If Only ❆ JJ and Kiara

#12

That last chapter ): poor guys. Just discovered this song like yesterday and I really vibe it lol. Btw in the title, it says v instead of u. 

No POV:

Kiara tore herself apart in the following week, agonising over JJ. She couldn't believe how stupid she was, to say that what happened didn't mean much. Kiara had never felt this way, and the fact that she had messed it all up to such an extent made her feel awful.

Sarah had been amazing, and Kiara was extremely grateful to have such a close friend. Sarah sympathised with Kiara and was able to somewhat relate. She herself had had her own fair share of boy troubles and mishaps, so her advice was helpful.

They say ignorance is bliss, though in Pope's situation that wasn't necessarily the case. He had turned a blind eye to what was going on between JJ and Kiara and he was now the only person in their tightly-knitted friend group that had no clue what was going on. He refused to believe that something was brewing and it now cost him the ability to talk to two of his closest friends.

JJ stayed in a little bubble. His dad had come home recently and not being able to talk to anyone was making things difficult. JJ wanted to keep his sense of pride, and couldn't bring himself to talk to anyone while he was like this.

For the last few days, it had pretty much been the same routine. Wake up, see his dad passed out on the couch, lay low around town, come home, get beaten up for not being around all day, clean wounds, go to bed, wake up and repeat.

Sarah's POV:

JJ and Kiara's fight caused a sense of unrest between the whole group. Pope didn't know what happened and was probably confused when nobody was free to hang out with him. We couldn't bring JJ and Kiara because that would lead to Pope finding out about everything, but we also couldn't leave them behind because that would also lead to Pope finding out about things or being suspicious of something happening.

I felt terrible, of course, though I was also curious. JJ and Kiara had always strictly been friends-only, aside from a bit of playful flirtation. So what happened to make things change and why did they change so quickly? Kiara isn't the type to hide a crush, so why did things go forward the way they did? Why am I even thinking about this so much?

The last question is the only one I was capable of answering. Kiara is my best friend, and after everything that she and I have been through, it's only fair that I care for her. I recommended that she spent some time with someone else, like John B or maybe Pope. She didn't exactly decline, but I think she wasn't quite in the mood to see them. What Kiara needs is something I can't give her- some good girlfriends. 

No POV:

Kiara lay low throughout the next week, going down to The Cut for no real reason, staying out of peoples' way when she saw someone she recognised. The population was low, and in one weeks time, she saw Pope twice and John B once. She wasn't sure if she should be worried or glad about the fact that she hadn't seen JJ. Often he was on the run from the police, easily noticeable, but Kiara hadn't come across him at all, leading her to worry about his safety. 

Debating about whether or not to go and check on JJ, a small voice spoke in her head. Curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back. Not sure how to make sense of that, Kiara took it as a sign that she should see if he was okay, and rightfully so that she did.

When Kiara arrived, the first thing she noticed was that his dad's car was back. This immediately confirmed her suspicions. Picking her way through the now rather overgrown garden, she could hear deep snores that belonged to JJ's dad. 

Walking up the stairs leading to the rotting wood porch, she eyed Luke. He held a beer bottle in his hand and he looked as though he hadn't shaved or taken part in any form of personal hygiene in many days. 

Hearing leaves crunch underfoot, Kiara realised she probably shouldn't be there and turned to leave but it was too late, JJ was right behind her.

The sight of JJ's face nearly brought Kiara to tears. He was covered in cuts and bruises all over. 

"Kiara, what are you doing here?"

"I-" Kiara struggled for words.

"What do you want?" He turned away to walk into the house but was stopped by Kiara grabbing his arm.

"JJ! Please don't leave. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to say that, the words just kind of tumbled out. Don't think that what happened didn't mean anything. I've never done this before, I just..." She searched for a way to say I'm sorry I was a bitch, I actually really really like you, but nothing came up.

"Look, I actually can't do this right now. My dad is home, which you can see, and there are just things I need to do," JJ sighed and tried to walk away, but Kiara's grip stayed firm.

"Then we go somewhere else. And what exactly is it that you need to do now that you can't do later, huh? It's the holidays so there's no school- not like you care about it anyway."

"Okay then, where do we go?" 

"How about the beach? There aren't many people there right now, so we should be fine."

Word Count: 955

🥺🥺🥺  Sorry this chapter ended like that, I just felt like it'd be too long if I added the conversation, though I'll do it next chapter! Thank you so much for 900 reads!! <333