https : *⋆❝ sadiesinkhergf ! ❞
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🪷 . . . chapter three
┈➤ 𝗚𝗟𝗢𝗥𝗬 𝗕𝗢𝗫,  jj maybank
❦༄

🪷 chapter three !
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VALENTINA BLINKED GROGGILY, her head pounding as she slowly opened her eyes.. the familiar surroundings of kelce's room came into focus, and panic immediately clawed at her chest. she had absolutely no idea how she ended up here- in his fucking bed.

she sat up abruptly, the white satin sheets bunching around her waist as her eyes darted around the room. her mind raced, struggling to piece together what happened last night. the faint remnants of the party played in fragments- blurry faces, loud music, jj's gun, the fight—but nothing explained this.

her heart sank as the worst-case scenario flashed through her thoughts. she pulled the sheets closer to her chest, her breath shallow as she glanced down at herself.

am i still dressed?

relief washed over her when she saw she was, albeit in different clothes than last night.

her eyes shifted to the other side of the bed, half-expecting to find someone there, but it was empty. a quick scan of the room revealed kelce's signature arrangement: his room was spotless, apart from valentina's clothes folded neatly on top of his desk.

the door creaked open, and she flinched, her head snapping toward it. kelce stepped in, a tray with toast, egg, and orange juice in his hand and a sheepish grin on his face.

"morning, sunshine," he said casually, setting the plate on a nearby desk. "how did you-"

"what happened?" valentina asked her friend, her voice shaky as she cut him off.

kelce raised his hands defensively, immediately realizing what occupied her thoughts. "relax. you passed out after the whole john b thing, and i wasn't about to leave your unconscious ass on the boneyard."

she let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, the tension easing slightly from her shoulders. "thank fuck."

"woah- am i that bad?" he asked, holding a hand to his chest dramatically in offense, and she threw a pillow in his direction.

"shut up, dumbass." she shook her head with a small smile, stepping out of the bed towards the tray of food. "i could totally fuck up this food right now, it feels like i have a humongous dick stuck in my throat."

"bro?" he burst out in laughter at her remark, his eyes widening as his cheeks puffed out a breath, and her eyes widened when she took a bite, refraining herself from moaning.

"i'm being for real, and i don't even participate in those activities." she winked at her friend, a smirk forming on her lips. "i only receive."

"you go girl, make sure you're treated like a fucking queen." kelce laughed at her her words, and sat down on his bed. the two were quiet for a moment, both letting the events from last night sink in, before kelce cleared his throat with a confused look plastered on his face.

"what?" she sighed, her voice sharp and unwavering. she narrowed her eyes at him, fully aware that the look on his face never meant anything good.

"nothing!" he came to his own defense quickly. "i just didn't realize you and that," he paused for a moment, waving his hand around awkwardly. "pogue, were so close?"

"which one?" she replied with furrowed brows, her mouth full of toast, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"what do you mean 'which one'?" his words coming out harsher than he intended. "there's more?"

"what?- no. i'm just confused," she said, her voice tinged with uncertainty. "i don't know what you saw last night, so..." she trailed off, giving a small shrug. she was being genuine- her memory was hazy, and there were too many possibilities. he could have seen her chatting with jj, hugging pope, or even sitting on the sand next to a half-conscious john b.

she tilted her head, trying to gauge his reaction before continuing. "anyways," she added casually, "i am close with pope, yes."

her tone was nonchalant, but there was a hint of caution in her words, as if she was waiting to see where this conversation was heading. it wasn't necessarily a secret, but she always felt the need to avoid the subject.

kelce stared at her for a moment too long, his expression unreadable as he seemed to contemplate his response. a quiet hum escaped his lips instead, a sound that spoke volumes without a single word.

it was no secret that he didn't trust- or particularly liked anyone from the southside. that much was ingrained in him, practically a part of his identity. but as his gaze lingered on valentina, something shifted. she wasn't just anyone. she meant a lot to him, more than he'd probably ever admit out loud, and for some reason, that was enough for him to let go off the subject.

