Bali walked away from Sarah after her and Topper began their PDA, getting a gag in response. JJ watched her ever since she showed up, standing up when he saw her heading over toward the keg. John B poured her a cup, "There you go."

"Thank you." Bali said, going to take a sip before staring at him. Her eyebrows were frowned and she leaned down to be on his eye level.

"Ugh, what are you doing?" John B asked in worry with wide eyes at the Kook that had suddenly been so close and studying his every feature. JJ gave a odd look as he headed over toward them.

"I think I want to use your eyebrows for character inspiration." Bali said as she stared at him, "They look like fat caterpillars that have no hope in turning into a butterfly."

"Oh, woah, thanks." John B said back with a clear of his throat.

"You got Bambi a drink, John B?" JJ asked as he hit his best friend hard on the back and made eye contact with Bali, "Whats going on tonight, Kook Royalty?"

Bali raised her eyebrows his way. Her and JJ had always been good at playing it off as if they barely knew each other in public, no one would have excepted that they even knew each other's names. Kie was the only one that said he always made a point to pick on her and that he needed to back off. She didn't know he was just doing anything possible to be able to talk to Bali in public.

Bali gave a tight lipped smile, "Nothings going on!"

She spoke fast, alarming John B as he gave a crazy look. JJ tried to tell her to cool it through his eyes but was cut off by her back turning and her feet taking her far from the pair.

"Why would I leave this place?" Bali asked as she laid on the roof of the hotel with JJ, a week after they'd been talking each day when he went on his breaks or got a chance to "clean the lobby", "I love the OBX, I just want my beach house."

"You just don't seem like you belong here." JJ spoke bluntly, "You look like a New Yorker or something, like you're a librarian."

"Did you know librarians aren't allowed to read while they're working? Even when no one is at the desk getting any books checked out." Bali informed him, earning a odd look, "I know right?"

"So you want to stay here, and own a hotel? Seriously?" the blonde asked her in disbelief, "You're a liar."

"I am not a liar." she defended herself with a look of disbelief his way, "You're a liar."

"I know I am, but you-" JJ pointed his finger at her, "You are the biggest liar out there, ma'am."

Bali rolled her eyes, "Whats the point of owning a hotel?"

"Knew it." JJ said back.

"Like, seriously. Good money, yes, but all the bills and the paper work and then you spend money on ungrateful customers that don't even give you a yelp rating."

"How dare they." JJ faked a gasp.

"But what can I do? Let Kelce take over? He has no chance, bless his heart, but all he cares about is partying with a loser that's not even in high school anymore." Bali rolled her eyes. She'd always work herself up when she'd talk about Rafe, he made her blood boil, "I'm an only child, I have no other cousins that can do it. I can't just let the hotel go to nothing, you know?"

JJ rolled over on his stomach when she did the same thing, "What do you want to do them? Only Fans? Because whenever you're ready, i'll subscribe."

Bali hit him in the arm as JJ laughed. She shook her head at him and laid her head down across her arms, "I want to publish my book."

"You wrote a book?" JJ asked her with wide eyes, "God, you're such a Kook."

"Wanna read the prologue?" Bali asked with a grin.

"Duh." the blonde said back.

"Nothing like two people getting a beer at the same time, making conversation, very normal." Bali hummed as she walked toward the keg JJ was stationed at, "Oh, blonde boy from The Cut, didn't see you there."

"Oh, wow, the hottest Kook in town, talking to me?" JJ asked in disbelief as he filled up his cup, "What do I owe the pleasure, ma' lady."

Bali gave a knowing look his way as she dropped her voice, "How's your house after the storm?"

JJ gave her a half grin, "Just a busted window and no AC. She's still standing though."

"Stay with me tonight." Bali hummed, glancing in the corner of her eye to make sure no one would sneak up on them. She'd worried about him horribly all through out the storm and even worse when she couldn't get ahold of him later that day. With no AC and no power, she'd feel better knowing he was with her for the night, "Please."

JJ gave her a teasing look, "Bal, if I wasn't such a gentleman i'd think you-"

"Bali! Come look at the shell Topper found!" Sarah called out, waving Bali over from the shore.

"The Princess calls." JJ mocked, getting a pleading look, "Go, i'll see you tonight."

Bali smiled at him, bumping their solo cups before walking over toward Sarah's direction.

Bali was writing her name in the sand when she heard it, loudly. Arguing was being thrown back and forth, she'd recognized the two voices immediately.

"I'll take the drink."

"I want Sarah to have it."

"She doesn't want it."

Bali looked over just in time to see Topper knock a drink out of JJ's hands, "Dirty Pogues."

John B stepped forward at his words. Bali nudged Sarah with a look, nodding toward Topper, "Control your dog."

