Two weeks left of school and then you were practically free. Your dad worked twice as much over the summer, which meant he was barely ever at the house. The real trick was guessing when he was going to be back at the house so you didn't get in trouble. Other than that, you were a free bird.

Although you would be spending a large portion of your summer working, you were excited for all the free time you had because, for once in your life, you had someone to spend that free time it with.

You barely got to see JJ after that night at the party. You saw him driving Kid to school or coming back from work, but all you could do then was wave and pass knowing smiles off to each other. He, thankfully, didn't even stop by your house at all. Still, your heart ached for him and both Kid and your dad could tell that something was off.

"That's the third time you've sighed this evening, Elma. Are you alright?" Your dad asked. You looked up from your untouched bowl of mashed potatoes.

"Yeah, Dad," you said. "Finals are just stressing me out, is all."

It was an easy lie to sell. They were stressing you out, of course, but you had plenty of other reasons to be sighing. The dreams you had about JJ were getting absolutely out of hand. Kid had to ask you what you were doing taking cold showers at three in the morning. You had no easy way of explaining it. You wondered if JJ thought of you, too. You hoped he had been.

Kid knew more than your dad did, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he just spent the hours after school watching you carefully, eyeing your vacant eyes and mindless smiles. He didn't want to say anything for fear that if he did, the magic that surrounded you would fade. He had always wanted to see you happy like you were now. Part of him understood that you sacrificed that happiness for him. He was glad to see that you were finally taking your happiness into consideration.

The Friday before summer break, you were working on your last final, but your mind simply wouldn't focus. All you had to do was finish the 10-page paper and then you were free. Or as free as you could be. Still, your brain wouldn't focus. You could only think about everything you wanted to do this summer.

A familiar knock came to the window.

You tossed your computer to the side in an instant, running to the window. JJ stood outside, grinning up at you. You stood in front of the window, smiling back. He wrapped his knuckles against the glass again, reminding you that he still needed to be let in.

"What's the password?" You asked.

"Huh?" His voice was distorted through the glass.

"Password!" You said slowly. JJ rolled his eyes.

You saw his lips move, making a word, but you weren't sure what he said. Cupping your ear toward the window, you beckoned for him to repeat what he said.

"Bucko!"

With a smile, you opened the window but leaned against the sill so that he couldn't climb inside.

"Are you going to let me in?" He asked, putting his hands around your wrists. You shrugged, lingering where you were.

"What are you doing here?" You asked him, still smiling.

"Left my last day of school early to come see you."

"I've got an essay to write."

"I won't be distracting."

You rolled your eyes.

"Of course not," you said. "When have you ever been distracting before in your life?"

JJ leaned forward and gave you a quick peck on the lips, startling you enough that he could squeeze past you into your room.

"What is your essay about?" JJ asked, throwing himself into one of your chairs. You crawled back onto your bed, pulling your computer back onto your lap.

"Hamlet."

"Ooh he's the one with the murder wife, right?"

"No, that's Macbeth. Hamlet is the one they based the Lion King off of."

"Oh, right, yeah."

JJ swiped one of Kid's comics off the floor, flipping through the pages. You struggled to take your eyes off of him and look back down at your computer. He just looked so casual, so natural sitting there in your chair.

"Shouldn't you be working?" JJ asked a few minutes later, still flipping through the comic. Your face reddened and you looked down at your computer. Page 7, just three more to go and then you could run off with JJ until Kid needed to be picked up from school. All you had to do was focus. Just focus, that was all.

It felt as if a million hours passed when you finally wrapped up the essay. You turned it in without reading it over again, tossing your computer to the side once again. JJ looked up at you finally, a smile tugging at the edges of his lips.

"You all done?"

A grin made its way up your face.

"It's summertime, baby!"

JJ stood up from the chair and crossed the room, tackling you against the bed.

"Get off!" You said through bursts of laughter. JJ peppered your face with little kisses. It wasn't until you shoved him off the bed that he finally got off. You leaned over the edge of the bed and peered down at him on the floor.

"What do you want to do today?" You asked him.

"John B and Kie are out of school soon," he said, glancing at his phone. "And we usually hang out on the Pogue until Pope gets out. Care to join?"

Your smile faltered.

"Meet...meet to Pogues?" You asked. JJ nodded.

