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Chapter Eleven ✯¸.•'*¨'*•✿✿•*'¨*'•.¸✯
A voice yelled from the distance and it sounded so familiar.
"Avery! Come on!" JJ told her, placing a hand on her back and pushing her ahead of him. She picked up her pace again, a frown stuck on her face.
Her legs ached. They sprinted though the alleyways, trying to lose Renfield. He was gaining on them, making Avery's heart pound a little harder. She was hot on JJ's heels, telling him to shut up talking. He suggested spitting up but no one listened to him. Avery flinched as boxes flew up and came crashing down, screaming their apologies at the man they knocked over. If it wasn't for the chase, she would have thought to stop to help him up but they didn't have time to. Shoving JJ towards another alley, Avery felt her chest tighten, she didn't know if she could run for much longer.
Suddenly, running back onto the road, they all skidded to a stop. Avery crashed into JJ, almost falling off the curb if it wasn't for his instinct to catch her. Twirling around, Avery's mouth fell open and her eyes widened at the sight of John B in front of her. His lips twitch up into a smile, making it hard for her to resist her own smile. She couldn't believe that they were there, after everything.
"Get in! Get in! Get in! Come on!" John B quickly snapped out of his daze, desperately beckoning them on so they could get out of trouble.
Climbing on, Avery perched on the side. Her grip wasn't great but she tried her best to keep herself balanced. The wind was blowing her hair in her face, making it hard for her to see anything clearly. Her friends were shouting over each other, encouraging each other to go quicker and for Pope to get back up onto his feet after he took a tumble. Luckily Renfield was a little too far away, failing to get a grab onto him. He quickly jumped onto the back, unaware of Renfield gaining on them. The man reached out for the boy again, getting a kick in the stomach, Avery wobbled and lowered her foot back onto a the surface.
"See you later, alligator!" JJ yelled at Renfield, making Avery snort a laugh. She was overjoyed in that very moment, on a cart with all her friends, together again.
•✿•✿•
The entire boat ride back to Outer Banks was filled with conversation and laughter. Everyone told their crazy stories, everything John B and Sarah had missed since the storm. It was nothing but happiness. Fortunately, Avery managed to get Pope aside and he agreed to not say anything about her mother's involvement. JJ had already had suspicions about it, the last thing she needed was him on her tail too. She needed more before she could tell them, not knowing anything herself.
"So, what have I missed?" John B grinned. His arms flew around his two best friends shoulders, tugging them closer to him. They chuckled awkwardly at the question, realising that they hadn't had the chance to tell him about their new relationship status. John B noticed the tension and frowned, glancing between them. He let them go, "what's going on?"
"They broke up" Pope blurted out. That one simple sentence silenced everyone on board. The Pogues stared straight at the former couple. JJ nervously stretched the back of his neck, avoiding meeting anyone's gaze. While Avery forced a stiff smile, meeting everyone's eyes.
"You broke up?" John B sincerely asked. He was shocked to hear that they had, it didn't make sense to him. They were perfect for each other. Since they were kids, he had known how deeply in love JJ was with Avery. "But you're– What happened?"
"It doesn't matter," JJ forced a tight lipped smile. He raised his hand and patted his friend on the chest. "What matters is that you're back, dude"
"Yeah" Avery mumbled, nodding. She pulled away from the two and wondered off to the bow of the boat where she perched herself down, letting her friends recover the conversation.
•✿•✿•
The girl chat about their relationships made Avery giggle. Yet, under her smile was a tang of pain. She leaned over, pinching a mouthful from Sarah's half of the watermelon Kie found. The fact that John B and Sarah illegally got married amazed them, it made total sense though. They were smitten for each other and just took this grand adventure together. Sarah seemed so happy about it, her smile when talking about him was priceless.
"Am I crazy, or is there definitely something going on between you and Pope?" Sarah's lips tugged into a sly smile. She nudged Avery, making her almost choke on her mouthful. The Creed girl chuckled, humming in agreement.
"Maybe" Kie simply replied.
"That's not a no" Sarah raised her eyebrows.
"Of course it's not a no" Avery smiled up at Kie, making her giggle.
"It's not a no" She finally confessed.
Unfortunately, Sarah turned the conversation onto her. Avery hoped she wouldn't. "So, what happened with JJ?"
"You don't have to say anything, Aves" Kie reassured her, feeling a little protective. She had witnessed their downfall over the last few weeks, and it was clear that it wasn't easy on either of them.
"No, it's okay," Avery swallowed, shaking her head lightly. "Uh, we both, um, coped differently. It was hard for both of us"
"You think things will change now we are back together?" Sarah questioned carefully. She couldn't wrap her head around it either.
"I don't know. I don't think he will forgive me- uh, I hurt him, a lot" Avery honestly replied. They both played equal parts in the spilt but she knew how JJ handled people leaving and wouldn't blame him for not forgiving her.
"You know that isn't true," Kie frowned, "he loves you, Avery. He always has been in love with you. If given the chance, he wouldn't hesitate to try again. He would try over and over with you, no matter what. And you both got hurt, you aren't to blame"
•✿•✿•✿•✿• Author's note! Sorry for not updating this Monday! I've recently started working more and it's been a hectic week. I will try my best to keep frequent updates but bare with me if I lack behind sometimes!