"well, he must be nice if you like him, so." he said at last, his tone light but the edge of his earlier tension still lingering.

valentina raised an eyebrow but didn't press further. she knew better than to poke the bear when it had decided to retreat. instead, she gave him a small, grateful smile and continued stuffing her mouth with breakfast, a comfortable silence setting between the two.

"hey, where did sarah go?" valentina suddenly asked, breaking the silence and setting her now-empty plate aside. she pressed her fingers against her temples with a groan as the dull ache in her head reminded her of just how much she'd had to drink the night before. "last night, i mean."

kelce glanced up from his phone, looking confused. "no clue, actually" he said with a shrug. "one minute, she was screaming at topper; the next, they disappeared."

valentina frowned, her fingers still massaging her temples. "so, no one thought to check on her?"

kelce rolled his eyes. "you worry too much. she does this all the time, val. she's fine. he probably dropped her off."

"still," valentina muttered, her concern not entirely eased. she leaned back, closing her eyes for a moment to block out the pounding in her head. "i should've kept an eye on her."

"you could barely keep an eye on yourself," kelce teased, a smirk creeping onto his face.

"oh, shut up," she laughed, tossing another pillow in kelce's direction before grabbing her phone. despite his teasing, she couldn't stop herself from feeling the responsibility over her best friend. her fingers moved quickly over the screen as she typed out a text to sarah. "i'm gonna text her, i do not trust her ugly ass boyfriend."

"hey!" kelce quickly came to topper's defense. "that's my best friend."

"okay..." she pursed her lips and threw her phone on the bed, rolling her eyes. "does it look like i care?"

"well, no," kelce replied, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "but why do you hate him so much? he hasn't done anything to you, has he?"

valentina rolled her eyes dramatically at his question, fixing him with a look that screamed really?

"did you see what that fuckface did to john b last night?" she snapped, her voice rising with exasperation. "that's not normal behavior! like- he went full on fucking art the clown on that bitch!"

kelce winced, raising his hands in defense, a small laugh bubbling up at her choice of words. "alright, alright, calm down. i get it. but calling him art the clown is insane"

"no," valentina shot back, her tone dead serious. "holding someone's head underwater like that? that's psychotic. i literally don't care about a fight whatsoever, but drowning?"

"well, what about jj holding a fucking gun against his head?" kelce tried again, but valentina held her hand up in his face.

"don't even, sorry, but that was low-key valid. he saved his friend with it." she shrugged. "and he didn't actually pull the trigger on topper, did he?"

kelce didn't have much to say to that. he scratched his neck again, shaking his head, mumbling something about topper always being a little too intense, but he still found it odd how she came to jj's defense so quickly.

"exactly, so sit your ass down," she stated firmly, though her serious demeanor softened just a bit. he cracked a small smile at her shift in tone, clearly amused.

"now," she continued, pointing toward the door, "get out of this room. i have to change."

kelce let out an exaggerated sigh, dragging his feet toward the door. "yes ma'am," he said, turning back with a grin as he reached the threshold. "don't take too long, your car is still rotting on the side of the road."

valentina gasped, her eyes widening as the realization hit her like a brick. "oh, fuck," she muttered, running a hand through her hair. "can you drive me there?"

he leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms with a smug grin. "and what do i get for being your personal chauffeur?"

valentina shot him a look, hands on her hips. "you get the satisfaction of knowing you're not a total waste of space. now, are you driving me or not?"

"yeah yeah, diva. now hurry up." he chuckled, closing the door behind him, leaving her with a moment of peace to gather herself.

