Away From You | Jiara

Chapter 8

I don't lay around at all when I wake up this morning. I have a few more hours with them and I don't want to waste a second. As soon as I'm out the bed I wake everyone else up. I think they can tell by my voice that I'm not playing around and hurry to get ready. We sit down and have breakfast at this diner in town called Oscars. I ordered french toast and orange juice and it was the best french toast I've ever had. I will definitely be back here. I ask our waitress to take a picture of us after we've had time to eat and of course JJ has to have a silly expression on his face. All of us are smiling and there's J, being the clown we all know him to be. I pay for breakfast and they all grumble about it, but I don't take no for an answer. After breakfast we make our way to the mall to play laser tag. I decided it should be girls against boys because me and Sarah can hold our own. Being one player short didn't faze us at all. 

At one point during the game, I see John B and Sarah over in the corner making out. I want to call her out on it but, I don't want my hiding spot to be discovered and, who am I to interfere with young love? We continue on with the game and to my displeasure the boys end up winning. I could be a sore loser and blame it on Sarah but Pope and JJ did not go easy on me one bit. We all hit up the photobooth again to take pictures and to no one's surprise it's just as fun as the first time. Sarah announces that her and John B are going to walk around for a little bit while Pope mutters something about comics so that just leaves me and JJ. I ask JJ to take me to that surf shop he visited yesterday and we make our way over there. We look at different boards until suddenly I see that JJ's been looking at one particular board longer than the others, almost like he's studying it.

"Is this the one that caught your eye yesterday?" I ask going to stand beside him.

"Yeah, it's nice but nothing I can afford." he says still eyeing the board. 

I check the price and see that it's $850. It's an all-white Lib Tech board with a black stripe going down the middle with orange splattered on at the bottom. I would buy it for him right now if he wanted me to but I know he would never go for that. That's why I'm going to get it for him without him knowing. His birthday isn't that far away so this is perfect. We leave the store once he's done admiring the board and we go and sit on one of the benches in front of a random store. 

"So, was this weekend everything you wanted it to be?" He asks with a smirk.

"Yeah, 10/10 for sure. I wish I got a little more time with you guys though, especially since I don't know when we'll all be together again."

"You'll have to come home one weekend so we can surf together like old times. That way I can remind you just how good the King of Outer Banks is."

I just smile and look down at my hands. "That probably won't happen for a while. I still haven't talked to my mom since I started school here so it's a little bit awkward between us right now."

"You still mad at your mom?"

"Yes, she was wrong for forcing this on me. I don't belong nor do I want to be here. You guys are my friends not these people I'm forced to see for 8 hours a day."

"I still think you should talk to her. At least hear her out, that's all."

"I was going to call her today but I don't feel like getting into an argument. I don't know."

"Would it help if you called her right now while I'm here? That way you feel supported and not so alone."

"Yeah, I guess." I reach for my phone in my pocket and call my mom. It takes a few rings but she finally answers. I place it on speaker right away.

"Hey Kiara, you finally called." mom says cheerfully.

"Yeah, I almost didn't."

"Baby, what's going on with you?"