Joey sprinting through the Kooks newly lawned yard wasn't something you saw everyday. After the late night she just had, after not being able to locate the gold, the thought of setting her alarm to wake her for dance lessons in the morning didn't cross her mind. With it being on the other side of the island, and her moped dying only half way to the country club, she resulted in running.

"Hey!" Joey yelled, the dance instructor standing before nine teenagers. As she got closer, she'd realized they'd all been Kooks. Midsummers was a Kook thing, she should have expected this. She should have shoved her foot down her uncles throat, actually.

"Oh, Miss Findlay." the instructed greeted her, meeting Joey from when she'd given her uncle his own lessons, "I was staring to thing you wouldn't show. Your uncle called this morning and said you'd be here."

"Ride died." she cleared her throat, looking down at her grass covered feet. Panic set in immediately as she began trying to get it all off, gagging to herself.

Mrs Avery forced a smile, "Feel free to clean up and you can join, well, our only available option."

"Sarah will be here." Topper spoke up, knowing he was the only one to have no partner.

"Ten minutes." Mrs Avery nodded, Joey walked into the country club to clean herself free of any germs and grass on her.

"Ow, son of a bitch." Joey cursed Topper as he stepped on her foot, wincing, "That was my toe."

"Should have worn closed shoes." Topper rolled his eyes. Looking around, Joey realized they all had tennis shoes of different brands, while her feet were covered in thin, corner store sandals. Topper stepping on her foot again brought her back to reality with a tight jaw.

"Jesus christ, have you never learn to dance before?" Joey asked in disbelief.

"Why do you think i'm here?" the blonde shot back at her in disbelief. Joey grabbed his hand, the one on her waist, throwing it on her shoulder while she took his waist now, "Are you kidding me? This is-"

"It's easier to guide this way." Joey snapped at him, pulling Topper in slightly with her hand on his waist. She exhaled, looking around with an eye roll. Joey watched his feet a moment, keeping hers on either side with a small sway, "Look, something you're not terrible at for once."

His eyes met hers with a huff. Being this close made him realize that she wasn't as intimidating. This close, she looked almost sweet, from a distance she just looked angry and intimidating, "If you know how to dance then why the hell are you here?"

Joey shrugged, his hand on her shoulder moved with her when she did it, "Ask my uncle."

The wind blew, she smelt like lemons, azaleas, and hand sanitizer while he only had an expensive cologne scent bouncing off him. Finally, one thing Topper and Joey didn't hate about each other. Topper gave her a stupid look, "Why would I talk to your uncle?"

Joey rolled her eyes, "It was an expression, Bottom."

"Bo-" he let out a loud laugh of disbelief, "Now you're making fun of my name, Josephine? Yours makes you sound like you're gonna go have a shot with the queen or something."

"The queen drinks tea." Joey corrected, his hand was sweaty in hers, "You're the only person that calles me Josephine. Even strangers call me Joey."

Topper rose his eyebrows down at her, "That bothers you too, doesn't it?"

"Really connect with your partner!" Mrs Avery announced to the five pairs of partners, "Look into their eyes, try to picture what they're thinking!"

Topper and Joey both huffed on sync. Eyes connected for half a second before looking away in annoyance. Mrs Avery saw, approaching subtly and turning both their heads to look at each other, "Connect with your partner."

"Might connect my fist with his jaw." Joey spoke through a smile.

"There's the spirt!" Mrs Avery grinned, motioning between the pair as she walked off, "Look into each other's eyes!"

Joey huffed, meeting Toppers eye first before he followed. Looking into each other's eyes made the other realize they were both still human, still had emotions despite how horrible they were to each other. Joey shifted uncomfortably, her hand connected with Toppers waist again as she realized she was pulling away. He let her hand go, whipping his palm on his shorts before taking her palm in his again, "Sorry."

Something about it was gentle, wasn't him. No obnoxious comment about how he hoped it grossed her out, nothing.

"It's fine." she said back, even though it really grossed her out. That took Topper by surprise, expecting some sort of venom with her words or at least a comment about how disgusting he was. But no, nothing, it wasn't her.