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after kelce had dropped her off at the boneyard to pick up her car, valentina didn't waste any time heading home. the thought of a long, warm shower was the only thing keeping her somewhat sane as the remnants of her hangover lingered.

the drive felt longer than usual, her head still pounding despite the painkiller she'd taken from her bag earlier. by the time she stepped through the door of her house, she had realized sarah texted her back, and she made a mental note to stop by her house later.

she slipped off her heels effortlessly, her feet not aching in the slightest- she was used to it by now. padding softly across the hardwood floor, valentina glanced around, scanning the quiet house for any sign of her dad.

her brows furrowed when her eyes landed on a small note left on the bar in their lounge room. the folded piece of paper stood out against the sleek surface, and she walked over, picking it up with a mix of curiosity and apprehension. unfolding it, she read the neat handwriting:

𝘏𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘞𝘢𝘳𝘥. 𝘛𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴.

valentina let out a loud sigh, frustration bubbling to the surface as she crushed the note in her hand. without a second thought, she tossed it into the trash, the sound of crumpled paper hitting the bin echoing faintly in the empty room.

she walked around to the other side of the bar, grabbing a clean glass and filling it with water and a few cubes of ice. the cold condensation on the glass was a small comfort as she took a long sip, her mind still racing.

with the glass in hand, she headed upstairs toward the bathroom, her feet moving on autopilot. the silence of the house seemed louder now, amplifying her thoughts. by the time she reached the bathroom, the prospect of washing away the remnants of the night felt like the only way to reset and ground herself again.

she looked at herself in the large bathroom mirror, her tired eyes scanning her reflection. her disheveled hair framed her face, and traces of exhaustion lingered in the faint shadows under her eyes. a frown crept across her features as a dull ache began to form in her chest, unwelcome and persistent.

staring at herself like this always brought an unwelcome clarity. she looked flawless on the surface- polished, poised, perfect. but there was a hollowness beneath it all that she couldn't quite ignore.

you're being ridiculous, she scolded herself silently, shaking her head as if to dislodge the creeping thoughts. she wasn't the type to wallow in self-pity; she prided herself on that. after all, what did she have to complain about? she had a beautiful house, friends, opportunities most people dreamed of. on paper, everything in her life was exactly as it should be.

but loneliness had a way of amplifying her thoughts, making them louder, harder to push aside. it wasn't even the absence of people, it was the absence of connection that gnawed at her. the kind that went beyond surface-level laughs and parties, beyond hanging out and quick texts.

and yes, she had sarah. she had friends who cared about her, who filled her days with laughter and distractions. but when the noise died down, when she was left alone with her thoughts, valentina couldn't shake the gnawing emptiness.

it seemed like everyone in her life had someone to truly rely on. sarah had topper, her other friends had parents who seemed present in ways hers weren't, or simply a best friend. but valentina? she felt like she existed in the spaces between those connections. she wasn't anyone's first call in a crisis, wasn't the one anyone leaned on when they needed comfort or advice. she was there- but not needed.

the realization stung in a way that felt deeply personal, like a truth she'd been avoiding for far too long.

none of those options- boyfriend, parent, best friend- seemed to apply to her. not in the way she longed for. it left her feeling like an outsider in her own life, watching everyone else find their person while she drifted, untethered.

she mostly missed her mom tremendously. the ache of her absence felt like a weight she carried everywhere, pressing into her chest with each passing day. it killed her not to have answers, not
knowing the truth about her mother's sudden disappearance.

her father had told her it was an unexpected suicide. he'd said it with a flat tone, his eyes hollow, as if saying it enough times would make it feel real to him too. but valentina couldn't- wouldn't- believe it.

her mother was her best friend, her confidante, the one person who always made her feel seen in a way no one else could. she couldn't imagine a world where her mom would willingly leave her behind. she wouldn't do that to her, not to her baby.

the tears came suddenly, unbidden, stinging her tired eyes. she leaned heavily against the counter, gripping the edge as if it could steady her spiraling thoughts. memories of her mother's warm laughter, her gentle touch, and her silly jokes that valentina swore she didn't find funny in the slightest flooded her mind. it was impossible to reconcile those memories with the story her father had told her.

