iii. stopped at a streetlight

An eternal night it was she wished for. A kind of sleep to never again wake from. She'd stay there, protected by her covers for the rest of her life. A black sheet would shield the sun from ever shining again. Stars would cast along the dark sky. Never again would she need to wake.

Nova hadn't slept at all. She tossed and turned through most of the night. Her brain would not quiet. Insisting on replaying the kiss she had shared with JJ. The kiss had happened hours ago but still, she felt the sting of him on her lips as if it'd just happened.

Parts of her skin felt forever scorched by the touch of him. The placed on her neck held indentations of where his fingers had touched. She felt the squeeze of him on her hips. Her lips savored the taste of him. They remembered every movement. Every trace. It'd been so easy – kissing JJ. It was as if they'd kissed a million times before that day.

But with each thought of the kiss the more the guilt would eat away at her. It would grow and grow. Even though she could not control the thoughts that came of him. It'd still remind her that she was a horrible person – a shameful person. It ripped her apart. The guilt made her realize that she had done wrong. Of all the times she had been hurt in this same way – now she was doing the hurting.

And it made her want to shrivel up and die knowing who her thoughtless actions would hurt.

Nova could not shrivel up and die just yet though. She had school. And life must continue. No matter how much she wished for the world to stop spinning. Even if just for a moment.

She found the strength to finally get dressed. Slipping into her favorite, and most worn, white pleated skirt, Nova paired it with a cropped, white polo shirt. Over it, she threw on a navy-blue crewneck and laced up a pair of high-top converses.

The sweater wasn't needed. It was still August and scorching on the island. But the teachers did not spare a moment to blast the air conditioning in all their classrooms. In three of her classes, Nova sat directly under the vents. There'd been times when her teeth would chatter from the chill air.

Nolan Scott was already in the kitchen when Nova finally descended the stairs. He wore his usual school uniform. Straight-legged khakis that he hadn't ironed along with a wrinkly white button-up shirt that was only tucked into one side of the pants and buttoned only halfway up. The navy blazer lay tossed over the side of the breakfast island and the striped tie had been draped lazily around his neck.

When looking at her brother in his uniform Nova would become sad. Not only did she miss her school and the friends she had there. But she was also missing the chance to have one last school year with her brother alongside her. He'd be graduating in the spring.

Though Nova would never say anything like that to Nolan. She would only shove the grief that this brought deep inside her and focus on something else. Like her medicine. Which had already been put on the counter for her. Alongside a glass of fruit juice and a Nature Valley granola bar.

"And she rises from the dead!" laughed Nolan when Nova walked across from him to get her pills. He had a mouth full of cocoa puff cereal in his mouth and a few chunks of chocolate fell out of his mouth. "I didn't think you'd make it out of bed today."

Nova sighed, "Neither did I."

She tossed the pill into her mouth and washed it back with a gulp of water. Nolan rose from his raised stool and placed his dirty bowl of cereal milk in the sink.

"Where were you all night?" he asked.

"Out," she told him shortly with a shrug. Nova didn't have to clarify, Nolan by now knew that she'd been out with JJ, Pope, and Kiara. Those were the only people she would hang out with now. "We found the murder weapon."

Nolan's eyes widened. He coughed.

"The gun?" he asked, needing clarification. "You found the gun?" Nova nodded. "Where? When? How?"

He leaned on the sink counter, arms crossed, waiting for Nova to continue.

"It ended up in the sewer drain," said Nova, cringing as she thought back to having to move through the murky rainwater and trash inside. "Kiara and I nearly drowned trying to get it back."

Nolan leaned forward, this was the first time he heard of this, "You almost drowned?" he asked. "Dammit, Nova!"

"I'm fine! Obviously," she rolled her eyes. "But we found the gun and handed it in to Shoupe."

He took a long breath, "Good. That's the smart thing to do."

Nova shrugged, "Except I don't think he's going to do anything," she told her brother. "It's starting to look like Ward has every damn person on this island paid off."

"I wouldn't doubt it," whispered Nolan. "So, what happened after Shoupe?"

Her head fell. She bit her lip, scuffing the toe of her shoe on the expensive tiling. Nova told her brother a lot of things. She trusted him more than anyone in the world. He was her lifeline. He wouldn't judge her, she knew that, but he might just kill JJ if he found out he'd aided in putting her in such a compromising and confusing situation.

And so, she decided Nolan didn't need to know about the kiss. He didn't need to know when Nova herself had yet to wrap her own head around things.

She shrugged, "I came home." 

Nova had always hated math. But she appreciated it more than anything this morning. It'd kept her mind off everything awry in her life. The thoughts on how to find a degree of an acute angle pushed all other thoughts that might have tried to sneak in away. To finish this worksheet, she'd need to focus only on geometry.

It was the first and last time she'd ever be thankful to be sitting in a math class.

They'd been split off into groups of three. Nova had been paired with two students whom she'd yet to learn the names of. And she was too nervous to ask them now. Mostly because the two she'd been paired alongside did not seem too keen on the idea of working with her. Nova couldn't blame them much, either. To them, she was just another Kook. A spoiled rich girl who was booted from her fancy private school on Figure Eight and made no effort to get to know any of the students here.

They were right too. About her making no effort to talk to anyone. Or to get to know anyone. Nova had a safety net when she'd been enrolled here. She had JJ, Pope, and Kiara. And she surrounded herself with them, and them only. She'd forgotten to step out of that small circle and make an effort with other students. And for that they all likely thought her to be a snob.

When the bell rang Nova and her group had only three questions left on the worksheet. The other students rushed to replace their seats in the rows, scraping the tile flooring. They pushed and shoved to get to the door. Mrs. Knight's reminder that this would be due first thing in class tomorrow had fallen upon deaf ears.

Nova offered the middle-aged woman a smile on her way. Only if to let her know she'd heard the instructions. She moved past the next class entering the classroom, trying to avoid a collision with someone as she reached back to try and pull her water from the pocket of her bag.

Just as she managed to twist the cap off a hand caught her wrist, pulling her toward the row of lockers. Water splashed everywhere, even on her sweater. She cursed wiping at the wet droplets.

"Pope!" she yelled, looking up to meet his gaze. "What the hell?"

"We're going to the library," he didn't even apologize for spilling her water.

He took her wrist again and began leading her down the wrong end of the hall. His tone was rushed, and beads of sweat had started to form on his forehead despite the running air conditioning.

"But I have French..."

Nova's objections were ignored. And Pope continued pulling her down the hall. In the opposite direction of where she should be going. This had seemed to become a habit of Pope's. Pulling Nova away from her classes to have a super-secret meeting somewhere else in the school.

The school's library sat in a mostly abandoned wing. Placed at the very end of the school. The lights flickered, dimming. Lockers weren't used this far back. Too many broken and rusted water leaks. Ceiling tiles had been taken out and never replaced. Classrooms are locked or used for storage.

