Vapor

Chapter Twelve

The accident sounded way worse than it was. John was released from the hospital and now we all sat quietly at The Wreck. I, of course, was a little worried. I was scared if the Pogues would welcome me back the same way they had treated me when I left. I did abandon them. They all smiled though. They told me they were glad to see me and that they hoped I got everything figured out. JJ slung his arm over my shoulder and I smiled. They were so nice to me and I couldn't figure out why.

Then we were off. The conversation turned useful pretty quickly and we sped off to the old forts. We had to find where the old stone wall was. I stood on top of the hill, trying to imagine where it would be when JJ crept up behind me. He wrapped his arms around me and rested his chin on my shoulder. The warmest of feelings filled me whenever this boy was around, my own personal ray of sunshine.

From the forts, we drove in the directions of the wall. We were on this gravel road that I remembered a little too well. Why did this seem so familiar? I grabbed JJ's dab pen and took a hit of it while laying in his arms. I exhaled towards the roof of the van, receiving protests from Pope in the front seat. JJ chuckled and pulled me in for a sloppy kiss. His eyes were so dilated and huge. They were so pretty. I heard Kie dry heave next to us as JJ moved from my lips down my neck. I pushed him off and took another hit, needing the high. The nicotine ran through my body like electricity, giving me energy and fulfilling my needs. I let out my vapor again, this time breathing it in JJ's direction.

"God, that's hot," he whispered deeply in my ear. I bit my lip and handed him back his pen. He took a hit of his own before returning his attention to me. "I could watch you smoke all day."

We took a sharp left and then a stone wall came into view. Our stomachs churned as we got out and realized where we were. We stood in front of the Crain house. We all knew the rumors of what happened here. We all knew that it was the worst case scenario. Without much hesitation we snuck onto the property. This was 400 million in gold we were talking about. We couldn't stop here. I walked through the garden, holding JJ's hand as we went. I listened to John say he didn't really believe the stories of this place. I did though. I listened to Kie joke around, causing JJ to speak up. He started telling us about how it was all true and how Mrs. Crain's daughter used to babysit him. I listened to him tell his story and felt a sick feeling in my stomach.

Murder was not my favorite subject, so to say. I was definitely on edge and JJ knew it. He kissed the top of my head and pulled me into his arms. I listened to him whisper an apology and I told him I was fine. Then John told us that we needed to look for water and we decided to split up. Kiara walked away first. She was upset about the whole Sarah Cameron thing as she should be. John followed after her. Pope told us to take one section and he would go the other way.

"The decapitation quadrant," JJ muttered. I swallowed hard and grabbed tightly onto his arm. He ruffled my hair and told me he'd protect me.

I was almost relieved when we found nothing. The whole area we checked had no sign of water and I let out a sigh of relief. JJ pulled me into his arms and held me tightly. He knew how much anxiety this had given me and just wanted to make sure I was alright. Just when my anxiety had drained away I heard John B call out.

"Hey, psst! Hey, come on. It's the only place we haven't looked," John B said, crouching in front of what looked like a cellar entrance. We walked over. I shook a little as I looked at it. I was not going into the basement. I couldn't do it. JJ told me he would be right next to me, but it didn't help. This was all too much. My inhales became sharp and JJ told me I didn't have to come. He told me to stay and keep watch. I nodded and stayed outside the door. I listened to them bickering back and forth inside. I wanted to know what was going on, but I couldn't bring myself to go in. I listened to Kie and John arguing and closed my eyes. I wanted to be with my friends. What was wrong with me? Why couldn't I do it? It was just a cellar...

When they came back out, Kie was silent. John was raving about a plan with Pope. But JJ, he came straight to me. He kissed me sweetly and wiped the tears from my eyes. I could tell that he knew I was upset with myself. He pulled me into his arms and whispered how proud he was. He whispered to me that I was strong and that it was a working progress. He told me that I shouldn't push myself too much.

After that I felt pretty tired. We went back to the chateau and I plopped down in the spare room. JJ laid down next to me and pulled me into his chest. The smell of weed and mint filled my lungs. As soon as he had his arms around me, the bad energy drained out of me. He was better than any chemical I could put into myself. I closed my eyes and drifted off.

This wasn't my usual dream... This is home. I was in my room on The Cut. It was small and there wasn't much in it. It was later in the day, probably around 8pm. I heard a knock at the door and ran over to get it. I used to love greeting people. When I opened the door, JJ was in front of me. His blonde hair was sticking to his forehead from sweat. Blood dripped down his face and onto our welcome mat. "JJ!" I yelled and tried to wipe the blood off of him. He pushed my hands away.

"You'll get dirty, Addie. Stop," he said. I let him in and he was just going to freshen up in the bathroom, but my mom saw him. She knelt down in front of him and tears filled his eyes. Whenever my parents were nice to him, it would trigger waterworks from the boy. He didn't know what kindness was. My mom helped him clean up and gave him a cupcake that we had for dessert. I remember him smiling and eating it happily. I remember him coming back, day after day, bloodied and bruised. Why hadn't I done anything for him sooner?

I woke up and he was peacefully asleep next to me. He's had the same expression in his sleep his whole life. It was innocent and adorable. I laid there and admired him for a second until I heard John B call for JJ. I leaned over JJ and placed small kisses all over his face. He woke up, smiling. He pulled me into a kiss. One of the kinds that make you not want to leave bed. I pulled away and told him that John B wanted him. My guess is that he needed JJ to go get Pope or Kie. We walked out of the room and JJ went to JB. He told me he would be back soon and walked out. John also told me he would be back. I waited on the porch for everyone, but to my surprise, there were now six instead of five.

Sarah Cameron sat on the couch next to John and eyed me for a moment and told John she didn't know I'd be here. I rolled my eyes at her as I walked past. I don't know why she was still upset when we both clearly were not into Topper. I sat next to J and leaned my head on his shoulder. I listened to John explain what was going on and I listened to Kie protest.

"I gotta say, I'm just a tad uncomfortable with all of this," Pope added, shifting uncomfortably. He was siding with Kiara. I think most of us were siding with Kiara.

"When are you not?" John snapped back.

"I dunno. I rode here on the back of JJ's bike pretty comfortably," Pope shot back.

"It's true. Most relaxed I've ever seen him," JJ backed him up. I chuckled and asked JJ if I should be jealous. He tucked a piece of hair behind my ear and said I had nothing to worry about.

I could sense the tension in the room as Kie and John B went back and forth. I knew that this wasn't going to be something that was completely settled, but when Kiara told John B that it was her or Sarah, I knew this wasn't going to end well. John was an indecisive guy. He wanted the easy things in life and in his head he didn't see what was wrong. He didn't see the pain he was causing Kiara the past few hours and I honestly didn't know if he cared that much. He was too focused on himself. He went for the Hail Mary and said he wanted both. I rolled my eyes and listened to the boys besides me snicker. That was enough to push Kie past the point of caring and stormed out. I followed her, telling JJ to knock some sense into his friend.

Just when I came back, everything else began to fall apart... And no one could predict what happened next.

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A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for all the positive feedback!