Jj Maybank Concept - Tumblr Posts

jj maybank’s hot and confident baddie!gf hcs ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚

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ꨄ︎ this man is head over heels for you, kissing the ground you walk on type of energy. golden retriever & black cat couple. his friends frequently joke that you wear the pants in the relationship but he doesn’t care about anyone’s opinion— he feels like the luckiest man alive. “i’m her bitch? hell yeah i am.”

ꨄ︎ he feels so proud when you stick up for him, especially against the kooks. he’s ready to fight anyone that disrespects him but before he gets the chance, you’re already putting them in their place. he proudly watches you with the biggest smile on his face, letting you do your thing. “that’s my girl.”

ꨄ︎ doesn’t mind being submissive for you in the bedroom. calls you ‘mommy’ sometimes and lets you take control whenever you want to— it’s so fucking hot to him. he loves it when you praise him while you’re rocking your hips back and forth on his cock, whispering in his ear what a good boy he is.

ꨄ︎ he’s completely obsessed with you. always taking candid pictures of you and setting them as his lockscreen. his instagram page is filled with you as well, whether it’s the two of you together or just you alone. he’s literally your biggest fan and hypeman. “turn your head juuuust a bit to the left mamas, need to get that highlighter on camera.”

ꨄ︎ this man does anything for you. and with anything i mean anything. you ask for it and he will get it, no matter what. “oh, you think that puppy is cute? alright, ma’am. gimme three… maybe four working days and a puppy will be delivered right to your door step.” “j, that’s not wha-“ “sssh, just lemme make my girl happy.”

ꨄ︎ poor baby gets so sad when you get attention from men. he refuses to talk to you for an hour and will pout and sulk all day with his arms crossed. “he totally wanted to fuck you babe” “don’t be stupid, he was the goddamn waiter!” “so? doesn’t mean he didn’t wanna fuck you. did you see the way he looked at you when he served us those burgers?!”

ꨄ︎ you’re very protective of him and you make sure luke won’t ever lay a finger on jj again. jj spends most of his time at your house because he feels so at ease there, but if he needs to grab something from his house, you always go with him. if it escalates, you will have jj’s back before it gets out of hand. "listen, 'cause I'm only gonna say it once. touch him again and you're gonna be in big fucking trouble, got it?”

THE COMEBACK — jj maybank

a/n: i don’t like this but i saw an old post of mine based on this idea and i couldn’t get it out of my head so i had to write it down😭(+ lots of domestic jj bc i couldn’t stop myself). i missed dad!jj so much ughhhh

warnings: luke maybank, allusions to past abuse

word count: 2k

pairing: dad!jj x wife!reader

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add yourself to my taglist <3

“J!” You screech as your husband comes up behind you to kiss your neck. “The kids are in the other room!” You remind him, although he doesn’t seem to stop his actions. You’re cooking dinner for your family and for your friends, John B and Sarah, that are coming over for dinner. However, it is difficult to do so when your husband’s hands have become insatiable from the moment he came back from work, always finding an excuse to touch you. His fingers dance along your torso as his lips trail down your neck, a couple of responsive mh’s falling out of his mouth, but you know he’s not listening at all. You’re becoming putty in his hands when a thought stops all of your motions, “Who’s watching the baby?!”

JJ barely moves as he mumbles against your skin, “Mh, I told Noah to watch Ella.” He calms you down, coming to the realization that your older son is making sure that his little sister is okay. Nonetheless, JJ continues his attack and begins to lower one of his hands down your short sundress. “Just wanted to show my wife some lovin’.”

You chuckle at his antics until his hands start approaching your most sensitive parts, causing you to instinctively throw the ladle you were stirring dinner with back inside the pan while your husband smirks against your skin. “Baby!” You squeal. Your own hands come up to hold his in place, but he takes this as an opportunity to kiss up your neck and trap your earlobe between his teeth. You’re about to say something when the sweet voice of your son makes you snap out of it and push JJ away.

“Mommy!” Your six-year-old calls out for you as he enters the kitchen, “When is uncle B coming?”

