𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐲

XXI. Got Me And Kie.

      

     SARAH HAD came and joined them eventually, smiling at the sight of Kie being held by Jake who she was leaning against, quite comfortably. "Hey ya'll," she greeted the two, holding a deck of cards. "Wanna play a game?" She asked the couple. "Oh, sure!" Kie sat up, excitedly with a big smile. "Not Jake, he gets too competitive." She said and Sarah giggles, especially when Jake makes a sour face.

"You literally didn't talk to me for a whole day after we played Uno with Cleo and Pope." He tells her. She instantly turns to him. "Jacob. You made me pick up sixteen cards!" She said as Sarah deals out the cards, grinning widely. "I said sorry!" Jake exclaims. "But we weren't playing sorry!" Kie replied back.

Sarah giggles at the two, "okay, you go first." She says and the game between the two begins as Jake scooted closer, putting his arm around Kie's waist, his hand resting on her hip. Kie was winning as far as he could tell, watching the two girls and chuckling sometimes. He really admired the friendship between the two girls, especially how far they've come, the fact that they couldn't stand each other and are the best of friends now.

The girls and Jake don't notice when John B walks in, Sarah snatching a card, "no. Ah!" She exclaims. "No, wait!" Kie says. "Shit." Sarah grabs another card. "Shit, man." The Carrera girl says and Jake just snorts, watching them. "You missed it." Kie says. "Mm-hmm." Sarah hums. "Oh, no! Wait! No, it is. Wait." Kie says, trying to grab another card, when John B suddenly threw something. Sarah gasps as Kie flinched and Jake pulls her closer.

They watch now as John B smacks a hanging life vest, angrily. "Dude, you okay?" Jake is the first to speak. "What's wrong?" Sarah asked her partner worriedly as John B stood there, panting. "It's JJ." He said, so Sarah glanced over at both Kie and Jake who now share a look between one another. The Lennox boy just glanced down, fidgeting with his hands and the Carrera girl just frowns at his reaction.

"You're still not gonna talk to him?" She asks quietly, grabbing his shoulder gently and Jake glanced up, seeing John B and Sarah both had their eyes on him too. "What could I say that would help him than John B ever could?" He said and John B shakes his head. "You've always been able to get through to him, Jake." He said and Sarah nods, agreeing as Jake just glanced to Kie by him.

"You're the only person he listens to." Kie says, softly rubbing his shoulder and Jake sighs, "okay." He said quietly and got up from the table. "You got this." Kie says words of encouragement and Jake tries to keep them in mind, walking out onto the deck at the back of the boat, where JJ was still drinking the bottle, sitting down. He approached the blond boy, "hey." He said and JJ glanced over at him.

"Hi." The Maybank says and the Lennox doesn't even say anything, rather just sat down next to him. "You okay?" JJ asks him, voice gentle as he leans closer and Jake nods, smiling faintly at him. "Yeah." He said and JJ hums, leaning onto Jake's shoulder now. "Did you know John B's gonna be a dad?" He said suddenly as he's leaning against Jake.

"Hmm. Yeah. Kie... um, told me." He says and JJ hums quietly. "Now that's two out of four of us." He said and Jake reached over, grabbing JJ's hand. "Three. Not two." He said and the blond raised his head, staring up at him. "I'm not... I'm not Evie's parent. I don't deserve to be." He then said in a hushed whisper.

"Jay, she's your princess." At his words, it's like JJ broke down, crying and leaning into him as Jake just wrapped his arms around the blond. He held him as he cried in his arms, sobbing and wetting the front of Jake's shirt. "It's okay. It's okay. I got you." The Lennox whispered comfortingly to him, and it's as if his words caused the Maybank to cry even more, his whole body trembling.

Eventually JJ relaxed and Jake kept rubbing his back, holding him there in his arms. "I just... was so hopeful, Jay. I mean... Luke wasn't my biological dad. Just to find out my real dad is also a piece of shit. Is... is it just God's way of saying I'm a piece of shit who only deserved those two assholes?" The minute JJ said that, Jake pulls him back a bit just so he can see a clear view of the blond's face.