IN YOUR EYES ; JJ

one

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droplets of rain pelted against the window in somewhat of a soothing pattern. however, it was barely noticeable considering the rest of the objects that had fallen victim to the rain.

the rather aggressive wind had marked its steps into the house as if it had been running a marathon. quickly, it reached the kitchen, spreading to the surrounding room and chilling any piece of exposed skin it came into contact with.

the cool air awoke a sleeping figure, who'd been sprawled out on the twin bed, covering almost every inch. opening one eye, he reaches for some sort of comforter, only to be met with a handful of oxygen.

peeling both eyes open, jj maybank sits up in the bed, attempting to regain awareness of his surroundings.

the walls were familiar; he'd been staring at them for years during countless sleepovers. he'd been in the bedroom of his best friend, pope's, house.

with once glance at the nightstand, he'd spotted his phone. 3:24pm.

the cold air halts when the front door had been kicked closed, followed by the sound of a lock clicking and footsteps nearing the room.

"morning, princess." the bedroom owner himself greets, tossing his backpack to the ground. "have a good sleep?"

"my head hurts." jj complains in a murmur. "what day is it?"

pope gives him a look in response, "it's thursday, dumbass. you're lucky my dad's working extra hours or he would physically drag you to school."

jj lets out a sigh, laying back down on the bed and letting his throbbing head come back into contact with the pillow. "hey, i go to school enough."

"enough." pope repeats with a snort. "one and a half doesn't feel like much to me, but alright."

"where's kie?" he asks, changing the subject he'd hated discussing. "you two are usually attached by the hip."

"not true. and she went home because she has a project." pope informs.

jj gasps, "she went home, and didn't invite you? that's a surprise."

his friend ignores him, "get up. i brought lunch."

suddenly, a smile spreads on jj's lips and he stands from the bed in an instant, ignoring the body and head aches. "you know the best lunch is the one when it's your first meal of the day."

the two had ate in the kitchen with a blanket of silence wrapped around them. jj had eyed pope a few times, sensing his tension. "dude,"

"dude." pope mocks. "this isn't okay, jj. you're skipping school, work, life. when was the last time you left the house when the sun was out?"

"i think i should get credit for leaving the house in general." he smirks with satisfaction, though it began to die when pope hadn't reciprocated his expression.

"do you need me to rephrase? when was the last time you left the house for anything other than a random party?" he asks. "we're worried about you."

"we?" jj questions. "kie?"

"of course." he shrugs. "what if we got you to come to this beach thing with us? the wreck is catering, it's for some boat company but anyone's welcome. kie is being forced to go, which leads to me being forced to go..."

"sounds lame." jj admits. "probably kook-infested, too."

"no shit." pope says. "but..free food? doesn't sound like something you'd turn down."

"your pantry and i have been becoming close friends, actually." jj informs.

"my pantry is tired of you." pope mutters. "come, jj. and go to school tomorrow."

jj shakes his head with an amused smile, "i'll think about it."

"the only option is yes."

jj sighs, gazing at the burger in his hands. "free food, you say?"

"and booze, if you're careful."

he sighs, glancing up at his friend. "you always know the way to my heart."

+

"try this one on."

"wait, no. this one!"

"do you want her to look like a clown? you're the last person that should be giving her clothing advice."

staring at herself in the mirror, leila amiri had been thankful for the dividing curtain between her and her friends and family.

she'd been lost in her own eyes, instead of the pink skirt she should've been critiquing.

"leila?" the comforting curtain had been pushed away in an instant, the stern expression of her mother coming into view. "what are you doing? we need to hurry up."

she sighs, pushing her hair behind her ears and offering a quick glance at herself. "this one looks fine, mom."

her mother's expression twists into a minor cringe. "eh, i think the blue one might look better— or maybe the gold."

"this one is fine." leila repeats, grabbing ahold of the curtain. "i'm going to change now, mom."

even after she'd pushed the velvet back, her mother's voice was still prominent. "if you insist. though, i would've gone with the gold."

feeling a migraine come on, leila brings a hand to her forehead, massaging slightly as she paces around the small room. the last thing she'd wanted to focus on was figuring out what kind of skirt to wear to her parents party the following night, especially when there were a million other things on her mind.

a text sends its way into her phone, and she hesitates before lifting the device into her hands.

kelce
i'll be at your parents
thing tomorrow

leila lets out a small sigh, typing back a yay! before placing her phone back down. it wasn't if she was excited for the party tomorrow, but at least she knew it was going to be somewhat bearable.

but with him there, she wasn't so sure anymore.

🦋🌫

first chapter! please let me know how you all liked it 💙

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thank you for reading and stay tuned for the next chapter. 🤍