The high school had been built for the entire island. Once upon a time Kooks and Pogues lined the halls of this school together. Then the Academy was built. The school board lost a lot of funding when nearly half of their student population transferred elsewhere. There was barely any money to keep up with renovations. And now, an entire wing of the school sits untouched. Even the tiling was different from the more white, modern floor at the front of the school.

The usual company waits for them at the library doors. The company that Nova had been trying to force from her thoughts from night to morning.

He was leaning against the paint-chipped wall. His usual red hair sits backward on his head. He looked down, scuffing the cracked tile floor. Nova's mouth dried and her throat began to tighten. Her fingers twitched and her lips burned with memory. She had to refrain from touching them.

She sucked in a sharp breath, shaking her head. Stop it... she willed herself.

"Took you long enough," scolded Kiara, standing up from the spot where she'd been sitting on the ground, back leaned against the wooden doors that lead into the library. "Did you tell her?"

Nova furrowed her eyebrows, "Tell me what?"

"No. Not yet," said Pope.

She was more confused now than ever. Why couldn't they just tell her?

JJ had finally looked at her. Even before she turned her head, she felt his gaze. It burned through her. They'd been trying to look anywhere else from the moment she ran upon them. Refusing even the slightest glance. But it couldn't be avoided. As Pope was ushering Nova into the library door that Kiara held open for them, their eyes met. And time slowed near a stop.

He greeted her, nodding. She did the same. At least they acknowledged the other's existence.

"Guys!" Nova stopped, pulling her hand away from Pope's grasp. "What is going on?"

Pope scanned the room. They were nearly alone except for the librarian and one student who scanned the bookshelves. But still, Pope was paranoid and motioned for the others to follow him toward to row of computers.

"It's this," said Pope.

He'd handed Nova a folded piece of paper. Heavy-duty paper. His name had been neatly written on it. With furrowed eyebrows she turned it over, gasping at what she saw. It was the seal. It'd been pressed with a symbol she knew. The wheat symbol.

"Where did you..." she sighed, looking over the paper again. "Pope, who gave this to you?"

Someone knew about the gold they found. Someone else. Or perhaps this was blackmail.

"It was someone from the scholarship committee," Pope told her, reaching for the paper again. Nova handed it over. "Look at this," he reached the paper out to JJ, letting him take it. "And read it."

"Out loud," added Kiara.

JJ's eyebrows furrowed. He scanned the paper in his hands. He began to shift on his feet. One hand dug deep into his pocket. They all waited with expectant gazes. Finally, she shook his head with a defeated sigh.

"It's in cursive," he told them as if they didn't already know. "I can't read cursive."

Nova snorted.

She figured it was a joke until her head lifted, and JJ was completely serious. The smile on her face fell, "Oh..." she whispered, shocked. "You're – you're serious."

JJ huffed, "Yeah, I'm serious," he told her, and everyone else. "It's dyslexia. Messes me up, man."

Nova furrowed her eyebrows, "You're dyslexic?"

"Obviously!" he sounded exasperated.

Annoyed, and impatient, Kiara snatched the letter away from JJ and began reading it herself.

"Dear Mr. Heyward, I am reaching out because I have material evidence that can exonerate John B. Routledge," Nova stopped breathing. Kiara paused, eyes widening. Pope began pacing the carpeted floor, chewing on his thumbnail. "It is of vital importance that you meet with me in person at my offices at 27 King Street, Charleston at 8:00 p.m. sharp tonight," Kiara furrowed her eyebrows, but continued. "Please come alone. Regards, C. Limbrey."

Limbrey... Nova ran the name over and over through her head. It sounded so familiar. She's heard it before. She knows that she had. She'd heard this name from her dad. That's all she could remember.

JJ laughed, "Charleston?" His voice pulled Nova from her thoughts. "Really? Charleston?"

"It's like an eight-hour drive, plus the ferry," sighed Pope, who threw his hands up, beginning to freak out. "How are we going to get there by tonight?"

"Private jet?" Nova shrugged.

All three heads turned to face her. Eyes wide and all slightly confused. Someone Nova forgot who she was. Sometimes she forgot the access she had to the entire world. And she forgot that some people don't have that.

"You have a private jet?" asked Kiara.

She shrugged, "Well, not on me," Nova told them, suddenly feeling a tad bit uncomfortable. "But yes, my dad's company requires him to have a private jet for sudden travel needs."

She began to regret even bringing it up because of the looks she was getting. "Look, it was a bad idea, let's just forget I brought it up."

They nodded. It was a good thing too. They wouldn't have been able to use the jet. Nova's not even eighteen, and her dad had taken it when he left last.

"If we're driving, we'd have to leave right now," JJ suggested.

"Even then," added Nova. "We're pushing on time."

"I have a free period next," said Kiara.

Pope had been the only one yet to speak on the topic.

"Material evidence," JJ repeated the words that Kiara had read to them. "What does that even mean? Material evidence."

"They can clear John B's name," whispered Nova, her gaze rising to meet his. "He can come home."

Nova bit the inside of her lip. So hard that it only took seconds for the blood to rush through broken skin. She remembered the feeling of JJ's lips. And then the guilt was back.

JJ turned away from her. He tore his baseball cap off his head and ran a shaking hand through his messy hair, "Shit..." he whispered before turning back to her and everyone else. "We're going to Charleston."

Despite everything that has happened. Despite the kiss. Despite the guilt that ate away at her. Nova had hope. A kind of hope that had slowly begun to dwindle. The fear of never being able to bring John B. and Sarah home was crushing them and becoming a slight reality that they didn't want to have to face.

This lead had to be it. It had to work. Because John B. had promised her. He promised Nova, he'd make it back to her. And she fully intended to hold him to that promise.

"I'm going to have to tell my mom," Kiara sighed, her head falling back. "She's going to freak out."

Nova nodded, "Nolan has to know where I'm going."

Pope coughed. He had sat down at the computer while everyone else discussed getting to Charleston. Their heads turned to him, and he laughed, surprised.

"Holy shit..." he said, turning to them. Kiara, with furrowed eyebrows, moved to stand behind the chair Pope sat in. The others followed closely behind. "I'm not sure..." he told them. "But I think that whoever this Limbrey person is, they might be related to the Captain of the Royal Merchant."

Nova sighed, almost laughing.

"Yeah, of fucking course they are." 

The air was not even breathable. It was hot – too hot. All cramped in the front bench of Pope's truck. Nova couldn't stand it. When they pulled into the driveway of Kiara's house, Nova opted to stand outside. Even if that meant listening awkwardly as Kiara and her parents argue on the porch outside their home. At least she had a breeze.

