𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 ━ 𝐣𝐣 𝐨𝐛𝐱

part thirty six

jj's pov

we all stand up from our sitting position on the front step, after waiting for the arrival of our friends. kiara, pope, and i all held our breaths as we watched the car pull up to the chateau.

john b stepped out from the car first, the sight of him stole all the heat from my skin. suddenly my defenses were just paper, paper that was being soaked by the few rain drops that were drizzling down.

then i moved close enough to where i could touch him; his eyes were the same, still the same pogue that's been my best friend since the third grade.

seconds pass, my brain slowly takes his form in, struggling to comprehend that he isn't one of the pictures i keep on the walls of the chateau. my mind can't formulate a thought, at least not one based in any language i know.

one moment we are apart and the next all four of us are morphed into a single being. we quickly welcomed sarah who came running out of the car right behind john b.

kiara's sniffles were drowned out by the blood rushing to my head and my own heartbeat that i could hear in my ears.

we stayed this way for a long time, embracing each other, no words able to come out of any of our mouths.

once we had separated i grabbed john b by the face, with a grin on my own, and shook him. it honestly did not seem real to me as i looked into his eyes that were beginning to fill with tears.

kiara was fully sobbing in sarah's arms before she got to john b.

"i've missed you guys," john b choked out as he tried to hold back tears.

"ah shut up you pussy," i chuckled as i grabbed him by the back of the neck, bringing him back in for another hug.

soon, john b's face buckled and tears rolled unchecked, washing a path down to his chin.

after more hugs, tears, and choked out words, hannah's dad appeared from the car. i know that hannah is hidden inside the tinted windows as well but i can't bare to look.

the man whispered something into john b's ear before walking back to the car.

i grabbed john b on the shoulder quickly, "wait are they lea-"

"nah, just going back to his sister's house," john b went on, "don't you worry lover boy."

"how did you-" i began to groan out, confused on how he had known the nickname kiara had used for me.

"i've heard a lot from ki man," he smiled at me, putting a hand on my shoulder. "let's go inside?"

i wanted to immediately go after the hannah so we could talk. however, after so many months, our group finally had the chance to make new memories and wasting time wasn't on the agenda.

i decided i would visit her later, maybe tomorrow or later tonight, but for now i walked back into the chateau with the group, ready to spend some time with my friends.

-

i got beers out for everyone to celebrate and we ended up making a fire in the backyard, all sitting around it and chatting.

we talked for hours, none of it ever feeling forced. it was like everything had gone straight back to normal. like the last time i had seen john b was yesterday, and there was never a missing person's case for the two people sitting in front of me.

i was happy. i can't know for sure that there won't be any problems to face in the future, but i felt optimistic, oddly enough. it feels like we've won, though i don't know what. it just seemed like this was where we were meant to end up, like the end of a big scheme finally coming together.

"it still doesn't feel real," kiara whispered after we had all calmed down from laughing at something pope had said.

"why do you always have to do that," i groan, chuckling a bit.

"do what?" she asks.

"make everything emotional and shit," i reply. john b pushes my shoulder but still laughs.

"i mean she's right," sarah spoke up, "it'a crazy that we're all finally together."

"well at least you knew we were still alive," i mumbled under my breath without thinking. "shit i didn't mean-"

"no no it's fine jj, we get it," john b said as he looked over at sarah. "but i think the amount of money you're all about to have in your bank accounts will hopefully make up for it."

"wait.." pope began, "you- you mean.."

"you mean that the gold money.." kiara trailed off.

"is yours too?" john b finished for her. "well of course i do."

him and sarah smiled proudly at each other as i hopped out of my chair.

"well it's about damn time," i said.

"jj," kiara scolded, slapping me on the chest.

"we thought it'd be better to tell you in person," sarah said, smiling.

"you guys don't ha-" pope began.

"shut up pope," i cut him off.

i walked around the fire to where john b was, and wrapped my arms around him in a death grip, lifting his body off of the ground.

"fire, watch the fire bro," john b said as he tried to wiggle out of my hold. "what is with you and picking me up near fires."

"trust me, jj has not gained any more brain cells since you two have been gone," kiara muttered.

"you haven't changed a bit buddy," john b sighed, patting my shoulder.

"that's so sweet of you man," i mocked, caressing his cheek before he slapped it away.

"dare i ask for another group hug?" sarah squeaked out.

we all stepped away from the flame before enveloping each other into another hug. it felt like home again... almost.

there was only one more thing that i had to do, to make it really feel like home.