BABYDOLL // JJ Outer Banks

thirty-eight

hannah stood frozen, taking in the image in front of her. there were dried tears staining jj's cheeks, his eyes rimmed with red and multiple cuts littering his face. it wasn't the first time jj had shown up at her window unannounced after a fight with his father, but it didn't change how much it pained her to see him like this when he did.

"jay," hannah whispered, gently brushing her hand over the black eye that had already begun to form.

jj flinched, causing her to withdraw her hand.

quickly jumping out of her window, hannah grabbed jj's forearm. "come on," she said, tugging him along as she made her way through the underbrush and into a small clearing.

the blonde let out a small gasp as he took in the sight before him. there was a short dock with a few planks missing that went into the water, surrounded by a cluster of trees. at the end of the pier, one had a clear view of the sun setting below the horizon of calm water. hannah guided him to sit beside her at the end of the dock, dipping her toes into the marsh and causing ripples to oscillate around them.

"i've never been here before," jj marveled.

hannah nodded. "no one has. i've been coming here for years, and i've never seen anyone."

jj's head turned to her, hurt written across his face. "why didn't you tell me?" he asked.

"i come here when i want to be alone," she confessed. "whenever my dad gets too much, or i just need to calm down, i always come here. it's quiet. i've never told anyone about it, until now."

"why did you bring me here?"

hannah looked down at her feet. "the first time i came here, i was actually four, almost five. my father had just gotten the worst beating i'd ever received, so far at least. he'd been hitting my mom, and i started yelling at him." she chuckled humorlessly. "stupid of me to think i could've stopped him." jj rubbed comforting patterns on her knuckles, encouraging her to continue. "my first thought was to run away. it didn't matter where to, i just wanted to escape. i managed to find this place, and, for almost a year, it became my safe haven. if i wasn't at home or at school, i was usually here."

"you say that like it changed," jj questioned, curiosity lacing his tone.

"it did," hannah stated. "i met you."

a small blush crept up the blond's neck. "what?"

she nodded. "yeah. around a year later, i met you at the beach. remember? you were rude and called my doll ugly-"

"i told you i was kidding!"

"whatever," hannah playfully rolled her eyes. "anyway, when i met you, something told me you'd be important." she smiled at the memory. "now, eight years later, and you're still my best friend. whenever i was with you, everything felt right. i didn't come here as much," hannah turned to face the blond, "because you became my safe haven."

a grin spread across jj's face as he pulled the brunette into his embrace. "you're mine too, babydoll. you didn't need to bring me here, all i needed was you."

hannah shook her head. "oh, jay, that's not why i brought you here," she said, reaching into the pocket of her hoodie to pull out a plastic baggie of marijuana. "this is."

jj's eyes widened. "where'd you get this?"

"my brother's plug."

"and you know how to-?"