Nova leaned against the front hood of the truck. She tried not to hear Kiara and her mom screaming at each other. She looked on at the beach that sat across the road. Listening to the crashing waves instead. Making that her only thought. The rolling tides of the ocean.

Then Kiara's mom came stomping after her. Her dad is close in tow. She stopped on the steps that led to the painted porch. She called after Kiara, insisting that she stop walking away from her. Then, noticing Nova, she stopped, eyes locking on the girl against the truck.

"And what about your dad, Nova?" her mother called out, snapping her gaze away from the ocean and toward the large house. "How does he feel about this trip to Charleston during school hours?"

"I mean, yeah, I texted him everything," said Nova not understanding why she had to be brought into their family squabble. "Honestly, he's fine with it," she shrugged. "Just told me to keep him and my brother updated, and to be safe and smart."

She shook her head, that hadn't been the answer she wanted to hear. As it only helped fuel Kiara's fire. She motioned to Nova, using her dad as a way to try and sway her parents to let her go. It didn't seem as if it was working as they only continued to shake their heads.

Suddenly, JJ was beside her, having gotten out of the truck. He used his hand to shield the sun from his eyes, despite the cap on his head. His other arm supported his weight as he leaned on the passenger side door.

"Your dad really doesn't care about you going to Charleston?" he asked as if he didn't believe what she'd told Kiara's mom. "Skipping school and ditching the island with a bunch of pogues... c'mon, he had to have said something about it."

Nova turned, looking at JJ. He was amused.

"He didn't care when he found out I was running around with John B. every night, looking for lost treasure," she told him, turning away, still unable to hold his gaze for too long. "He trusts me to make my own choices."

She shouldn't have done what she did. It was purposeful. She brought John B's name knowing the guilt it would inflict. She knew because she felt the same. But it was cold and uncalled for. Nova had taken out her guilt on JJ when he was only half to blame. She was not completely innocent of what had happened. JJ initiated the kiss. Nova didn't stop him – she didn't pull away or tell him to stop. She willingly kissed him back. She remembered wanting him to kiss her – hoping that he would.

But no matter how she feels about JJ... Nova is in love with John B, whom she knows. He is the one she wants to be with. He's everything to her.

"How'd you get this ride?" JJ looked away from Nova, as she expected, and changed the subject to where he wouldn't have to talk to her. "I know your old man didn't let you have it."

Pope had a guilty look in his eye, "I undid the intake valves on the carburetor," he told JJ, using words Nova didn't recognize. "Made it start pinging."

"And now you're just gonna take to your cousin Jeff's house," JJ nodded, understanding. He seemed proud of Pope's defiance. "Just going to get it fixed," he shrugged, smiling. "And crash overnight."

"I'd say we have about eighteen hours before he absolutely loses his shit," Pope tells them as he looks on through the windshield at Kiara. "So long as we get it back before then... I think we're good."

Nova rolled her eyes listening to the conversation. None of the deceit or lies had been necessary. She offered to take her own car. A car where the air conditioning worked properly. A car where they'd each have their own seat and not be made to squeeze onto one bench.

All trouble could have been avoided had they let Nova drive. And for that, she'll remain bitter.

"I am not going to boarding school," Kiara stomped down the few stairs that lifted her deck. Her tone was shrill and angry. Eyes widened with horror.

"It would give you structure!" her dad called after her.

Kiara spun on her heels, "But they're not my people!"

Her mom, tired of the same answer, rolled her eyes, "Look at your life right now, Kiara," she placed her hands on her hips. Her face is red with anger. "I mean really, look at how it's turning out for you."

Kiara though had little interest in discussing her life or boarding school with her parents any longer. She ignored them completely as she walked to the truck, taking Nova's wrist in passing, and pulling her alongside her. Kiara got in first, scooting in close beside Pope, and allowing room for Nova to sit beside her. She didn't say anything, but Nova had wished she didn't want to sit beside her because she'd wanted the window seat.

JJ waved before sliding into the truck himself, "It's good to see y'all, Mr. and Mrs. Carrera."

Pope began backing out of the driveway, and stuck his head out of the window, "Ma'am... sir... I promise to have your daughter back at a reasonable hour and completely safe."

Kiara rolled her eyes. As did Nova. There was nothing reasonable or safe about what they'd been caught up in.

"Kiara, listen to me. If you want to go, then you go," her mom yelled, stepping off the steps of the deck. But she wasn't genuinely giving her permission. "But if you aren't home at a reasonable hour, then don't come home at all!"

She refused to give them a reaction. Kiara said nothing. Didn't even flinch from her mother's words. And then they were gone. Passing her house by in a blur.

"Do you think she was bluffing?" asked Nova, turning to face Kiara.

She shrugged, "She's never been that angry before."

They spent five minutes on the road and already Nova was becoming agitated. She shifted uncomfortably between Kiara and JJ, feeling smashed, and hot. Even with the windows down, she couldn't breathe. She tried to crowd into Kiara, not wanting to be touching JJ in the slightest. But it was near impossible when they had to share seats.

"I still don't get why we couldn't take my vehicle," she grumbled, as she lifted her butt off the seat so that she might regain some feeling in her sardine-packed legs.

"We couldn't," sighed Pope, explaining this to Nova for the hundredth time. "I had to find a way to get my dad to let me go to Charleston on a school night."

"And like I suggested back at school," said Nova slowly and angrily. "Why not park your truck at my house, where it's gated, and no one will see it?"

She failed to understand why it had to be this way. She had offered up a plan and solution of her own, and yet here they sit. Packed like sardines in a two-seater truck. All the while her close-to-new Range Rover sat abandoned in the school parking lot.

JJ's head turned, "What?" he asked, his voice dangerously close to hers. His breath was hot against her cheek, and it sent chills running down her spine. "Is this ride not kook enough for you?"

"You think you're so funny, don't you?" Nova rolled her eyes and turned her head toward him.

Luckily her annoyance and rage were boiling inside her, making it easy to avoid their closeness.

JJ was amused at how easy he was able to get to her. He smiled, his gaze lowering, just slightly, to look at her lips, before once raising back to her glaring eyes.

"Hilarious, actually," he whispered.

Those words were the last shared until they boarded the ferry. And still, then their words to one another were limited. Short with little meaning but a lot of untouched aggression. Nova followed the others out of the truck once the ferry was moving along the water. She stretched her legs, looking over the tall ledge and the rustling waters below.

A cool, soft breeze washed over them. Sending a light mist and the smell of salt. Nova, climbed into the bed of Pope's truck, stretching her legs out with her head tilted back, enjoying the mist and the clear skies.

"My parents are so paranoid that I'm becoming a Pogue," sighed Kiara, climbing into the bed of the truck and sitting in the wide space between Nova and JJ. "As if that's the worst thing in the world."

