Chasing Sunshine | JJ Maybank

27 // Midsummers

I don't know what kind of Cinderella story-type bullshit John B was on, but as the digital clock on the car radio slowly clicked towards midnight, I found growing more and more exhausted. I'd do just about anything to get out of this dress and burrow underneath the covers. It didn't help that the Kooks chased us out before I got the chance to eat anything. How rude.

But there we were, trundling along in the Volkswagen towards one of the island's many national landmarks while a thick cloud of hostility stifled us into silence. Maybe it was selfish, but I was kind of glad it wasn't because of JJ and I for once. He poked me lightly on the arm when I shifted uncomfortably one too many times against his shoulder.

"You good over there Sir Squirms-A-Lot?"

"No," I whined, finally giving up and sitting up straight, facing the other three positioned up by the front, "I'm tired and this dress is really uncomfortable."

"Well that does it, we gotta turn this thing around JB!" he called out teasingly, even making Kiara take a moment's reprieve from her annoyed pouting to smile at my expense. "Meg's tired and uncomfortable so to hell with four hundred million dollars. We've gotta get her home and tucked into bed."

"For the record-" I grumbled, throwing an abandoned beer can from the floor at Pope's head who was still stifling laughter, "-fuck all of you. I haven't gotten a good night's sleep in forever."

"Relax Sunshine," JJ chuckled, tugging on my wrist to make me curl against his side again, "Besides, I think the dress was an A plus choice-you should wear shit like this more often."

I scoffed. "Why, because it does wonders for my ass?" I shot back jokingly, turning my head upwards to face him with an easy-going grin on on my face. For me, Rafe's earlier taunt had gone in one ear and out the other, barely even a blip on my radar. I simply tucked it away with all the other unsavory things drunkenly whispered to me at keggers or yelled out of windows from cars whizzing by. I rather quickly realized that JJ was not as forgiving.

The juul that he just been flipping through his fingers suddenly stopped, clenched harshly in a tight fist. His gaze hardened with a stormy intensity and the wrinkles that normally bunched around the corners of his eyes from an ever present smirk had smoothed over when his smile dropped into a scowl. My eyebrows scrunched when the muscles in his jaw clenched and he replied lowly, "Don't."

I believe it should have bothered me to think that he got that overprotective over something so trivial, so unimportant. And if you had asked me not even a couple days ago, it definitely would have. But I'd be lying to myself if I said that that one word didn't make my heart beat that much faster, my breathing that much heavier. How he just kept finding and tugging on all the right strings, I don't know, but I was slowly beginning to unravel from the inside out. It was hard to say if anyone heard or was even paying attention to that little interaction but it didn't matter because not even a full minute later, John B stopped the van.

"All right," he announced, killing the engine. Pope slid open the side door to let those of us in the back out.

"Hit it boys," JJ said, switching back into his happy-go-lucky self with ease and nudging me off his shoulder to crawl towards the door, "We're going recon mission!"

"Yo uh, so...I think I'm gonna do this one by myself, "John B said hurriedly, turning around to face the rest of us from the driver's seat. I fell back against the seat with a deep sigh and Kie rolled her eyes towards the ceiling of the vehicle. JJ scoffed, lifting the ball cap from his head to run a hand through his hair before setting it back down.

"Really?" he asked, plopping his arms on his knees.

"What?"

"Nothin' brother."