"Is that a problem?"

"No. But...." You paused, "I'm a kook. Do you really think they'll want me around?"

JJ sat up on his elbows and poked your nose with his finger.

"Kie is a kook, too, and John B would be the first pogue to fall in love with a kook, so I don't think either of them would really mind," he said. "Besides, if I'm cool with you, everyone else will be, too."

Your heart pounded at the thought of it. You weren't sure if it was excitement because it meant hanging out with new people or worry because it meant hanging out with new people.

You rolled off the bed and walked over to your closet.

"Are you changing?" He asked. You turned to look at him.

"Yeah, I just threw these on this morning and if we're going out on a boat then I need to wear something to swim in and probably an extra change of clothes and-"

JJ stood and wrapped his arms around you from behind, resting his chin against your shoulder.

"You gotta stop overthinking everything," he said and gave your shoulder a short kiss. "Let's just go now."

"Now? But-"

"Nope. We're going."

"Maybank-"

"Come on."

JJ plucked your shoes off of the floor on your way toward your window. Against your better judgment, you followed after him. The two of you could very well have walked out the front door, but something about sneaking out the window felt right.

You weren't sure why you worried so much about everything all the time. Maybe it was a side effect of always being worried about Kid and your dad. But JJ was right. There was no point in worrying about the clothes you were going to wear and how you would get home. All you needed to do was follow him.
He helped you climb down from the roof.

"Do you want to take my truck?" You asked him. He smiled.

"I was hoping you were going to ask," he said. "I didn't really want to walk all the way to the cut."

You both headed off for the car.

"Do you wanna drive?" you asked him, pulling out your keys. JJ stopped for a moment, looking at you with his lopsided grin.

"You'd let me drive your car?"

You shrugged, walking forward.

"You know where we're supposed to be going. You trusted me after the party so I'm trusting you now." You tossed the keys to him, giving him barely any time to react and catch them. Without saying another word, you opened the passenger side door and slid inside. "You coming, bucko?"

JJ was giddy as a schoolboy as he hopped into your front seat.

"Just, don't wreck my baby," you said, a sudden twinge of fear in your gut.

"What was that about trust?" JJ asked, looking at you as he put the truck in reverse and started down your driveway.

It felt like summer. Windows rolled down, music blasting, one of your arms dangling out of the window. JJ sang the words to almost every song, one hand on the steering wheel and the other resting on your knee. You wanted to sing along with him and the radio, but you couldn't because it felt like the only thing you could do was laugh.

You thought back to all the times JJ told you that just because you were surviving under your father's roof, didn't mean you were living. You were starting to think that this was what he meant by that. Learning to let go, to damn the consequences, was something you were starting to think you could afford to do.

You almost didn't want to stop when you pulled up to the docks. For a few minutes on the road, you didn't have to think about responsibilities and work and your dad. You could just think about JJ and the music and the feeling in your heart.

But, the road did end and you found yourself at the docks. JJ turned the music down, looking at his friends as they messed around on John B's boat, "The Pogue". Your smile faltered, but you tried to keep it on your face. You sucked in a breath and nodded your head.

"Yeah?" JJ looked at you. You nodded again, another true smile making its way onto your face.

"Yeah."

"Let's go!" JJ let out a holler and opened his door. You followed after him as he walked over to the Pogue.

"There she is!" John B said as you and JJ neared them. He hopped off the boat onto the dock. "JJ has been talking about you non-stop since that fight at the boneyard."

JJ tried to stammer out a defense, the edges of his cheeks turning red.

"Oh, really?" You said, looking back at JJ and crossing your arms. "What other inside information do you have?"

John B smiled. If JJ was the ocean, then John B was the shore. Face peppered with freckles, you weren't sure if there was a single day that he hadn't been out in the sun. His smile was like the sun. It was obvious from the way he was grinning like an idiot at JJ's expense that the two of them had been friends for a very long time. You shook his hand, wondering suddenly why you had been so nervous not two minutes ago.

Kiara came up from behind him and you knew instantly that she was the one who kept the boys in check. She seemed to have a permanent look of "you're stupid" on her face, which you could respect. You were convinced you had never seen a more beautiful girl. You had spent the last couple of years reading stories about a sea goddess, powerful, strong, resilient. And now, you were pretty sure you just met her.