She hadn't forgotten about the threat of boarding school. And had just started her long-winded rant on it. Kiara believes her parents don't want her being a pogue, or even associated with them. Though Nova would bet money on it being about them always landing themselves in some kind of danger that eventually leads to trouble.

Nova sighed, "Did you know that a Pogue is a fish. It's another word for a pogie," she told them, despite not being asked. "You guys are literally calling yourselves baitfish."

Kiara furrowed her eyebrows. She turned to Nova confused, likely wondering where the outburst had come from. But Nova only laughed at the fact that she had learned from a google search only a little while ago.

"Hey, I hear that they got good weed at boarding school, though," said JJ, attempting to lighten Kiara's mood.

He pulled a joint from a small bag in his back pocket and finished rolling it the rest of the way up.

"I'm not going to boarding school," Kiara told him defiantly. "They'll have to like kidnap me, tie me up, and throw me into a van."

"But like, they can do that," said Nova. "At least some of them can," she shrugged, and the others gave her questioning looks. "Gale Friar. He was a junior in my freshman year. He was the school's plug. Dealt everything, and I mean, everything," Nova recounted the story she learned mostly from her brother back to her friends. "Got in major trouble. Parents couldn't control him anymore and so some kind of behavioral boarding school took him while he was asleep in his bedroom. All they needed was parental consent."

"Jesus Christ..." Pope shook his head.

Kiara looked at Nova, eyes wide, "Shit..." she whispered. "Are you serious?"

Nova nodded, "No one has heard from him since..."

And it was true. It's been two years. The last time anyone heard anything about Gale was when his parents went to his graduation from school the next year. His mom had posted photos of the ceremony on her Facebook wall. Everyone assumed he'd show back up, but he never did. And he never reached out to any of his old friends either.

JJ scoffed, "Well on that depressing note..." he looked around his friends smiling mischievously. "I say we crumble some herb right now."

"In honor of Gale Friar," said Kiara.

Nova scrunched her nose as JJ fished for the lighter, he kept in his pocket. She moved farther away from him, toward the butt of the truck. Her back pressed against the latch. Not only could she not participate, but she hated the smell. Pope noticed her discomfort and offered her a sympathetic smile.

He reached out, his hand lightly tapping her shoulder to get her to look at him, "Have you attempted to reach John B. back on that burner number anymore?"

"Only about a million times," Nova told him, annoyed. She'd texted and called until the phone's storage was full. "A random lady at a hotel answered the phone."

"Well, until we hear from him and Sarah again, we have to keep trying to clear his name," Pope nodded, trying to hold onto hope. "I think this letter is our best bet."

If the letter remained true to its contents then Pope was right to hope. This Limbrey person had the ability to clear John B's name. They could bring him and Sarah home. Nova could see him – touch him again. He'd be here with her. Her heart soared and sank all at once.

"Right, stay on task," JJ chimed in sounding a bit childish. "That's why I love ya, Pope."

Kiara stood up from her spot. Walking the joint over to Pope, offering it out to him, "What Pope are you going to be today?"

Nova could see it. He wanted to take the joint from her. To try and impress her by appearing as someone who he wasn't. Pope's gaze slid to Nova. Not because he was asking her permission but because he knew that she hated the smell and how the high effects reacted with Nova's medications. So, he sighed and shook his head.

"No thanks," he said, disappointing Kiara. "I need to keep a clear head, and besides, I don't want to put too much smoke on Nova."

Kiara nodded, turning back to return to where she'd sat beside JJ, "Good Pope..." she whispered. "Boring Pope..."

Nova watched with a slight look of disgust. She didn't care that they were smoking. She wouldn't have cared if Pope participated. She'd been around it before, and besides, they were outside, she couldn't get a second-hand high.

It was the way that Kiara had treated Pope just now. The way she dismissed him as boring. Just because he wouldn't play along to her rebellious fantasy. She was so careless with his feelings. He was the only one of them trying all the time. The only one of them that was trying to make sure that everyone was okay and trying to be perfect himself at the same time. And still, she did that to him.

Pope had turned away. He rested on the banister, overlooking the water. He didn't want to hear Kiara and JJ poking any more fun at him, and frankly, neither did Nova.

"Why are you so mean to him, Kiara?" Nova wasn't going to bring it up, she didn't want to start any trouble, but her mouth no longer listened to her brain. "He does everything for us. We are so lucky to have him, and you just – you dismiss him so easily," it was like word vomit, she couldn't stop even if she wanted. "You shouldn't – he isn't boring just for being responsible."

"I didn't mean it like—"

Nova stood up from her spot, stepping over the hatch of the truck, feet resting on the lifts, she shrugged, stepping onto the ground, "I don't need the explanation, Kiara," she told her. "I'm not the one you just ostracized for refusing to smoke."

She turned away. She didn't have much idea where she was going. All she knew was she needed to be somewhere else. Her sour mood was making her say things that would start a fight.

"Where are you going?" JJ's voice stopped her as she started to round the truck, looking for an escape.

She looked across the way at him, and shrugged, "I don't know, to find a vending machine, maybe?" Her eyes began to squint under the light of the sun. "I just have to be away from here, right now."

JJ nodded. He asked no further questions. Nova turned away from him again, stopping beside Pope, asking him if he wanted to walk with her to find a vending machine or somewhere they could get some snacks.  

The sardine feeling returned. Once again squeezing back into the tight space in Pope's truck. Sweaty and praying for air, Nova sat awkwardly squished between JJ and Kiara again.

The drive was quiet. Nova watched the sloping trees pass by the window in a speedy blur. The sun had started to fall lower in the sky, creating shade and shadow. An orange tint began to coat the blue sky. The winds hissed through the open windows, still offering little solace to a sweating Nova. She was eventually made to tie her hair back because the fast winds ripping by slung her hair in every which direction. Luckily, she always kept two hairbands on her wrist.

"What did your dad tell you about the Limbrey's, Nova?" asked Pope, only looking away from the road for less than a second.

"They own like most of Charleston, North Carolina," she sighed, throwing her head back. "So, obviously, they're loaded."

She'd told them on the ferry that she'd recognized the Limbrey name. But she couldn't bring herself to remember where or how she knew it. So, she texted her dad, telling him that Pope had gotten a letter from them regarding a scholarship. It took a while to get a response, but eventually, he replied with a few details.

Details that made Nova a little worried about what they were walking into.

"I guess they had been close to my dad's great grandfather. They'd even been on the business's board of directors. They gave up their positions a few years before the business was passed to my dad, he was never told why, or what happened," Nova explained exactly what her dad's texts told her. "I don't think he cared either, because he'd found some old paperwork in his dad's files, and apparently, they were up to some shady shit."

Pope's eyes widened, "Jesus..." he whispered. "What kind of shady shit."

"I don't know, my dad didn't tell me that much," she told him, shrugging, wishing that her dad had told her all that he knew. "It must've been pretty bad though."

