june and the blond boy

'Ol Reliable

ᴊᴜɴᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ʙʟᴏɴᴅ ʙᴏʏ

later that year

My sweaty legs practically peeled off the leather seat as I hopped out of 'ol reliable, walking a bit further down the twisty road that my tire decided to pop on.

I saw him in the rearview mirror, giving him a small wave as the door came open, and the blond boy greeted me with a smile.

"Hey, Junior!" he spoke cheerfully, fully aware that I wasn't in the best of moods. I was able to walk to a rest stop in the middle of nowhere and phone him, asking if he could pick me up, but then I was stranded in my hot car in the sweltering Californian heat for a good few hours.

I grumbled in response as James pulled me into a hug, being that it was about two months that we'd last seen each other during parent's week at school. Just before I pulled away, I caught a glimpse of the passenger door of his truck opening.

"Hi!" Hayden appeared beside him, pulling me into a hug. For whatever reason, she'd gone home a month earlier, leaving me to fend for myself during the last month of school.

"Oh— hey, I didn't know you were coming..." I said slowly, picking up my arms to hug her.

"Wow... I have so many questions..." she giggled, glancing over at my poor car on the side of the road.

No, I have so many questions.

Why was she in his truck? Were they dating? Holy shit, I didn't think they'd actually go through with it... I thought it was just an idea that Hayden was throwing around. It felt like she was also throwing around my intestines as I doubled over, clenching my hand on my stomach as I vomited on the asphalt. It ended just as quick as it began and I smacked my hand over my mouth, completely humiliated. I couldn't control it. All the questions running through my mind were too much.

They spoke at the same time.

"Ew, June!"

"Are you okay?"

I felt a large hand on my back, and to no surprise it was James looking down at me with concern in his gaze. "Um..." it almost came out as a gag as I smacked my hand over my mouth once again, swallowing it down before it could come out all over again.

"Heat stroke." I gave them a tight smile, still barely able to contain my vomit. Hayden grimaced, making a gag sound as she almost scowled at the puddle of puke at my feet.

"Shit, let's get outta here then." he moved to my car, pulling open the back door and gathering my bags. "I called my buddy to come and tow your shit, so don't worry about that."

I still stood in the same spot, nodding at him. "Okay..."

"Let's get you home." he went back and forth from my car to his truck to store my belongings in the bed.

I knew my cheeks had turned red (even though they already were from the sun burning me to a crisp) when he slammed the bed gate shut, and his flexed, perspiring biceps glistened in the sun as he was wearing a band T-shirt that had the sleeves cut off.

"You ready?" he squinted at me. "I'd rather get you home before you melt into your own puddle of barf."

The drive back was just as quiet and awkward as it was when I realized Hayden was there. Actually, it was about ten— no, twenty times more fucking awkward when he'd reach over me to place his hand on Hayden's knee. The first time he did it I almost thought he was reaching for my knee.

I felt bile rising in my throat again as his arm reached over me once more, and his hand inched from her knee to the hem of her shorts. It felt like I was watching it in slow motion as she closed her legs tightly, giggling softly.

"Oh, dear lord baby Jesus, Mother Mary and Joseph, heavenly father give me strength." I grumbled under my breath, unable to stay quiet anymore. My hand wiped down the side of my face and my head bounced back against the head rest a couple of times. It felt like the only thoughts in my brain were cymbal-banging monkeys.

James gave me a weird look. "What?"

I sighed exasperatedly, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Will you please keep your fucking eyes on the road instead of finger-banging your girlfriend?" I stated bluntly, almost regretting my words.

Almost.

James' face twisted into a mix of confusion and disgust at my language. "Hey, don't get bitchy with me 'cause your brains are all melted from the sun. Be grateful that I picked you up."

He didn't correct me when I called her his girlfriend.

"Yeah? Well I'd really rather walk until the road shredded my legs into cheese-grated nothingness than be in the middle of my two best friends' porno." I retorted, sending him a sideways glare. "Literally, in the middle." I added, gesturing to the middle seat that I was in.

"Jesus, June... calm down." Hayden spoke softly, placing her hand on my shoulder. The touch made me flinch as her hand landed right on my sun burn. I bit down hard and placed my hand over my eyes, trying to calm myself down before I took the wheel and drove us off a cliff.

"Please, can we just keep our hands to ourselves?" I asked sincerely as I envisioned his hand on her thigh all over again— and it still made me want to vomit on his dashboard.

For the second half of the drive we strayed off to our own little worlds as Ozzy Osbourne's voice came from the radio.

I almost drifted off to sleep just like Hayden did somewhere along the way until James spoke softly,

"Junior."

I hummed in response, lazily turning my head to face him.

"Look how nice it is around here. Wouldn't it be cool to take a trip up here? Y'know, since you're back, and stuff."

I nodded in agreement, gazing out the window at the beach he was referring to. "Yeah, that'd be nice." I gave him a tired smile, attempting to fall asleep again.

"C'mon, don't fall asleep on me. You gotta keep me awake." he poked my side with his finger.

"I'm tired." I mumbled, dropping my head on his shoulder, then taking it off when I became hyper aware of the fact that the girl sitting next to me was probably his girlfriend.

"Sleep when you get home." he said softly. I knew he was only speaking quietly so he didn't disrupt Hayden, but it was almost lulling me back to sleep.

"Don't you fall asleep on me." he spoke a little firmer, to which I only nodded in agreement.

I fell asleep.

such a lame filler and it ended so abruptly, sorry abt that 😪 love yall

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