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SEVENTEEN DRIVE SAFE
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Helena can't say she is surprised when she hears the motor of a dirtbike approaching her home later that afternoon. She's less surprised to see JJ standing on her doorstep looking worse than she's ever seen him. His lip was busted and his face was bruised; the sight of it made Helena want to cry, but she knew that would be no help right now. Instead, she opens the door for the boy to come inside, closing the door behind him before pulling him into a hug. She doesn't squeeze too tightly in case he's hurt, but the message is clear. Wordlessly, she leads him to the kitchen and he sits on the counter while she grabs an ice pack.
"You wanna talk about it?" she asks, her voice gentle as she brushes his hair aside to press the ice pack to his face. This is, unfortunately, something she'd done many times over the course of their on and off relationship. The boy just shook his head and she nodded, letting him take the ice pack from her. He was quiet as he grabbed the girl's wrist and pulled her close to him. "Do you wanna stay here for a bit? Or are you gonna go back to John B's?"
JJ shrugged, "I don't know. Don't you have to get ready for Midsummers? Do you know what you're wearing yet?"
"I do," Helena chuckled, looking up at the boy as she moved to cup his face with her delicate hands, "but I'm not telling you. Besides, I don't have to get ready quite yet, I've got time."
She didn't want to kiss his busted lip for fear of hurting him, so instead, she got up on her tip-toes to press a kiss to his cheek. The silence in the room was heavy, but she didn't mind it. Helena would give JJ as much time as he needed to cool down and remember that he was safe with her.
He pressed his face into the top of her head, whispering, "I love you."
"I love you, too," she responded, letting herself drown in this moment with him. "You know I'll always be here for you, no matter what."
"I know," he mumbled, pulling himself away from her as he hopped down from the counter, pulling the girl into a tight hug. "I don't know what I'd do without you. I don't wanna be friends with you, Helena."
She smiled, her eyes meeting his, "I don't wanna be friends with you, either, but I don't wanna hurt you. I'm so... I'm so scared of hurting you."
JJ pulled the ice pack away from his face so she could see him wholly. She hated seeing him like this, but she couldn't begin to imagine what it felt like for him. The last thing he needed was more drama and heartbreak in his life. He was probably better off without her, but she didn't know if she was better off without him.
"Helena," he muttered, "It would be an absolute privilege to let you break my heart. I don't care if you think you'll hurt me. You love me and I love you, just once, let's let that be enough."
The girl hesitated as she reached out to push a piece of blond hair out of his eyes. Her gaze flickered down to his lips, "Will it hurt if I kiss you? That looks really bad, I'm gonna be honest."
He shrugged, "Might sting."
The girl didn't get a chance to respond because he was already kissing her. It was gentle, probably on account of his lip and she was pretty sure she tasted blood, but that was the price she supposed she had to pay. She didn't even care because something about JJ felt so right.
"Well, well, well, my daughter and her criminal," a voice interrupted them and the two of them pulled away, looking sheepish. Helena's father just chuckled and shook his head as he walked over to pour himself a glass of water, "You didn't sink that boat, did you, JJ?"
JJ hesitated, taking a step back from the man. "Uh, no, sir, but to be fair, I kind of encouraged the person who actually did sink the boat."
He nodded, "You're a good friend, JJ. And a good kid, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Just don't fuck with my daughter and we won't have a problem."
"Dad!" Helena exclaimed, glaring at her dad and nodding for him to leave the room.
"I had to make that clear, okay? Anyway, I'll leave you two alone now, and JJ? You can call me if you're having problems with your dad. I'd hate to see you keep dripping blood on my counters," the statement was relaxed, but the expression on her father's face was deadly serious. JJ just nodded, but clearly, words had escaped him. The man nodded in reassurance before leaving the two of them alone in the kitchen again.
Once he was gone, JJ turned to Helena and asked, "So, are we... like, actually gonna do this? For real?"
"Yeah, I think we are," she responded with a smile, "but don't say I didn't warn you."
"God, you Kooks are dramatic," he sighed, wrapping his arms around the girl's waist and pulling her close to him, "The Helena Vermont. My girlfriend."
She shook her head with a small laugh, avoiding his eyes as she leaned her head on his chest, "You're an idiot, JJ. And don't say you're my idiot, I swear to God."
JJ just laughed as he held the girl close, whispering, "I should probably get going, I've gotta check something out at John B's place, but I just really needed to see you. And I can't wait to see you tonight because I already know you're gonna look stunning."
"One of these years, I'm gonna have to bring you as my date rather than as a server," she shook her head, "If only we'd had this conversation a few days ago, huh?"
"I tried!" the boy exclaimed with a lighthearted chuckle, "You know what you said? You said we should be friends, so that's on you! I swear, I won't be offering any extra hors d'oeuvres tonight just for that."
"How dare you," Helena teased as the two of them walked back towards her front door, "Don't forget to disinfect your lip and any other open wounds, I don't know how to treat infections and I know your ass would rather die than go to the doctor."
"Hey!" he exclaimed, but they both knew she was right. She stood in the doorway for a moment, not wanting him to leave. Helena knew she would see him tonight, but she wanted as much time with the boy as possible. Finally, she wasn't afraid to admit that. Before he left, he cupped both sides of her face and pressed a kiss to her lips while she held the door.
When he pulled away, she watched him press a hand to his lip with a flinch and she shook her head, chastising, "I told you it would hurt. Drive safe, dumbass."
"You love me," he shook his head, a stupid smile on his face that she just wanted to kiss right off of him.
As he turned to head down her driveway where he had left his dirt bike, she mumbled to herself, "Yeah, I do. I really do."
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