“Uhm…,” You try to find words after what just happened, clearing your throat as you resume your cooking, “he should be here any second, sweetheart.” You smile at him and hope that he won’t comment on how forced it looks for your thoughts have been completely thrown off by the smirking man beside you. However, as you look at the little version of your husband in front of you, you’re reminded of the other blue-eyed baby in the next room. “J, Ella!”

JJ is fast to run in the living room, “I got her, I got her!” He reassures you as his quick feet take him to your baby girl. Once he comes back inside the kitchen, you see him carrying Ella on his hip as she relaxes against her dad. “Here she is.” He whispers, not noticing the grin on your lips.

JJ turns towards your son, currently sitting on a kitchen stool, “Noah, I told you to watch her. Babies can’t be alone for too long.” He reprimands him.

“But she was fine, daddy.” The little boy tells him, confused as to why it was such a big deal.

Your husband nods, “I know, buddy, and I know that you wouldn’t want her to get hurt but this is for when we ask you to watch her in the future, okay? She could really get hurt if you don’t watch her all the time, alright?”

You almost tear up at the gentleness in his voice, the way he speaks with so much love laced in his voice, choosing his words carefully, it just makes you fall in love with him all over again every time.

“I’m sorry, daddy.” Noah apologizes sincerely and causes his dad to softly smile down at him.

“It’s okay. C’mere.” JJ lowers his head to kiss his son’s forehead.

Noah takes advantage of the closeness to leave a gentle kiss on his sister’s cheek. “Love you, Ella.” And just as he says those sweet words, the front door bell rings, making your son jump down his sit and run towards the door. “Uncle B!”

“God, he’s like an earthquake.” JJ chuckles.

Biting down on your bottom lip to stop the incoming laugh, “Reminds me of someone,” You tell him. Your husband looks at you with that mischievous smile of his, that reminds you all too well of your son’s.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the both of you, the person that your child has opened the door to doesn’t resemble John B at all. The grey-haired man looks down at the blond little boy, blue eyes like the sky, and he could tell who he’s related to from a mile away. Bending down to his height, he asks “Hello, where are your parents?”

Noah knows better than to let strangers inside the house, which is why he immediately shouts “Mommy, who is this?”

To say that you sprint towards your son is an understatement. “What is it, honey?” You try to keep your composure in order to not scare the little guy, although you don’t know what’s going on yet — and you wish to have never found out. Luke Maybank. “What — I —“ You choke on your words, but your actions are cautious, instinctively putting space between him and Noah.

“Oh.” The man in front of you lets out as he straightens up. It’s obvious that he’s recognized you and you don’t know wether it’s a good or a bad thing. “Is my son here?”

As he speaks he seems to take a step closer inside your house, and in a panic state, you yell out, “J, baby, can you come here for a second?” Luckily, your words stop Luke, who’s waiting now for his son.

JJ runs to you, Ella still in his protective embrace as he approaches you. “What’s going on?” He asks before his eyes can fall on the man that’s standing at the entrance of your home. His hold automatically tightens on his daughter and he throws a protective arm in front of you. “What are you doing here?” Venom spits from his lips, and he almost can’t believe his eyes.

Chuckling humorlessly, Luke speaks up again “That’s a great way to greet your father, huh?”

“Take the kids and stay inside.” JJ tells you as he hands you Ella and pushes you further inside the protected walls of your loving home.

“J, I don’t like this.” You whisper as you grab the wrist of the arm that’s moving you away from the entrance. You’ve known your husband since what feels like forever; you’ve always been there for him and you know what Luke Maybank is capable of. If there’s one person that you would ever tell JJ not to see anymore is his father: that’s how terrible the situation is.

He takes your hand in his and places a gentle kiss on the back of it, before a smile etches on his features, attempting at reassuring you. “Look at me, princess. It’s okay.” Although it isn’t, but he won’t tell you that.

You nod, unsure, and do as he tells you.

JJ closes the door behind him and faces his father, after years and years of complete silence. “What do you want?”

