𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞- 𝐣𝐣 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤

31.

🦋☀ 🌊 - 31

The Wilkins family piled into their car, frowns etched into each of their faces. The only Maybank boy sat beside Olivia, his head resting heavily on her shoulder.

None of them spoke. None of them could. The silence between the friends wasn't from lack of care, but from the weight of what had just happened. There wasn't anything left to say or do.

Mrs. Wilkins pulled up in front of JJ's house so he could grab his things. The family had decided to take him in-for now at least. He already had clothes at Olivia's house from all the nights he'd snuck over, but he wanted his bag.

This time, Olivia followed him inside without question. JJ froze when he saw his dad sprawled across the couch, the same sight he'd grown used to-yet still hated every single time.

"Come on." Olivia took his arm gently, pulling him toward his room.

She sat on the edge of his bed and watched as he stuffed clothes and supplies into his worn bag. Neither spoke, the only sounds being the quiet sniffles they both tried to hide.

John B hadn't even done anything wrong. He wasn't the reason Peterkin was dead. He'd only tried to save Sarah after Ward had dragged her onto the plane. It made Olivia sick, knowing the truth of a story that never got to be heard.

When JJ finished, she made sure to get him out of the house before his dad woke up-before anything else could go wrong. They climbed back into the car and rode in silence the rest of the way to Olivia's house.

"JJ, you can stay in the guest room," Mrs. Wilkins said softly once they pulled into the driveway. "It's near Noah's, so if you need anything, you can ask him. Olivia will show you where it is."

"Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Wilkins," JJ murmured, voice rough with exhaustion.

Olivia led him upstairs to the guest room. It was mostly empty-just furniture, a folded blanket, and a small lamp.

JJ set his bag down with a heavy sigh and took off his hat, running a hand through his messy hair. The room felt foreign. Too still. Too quiet. He felt empty without his best friend-without John B. It hurt worse knowing he wouldn't be there tomorrow.

"There's the bathroom," Olivia said, pointing toward the door beside him. "You can shower if you want. There's extra shampoo and soap in the cabinet."

Without a word, JJ walked over and pulled her into a tight hug. "Where's your room?"

"Third floor," she mumbled against his chest. "You're lucky to share a floor with Noah."

JJ cracked a small, tired smile at her joke, though it didn't reach his eyes. "You sure I can't stay in your room?"

"Not tonight, no." She wished he could. But her parents knew he was there-and they wouldn't appreciate it.

He pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head before pulling away, his expression breaking into quiet defeat. "I'm gonna take a shower. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay. Goodnight."

Olivia nodded and left him to it. Upstairs, she turned on her shower and leaned against the counter, waiting for the water to heat. When she finally stepped in, she couldn't tell the difference between her tears and the water streaming down her face.

Before she knew it, she was sitting on the shower floor, crying. Two of her best friends were gone in one night-without warning, without goodbyes.

Downstairs, JJ stood under the water, washing his hair mechanically. It felt good to feel something warm, but the comfort never reached him.

Be strong. For her.
He repeated it over and over in his head, but the tears still came. John B had been his best friend since the third grade. Sure, they fought-but they couldn't go a day without each other. And now... he was just gone.

Olivia dried off without a thought, pulling on clothes and lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. She wasn't tired. She was numb.

As the night grew later, she tossed under the covers, her thoughts spinning too fast to rest. Finally, she slipped out of bed and padded quietly down the stairs to the second floor.

The house was silent except for the creak of the floorboards. She stopped at JJ's door, opened it slowly, and slipped inside.

The blonde was lying on his side, eyes closed, his breathing soft.

"J?" Olivia whispered, climbing into bed beside him.

"Liv? You okay?" His voice was low, sleepy. He turned to face her. "What's wrong?"

"I can't sleep." She pressed herself against him, curling into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I can't either," he admitted. He didn't ask about her parents, didn't care about rules or consequences. He just held her tighter.

"I'm here now," she murmured.

"You know you don't always have to be strong for me," he said softly, brushing his fingers through her hair. "You need the comfort too."

"I know."

Being next to him made her feel safe, even if only for a moment. Like everything might somehow be okay again.

In her mind, she pictured the world fixing itself-Pope earning his scholarship, Rafe and Ward in prison where they belonged, Sarah in her front yard rescuing a seagull's prey, Kiara showing off her dolphin tattoo, John B finding his father, the gold finally theirs. Everyone home. Everyone safe.

JJ kept running his hand through her hair as she drifted off, the sound of his heartbeat steady beneath her ear.

"Goodnight, baby," he whispered once she was asleep.

It was almost funny, in the most tragic way-how only days ago, John B had yelled that none of them understood what it felt like to miss someone and not know where they'd gone.

Now, they did.

authors message !

LAST PART done :))

i hope you guys enjoyed this story as much as i enjoyed writing it. thank you 🥰

also, i just realized after writing this whole thing that if olivia did end up with rafe then their relationship would be ✨ illegal ✨ .... 👁👄👁

#teamjj