Heated Lies (Jiara)

Kiara's Ears Only

"JOHN JACOB MAYBANK!" John B yelled at the top of his lungs.

They waited a beat, and Pope began banging at the door again. "JJ, get your ass out here, you have explaining to do!"

"This is ridiculous." John B murmured. "Why didn't he call me?"

"You mean us?"

John B corrected himself, but he truly meant what he said before. JJ was his best friend, right? Where was the trust?

That's when someone finally answered the door. Except it wasn't JJ. It was an older, angry looking man.

"He sure in the hell does have explaining to do." Luke leaned against the door frame. "The fuck is that kid? He hasn't come home last night, and he knows he has a curfew."

"Curfew?" Both Pope and John B spat out the word like it tasted absolutely awful.

"JJ does whatever..." JB trailed off.

"No, not anymore. You boys go find him, and bring his ass home."

Pope was scanning the house. It looked even messier than before. Then there was the fact that Luke was the one holding a beer bottle.

He matched it with the rest he'd seen all over the living room floor the last time he was there. Something clicked.

"Will do, sir." He pulled John B by his collar. "We'll go right now."

***

Later that night, JJ was starting to nod off. Kiara had put on a movie for them both to watch, and it ended up turning into three. She was never one for horror movies. Each jump scare caused him rub his thumb over the skin on her shoulder.

It would also wake him up from what small naps he was getting in between. At least, until she grew limp against him. Then, he slowly grabbed the remote to lower the volume.

It didn't take long for her soft snores to be heard. He didn't want to laugh and wake her up, but if he'd asked about this when she woke up, he knew she'd deny it. 'I don't snore,' she'd say. 'No way.'

She was adorable, to say in the least. That's when his phone buzzed, and he became stiff. He picked it up anyway, to get whatever it was over with and done.

It was Pope. Then it was John B. Then it was his dad. They all had questions he didn't like. Most of them were wondering where he was. He didn't dare look at Luke's third and fourth text. He had a feeling his father was using some colorful language.

Something else buzzed, and he found himself picking up Kiara's phone. It was more of the same, and he couldn't have been more grateful that she was asleep in that moment.

"Tomorrow, I swear." He whispered to himself.

He couldn't swear on things he couldn't keep, but he could continue to pretend. He was going to enjoy this moment as much as he could.

***

That only lasted until about two am. The nausea came back, and he found himself rushing out of her bed and back into the bathroom. Life was following him into his dreams. A nightmare had finally surfaced.

He wasn't sure if things would've been better or worse if he'd actually thrown up, but he couldn't seem to get anything out. He didn't even try to remember if he'd eaten that day, or yesterday for that matter.

It didn't matter to him nearly as much as it should. When he heard a quiet rapping on the other side of the door, he knew it mattered to Kie.

"JJ?" Her voice was just above a whisper. "You okay?"