everything about you •• jj maybank

thirty two

Waking up the following morning was beyond difficult. My mouth was bone dry and aching with thirst, no amount of water was enough to satisfy me. My head was pounding, the light coming through the windows enough to make me cry. The wine had gotten to me in a way that almost made me regret ever taking that first sip. I was hungover, to put it lightly.

When I sat up on my bed and looked down to see I was in the same navy blue dress as the day before, I frowned softly. Everything came back in an instant.

I could feel his fingers digging deep into my skin, pressing against my ribs with intense pressure. His weight holding me down on the bed, his lips against mine. I had never felt so helpless before.

I needed to get out of this dress as soon as possible.

Reaching over to grab my phone, I was surprised to see the home screen flooded with text messages and missed calls. There were a few from John B and Sarah, but the majority were from Kiara and Pope. All of the messages were about JJ.

John B: we got scammed and jj is pissed. any chance you can talk to him? he's off the walls.

Missed call from Sarah.

Sarah: youve missed so much. can you meet at the wreck?

Sarah: are u okay?

Kiara: ditch your lunch and come to the restauraunt. we'll update you when u get here

2 Missed calls from Kiara

Kiara: come to the chateau. we need you

Kiara: havnt heard from you all day. let me know when you see this so i know you're okay. love u

Pope: pls come to the chateau

1 Missed call from JJ

Seeing the last notification on my screen reminded me of how distraught he sounded last night.

"I kinda need you right now."

Guilt washed over me faster than I could comprehend, sending an aching pain through my chest. I needed to see him.

I quickly grabbed some clean clothes before walking out to the bathroom, wincing when I ran into my brother's chest. He reached out and grabbed my arm, catching my fall and steadying me.

I looked up to meet his eyes. A concerned look was settling on his face. His eyes downturned, a frown molded on his lips, and his brows creasing together.

"You feeling okay?"

He removed his hand from my arm and pulled it behind his back. I shrugged once.

"Not really."

He nodded once, and a heavy silence filled the hallway. We stared at each other, him towering over me, before he stepped forward and grabbed my shoulders, pulling me into his chest.

The motion caught me off guard, a gasp softly escaping my lips at his embrace. When his arms wrapped around me, squeezing me tight, I sunk into the hug, loosely wrapping my arms around him. Tears pricked my eyes, trying to force themselves out, but I blinked them away, not wanting to cry anymore.

The moment felt surreal; deja vu hitting me intensely, causing chills to run up my back. Topper had been the only person in this house that knew everything that happened with Toby. When I found out he was cheating on me, I cried to Topper. When all the rumors were going around school, I cried to Topper.

He wasn't the perfect brother. He wasn't even close. But he was always there for me when I needed him the most.

That had to count for something.