Kiara turned, confused, "Why do you say that?"

"Because my dad refused my grandfather a seat on the board of directors. He refused to allow him to hold any of the company's shares. I don't think he trusted his own father," Nova told them. And none of this had been sent through her dad's texts. Nolan had told her this a long time ago, and he'd heard his dad talking to their mom about it. "He cut him out of every aspect of the business. They haven't been in contact since."

"Holy shit, that's heavy," said JJ.

Nova nodded. She doesn't even know her family from her dad's end of the family. She's met a cousin, once. Nova and Nolan will get Christmas cards from their grandmother. It's never signed by their grandfather. She doesn't think they were good people. But sometimes she wonders if her dad misses them. Or if he ever thought about reaching out.

"I have read this letter a thousand times and it makes no sense," Kiara sighed, dopping the embossed paper on her lap with a defeated sigh. "I mean, like Nova said, the Limbrey's own like half of Charleston. What do the Kook Kings of the mainland know about a murder that happened on Kildare Island?"

"Yeah, and why you specifically, Pope?" JJ leaned over Nova to look at his best friend. "That's the other creepy part about all this."

Nova wriggled uncomfortably, pushing JJ off her.

"Maybe they heard something about his interview for the scholarship," she suggested, shrugging. "It doesn't take much to see that Pope's the brains of our little group."

The others nodded, agreeing. Pope did not.

"Yeah, I was thinking the same," he told Nova. "I think it's because—"

A puff of smoke blew from underneath the truck's rusted hood. A hissing noise followed, and the truck began to shake. Their conversations stopped and instead they looked at the dark cloud of smoke engulfing the front of the vehicle.

"What the hell?" Nova furrowed her eyebrows.

"Oh God," Kiara panicked. "This doesn't look good. That's a lot of smoke, we should pull over."

JJ waved his hand in front of his face, coughing. He rushed to crank the manual window, his back to Nova.

"Okay. Okay, I'm pulling over," Pope assured them all.

But the truck did not stop. It did not even slow down. Pope cut the wheel toward the edge of the road. The truck sped up. Nova's back had been slammed back into the seat. Unknowingly she reached beside her, clinging to JJ's arm as fear coursed through her body.

He'd certainly noticed. His eyes fell at the first touch of her. Watching as she holds onto him without even knowing. JJ left it alone. He didn't dare to speak or move an inch. Not wanting to risk her moving.

JJ didn't care that this meant nothing to her. That it was her body's instinct to react to fear – to grab ahold of something – anything, for security. At least it was him that her body reached for.

Pope slammed his foot onto the brake. Cursing as he did. He drove through the field on the side of the road, coasting, hoping for the best. Nova's eyes shit tightly as a wooden fence grew closer and closer. She leaned back and braced herself for some kind of impact.

It never happened. Instead, her body was thrown forward. An arm was put out in front of her, stopping her from risking ahead by slamming into the dash in front of her. She turned; it was JJ's arm that'd slammed her back in her seat. His eyes widened as he clutched onto the bar above him.

She furrowed her eyebrows at him. Her chest heaved as the rate of her heart slowly began to return to a normal pace, "Thanks."

He nodded, moving his arm. And she too released the hold she had on his wrist.

"No... no... no!" Pope punched his steering wheel.

Smoke continued to rise. It was darker than it had been only moments ago. And it began to engulf the truck completely. Quickly he cut the engine, opened the driver-side door, and slid out. Kiara followed him, and so did JJ, who waited for Nova to step onto the ground before closing the door behind him.

Nova stayed close to JJ. Not wanting to risk being in harm's way because of the old, rusted truck. She stood on her tiptoes, peering over his shoulder, only to catch a glimpse of the fire-breathing monster before them.

"It's not going to like, blow up or anything, is it?" she asked worriedly.

"No," JJ laughed, shaking his head. "No, Nova, it isn't going to blow up."

Nova and Kiara stood toward the back end of the vehicle. Neither of them felt safe enough to be near either of the boys who inspected under the smoking hood. JJ said it wouldn't blow up, but Nova had never seen that much smoke and no sign of fire.

With a sigh, the red hood, stained brown with rust, slammed shut. The looks on their faces were telling enough. Something was actually wrong with the ride.

"I think it'd about time to cancel that meeting of yours tonight, Pope," said JJ, sighing, accepting their defeat.

Kiara shook her head, "No, we can't," she argued with him. "What about plan B? We have to have a plan B, right?" She looked at everyone, no one offered a solution. "Public transportation? Bikes? We could hitchhike for all I care, guys."

Nova hummed in disapproval.

"The location is still like an hour away, I'm not biking that far," she told Kiara, looking as if she was talking crazy. "I also don't do public transportation, too crowded – too disgusting... As for hitchhiking..." Nova raised her eyebrows and laughed. "I've seen enough horror movies to tell me why that's a bad idea."

"You're very judgmental for someone without a plan," said Kiara, annoyed.

"No, I had a plan, like hours ago, Kiara," Nova corrected her. Her tone was a tad bit condescending, but she didn't bother to change it. "Remember back at the school when I said, hey let's take the range rover and Pope can park his truck at my house, that was my idea." She clapped, looking around at everyone because it'd all of them who didn't listen to her or take her seriously. "A brand-new car. One that wasn't at risk of breaking down in the middle of bum-fuck nowhere. And had a working air conditioning system!"

Nova and Kiara went on to argue. Kiara had called Nova a spoiled brat. Nova retaliated by reminding Kiara that she was no different. That she too would through fits when she didn't get her way. They exchanged insults and hurtful words. Bickering for little reason. Only because they were both agitated. Nova was tired, hot, and annoyed. Kiara was coming down off her high. They both just needed someone to be mad at – to take their anger out on. And they chose each other.

The boys did not even try to step between the two girls. Knowing that if they did the fury would turn on them.

"My dad's going to murder me," Pope sighed, falling back against the driver-side door.

JJ nodded, clapping Pope on the shoulder, "Yeah," he whispered. "There's actually a very high chance of him doing that." 

A tow truck had to be called. In the end, it was the only solution that everyone could agree on. They had to call someone to come get the truck and get them off the side of the street. Nova had watched too many tractors drive by them. She knew they needed to get out of there. So, she called and offered to pay the fee.

The shop was small. Empty too. Only two other cars had been taken into the garage, though there was no one working on them. Likely having left for the evening. The sun had started to set behind the rolling fielding, leaving the sky a dark blue and an opportunity for the moon to appear.

Nova didn't like the place. It was too deserted and had little cellphone service. She also didn't care too much for their driver. The entire ride he spent spitting tobacco out of his truck window.

She'd decided to sit outside. Finding an old, word truck, even more, broken and rusted than Pope's hunk of metal. She sat in the bed; knees pulled up to her chest to rest her chin. Kiara joined her not long after she sat down. They hadn't really apologized to one another. Not that they needed to. Neither party was mad at the other. It was barely a squabble. They just needed a way to take out their pent-up stress.

