‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ REMEMBER ME LIKE THIS — FREEZE FRAME ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙
ONE WEEK AFTER JOHN B'S DAD DISAPPEARED...

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     In another life, Esmeralda Mendoza must have been a goddess.  She wasn't tall, but she walked with pride wherever she went and she did everything with confidence.  Most people were uncomfortable with the way she was unapologetically herself and lived her life to the fullest that she could.  Maybe in another life, she was a queen, a ruler whose subjects proudly bowed to her as they were excited about her leadership skills.  She probably wore the richest coloured lipsticks and decorated her body with various silvers and golds.  Soldiers would fall at her feet as she'd be dressed in the finest silks.  But this wasn't another life — this was Esmeralda Mendoza in the Outer Banks.

     Esme didn't want Kook things like boats and wines — she wanted a house that didn't have holes in the roof, to work a regular job, and to buy her abuelita a goddamn King sized mattress. There's a difference, you know.

     A big dreamer, Claire would say with her endearing laugh.  But Esme wasn't joking. She vowed that she'd do whatever it took to work her way out of the Cut just like her cousin Adonis.   A silent promise, between the two, was that they'd always turn the other cheek for the other, and never ever unless necessary ask the other what they were up to.

     However, at this moment, Esme wanted nothing more than for John B to stop calling her for his little date emergencies.

     Allowing her skateboard to navigate her downhill towards John B's little shack, the harsh wind practically pushing her in his direction, Esme blew a bubble with the spearmint flavoured gum in her mouth.

     Esme pushed open the practically always unlocked door, brown eyes scanning the place for any sign of life.  Pizza boxes, beers, and clothes laying everywhere were all to be expected.  This was, after all, John B's house, but in the one week his dad had left him alone, the John B messiness had magnified times ten.  She softly chewed on her gum as she stepped inside, anticipating at any moment for her brunette friend to jump out from behind a corner or couch and scream, "gotcha!" just like he had many times before.

     Instead, she heard him pacing around in the next room, muttering to himself about matching socks.  Esme bent over, leaving her board by the couch as she heard the leaves rustling outside.  Smelling a faint scent of rain in the air, she figured she should just help John B with his date prep as fast as she could before a storm came, or worse... his little blonde surfer buddy.

     "John?" Esme's strong voice filled the room as she called out for her friend.  She shrugged her mini backpack off her shoulders and let it fall onto the couch.

     "Esme?" he answered, running his hands through a drawer in his room as he did. 

     Realizing he was in his room, Esme pranced over, rolling her exposed shoulders (tube tops being her go-to for the summer heat) as she smirked in his doorway.  "The one and only, baby."

     "Right, well can the one and only help me find that one pair of shorts I have?" John B asked instead, practically ignoring Esme.

     "Nice to see you too."

     "Please, Esme, it's for a date."

     "The one's with the two pockets?" she asked, patting her hands at her sides where the imaginative pockets would be.  John B nodded, and Esme quickly got to her feet once she realized how bad it was.  He hated it when Esme called his date prep "a fashion emergency", but that's exactly what it was.

     "Be safe, and don't do anything I wouldn't do.  There," Esme finished sewing up the sleeve of John B's white tee shirt, grateful for the emergency kit she had in her backpack.  There was no way Esme would let him go out with a hole in his shirt.  Cutting the string, she smiled before placing a big kiss on John B's cheek.  "Perfect."

     "Alright, now can I go?" John B asked, reminding Esme of a kindergartener.

     Esme rolled her eyes, walking out of his room and towards the kitchen.  "Thank you, Esme.  You're the best, Esme.  Always helping me with girls, Esme. Making sure I don't look homeless, Esme."

     John B sighed, stretching out his arms and grabbing ahold of the short girl who was already getting away.  He had to bend over a little in order to hug her, but Esme's hugs were the best.  With his chest to her back, John B smiled.  "Thank you, Esme," he said in a singsong voice.

     "Woah woah woah," JJ's voice filled the room.  Esme and John B turned to see the familiar blond boy standing in the doorway.  "I thought I called dibs."

     "Gross," Esme said as John B's arms dropped, the boy more joyful than Esme was, but it was also because he knew he'd be meeting up with a pretty girl.

     "Wait, don't you have that thing?  With that girl?" JJ asked.

     John B nodded, checking the time on his phone before sliding into one of his many pockets.  "Yes, yes I do."

     "Ah, man, do everything I would do," JJ insisted.  "But you should hurry, looks like a storm's rolling in."

     After John B quickly said goodbye before dashing out his door, Esme turned and found herself going for the fridge.  "She'd have to be a sucker to go out with him," Esme noted as she opened it.

     JJ nodded, turning away from the door nervously.  "So, uh, looks like it's just us then, princess."

     Throwing JJ a glance over her shoulder, Esme batted her eyelashes as she readied a comeback for the boy.  Unfortunately, nothing remotely sarcastic came to mind as she fixated on the boy, who was standing there with his tongue in cheek, knowing Esme was out of words.  Instead, she tried to brush it off.  "Yeah, um, we could watch a movie if you want."

     JJ nodded. "Baller."

