Pretty Girl - Steven Conklin

9

I met up with JJ later that afternoon at the beach. It wasn't planned, but somehow, the idea of spending time with him felt like the only thing that made sense in the middle of everything else. Belly and Cam were still on the dock, and Conrad hadn't been around much since the fight. I wasn't sure what was going on with him, but I was starting to realize that he and Belly had a lot to work through, and I wasn't sure how much of it I was supposed to be a part of.

JJ was sitting by the water when I found him, his back against a large rock, his face tilted up to the sky like he was trying to get lost in the breeze. When he saw me, he immediately stood up, wiping sand off his shorts.

"Hey, Dee," he said, flashing that grin that I had missed so much. It felt like a small relief, seeing him standing there, waiting for me. "You look like you could use a little distraction."

I raised an eyebrow. "How'd you know?"

JJ chuckled, shaking his head. "You just have that look about you. That 'I'm thinking too much' look."

I rolled my eyes but couldn't hide the smile forming on my face. "Well, you're not wrong."

He gave me a sidelong glance. "Come on, let's go for a walk. Maybe you'll clear your head."

We walked along the shoreline, the sand cool beneath our feet. JJ kept talking about everything from sports to the weirdest things he'd heard on the radio, but it was clear that something was on his mind too. Every now and then, he'd glance over at me, like he was trying to read me.

"So, what's going on, Dee?" he asked, his tone softer now. "You've been quiet lately. And, honestly, you've got that look—the one where you're trying to figure out where you fit in."

I stopped walking, staring out at the horizon. "Everything feels... off," I said finally. "Belly's with Cam, Conrad's... I don't know where he is anymore. I'm just... here. I don't know how I'm supposed to fit into all of this."

JJ didn't push. He just stood there with me, letting the quiet settle between us. I had always appreciated that about him—how he could just be present, without feeling like he had to fix everything.

"You don't have to have all the answers," he said, his voice low. "It's okay to not know where you fit. Sometimes, you just... go with it."

His words settled over me like a cool breeze. I let out a long breath, feeling a weight lift off my chest. "I think I've been trying too hard to figure everything out."

"Maybe," JJ said, his voice soft. "But you're not alone, Dee. Whatever happens, I'm here. For whatever you need."

The sincerity in his voice made my heart flutter. I hadn't realized how much I needed to hear those words until now. I didn't have to do this alone. And for the first time in weeks, I felt a little lighter, like the heaviness that had been following me around wasn't as suffocating as before.

"Thanks, JJ," I whispered. "You don't know how much that means to me."

"Anytime, Dee," he said, giving me that easy smile. "Anytime."