𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐯𝐞 || jj 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤

010

SIRENS LOUDLY BLARE, CAUSING MY eyes to shoot open. My body is sore from sleeping on a table all night,— well, more like an hour or two, since I barely got sleep— but I ignore the uncomfortable sensation as I sit up.

I let out a shaky sigh as I run a hand down my face, Peterkin's blood staining my skin causing chills to be sent down my spine. The guilt of having Peterkin's death hanging over my head must've not been enough, because the feeling of her dried blood engraved into my skin makes me want to puke everything out of my stomach.

The Sheriff always looked out for me, and I'm the cause of her life ending. In a weird way, she was the only mother figure I had, and I watched her bleed out. Even after I wash her blood off of me, I'm sure I'll feel it on me for the rest of my life.

I slowly plant my feet onto the hardwood floor below, shuddering as I do so. I brush myself off, Pete's bloody handprint on my shirt sending a second set of chills down my spine. I feel as if guilt is gnawing at me, which I rightfully deserve.

"Are you okay?" JJ's voice catches me off guard, causing me to straighten my posture and force myself to look into his blue eyes, which are staring at me from the other side of The Wreck.

"I'm fine." I not-so-convincingly respond, my hands shaking as I force them to my sides. I've already done enough damage, the last thing I need is JJ to worry about me when he should be worrying about is best friend's freedom, which is at stake because of me.

The blonde heads for the back kitchen, signaling for me to follow. I do what he says, slowly shuffling into The Wreck's kitchen, which is where I've worked since I could balance a tray on my arm and write down orders.

"What're..." I trail off as JJ turns on the kitchen's big sink. "What're you doing?" I question, diverting my gaze to meet with his. It's obvious that he's going to wash Peterkin's blood off of me, but I'm confused as to why. I don't deserve anyone's care, let alone JJ Maybank's.

He pats the counter next to the sink with a raise of his brows. "Washing the blood off." He says in a 'duh' kind of tone. I silently nod, not wanting to voice the real reason why I asked my question. "If someone sees you with blood all over you, they'll probably think you had something to do with it, too." He further elaborates as I hoist myself onto the counter, wincing as I apply pressure to my casted up hand.

I fight back the urge to voice my guilt, not wanting to be pitied when that's the last thing I deserve. "Oh," Is all I murmur as JJ wets a rag, which I'm pretty sure I saw my dad using for the dirty dishes a few weeks ago. I'm not going to be one to complain, though.

The blonde starts with my hands, gently holding them is his as he washes the crimson blood off. The warm water from the rag makes me want to fall asleep, but I have a long day ahead of me, so I force myself to keep my eyes open.

It's quiet for a long while, JJ tenderly moving to clean off my forehead. I look at the blonde through my eyelashes, fighting back a smile as I notice his focused expression— his brows knitted and his lips pressed in a firm line. He looks really cute, if I'm being honest.

Marley, you aren't good for him, so stop.

"Do you want to talk about it?" The Maybank boy's words catch me by surprise. I expected him to stay silent, especially after our conversation that we had last night. I'm very happy he is talking to me, though, because I have no idea what I'd do if I wasn't able to joke around with him like I used to.

I wish he was talking to me about something else, though. I really don't want to talk about the tarmac incident, because that's just going to make me relive it all over again. I'm already as guilty as one could be, the last thing I need is to replay Peterkin's horrified look in my head over and over again as I recall what happened.