CASTAWAY ⚓ R.C, J.M

E I G H T

Once Harley had gotten far enough from the lighthouse and there were no red and blue flashing lights in sight, she switched driving with Pope. John B had said the plan was to all meet back at JJ's. Charging through the streets, Harley had realised she didn't know where exactly JJ lived.

Over the past year she had only ever been to his house twice, once being when she helped him with his bike. Whenever it came to JJ's home he never seemed to want to talk about it with Harley. She put it down to him not having the best relationship with his father, since that was all she had ever been told. He preferred being at the Chateau with the Routledges. The one thing that did hurt her feelings a little was that when the group decided to meet at JJ's or stay at his for a short while, it always coincided with when Harley had to go to work.

"Why don't we go to the Wreck instead?" JJ offered. He was sat forward in his seat so that he could push his head between Harley and Pope. 

"Because that wasn't the plan," Pope said plainly, clearly confused by JJ's insistence to be anywhere but where they had agreed upon as a group.

"How about the Chateau? We can clean up a bit before JB shows up."

Harley snickered, "We'd be lucky if you even help for five minutes. You'd be on the couch with your dank nugs and stickiest of ickies."

"Ha ha. You're hilarious." JJ dropped back into his seat dramatically. 

Harley shared a concerned look with Pope, before she sighed. She flipped around in her seat and began to crawl through to sit beside the grumpy blonde. She smiled when he reached forward to help her through albeit keeping the frown on his features. As she got situated, he left an arm around her waist and continued to glare up at the roof. 

"What's wrong, JJ?" Harley asked.

JJ sighed and raised his other hand to rest behind his head. 

It was completely the wrong time, but Harley couldn't help but admire JJ's handsomeness. JJ's irritation always made him lock his jaw and grind down on his teeth. This action always made his jawline more defined and highlighted his cheekbones ever so slightly. 

"Nothing. I just don't get why we need to go back to mine."

"Is it because your dad is going to be there?" She asked lowly. "If you don't want to be around him, you can say."

JJ shook his head. He finally pulled his eyes away from the roof of the van, though they didn't meet Harley's, they rested on the headrest in front of him. "He should be at work."

"Okay. That's good then." JJ's unwavering desire to not be at home, made Harley wonder just how bad his relationship with his dad may be. She never truly thought about it in the past. Nobody touched on the topic around her and she stopped asking the moment JJ had snapped at her. Maybe she should have remained as inquisitive as she had been about everything else. 

JJ's relationship with his dad was clearly a huge, thunderous grey cloud, but Harley had been so focused on her own missing father-daughter relationships to notice. 

Harley twisted in her seat. She wanted to make JJ happy, so she did what she did best and put on her gold winning smile and made both boys in the van laugh at her antics.

The bubbly atmosphere that Harley had created had infected the group so much so that JJ didn't seem so upset when they arrived at his and the jokes and playfulness continued. Despite John B and Kiara's whereabouts not being certain. The trio had set themselves up outside, Harley and JJ naturally gravitating to each other. 

Maybe they had been flirting or their small touches or glances were a little too obvious, because when Pope said, "So, are you two a thing now?" the two teens sprung apart like repelled magnets.