UNTOLD | JJ Maybank

Chapter 17

"Come on, Malou!", Kiara called from the living room and Malou groaned, before she hid her face in her pillow. The pogues were waiting for her, since they had been invited for a kegger in memory of John B that night. Regarding the fact, that they had witnessed a murder just a night before, Malou wasn't really in the mood for a party. And she wasn't in the mood for people pitying her.

"Can I come in?", a voice suddenly spoke close to her room and Malou rolled her eyes.

"No.", she said, just to hear the door opening anyway.

"Seriously? I could have been naked. Or masturbating.", Malou complained and saw how JJ raised his eyebrows, before he closed the door behind him again.

"I'm disappointed you're not doing any of that.", he said cheekily and Malou rolled her eyes at him, just to hear him chuckle. Malou sat up and looked at the blonde boy. He looked good. His hair looked perfectly messy and he wore a plaid shirt with the upper buttons open, so his shark tooth necklace was visible.

"I don't wanna go, J.", Malou said and played with the pillow in her lap.

"I know, but they're throwing it for John B, so I think we should go.", he replied and watched how Malou pouted, before she let herself fall back onto the bed.

"We witnessed a murder last night and lost the only proof that could have cleared John Bs name and now you expect me to celebrate?", Malou asked again and dramatically threw her arms over her face. Walking over to the bed, JJ bent over the girl and pulled her arms from her face.

"You don't have to celebrate and if you'll feel uncomfortable, we can leave early. But we should at least show up. It's important for them, that you're gonna be there.", he tried to convince her and Malou sighed.

"And you know, it's for John B and Sarah. Maybe we should celebrate them, have some fun, tell their stories, share memories. I don't know, maybe it'll get our heads off everything else for a bit."

"Ok.", Malou eventually gave in and JJ smiled slightly at her.

"Ok. Get ready, we'll wait.", he said quietly and Malou noticed, how his eyes fell onto her lips. Pushing his thoughts aside, JJ quickly moved away from her and gave her an assuring smile, before he left her room again. Malou sighed. She liked the bubble with JJ and she wished, that it wouldn't bust whenever Kiara or Pope were around or whenever they left the Château. She wasn't sure, if JJ felt the same or if the bubble was enough for him. Either way, Malou couldn't deny, that her mind was either circling around JJ or trying to work out a plan to find another evidence that would proof John Bs innocence. There wasn't an in between.

With a sigh, Malou got up and put on some jeans and her sneakers. As she went through all her tops, she suddenly remembered JJs word of celebrating her brother and Sarah and thought it would be nice to honour him that night. Putting her hair up in a messy bun, she left her room, and, for the first time since he went missing on sea, she walked inside her brothers' room. It still smelt like him and everything was how he had left it. Malou had been scared to enter his room, not knowing what kind of emotions would set it free, but right in that moment, she felt close to him. Going up to his sideboard, she pulled out a yellow bandana and knotted it around her head. From his closet, she picked a dark blue shirt with yellow patterns and knotted it underneath her chest. Putting her phone and keys in her pocket, Malou walked outside to meet the pogues on the porch. As they heard her approach them, their heads turned towards the girl.

"What?", she asked, as they stared at her in silence.

"Sometimes I forget, that you're twins.", Pope was the first to speak up and smiled at her right after.

"It's because I'm way prettier than him.", Malou joked and heard her friends chuckle.

"You're definitely the hotter Routledge.", JJ agreed and winked at her. Malou shook her head with a smile and walked down the stairs with her friends following her. It was a good fifteen-minute walk to the beach, that was filled with all different kinds of conversations. Just like it had used to be. They reached the beach when the sun was about to set and were greeted happily by their schoolmates and other pogues they knew from surfing sessions. There were a lot of strangers, telling Malou, that the tourons had heard of the party and hoped, that no kooks would show up. To Malous surprise, the night hadn't started too bad. Most of the people had been genuinely happy to see them and just wanted to party with them to celebrate John B and Sarah, without a hint of pity or shyness. Only, when Malou talked to a girl from her school she barely knew, her mind seemed to drift off.