Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from the Outer Banks. I only own my OCs.
A/N:Finally I update this story. Sorry about the lack of updates. My Game of Thrones story Blood and Thorns has been my main focus. But don't worry I haven't forgotten about my other stories. Now if you read my other story Skeletons In The Closet (which is only on AO3) there's an Easter egg in this chapter. Those who haven't read it might be confused about who Quinn Lennox is, so sorry about that but I just wanted to include it. I also don't own any of songs, movies, or the telenovela Teresa mentioned in this chapter. Teresa is such an iconic telenovela. So many iconic quotes xD
Now...what did you guys think about the trailer for season 3 of Outer Banks? I'm certainly excited!
Warning: Mentions of child abuse in this chapter.
Chapter 6: A warm home
"Basta, basta. Tengo que dominar mis sentimientos. Tengo que hacerlo. Porque entre ser y no ser, yo soy."
Maribel scoffed, slightly smiling because of the telenovela her aunt and her were watching. "This is so dramatic."
"It's a telenovela, of course it's dramatic." Estefanía answered, eyes not leaving their old television screen. "And it's a classic one, at that."
Estefanía and Maribel didn't have any of the fancy channels like HBO , just the basic ones. The two of them would watch whatever was entertaining, and usually that was the Spanish channel.
During the weekend the channel would show older movies. Maribel had seen movies such as The Lost Boys, Jumanji, and even Shrek in Spanish. The teenager thought the movies were much better in Spanish.
There was nothing else to watch on this Sunday night, so Maribel lounged in the living room with her aunt. Tonight she wasn't watching a movie with her aunt. They were watching a telenovela called Teresa. Maribel was familiar with the telenovela, as was Estefanía.
"Besides, it's a good show." Estefanía added the moment the telenovela started playing overhype music to make the scene even more dramatic.
"I never said it wasn't." Maribel corrected after munching on some popcorn. "Just that it was dramatic."
Estefanía grabbed some popcorn from the bowl. The small bowl was in between where they sat on the couch. "If it wasn't so dramatic it wouldn't be so good. "
Her aunt had a point there. The drama was the main reason why so many people watched telenovelas. Still, Teresa wasn't Maribel's favorite telenovela. Although it was good for what it was, her favorite would always be Rebelde.
Sometimes old episodes of Rebelde would be played on the Spanish channel but it was usually when she was at work or when she was out with her friends enjoying their summer break. So Maribel rarely got to rewatch the telenovela. Instead she would listen to the band from telenovela, RBD. She even knew how to play a few songs by them on her guitar.
Maribel and her aunt continued to watch Teresa until it was over. By the time the credits were shown on screen the popcorn bowl had already been finished.
Estefanía changed the channel when a commercial came up. The older woman continued to do so until she found a channel that wasn't on commercial. It was a news channel and Estefanía and Maribel shared a glance once they saw what was being reported.
It was a missing person's case. They had seen the news talk about this missing person for close to a month now. A girl, only a couple years older than Maribel, had gone missing without a trace from Hillsboro, Oregon.
Maribel and her aunt lived nowhere near Oregon but word of this girl's case spread. Estefanía let out a sigh at the photo being displayed of the missing girl. "That poor girl."
Maribel's big brown eyes were sad looking. "Do you think they'll find her?" Even though Maribel didn't know the girl, and had no connection to her whatsoever, she really wanted her to be found alive and well. The girl was only two years older than her. She had her whole life ahead of her.
Estefanía's own brown eyes were solemn as she now watched the missing girl's parents on screen. "For her parents sake I hope so. Just look at her father. He barely looks like he's holding on." The girl's mother wasn't any better but it was the father who looked absolutely destroyed.
To Estefanía it seemed as if the man had barely gotten any sleep or eaten anything. Suddenly her mind started to imagine the worst. "Mar, if anything were to happen to you like that…" It was so distressing she couldn't even finish her sentence.
If Maribel were to disappear Estefanía would have been as distraught as the missing girl's father. Actually, she would be even worse. At least the man still had his wife by his side. Estefanía as well as not being married, didn't have a mother, father, or older brother in her life. All she had left was her niece.
Yes they did have family from her father's side living in Lima, Peru but neither of them had ever been there and didn't know if they ever would. And even with the occasional long distant phones that were made there wasn't a bond. Not like the bond Estefanía and Maribel had.
Truthfully all Estefanía had was Maribel. Therefore losing her meant losing everything.
Maribel quickly leaned over to give her aunt a hug. No words were exchanged but the hug was enough to bring her aunt comfort. When they looked at the screen again the news had already moved on.
Maribel's thoughts lingered on the missing girl.
Quinn Lennox.
The circumstances didn't look great but Maribel still had hope the auburn haired girl would be found alive and reunited with her family.
