𝐒𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑| Topper Thornton| John B Routledge

15| YOU WISH YOU KNEW YOUR DAD?

"Stop following me!" Joey yelled when Topper rode next to her on the motorcycle.

"I'll bring you home!" He called over the motor.

"No!" she yelled in return, flashing him a finger. "My legs are fine!"

"Why are you even mad? I was standing up for you!" the blonde called, switching the bike off and hurrying to jump off, parking it.

"No, you just wanted to compete with John B. I'm my own person, you don't get a say in who I hang out with." Joey spoke bitterly, glad she didn't have to yell as he followed after her. "And talking about me like I wasn't right there? Like I can't fight my own battles? Are you wild? You are wild!"

"Am I w- No, you're wrong. I was just making a statement." Topper continued on, staying behind her as his expensive shoes nearly stepped on the back of her old, yet clean, converse. "I don't want a drug dealer coming after you!"

Joey stopped, causing Topper to bump into her. With a huff, she turned to look back at him. "You-"

She shoved a finger at his nose before going on. "-don't get to get all weird on me. It's not any of your concern."

All weird on me being code for caring about me. Topper knew that but didn't question her on it. "Easy for you to say."

"Very easy." she agreed, turning around again as he still followed.

"Look, i'm just tying to take care of you." the blonde spoke in minor annoyance, circling her to cause her to stop.

"I don't need you to. I can take care of myself." Joey shot back defensively, taking a deep breath.

"No shit, I know that." he rolled his eyes at her. "Doesn't mean I'm just gonna sit back and let John B involve you in dangerous shit. After the fact that you're already upset."

"But, you didn't have to say that right infront of him." Joey sighed, and her anger turned to embarrassment and sadness. "That's so embarrassing, Topper. Now he thinks i'm crying to you about him and Sarah."

"Okay, i'm sorry. Shouldn't have said that." his blonde hair didn't move when he shook his head. "Just hop on, i'll bring you to you house, and then i'll leave you alone."

Joey looked toward the motorcycle. "I get the helmet."

"Deal." he agreed, leading her back over to put the helmet onto her head, securing it before getting on. Holding out a hand, Joey latched onto it to climb onto the back. Topper started the engine up again, Joeys arms tightening around his waist as he headed back to her house.

"So, are you crazy about Sarah, or what?" Joey asked. The plan that Topper would leave after dropping her off not going to plan at all as Topper met her on the dock behind her house, watching as she rubbed a heavy amount of sunscreen onto her exposed shoulders, arms, legs, and a sliver of her stomach that was showing between her shorts and blue and white shirt.

"Crazy? I don't know about crazy." he said back, dropping his shirt near their shoes. "Are you crazy about John B?"

"Crazy's probably an understatement." Joey said honestly, and it made him laugh. "I did some, like, excessively crazy shit after I moved here, post break up. I mean, I obviously have grown and matured since then, but still."

"Like what?" the blonde asked, walking over as she sprayed the sunscreen across his arms.

"Like spinning my moped tires in his flowerbeds, that I literally planted." Joey hid her laugh. "I also egged the chateau, stole his boat, hacked into all his social medias and said something super embarrassing, spread a rumor he has STD's, put paint in his locker, almost ran him over-"

"In your moped?" Topper did laugh. "Oh my god."

"Yeah, it was bad." Joey laughed alongside him. "I was so angry, and it was so dumb. Kie hit me right in the face, never tried to run him over again. Girls got an arm on her, i'm telling you."

"Would you ever do something like that again? Like, if you got really mad?" Topper asked curiously, spinning around for her to spray his shoulders.

"No, that wasn't fair and it was ridiculous of me to do. Especially over something so simple like a break up." Joey said back, glad he hadn't been looking at her to see the guilt in her eyes. "I use to do the tire thing all the time. I got my moped when I was really young and I just loved hitting the gas while it was in break. My mom use to tell me my dad did that sort of thing, and that she'd never trust me to drive."

"You wish you knew your dad?" Topper asked, turning as she hit his shoulder to encourage it.

"From what my mom told me about him, not really." She sprayed sunscreen on her hands, using her fingers to spread it across his face. "I do wish I knew more about him though. Like, if I get all my anger issues from him. My mom was a saint. She never even yelled, never got mad, she raised me in a good way, you know? The right way. She explained and taught me things without getting mad, punished me in a normal way. She was just great. Made me forget I was even suppose to have a dad."

"She sounds like a pretty good mom." Topper nodded, sitting down on the towel as Joey followed.

"What's up with your mom? Why is she never home to yell at you for letting me come over so much?" the girl asked, her curls across her sunscreens shoulders, smelling like the brand.

Topper gave a minor shrug. "She works a lot, and makes a lot. Travels, so, she's not home much."

"You wish she was?" Joey asked honestly, squinting from the sun as she looked over.

"Maybe I use to, but, I don't know, now when she is home she just puts a lot of responsibility on me and it gets exhausting." the blonde said honestly as Joey watched his face. "It's hard to imagine you before you were all anti-everything though."

"I'm not anti-vaccine, though." Joey pointed out, leaning back on her elbows. "But, yeah, I know. When I think about how I use to be, so sweet and this carefree attitude, it's weird to imagine I was that way too."

"You still can be sweet." he gave a teasing look, getting an offended look. "You know, when you're not saying fuck you both to me and John B."

That time, she laughed and agreed. "Which is rare that i'm not."

•

kylie speaks

super short chapter
but just a little breathable
moment before all hell breaks
loose after ward tries to murder
JB.