He shrugs his shoulders, as if his presence at his son’s house is the most natural thing in the world. But that’s not how it works for the Maybank’s. “I didn’t know I had grandkids.”

JJ shakes his head in disbelief and points an accusing finger at him. “Stay away from my family.”

“We’re family.”

The words alone make an unsettling feeling form in his stomach and bile rise up his throat. He doesn’t remember a moment in his life where his father has referred to him as family — except when he needed money from his own son. “No, we aren’t. Leave my wife and my kids alone.”

Luke ignores him, because that’s what he’s always been good at. “I see you have a son. What if he ends up treating you the same way you are treating your old man right now?”

He can’t be serious.

He cannot be serious.

Years and years of disappointments and constant battling, of a loveless father-son relationship, leading to this. “You see, that’s the difference between you and I. I would never lay a finger on my children.” He affirms as his fists close on their own. “Don’t ever talk about my kids again. Get out of here right now.”

“You’re being unfair.”

JJ is about to rebut but the sound of the door behind him opening stops the both of them. “Leave or I will call the police.” You warn Luke while your hand reaches for your husband’s.

He turns to you, hiding the thankful grin that wants to grow on his lips. “Get back inside, baby.”

“No.” You answer firmly. “You come back inside now.”

It is Luke that now interrupts. “We’re talking.”

“And I say you’re done.”

He huffs, an annoyed look upon his features as he takes a step closer. “Control your woman over—“

However, JJ puts his free hand on his father’s chest, stopping him from coming any closer. “Don’t you dare talk about my wife like that.” He squeezes your hand, then continues “You better leave.”

You don’t even give him a moment to answer when you pull your husband inside with you and lead him in your bedroom where you can have a private conversation from your children. As soon as you go to close the wooden door, JJ sits on the bed, his head in his hands as he covers his face.

“Oh, J…” You whisper, heartbroken for him. You lie on the bed behind his sitting figure and bring his attention to you as you pull his arm. “Come here.” And he obliges. Your husband lays his head on your chest and you immediately begin to run your fingers through his hair, just like you know he loves. He hides his face in your neck and holds your body as close to his as possible.

“How can he do that?” He asks softly, and you can hear the pain in his voice, wishing to take it all away. “I feel like I’m sixteen again and all I want to do is run away and hope to never turn out like him.”

Your arms wrap tightly around him as your neck twists to let your lips linger on the side of his head, bringing him as much comfort as possible. “But you did run away, baby, and you’re nothing like him. You’re the best father I could’ve asked for my children and I feel so blessed to share all of this with you. And don’t even let me start on how you’re the perfect husband.” Finally, you cradle his face in your hands, forcing him to look up at you, and notice the tears that are threatening to spill out of his eyes. But you’re not done. “You turned out to be the most sensitive, funny, caring, loving man I’ve ever met.”

“I love you so much, you know that, right?” He whispers against your lips, brushing them together and feeling your breath on his mouth.

“I know, baby. And I love you, too.”

Raising his head further, he goes to rest his forehead on yours, completely hovering above you. “What did I ever do to deserve you?”

You grin up at him. “I don’t know, did you wish really hard?”

Your words make a chuckle escape from his lips and you swear it’s the sweetest sound. “I can’t believe the way you talked to him. If you weren’t my wife already, I would’ve asked you to marry me.”

You peck his lips, “And I would’ve said yes again.” Your mouths touch once again, coming in for a prolonged kiss this time. “I would say yes a thousand times.”

taglist:

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Oh, Schroeder...

pairing: jj x fem!pianist!reader

summary: a piano prodigy had captured the eye of jj ever since they were young, but their friendship is constantly up and down. she claims she's interested in piano and piano only, but (un) fortunately the heart wants what it wants.

word count: 18.8k (tad of a slow burn)

content warnings: drinking & drug use, angst if you squint, cursing, crying, miscommunication-ish, reader being kinda cold, anxiety, "original songs" are mainly by Taylor Swift, all songs linked

loosely inspired by Charlie Brown's "Schroeder and Lucy" 

Enjoy!