It was half past ten at night when Estefanía and Maribel retreated to their bedrooms. The sixteen year old wasn't ready for bed yet, so she passed the time by working on another crochet project. This time she was crocheting a blanket for her aunt.
Maribel wasn't in any rush to finish the blanket because she wanted it to come out perfect. The blanket would be a wonderful gift for her aunt. Her birthday was just around the corner. About another thirty minutes passed before Maribel hit pause on crocheting to grab her guitar. She gently strummed the strings, prepared to get lost in tranquility only playing her guitar could bring her.
She played two Coldplay songs, The Scientist and Paradise. The third song was Sólo Quédate En Silencio by RBD. Itwas one of her favorites by the Mexican Latin pop group. Rather than singing, of which she knew the lyrics by heart, she hummed.
Maribel stopped playing her guitar when she heard taps on her window. The unexpected taps would've caused concern if it weren't for the familiar voice calling out her name. The brown eyed girl knew who it was before parting her curtains. She could only smile when JJ's vibrant face looking face came into view.
"You know I have a front door you can knock on." Maribel told him with a light tone once opening the window.
JJ's blue eyes were bright. "Where's the fun in that? Besides, I wanted to feel like a superhero surprising you at your window. You know, like how Peter Parker does with Gwen Stacy."
Maribel began to feel warmth spread through her as she talked with JJ. A little odd since she now had her window open. She should have felt colder, not warmer. Her mind, however, didn't hyper-fixate.
Maribel instead focused on JJ, her smile softening. Of course he would name drop one of her all time favorite romantic pairings. She'd seen The Amazing Spider-Man so many times with him, as well as the sequel. JJ was patient enough to listen to her get all excited over the Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy pairing. He'd even seen her cry when Gwen Stacy died in the sequel. When the infamous emotional part of the movie happened JJ offered her his shoulder and Maribel accepted.
"Peter only did that because Gwen lived on like the twentieth floor or whatever."
JJ shrugged his shoulders. "So?"
"Just get in here." Maribel's laugh was like music to JJ. He watched as she moved out the way so he could step through the window.
The blond's liveliness didn't disappear as he stood in the middle of Maribel's small bedroom. He was no stranger when it came to her bedroom and like the many times before he instantly felt safe once inside.
The walls of Maribel's bedroom weren't painted yellow but they might as well have been. Maribel was basically the personification of sunshine and her bedroom sure showed it. If she were a Care Bear she'd be Funshine Bear.
JJ smiled when he saw the Stitch plush he bought for her. Stole was more accurate but Maribel didn't need to know that. Although he had a suspicion she too knew it hadn't been purchased by him. She still kept the Stitch plush close by, and seeing it on her bed around other random plushies made the tips of his ears burn.
The photo on her dresser drawer caught his attention. It was a wedding photo of Maribel's parents. In the photo her mother and father were hugging and smiling. JJ sadly never got to know Maribel's parents. Mary and Isaac Mendoza. Maribel looked so much like her father. From having the same the skin tone, to the brown eyes and brown hair color. She inherited her mother's smile though, that was for sure.
From the photo, and the others around the Mendoza house, her parents had been so happy together. So in love. Not at all like his own mother and father. From what he was able to remember when his mother was still in the picture it hadn't been good.
Thinking about his own parents wasn't what made his smile drop. It was actually the frame. It was a different frame than the one from before. The original frame had been smashed when Maribel's home had been broken into last year.
Thankfully neither Maribel or her aunt had been home during the break-in. Still, JJ hated that it happened.
A lot of their belongings had been damaged and it cost the Mendozas' a lot of hard earned money to get everything fixed or replaced. What sucked even more was that they never found the culprit. Adding to the weirdness of the whole break-in, nothing was stolen. Their home was just trashed, almost like a tornado blew in.
Maribel's bedroom in particular had been completely turned over. Her clothes were thrown everywhere, her mattress thrown to the side of her bedroom, all the stuff she had on her desk were on the floor, broken and smashed. Her surfboard couldn't be saved with it being broken in the middle. She owned a new one now but only after saving up for it.
JJ and the other Pogues held off on surfing until she got a new surfboard again. They even pitched in a bit despite Maribel not wanting to take their money. Fortunately her beloved guitar hadn't been destroyed. Maribel had left it at John B's when the break-in occurred. He wasn't stupid though, he knew the break-in was personal.
Why, though?
There was no reason for the Mendoza women to be targeted. They never harmed anyone. Estefanía minded her own business and Maribel was a nice person, probably the nicest person in all the Outer Banks. Going after someone as wholesome as her should be a crime. It really pissed JJ off that the person responsible for destroying their home and putting a hole in their wallets was still out there.
