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"oh good lord." I groan, leaning heavily onto the bathtub that is sat behind me as JJ rubs circles counterclockwise on my arm. "I'm pretty sure our child is trying to kill me in slow excruciating way. I mean c'mon little bug work with me here. I can't keep dry heaving into this dirty ass toilet bowl all night." my hand rests on my protruding stomach as I feel a chaste kiss on my shoulder blade.
"we should at least try to get some food in you li. I know you don't want to but you've been at this for at least a couple hours and I'm starting to get concerned that you're going to be really dehydrated." I feel JJ's arms push me forward slightly so he can slide comfortably in behind me as he starts to lift me to a standing position. "Jay what time is it?" my voice comes out hoarse, like I've been smoking a pack of cigarettes a day since I was 8.
his hands are now wrapped around my hips and we make our way from John B's small bathroom into the kitchen. "uhh around four am." I bring our walk to a halt and slowly turn around, making eye contact with my boyfriend.
"JJ you need to head to bed. You've been up with me for four hours and you have to get up early and find John B and figure out how to get the gold from ward." his eyes shift from me down to my bump and then back to me. "Li you know I can't do that. This-" he starts but I immediately shush him.
"No. your best friend is missing. I can handle this on my own, now please go to bed and I'll be there in a bit." his gaze reflects more unsureness and worry than I've ever seen him hold in his face before he sighs.
"okay fine, but I'm making you some food before I go. It's the least I can do considering the fact that you've been puking your guts out because of my sperm." his hands brush through my hair before sliding me into the chair by the island and opens the refrigerator.
"how does a peanut butter and jelly sound?" he flips his blonde hair foolishly as he waits patiently for my answer and I shrug. "fine I guess, I'm not really hungry for anything specific but it works."
I see his shoulders visibly relax as he pulls the jam out of the fridge and opens the cupboard adjacent to it, wrapping his fingers around the jar of Jif. "Okay good because that's all that John B has in this shithole of a house.'
"hey don't bad talk the chateau like that, it's our home for the time being until we can figure out this mess of our living situation so take it back right now maybank!" his hands immediately shoot up in defense as I poke him playfully in the ribs.
"ow ow ow li stop it!" he shrieks, pushing me playfully while both of us struggle to hold in our laughs. "okay okay fine I will, but only on one condition."
he gives me a look like he already knows what I'm about to say but he shakes his head anyways, curious of the words that are going to come out of my mouth. "If I can have your sweatshirt when I go to bed?"
"of course. Now lets get some food in you and get you into bed so we can both get some sleep because I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be straight out of hell." I let out a small laugh as he sets the sandwich on a plate and sets it in front of me. "You may be right there."
After I finish eating half of the sandwich JJ wraps me in his warm, familiar sweatshirt and generously carries my limp, sleepy body into the bed he's called his for the past few years. there were a few times here and there where he would mention that whenever things got bad with his dad Big John would always make sure that he had a place to sleep. no matter what time of day and what day of the week he was always welcome to stay at the Rutledge house.
I think that's why he's been so on edge lately, I mean John B is basically all the family he has left. His whole life all in hid best friend who is currently missing right now. "Jay you know we're going to figure this out right." I whisper as he shuts off the lamp light next to us, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead and I feel him nod.
"I appreciate you optimism Lilah but you can't know that for sure."
"we can always hope." I feel his arms start to wrap around my waist as I melt into him, starting to let my eyes fall shut. sleep comes easy after that and the last thing I hear is JJ's heartbeat before my eyes fall close and my brain shuts off.
"oh god do we really have to wake her up. I mean she just looks so peaceful and I-"
"kie we've got to. think about how pissed off she would be at us if we did this without her."
"okay okay. fine, but I'm not going to be the one to do it. JJ she's your baby mama so you bring her out of her slumber."
"You guys talk so fucking loud I'm sure the dead would have woken up to you guys fighting." I groan, cracking my eyelids open to see not only JJ and Kiara looming over me but pope as well. "Okay what time is it? And why do you all look so depressed?"
"Ward got away with the gold, pope lost his scholarship this morning and John B came back but is now missing after we ran from the cops when he tried to stop ward." JJ rambles on until he runs out of breath and Kie takes over for him.
"So what he's saying is that you missed quite a lot while you were out. It all happened so fast, one second John b appeared out of nowhere and we calmed him down from the ledge then the next second Pope came storming in ranting all about how his dad said something about ward needing his help with a plane flying out this morning. Then we were running to catch the plane, and John b jumped in the Twinkie and legitimately pulled right in front of it, pulling the take-off to a complete halt."
As she continues farther and farther into the contents of what happened this morning I feel my eyes begin to widen as the fear starts to envelope me. "Kie he literally could have died, what the hell was he thinking pulling in front of a plane like that! Is this what you guys do when I'm not there to talk some sense into you. you make irrational decisions without thinking of the consequences?!"
"Okay in our defense it was John B who made the irresponsible choice this time but we made a responsible choice by running away when the cops came. I cannot get arrested again because god know what will happen if I even step toe out of line."
I open my mouth to say something but before I can the door to the chatue slams open abruptly and in walks John B, his face covered in utter shock as crimson blood paints his hands as the damp clothing clings to his body. "John B.... who's blood is that?"
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hey long time no... write? Anyways, who's hyped that the new season just dropped on Netflix! Just me, okay. I'm going to note that I'm probably going to try to wrap up this part of the book before I dive into watching the new season since I'm sooooo close to finishing so please please please no spoilers on what happens. well I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the new one will be coming out so soon because I'm almost done with it and let me tell you it can only get more and more complicated from here.
