𝐑𝐮𝐧 ✯JJ Maybank

𝐓𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲-𝐎𝐧𝐞 ||𝐖𝐞'𝐫𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝, 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐍𝐨𝐰

✯♛✯

"𝐓𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 happened after you guys moved here, and- and- and I'll try to listen," JJ spoke, his face was unreadable, stone-cold, holding almost no emotions at all. But Francine found everything she was looking for into his eyes, they were his weakness. When he tried to make the rest of his body seem careless, his bright blue eyes would hold every emotion he was actually feeling. The Castle girl had figured that out a while ago, when his father began to be more absent in the boy's life, JJ would often try to hide what he was feeling, but she found that his eyes would give everything away.

Francine took a cautious step forward, wondering what the boy was talking about, why he was suddenly saying this. That morning, Francine could barely stand to be around him, and vice versa. Now, suddenly he was letting her sleep on his shoulder, they helped each other out during a fight, and now he was in her room telling her that he might forgive her. The change of emotions made her confused, but she didn't question anything, in fear of ruining the progress they've made.

Francine followed the boy's glossed over eyes as he glanced at his hand, she didn't seem to notice before that he was holding something. She was too caught up in the nerves of her mother being home, and his previous statement. She took in a sharp inhale of air as the picture he held came into her view. She recognized it, it was one of her and JJ that her father took before he left, they were on the beach. As Francine took in the sight, her body froze, he found the box, the panicked thoughts ran through her mind.

The girl stood there, internally panicking, which was worrying JJ. He watched as her shocked figure kept glancing nervously between the picture he held and his face, "What?"

     "T-that picture, JJ, where'd you find it?" Francine asked, stumbling over her words. She had remembered that she specifically put that picture in the box the day she went back to the Cut to see her old house. The only way that JJ should have the photo as if he had his own copy, he found the box, or it fell out somehow. She put the box in her closet and there were no doubts about it, she always put it there and never forgot in fear of her mother finding it.

So, the only reason JJ could've found it was if another person living in the house found it, or that JJ was snooping through her stuff, which wasn't cool. 

The boy gave Francine an incredulous look, not understanding why she'd ask about that and not be asking him about why he had a sudden change of heart. Despite his confusion, he answered, "It was under the bed, I was leaving the bathroom when my foot hit something while I passed. I thought nothing of it at first, and I didn't actually care either. But after I sat down, I saw the box and the colour, that's when I was interested." The blonde paused his explanation after seeing the girl's brow furrowed in thought, but, nonetheless, he continued speaking. "It was either the one I gave you like a million years ago or some sex toys, I wanted to know either way."

Francine ignored the inappropriate comment and she focused her mind on the fact that her box was under the bed and not in her closet. The only people who would've been able to find it was her mother, Christopher, and the maid. Her stepfather probably didn't do it, he respected her privacy, the maid was too sweet and intent on keeping her job to do it. Then finally, there was her mother, the woman was no doubt the first person on her list about who took the box. She had already been through Francine's stuff, so the girl wouldn't be surprised if she did it again.

Francine's eyes moved away from JJ, over his shoulder and to the faded pink box laying on her bed. She gently shoved the blonde out of the way, basically running to the object. The box was already opened, thanks to JJ and from what the dark-haired girl could see, nothing was really missing from it.