JJ's disdain and distrust for the police only worsened when they weren't able to help Maribel and her aunt. All those supposed resources police had and yet they got no lead to who might have broken in? He thought that was utter bullshit. They wouldn't even put a cop car out front to keep watch of their home in case the culprit returned.
So for a full month after the break-in JJ stayed over at the Mendozas. They'd be safe with him looking after them. He wouldn't be afraid to throat punch whoever dared to break in. Maribel sheepishly told him it wasn't necessary but she nevertheless made the couch as comfortable as possible for him, giving him extra blankets and pillows.
Estefanía didn't mind having him over, even if it had been for a full month. Despite his jocular demeanor the teen respected her rules. He also slept in the living room, and not in her niece's bed.
There had been a few times JJ almost slipped up and told her that Maribel and him have already slept together. Obviously not slept together (although wow) but they had slept next to each other, whether it was on a couch or bed. Totally innocent with only cuddling being the most intimate thing they've done. Knowing Estefanía she would have thrown her shoe at him if he told her. So he didn't.
Thankfully during his stay at the Mendoza home there hadn't been a second break-in. And it didn't happen after he returned to crashing at John B's. Then as if Maribel was reading JJ's mind she asked about their Pogue friend. "So why aren't you at John B's?"
Since it was summer JJ and the others would usually go out and stay up late. Except none of the Pogues went out tonight. It had been a stay at home kind of day. So Maribel thought JJ would be lounging at John B's. Instead the blond was with her. Not that she minded JJ in her bedroom, she was just slightly puzzled.
Although JJ was expecting this question to be asked by her, it didn't make answering it any easier. There was a reason why he went to Maribel's place and not John B's. "Ah, I was but…" He took off his hat to rub the back of his head. "I went to my dad's house." He admitted, voice lowering as he sat on her bed.
Maribel's brown eyes widened. "You went there ?" She questioned taking a seat next to him. "Why?" She questioned with a frown, her voice filled with worry. JJ did his best to avoid going to his father's place. She didn't call it JJ's home because how can a toxic place like that ever be considered a home?
JJ pursed his lips. He was glad he managed to avoid his father's fists and wasn't sporting a split lip right now. Hiding a bloody lip from Maribel and the others would've been impossible. His back was hurting from being thrown to the floor and kicked but at least he was able to hide that for now.
"I went to get extra clothes. All the ones I have at John B's are dirty."
JJ would have used John B's washer but his friend was doing his own load of laundry. He was offered clean clothes by John B, however, JJ had been borrowing enough of his shirts. So JJ told him he would sneak into his father's house late at night and get more clothing. He'd done it before and hadn't been caught. If only his plan worked this time.
"I figured my old man would have passed out by now." He let out an unamused laugh. "But he wasn't."
The way Maribel was looking at him with those brown eyes of hers made him want to break down but he did his best to remain tear free.
"Oh JJ." Maribel's lower lip wobbled a bit. Despite how much she wanted to hug him she kept her hands to herself. She didn't want to startle him with sudden contact. Maribel knew what JJ's father was capable of, of the harm he caused his own son.
Luke Maybank was a man with a bad temper. He was violent and overall unpleasant to be around. She dreaded whenever JJ was around him. Luke treated him like he was his own personal punching bag. Like many times before the sixteen year old couldn't keep her opinion of him to herself. Luke Maybank was a shitty father as much as he was a shitty person. She was never afraid to let JJ know how she felt about his father.
"I hate how he treats you." Maribel brown eyes stared into his blue eyes. "You don't deserve to be treated like that."
JJ moved his gaze from Maribel, needing a second to get it together. Maribel had seen him cry before, just as he'd seen her cry. Right now he didn't want her seeing how broken he felt.
If he had gone over to John B's it would have been like any other night. But he'd gone over Maribel's because JJ liked the warmth her small home provided. He liked the warmth she provided.
With the amount of times he'd been at the Mendozas' it almost felt like it was his home too. A home where he wouldn't need to walk around as if there were eggshells on the ground. His father's temper had always been something to look out for but it got worse this past year. All it really took was one look from JJ and his father would start hitting him.
His friends knew how much of an awful person Luke Maybank was. That's why they did their best to never bring up his father in conversation, or why they never hung out at his place. His father was a sensitive topic only JJ was allowed to mention.
"Mar, I don't want to get into it right now, please." JJ quietly said. His blue gaze was back on her. The tears were there, he could feel them. If they kept talking about this he would surely cry. "Can I…can I crash here tonight?"
JJ's encounter with his father left him bruised emotionally and physically. Those Bruises would make her want to cry once she'd see them. She wanted to prevent any future bruises. The only way for that to happen was to tell someone in high authority about JJ's father.