"Kie," she said, offering a hand.

"Elm," you replied, shaking it.

"We're going to drive by Heyward's to pick up Pope," John B said, back on the boat. JJ jumped onto the boat after him, leaving you and Kie still on land.

"You don't go to the Kook Academy, do you?" Kie asked, putting her hands in her pockets as the two of you made your way slowly over to the Pogue.

"No, I don't. Homeschooled," you said. Kie nodded her head.

"Why don't we see you out and about more often?"

Kie offered a hand to help you into the boat.

"Just busy, most of the time," you said. "With school and work and keeping up around the house."

"Well, it's good to have you out here with us," she said, climbing onto the boat. JJ offered you a hand, pulling you into the boat. In all your time on the island, you had never really spent much time on a boat like this one. This day was already so full of new adventures, you couldn't possibly imagine what else was in store for you.

"Weigh anchor!" John B called from the wheel in some fake accent.

"Aye, aye, Captain!" JJ called back in an equally terrible accent accompanied by a mock salute. You glanced over Kie with a raised brow. She gave you a little nod, telling you that yes, this was what they were like every day. It made you smile.

You sat next to Kie as the boys drove the boat to your next destination. Kie told you about how she met JJ and the Pogues a few years back, and in turn, you recounted how it was that you and JJ came to your current relationship, leaving out a few key parts. You knew the rule amongst the Pogues, that they didn't lie to each other, so you were sure that JJ had told them at least some of your home life. Still, you didn't feel like it was a topic to bring up while you were supposed to be having fun.

The first part of the trip was short. It was 3:30 when you stopped out front of Heyward's to pick up Pope. His dad was out with him and you could tell as soon as the boat came into sight that Heyward wasn't all too fond of JJ and John B. There was little to no chance he was going to let Pope come with you.

"Hey, Mr. Heyward!" You called out, standing up and waving to him before he could demand that Pope not take a step onto the boat. His angry eyes grew wider at the sight of you. It wasn't rare that your father and Heyward had dealings with each other, so you knew him well enough. He lifted his own hand to wave back as JJ beckoned frantically for Pope to jump into the boat.

"What are you doing out here, Ms. Elma?" He asked, leaning against a shovel in his hands. You smiled as widely as you could.

"Enjoying the sun," you said as Pope fell into the boat. "It's the first day of summer after all."

"Right, right. Well, Pope can't be-" Heyward looked around for his son, who was currently lying flat on the deck of the Pogue, JJ sitting on his back and pretending to be doing anything other than caring about the current conversation. John B started up the engine again. "Pope?"

"It was nice to see you, Mr. Heyward!" You said as John B started the boat forward.

"Is Pope on that boat?" Heyward asked, taking a step closer, but John B already had the Pogue a few feet away from the dock.

"See you around!" you called, watching Heyward shrink away on the dock.

"Pope! You get back here boy!" He cried after you. "Pope!"

But you were long gone.

"Get off of me!" Pope groaned, pushing JJ to the deck. Pope stood, brushing the wrinkles out of his clothes. "I'm Pope."

"Elm."

Pope clapped his hands together and turned to Kie.

"I've decided what I want to study in college," he said. JJ plopped himself down beside you as you pulled your knees up to your chest, watching the scene in front of you.

"What is it this time, Pope?" JJ asked, pulling a beer out of the cooler next to Kie.

"You've changed your mind like nine times this last semester alone," Kie said, sitting on the edge of the boat.

"This time, I'm serious," Pope said, looking at all of his friends.

"What is it, Pope?" You asked.

"Forensic pathology," Pope said with a grin on his face. JJ popped the beer open and took a drink.

"Um, what?" John B piped in from the front.

"Forensic pathology," Pope said again. "Like a coroner."

JJ didn't try to hide a laugh as he offered you the beer bottle in his hand. Kie tried to be supportive with a smile and John B shook his head.

"I think that sounds great, Pope," you said, drinking from JJ's beer bottle.

"Don't be a kiss ass," JJ muttered, taking his beer back. You rolled your eyes.

"Come on, guys. Forensic pathology! It's cool!"

"Sure," John B said. "Cool is just the word I would use."

"Shut up, John B."

