Someone to stay || JJ Maybank

03

"Hurricane Agatha"

We didn't talk during the ride to the chateau. The rain got worse when we were about half way there. I felt my hair stick to my face and the raindrops wash my face from the tears. The air was fresh and for a moment I forgot all about the storm and mom, all the worries disappearing from my mind. I felt somewhat numb. With my eyes closed I just enjoyed the feeling of the drops hitting my face.

I've always loved the rain. The freeing feeling of the water washing over me. Mom always told me not to stand in the rain. "Come inside, you'll get wet!" She would yell from our back porch when I was little playing outside in the rain. And I would look at her like she had said something very crazy. So what if I get wet? If that's my biggest problem in life, I'll happily stand in the rain for hours. Moments like that reminded me that mom wasn't from a poor family originally, she wasn't even from the Outer Banks, and there was a time when her biggest worry was wet shoes.

The bike stops and I open my eyes to see that we're finally there. The twinkie isn't parked to the side of the house so John B must still be surfing with Pope. The numb feeling starts to step aside and give room for the guilt again as I walked towards the porch with JJ.

"Do you want to talk about it?" JJ asks, his eyes on the ground. His face is wet from the rain and his hair is flattened on his forhead, his hands deep in his pockets.

"Not really", I answer. I really don't feel like talking about it. Mostly because I would never want JJ to know I do things like this to my parents.

He looks at me from the side. "Are you sure?" He asks again. His eyes are filled with the same worry from earlier.

I finally step up to the porch and get some shelter from the rain. "No, really. It's nothing", I say trying to smile convincingly.

He looks at me for a while, studying my face. He opens his mouth to say something but changes his mind just before letting the words out, which happens very rarely so I'll have to remember this special moment. He opens the door and holds it out for me.

"What a gentleman", I smile to him trying to lighten the mood.

"Always for you, m'lady", he answers jokingly but his face is still pensive. I'm so focused on getting him to drop the subject that I don't really even notice  his words, only the way his eyebrows are furrowed in worry.

JJ follows me inside and turns the light on. I hope the rain really washed my tears away and he wouldn't notice that I've been crying. Now that I'm inside the wet clothes start to feel cold and disgusting on my skin. JJ goes to the kitchen, probably to find food and I look for some dry clothes in my bag. But surprise surprise, everything in there is wet too.

"John B won't mind if we burrow some clothes, right?" I say rather to no one than to JJ. It still bothers me that he couldn't drop my problems as I wanted him to. It's a sign of a good friend, that he doesn't let me suffer alone, but I guess I'm just mad at myself and am scared that I'll take it out on him.

I went to John B's room to get something to change into. He has always kept his room clean, even if he couldn't keep the rest of the house in order. That's where we are complite opposites.

I take the closest long sleeve from the drawer. A quick look to the door to make sure JJ isn't in sight and I change to the dry and warm shirt. My shorts aren't that bad, and I decide not to steal anything else from him.

When I go back to the living room, JJ has come back from the kitchen and is sitting on the couch with some chips. He lifts his head as I walk in. "I know you feel bad about not being around at home a lot."