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— • — • — • — ꧁꧂ — • — • — • —
𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞 — 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑦𝑎𝑟𝑑
IN JOHN B'S bathroom, Leilani put the contacts she had found in her eyes, washing her hands when she was done. She flipped her head upside down and tied her thick waves into a bun, ringlets of curls framing her face. When she stood up, she jumped at seeing JJ lean against the doorframe. "Holy Jesus." Leilani said, turning her attention to the mirror.
"What are you doing?" JJ asked, his gaze trained on the Polynesian girl as she fixed herself up.
"Getting ready?" Leilani said it like it was obvious, which to her, it was. She tweaked her crop top, her necklaces decorating her tanned summer skin.
"You already look great." JJ said, and Leilani smiled to herself.
She took her bag off the counter. "Thanks. Do you want to come over tomorrow? I have to work, but you can come with me." Leilani asked, walking past JJ and over to John B's kitchen.
JJ was very surprised that Leilani was inviting him over to her house. He hadn't been to her house since she lived on The Cut, and he had missed spending time with her. "Yeah, sure." JJ said, following her around as she collected her things.
Leilani picked up her car keys from the living room side table, dropping them into her bag. For her sixteenth birthday, Rachel had insisted that Leilani have a car, despite Kai's feelings against it. It was Rachel's way to get her step-daughter up to Kook standards. "Why don't you have your car?" Kie asked, walking through the kitchen, preparing to leave.
"My Dad's fixing the door. And I can't drive alone after nine, anyways." Leilani said. She was probably the only teenager on Kildare Island who actually followed that rule. She didn't really like driving in the dark, and she was scared of damaging her car, so she followed all of the rules.
JJ sighed, his head dropping. "You actually follow that rule?" he asked, a smile on his face.
Leilani rolled her eyes. "Yes, I follow that rule." John B came inside with Pope and they gathered JJ, having a hushed conversation likely about some girl. Turns out, it was about Kie and Leila, who stood by the couch, waiting to leave.
Once they were all ready, the group piled into the Twinkie, Leilani driving. She was the safest driver, and she was almost always the sober driver whenever the Pogues went out somewhere. Leilani didn't really like drinking, and she was fine to drive after nine if it wasn't her car. JJ and John B gathered the keg, Kie had the pump and Leilani and Pope carried cups through the boneyard once the Twinkie was parked.