"OH, SCHRODER!"

The girl had barely sat down. Her sheet music wasn't on the music desk. Her favorite ballpoint pen hadn't been laid in front of it, ensuring the AC didn't blow the pages. Her fingers hadn't been cracked or stretched out. Her iced matcha with almond milk hadn't even begun to condense.

She let out a sigh.

Beginning piano at just two years old had certainly captured much attention of the young girl and as she grew, she adapted to the name of "prodigy" that had been placed on her. With that name, she had gotten everything from people who wanted to see her "succeed" or at least appear to care about her in order to up their appearances. Everything from a brand new piano to music classes with composers and pianists from Juilliard and entry to every performance she wanted to see was given into the palm of her hand.

Everything.

Including two free periods at the beginning and at the end of her school day in the music room in order to practice. She had barely brought up the suggestion to the Board of Education of Kildare, the ones receiving paychecks from the government because of her interest in the arts and was the reason for funding in the school, and she already had a cleared out schedule in her hands.

The room was to be spotless and cleared out for her.

And only her.

And yet that didn't stop people from disturbing her.

"Yes, Maybank?" She said refraining from calling him "Lucy", but a minor laugh made its way to the end.

It wasn't even nine in the morning. She was surprised he was up that early as he spends most of his time in art sleeping in the back. Not that she takes notice or anything. She's at the table next to him and he snores a little. And it wasn't like she could ignore him - not like they were friends, but they weren't enemies.

Frenemies.

"Aw shucks, how'd you know it was me?" He jogged up the steps onto the miniature stage that was implemented in the music room.

"Well no one else bothers like you do in the morning. So," She slammed down her sheet music on the top of the piano, letting the sound echo before replying with a sarcastic smile, "lucky guess."

"Didn't know I was so important to you." JJ leaned against her piano, crossing his ankles and his arms. She wanted to whack his backwards hat off his head.

"Believe me, you aren't. And now you are just bothering." She huffed, placing everything in order before massaging her hands. When she noticed that he stayed put, like always, she rolled her eyes, "Don't you have algebra right now or something?"

"Something." He shrugged.

He always did this. He always came in, unannounced, and tried talking her up and distracting her. She'd understand if he was trying to get out of class or just wanted a quiet place to do his homework or escape a few teachers (she'd done the same herself) but he purposefully came in to talk to her. Sometimes she enjoyed the company to fill in the moments of isolation. Sometimes she was more annoyed at it when she needed to work. Such as that particular day.

And no pointed finger at the door, no retort or comment on how he was bothering her, and not even a threat to complain to the Principal about his intrusion scared him away. If anything, it only caused him to come around more often. If he wasn't there her first period, he was there her second. If he didn't show up in the morning, believe that he will be there in the afternoon for her final two periods. He'd chew gum loudly, blow on the trumpets to try and get her to mess up her piece or make paper airplanes of sheet music lying around and throw them around the room.

And she needed to work that day, so only God knew what he was going to do to distract her that day.

Once he'd even had the audacity to climb on the piano and lay on it. He had done it once and only once because that was the day that she actually coaxed him off the piano with a sweet smile and eyes before grabbing onto his shirt and dragging him out of the room and told him that if he did it again she'd personally see to it that he's stuffed into the piano and left there for the weekend before slamming the door in his face.

He still came back the next day, still bothering, but sitting on the floor this time.

She narrowed her eyes at him as he tapped the sleek black with his index figure. He took note of her silence before following her eyes to his finger and his posture against her instrument, silently chuckling before stepping away with his hands in the air.

"Don't shoot me."

"Believe me, I stop myself every single day." He winked at her, shiny eyes looking at her, and she could only roll her eyes and place her hands on the keys, "Don't bother me and I won't drag you out of here again. I need to actually practice today."

Oh she needed to practice. Her recital at the Kennedy Center was her top priority. She couldn't deviate from her plans to practice.

"Yes ma'am."

