The Cool Kids - JJ Maybank

Secrets and Ships

I am out first, then Taylor and Pope and finally JJ. Kiara and John B get out of the front at pretty much the same time.

"Stealing drones makes you hungry," Kiara says with a chuckle.

"What I would do to a beer and shrimp and grits right now," JJ mutters in agreeance.

I nod as my stomach grumbles at the idea. "Add a grape soda and you're golden."

"It would not be pretty," Pope finishes all of their thoughts.

My phone rings with a text from Sarah. I slowly come to a stop. The others continue inside The Wreck. As soon as my eyes go over the message, I stumble to turn around, crashing into someone I hadn't realized was still behind me.

"Shit, JJ, I'm sorry," I quickly tell him.

His hands are on my waist, keeping me upright, as my own hands find his biceps. He barely moves back. "It's okay," he assures. "What's wrong?"

"Sarah needs me right now," I answer as fast as possible. Then I look up. Our eyes meet; his are wide with worry and mine are narrow with stress. But my heart slows down just like everything around us. I realize with a start how close the two of us are and back up.

JJ takes the hint and backs up too, letting his hands drop as he clears his throat. The lack of warmth makes me regret my own steps but it's too late to take it back. "I'll explain to the others and keep you updated," he says, keeping in time with my walk as I start toward Sarah's.

"You'd do that for me?"

I look back at him and find him staring before he blinks. "Of course," he says quickly, "you're a part of this now more than ever, Doc."

I roll my eyes at the nickname. "Okay, blonde."

And sooner than I realize, in comfortable silence, Sarah's house is visible. JJ slows to a stop. I glance back at him, understanding the reasoning behind his sudden stop. He salutes to me with a small smile. "Good luck, Princess."

"Thank you," I tell him quietly.

He shoves his hands in his pockets. "Don't mention it."

When he leaves, there's an awkward look on his face and a strange heat on the tips of my ears. I shake my head slightly, trying to focus on my best friend as I walk inside, hurrying to her room.

"What happened?" I ask her.

She runs a hand through her hair. "I'm falling for John B. And Topper had been acting like him the entire night. I told him I was ready. I wasn't ready. Not for him. And I'm pretty sure he's mad now-"

"Woah, woah, woah, slow down," I say quickly, putting my hands on her arms.

She looks up, a look of defeat in her eyes. "I don't know what I'm doing anymore, Gwen."

That makes two of us, I think to myself. Instead, I point out, "Just because Topper was ready doesn't mean you have to be too." She nods. "And if his actions made you think of John B, which is why you said it was okay - which can change whenever you feel it has, by the way - then I think we should address that."

"Could we just ignore him for now?" Sarah asks.

I nod and fold the blonde into my arms. She rests her head on my chest, relaxing into my embrace. To try and soothe her into sleep, I run my fingers through her hair. "I've got you, Raps," I whisper. She smiles a little against my stomach, making me smile too. "No one will hurt you if I can help it."

"What if you can't?" She asks quietly.

I'm silent for a moment, thinking about how to respond. "Let's hope we don't have to answer that."