Hell or High Water | JJ Maybank [2]

fourteen

JJ'S GRIP ON Jo's hand was firm as the group piled out of the Twinkie and onto the scene of the bonfire. The girl was filled with nostalgia as her eyes swept around the crowded area, memories of years past flooding her mind. This is where she always made some of her best and favorite memories, so she hoped this year it would be the same.

She could faintly hear Pope talking to Kiara, trying to explain to her that if she just let her parents talk and actually listened to their words instead of always trying to start an argument, things would be more peaceful. The curly-haired girl didn't agree.

Jo tried to put herself in Kie's position. On the one hand she was jealous that Pope and Kie had such loving and present parents. At least they were still alive. But at the same time, Jo had never had a parent like that before. Even when her dad was alive, he was usually off chasing the Royal merchant and didn't care very much what his two children did. Jo and John B had always had pretty much entire freedom, so Jo had to consider where Kie was coming from with her parents constantly hanging over her head. The things they were doing and getting themselves into was definitely not always the safest or smartest choice, so having parents who actually cared made their plans more difficult.

"Ah, here we go," JJ hummed excitedly. "Let's start drinkin!"

Jo was already tipsy since she had tried to out-shotgun JJ. She should've known better since the boy drank way more than her. His years and experience worked in his favor because his tolerance was higher and it was easier for him to consume a large amount of alcohol in a short time. Jo's tolerance was pretty high too, but nowhere near as high as the blonde boy's.

"I missed this, man," John B said. He put his arm around JJ and put him in a headlock, ruffling his hear teasingly as they stumbled along. The trio were halted in their path when something landed in front of them. Jo nearly tripped, but luckily JJ grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the way just in time.

"Hey." It was the girl from their geometry class who had given John B the note about the bonfire. She gave the boy a flirty smile and twirled her hair around her finger. "I thought you'd be afraid to show."

Jo rolled her eyes and tugged JJ away. He patted John B on the shoulder encouragingly before his girlfriend pulled him in the other direction, towards a large cooler with various amounts of alcohol in it.

"He literally just got his heart broken," Jo huffed as she scolded JJ.

"Yeah, no, I get that," JJ said. He cracked open a beer and took a long swig. "That doesn't mean he can't have a little fun."

Jo gaped at the blonde boy. "He wants to get Sarah back," she deadpanned. "If she's here and she sees that, it's not gonna go very well."

"Okay, true," JJ drawled. "But I doubt she'll show. She did just watch her dad blow up in front of her."

"Thank you for the reminder, JJ," Jo sighed. She shook her head and ran her hand through her hair. She had actually put a little effort into her appearance tonight, so her hair was clean and showcased the natural waves that cascaded down her back. "I don't wanna think about their relationship drama. Let's just get drunk."