Another roll of her eyes (maybe the apples of her cheeks heated up, but she'd never admit or check that) and she began to play. Her warm up always consisted of three songs - one from a classical composer, another from a movie and the final is a popular song that she converted into a ballad. Every musician, athlete and gambler she knew had a system and this was hers - the number three. Three warm-ups to get her started for the day.

That particular day, she chose Beethoven's Piano Sonata No.14 in C-Sharp Minor, which she had claimed to be one of her favorite pieces to play. She found it soothing although the song did sound daunting to the common ear. The notes were smooth and crisp to her ears that she had played it nearly every time she had to perform. The music so raw and emotional.

"Why do you play depressing songs? I thought pianists were supposed to be lighthearted." His voice cut through her piece halfway through, making her miss a note. She continued, ignoring the blond boy, "Then again, you're uptight enough that I'm not surprised by your music selection. Do you ever play rock music on that thing? Maybe some Fleetwood Mac or Meta-"

She stopped playing abruptly and turned her head, noticing that he was laying on the floor near the edge of the stage, only a couple inches from her, "Beethoven is one of the greatest composers to ever exist." She hissed, not feeling friendly at the moment he insulted one of her favorite composers, "His music changed people's perception on what music can be. Unpredictable and emotional." She saw red for a moment, "Do you ever hear yourself and think "I should shut up" when you don't know something? Hmmm?"

He looked up at the ceiling in false thought before shaking his head, "So that's a no to both our questions."

She almost smiled, but only deadpanned, "I should lock you out."

"Oh you see, but you've tried that already." He threw up his hands in the air, "Just can't keep a jailbird out."

"Oh this is a cell?" She hummed. You would know what a cell is, don't you?

"For you, yeah." He shrugged, looking around for second before whistling lowly like he always did, "But hey, what a girl wants what a girl wants. I can't explain your mind to you."

"It's not a cell, now shut up." She snapped at him before turning back to her keys.

Taking it that she wasn't going to get far with Beethoven, she turned to her second soundtrack. She let her keys play the beginning notes to Mia and Sebastian's Theme, a song she had fallen in love with however heartbroken she had been at the end of the movie. She had seen the film with her best friend friend, Sarah, and hadn't noticed a tick she had until Sarah pointed it out. She had been pressing her fingers down on her knees as if she was playing the song in real time.

As the song came to its fast crescendo and decrescendo, a snap of fingers hit her ears.

"See now that's all lovey dovey and heartaching-y and I don't know if you're trying to foreshadow anything, but maybe don't play the ending to that."

"Do you even understand what foreshadowing means?"

"Not in the slightest sense." He smiled brightly before laying down on the floor with his arm as a pillow. "I'm bored with all this slow music."

"Oh, am I boring you?" She grumbled, pulling out her third set of sheet music, hoping to not get interrupted. He's usually tolerable when it came to his unwarranted visits, but today, she was neither interested in his jokes or his presence and he seemed to feed off of it. Her recital was in June.

It was nearing the end of May and the clock was only ticking.

"Oh you? Never. Maybe your depressing music, but never you. Your voice is music to my ears."

"Once more," She sighed, "Shut. Up."

She didn't wait for a reply and began playing her final warm-up song. Her pop songs usually came from Sarah, who had challenged her to play something she usually wouldn't. Sarah had chosen Shawn Mendez's In My Blood, and surprisingly she enjoyed it. Especially the chorus. Her fingers flew back and forth, playing both the melody and the "lyrics" portion. She had almost made it to the end when the sound of a can opening brought her out of her trance. She accidentally hit the keys hard on her unfinished notes and whipped her head to the boy on the floor. He wasn't looking at her, only drinking from a can of Monster before glancing at her hardened state and her whiten knuckles.

"I didn't say anything."

◇ ◇ ◇

Many believed because she was a piano prodigy that she had nothing else she wanted to do. And you'd be right. There was nothing else for her that she wanted to do. Not a single thing as she grew up. Everything revolved around her talent - natural, God given, incredible and undeniable talent. If it were art or soccer or anything, but an instrument, she would have been treated equally with a bit more praise than others.