something about it didn't add up, it never had. and the not knowing, the silence around the truth, was almost worse than the loss itself.

she pushed herself off the counter abruptly, shaking her head as if to physically dislodge the thoughts. stop it, she scolded herself silently, frustrated that she had let her mind wander so far down that path again.

without wasting another second, she began undressing, peeling off her clothes and tossing them into the hamper. the cool air sent a brief shiver down her spine, but the promise of the steaming shower was enough to keep her moving.

as she stepped under the hot stream of water, she let out a long, shaky exhale, the heat soothing her tense muscles and grounding her in the present. the sound of the water hitting the tiles drowned out everything else, the silence of the house, the chaos of her thoughts, the ache in her chest.

this was her reset button, her way of washing away the weight of it all, even if only for a little while.

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"well, don't you look like a ray of sunshine," sarah teased, laughter bubbling up as she spotted her best friend approaching with the nastiest scowl on her face.

valentina rolled her eyes, her lips curling into a scoff. "i just bumped into my dad, and now i'm pissed off," she shot back, crossing her arms tightly over her chest.

sarah raised a brow, her amusement only growing. "your dad? what's he doing here?"

valentina groaned, brushing past her friend before turning back with a frustrated wave of her hand. "business meeting. i was looking for you, when both of our dads came up to me with these evil smiles, telling me you were on the boat."

sarah's smirk faded slightly, sensing the irritation radiating from valentina. "yikes," she muttered. "what are they talking about?"

"don't know, and don't care," valentina breathed, pulling out a pack of cigarettes from her bag as she sank onto the settee with a dramatic sigh.

sarah's eyes widened in shock, and without hesitation, she slapped valentina's arm. "bitch, i thought you quit?" she exclaimed, her voice a mix of disbelief and disappointment, her narrowed eyes locked onto the pack like it was her mortal enemy.

valentina shrugged nonchalantly, slipping a cigarette between her fingers. "yeah, well, desperate times call for desperate deeds," she muttered, lighting it with an almost defiant flick of her lighter.

sarah crossed her arms, glaring. "no. absolutely not. give me that." she tried to snatch it from valentina's hand, who leaned back, smirking as she took a slow drag.

"try and take it from me, i dare you."

the two suddenly paused their argument abruptly, their heads snapping toward the source of a loud, a sudden noise from somewhere deeper inside the boat, followed by a muffled thud that made valentina sit up straighter on the settee.

"the fuck?"

the two girls exchanged a glance before stepping forward, their curiosity outweighing their apprehension as they crept toward the noise.

valentina instinctively held her cigarette behind her back, her fingers curling around it tightly, just in case one of the adults appeared. her lips pressed into a thin line as she stood frozen, sarah trailing just behind her.

she exhaled a soft, relieved breath when john b suddenly emerged from the cabin, his face taut with focus. heavy bags hung from his shoulders, and a large oxygen tank was cradled in his arms, making his movements look strained.

"what the fuck are you doing?" valentina asked, her brows furrowing as she stepped closer, trying to make sense of the situation.

john b looked up, startled for a split second before his expression smoothed into nonchalance. "what does it look like i'm doing?" he shot back, adjusting the straps of the bags on his shoulders.

"are you stalking us? plotting your revenge?" sarah asked, crossing her arms with a fake smile as john b sighed, leaning his arm against one of the poles.

"yeah, why don't you just tell your daddy i blew the bilge on druthers?"

valentina snickered, holding the cigarette between her lips as she adjusted her top, before john b spoke up again.

"everything's good to go. just dropping off these tanks." he smirked faintly, brushing past the two girls. sarah rolled her eyes dramatically, following his movement, while valentina just retreated, watching the scene unfold infront of her.

"hey are you okay? 'cause that eye of yours looks really gnarly." sarah teased him, stepping closer while she pointed at her own face.

