I can see you, JJ Maybank

002. AN IDIOT FOR A BROTHER

Chapter two

"An idiot for a brother."

The next morning, Mia had woken up in her bed, the sun coming in through the balcony curtains, she looked to her nightstand and recalled the bottle of pills she had taken to fall asleep last night, having struggled to fall asleep since she kept replaying her brother almost drowning John B Routeledge in the ocean over and over in her head, and how her thoughts of what she could've done kept coming up with it as well, where at times it wasn't JJ with the gun, but her in a black hood standing over her brother with it in her hand and looking up at this version of her.

Almost like her brain was trying to tell her that even now she was pretending to be somebody she wasn't that even after all her hard work to get her, to be able to come back home, she still wasn't herself, and that possibly that version of her was possibly what she's always been, a girl with no friends, no family and left to her own thoughts and feelings.

Which was what she was still thinking about as she was downstairs, eating her eggs and bacon while drinking her mimosa, her brother had finally made his way downstairs, dressed for the day as well, although he happened to be sporting some bruises from his fight last night with John B not only on his face but also on his knuckles "you look like crap." she told him, drinking her mimosa, and as she did Topper huffed, putting the bottle of her med's down on the counter "says the one who mixed her meds with alcohol. Which judging from your mimosa, you're still doing." he shared.

As Mia furrowed her brows, quickly snatching the bottle back "one stay the hell out of my room and two if it weren't for you I wouldn't even had to take my meds, I mean how drunk were you last night to go all crazy like that?" she asked him, causing Topper to shake his head "no, no. It's you, alright? You don't get it, people like us don't hang out with Pogues! Especially not JJ Maybank." he told her, turning and grabbing a glass, while Mia shrugged "well, he's nice to me. And this isn't even just about JJ, this is about you almost killing John B! I mean seriously what the hell is wrong with you? What would you have done if you actually killed him, huh? Think you'd get off on bail because mommy and daddy are rich and are grandpas a good lawyer?" she asked, furrowing her brows.

"Yeah, Mia, I do because unlike you I'm not a total fuck up who actually can make mistakes and do what needs to be done to fix it while the next time you fuck up, like telling mom what I did last night? All that will happen to you, is that you'll get carted off to whatever institution you came from and I'll never have to see you again." Topper told her, and when he did, Mia scoffed "screw you, Topper." she told him, leaving her plate there and walking away, and when she did, Topper seemed to realize what he said as he sighed "fuck." he said, looking to the way his sister left "Mia, I'm sorry!" he called to her, but Mia didn't answer him back as she headed up the stairs and down the hall, slamming the door to her room shut.

Having gone into the shower, Mia was walking out, having her towel wrapped around her body, but she stopped when she noticed the balcony door open, she turned back around, grabbing the hairspray, she turned holding it with one hand while using the other to keep her towel around her, as she stalked out of her bathroom, she noticed someone sitting on her bed as she stalked toward's them, they turned to her and when they did, she sprayed them with the hairspray, the guy then screamed, bringing his hands up to his eyes and falling off her "ah! What the hell?" he asked, and when he did, Mia recognized that voice as she furrowed her brows "JJ? What the hell are you doing in my room?" she asked.

"Getting hairspray sprayed in my eyes apparently. Ah!" JJ voiced, as Mia threw the hairspray container on her bed, she held her towel around her as she turned walking toward's her balcony shutting the door, she then went into the bathroom, grabbing a wash cloth and quickly wet it, as she turned around heading back toward's JJ, she crouched down handing it to him "here." she told him, as JJ reached out taking it and putting it over his eyes, Mia stood back up and walked toward's her walk in closet "so, I'm guessing my brother isn't here." she told him, grabbing her clothes for the day.

As JJ chuckled "believe me, after what he did to John B last night, the last thing I wanted to do was get seen by him. He was gone by the time I got here." he shared, wincing as he stood up "why did you come here?" Mia asked, stepping out from the closet wearing a black dress, which caught JJ off guard, as he hadn't heard her question being too focused on staring at her "JJ?" Mia asked him "yeah?" JJ asked her "I asked why you came here?" Mia asked him, and when she did, JJ looked at her "uh..I um, I wanted to check on you." he told her, clearing his throat as he turned grabbing the hairspray bottle "you know? Cause I barley even recognized you yesterday until Sarah said your name." he told her, chuckling.

"Well, that's because you don't know me, JJ." Mia told him, stepping forward and grabbing the hairspray bottle from him "you never did." she told him, turning and walking toward's her bathroom and as she did, JJ watched her "we may not have talked but I knew you." he told her, making Mia scoff as she turned to him "like what? All you ever did was help me dig my glasses out of the trash or pick them up when I couldn't find them." she told him, walking out of the bathroom and to her balcony, and as she did JJ quickly walked over to her, putting his hand out and stopping her from opening the door "I know that when you get nervous you tap your fingers because you don't know what else to do or that everyday at lunch you would try to sit with Sarah and Kiara even though everyday before you got the same answer and sat at our lunch table." he shared.

And when he did Mia stared at him, not knowing he paid attention to her the same way she would pay attention to him, but instead of saying anything back, she reached around him and opened the door "you should go." she told him "Mia." JJ told her, going to shut it, but when he did, Mia put her hand on his wrist "JJ, please, just go." she told him, and when she did, JJ could tell in her eyes that she didn't want him to go, but instead of arguing he nodded, putting his arm down, he turned walking out onto her balcony as Mia stepped around him, watching him as he climbed down her balcony and when she knew he was gone, she shut the door behind her and turned walking back into her room.