Time passed them by slowly. It was quiet. And boring. Kiara had laid down in the middle of the truck's bed. Nova sat on the wheel, looking up at the sky, tracing the constellations with her finger. She couldn't remember them all or their placements, no matter how hard she thought back to the times she and her mom would lay out on the trampoline and do this very thing.

Sighing, Kiara slapped Nova's ankle. She motioned for her to move and lay down beside her. Having found all the connected stars she could, she does. For a moment Kiara doesn't say anything. They both just lay side-by-side in silence. Kiara's arms stretch behind her head, acting as a pillow, and Nova's hands lay upon her stomach. They both look at the black sky.

Finally, Kiara sighed, her head turned, "What's going on between you and JJ?"

"What?" her attention diverted.

She stared back at Kiara. Her eyes are wide. She felt her palms becoming sweaty and her heart began to pound in her chest. This was panic – she was panicking. How did Kiara know?

"I mean what happened between the two of you?" she asked, barely clarifying what she meant. "Are you two mad at each other? Like, did you guys get into an argument or something?"

There was a little release in Nova's chest. Kiara didn't know. She's only just caught onto the change in their behaviors, which is still nerve-racking.

"Why would you think we're arguing?" she asked.

Kiara scoffed, "All the snide comments. Your attitude when you talk to him..." she raised her eyebrows. "I mean, the two of you can barely look at each other."

"Oh."

Nova didn't know what to say. Her head turned back to the sky, and she sucked in a deep breath. She knew she was acting differently. It wasn't fair though. JJ hadn't been as unkind and patronizing to her as she was to him. It's no wonder Kiara noticed the shift in her behavior. She's been unreasonably hard on JJ for something she did too.

"So, what happened?" Kiara sat up, suddenly intrigued. "I mean, you guys had practically been best friends. You were actually able to tolerate him," she laughed, as did Nova, who had sat up by now too. "Did JJ say something stupid? Because if he did, I can—"

"No... no, it's not – it's nothing like..." Nova whined, running her hands over her tired face. She had no idea what to say. "It's just —" Kiara nodded for her to continue, despite not knowing what to say. "JJ kissed me."

Nova bit hard into her lip. She had no idea why she just told Kiara that. That secret was meant for her to take to the grave. No one but JJ and herself was ever going to know about it. It was going to be as if it never happened. Because maybe then, one day she might be able to stop feeling so guilty about it.

But it was out there now. There was no taking back her word vomit. No convincing Kiara to try and forget what she heard. The kiss was out there. And now Nova had to reap the consequences of putting it out.

Kiara blinked, her bottom jaw dropped, "What?"

Nova didn't say anything. Only nodded.

"Holy! I mean, like, what the actual fuck!" Kiara's hands grasped either side of her own face as she shook her head, the words still unable to register, as if they weren't real, or spoken in an entirely unrecognizable language. "Why? Why would he—"

This was not something Kiara had prepared herself to hear. She would've never been able to guess. She'd only assumed JJ had done or said something stupid, like make a crude remark or something along those lines. Never did she think he'd kiss his best friend's girlfriend.

Nova didn't know how to answer her questions. She had yet to register what happened that night herself. She couldn't explain what happened even if she tried. Nothing made sense. Not even the emotions they were feeling when it happened.

They didn't talk about it. After they had finally let go of each other, Nova got into her car and drove home. That was it. They just went their separate ways.

"I think that he's at his breaking point. Like he's just so fucking stressed, you know?" Kiara met Nova's gaze, grasping desperately for any kind of way to explain this. "I mean, obviously he's pretty messed up right now. He just lost his best friend. His dad continues to be an abusive piece of shit..." she continued grasping at straws. "I think that you're the closest thing to him right now. The only source of good that he thinks he has. Maybe some wires got crossed somewhere and everything mixed in his head. Obviously, he knows he made a mistake."

Nova did not agree. But she did not tell Kiara that. It was better that she believed her own reasonings. It was a mistake. Nothing actually happened. It was a bump in the road that they were going to walk away from.

It was better than her knowing the truth. At least, that's what Nova thought. With everything happening it would only become another issue among the many they already had to deal with. They were so close to getting John B. back. That's all that mattered. Kiara didn't need to know the details.

Like how good Nova felt when kissing him. Or how JJ had marked her skin red because of how tightly he held her. How she had let his cold hands run up her old shirt so that he could caress and touch every inch of her skin. No one needed to know that the kiss had not been an accident. Unexpected, yes. But not accidental. Nova wanted that kiss just as much as JJ.

If she hadn't, she never would have followed him outside the car that night.

"You're right," Nova agreed quickly. "I think he knows – we both know that there's nothing between us. Never has been," she breathed out a soft laugh. "It's just things are a little awkward, I guess."

Kiara nodded, seeming relieved, having believed the made-up story Nova just gave her, "Good," she said. "Because honestly, Nova, you don't want to go down that road with JJ. I've been around long enough to see his version of a relationship..." Nova, confused, furrowed her eyebrows. "I think loving him would hurt you."

Nova bit the inside of her lip. She couldn't quite grasp what Kiara had meant. But she did agree on one thing, she didn't want to go down this road with JJ.

And as if he could hear his name in her thoughts, JJ appeared before them, stopping at the bed of the truck Nova and Kiara had claimed for themselves. He was laughing, looking around them, and shaking his head.

Kiara furrowed her eyebrows at him, awaiting an explanation.

"We are in the middle of fucking nowhere, man," he continued to chuckle, turning the red cap on his head backward.

Nova had to look away.

"I think Pope's in heaven right now," JJ nodded in a direction behind them, both girls turned their heads to find their friend, who stood talking to the mechanic over the open hood of his truck. "You have to know the calibration point before you do anything with the intake valve, JJ. You do the—"

His mocking of Pope stood midway through. He'd just now noticed the silence that had fallen over the once gossiping girls upon his arrival. His gaze moved between the two.

"You two alright over here?" He sounded genuine.

His gaze had lingered a little longer on Nova though.

Nova shrugged, smudging the dirt on the toe of her converse, "We're fine."

Kiara groaned, quickly averting the attention to her, "My mom is so worried about me becoming a pogue that she's actually considering the idea of me going to boarding school,"

"I don't see the point of them even sending you," said Nova with a long sigh, thankful that Kiara was able to make this the primary conversation. "You already are who you are. It's too late to try and change your personality."

"Besides, being a pogue ain't all that bad," JJ added, looking at Pope once again. "Just look at that guy over there. He would do anything for us, and that's a pogue if I've ever seen one," he told them. "Bone deep."

Kiara smiled, looking back at Pope. Both JJ and Nova knew that despite her actions toward him, there were growing feelings that she held for Pope.