"yeah, you know what?" he scoffed, brushing his tousled hair back as he turned to look at sarah with a raised brow. "you can tell topper he won the first round. i'll get him next time." his voice held a mix of frustration and determination.

valentina couldn't help but cheer quietly, the corners of her lips pulling up into a grin. "let's pray i won't find your unconscious body in the water next time, baby," she teased, giving him a wink before taking another drag of her cigarette.

he rolled his eyes, clearly unimpressed by her comment but not surprised. "you won't," he muttered, pausing for a moment to glance at the cigarette hanging between her fingers. his gaze shifted to it before he added, "can i have one?"

before she could respond, sarah's voice cut through the air, full of disapproval. "no, absolutely not!" she lunged for the pack of cigarettes in valentina's hand, but the brown haired girl, quick as ever, stuffed it into her bag with a smirk.

"oh, the queen says no," she said sweetly, looking at john b and giving him a playful shrug. "next time, b."

sarah, clearly annoyed, threw her hands up in exasperation. "val, seriously?" she sighed. "what is it with you?"

valentina laughed, unfazed by her best friend's scolding. "focus on the boy who's threatening your boyfriend, not me." she shot back, nudging sarah with her shoulder.

sarah sighed, glancing back at the boy, who had already jumped into his boat, the engine roaring to life as he prepared to leave. "so there's just gonna be a reign of terror on this island now?" she muttered, leaning against the railing with a defeated look.

valentina couldn't help but overhear his response, his tone casual but laced with the usual cockiness. "wars have been started for less, sarah cameron."

she almost gagged at the full name, her lips curling into a slight grimace. "corny," she mumbled under her breath, but neither sarah nor john b seemed to hear.

sarah rolled her eyes and shook her head. "can we just stop the whole pogues versus kooks thing? it is really stupid." she tossed her hair over her shoulder, clearly irritated.

he let out a deep sigh, but there was a taunting smile on his lips as he leaned closer to the railing. "that's easy to say when you're a kook."

valentina raised an eyebrow at the way they stared at each other for a moment, the tension hanging in the air before john b knocked on the side of the boat with a final, almost dismissive tap. as he turned around and started to pull away, sarah pretended to salute him dramatically before flipping him off with narrowed eyes.

once the boat had pulled away, she turned back toward valentina, who had already thrown her finished cigarette into the ashtray inside the cabin. the girl shot sarah a knowing look, her expression playful as she leaned against the railing. sarah, who furrowed her brows, looked at her best friend with a hint of confusion. "what?" she asked.

with a smirk, valentina leaned in and mockingly repeated john b's earlier words, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "wars have been started for less, sarah cameron." she stretched out the last name in exaggerated fashion, making it sound even more ridiculous.

sarah's face scrunched up in disgust as the meaning hit her. she shook her head furiously, her eyes wide with disbelief. "nu-uh, nu-uh. shut the fuck up," she shot back, her tone half-laughing, half-scolding.

"don't even," valentina continued with a smirk, her tone playful. "i know you wanted to moan when he pulled up with that black eye."

sarah's face immediately flushed with embarrassment, and she pushed past valentina, her expression horrified. "ew, ew, ew!" she muttered, waving her hands around dramatically as if trying to shake off the very thought.

valentina laughed, following her back into the house, off the boat. "i'm just saying, i would not tell topper."

sarah shook her head, still waving her hands in mock disgust. "you are a menace," she groaned. "why are you like this?"

valentina's laughter filled the air as the two continued their walk, their back-and-forth banter as familiar as ever. despite the chaos surrounding them, it was moments like this that made everything feel a little bit lighter.

🪷 . . . MAISSA !
hi angelsss!!

i'm so sorry for the long ass chapters i literally cannot stop writing LMFAO

anyways kelce sneak cuz i wanted to show u what her relationship with the other kooks is like 😋

i love you alllll💌