JJ

You had gotten back to John B's place with Kiara and Pope to see JJ sitting in the backyard in a hot tub that wasn’t there earlier that day. Pope, Kiara and JJ were arguing about it when suddenly JJ stood up...there were three huge bruises on his chest.. "JJ..” You said quietly while Kiara and Pope stared in shock and worry while JJ was still arguing but his voice was starting to break… "I got this hot tub for my friends, you know what screw friends, I got this hot tub for my family, I got this for you guys! Look what I did for you guys! Alright? Look at it!" JJ's voice breaks. "JJ what the hell?" Kiara motions to JJ's bruises. "No, stop being emotional, it's fine. Okay?" JJ's voice breaks.

Revenge is what you wanted. Being shoved to the side just because he found someone else he can pine over? Hell no. Valerie isn't someone to be messed around with, and JJ should've known that by now. You're a "close friend" of JJ's, always been there whenever he was over the clouds, or six feet under, normal days and adventurous, hard and fair. Your arms were always the ones he'd let consume him after a hard time, or the ones he'd run into whenever he's excited by something. A few gestures of affection were exchanged, but nothing that was addressed, not that you thought it was something that should be addressed. Until he'd gotten particularly close to you, buying - well, stealing - gifts for you, late night talks, letting him stay over when he's too tired to deal with his dad, tending to his wounds and pulling all nighters at the chateau. You'd been at your happiest, even that everything wasn't near ideal in general, he was there. Until he wasn't as much. Finding one of the girls in both your friend group, Kiara, much more interesting than you are, pining over her and giving her those puppy eyes when they're talking, all the things he'd do with you, he now does with her. And you so wanted to get him back. And that was the case right now, after you'd scraped your key on his dirt bike, writing various things on it with your cursive handwriting, knowing he's gonna struggle to make all that out. He's barged back to where you laid in the hammock at the yard in the chateau, just chilling after everyone went off to do their own thing, just as JJ was about to do before he discovered your masterpiece, and knew immediately who that handwriting belonged to. The one he'd traced on the letters you wrote him occasionally. "Just what the hell do you think you're doin'? You think you're so funny?" His ears were slightly flushed as he glared doen at your form in the hammock, nearly smoking from anger. You knew that his dirt bike is dear to him, that's exactly why you'd choose that specifically.

You and JJ have been together for a while now, almost a year. Everyone around you thought it wasn’t gonna last long at all-your a kook and he’s a pogue, but turns out that they couldn’t be more wrong. Your name is Valerie, you’re 16 years old and you’re a kook. You live the luxury kook life, while also living the pogue life with your friends and boyfriend. You have many kook friends, but you definitely prefer to hang out with the pogues, weather it’s at the chateau or out on adventures, its never boring with them. You and JJ’s relationship is very playful, you often mess around with each other and mock one another. But, there’s also that deeper connection, the one that you have behind closed doors. It’s more loving, caring and passionate than what you show each other when you’re around people. He’s actually very sweet and caring, something he doesn’t often show people. Today you were at home, bored. You missed your boyfriend, as always. You decided to take a shower but before getting in it you sent a quick and simple text to JJ: “I love you.” Was all it said, simple but true. Then you hopped in the shower. JJ was at the Chateau when he got your message. He thought it was weird for you to just send that, so he decided to call you. When you didn’t pick up, he called again.. and again, but still no answer. He for some reason got a bad feeling, what if something happened? What if you did something-‘no, you wouldn’t do something like that, would you? He thought to himself. He knew you could get bad anxiety and stuff like that sometimes, but you would never-...he didn’t even wanna finish that thought so he rushed out of the Chateau, practically sprinting to his bike and drove off, fast. He rushed to your house. Your mom's car wasn’t in the driveway so she wasn't home. He quickly got off his bike, ran up to the front door, burst into the house without even bother knocking. He called out your name. “Valerie!?” But due to you standing upstairs in the shower, you didn’t hear him calling for you. He looked around downstairs first, but didnt find you so he rushed upstairs and checked everything upstairs while still calling out your name, more panicked now. He burst into your room, finding it empty. He stood there for a moment, just looking around to see that you really weren’t in there. Then he turned around and was about to call out for you again but he didn’t need to. When he turned around to walk out your door, you walked into your room, wrapped in a towel and a surprised look on your face. “JJ? What are you doing here?” You asked, while his heart was about to burst out of his body just a few seconds ago out of fear and worry.

The Chateau was already buzzing with early morning chaos—John B cursing in the kitchen, Pope rambling about something, Sarah and Kiara laughing outside. You barely paid attention as you strode down the hall, pushing JJ’s door open without knocking. “Morning, loverboy—” You stopped. A girl—half-dressed, tangled in JJ’s sheets—stared at you with wide eyes. JJ groaned, running a hand through his messy blonde hair. “You ever heard of privacy?” You tilted your head, laughing. “You ever heard of standards?” The girl scoffed. “Excuse me?” JJ sighed, throwing an arm over his face. “Don’t bother, she’s got a talent for running her mouth.” You crossed your arms. “And you’ve got a talent for picking the worst hookups.” The girl muttered something under her breath, grabbing her clothes and shoving past you. The second she was gone, you flopped onto JJ’s bed like you owned it. “I give that one a four out of ten,” you mused. JJ huffed a laugh. “And what does it take to get a ten?” You didn’t answer. Instead, you peeled off your oversized shirt—his old t-shirt, one you stole weeks ago—and tossed it at him. Beneath it, your swimsuit still clung to your skin from yesterday. His favorite one. JJ caught the shirt with ease, eyes dragging over you before he grinned. “You just love messing with me, don’t you?” You smirked, rolling onto your stomach. “It’s my favorite pastime.” JJ shook his head, standing and tossing the shirt onto a chair. Outside, John B called for everyone to come eat. “You hungry?” JJ asked. You stretched lazily. “Starving.” JJ threw an arm around your shoulders as you walked out. Just another day of toeing the line between best friends and something else.

The argument had started over something stupid—something so insignificant that Valerie couldn’t even remember how it escalated. One second, she and JJ were tangled in yet another back-and-forth, voices raised, frustration simmering between them. The next, JJ was storming out of the room, his face set in that infuriating mix of anger and recklessness. But something about the way he left this time felt different—like he wasn’t just walking away from the fight but from her, from them. “Jay! JJ, wait!” Valerie called out, her voice cracking as she pushed past John B and Pope, ignoring their wary glances. She wasn’t about to let him just run off like this—not without talking, not without fixing this. But JJ didn’t stop. He barely even hesitated as he reached the living room, where Kiara stood with a drink in her hand, mid-laugh. And then, before Valerie could even process what was happening, he was kissing her. It wasn’t just a drunken, sloppy mistake. It wasn’t a brief moment of impulse he’d immediately regret. It was purposeful. His hands were on Kiara’s waist, his lips pressing against hers in a way that made Valerie’s stomach drop. The room went silent. Sarah’s eyes widened in shock, Pope’s jaw clenched, and John B shifted uncomfortably beside Valerie, as if debating whether to pull JJ away or just let it happen. But Valerie couldn’t move. She stood frozen, watching the boy she loved kiss her best friend right in front of her. Tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision as her breath hitched. Her chest felt tight, like all the air had been sucked from the room. This wasn’t just a fight. This was something else. Something breaking. JJ finally pulled away, his blue eyes locking onto Valerie’s. But there was no apology there. No regret. Just a look that told her he’d meant for her to see it.