Joey took the lead again when they had to turn, arms out reaching together. She tried not to smile, despite the fact that they were the only two that nailed the switch while the others struggled.

"Nicely done, you two." Mrs Avery smiled as she passed them.

Joey followed her gaze before meeting Toppers eye again, "That was probably just your beginners luck."

"Was it?" Topper asked with a hum, inhaling, "Haven't stepped on your feet in a while."

"Only because i'm leading." Joey hummed, grabbing his arms before spinning Topper around. Like John B taught her, she pulled his back against her front. Topper looked back at her in shock, not expecting that, "Told you, leading."

Then she spun him back around, yanking harshly on his arm and waist, back to her. Topper and Joey were chest to chest by the way she pulled him so close, not expecting her to have such a strong grip. Eyes locked, like they had been since Mrs Avery told them to. Topper exhaled, blinking, "Maybe you should lead."

"Go away! Go away! Go away!" Joey yelled. Once again, she was sprinting through yards. When she left her dance lessons, one of the Kooks abnormally large dogs had chased her two blocks now, "Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!"

Joey turned down a street, the expensive cars and houses in both corners of her eyes. The dog barked from behind her, getting closer. Joey let out a yell, running toward the nearest fence and grabbing onto the top, swinging herself over. What she didn't expect was to go straight down into a pool. Joey inhaled a shit ton of water, swim upwards and coughing loudly, her wet curls sticking to her face.

"Josephine?" the voice rung. As if spending an entire hour with him wasn't bad enough, jumping into his pool just fifteen minutes after leaving really had to top it off. Joey tried to speak, but she'd been coughing. Topper walked along the edge of the pool, going toward the end, where she'd been, "What are you doing in my backyard?"

The dog barking caught his attention, walking toward the fence to pet the dog slightly, "Hey, Ranbow."

Joey swam to the side with a glare his way, "That's your dog?"

"Kelces." Topper corrected her, watching as she climbed out of the pool quickly. He then laughed, getting a look of disbelief, "This is really, just, really priceless."

"Pissing myself in laugher." Joey rolled her eyes, standing up as she looked at the large pool. Her heart began to race as her eyes went wide, "When was the last time this was cleaned?"

"Day before the party." Topper shrugged.

"Party?" Joey panicked. It was summer, there was bond to be at least twenty people in here at a party. Topper watched as she began searching her pockets, panicking quickly. Her eyes fell onto her bag in the pool, floating.

"What- what is this?" Topped gapped. It was weird seeing her have a weakness, never once seeing her look so needy, so in fear. He didn't think she feared anything, never once thinking so. Joey grabbed her bag, hands shaking, "I'm gonna get you a towel."

"No, no, no." Joey panicked, her lysol wipes soaked and had lost their value completely. Joeys breathing picked up, shaking terribly as she grabbed the baby whips, finding the same thing happen.

"Yo, hey." Toppers eyes widened as he looked down at her, "Joey."

Her eyes flashed up to his, "What!"

He saw her eyes were filled up with tears, "Do you just wanna go take a shower?"

The only sentence that mattered after that, she even forgot about the fact that for the first time, he didn't call her by her full name.

Joey took the guest bathroom, that had been connected to the guest bedroom. The second Topper told her, she'd raced toward it and slammed the door behind her. Topper creaked the door open thirty minutes later when she still hadn't came out, "Are you good in here?"

"Yeah, just trying to get the germs off." Joey called back, it was clear there'd been pain laced in her words. The entire bathroom was steamed up, worse then it usually was. Topper wasn't even in the shower with her and he was already burning up.

"How hot to you have that?" Topper spoke in disbelief.

"I'll give you a twenty for the bill!" she called back over the water, "Five more minutes!"

Topper shrugged with a small huff, because what did it matter if she wanted to burn and put herself in pain? Why, actually, he thought, why did it matter? Topper laid the adjustable sweatpants and green fishing tee on the counter. He scooped up her chlorine soaked clothes off the floor, looking back at the shower, "Maybe don't burn yourself to death, dumbass."

