"I'm sorry we're actively evading the cops and you're still serious about this flowers, chocolates, and apologies thing? Where are you priorities?!" JJ Maybank said, shaking his head as John B walked back to the van. In his hands were a bouquet of flowers, a box of chocolates, and a bag of gummy worms.

"I really honestly don't think that the Shoupe is gonna look for me at our girlfriends house." John B said, turning the key as he threw the stuff at JJ. He quickly moved the flowers from his face, shaking his head as he looked at him with a confused look.

"Our girlfriend?"  JJs face fell and he furrowed his eyebrows, John B seeming like he got caught. "What do you mean be that?"

"Nothing. It's nothing it's just...me and Pope sometimes call her our girlfriend too since we have to pretty much try and fix all of you guys problems and tell you what to do all the time." JJ scoffed, his mouth dropping open as John B started off towards Figure Eight. JJ was appalled by this, feeling a pit of betrayal in his stomach, nothing too deep but still there. It was bordering on laughable, but he would rather shake his head and protest than anything else.

"That's not true. That's not—out girlfriend. You guys are dicks. What like sister wives? She's Kody and we're the wives? Am I Robyn? Am I Christine? Are you—"

"Okay first of all...why do you know so much about Sister Wives? Second, it's not that serious okay? Jesus you're so dramatic." JJ crossed his arms over his chest, slumping against the seat and letting out a huff. John B was trying not to laugh, glancing over at JJ every few moment s before he realized he was actually a little pissed about it.

"You can be totally honest with me and I won't tell anybody and I won't get mad but I seriously wanna know... have you ever like—have you ever thought about it?"

"Thought about what?" John B could tell what he was talking about, but he wasn't entirely sure how much he wanted to answer that question. He tightened his hands on the wheel and avoided eye contact, JJ turning his head towards John B and narrowing his eyes, studying his reaction.

"Thought about June. Like—like romantically?" He watched as John B pursed his lips, heat rising in his cheeks and making them burn red. JJ caught this quick, groaning as he reached across the middle and punched John B in the shoulder. "Seriously! Dude what the hell?!"

"What?! I didn't even say anything?!"

"I can see it on your face. Are you kidding me?! You gotta—now you gotta tell me." JJ said, genuinely curious. He wasn't surprised by the burning of jealousy in his chest, even though he knew John B would never do something like that to him.

"Tell you what?"

"When you thought about it? Why you thought it? What you were thinking?" John B looked at him with furrowed eyebrows and a shocked face, shaking his head quickly in refusal. He absolutely did not want to tell JJ when he thought romantically about June.  "Tell me...I won't get mad I'm just wondering."

"No I don't want to."

"I'll tell you about Sarah." JJ said, John B quickly looking over at him with widened eyes. JJ let out a breath, throwing his head back and groaning. "Okay I've never thought about Sarah like that but still—I want to know okay? I'll...I'll tell you what Kiara told me last night."

John B considered his options, but JJ had been mum about what Kiara had said to him before June showed up, and his curiosity was burning a hole through him. He bit the inside of his cheek and then let out a humorless laugh, JJ taking this as a agreed upon transaction.

"You first." JJ said, leaning towards John B with narrowed eyes. John B sat there for a second before letting out a breath, about to admit something he never thought he would  say out loud.

"You can't tell anybody okay?"

"Scouts honor." JJ said, pressing a hand to his chest. John B rolled his eyes, recounting one of the times he had thought about June romantically.

"This one time she was staying at the Chateau before the island, and I went in to wake her up and she...didn't have pants on."

"Oh my god." JJ said, leaning back against the seat and shaking his head. John B was quick to go to his own defense, JJ not even wanting to look at him even though he thought that he was sure that it was quite the sight to see.

"You wanted me to tell you! What?! Am I just supposed to lie and say she's not hot? It's true...June is hot. It doesn't mean I would ever do anything with her. It's the same thing with Pope too, he said—"

"You're kidding! Popes in on this too?! Do you guys just go around talking about 'our girlfriend' and how hot she is?!" John B wanted to laugh at how animated JJ was being, realizing he had slipped up about Pope.  "You know, I expected something like this from you...but Pope? That's betrayal right there."

"This is what I meant when I said you're dramatic."

"What did he say about her? Tell me. I wanna know." JJ said, grabbing John B by the shoulder. In the weirdest way this  was stroking his ego, knowing he had a girl who everybody wanted. And he felt like he needed to know what they had said about her, he was naturally curious in this way.

"Tell me what Kie said and I'll tell you what Pope said."

"Fine. Kie told me she loved me." John Bs jaw dropped, his eyes widening as he looked over at JJ. He was somehow unconcerned with the fact that he had dropped this bomb, his grip tightening on John and shoulder as he gave him a look that told him to tell him. "Now what did Pope say?"

