A CELESTIAL BODY•JJ MAYBANK x CÉLESTE(OC)•OUTERBANKS

five

After the argument, her mom acted like nothing happened. Céleste could still sense the anger, but her actions made it seem as she didn't remember having been towering over her daughter half an hour before. That's the part that got to the blonde girl; not the violence, the complete dismissal of it afterwards.
After sitting in silence for an amount of time until it grew uncomfortable, Mrs Scott stormed upstairs, leaving Céleste uncertain what to do next.
Five minutes later, the girl was on her way to the chateau, a handful of stolen spirits in her rucksack. Cycling with one hand, she took sips from her beer.
By the time the girl arrived at the chateau, she guessed it was at least midnight, so when she saw a figure still sat on the dock, she was surprised.
"John B?"
She heard a chuckle and got a strong scent of weed. JJ, of course.
"You're back late, Kie was worried."
Céleste sighed, "I did say I didn't know when I'd be back."
"Yeah but still, you know what you're like when it goes bad."
He was met with silence.
The boy let out a sigh, and passed her the spliff.
After a few minutes of silence, he looked at her, "I take that as it didn't go well."
Shaking her head, she let out a sarcastic chuckle, "no it did not."
JJ took in some smoke, held it, and let it out in a ring, "wanna talk about it."
Taking his cap and pulling it so her face was partially covered, Céleste shrugged, "there's not much to say, I was a dick to her, she kicked off. It's how it always goes. There's nothing left with us, at all. I just leave feeling like a far shittier person than I'd ever imagined I would turn out to be."
"You're not a shitty person."
"I am with her."
JJ's jaw seemed to tense, and he ran his hand through his hair, "maybe she just makes you feel like one- you always say she's psycho. It's like my dad, I feel like a crap person after talking with him."
Taking a swig of her beer, Céleste pulled the cap down further, "yeah except my mom doesn't- she's not like your dad. She's done so much for me, and I just, I don't even know. I don't know."
Sensing the girl was beginning to get upset, he attempted to change the subject, "Nice hickey, really brings out your eyes. Who was the lucky guy?"
The speed at which her hand flew to the place on her collar bone that JJ had pointed to was impressive. It wasn't a hickey.
Everything she was holding in suddenly flooded out as Céleste began to cry. Her body shook with sobs, as she attempted to turn away from JJ.
Attempting to connect two and two, the boy frowned, "it was consensual, wasn't it?"
Unsure of what to do, she nodded, still crying.
JJ offered his hand, and once she was holding his, he took her to the end of the dock so they were sat side by side, with their legs hanging over the edge.
"Sorry."
He shook his head, "you don't have to be sorry for anything."
"What was it like, with your dad, when he first started, you know."
"Did she hit you?" His hand was clenched in a fist, but he attempted to remain calm.
Céleste thought about it for a second, but shook her head. Her mom barely hit her, it didn't really count. What JJ's dad did was actually hitting.
"I'm just, just curiosity."
Trying to read her, he frowned, " I don't know really, it just sort of happened. First time he hit me I thought it was a slip up, and the next, until, I don't know, it just always got worse instead of better."
She lent into him, resting her head on his shoulder.
"Do you ever think of just leaving? Kinda like how I did, except to a different country, where nobody knows who we are, and we can just start over?"
He nodded, shocked at the amount of contact they were sharing. They had probably been the most close out of all the Pogues, but were never this close.
"Yucatan, that's what I always say."
Céleste sighed, a small part of her wishing that JJ was serious. She pulled her rucksack towards her and picked out the bottle of whiskey.
"On the plus side, I found this."
Smiling, she broke the seal and took a sip, barely pulling a face.