As she promised, after another five minutes, Joey had gotten out. Topper tossed her clothes into the washer, walking back into the kitchen just as she was coming down the stairs. Thankfully, she managed to adjust the sweatpants to fit her nicely. Topper wanted to find something to say to her, but what could he say, "I'll take that twenty now."

"Yeah, it's just in my b-" Joey began, stopping as she looked at her soaked belonging, he'd thrown in the washer with her clothes, "Can I give it to you at Midsummers?"

Topper nodded, sitting down at the bar as he looked at her, "They won't take long to wash."

Joey nodded, standing awkwardly. She wanted to say something rude, something witty maybe. Anything, absolutely anything. But what could she saw when she was standing in his kitchen, after jumping in his pool, after showering in his house, smelling like his body wash, wearing his clothes. Nothing except one thing. Joey cleared her throat, "Thank...you."

Topper gave a snort, "Sounded painful for you to say that."

"Just a little." Joey nodded. Topper pushed the bar stool with his foot. Joey walked over and sat down, one of her legs underneath her, "Sorry about, kinda jumping into your pool."

Topper gave a shrug, "No, no, it's cool."

He wanted to bring up how panicked she got after getting out, but even she wasn't cruel enough to have something like that made into a joke. Awkward silence fell over them, the buttons on her shorts hitting the metal inside the washer all that was heard. Topper cleared his throat, "Want a protein shake?"

Joeys eyes snapped up, "What?"

"A protein shake." he nodded, circling the counter, "Vanilla with whatever else you want in it."

Joey sat up with questionable, curious eyes, "Like...can you put...ice cream in it?"

Topper blinked at her, "Ice cream?"

She nodded, crossing her legs. For a second, she looked so sweet and innocent, so not Joey. Maybe it was because she was in his clothes, or maybe because he had a habit of getting too attached to girls that gave him any type of attention, but now he was starting to feel shitty for how mean he was to her so many times before, even if she did cause it most times, "I mean, sure, yeah."

Joey leaned on her elbow as she watched him mix everything together, "Can't believe you tried to drown my ex boyfriend and now you're making me a protein shake."

Topped rose a eyebrow, "Yeah, well, you're surprising me too."

"Like how?" Joey frowned her eyebrows with a huff.

"Wasn't aware you had any actual emotions." Topper said to her, tossing scoops of the powder into the blender, "Or cared about how many people have been in pools."

"You wouldn't understand." Joey rolled her eyes at him, "Nor do I expect you to, assbag."

Topper shook his head as he looked at her, "There it is again."

"What?" she shot back in disbelief.

"Just when I was thinking you weren't so bad, you go and say shit like that." Topper looked at her, "What is it, exactly? You just don't like me but don't wanna seem like an asshole for soaking up all my hot water?"

"Yeah." Joey said honestly, huffing as she leaned on his counter tops, "You're still an asshole."

"So are you." Topper said to her, grabbing the thing of ice cream from his freezer, "You want chocolate or strawberry?"

"Chocolate." she said as he came back, throwing the lid on the counter, "Are you gonna tell anyone?"

"Tell anyone that you showered at my house?" he gave her a weird look.

Joey rolled her eyes, "What happened... after my bag got wet."

When he met her eye again, he saw a completely different person. This was serious to her, that much was clear. She wasn't asking him, she was begging,"Please, Topper."

He liked feeling needed by her, by the one girl on the island that he feared, having to keep something for her a secret, "Why are you embarrassed?"

"I'm not embarrassed, I just don't want your asshole friends to have something like that to make fun of me for. It's not-" but she stopped, because there was absolutely not way Topper would be the only other person, aside from John B, that she was gonna explain it to, "Never mind, it doesn't matter. Do what you want."

His finger hovered over the button, "I won't tell anyone."

Her eyes met his with a blink. Topper cracked a smirk before adding, "Josephine."

•

kylie speaks

ouuu y'all felt that
too or was it just me?

angry/sad jo coming up
when she finds out about
jarah.