The bickering continued all the way to their destination. You stayed out of it as much as you could, but found yourself laughing almost all the way there. JJ kept his arm around your shoulders, nursing on the beer that Kie had brought. Pope and John B engaged in a deep conversation about some conspiracy or another. Pope was trying to spell out how little sense it made while John B kept arguing just to argue.

It made sense to you why JJ spent so much time with these people. If you had the option and the invite, you would do the same thing.

Eventually, Kie got sick of the bickering and turned on a small radio. Pope tried to continue the "debate" as he called it, but Kie wouldn't let him. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him to his feet, forcing him to move with her to the beat. It was a familiar scene.

"You too!" Kie grabbed your hand, pulling you out of JJ's grip and onto your feet.

"I don't dance," you tried to say, but JJ stood after you, hands on your hips.

"Um, false," JJ said. Kie took you by the wrists and forced you to follow her movements. John B slowed the Pogue to a stop. Where there was an argument not a minute before, there was now a dance party. This group of people would surely be keeping you on your toes.

It was strange how quickly one person could change so much about you. It had once been true that you never danced unless you were drunk or alone, but here you were, sober and in the company of others dancing like a normal teenager. All it took was moving just a little bit outside of your comfort zone. You wondered what else you would be able to accomplish by pushing your limits.

You couldn't help but laugh as you observed the distinctive dance moves each of the Pogues took on. John B had a liking for the Sprinkler and the Swim, looking something like a chicken. Kie was a spinner, keeper her hands in the air as she swayed her hips and turned in circles. Pope was proficient at the robot, though you weren't sure if the stiffness was intentional or not. JJ liked to move his feet and flex his arms anyway he could. You could do little more than shift your weight back and forth on your feet and sway your arms around from laughing too hard.

Just as you were getting into the flow of it, things were once again disrupted. JJ wrapped his arms around your waist and for a moment, you thought it was to continue dancing. Not wanting to make anyone feel awkward, you tried to wriggle away, only to find that JJ wasn't trying to dance but was instead pulling you closer to the edge of the boat.

"Don't you dare, Maybank," you said, struggling even harder. JJ laughed.

"Come on, JJ. Let her-" Kie was cut short when John B scooped her up and booked it for the side of the boat. John B pushed himself off the edge, casting both him and Kie into the water before she could make a sound of protest. Pope and JJ made eye contact, a silent conversation passing between the two of them.

"Don't." You shook your head, but nothing you could say would stop him now. "No!"

He tried to toss you over and let go so he could jump in himself, but you locked your arm around his neck. When he threw you into the water, you made sure that he was coming down with you.

Pope was the last in the water, curling his legs up into a cannonball. You kicked your feet, trying to make a break for the surface. JJ was already treading water by the time you surfaced. You could hear Kie screaming at John B, water sloshing around on the other side of the boat. You started toward the other side of the boat to join the others, but JJ grabbed onto your wrist before you could go any farther.

"What?" You asked with a laugh. He pulled you closer to him, putting his lips to yours. The kiss lasted only a few seconds because the water that was dripping from the both of you tasted disgusting and neither of you could really stand it. Besides, there was a serious water fight going down on the other side of the boat that you didn't want to miss.

The five of you lay on the dock, letting the sun dry your skin. Music still played from the little radio, but there was no more dancing. After almost two hours of swimming, everyone was exhausted. Taking the time to soak in the sun was just what you needed after the long day.

When you felt your phone buzz in your pocket, you were tempted to ignore it. But if your phone was going off it was either your dad or Kid and you couldn't ignore either of them. You pulled out your phone and squinted at the screen. It was your brother and he had very bad news.

"Shhhhit!" You seethed, sitting up.

"What is it?" Kie asked, lifting her sunglasses from her eyes and turning her head toward you.

"My dad's on his way home early." You stood quickly, shoving your phone back in your pocket. "Shit!"

You spun in a few circles, running your hands through your hair.

"Is that bad?" John B asked. Clearly, JJ didn't tell them as much about your home life as you had originally thought.

"I'm sorry, but I've really got to go." You leaned down and kissed JJ on his head. "It was wonderful to meet you all!"

You started to book it back to your car.

"You, too!" Kie called after you. You waved behind you as you jumped into your car. You were reversing before you even got the door closed.

"I like her," you heard Pope say as you drove away.