Kie gave a snort from behind them.

"John B! We're suppose to be incognito, remember?" Pope spoke to his friend hopefully. Bali looked passed the fuming pair and found JJ on the other side with a drink all over him and annoyance in his eyes, watching Topper.

"Babe, babe-" Sarah began right before Topper hit John B right in the face.

Bali inhaled with a cringe, "Ouch, that one hurt me."

"John B, don't make me drown you like your old man, all right?" Topper mocked the boy in the sand.

"Topper." Bali scolded him in disbelief, "You're such a asshole."

"What, Bali? You wa-" He began, his gaze on her distracting him long enough for John B to get out of the sand and tackling Topper just before the shore.

"Ouch, that one hurt me too." Bali said again with a cringe.

"Give it to him!" JJ hollered for John B.

"John B, let's go man!" Pope tried to reason.

"What do I do?" Sarah asked her friend with a worried look.

"Place your bets, I think." Bali said with a shrug, getting a look of disbelief, "What? You asked."

"Topper, stop!" Sarah hollered at the blonde.

"That's what i'm talking about!" JJ cheered on John B after watching his friend get a good number of hits in.

"Stop! John B!" Kie yelled, next to Bali as she walked forward a bit.

"Come on, Topper!" John B edged him on with his words.

Topper suddenly had control again and had John B under the water. Bali shook Sarah's arm, "Go grab him."

"You want me to get in the middle of that?" Sarah asked her in disbelief, "Topper, Topper! Stop, no!"

"Topper, you're such a loser, dude!" Bali yelled at him, throwing her shell at the back of his head. He winced slightly but was suddenly met with a colder feeling on the back of his head. Bali looked in disbelief at the sight of JJ holding a gun.

"JJ!" she yelled his way in disbelief, that being the last thing she'd expected, "Put it down! You're gonna shoot yourself!"

"Yeah, you know what that is." JJ mocked as Topper shook in slight fear, "Your move, broski."

"JJ! JJ stop!" Sarah hollered at him.

"JJ!" Pope tried as well.

"Did you say something, Princess?" JJ yelled over his shoulder toward Sarah.

"We're good, we're good." Topped spoke in fear. Bali looked at Kie, both of them sharing a similar expression of not knowing what to do next.

"Kie! Can you check your psycho friend?" Sarah suddenly yelled at the taller girl, cutting her eye contact with Bali short.

"JJ, you're gonna get yourself arrested!" Bali yelled at him just before he backed off Topper.

"Okay, everyone listen up, get the hell off our side of the island!" the Maybank boy yelled, firing the gun twice into the air.

Topper was running off in no time, JJ saw it and looked for Bali in the cross fire. But to his dismay, she was far from near.

JJ stood outside of Bali's house for a few minutes. He didn't know if she wanted to see him still or even if she wanted to ever see him. He could imagine he freaked her out, he remembered hearing her yelling at him, even though his mind was focused on Topper. Her bedroom light was off, but he'd known her sleep schedule enough by now to know she wouldn't be asleep before one.

Climbing up the latter, his knuckles tapped lightly on the outside of her window. He stood there for a few seconds before the window unlocked and her head poked out. She sighed in relief when she saw him, "I was worried about you."

That was far from the reaction he expected, but accepted it, "You were?"

"Are you okay?" Bali asked him, scanning over his face, "Is John B okay?"

"He's fine, tired." JJ said back, climbing in when Bali backed up, "You ran off pretty quick."

"You told me to." Bali said back, taking his hat off for him and putting it on her desk, "You could have gotten arrested again, JJ. I wouldn't have been able to bail you out this time, they would have had to call your loser ass dad."

"I didn't know what else to do, Bal, he was drowning him and I had the gun." JJ spoke back to her in the dark room, "You're mad at me?"

"No, I was worried about you." Bali corrected him, walking toward her closet and searching for the shorts he'd left at her house a while back, "You could have gotten taken away or something. Like, juive, or one of those military camps. You would have your head shaved and you'd look like a old man. I don't want you to just disappear on me."

JJ walked up behind her and wrapped his arm around her waist, head rested on her shoulder, "Thats not gonna happen, i'll never shave my head."

Bali rolled her eyes but rocked back into him some, "I didn't want to leave you there, on the beach."

"You had too. Everyone was around." JJ hummed, digging his head into her neck and placing his hands on her abdomen.

"If anything like that happens again i'm not just gonna turn the other way." Bali spoke sternly, because it had been in her head all night, "Not if you're involved, not if I don't know you're okay or not."

JJ smiled against her skin, a small kiss to her neck before pulling her toward her bed.

•

kylie speaks

fuck romeo and
juliet, i want what
these bitches have.

jali may or may not
have a edit on my insta
already smh @/wheeler_blossom