Chapter 3
John B's POV
I watched from my spot at the fire as Christina joked around with her friends. She seemed happier with them being here. They brought stuff for us to eat. We grilled hamburgers and she made some dip for the chips. They also brought beer.
"So, these are her friends from Tennessee, huh?" JJ asked sitting beside me.
"Yeah." I said nodding.
"How did they find her?" He asked.
"GPS. Hardy's brother is a cop." I said. He whistled.
"That's hilarious." He said. I nodded and looked at Christina. She and Hardy were off to the side talking.
"You got it bad broski. You're falling for her." He said nudging me. I scoffed and looked down.
"No. No I'm not. I got to find my dad. I can't let her get in the way of that." I said shaking my head.
"Dude just tell her. Secrets won't be good." He argued.
"No. I won't bring her into this. It's been us from the start and that's how it's going to be." I said standing up. I went inside and grabbed a beer. The door opened again and Christina walked in.
"Hey." She said softly.
"Hey." I said. She came over and grabbed a beer from the fridge.
"You seem happy." I told her. She hummed and looked at me.
"It feels like old times. Minus the fighting and other things." She said chuckling.
"Other things?" I asked her. She looked down at her beer.
"Other things, yeah. Drugs, coke, speed, you name it, it was at the parties we went too. No, I didn't do anything except weed and drink." She told me.
"Jesus Christina." I said sighing.
"Why do you think my aunt doesn't want me around? Her sister, my mother, married a druggy. Hidden behind a store manager and a car salesman, they were dealers." She said downing her beer.
"Hardy and Steven?" I asked.
"Small dealers. But they do more racing and runs more than drugs." She said. She shook her head and sat her beer down.
"I need to stop. If I keep drinking, I'm going to be telling you how I feel, and it'll be chalked up to be drunk. And I'm not drunk yet." She said chuckling.
"How you feel about what?" I asked. She went to say something then stopped.
"Oh no. Hardy tries this all the time. When I drink, I talk. He tries to get information when I drink, and I don't ever shut up." She said shaking her head. She went to turn away, but I grabbed her arm and turned her back around.
"Feel about what, Christina?" I asked her. I made sure there was no space between us. She placed her hand on my chest.
"John B." She said panting. I caved in and kissed her. She sighed and kissed me back. We jumped away when someone banged their way through the door. She grabbed her beer and looked at the door. It was Steven. He looked between us and said something in a different language. I looked at her then back at him. She nodded and replied to him. He nodded and walked back out.
"What? What was that?" I asked her.
"He's just checking in." She told me. I walked over to her and grabbed her head. I kissed her again. She sighed and kissed me back. I pulled back slightly.
"Feel about what?" I asked her.
"You. How I feel about you." She said panting.
"And?" I asked touching her cheek.
"I. I like you. Every moment or day I spend with you I start to like you even more. I don't know if you feel the same but." She said trying to catch her breath. I kissed her again. She kissed me back. I pulled away again.
"I like you too." I told her. She bit her lip and touched my hands.
"Tell me this again in the morning. When we both haven't had much to drink." She said. She pulled away from me.
"It'll be the same as tonight." I said smirking.
"I hope so." She said. We walked outside and back to where we were. I watched her as she danced with everyone. Her friends weren't bad it was just the background of them. We didn't need that heat, especially right now. They left about an hour later. I didn't like the way Hardy looked at her tonight. Like she was his. We were walking up to the house for bed. JJ and Pops crashed on the couches and Kie headed home. I grabbed Christina's hand. She looked at me as I pulled her to my room.
"Just sleep. I promise." I told her. We laid in my bed and she curled into me. Her shirt rose up. I noticed a scar on her hip. I touched it and she sighed.
"What happened?" I whispered. She was asleep. I held her close and fell asleep. When I woke up the next morning she was gone. I got up went to the bathroom and went looking for her. I walked outside and she was sitting in the grass looking out at the water. I walked up and sat down beside her.
"Morning." I told her.
"Morning." She said looking at me.
"You okay?" I asked her.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" She said.
"You're out here. Alone." I said leaning back on my hands.
"I come out here when I have nightmares. I sit and watch the sunrise, it makes everything go away." She said.
"Nightmares?" I asked.
"Yeah. I get them every now and then." She said nodding.
"About what?" I asked. She looked down at her hands.
"Every bad thing that's happened." She said. I nodded and looked out at the water. She turned to me. I looked at her. She raised her eyebrow.
"What?" I asked.
"Is there something you'd like to tell me?" She asked. I chuckled. I leaned over and kissed her lightly.
"I like you, Christina." I told her. She hummed then moved to straddle me.
"I don't think you do." She said kissing me again. I laughed and kissed her back. We made out for a couple of minutes before pulling away.
"I like you too, John B." She said panting.
"I don't think you do." I said kissing her again. She tangled her fingers in my hair and the kiss deepens. I pulled away before things went to far.
"I think it's safe to say we like each other." I said chuckling. She nodded.
"Oh yeah." She said panting. She leaned her head against mine. We stayed like that for a while it seemed. She moved around and sat between my legs and leaned against my chest.