"Yeah," JJ sighed. "Me too."

You didn't usually make a habit of texting while you drove, but this was an emergency. You sent a quick text to your brother, heart pounding.

If your dad was on his way home, driving at his usual speed meant he would get him long before you did. That meant you had to drive faster than your dad did by almost double the speed. You were definitely pushing it.

"Shit!"

Your brother texted you back: What is the lie?

You thought it best to call him rather than text so you wouldn't crash. Your phone barely rang once before Kid picked up.

"El-"

"I know! Just...okay. If he gets there before me, I went to the store for a treat because I finished school. Alright?"

"Yeah, that's good."

"You alright?"

"Yeah. I got home a few minutes ago."

"Good. Start studying in my room. Open my computer and my Hamlet book. Make it look like I just finished. Alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. I got you."

"Thank you, Kid, seriously. I don't know what I would do without you."

"So, you spend the day with JJ?" You could hear his smile through the phone.

"I'll see you at home."

You hung up and pressed your foot harder against the gas.

Finally pulling up to your house, you let out a breath when you saw that your dad's car was not yet parked in the grass. You opened your car door before the truck was even fully stopped, sprinting across the lawn and up the porch as fast as you could. Once inside, you took the stairs by two up to your room.

You heard your dad pull into the driveway as you jumped onto your bed, throwing your Hamlet book onto the floor, and pulled your laptop onto your legs. Kid smiled up at you.

"Hi," he whispered as the door downstairs opened.

"Hi," you whispered back, a smile on your lips. You tried to steady your breathing before your dad came up to your room. You heard the stairs creak under the weight of his footfalls, watched as your doorknob turned slowly. There was no way he could have known you were out, so why did you feel so tense?

"Hey, kiddos," your dad said once the door was opened.

"Hey, Dad," you said with a smile.

"Hey," said Kid, not looking up from his textbook.

"How did finals go, Elma?"

"Good," you said. "All finished, so I'm just waiting on grades."

"That's good. You have any big tests this week?" Your dad asked, looking down at Kid.

"Just one. I finish on Wednesday," Kid said. You watched him fiddle with his fingers, knowing that he wanted to ask a question but was too afraid to.

"I'm sure you're going to do great, Bradford."

"Hey, Dad?" Your heart seized. You weren't sure what Kid was going to ask your dad, but you were ready to jump out of bed if things turned sour. "El is going to take me out to ice cream after school is over. Do you think you could come?"

You dropped your head, focusing your eyes on your computer screen so neither of them saw the tears that began to gather. It didn't matter to Kid how many times Dad got violent or all of the things that he had already missed. Kid always held out hope that your Dad would one day start to care. And it broke your heart every time to see his hopes get dashed.

Your dad let out a deep sigh.

"I'm sorry, Kiddo," he said and Kid's face fell instantly, looking back to his textbook. "Wednesday is super busy for me this week."

"That's fine." Kid's voice was tight and you knew that he was fighting back tears. From the way your dad's jaw began to tighten, you knew that he was about to say something that was going to break Kid's heart even further. You spoke up before he could start yelling.

"That's alright, Dad," you said, looking up from your computer. "We know that the work you do keeps us happy and healthy. It's not a big deal."

Your dad nodded slowly. You watched the tension leave from his jaw slowly. He nodded one more time before closing the door a little harder than he should have. As soon as he was gone, you pushed your computer to the side.

"Come here," you said to Kid, holding out your arms. He let out a quiet sob and ran across the room to you, laying beside you. You wrapped your arms around him and held him close, forced to listen to the sound of your little brother sob. You held onto him tight, kissed him on top of his head, and wiped away a few of his tears.

"It's okay," you whispered. "I know it hurts."

He let out another shuddering sob that sent chills down your spine.

"I've got you," you told him, giving him another squeeze. "Nothing else matters. It's just you and me, Kid."

He sniffled and pulled his tear-stricken face away from your shoulder.

"Promise?"

"I promise."

You wiped away his tears as he sat up.

"You know what would make me feel better?" He said, taking a deep breath through his nose.

"What?"

"If you told me about JJ."

You rolled your eyes and gave him a little smile.

"You are very manipulative, you know that?"

"I learned from the best."

You let out something partway through a gasp and a laugh. You shoved his shoulder slightly, glad to hear a laugh come out of him.

