𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞
𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘨: 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 » 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴

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THIRD PERSON POV:

Ava refused to let JJ go home so soon, she wanted to spend some alone time with him. Lately, they hadn't been able to hang out, just the both of them, like when they were younger. The treasure hunt had consumed their lives completely, so she took this moment and used it to it's full advantage.

JJ had the bag of money kept under his arm, one of his hands occupied by Ava's and the other tucked comfortably in his pocket. They trudged down to the empty beach, the only noise being the gentle waves. The girl smiles brightly as the memories flood back into her mind. Their late night smokes and surfs, getting blasted on beer or liquor and later taking the piss out of Rafe and John B. It all happened on this beach, their beach.

Though they weren't confirmed, the teenagers might as well be a couple but Ava refused to conjure up enough courage to ask JJ about a proper 'relationship'. He had made it cleared, several times, that he wanted her to be his, but she had trust issues, like every other girl who's ever been involved with JJ Maybank.

"You okay?" The boy snaps her out of the busy thoughts as he tugs on her hand, pulling her down to the sandy floor.

She hums, crossing her legs comfortably, "Yeah. I just love it here."

He nods and pulls her closer to his frame, his arm wrapped gently around her waist, "Oh. The memories of this beach," He chuckles, "The amount of people we pissed off during those times."

"Most hated teenagers in Outer Banks, no competition." She smiles, placing her head down on his shoulder, staring out at the blue waves, "You got any weed?"

JJ snorts, unhooking his arm away from her and digging his hand into the bag of money, pulling out his thin box of blunts, the lighter rattling as he moves it, "What kind of question is that? Of course I have fucking weed." He rolls his eyes, clicking the lid open, revealing about ten rolled blunts.

She politely takes one, holding it between her two fingers, waiting patiently for him to light it and she watches as he does so, sending him a thanking nod before taking a relieving hit, "Where would we be without weed, hey?"

"Dead, most likely." He shrugs, glancing over at her while she glares at him for his harsh words, "A, you know it's true. This," He taps the blunt between his lips and speaks in a mumble, "This, right here saves us. It might not do that for the others, but we aren't like them."

"I like to think we save each other." Ava purses her lips, positioning herself differently so she's fully facing her.

"We do." He licks his lips, "But without weed, I would've hated you."

"What?" She gasps, her eyes wide, "Why?"

"Rafe." He mumbles, shaking his head at his own words, almost as if he's embarrassed over them, "That motherfucker — I hated him, for obvious reasons. And when you started dating him, I started to hate you too."

The blonde girl's back straightens, "Why didn't you tell me this?"

JJ sighs, one finger trailing lines in the sand between his legs, "I tried, I really tried, Ava. You wouldn't listen. You were so in love, and I'd never seen you so happy." He bites his lip, "Which is what made me hate him. He made you happy, he made you smile, he made you feel like a queen. All things I tried to do but couldn't. I couldn't make you smile so bright, it was impossible for me to make you feel like a queen. I mean, come on, I'm a broke Pogue with an abusive dad, what could I do for you that was better than him? Nothing, and for that I hated you both."

Ava's jaw drops open and the blunt nearly drops from her fingers as she pauses still, staring at the boy in front of her, "What the fuck? JJ, I'm so sorry I made you feel that way. If I had any clue, I would—"

He shakes his head, raising a hand to wave her off carelessly, "Ava, you were in love with him. I get it, and that's fine. Love makes you do batshit crazy things. I still hate him and that'll never fucking stop, but I've grown to love you. I've realised you're more than what I thought, you're more than what John B or Rafe painted you to be. I was either too high or drunk to realise it before but you, Ava Booker-Routledge, are the most amazing girl I've ever fucking met."

For the first time in forever, Ava Booker Routledge watches JJ Maybank blush first, like full-on blush. His cheeks are bright red and his head shoots down, hiding his embarrassment while he flicks away his blunt. A small chuckle escapes her lips and she crushes her blunt into a neat-by rock before crawling over to the boy, pressing a single finger under his chin. JJ glances sheepishly up at her and a second later she's connected their lips, pushing him gently onto his back and manoeuvring onto his lap, one hand on his chest the other resting on his cheek.