However JJ had told her and the other Pogues to not do that. If they reported Luke Maybank's ass to the authorities JJ would be taken away by DCS. And being taken away from the Pogues, his friends, the only people he considered his real family, was enough for JJ to keep his mouth shut about the abuse from his father.
At least Maribel and the others felt somewhat better that JJ for the most part avoided his father's house. He basically lived at John B's, and when he wasn't there he was at Maribel's.
Like tonight.
Maribel nodded her head, as if she could ever say no to him. "JJ, you know you're always welcome here." For a moment there she was lost in his blue eyes. She like seeing his face lose its worry, replacing it with a small smile. It made Maribel feel a flutter in her tummy. She cleared her throat.
"Listen, why don't you bring the clothes you have at John B's and wash them here."
JJ placed the hat on his head, appearing bemused. "I thought your guy's washer was broken?"
"It is." Maribel sounded more put together, the fluttering feeling in her tummy not as noticeable. "My aunt and I have been hand washing our clothes."
The thought of Maribel seeing his boxers made him smile awkwardly. Which was ridiculous considering she'd seen him in swim wear. But boxers were boxers. He also didn't want her seeing the Spongebob Squarepants boxers he owned. "Ah, I can't have you guys washing my clothes."
Maribel laughed. "Oh, JJ." Her brown eyes expressed amusement. "No, you'd wash your own clothes. I'll just show how it's done. It's not that complicated."
That seemed way better to JJ. "Fair enough." He glanced to where her guitar was. "So…I interrupted guitar time, huh?"
Maribel shrugged her shoulders, not bothered. "I was going to stop anyway."
JJ pouted. "So you're not gonna play a song for me?"
"How about I play you a song after I set you up in the living room." Maribel stood up, offering her hand to him, letting him choose if he accepted it or not.
JJ took hold of her hand and with a smile he let her lead them to the living room. She left him there while she went to tell her aunt about their late night visitor.
"Is he alright?" Estefanía asked after Maribel somewhat explained JJ's late night arrival. Although she wasn't told about JJ's relationship with his father, she wasn't stupid. She could put two and two together. Even though her own father had't been softhearted he at least never put his hands on either her or Isaac. Estefanía was tempted to call the cops on Luke Maybank's ass but she knew the consequences if she did.
JJ would be taken away, put into foster care and more than often foster care was even worse. At least JJ wasn't completely alone. His family was small too but Maribel told her that JJ spent most of his time at John B's. So if he wasn't sleeping at their place he was over at his. Knowing he was under someone's roof, someone he trusted, made Estefanía feel more at peace.
He would only need to wait two more years and he'd be free from his father. More than he already was. Until then Estefanía would help him in whatever way she could. And even after, Maribel and her would be there for him.
"There's extra blankets in the hallway closet." Estefanía said after Maribel nodded her head. After getting blankets she gave her pillows for JJ. Maribel thanked her aunt and then returned to the living room.
As JJ and her were making the couch more into a bed for him, they heard noises from the kitchen. The teens didn't think much of it until Estefanía walked up to them with two mugs.
"Here." Estefanía handed the mug with cute kittens on it to JJ and the other with unicorns to Maribel.
JJ smiled as he took the mug. He recognized the smell. "Hmm, hot chocolate."
"Is it Abuelita?" Maribel asked even though she already knew the answer. In the Mendoza household they only drank Abuelita hot chocolate.
"Pero por supuesto." Estefanía confirmed with a nod. "The best of hot chocolates."
"Thanks Estefanía." JJ said after taking a sip. He loved hot chocolate. For some reason the hot chocolate at the Mendozas tasted way better than any others out there. Even if it was from the same brand. If it hadn't been made by either Maribel or Estefanía then it wasn't as good.
"It's no problem, JJ." Estefanía nonchalantly answered. She fixed him a halfhearted glare. There was no real fierceness behind it. Not even when she pointed at him. "Remember you're sleeping in the living room…all night."
JJ laughed but nodded his head. "Yes ma'am."
Estefanía dropped her halfhearted glare to yawn. "Buenas noches pequeños monstruos!" She threw over her shoulder, leaving them to return to her bedroom.
"She called us monsters didn't she?" JJ grinned, recognizing one of the words her aunt said.
"Little monsters to be exact." Maribel corrected, the hot chocolate making her feel all cozy on the inside.
"Well, that's sweet." JJ smiled, tapping his mug to Maribel's.
When JJ and Maribel finished their hot chocolate she took a seat as he made himself comfortable on the couch. Just as Maribel said she played a song for him on her guitar. JJ happily listened, his back pain long forgotten.
Instead JJ's heart swelled with adoration for the brown eyed girl who was right in front of him.