"Alright, how about this," you said, leaning in as if to whisper a secret. "I ask him if he wants to come out with us to get ice cream. How does that sound?"

Kid's eyes lit up and he nodded fervently.

"I mean," he said, shaking his head and crossing his arms, donning a more serious look. "It's just so I can get to know him, to see if he's any good for my big sister."

You ruffled Kid's hair. He swatted at your hand, laughing again.

"Of course that's why."

"I love you, El."

"Love you too, Kid."

You spent most of Saturday and Sunday working and the rest hanging out around town with Kid. With his bike back, the two of you could go riding again, which was always welcomed. You had no contact with JJ the entire weekend and for the first time since you got involved with him, you didn't mind his absence.

Sunday night, after dinner, you and Kid went through your dad's usual phone check. There was a very serious reason why you hadn't yet ask for JJ's number. Even if it would be easier to communicate, your phone was checked weekly, which meant you could have nothing to incriminate you.

"Just to make sure you're safe," he would say. You knew it was code for "not talking to anyone you shouldn't be". In your case, that was boys. You had to delete and redownload Instagram every week so your dad wouldn't find out about it which was stressful enough.

After the phone check, you went up to your room where you spent the rest of your night trying to figure out the best way to hide any texts from JJ you could get.

The next morning, after dropping Kid off at school, you drove past JJ on his way to go surfing with Kie.

"Hey!" You parked your car on the side of the street and ran over to them.

"Hey, Elm." Kie smiled as you ran over and hugged you when you neared.

"What's up?" JJ gave you a quick kiss on the top of your head.

"What are you doing Wednesday around 1:30?" You asked. JJ smiled.

"Hanging out with you, apparently."

"Great! So, it's my brother's last day of school and I always take him out to ice cream and he wants you to come," you said, cringing slightly, afraid he would say no.

"You told your brother about me?"

"Oh, no, he saw you leave my house the first time," you said, waving your hand in the air. If it was up to you, he would know nothing about anything. But, alas, Kid has eyeballs and JJ is the least subtle person on the planet.

"The first time?" Kie asked, eyebrow raised. You cringed again, forgetting that JJ may not have told them much about your numerous rendezvous.

"Are you sure you want him to meet me?" JJ asked.

"I mean, yeah," you said, shrugging. "I met your family, I want you to meet mine."
There was a look on JJ's face you couldn't read. It almost made you worried that he was going to say no. Your heart began to pound, fear of being rejected suddenly coursing through your veins.

"You don't have to decide anything now, of course," you said hurriedly. "Just...just think about it and let me know."

"Sure," was all he said. You nodded your head a few times.

"Cool. Cool." A feeling of awkwardness and discomfort settled in your bones. "Kie, good to see you. I'll just, um...bye."

Without another word, you turned as fast as you could, jumped into your car, and drove away. You spent the entire rest of the day beating yourself up about how absolutely stupid you were and how you literally could have handled that a million better ways.

You sat out in the sun, reading a book as you waited for your shift to start. Mondays were your least favorite days after Thursdays because it was your late-night shift. Even though you got to spend the entire day doing whatever you wanted, you had to stay up extra late to help close the restaurant.

You drove Kid home that day before heading off to work.

"Did you ask JJ?" Kid asked.

"Yeah, I did." The last thing you wanted to do was think about that horribly awkward conversation again, but there you were, driving down the road with your cheeks red from embarrassment.

"What did he say?"

"He needs to check his schedule, but I'm sure he'll come."

"Good."

At work, you thought a horrible thought. What if JJ thought this was a date? Like a real, two people go out to ice cream date? You put your head in your hands, wanting to die more than ever. If he was thinking that getting ice cream with Kid was a date then he thought you had just asked him out in the worst, most awkward way possible with another person standing right there whom you didn't invite.

"Elma," your manager snapped. "Get back to work."

"Yes," you said, scrambling to get back to the dishes in front of you. "Work."

Shit. Did you just accidentally ask JJ Maybank out on a date?

Even after getting home from your shift after one, you still couldn't sleep. You showered, moving like a slug as you continued to murder yourself mentally for being an idiot. Clean, smelling like lavender, and still embarrassed as hell, you finally managed to fall asleep somewhere closer to three.

