"Want my coleslaw?" Bali offered as she sat in the front seat of Toppers car at lunch again.

"You aren't into coleslaw?" he asked her with a odd look, taking the small thing from her, "You're a weirdo."

"Taste like a massive loogie that you gotta swallow instead of spit up." Bali cringed, Topper paused with it in his mouth, turning to her with a look of disbelief. Bali returned it with a tight lipped smile, "Sorry, Top."

He spit it out in a napkin and stuck to the rest of his lunch, "You do that so much."

"Do what?" Bali asked, sipping at the protein shake. Topper mimicked her tight lipped smile, "Every time I see you, you do that."

Bali gave a snort as she nodded, "It's, like, coping with my awkwardness."

Topper hummed, "Makes sense."

"So, Kelce giving you a hard time?" Bali asked, crossing her legs in the expensive leather as she dipped one of her fries over in Toppers sauce, "He'll go down fighting for Rafe. Like, they are super close."

"Yeah, I always feel left out when we all hang out." Topper laughed as he glanced over at her, "They didn't even start hanging out until after you and Rafe stopped talking."

Bali gave a shrug, "Pandaros charm, I guess."

"Pandaros." Topper repeated, "Is it.. Italian?"

"Greek." Bali corrected him with a hum, "Some people say it with an accent and it sounds a lot fancier."

"Oh, yeah, I bet so." Topper hummed, dipping his carrot into the ranch in her small bag, "But yeah, I guess Kelce is. It's like he has to constantly bring it up, you know? Like he can't just let it go."

"His dad is the same way." Bali nodded her head, "I know it's different but for a while my dad and his dad were trying to figure things out, we'd have those family dinner things, and he'd never be able to let go of the fact that my dad got the hotel and he didn't. Like, it's a big deal, I know, but it's been nineteen years."

"My mom is kinda like that." Topper nodded his head, "She still talks about the boat sinking all the time."

Bali looked over with a bite of the inside of her mouth, "You deserved that."

Topper laughed suddenly, "Blunt."

"But i'm sorry about your mom." Bali added in, "You should hit her with a fish."

Topper choked on his food, "Sorry, what?"

Bali laughed, "You know Barry? Rafes weirdo drug dealer?"

Topper hummed as he looked at her.

"The three of us went fishing in a pond behind his house once and I caught this little perch." Bali said, trying to not laugh at the story, "Barry started to mock me because he didn't catch any fish. He told me to put it back because it was too small anyways and I did not wanna let him go. So. I took it off the hook and hit him across the face with it."

Topper started to laugh at Bali's story in disbelief, "You just, hit him?"

"Yeah. The fish ended up flying out of my hand and into the water but it still got him pretty good." Bali grinned as she nodded her head, "He still didn't catch any after that."

"What? He just let you get away with that?" Topper asked in disbelief as he took a sip of his drink to calm his laughter, "That dude is scary shit."

"He threw a worm at me and threatened to 'knock my awkward ass out.' but that was it." Bali shook her head as she shut her bag, "He isn't always scary like that, you know? He put up with our shit a lot more then others did. He protected us too, always had our backs."

"Why'd you start using in the first place?" Topper asked her, leaning back on the seat some, "Is that cool for me to ask?"

Bali inhaled as she shrugged, "Well, I was really upset when Conner started telling everyone I cheated on him. Rafe got me into weed first just to relax me and I guess I just wanted to feel like that all the time, but harder, in a way. I always felt really trapped in a cycle, when I was using, I never felt that way."

Topper patted her shoulder, "Hey, Bal?"

"Yeah?" she asked, looking his way.

"I'm really sorry about all the shit i'd say about you when I was hanging out with S-" he cut himself off from saying her name, shaking his head, "I treated you like nothing but her best friend and you're not. You're a good listener, and funny, and I like talking to you."

Bali gave him a grin as she nodded, "That's all right, Top."

He hummed at her, "You miss her?"

"Yeah." Bali said honestly. She felt guilty for not being able to tell him that Sarah wasn't dead, that he didn't need to keep hurting like this, "It's gonna be okay, you know that? We're gonna be fine."

Topper gave her a sad smile, "I get why you were her best friend, you know? I never did understand. You guys were just so different and it always seemed like a weird situation after freshman year."

"We're extremely different but we understood each other. Sarah watched out for me when she shouldn't have, not just anyone would do that." Bali shook his head as she gave a sad smile, "Now it feels weird standing up for myself in a way."

"I think you're doing it pretty good." Topper laughed suddenly, "The whole, not riding the jeep anymore thing put Kelce in shock for two classes.

Bali gave a sudden snort, "I have zero clue where they came from?"

Topper hummed as he nodded her way, "You and JJ are a pair I can't wrap my head around."

"You and everyone else apparently." Bali said honestly as she rested her head on the seat, "I even wonder how we ended up together sometimes. We don't have much in common yet we always have something to talk about. JJ just knows what to say and how to handle me, just like I do him. We're really good together when you look past what you're seeing on the outside."

"Looks like i'm about to find out." Topper said as a sudden loud knock hit the window. Bali yelled as she turned, finding JJ on the other side of the window. Topper rolled down the window as Bali held her chest.

"JJ, I almost went into cardiac arrest." she said with wide eyes, "How did you-"

She stopped as she saw Pope and Kie giving a wave out of Hayward's truck.

"Whatchu guys doin?" JJ asked as he leaned on the expensive car, "I was gonna grab you for lunch but saw you and Frosted Tips here having a little chit chat."

"I got you some." Bali said as she held up the bag, "I didn't know Kie and Pope were coming though."

"We're actually here to get you." JJ said as he opened the door, "Unless Sir Topper over there wants to drown me for it?"

"Look, man-" Topper began.

"Lunch is just a few minutes longer." Bali cut in quickly as she looked over at Topper, "I'm glad we got to talk."

"Yeah, same." he spoke, eyeing JJ as the blonde helped Bali out of the car, "I'll see-"

He was cut off by JJ shutting the door and wrapping a arm around Bali.

"We were just talking." Bali spoke as they headed toward Hayward's truck, "Swear."

"Aw, I know." JJ said as he nudged her chin, "Still don't like the guy."

JJ opened the door for her as Bali climbed in, "Hey, yall."

"Hey, Bal." Kie said as she scooted over, "You brought us food?"

"Nope." JJ said as he took the bag, "She brought me food."

"Do you like JJ more then us?" Pope asked in disbelief.

"Oh, no, definitely not." Bali shook her head as JJ crawled in and put a arm around her, "But neither of you put out so.."

JJ laughed loudly, taking his hat off and putting it backwards on her head.

"This is how we know the two of you have been spending too much time together." Kie announced as Pope began to drive off, "Like, maybe we need to move you out."

"JJ likes the three shower heads in the shower though." Bali pointed out.

"I do like those three shower heads." he nodded with a hum, "Will not be moving out."

•

kylie speaks

i loved s2 top. like
i don't think he should
have tried to kiss sarah
or anything and he needs
to move on but people saying
he took advantage of her when
she was sobbing on the docks
and he went to her? like HUH??
how? her best friends and bf
were just standing there while
she broke down, he had ever
right to go comfort her since
no one else seemed to.