Together

63. What do you need me to do?

We never learn, we've been here before
Why are we always stuck and running from
The bullets? Your bullets?
We don't talk enough, we should open up
Before it's all too much
-Harry Styles

Kiara makes it through the next two days by keeping her head down and not talking anymore than necessary about the "surfing fight" JJ got in. She wasn't happy about it but she couldn't just tell her parents or Shoupe.

JJ had a habit of taking off when people crossed him. He never really owned up to the reason he didn't text her back before asking to meet, but she knew it was partly because he was battling his instinct to run. He thought, at least for a second,  she was going to tell her mom the truth, and he began pulling away. His love for her the only reason he reached out to talk about it rather than immediately jumping ship for a few days.

She couldn't risk losing him like that. So she swallowed the pit in her stomach and tried to move past it. Praying that he was right, and that Luke wouldn't seek him out now that JJ had refused him for the last time.

--------------------------------------------------

During her next shift at the Wreck, Kie is serving the Pogues. They've come in during the end of the dinner rush, so she has more time to goof off with them.

"Okay, this is the last free one," she warns, setting down a basket of fries. The boys' fingers greedily grab its contents with hungry eyes tracking its descent to the table while Sarah just rolls her eyes at the buffoonery. 

Giving free food to her friends wasn't new, but she did have a limit. Their bottomless pits of stomachs would probably throw off the inventory if she didn't reign it in at least a little bit.

"Thanks, baby," JJ smiles boyishly up at her from his seat. His face is healing, but he still has bruising under his eyes from his broken nose. She smiles softly at him.

"Yeah, thanks baby," John B teases with an exaggerated imitation of JJ, earning him a shove to the face mid kissy face. Pope just laughs, and Sarah throws Kie a wink with a knowing smirk.

The guys loved giving JJ shit when he was even a hair more affectionate with her than he usually was. He kind of earned it after all his smack talking to John B about being pussy whipped by Sarah.

Kie rolls her eyes with a smile as she walks to the back, knowing she has more tables to bring their food than the "greedy pelicans" as her dad likes to call them.

Goddamn it. She looks over to the overflowing trash can that has been neglected by every server working the last two hours. She groans, knowing that at the end of the night it'll still be her responsibility and if she doesn't take care of it now it may be too heavy for her to lift later.

She, literally, drags the trash bag out the door, praying to God that despicable plastic bag holds. If it's going to destroy the planet the least it can do is work as promised.

"Don't worry, I got it," she comments sarcastically to the kitchen staff and other servers that are just standing around, pretending to not notice her struggle. The back door closes and she's alone in the back.

There is a large dumpster discreetly blocked by a tall wooden privacy fence that surrounds the back area. It's where most staff take their smoke breaks, being enough of a cover to keep them hidden from stuck up eyes of Kooks entering the restaurant.

She takes a step back, winding up and hulling the heavy trash bag into the dumpster. She gasps for breath, grunting in exhaustion, cursing under her breath.

"Stronger than ya look, huh?"

Kiara stiffens. Her sense of danger causing her to freeze, partly because she isn't quite sure what direction the voice came from but knowing exactly who it belonged to. Soon enough, Luke appears from behind the shadows of the dumpster and her fear is targeted, settling on him as he makes his presence known.