But piano was an instrument that took years to master and it didn't help that she was a girl. A girl with much smaller hands than those of grown men who played at the same level of her, if not lower. Piano was not kind to those with smaller hands and she learned it the hard way. She always had to reach and strain her fingers in order to play smoothly. Her skin tore, became sore and she had consistent nights with ice on her tan skin.

Because of it, every adult gave her special treatment. She was a one of a kind pianist. She picked up on notes perfectly - she had perfect pitch. She learned songs in only a few hours, even the most complex ones - she had a solid memory bank for music. She never complained about her hands being sore or being tired of playing - she was resilient. She was a young girl from the Cut with a talent that would bring her out of the depths of poverty - she was given a gift.

Praise came to her from every direction ever since she was young. And it worked to her advantage. From a young age, she was invited and paid to play at recitals on the main land, eventually growing to paid trips to play with a group of equally gifted children and orchestras. She got to know people and use their connections to make other connections in order to create opportunities for her and her family.

She loved piano and it loved her back as it created opportunities for her to grow. However, every gift has a cost and one has to be willing to pay it.

For her, it was the payment of isolation.

Through her traveling since she was five and her constant hyper fixation on what could bring her from the bottom to the top, she skipped out on what being a kid really means. Fooling around with friends never came. Going to the movies and watching back to back movies never arrived in time. Creating lifelong friendships never had it's destination called.

The piano prodigy never built friendships and soon decided she couldn't have them.

The few times that she did try and create them, she was met with peculiar stares and judgmental glares. No one truly knew her, so why should they let her get to know them? Those from the Cut became jealous that she had a one-way ticket to Figure Eight and those from Figure Eight only saw a girl from the Cut who got lucky enough to climb up the social ladder, but she'd always be from the other side of town. She had her foot in both worlds, but was rejected from both.

Too much of a pogue to belong on Figure Eight and too much of a rising-kook to belong on the Cut.

Sure she had a few people who she'd say hi to, share the homework with, sit in class with, text to see how they're doing and happy birthday to, but never anyone to truly fit in with.

That was until she met Sarah.

Sarah Cameron was a kook. She was one of the kookiest-kooks that the prodigy ever got to know, but she soon took the title as best friend. The day they met was when they were thirteen - around eight to nine years after she began performing on Figure Eight for charity events and some other events that could be related to Midsummers. She had just played and decided to go hide in the hallways of the country club so that no one would bombard her. Her mom was off chatting with some adult that would hire her to play for a private party. She was enjoying the new-found life that she was being provided by her thirteen year old daughter. The prodigy couldn't blame her - with the money she was earning and even with the amount taken to be put into her savings account, they were on track to move to Figure Eight by the time she's seventeen.

And just as she had sat down, there was the sound of footsteps hitting the floor. Hard. As if they were running. She turned her head and saw a girl, around her age, who came dashing down the hall, grabbing the prodigy's hand, pulling her down the hall with her. She had no clue what was going on, but she ran. As they dodged party goers in the lower level hallways and staircase, she found herself laughing with the dirty blonde girl.

Soon they were near the beach and laid flat on the sand. Their breaths were hard and rapid, but laughs soon came out. Her name was Sarah Cameron and she had been running from her older brother, Rafe, because she had messed with his hair one too many times that day. Thankfully, he stopped chasing the moment she had pulled the prodigy up from the floor and with her. After that, the two girls chatted on the beach. Although she didn't know much about gossip, people or fashion choices, Sarah was friendly, open and accepting of the piano prodigy.

She even wanted to know what it was like being a piano prodigy at such as young age. Sarah said it sounded lonely and for once, she brought herself to agree with her.

And after that Sarah decided that her new friend would never be alone again.

Skip three years later and the two sat together by the pool on a Saturday afternoon, the sun going down earlier than usual, and listened to each other. Unfortunately the money that had been and was being collected by her recitals wasn't enough for her to go to the Kook Academy, so she went to the general high school, away from Sarah. With their school work and outside hangouts and recitals, they only hung out in person every weekend and the occasional weekday, but they were always texting and facetiming.