"Can I ask you something?" I asked her.
"Sure." She said nodding.
"Your hip. You have a scar." I said. She tensed up and cleared her throat.
"Umm." She said sitting up.
"Hey, if you're not ready to tell me, then you don't have too. Not until you're ready." I said rubbing her back.
"Thank you." She said nodding. I kissed her head. She looked at me as she touched my cheek.
"Do you fish?" I asked her.
"Yeah. Why?" She said laughing.
"Want to go fishing or surfing?" I asked. I already knew the answer.
"Fishing. Duh." She said scoffing.
"Go change and wake the others, we'll take you fishing." I said. She laughed and kissed me. She jumped up and ran to grab her clothes. I sighed and got up. I readied the boat while she was waking the others. I heard a thump from inside as I walked up. I looked when I saw the truck from last night pull up. I nodded to Hardy and Steven as they got out.
"What's up?" Hardy said yawning. They walked up with me.
"She and JJ are fighting." Pope said.
"Why?" I asked.
"John B told me to wake you up!" I heard Christina yell. Hardy and Steven started laughing.
"Dude don't ever send her to wake up someone. She will annoy them until they get up." Hardy said walking inside. We went inside and saw her and JJ wrestling. Hardy went over and grabbed her around the waist. He lifted her off with one arm and sat her on her feet.
"Stop beating up the tiny blonde guy." He told her. She went to argue but he held up a finger and she rolled her eyes. JJ jumped up and pointed at her.
"She fights dirty." He said panting.
"We taught her well then Hardy." Steven said laughing.
"Well, I know not to send you to wake up anyone." I told her. She laughed and shrugged. Hardy leaned against the counter next to her.
"So, why is she waking people up rudely?" He asked.
"They are taking me fishing." She said smiling.
"Last time you went fishing you broke your pole because a fish took your bait and busted your line." Hardy told her.
"Then you pouted because you couldn't fish anymore." Steven added.
"You pouted?" Pope asked her laughing.
"I did. And I'm not ashamed of it. Can we go now?" She said crossing her arms. I nodded.
"We got a run to do upstate. But we'll be back in a few days." Steven said. She looked between them. Hardy kissed her head and hugged her.
"Be safe. Remember, two-day call." She said pulling back. He nodded and she came over and hugged Steven. He said something to her in that language from last night and pulled back.
"We'll call. I promise. Guys, take care of my girl." Hardy said walking out. He kissed her head again then left out the door. She watched from the window as they pulled away.
"You okay?" I asked standing behind her. She turned to me and nodded.
"Yeah. Yeah, I will be. Come on. Let's go fishing." She said. We headed to the Pogue and drove to get some bait at Heywards. We got off the boat and headed inside.
"Dad this is Christina. Christina this is my dad." Pope said introducing them.
"Hi. It's nice to meet you." She said smiling at him.
"Likewise. You a Pogue too?" He said looking at her. She looked at me and I nodded.
"I sure am." She answered. He grunted and walked off.
"He don't like you being a Pogue?" She asked Pope.
"Nope but I don't care. This is who I was supposed to be. I mean I still care about school and everything, but I'll always be a Pogue." He told her. She nodded.
"Pope! Remember Midsummers is this week! You're working it with me!" His dad yelled out. He groaned.
"What's Midsummers?" Christina asked.
"Where the Kooks get all dressed up and talk and drink. Even though there was a hurricane." I told her. She gagged. I laughed and finished grabbing the bait. We went out onto the water. I kept watching her. I couldn't help it. Her phone rung beside me. It was her aunt.
"Hey Chris!" I called over. She looked and I held up her phone. She came over and took it.
"This can't be good. Hello." She said sighing.
"What? Why? Can it wait? I'm fishing! I'm with my friends! Ugh! I'll see if they'll drop me off at the docks. Whatever." She said hanging up. She groaned.
"What?" I asked.
"Dearest auntie wants me back at the house so I can pick out a dress. Words out that she took in her sisters rebellious, teenager after their deaths, out of the kindness of her heart and now I have to go to Midsummers. But we also have to meet with a family too for lunch." She said huffing.
"So she's only doing this for herself?" I asked.
"Yeah. Save me." She said groaning.
"What family?" I asked.
"Cameron's, I think." She said.
"Remember Sarah? She's a Cameron. Kook princess." I told her. She groaned again.
"Can I punch her if she insults me or anyone?" She asked sighing. I laughed.
"No. Cause we don't need you arrested." I told her. She rolled her eyes. We rolled our lines and headed to the figure 8. I helped her off the dock. She grabbed my arm and we stopped.
"Do I have too?" She groaned. She started pouting at me.
"Sorry babe." I told her. She huffed at me. I grabbed her head in my hands and made her look at me.
"Hey, how about I stay around town with JJ and Pope, and when it's over, you come find us and we'll head home to the chateau?" I said kissing her lightly.
"It'll be better than where I'll be in an hour." She said sighing. I kissed her again and she walked off. I watched her leave.