JJ sighed, "That's just one man's opinion though."

Nova laughed lightly, shaking her head. JJ was not being discreet in his actions. He was being a wingman. Helping his best friend get the girl.

"What's going on with the truck anyway?" asked Nova, daring to look back up at the blonde standing before her.

"They're fighting over prices," he shrugged. "The mechanic said that the only way he can put a rush on the repairs is if Pope pays him extra."

Nova looked back to where Pope had once stood arguing with the mechanic. They'd moved by now, both walking inside the small shop. Pope wore a tired, defeated expression as he followed the older man. He hadn't even thought to ask Nova for the money. Even when he knew full well she had it.

Without hesitation, Nova stepped over the side of the truck bed, lowering herself onto the flattened wheel before stepping onto the concrete.

"Where are you going?" Kiara furrowed her eyebrows.

Nova grinned, "We're getting that damn rush."

Inside the shop it was hot. Sickeningly so. The smell of body odor and gasoline-filled her nostrils. Nova stepped up beside Pope at the front desk. Just then she noticed how much taller he was than her. Nearly more than an entire head.

Carefully she watched the mechanic draw them up a bill. Apparently of everything he'd have to do to fix the truck. It seemed unlikely that all the things he listed needed to be worked on, but Nova didn't know enough about cars and their parts to question him on it.

He slid the bill across the counter to Pope, his eyes widened as he lifted it into his hands, "Three hundred and seventy dollars?" he questioned. "Are you serious?"

Nova looked at it too, but it was no use, she understood none of the words listed.

The mechanic shrugged, "Well..." he drew out. "Yeah, man."

He could smell their desperation. He knew they'd do anything to get that truck running again as quickly as they could. So, he knew how to profit from it. He'd cheat the teens.

Nova dug through her wallet, counting the bills inside, it wasn't enough, "I have two hundred dollars in cash," she told the sweaty man before her. "Can't you just take that and fix the damn truck?"

"Little Miss," he stated harshly. "You're forgetting that I am giving you my time in the middle of the night," he gestured towards the outside, which was now blanketed completely with darkness. "If I wanted, I could turn out these lights and refuse help until the morning."

Nova scowled at him.

Pope put a calming hand on her shoulder, shaking his head, "Don't worry about it, Nova, you don't have to—"

But Nova was an heir of the Scott Dynasty. The business ran deep in her blood. She wasn't about to take no for an answer.

"Pope, shut it, okay," she said turning to him, insisting that she can handle this. Nova reached for her ears, unscrewing the bright, glimmering diamonds that had been pushed through the small hole made when she was just a baby. She slammed both of them on the counter in front of the mechanic, he raised a confused eyebrow.

"Eighteen-karat gold with one-carat diamond," she told the uninformed man of the worth she had just worn in her ears. "A pair of these go for over three thousand dollars... take them."

Pope's eyes widened in horror when the man scooped the diamonds off the dirty countertop. He opened his mouth to protest but Nova held her hand up to keep him from talking.

"How do I know that you aren't just pulling a fast one on me, missy?" He looked at her, eyebrows drew low. "How do I know that you aren't just handing me some fake diamonds right now."

"You'll just have to take my word for it," she shrugged.

She sounded convincing enough. And the look of pure horror upon Pope's face told him all he needed to know. But he wasn't going to let up just yet.

"And tell me, just what am I supposed to do with a pair of earrings?"

Nova scoffed, rolling her eyes, "Pawn them? Give them to your wife as a gift?" she offered. "I don't care what you do with them. Just get the damn truck fixed... please!"

Pope coughed, taking a nervous step away from Nova. He'd never seen her like this. So harsh and demanding. It was her father coming out in her. The heiress of a dynasty. It scared Pope.

The mechanic nodded, seeming to know that he'd got what he wanted from them. More money than his time was worth. So, he carefully slid the earrings into the drawer behind the desk.

"Fine, but it'll be a few hours."

Taking Pope's arm, Nova led him out of the smelly lobby. She took a deep breath once the cold air hit her.

"Look, Nova, I'll pay you back..." Pope began to ramble nervously. "I swear, every bit of what those earrings were worth."

"No, you won't," Nova shook her head. "I gave those earrings away, not you," she told him. "You don't owe me a thing."

He went to protest once again, but Nova stopped him, by raising her hand in front of his face.

"We're getting you to the Limbrey's Pope."

And that was that. 

A few hours finally finished.

But by the time the mechanic had finished with the truck, Nova had fallen asleep in the bed of another. Kiara had to shake her awake so that she could climb back into the crowded, sardine can of a vehicle Pope made them take. Nervously they all watched as Pope turned the key, and despite the few seconds it took, they all cheered happily when the engine shook to life.

They didn't venture far into the night as they hoped they would. Everyone was too tired to continue. No one wanted to drive, fighting sleep. And so, Pope pulled off into a secluded field, cutting the headlights of his truck. He sighed.

With a few found blankets, Pope was able to make a suitable enough space for all of them in the bed of his truck. They all climbed into the blanket-covered bed and found a spot beside one another. Except for Nova, who watched skeptically with her arms folded.

They'd all be squished if Nova climbed in. And Nova didn't want to wake accidentally cuddled up beside someone.

JJ, turned, noticing her hesitation to sleep under the stars with them, "What?" he asked teasingly. "You kooks not used to have to rough it like this?"

"Not a fan of bugs."

JJ scoffed, rolling his eyes, but Pope turned, tossing the keys through the air, Nova reached out, catching them. She looked at Pope, confused.

"Take the front seat," he told her. "Consider it as a thank you for tonight."

Nova gratefully took Pope up on his offer. She lay in the front seats, legs stretched out before her, completely alone. Her back rests against the driver-side door and she kicks the shoes off her feet.

She closed her eyes. Though she could still hear the other three rustling about outside. They struggled to find a comfortable way to sleep in the bed of a truck for a minute or two, and they whispered amongst themselves for a little while before settling down. Finally, things were quiet, and only the chirping crickets filled the lonely air.

Sleep hasn't been easily achievable for Nova these days. She usually lays awake as her mind wanders a million miles a minute, and her head refuses to quiet for even just a moment or two. Sighing, Nova closes her eyes, hoping to find comfort in the blackness behind her eyelids, trying to will her mind to quiet so that she might be able to sneak away into sleep.

Nova ignored the rumbling in her head and instead focused on the world around her. The noises that came from it. The humming of the wind as it rushed by the window that Nova had left only slightly open for fresh air. The midnight chirpings of the millions of crickets, hiding in the tall grass of the field they sleep in. The small croaks from the frogs only appear under the light of the moon. And the quiet rustling of the swaying trees that stand high above her.

She was blanketed by noise. Of noises made from everywhere around her. They were strong enough to fight the thoughts back, and they enveloped her, lulling Nova into a soft, peace-filled sleep.