You spent Tuesday in as much mental pain as you spent most of Monday, with your midday shift the only thing to take your mind off of things.

Then Wednesday rolled around and you still had no answer to give Kid from JJ about whether or not he'd be there.

You sat in a parking spot by one of the beaches, eyes shut and leaning back against the head of your chair. You wanted to scream into the void, and maybe dig yourself a ditch to die in. All there was to do for now was wait until you had to pick up your brother and tell him that JJ wasn't coming because you were the biggest dummy on the planet.

A knock came to your window. You startled upward, a gasp coming from your throat. When you turned toward your window, there was no one there. You scowled and opened your door. When you saw JJ on the ground laughing his ass off, you sighed.

"Why would you think that was a good idea?" You snapped, not really angry but your adrenaline had spiked so fast and dropped again that you weren't really sure what to do with it. He couldn't breathe through the laughter, let alone say anything.

You put your hands on your hips as you waited for him to stop laughing. Finally, he pushed himself off the ground, sand stuck in all the creases of his clothes. He tried to reach out to you, but you stepped away from him.

"You are an asshole, Maybank," you said. "I thought I was getting mugged or something."

"Ah, c'mon, Ellie. It was a little funny."

You glared at him, crossing your arms over your chest.

"What are you doing here anyway?" you asked.

"I came for ice cream," he said. "Your brother and the after school thing."

You pinched the bridge of your nose between your fingers.

"I didn't know you were coming."

"Well, I am."

"I told you to let me know!"

"This is me letting you know." JJ's smile fell when he realized that you weren't all too pleased with him. "Are you mad?"

You shook your head.

"No, I'm not mad." You felt stupid for yelling at him about something that wasn't his fault. "I just, I felt so stupid after Monday and I was pretty certain you weren't going to come and I didn't want to disappoint Kid. I'm sorry I yelled at you."

JJ clicked his tongue and waved a hand in a dismissive way. Stepping forward, he wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you close to him.

"Why does your brother want to meet me so bad anyway?" JJ asked, looking down at you.

"Maybe because he saw you bolting from our house in the middle of the night. Maybe because you stole his bike. Maybe it's because he thinks your shady," you teased. JJ made a face at each of your options. "He just wants to make sure I'm safe, is all. He wants to make sure you're 'good' for me."

"Oh, well, he's definitely going to be disappointed then," JJ said with a laugh.
You rolled your eyes and pulled yourself out of his arms.

"Schools about over, so we should get going," you said, hopping into the front seat. JJ jogged around your car and slid into the shotgun seat.

JJ told you about his weekend and the past two days while you drove to Kid's school, which was back on the North side of the island. You watched him tense as you crossed the imaginary boundary, but he carried on his retelling. You really enjoyed the way he told stories. It was like a little kid talking about their favorite movie, even when he was just talking about the weed he smoked or the job he worked.

You loved it best when he talked about surfing because you knew that was something he really cared about.

"Do you surf?" He asked you, hanging one of his arms out the window. You shook your head. There were a lot of things you didn't really know how to do. "I'll teach you this summer. You'll come out with the Pogues and I and we'll teach you everything there is to know."

You smiled, imagining it all in your head. It was a nice picture.

"I would like that."

As you pulled up to the school, JJ crawled into the back, where you had two tiny seats that faced each other. He spread his legs across the entire back and still didn't fit.

"You don't have to sit back there," you said. "Kid can manage."

"It's his big day," JJ said. "Little man deserves to sit in the front."

Another smile pulled at your lips. Hearing JJ talk about your brother made your heart pound in a strange way you never thought it would. You rolled the side window down as Kid walked over to you.

"I have a surprise for you," you said, glancing at the back seat. JJ stuck his head as close to the window as he could, succeeding in nothing more than jamming his face between the side of the car and the headrest. But it didn't matter. Kid could tell who it was and his face lit up.

"Dude, I heard you rode the surge last hurricane we had," Kid said as he jumped into the front seat, turning immediately to look at JJ, who grinned.

"Seatbelt," you said, pulling out of the parking spot.

"Yeah, me and my friends got beat out there," JJ said with a laugh as Kid clicked his seat belt on.

"What was it like?"

"Only the best feeling ever."

"Hey, no, no," you said, putting up a hand. "No encouraging my little brother to do dangerous things, please."