His palms rest carefully on her ass while he attempts to deepen their kiss but she's pulled away, their faces centimetres away and their foreheads resting on one another's while she speaks, "And you, JJ Maybank, are the most amazing boy I've ever met."

He smiles brightly, "You make me so fucking happy, Ava. You have no clue."

She tilts her head, the hand that was previously resting on his chest now pressing gently on his erection, "I think I have some sort of clue." She smirks before sitting up, both palms flat against his chest again while he groans lowly, his head thrown back, "Come on. I didn't come to beach to not go in the water." She chuckles, jumping off of him.

JJ's eyes brighten as he watches her carelessly throw off her shorts and t-shirt, leaving them laying on the sandy ground before jogging away, the water spraying around her as she dives under like an olympic swimmer. He rolls his eyes before standing up, his shirt is quickly pulled off and in no time he's speeding after her.

"Come on, playboy." She laughs, breaking through the surface of the waves, her hands pushing her messy hair back out of her face.

He lets out a yell before jumping in beside her, a loud squeal passing her lips while the water droplets spray all over her. JJ appears again, his hands creeping up her waist and pulling her closer, just staring silently into her eyes while in the middle of the water — not even caring that his bag of cash is laying lonely on the beach.

"Fuck." He whispers, "You're so pretty, Ava."

Her eyes roll and her head lowers as she tries to hide the sudden flush in her cheeks from the boy above her. He chuckles at the reaction, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head as she pushes her forehead into his exposed wet chest.

"I love the water." Ava states quietly, watching as the waves ripple around their close bodies, nearly knocking her over but he keeps a strong hold, making sure to keep her up straight, "It's so... calming, you know?"

"Yet, you still can't surf." He teases.

Her head shoots up, glaring at him, "I can. Pope even said I was better than you." She boasts, tapping a single finger onto his chest.

"Pope said that 'cause he's Pope." He pushes away from her, trudging backwards through the water, "He's the nicest guy literally ever. He'd never say something mean to anyone, especially you."

She tilts her head, her hands resting on her hips, "Either way, I'm better."

"Yeah." He scoffs, still walking backwards, his fingers dancing on the water's surface but his eyes never leave hers, "We'll have to test that theory sometime."

"I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to test our surfing abilities on our world trip once all this gold shit is over." She smiles, starting to slowly follow after him, eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "Where are you going?"

He shrugs, "Deeper."

Ava raises an eyebrow, but refrains from questioning him more and instead just lies back, hovering on the top of the water like a light jellyfish, arms and legs outstretched. She squeezes her eyes shut, protecting them from the salt water while the waves gently sway her back and forth. It's silent for a few minutes, JJ's stopped moving and just stares at Ava's fragile body balancing on the waves.

"Boo!"

Arms wrap around her waist, pulling her up above him and her eyes shoot open, her hands flying around his neck to keep herself stable in the air, "What the fuck, J?" She sighs.

Instead of a verbal answer, the blonde boy raises his chin, indulging the pair in a long kiss, his hands curving around her ass while
her whole body tenses, shocked by the small action, causing a smirk to erupt on his lips.

"I should probably go home." He mumbles, pulling away and gently placing her down on the sea floor, his hands now resting on her waist, "It's gettin' late. Dad'll be pissed."

"I'm coming with." She states, following as he starts to head back to the beach, running a hand through his soaking hair.

He whirls round, "No, Ava. No. You're never meeting my Dad, never." He says sternly before returning to trudging over to his bag and their clothes.

"JJ, he's a motherfuck—"

"Don't!" He snaps loudly, stopping the girl in her tracks, causing him to immediately regret using such a harsh tone, "Shit, sorry. But, Ava, he's my Dad. I know he's a motherfucker, but— but.. it's hard to explain." He slips his t-shirt on quickly, grabbing the money bag while doing so.

"I want to help, JJ." She speaks quietly, kneeling down for her clothes, holding them in a heap in her arms.

"I know, princess, I know." He soothes, stepping closer to her, a hand resting on her cheek, "But you can't. Just go home to the Chateau, okay?"

She huffs, her teeth biting anxiously at her lips, "Fine. But, JJ, if you even dares to fucking put a single hand on you, I'm intervening."

He smiles gently, nodding, "Okay, okay. That's fine. That's completely fine."

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a soft chapter :)