the party now playing. There was laughter and chatter and when she walked outside it was almost identical to last years party. Her smile dropped for a moment and she tried to shake the image, the girl succeeding in forgetting for the moment.

"June, how are you?" Her head turned and her eyes blurred as they did, soon refocusing when she saw who had put their hand on her shoulder.

"Hey Erika...I'm great." June replied, looking at the beautiful black dress she was wearing. The Harris girl smiled, pulling June into a hug and the March girl being unable to avoid it. She felt a little dizzy when she pulled back, the girls lips turned up into a smile.

"Hey I'm sorry I didn't get your dress to you faster...some stuff happened at the store and I got a little behind." Erika explained, June shrugging to show her it was completely fine.  Her mind made the connection of her words and June furrowed her eyebrows, reaching out and putting a hand on the girls shoulder.

"Oh is everything okay?" June hoped she wouldn't say something about the map, or about the fact that it was missing. But the longer she looked at her the more likely it became.

"Something really important to my dad got stolen...so we just had to get security and cameras put in. We don't know who did it but my dads super upset about it, apparently it was really valuable."