Storm Of Chaos| Pope Heyward| JJ Maybank

vii. 𝐀𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞, 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐣𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐲

"What do you think is going on in there?" Rio asked as her and JJ waited in the nursing home, playing go fish.

"I hate the smell of this place." JJ said honestly. "Go fish."

"I know, reminds me of expensive perfume that isn't even good smelling but people buy it just because it's expensive." she hummed, slapping a card down. "I should warn you, i'm good at this."

"Can I ask you something?" JJ paused to look at her, Rio nodded. "How are you so confident in yourself?"

Rio shrugged. "Confidence makes your life so much better. Without it, you don't have anything. You have to love yourself or you'll just live such a gloomy life."

"Yeah, but it probably is easy because you're super rich and hot." he shrugged her way as Rio met his eye.

"I think i'd still find my ways to love myself if I didn't have my money." Rio put another card down. "And i'm hot because I have confidence. People that love themselves but aren't arrogant about it immediately make them attractive."

"Yeah, that's true." JJ agreed as he put a card down. "Have you always felt that way?"

"Are you kidding? No." Rio laughed slightly with a stupid look. "When I was younger I literally hated myself. Hated that my hair wasn't glossy, hated that I always had the worst eye bags, hated how my jaw is slightly uneven, hated my teeth, hated my body the most."

"So, what changed?" he looked more curious in the conversation, because he put the wrong card down.

"Because I noticed that all the things I hated about myself I adored on other people." she said in return with a small smile. "After that, I just had to learn to accept that what I looked like was always gonna be good enough. It took a while, but I eventually really just wanted to love life and love myself. The world was always so much brighter after that."

JJ cracked a grin. "I like all those things you used to not like about yourself too."

Rio gave him a grin as Pope appeared. "Ah, our little lover man. How'd it go?"

"Shit just got so personal." Pope stared at the pair as they followed. "I need to eat."

"I also need to eat." Rio agreed. "Like, a full buffet."

"Wait, what happened?" JJ caught up to Pope, wrapping an arm around his waist. "What got personal?"

"I'll tell you guys when we eat." he inhaled, shaking his head. "I gotta get some food in my stomach."

"Let's go put on ten pounds right quick." Rio nodded, linking her arm with his as they walked out.

"And then, she started talking about how we're related and then-" Pope went on after already ranting for five minutes. The trio went to a little restaurant right on the water, assuming the remaining trio would make their way back to them before long.