Outer Banks ~ JJ Maybank

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We decided to go to some empty lot on the cut and just park the van there. "Okay, we are here. Where's the weed?" "In your bag." "So you drag me out to the middle of an empty lot and then tell me I have to use my own weed to get high." "Don't be such a baby." I said digging through his bag and finding his little box of joints. "Digging through my stuff that's new." "Don't give me that bullshit of 'would you like it it I went through your bag?' because all you are gonna find is tampons and my phone and a hoodie." "Gross." "Sorry I have a period." "No. One of the joints is all wet." "Ew." He rolled down the window and threw it on the ground. "'I'll remind you to run over that in the morning." He said grabbing a different one and lighting it and passing it to me.

About an hour later, we had climbed on top of the van and were looking up at the sky. "God, a lot of shit has happened to us in the past few days." "Us as in like, you and me or just us in general." "Well both. But I'm talking about you and I specifically." "SO we are talking about everything now?" He asked. "Yes. If you want to." "I'm good with talking about it now. Can I start?" "Sure." He sat up and looked down at me. "I really like you. A lot." He said, taking a serious tone that I had never heard him use before. "And if we are gonna be totally honest, I have liked you for kind of a long time." "How long?" "A year and a half." "Seriously!" "Yes." "Holy shit. No way." "Yes way." He said as I sat up. "Well, I like you too. And I have liked you for like, 2 months." "2 months!" "I know! I feel like a shitty person now." "No, you aren't." He said, laughing and putting his arm around my shoulder. "Smooth." I said, laughing a little. "So what does this mean now?" I asked, looking up and seeing the moonlight reflecting off of his blue eyes. "I don't know. I wouldn't mind it being a thing." "Me either. The only problem is, John B." 

"Right." JJ said with a sigh. "I know. I know. Trust me. It's so stupid. I just don't think we wants to have to pick who to stay close with if you were to date and break up." "Yeah, it must suck for you knowing your brother would choose his best friend over his sister in a situation like that." "No way. He has to pick me. We are blood." "But your not bro." "I fucking hate that you just said that." I said laughing. He started to laugh to and kissed the top of my head. "Fuck, JJ." I said looking up at him and pouting. "I know babe. I know." "Did you just call me babe?" "No." "Aw. JJ Maybank is actually secretly a little romantic. Under all the layers of douche, there's a little romantic heart in there." "You have lost it." "JJ, come on." "Fine. I said it." "I think it's cute." "Really?" "Yeah. It's nice to see this sweeter side of you." "Don't tell anyone it exist." "What if I do. Are you gonna pull a gun on me?" "Ha ha. What about you? You almost fucking killed Rafe. I was just intimidating him. I wasn't gonna actually do it." "Can I tell you a secret?" "Sure." "I took the bullets out of it on my way to see what was going on. Oh, and Topper pissed his pants a little. I saw it when he ran past the screen." "No fucking way." "It was a little but enough to where you could see it on his shorts." "That's classic." "I know right!" I said, busting out into a fit of laughter. JJ joined in and we both sat there on top of the van, laughing.

"How is this gonna work?" JJ asked as we climbed back into the van. "You close your eyes and then you fall asleep." "No. Like, do you want to sleep on the front seat and I'll sleep back here. Or like, the other way around or-" "You are so scared. It's so cute." I said, putting my hand on the side of his face and climbing in the back part of the van. "We can just sleep right here." I said gesturing to the back of the car. "I'm not complaining." He said shutting the door. I grabbed some blankets from my bag and I turn on one of my battery powered fans. "Here." I said throwing him one of the blankets. "You packed blankets?" "Yes. For this exact purpose." "Sleeping in the back of your brother's van with his best friend?" "No. For sleeping in the van. You're just an extra added bonus." I said laying down and pulling the blanket over me. "Good night JJ." I said turning off the car lights. He pulled me into him by the waist and I felt his breath in my hair. "Good night Gabbie."

After a long day of trying n stupid looking fancy dresses and shoes, Kie and I finally settled on dresses and shoes for Midsummer. The second we got back to her house, we jumped into the van and booked it to Hayward's. "So, last night must have been fun." Kie said, holding up my shirt from the night before. "What! No. I was running late this morning when I woke up and just kind of threw my clothes on the floor while I changed." "So what happened between you guys?" "Nothing much. We got high..." "Big surprise." "And we just talked and then went to sleep." "Wow, very vague." "I'm sorry Kie. I just don't know how much of everything is for real or if it just seems real." "I get it." She said as we pulled up to Hayward's.

"Has anyone heard form John B?" Kie asked half and hour later. "Nope." "Not yet." "I hope he's okay." "DCS will take care of him." JJ said in a joking tone. "Don't even say shit like that." "Sorry." I said walking over and standing next to me. "Van again tonight?" "Maybe." I said quickly going back to the conversation. Suddenly, we saw a police deputy quickly walking out of Hayward's store, followed by Heyward. "Pope Heyward, you are under arrest for criminal destruction of property." JJ and I looked at each other and our eyes got wide. Kie, Heyward, and I all started to stop the deputy or try to get more detail out of him. We followed them out to the front o the store and right before the deputy put Pope in the care all heard a voice call out. "It wasn't him!" Everyone turned around and looked at JJ. "It was me."