And then the passenger door opened. Nova's feet were pushed to the side, falling off the seat, and JJ filled the space where they had once laid, closing the door behind him.

"Uh, what the hell are you doing?" asked Nova, now sitting up with wide eyes.

He pretended to not have heard her. JJ continues to make himself comfortable in the seat beside Nova, scooting down on the seat and laying his head back onto the neck rest.

"JJ!" she seethed, kicking his leg.

Finally, he looked at her, seeming completely dumbstruck by her sudden annoyance with him.

"Look, Kiara and Pope are out there kissing all up on one another right now," he finally told her, jutting his thumb out in the direction of the window behind them. Nova didn't dare look. "I am not interested in seeing how that might play out tonight."

"Jesus Christ, really, JJ?" Nova asked, running a hand over her tired face. "I highly doubt that Pope is going to get down and dirty with Kiara in the bed of truck that he's sharing with two other people!"

"Down and dirty?" he asked, apparently amused by her choice of words.

"You know what I mean."

"All I'm saying is you never know, not with Pope," JJ continued to press Nova's buttons, only now he was doing it on purpose. "Geek in the streets and freak in the sheets."

He seemed to think his joke was hilarious, but Nova's lips didn't even attempt to twitch into a grin.

"Highly unlikely," she told him.

"Whatever," he shrugged. "I'm not sleeping out there with them."

Nova watched furiously as JJ kicked his feet up on the dash and leaned his head back lazily to drape against the cushioned seat. He turned his head, eyes still bright with amusement when he looked at Nova. Seeing a glower makes a smirk appear on his lips.

"Well, you aren't sleeping in here," she kicks his feet off the dashboard angrily.

JJ sits up again, "Why not?"

She said nothing. Not for a long while. Nova had no answer. At least not a good enough one to shield the truth that she was holding in. And he wouldn't look away. Not long enough for her to try and think straight. His eyes remained on her, waiting for an answer to his question.

Nova couldn't look away either. She'd spent all day avoiding him. Refusing to meet his gaze or to allow her own to linger on the lips that had now once been on hers. Now, she sits, trapped with him in a dangerously close space.

And Nova knew then that she wanted him.

"Oh my god, JJ," she yells, completely frustrated, not only with him but herself, for allowing these feelings inside her to appear. She once again runs her hands over her face, eyes now glistening as tears threatened to spill along her cheeks. "Do you not get it?" she asks him desperately. "I don't think – I can't be around you like this."

It was too risky. And it was becoming painful for her to fight him all the time now. Nova couldn't stand him but at the same time wanted every bit of him. The feeling of him was becoming impossible to avoid the longer she spent alone with him. It'd be easier, Nova knew, if they kept their distance from each other. It'd be for the best if they stopped with the longing looks and knowing smiles. They had to stop all of it. Or someone was going to get hurt.

She watched as JJ clenched his jaw, sharpening the edges of his jaw, and he turned, eyes locking with her own, "Why?" he asked her again. "Why did you even kiss me back that night?"

"Why did you even kiss me in the first place?" Nova asked accusingly.

"Stop avoiding my questions, princess."

They were dangerously close now. JJ had moved, having Nova backed against the driver-side door. His hands were on either side of her, reaching out to clutch the armrest that she backed against. She was trapped by him now. He was unavoidable.

Nova gulped, "I don't know why I kissed back, JJ," she whispered, nearly trembling. "I was confused. I had almost drowned just hours before and then you – you... I was just confused," with a sigh she let her head fall against the cold glass of the window and she began laughing pitifully. "God, I am so fucking confused."

JJ didn't say anything. And he didn't move either. There was still a question that needed to be answered.

She brought her head back up, gaze meeting his, "Why'd you kiss me?"

There wasn't even a whisper that could fit between the two. They were so close. The closest one could be without touching. Nova could feel his heavy breath and hear the beating of his heart inside his chest. He gulped, finally able to speak.

"You know – you know exactly why I kissed you..." his whispers were heavy and low, and they caressed her cheek, tempting her. "And why I want to do it again right now. Why I want to do it every time I look at you or even think about you."

Nova's eyes fluttered closed when she felt the slightest whisper of his lips against hers. All the memories of the night before rushed back, filling her with desire and confusion. He moved not a breath more. JJ wasn't going to be the first to do it this time. He was going to make it be Nova.

And she wanted to. All she could think about was how much she wanted to kiss him. To feel his lips on hers again. To taste mint gun and old vending machine soda. She wanted to feel his hands on her, cupping her face, roaming her body, squeezing and pulling her to him. But she fought it. With everything in her, she fought against the desires inside her. She backed away from the pull of him and ignored every instinct inside her that wanted to slam herself against him.

JJ's lips began to wander. Grazing over her delicate skin. Along her jaw and neck, once again, making Nova's head fall back against the cold glass.

Nova's mouth closed into a tight line, suppressing a whine that would tell him how much she wanted this, "We—" she couldn't even get a word out before her breath caught in her throat when JJ's mouth fully attached to the base of her neck. Her hands found either side of his head, lifting it to meet her again, his chest lay heavy against her own, and their noses touched, but still, no lips closed on the other, "We can't do this again, JJ."

He nodded, his forehead falling against hers, "I know."

But neither of them attempted to move away from the other. Nova's hands still rest on either side of JJ's face, and their lips still remain only a breath apart. They were stuck. Straddling the line of lust and betrayal, neither could make the final step and so, they refused to move.

Illuminated by only the glow of a flickering streetlight. 

"The kiss..." she whispered, her thumbs drawing small circles in JJ's cheeks. "It can't – it can't happen again."

JJ nodded into her hands, already knowing, "I won't kiss you again unless you ask me to, Nova."

With that, he moved back, out of her hands. He picks up the red hat that fell off him when he moved toward Nova. She watched as he safely secures it back onto his head before sliding back down into his seat.

Nova follows suit. Laying on her side, she curled her feet up close to her chest. She heard JJ scoff and felt him grab her ankles, pulling her feet down, allowing her legs to stretch out, and lay over his lap.

She sat up slightly, confused by the sudden act.

"It's alright," JJ assured her. "Just get some sleep, okay, princess?"

Nova didn't bother to fight the heinous nickname he used for her. She felt far too exhausted to even try, so she lay back down.

And with the feeling of JJ's hand wrapped around her ankle, and his fingers drawing softly into her skin, Nova Scott fell asleep for the first time in twenty-four hours.  

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( nova's described outfit )

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author's note://

so like, kind of uneventful, but also, a lot to unpack here, right?

I hope you all liked it, and are prepared for the drama to follow this chapter. Because it is nonstop twists and turns. Obviously, someone will get hurt in all this mess.

Any theories? Let me hear them all!

xoxo