𝘼 𝘽𝙍𝙀𝘼𝙆 𝙐𝙋 is never
the best way to begin
summer holidays, but
maybe Lauren and her
new Pogue friends
weren't ready for
what was coming next.
𝘐𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 Lauren Martins, heartbroken from her previous relationship, falls for a blon...
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Outer Banks, Martin's house July 30th, 2020 11:15 am
I slid out of my bed, not paying attention to JJ's complains -or at least making my best to seem like I didn't- while I took his hands off my body slowly. I rushed downstairs after taking the time to freshen up a little in the bathroom, putting on some clean clothes. My mom was somehow still home, which was rare at this time of the day during summer, so I walked over to her slowly, frowning.
"Hi mom," I greeted.
"Ren, good morning sleepy head," she chuckled. "How do you feel?"
I sat in front of her since she was installed on a chair which was around the dining table, having breakfast by herself. I stole ong of her pancakes and poured some orange juice in a glass to drink along with it. I shrugged as an answer at first. "I'm okay, what are you doing here?" I asked her.
"I have a few days off," she announced.
"That's good," I smiled while shoving a piece of pancake in my mouth.
"Where's JJ? does he not want to eat?" she inquired, to what I shrugged again.
"He's still sleeping, he clearly doesn't feel good yet," I clarified, but she sighed.
It had been pretty easy to tell my parents that JJ was my boyfriend since they told me they had guessed it anyways, but what was harder was dealing with what they whispered hoping I didn't hear. He had stayed home the whole week, I had taken care of him as much as he needed, offering him to go surfing or fishing together a hundred times at least, which he always declined. Not that he didn't want to, but it reminded him too much of John B, I ended up assuming.
He stayed in bed most of the week, sometimes just went out with Nate and I, walking through the streets like an energy-deprived zombie. I didn't recognise him anymore, he wasn't the reckless, funny and slightly stupid JJ I had fallen for, he was wrecked, crushed, broken into thousands of pieces I knew deep down I would never be enough to put back together. His best friend was gone and my love, as healing as it was, wasn't enough to fill the void.
Of course, I missed John B and Sarah so much, I thought about them every minute, pictured them dying in all the ways possible, but I tried to stay brave for the Pogues. Kiara and Pope had not given us much news though, they were also home, moping around, which wouldn't solve anything, but at some point it looked like it was the best way for us to spend the rest of our summer. "Lauren, I think he should go back home," she suggested.
"No," I immediately contradicted.
I drank a little bit of juice so my throat wouldn't dry up and I tried not to get mad when she went ahead. "He's ruining your mood, I don't think having him moping around in your bed helps any of you two," she sighed.
"So are you sending him home because he's ruining my mood? Really? After what I told you?" I argued, tears filling up my eyes, for what felt like the thousandth through this tough week. "He's going to get hurt mom, he will suffer and I'm not letting that happen, I thought you agreed with me. He's safe here, not on the Cut, not with his abusive dad"