"Okay so you're going to just—we're gonna brush over the fact that you got a love confession from Kie...Kiara Carrera. The most indecisive and stubborn person in the planet told you she loved you? And then June turned around and told you that Kiara...the same Kiara who told you she loved you actually sold her out to a guy who's trying to kill my dad? That's—"

"Crazy. Yeah I know. Now what did Pope say? Tell me what Pope said or I'll put my fist so far up you ass—"

"Okay please spare me the graphics. Alright Pope just said that...well—well he said that intellectually...you know—"

"No...John B I don't know. I have no idea where you're going with this." JJ shook his head, John B letting out a quick sigh and then continuing on.

"He said she was smart and he found that attractive and that if you and June had never gotten together he would've tried to...you know—maybe ask her out. He's said that for like ever."  JJ shook his head at that, scoffing as he took in the information. He had never heard this before, not at all.

"What? When has Pope ever said—"

"Dude Pope had a crush on June for like all of freshman year after his stint at Barts where she would come in like every week and tip extra good. Don't you remember that? She wasn't like...not a person before you guys got together. We've known her for years. Well...of her." JJ was the one with the dropped jaw now, his eyebrows furrowed together as he looked at John B in shock. They were parked on the street outside of Junes house, JJ trying to think back to a time before all of this shit, to a time when they weren't together. Now that he mentioned it he did remember a time when Pope talked about June March, almost 2 summers ago. His shock broke and he blinked the rest of it away, appalled at the fact that she had existed before they had gotten together. It was hard to remember stuff before this summer, it was hard to remember who they were before.  "I mean of course none of us see her like that now...she's like a sister to me. I mean...I cant —I cant speak for Pope but..."

JJ turned his head, his lips turned down into a frown as he looked at the front of the March house. The last time he had walked up during the day he had punched her dad in the face. The last time he was here he had made an unruly decision. But the thought of anyone trying to swoop in and get ahold of her before he got the chance made him sick, driving him to open the passenger door. John B watched as he marched across the street and up the yard, the flowers in one hand and the chocolates and gummy worms in the other. He had a glazed over look in his eyes, completely unable to shake the thought of  a pre-JJ June March. She really had existed before him. It was hard to imagine.

But he could do it nonetheless. He thought really hard, remembering times he had seen her around. When he was a busboy at the country club and her family would be eating there, how he would pull back the curtain that divided the workers from the diners and he would think she was the most beautiful girl in the room. When she would come to parties with Zach and he would hear her yelling and having fun, a comment or two would be passed between the Pogues about her, but they would never imagine how much she would mean to them in the future. He remembered a specific instance, the first time they had exchanged words, a memory that he wouldn't have thought of if he wasn't trying so hard to remember it. It was summer, 2 years ago...she was dating Rafe at the time—unbeknownst to them or anyone. He remembered she was wearing a green sundress, standing in line for ice cream at the beach. He remembered how the wind was blowing and he could see the white bathing suit she had on under the dress. He thought she was gorgeous, and Pope had mentioned something about her...now that he thought about it. He remembered the words he said to her, the smile she gave him.

"What'd you order?" She was surprised he was talking to her, pushing a piece of hair behind her ear. She had freckles across her nose, pulled from her skin by the sun, and her lips were a perfect pink, he remembered them so vividly now.

"Oh, uh...just a lemonade." He had nodded, gesturing towards the menu and shrugging.

"What should I get?" She had smiled at his question, the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. Perfection. He had felt that pit in his stomach even then, it was crazy how much he would've freaked out if he knew what the future held. She shrugged back, shaking her head and silently refusing. "Come on I see you out here all the time...you've gotta have some suggestion?"

"Alright alright....get the cookies and cream. It's really good." He remembered it like it was yesterday now, her words imprinted on the back of his brain. The cookies and cream. The smile. The wind that blew her little green dress up. Of course Pope had had a crush on her, of course John B felt that way about her, of course JJ was ridiculously crazy for her. Of course Rafe was obsessed with her and Zach would never get over her. Of course. Of course. She was divine. She was magnetic and alluring and you couldn't pass by such a entrancing woman without being scathed by her effect.

God.

He had to get her back.

He looked down at the flowers and then back up at the house and he walked through the yard with a newfound sense of determination. He would work this out in whatever way he had to, because he wanted her. He wanted to be the one who had her. He wanted her to choose him.

He lifted his hand to knock but when his fist connected with the door it shuddered open, having been left ajar. He was immediately distracted by this fact, his face falling as he gathered his thoughts. This was not normal. His brain jumped to a conclusion, the boy pushing it open and quickly heading inside.

"June?" He gripped the flowers in his fist as he started up the stairs warily, not sure what he was expecting. An urgency leapt into him when he noticed her bedroom door was open, the boy now sprinting up the stairs. "June?!"

A lump grew in his throat as he imagined the worst case scenario, his hand hovering above her door as he worried about pushing it open. He remembered now what she had been telling him the night before, what she had been begging him to listen to. Someone was watching her, she was afraid. He held his breath as he pushed the door open, the flowers dropping out of his hands as the door creaked. His eyes widened immediately and he knew he definitely wasn't expecting what he saw.

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

_____________

Hm. Who could it be?