Burnt Out

21

"Could this possibly be any better?" JJ laid down in the bed of his truck with his head resting on a pillow and Chloe's head resting on his chest. It was the middle of the night and the truck was parked in the middle of a field in a place seemingly separate from the rest of the world. Chloe lifted her head and looked him in the eyes.

"This is like a dream. I was wrong about you JJ." Chloe leaned in to kiss him, and JJ had prepared himself as he felt the "loop de loop" feeling in his body rise. But then he stopped for a moment and started to wonder. How did they get there? Where was he before this? And did Chloe just say she was wrong?

"Ah fuck.......I'm dreaming." JJ stirred awake and started to cuss himself out because his mind had woven him into a dream too good to be true. He rolled out of bed and noticed Wyatt was up doing his daily push ups.

"Finally you're up."

"Trying to impress Alexia?"

"Is it a crime to try and look good?"

"If it was then I'd be sentenced to 25 to life haha." Wyatt did his last push with what little strength he had left in his arms. He got up and grabbed a water from the fridge.

"Want some bacon?" JJ walked over to Wyatt as he held their last pack of microwaveable bacon.

"Maybe we should go shopping." JJ laughed as they rarely went to the store as they would just stock up on bacon and the ingredients to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. JJ went to his dresser and threw on his tank top with blue and gray stripes on the front, kept his batman pajama pants on and then his one pair of Sperry's. He went into the bathroom to fix his bed head and noticed the bathroom cabinet under the sink was open. JJ checked under and saw his pack of cigarettes, which he hadn't touched for 2 weeks: when the gang went to the beach. He thought to himself if it had really been two weeks since they all got together. He walked out grabbed Wyatt and they took Wyatt's car to the supermarket.

"Hey Wyatt....talk to Alexia recently?" Wyatt rolled his eyes at JJ as he drove.

"Yes I get it I said I love her now you won't let it go."

"No that's not what I meant. It's been two weeks since we all went to the beach, and since school finally ended 3 days ago I was thinking we should all do something again." Wyatt scratched his head and laughed.

"Wow...it really has been two weeks. You think she missed me?"

"Oh shut up, you two are crazy about each other. You guys text like every other day."

"How about you and Chloe? Talk to her?" Wyatt pulled into the supermarket parking lot and they stepped out of the car and JJ thought about the last time he spoke to Chloe. They texted a couple days after the beach outing, but then she stopped replying to his messages.

"Um I think she might be avoiding me. She never replied to my lest message about a week ago..." Wyatt shook his head as he grabbed a cart and started to walk down the isles, knocking in random snack foods for the two boys to munch on.

"You can't assume things like that man. You're over thinking again, and if you keep it up eventually it's gunna kill you."

"You're probably right....I just can't help it. I always assume the worst; she's probably just been busy with school ending and other shit." Wyatt picked up about 10 packs of bacon and embraced them in a tight hug. JJ laughed and grabbed them from him.

"I tell you what. I'll text Alexia and see if we can set up a hangout at the movies or something." JJ thought about how much he loved going to the movies and how he stupidly would relate his life to every story in some odd way, even if it didn't make sense.

"Alright bud sounds like a plan."

"Now can you please stop being a little bitch and go get the peanut butter so we can get home so I can kick your ass in madden." JJ punched Wyatt and went to go get the peanut butter for his absolute favorite lunch ever: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. He thought about seeing Chloe again and if she really was avoiding him. JJ shrugged it off like most things and thought about how much the fun the movies are gunna be.
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"JJ quit starring at yourself in the mirror and let's get going! Movie starts at 9!" JJ laughed as he got an odd feeling of Deja Vu. He sprayed on a light coat of body spray to make sure that he didn't smell like college boy. He walked outside and saw Wyatt in his classic long-sleeve shirt, khaki shorts, and Sperry shoes. JJ had on khaki pants, his red Billabong t-shirt, and he too had decided on Sperrys. They gave each other the same look and said the same thing.

"Fucking douchebag." The two dapper young men took Wyatt's car to the movies and saw the girls standing outside. JJ and Wyatt smiled as they walked up to the both of them. Wyatt spoke first.

"Lexi you're looking beautiful as always." Alexia disregarded the comment and pushed Wyatt aside as she walked up to JJ and grabbed him by the arm, backing him up about 10 feet before Chloe had a chance to see him.

"Alexia what the fuck is your problem, you're gunna rip my shirt!"

"Shut your mouth fuckstick and listen to me. Now you're gunna be mad but-"

"Wait why am I gunna be mad?"

"JJ I tried to explain this to her but-"

"Alexia what the fuck are you trying to say?" Just then Chloe walked up to JJ with a figure standing behind her.

"Hello Julian. I'd like you to meet Ian Vaughn." The figure stepped out from behind Chloe. He was a skinny white boy with dark eyes and a sophisticated posh look to him. He stood a couple inches shorter than JJ and stuck out his hand for JJ to shake. JJ confusingly shook his head and Chloe finished her sentence.

"Ian is my boyfriend." JJ's eyes got wide and he clamped down on the young man's hand before letting go. JJ shot Alexia a look and she shook her head at him seemingly reading each other's minds. Ian spoke up.

"Nice to meet you Julian." He said it in a hushed voice as He wasn't one to get very loud. JJ turned his head back to him as he realized the newcomer had said his real name which was never allowed, unless your name happened to be Chloe Cage.

"That's JJ to you. Not Julian. Never Julian." Chloe rolled her eyes at him and huffed because she knew JJ was gunna be like this for the whole night. She hated it when he confronted all of her former boyfriends, and this was no different. In JJ's defense sometimes it seemed like Chloe would force him into situations like this, where it was almost setting him up for failure every time. JJ stood there with a fire raging within him and yet a cold feeling where his heart should be. During this awkward encounter Blaine walked up with Zack around his arm.

"What's up bitch-" Blaine saw Chloe standing hand and hand with Ian, JJ staring Ian down like he was ready to kill him and Wyatt and Alexia standing to the side shaking their heads getting ready to pull JJ back at any moment. He looked at Zack and half smiled.

"Hehe.....babe meet the gang....."