unspoken thing » jj maybank

34

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"So, I already got an essay due next week," Pope said, shoving his marshmallow stick in the small bonfire.

Emelina happily put her toasted marshmallow on her chocolate and graham crackers and took a bite of the sweet dessert. "How far along are you?" she asked him and shifted comfortably on the log below her.

"I already finished."

She widened her eyes, "Mind writing mine, then?"

Pope looked at her with a straight face. "Haha."

JJ shoved his marshmallow in the pit of the fire to make it extra crispy. "I'll probably bullshit mine at the last minute. It always gets the job done."

Kiara took a bite of her new s'mores while speaking, "I just don't understand why we have to write about our summer? Losing our friends shouldn't be entertainment."

It was quiet after that. Nothing but the crinkling fire and crashing waves from behind were heard. They all decided to meet at the beach for a small bonfire as they haven't had much time together in the last few days since school started.

Meaning she hadn't had the chance to speak to JJ about their almost kiss. She didn't know the right words to say and JJ went on about his life as if nothing happened but something did happen, right?

When JJ bit into his s'mores, he grimaced, "Why is my marshmallow still hard?"

"'Cause you're supposed to let it cook not burn, dumbass," Kiara told him. "I knew that." he defended and put another marshmallow on his stick.

Kiara looked at Emelina and noticed her rubbing her arms and shivering slightly. "Hey, Lina, can we switch spots? It's hot over here."

Emelina's eyes travel to Kiara and then next to JJ, who sat right next to her. She wondered if she did that on purpose, but nonetheless, she swapped places with her.

It was indeed warmer when she sat down in her new spot next to the blonde boy. JJ seemed to be too preoccupied with making sure his treat was in perfect condition to comment on them sitting next to each other.

Kiara's eyes scan around them until realization hits. "Shit. We forgot the drinks. Pope, can I have your keys?"

Pope shuffled his hand in his pocket to grab the item before standing up. "I'll go with you."

"I can walk to the truck by myself."

"What kind of person would I be to let you walk alone at night?" he asked and she rolled her eyes in response and the two make their way over to his truck to fetch the drinks.

Emelina watched as JJ finally eat his new s'more and smile in satisfaction when it came out right. "Much better."

"Hey, JJ?" Emelina turned her head to him and dropped her stick on the ground to only focus on him. His injuries were healing yet still there, reminding her of the pain he constantly goes through.

She found out that he has been camping out at the Chateau all by himself. Anything was better than his current home even if he was alone.

"Mhm?"

"I think we... we should talk about what could've happened that night."

JJ remained silent, thinking of a response while running his fingers through his blonde hair. Finally, he spoke, "Some things are better left unsaid."

She took a second to process the saying and quickly shook her head. "But, I want you to say it."

"Say what?"

"The reason you don't want me with Topper."

He simply shrugged, "I'm just looking out for you."

"No," she claimed and stared at him in disbelief, "We both know that's not it."

A part of her was begging for him to unleash all his previous drunken words, but the other part had her thinking it was all in her head. Maybe he truly did move on and it was her who was latching on.

"Alright, I say it, and then what? Nothing will change," he stated all while keeping his eyes locked on hers. Those blue eyes always made her queasy inside.

"I want it to." Her voice was barely audible, but he heard it.

"Why are you with him if you're asking me to give you reasons to break up with him?" he asked, his mind fuzzy with her irrational unmade choices.

Emelina closed her eyes in thought and when she was ready, she opened them to his. "I need to know if you'll be here."

"I'm not goin' anywhere," JJ stated, that was until he cleared his throat and looked away from her gaze and to the fire. "But, I can't keep doing this, Em."

Her heart dropped at his words. "What?"

"Seeing you with Topper is draining, alright? At parties... at school..." JJ stood up and took one step away from her. "You send me mix signals and I don't know what you want. He has you and I don't and I'm startin' to believe that won't change."

She shook her head in the middle of his rant and when he was done, her voice came out as a whisper, "It will be different this time."

He told her that he would wait, but maybe he never actually meant what he said and they were just drunken rambles. That thought alone made her heart clench.

A small frown falls on his lips, not believing her, "That's not enough."

"I'll make it enough," she whispered so softly that he couldn't pick up on it.

It was quiet, too quiet and Emelina began wondering why it was taking her friends so long to get the stupid drinks from the truck. Maybe it was a sign from above to keep the conversation going. She wasn't sure but she did it anyway.

"Do you not remember anything that day? Not a single word you said to me? It was all blank?" she asked him. The confusion on his face only confirmed her question and she wished she hadn't brought it up.

"Wait, what? I asked and you denied it."

"I lied," Emelina told him and focused her attention on the blazing heat. "I lied because I was scared to know the truth—that being with him only made me realize I wanted to be with you."

"Y-You do?" JJ widened his eyes at the news.

Emelina nodded softly and exhaled a breath she didn't know she was holding. It felt like a relief to say it to him.

She saw the way millions of thoughts were running through his head, processing everything. He couldn't portray them, though, as Kiara and Pope finally make their way back over to their circle.

"Why'd we park so far away?" Kiara asked and plopped herself down on a log. "Hey, catch!" she said to JJ and threw a glass beer bottle his way, but with being distracted by his thoughts, it shattered to the ground.

"JJ!" Kiara scolded and threw him another bottle and this time he caught it with ease. "You never miss."

"That was definitely your fault. You can't throw." JJ went back to normal to avoid any suspicions among the group.

While JJ and Kiara bicker, Emelina's mind traveled far back into how to get the boy. The right one this time.

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a/n: sorry for the late publish and short chapter again i kinda didn't know what to write here but it's fine and i have one more chapter before it follows the script againnn anyway don't forget to vote and comment i love every single one of them