"Whatever, mom," JJ groaned, giving you a mock roll of his eyes and sitting back in his seat.

"How did your test go, Kid?" You asked.

"Pretty good," he said, shoving his backpack into the space near his seat. "Hey, JJ, have you ever been to the Caine house?"

"Oh, no," JJ said. "I actively avoid the place."

"I have!" Kid said, a giddy smile on his face.

"No you haven't," you scoffed.

"Yes, I have! With Dex."

"You went to the Caine House with Dexter Cyprus?" Kid nodded. "What were you thinking?"

"Chillax, Ellie," JJ said, leaning forward again. You were about to fume at him, but he sent you a look telling you that he would handle it. You almost thought that yelling would be better for Kid than whatever JJ would come up with. "You know that Mrs. Caine killed her husband, right?"

"Those are just rumors."

"Oh, they're more than rumors, little man," JJ said, taking on his storyteller voice again. You tried not to smile. "They're true."

You listened to JJ recount the entire story he heard from Hollis Caine, dramatic pauses and all. By the end of it, Kid was staring at JJ, eyes wide.

"Great, now you traumatized him," you said with a sigh.

"He's fine."

"He's traumatized."

By the time you got to the ice cream parlor, any worry you had about the meeting was gone. JJ got the same flavor as Kid, saying it was his favorite, despite telling you weeks ago that his favorite was chocolate. You sat back and smiled behind your scoop and cone, watching Kid and JJ tell each other crazy, half-made up stories for almost two hours. Long after your ice cream was finished, the conversation carried on.

It was just one other thing to heap onto the pile of things that felt natural with JJ. In a moment of weakness, you wondered if JJ would come with you when you moved off the island with Kid. You shook the thought away and jumped back into the conversation about kaiju versus Jaegers.

After you left the ice cream parlor, the three of you headed down to the beach, where you walked and talked for even longer. At one point, Kid decided that talking was getting boring so, as you and JJ walked ahead, Kid made a mudball and threw it at your back.

With a gasp as wet sand slid down your spine, you spun around.

"Oh, you're going to pay for that one, Bradford," you said and ran at him. Kid laughed and ran away from you.

"Help!" Kid shouted, not able to keep away from you for long. Before you could react, JJ had you around the waist, arms pinned to your side.

"I swear, if you throw me in the water again-"

"What was that?" JJ asked, dragging you toward the ocean.

"JJ!" you shrieked, but it was no use.

Lifting you up, JJ dropped you just as a large wave crashed against him, submerging you in water. When the wave stopped tumbling and you could finally control your movements, you heard Kid howling with laughter. Wiping sand and saltwater out of your eyes, you were appalled to see JJ run over to Kid and give him a high five.

"Oh, it's on!"

You spent the next hour or so chasing each other around the beach. By the time you were heading back to the car, each one of you was soaked and covered in sand.

"I should get him home and into the shower," you said to JJ as Kid shivered in your front seat. JJ put his hands on your shoulders and sighed.

"You should."

"Thank you," you said. "You really made his day."

"Yeah, well, he's not so bad." JJ lifted a hand, waving at Kid. "Now that it's summer, will I get to see you more?"

"Should. I know we both still have work, but we'll figure something out. Here." You pulled a pen out of your pocket and scribbled your phone number onto his hand. "I won't be able to save your contact, so you'll have to text me every Monday, capiche?"

"Got it," JJ said, smiling at his hand.

"I'll see you around."

"Yeah, you will."

He leaned forward to press his lips against yours. You inhaled the smell of the sea, his lips salty and chapped. You knew that yours were no better, but he kissed you anyway. You wanted to stand there forever, swallowed by his scent and his taste, but Kid obviously had other plans. The horn of your car honking nearly startled you out of your skin, but when you turned and found Kid tapping his wrist with a raised eyebrow, you realized that it really was time to go.
You turned away from JJ and got in the car. You waved once more before pulling out of the parking spot.

"I like him," Kid said, cranking up the heat in the car.

"Yeah," you mused. "Me too."

***

So....this chapter was even longer. Whoops. Hopefully, it's not too distracting! 

I hope that things are going well for you all. As always, if you need anything, I am willing to lend an ear. 

Folks 👏

Stay safe, stay healthy, stay groovy!