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     The rain had started to sprinkle when Claire and Kie were giggling their asses off, tipsy off cheap beer as Kie struggled to steer Claire's bicycle in the right direction.

     "Woah!" Claire laughed, clutching onto the weaved basket she was sitting on top, acting as another seat.  "I'm gonna fall off!"

     "Hang on!" Kiara wobbled as she struggled to keep the two of them afloat, but if she was worried, she clearly wasn't showing it.  Her cheeks were sore from smiling from the whole day, filled with happiness and not a care in the world — a usual for the girls when they decided to ditch the boys and go off the grid.

     Claire hopped off the basket well before Kiara let go of the bike and let it hit the ground in front of John B's door, Claire stumbling a couple of steps ahead of the brunette as she trailed behind her, equally dizzy.  "Shush," Claire pressed a finger to her lips, her eyes seconds from closing shut.  "He might hear us coming," Claire said, finding with the doorknob.  "Ugh, it's not opening."

     "Dummy, you're not doing it right," Kie said, reaching for the doorknob herself as Claire pouted, mumbling to herself about how she thought she was doing it right.  

     Esme turned to JJ, who was sitting next to her on the floor in front of the couch.  "Do you hear that?"

     JJ scrunched his nose, the smell of nail polish filling up the room as he twisted the cap off yet another colour of polish.  "Dunno," he shrugged, looking down at Esme's left hand.  He'd only painted her thumb and index finger, but he insisted on painting her middle finger black in contrast to the blue on the other two fingers.  "Probably just the wind."

     With the front door opening, Claire and Kie shushing each other aggressively as they tumbled into John B's house, JJ quickly hid the bottle of nail polish behind his body.  Esme rolled her eyes.  "Hey guys," she said, making Claire and Kie realize they weren't alone.

     "Oh hello," Claire said, Kiara grabbing onto the blonde so she wouldn't fall to the floor.  "Hey, please don't tell Esme I'm here, she told us we're not allowed to get drunk without a DD anymore."

     Esme pressed her lips together as JJ furrowed his brows, both wondering just how many drinks they had.  "Yeah, sure, I swear," Esme said, nodding her head.

     "Awesome," she slurred.  Kiara was stumbling into the pull-out bed that was always pulled out.  With her arms out, she let herself fall onto it with an 'oof'.  Claire followed, tumbling down onto Kiara's legs.

     "Oh my God," JJ turned to Esme as the drunk girls made themselves situated in the bed.

     "It's like the blind leading the blind," Esme added.  JJ nodded.  "Anyways, wanna finish my nails?  It's not like they're gonna remember this anyways.  If they ask, I'll say it was some other white boy in love with me."

     JJ shook his head.  "I'm not—"

     "Relax," Esme rolled her eyes.  "I was just joking."

     "I was gonna say I'm not afraid of anyone knowing I'm your nail guy," he laughed.  Esme's lips turned up.  Sometimes, she didn't mind hanging out with him.  She even found him to be fun at times like this.  She just wished she could freeze the moment and live in it forever.  Esme's phone began ringing, but she only sighed, not wanting to move from her spot on the floor.

     "S, your phone is ringing," Kiara slurred, her eyes staring at the roof above her.  "Is it just me, or is the ceiling coming towards us?"

     JJ stood and grabbed her phone, charging by the kitchen counter as Esme had a feeling the power could go out at any minute.  "Hello?" he answered.  "Yeah, she's here.  Yeah, I've got her.  No, she's good.  Yeah, we just ate.  No, he had a date," JJ then laughed.

     Esme couldn't help but feel her stomach tighten.  She knew her grandma loved her, but she couldn't help but feel jealous when she favoured JJ.  She really had a good relationship with all of her friends, as the group had an ongoing joke that Esme's grandmother was also theirs.  Esme knew her grandma was bombarding JJ with questions and boosting his ego, no doubt.

     "No, I've got better things to do," JJ spoke into the phone as he glanced over at Esme, who was continuing to paint her nails, pretending like she didn't notice.  "Oh, really?  Yeah, they're here too.  No, he hasn't.  Yup.  Okay.  Okay, I will.  Yup.  Love you too, grams," JJ smiled before hanging up the phone and returning back to his spot next to Esme.  "Your grandma says that there's supposed to be a heavy storm rolling in," he said, pulling out his cell phone and preparing a text for John B.  "She also says that she's with her friends at the hall and she loves you."

     Esme let out a shaky breath, covering it with a nervous smile.  "Okay.  Did she say where Adonis was?"

     "No," JJ said softly, shaking his head.  "She also asked if Big John was back yet."

     Esme hummed, neither of them wanting to address the touchy subject.  Personally, she couldn't see how John B could go out on a date while his father was missing, but maybe that's why he was so nervous.  If it were her grandma who went MIA without a trace, Esme was sure she'd probably lose it.

      The two looked over where Kiara and Claire had fallen asleep, already used to how the girls acted so affectionate no matter who was watching.  Both laid on their backs, Claire leaning her head on Kiara as their hair tangled together.  "Surely they'll wake in a while, right?" Esme asked.

     "Yay, another night holding hair back!" JJ exclaimed.  "Can't wait!"

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#JJ— pls don't forget to vote & comment!