𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 ━ 𝐣𝐣 𝐨𝐛𝐱

part thirty one

hannah's pov

i attempted to sleep on the plane ride home but failed miserably. the nagging feeling i had in my mind, accompanied by the absolute horrid pit in my stomach, made it nearly impossible to feel any sense of calm on my way home.

i hoped that the few tears that uncontrollably slipped from my eyes were not noticed by the stranger sitting next to me. it was hard to look out the window at my last view of the outer banks, a place that had became my home over the past couple months. i slid the covering of the window down as i bit my lip and tried to take a deep breath.

the flight attendant began to shut the door and give the basic instructions of how to use the seatbelt and airbags, and i suddenly began to panic. all the reasons not to go came flooding in, as if my body chemistry just sent them a blank invitation. my stomach shifts uneasily as i notice that the hands that i was hugging myself with were pinching into my skin.

i released my hands but then couldn't figure out what to do with them, so instead they clasped and unclasped each other as if in constant need of touch and reassurance. what they really needed was to touch him, to touch jj.

my fingers desperately needed to run through his soft hair. my palms wanted to be cupping the sides of his face as i brought his lips down to mine. i wish my hand was in his and he was squeezing it to reassure me that i was doing the right thing.

my brain was constantly searching for a sign that jj was alright, and that he was going to be better off without me. suddenly we were up in the air and i hadn't remembered the feeling of lifting off.

the flight went by painfully slow as i was left with my thoughts. i was exhausted by the time i stepped off of the platform and into my gateway. i walked through the all to familiar large building that seemed never-ending, until i got to the baggage area.

i received a text from my dad before i left that he had sent a car over, very typical of him to not pick me up himself.

once i got my luggage i found my driver which took an excruciatingly long time of searching. i slid into the back seat of the sleek black car, with the same pit in my stomach. i was almost home and yet i felt so far away.

the car pulled into the circular driveway and i felt my pulse pounding in my temples as i gazed up to the large house i almost seemed to have forgotten. it's crazy how you can live your whole life in one place but it can never actually feel familiar, like you belong there.

tersely, my eyes flickered to every inch of the area before they laid upon a tall man standing in front of the sizable front doors.

the corners of my mouth involuntarily turned upwards as i mimicked the smile spread across his face. i climbed out of the car quickly as i ran towards him and into his arms.

he squeezed me tight lifting me up from the ground, one of his hands grasping onto the back of my head to hold me even more secure.

"i missed you," i breathed out.

"i missed you too," he said before finally letting me down. "why don't you go get your bags from the car, then there's some people i would like to introduce you to."

i nodded my head and got my suitcases from the car before entering the house. i shut my eyes and took a deep breath as i took in the familiar scent.

i placed the bags at the bottom of the stairs before walking through the halls to the kitchen to find my dad again.

the second i turned the corner my breath immediately hitched and bile began to rise in my throat.

it was at moments like this that i noticed how much time felt like water; that it can pass slowly, a drop at a time, even freeze, or rush by in a blink.

this moment was one of those times that it felt like ice. the slow time-bubble made sounds seem louder, made the air seem colder, made colors seem brighter.

it was as if i was looking at a picture, or perhaps a visual taken straight from a movie as i looked at the two familiar faces in my kitchen, the two faces i had only ever seen in photographs.

"hannah, i'd like you to meet the two teens i've been fostering while you've been away," my dad began, "this is john b and sarah."

and as is someone had snapped their fingers, the 'time water' melted in an instant and seemed to start rushing everywhere.   

i could hear my dad's voice continue on but it was as if he was speaking in a completely different language as i just continued to stare at the boy and girl sitting at the kitchen table.

"hannah?" i heard my dad say, bringing me out of my trance. i gulped down the knot that had formed in my throat before peeling my eyes away from the two and facing my dad.

"well since you guys are all the same age i thought i'd leave hannah here to get to know you," he smiled as he faced the two teens. when he walked out they both turned towards me with grins on their faces.

"hi hannah it's so nice to finally meet you, your dad's told us a lot about you," sarah sweetly said as she reached out her hand to me.

i must have looked like a blubbering idiot as i just stood there with my mouth open and my eyes wide.

"hannah are you-" the boy began to say before i cut him off.

"you.. you're... john b.. and-and sarah," i stammered out, "you're john b and sarah."

"uh yeah," john b spoke again, confusion evident in his voice.

"i-" i completely blanked before a thought came rushing to my head. "jj.. i need to call jj," i muttered.

they both shared a wide-eyed glance before immediately hopping out of their stools and rushing over to stand in front of me.

"what are you talking about," john b panicked.

"i- you- i," i stuttered out, still in complete shock.

"do you.." sarah timidly began, "do you know who we are?"

"yes," i choked out, my eyes still rapidly flickering between the two. "j-john b and sarah... jj's friends."

-

authors note:

just an fyi that the next like 5-6 chapters will all be in hannah's pov. i know i've switched back and forth between hannah and jj pretty evenly but it only make sense for the next few chapters and events that take place to be in her's.