part 3!!
JJ felt awful--and a little stupid--for thinking that you had moved on from him. Of course you hadn't, you just needed a shoulder to cry on since he was no longer in that position for you. He spent the rest of the night on the beach, thinking of how he would explain everything to you and what your reaction would be.
.
.
.
Your night was, well, rough, to say the least. You got home, smelling like beer and sweat, and your dad immediately came to you.
"(Y/N) what happened to you? Were you drinking?"
You looked up at him, tears threatening to spill from your eyes. "No, I was just at the bonfire and some girls poured their drinks on me because I wasn't with..."
He seemed to understand.
"I am so sorry that you were treated like that, honey. Why don't you take a shower and we can all watch a movie tonight, how does that sound?"
You gave a small smile. "It's okay, dad, you don't need to have a family party because some girls were mean to me. I just hope that the beer doesn't stain these pants, these are my favorite."
"Alright, I just want to make sure you're okay."
"I'm fine, dad, thank you."
You headed upstairs and took a long shower, thinking about how horrible the day had been for you. You sat on the floor, curling up into a ball and crying. It just felt like the universe was against you, and that there was nothing you could do to make your life any better.
The next few days at school were yet again, filled with stares. It seemed that nobody could get enough gossip about you, about what had happened to you.
You had decided you needed to change, needed to be strong and show the world you weren't scared and that you were confident.
You wore a full face of makeup at school, nice outfits, and didn't shrink into yourself when you caught people staring. You stared right back, asserting that you weren't afraid of what they thought of you.
It was like you had done a complete 180 of yourself pre-breakup.
Word traveled fast that you were apparently SO over JJ, and were acting different. JJ knew that he had to move fast, or he'd lose you forever.
He'd enlisted the help of one of your friends to set up a meeting between the two of you, as you hadn't been answering any of his calls. He planned it all out, you two would meet each other at the beach, and he'd win you back.
When the time for the plan came, JJ was nervous. More nervous than he had been to ask you out. He was terrified that he had ruined the only good thing in his life. He was snapped back to reality when he saw two figures along the beach, walking towards him.
"Scarlet, what are we doing here, really?" you asked, knowing there was some ulterior motive to the random so-called 'beach walk.'
"Just...come on, please." She led you towards a figure standing alone a couple hundred feet in front of you.
Everything clicked in that moment for you.
"No, stop. I know what this is. I'm not going over there. I can't. He left me, remember?"
Scarlet let out a huff. "You idiot he's going to apologize!"
"I don't care! He didn't seem too concerned with how I felt when he just randomly broke up with me before school!"
Before you could protest any further, JJ was already just a few feet from you.
"(Y/N)..." he managed to get out, his voice full of hurt and regret.
"JJ." you said back, coldly.
Scarlet had left at this point, walking fast to her car. You sighed, knowing there was no way you were getting out of this.
"I'm really so--"
"Yeah yeah. You're really sorry and you realized you made a mistake. I got it. I'm gonna leave now."
JJ grabbed your arm as you turned. "Listen," he said. "Please."
You rolled your eyes, turning to him and folding your arms across your chest.
"I only broke up with you because I couldn't stand how poorly you were being treated because you were with me. But, I realized that it was only going to be worse without me there to protect you--"
"I can take care of myself, JJ. I'm a big girl. I put my big girl pants on this morning."
He put his hands out in front of himself, gritting his jaw. "Can you please," he sighed. "Just listen to me? Hear me out?"
"Fine."
"I don't doubt your abilities to take care of yourself. I am just...a loose cannon sometimes, and people know that. Nobody would dare mess with you knowing that I could show up at any given moment. I want to keep you safe, I want to keep you happy," he paused for a moment. "I want to keep you." You smiled slightly, JJ always knew what to say to make you feel better, and to cover his ass when he messed up. "I never wanted to break up. I never wanted to make you feel like you had to change and had to make yourself seem tough and intimidating, that should've been my job, you stay your kind, loving self, and I was your protector to ensure that you could live your happy, euphoric life, and I live mine, standing beside you, admiring you.I can't live without you. I love you, (Y/N)."
You stared at him, mouth slightly open. "You love me?" you whispered.
"I love you more than the sun loves the moon. More than I love life itself. More than I can ever hope to express. I love you, my sweet girl."
You were shocked. JJ knew you loved him, it was obvious. You two had never really said 'I love yous' to each other, and you honestly weren't sure if JJ loved you the way you loved him. But here he was, on the beach, telling you that he was hopelessly in love with you. He waited, anxiety racing through his veins while you stood still and silent.
"I love you too, J."
this low key was rushed and was kinda booty BUT i don't mind bc i am a sucker for stuff like this. i hope u guys were at least entertained!!!
-mc
