"Bal! Wake up! It's John B!" John B hollered from down stairs, knocking on her front door early that morning, "We waited till your parents drove off to-"

He was cut of by the front door swinging open. Bali looked like she just woke up with a stare of disbelief and a glare, "Do you ever shut the fuck up?"

"Aw, good morning, sunshine." JJ gushed as he walked into the house, Pope not far behind, "Woah, it feels like i've been here before."

"Look, Kie and Sarah have to make up so we do too." John B said as he knocked Bali in the shoulder, "I'm sorry for acting like I didn't want you in the group. It was JJ's idea, yeah, but I agreed and wanted your help. I want you involved, I swear."

Bali stared, "Do you know how early it is?"

"It was import." John B said.

Bali gave a half grin and pulled him into her house, shutting the door, "My parents will be back at nine so don't too comfortable."

"Yes, ma'am." Pope said from the kitchen, raiding her cabinet.

"So, you think Sarah and Kie are gonna make up?" Bali asked as she straddled her surf board in the water. The night sky was illuminated in blue that night, no one had been on the beach that she knew.

"Make up or tear each other to shreds." JJ said from beside her, on his own board as the sat in the waved for a few minutes, "Cat fight, you know? Meow."

The mimicking cat noise made Bali grin and shove him slightly, "I hope they do. Sarah's my best friend and I love Kie, i'd kill for all of us to get along."

"I still don't see how Sarah Cameron is your best friend." JJ said honestly, placing his hands in the middle of his board when a rougher wave hit them, "It doesn't make sense."

"Oh, I know. Zero sense at all, we're like, so different and rarely agree on anything." Bali agreed as she pushed the wet locks out of her face, "But I did some really low shit to her, when I wasn't myself, and she still came back. Sarah was still there for me when I needed her and she never made me think it was my fault. She pulls away from me sometimes, but that's just her. At the end of the day, she comes back to me, you know?"

JJ gave a smile her way, "Thats like me and Pope."

"Exactly like you and Pope." Bali agreed with a laugh, "You get it then?"

"Yeah, I get it." JJ agreed as he looked over at her in the dark, "I don't get how you say you did horrible shit to her though. You're like- a softie."

He leaned over and pushed her board some with a laugh. Bali never told JJ about how she use to use, she never wanted to. He knew everything about her, but not that, and she really didn't want him to. But right now, with how far they were into the other, she couldn't keep anything from him.

"Would you be mad at me if I told you that I wasn't completely honest with you about something?" Bali asked, earnings sudden change in his facial expression, "I didn't lie, I just didn't tell you something."

JJ nodded for her to go on.

"You remember my ex Conner? The one that's spending the summer here but goes to Duke?" Bali asked, the waves pushing her some but JJ pulled her board closer so she wouldn't get far.

"Polo shirt and middle school haircut? Yeah." JJ hummed, Bali tried not to smile ad his words.

"After he told everyone I cheated on me, when I didn't, and all those rumors went around, I was really hurt and just in a bad head space." Bali explained with a long sigh, "A friend of mine got me into some heavy drugs for a while. It took the edge off, while my parents cleaned up my mess and made sure my reputation was safe. They really fucked with my head, you know? Made me a really bad friend."

JJ didn't expect that, his facial expressions changed but he wanted her to finish talking first.

"I would snap at Sarah for the littlest of things and then cry in her arms. We'd laugh and then I'd be yelling at her. I punched her in the mouth once, after that I just stayed away so I wouldn't hurt her again." Bali said, she looked out at the ocean at the memory, "I wasn't myself at all and I hate myself for what I did to her."

"Bal-" JJ began.

"When I got better, she was there to help me when I'd wake up in cold sweats and puking. She'd keep me from relapsing by spending every second of the day with me no matter how many times I puked on her or wanted to be alone." Bali went on as she met his eyes, "Sarah was my rock, she still is, always will be. That's why she's my best friend, no matter how different we are at the end of the day. If being in her shadow and the boring best friend, i'm cool with that as long as we're still together."

JJ pulled Bali's surf board to be right next to his, adjusting to cup her face, "You didn't want to tell me?"

"No." Bali said honestly, "I didn't want you to think I was a fuck up or anything."

JJ laughed, "Bal, you're with me, that's what makes you a fuck up, not whatever you did two years ago."

Bali smiled as she leaned in his hands, "You're a good boyfriend, JJ."

He gave a cheeky smile at her words and leaned over to press a kiss to her lips, holding her a second, "It's colder then a witches tit out here, can we get outta here?"

"I know the perfect place." Bali laughed as she shoved him off his board as he fell into the water.

Dante had a outdoor shower installed for when he'd come back from a surfing trip. It was meant to jump in with your swim suit on, get the sand off you, before heading back upstairs. JJ and Bali did exactly that when they got back from the beach. The hot shower ran down on their cold skin, the fabric of their swim suits feeling heavier from the water.

JJ held Bali's face tightly when he kissed her, making sure she wouldn't move. Bali kissed him back harsher, looking for any access of control. Her hands went around his waist and yanked him close harshly, making them bodies press together. JJ pulled from her lips, tilting her head for him to kiss her neck. Bali gave a small whimper, placing her hands on his sides before reaching up and pulling his head back. JJ went to ask what was wrong but stopped when she mimicked his actions and kissed the same spots on his neck she did him.

Bali pulled his head back down so their lips met once again, a hand went through his hair while the other rubbed his lower back. JJ pulled back to pulled the straps of her baiting suits down, dragging his lips down her body as he got to his knees. Bali shut her eyes as she leaned back on the wall, JJ's hands ghosting her thighs and headed toward her bathing suit bottoms.

"Bali? You back here?" a new voice came through. Bali gasped as she opened her eyes, pulling JJ off the ground quickly.

"Holy fuck." she panicked, encouraging him to get on the small seat so his feet were concealed, "Just getting the sand off of me, Pope! I'll be out in a second."

"We're gonna go pick up Sarah and Kie in ten." he said back, keeping his distance from the outdoor shower, "Where's JJ?"

The secret lovers shared a panicked look from inside the shower. JJ encouraged her to say something with violent hand motions. Bali's voice cracked, "JJ?"

"I saw his board on your chairs, did you guys catch some waves?" Pope asked from the other side.

Bali turned the shower off and put a finger to JJ's lips, "Yeah, quite a few. He should be around here somewhere, maybe exploring, you know how he is."

"Yeah, he's a weirdo." Pope said. JJ gave a offended look but only having Bali's finger pressed to his lips harder, "I'll go look for him while you get dressed."

"Sounds good, thanks, Pope." Bali called back, listening to the steps from up the stairs and into the house. When they heard the back doors shut, the two began laughing in disbelief, "That was such a close one."

"Popes too innocent, he'd probably think we were just saving water." JJ said as he backed her up, "Speaking off.."

JJ turned the shower back on before attacking her lips in a kiss.

•

kylie speaks

let's play a game of
who would kylie
rather be in this situation?
bal or jj? the answer?
she doesn't know.

also i wanna edit bal
and sarah now smh