Someone to stay || JJ Maybank

34

"How long has this been going on?"

"So, he was here, and didn't say anything to us. Just a quick 'hi' would've been enough", Kie is pacing back and forth on the deck, hands pressed on her eyes frustrated.

We woke up to the sound of a car leaving this morning. It seems like John B did come home yesterday after all, just for some reason decided to sleep on the deck with just a backpack as a pillow and not inside where we were. He didn't even tell us he was here and was gone with the car when we woke up. So technically, we have no proof it was actually him but I'm trying to not overthink this too much. Because let's be real, who else could it be.

I squat down to the planks and press my hands on my face the way Kie did, then slowly rubbing them over my eyes and through my hair. A bad habit for when I have nothing to do with my hands but need a distraction.

"What are you two stressing about?" JJ asks, leaning his hands to the fence around the deck. "He was here so we know he's fine. What's the big deal?"

I see Kie glare at him from the corner of my eye while I start the endless list of reason why I was worried. "We don't know for sure if he was here."

JJ opens his mouth to disagree but I hurry to continue. "And if he was, why couldn't he come inside to tell us he was fine? Who would choose the cold and hard planks over a soft bed, or even a couch? What has happened that he couldn't come to see us? Did he actually do something or did he still need some time on his own? Or was he jsut embarrassed of his actions earlier and couldn't face us yet?"

That silences JJ for a moment, and I get to run my hands through my hair again few times before he has found the words again. "Okay, I-"

"And where did he go now?" Kie cuts JJ off, continuing my list of questions. "He was gone the whole day yesterday, and now just took off again without a word."

"All his stuff is still here, so he can't be planning to be gone for long", JJ states a little harder than he normally would speak so he'd get us to listen. "Just- calm down, people."

Kie rolls her eyes at JJ's words before storming off and back inside, her rebellious stomping making the whole deck shake. I sit down to the planks, leaning my back to the fence and pulling my knees up to my chest. What a great way to start a day. John B is probably still alive which should make me relieved, and I am, but then he's gone again and I need to worry about his next moves. This wouldn't be so stressful or unnormal if he had said something. Explained his actions or atleast told us what to expect. He has always been the most open out of the three of us, me, JJ and him, and maybe even out of Pope and Kie. After his dad disappeared he didn't talk so much anymore about things, but he still shared things. Now this felt just weird. And was not like him at all.

JJ sits down next to me, pulling his legs up to his chest as well, mirroring my position. "I'm sure he's fine", he sighs. It's clear he's tired of trying get us to believe that.

"I know", I just say. I don't want to frustrate him any more by complaining or disagreeing with him, but I can't help the bad feeling from forming on my stomach again. It never really even left, has lived there for the past two weeks probably.

JJ sighs again, not fooled by my answer but not willing to continue with the topic either. "How do you think Pope is doing?"

"In the scholarship interview? He'll easily charm the people there with his intellegent talking", I answer with a smile. Pope has prepared his whole life for this. Even though his actual preparing during the past weeks might have been slim, he'll still win the whole thing. Or something like that.