𝑻𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 | 𝑱𝑱 𝑴𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒂𝒏𝒌

[2] | Home Away From Home | Pilot II | Tease

The next morning, Kie and I laid lazily in John B's living room, sharing a joint between the two of us as we lounged on his futon. In the distance we could hear JJ shoo John B away, probably so that he could bid his conquest from last night goodbye. The clicking of a door let the two of us know JJ was successful in getting rid of John B.

I took a hit from the joint, letting the drugs clam my nerves as I passed it back to Kie. John B walked out from the back into the living room, shirtless. On a normal day, Kie and I would giggle about his physique, but right now, we were too out of it.

"Morning Kie, morning Bee."

We both mumbled back our good mornings to John B. As Kie played on her phone, I strummed the guitar next to me, humming some tunes. Kie nodded along, resting her head on my shoulder as I softly sang.

I loved staying at John B's and waking up to this energy. The gang never understood my obsession with them and their way of life, but the truth was, here I was surrounded by people and back home it was an empty house. Who would've thought, a Kook with a fancy two story house would fall in love with a fish shack on the marsh. The Château as John B calls it.

I sat up, feeling hazy but shrugged it off. I turned to Kiara, nudging her slightly. "Tell John B I'm going back to my aunt's house and I'll be by later. I gotta make sure nobody broke in or something while I was gone."

Kiara nodded, letting me know she heard me as she scrolled through her phone. That was all I needed to leave, but before I left I went to the bathroom. I made the mistake of not knocking, and was faced with the sight of JJ standing over the sink, splashing water on his face. My eyes wandered to his neck, where a few stray hickies were, gulping I turned my gaze elsewhere. I fought hard not to stare at his bare chest. Pogue boys never wear shirts. Never would I ever complain, but giving JJ the satisfaction of seeing me check him out wasn't going to happen today.

"JJ," I said, cooly. He stood up straight, allowing himself to tower over me as most the boys around here did. Even Kie was taller than me, but only by a an inch or two.

"Finally returning to your Kook castle?" He teased, moving past me but stopping in the door frame. He leaned against the frame, his bicep and abs begging for me to look at. Or maybe touch.

I clenched my jaw, flashing him a tight lipped smile. "Don't miss me too much."

He turned to go back into the bedroom with whatever girl he scored from the night before. "I won't!" He called over his shoulder. Rolling my eyes, I closed the door and did my business.

I left without seeing Pope, but it was alright because I'd see him tonight anyways. I planned on coming back to John B's to ride out the storm with him and whoever else stayed at his place. Sometimes I felt as if I overstay my welcome here, which is unsettling because I'd never want to overstep boundaries with my friend. If John B minded me staying, he didn't say.

Kiara was the only one that really understood why I stuck to the Pogues like a leech. It's not like I live a horrible life. Because I don't. I just live a lonely life. My aunt's house is far too large for a singular sixteen year old to spend time alone in. One time, Kiara asked me why I never invite the group over to my place since my aunt travels three out of four weeks in a month, and although I didn't admit it to her, I'm embarrassed for my Pogue friends to see my full-Kook home for what it really is: A place filled with so many unimportant tangible things, yet lacking the important intangible things.

As I walked home, which was an incredibly long walk, the effects of the marijuana wore off. As I exited the south side and entered the Figure Eight, I thought about my life on the mainland before all of the Kook and Pogue nonsense. Life was much more simple there.