And there was something constant in all of their calls since they began high school.

She huffed, kicking the water, "All the time. He always has be in that room, opening a can, commenting on my song selection, making paper airplanes and throwing them around the room or talking his ass off. I can't stand him sometimes."

"So I've heard." Sarah chuckled. "I can't believe he hasn't given up yet. It's what? Almost junior year?"

"Yeah." The pianist grumbled, "And nothing I do gets him to leave when I need him. Yesterday, he told me my song choice was depressing and boring. Beethoven is one of the greatest composers to ever exist. I should have thrown him out of the music room the moment he said that. Heck! My middle name is Elise, like Fur Elise. Beethoven's music is phenomenal. What does he know about classical music?"

Sarah almost laughed, "Nothing. Trust me. He listens to music with John B when they're fixing up the Druthers. It's all rock, rap and old school music like Fleetwood Mac or Billy Idol." She grabbed her cup of soda from her side, "Why don't you just tell on him or something?"

"Tried that." She admitted, "Freshman year. He got detention and came back with even more fervor than before. It's like it fueled him to be even more annoying. After that, I just decided to not add fuel to the flame." Part of that was true.

Maybe she liked him around sometimes.

"Well there is the other theory."

The girl's head whipped in the blonde's direction, "You're still on that?"

She shrugged, "Hey, it's classic textbook for boys. Annoy the person you like in order to get their attention. It may be unwarranted and may have undesirable outcomes, but hey, they get your eyes on them." She tapped her best friend's shoulder, "And JJ is a person who likes attention, especially from girls. You go against that. You focus on your work and work only."

"Yeah well," She grabbed Sarah's cup, taking a sip, "he's not gonna get it from me. That's for sure. I'll just lock the door again." She handed back the cup, "And on an unrelated note, I have my recital next month and I need you to RSV-"

"Done."

"Great. I'm still trying to decide on a few songs. I know I'm going to play a piece from Beethoven, but they've been telling me that original pieces would attract more of an audience. They're trying to get me more into originals than ever now. I have a few, but I'm not so sure. I'll send you some pieces for some feedback. I also need an outfit-"

Sarah listened to her best friend chatter about her recital. It would be on the mainland and it'd be one of her biggest yet. And while she was happy for her, her mind wandered back to JJ Maybank's constant desire for attention. Even if she didn't admit it, she knew that her friend liked the attention she got from the boy. If she really didn't want him around, she would have already found a way to keep him away. She would have gotten him suspended or had his schedule changed so that they never crossed paths again. Maybe the attention did annoy her at some moments, especially, when she needed to practice, but during their art and history classes (which they had together) she didn't seem to mind it, due to her lack of complaining. If Sarah knew it, she knew that JJ definitely knew it too. And maybe that was why he kept going. She never truly pushed him away, more so keeping him on a thin line that he couldn't push forward. Like a piece of music that she had written down, but never played.

If anything, Sarah suspected that it wasn't only JJ who had a crush.

But that was just her opinion.

And Sarah Cameron was usually right.

She may have been right this time.

◇ ◇ ◇

Another week, another tug of war game between the pianist and surfer boy. It was a beautiful spring, almost summer, morning - school was almost at its end and she was dying for school to end. No more distractions. More time to rehearse for her recital. It was the next month, as she had told Sarah, but she was getting more jittery as the days passed. According to her manager, Margie, this was going to be her highest paying recital yet. More of an audience. More expectations. And the more she got, the more popular she became. She was already being recognized nationwide and they wanted to extend it internationally. Margie was trying to get some British, French and Spanish reps to come and if they did, it could extend an invitation to come schools with scholarships - just as Juilliard did - and maybe paid trips to perform. Even if they didn't, people from California and New York were coming down to see her perform solo. It was only a fifteen minute time slot at the end, but her body was beginning to recognize how much she needed to succeed and she felt her anxiety levels beginning to rise.

And JJ Maybank interruptions were not helping. And his last comment on her music taste and his song suggestion (a song by Alt J?) actually had her consider throwing him out of the room. He wasn't particularly annoying at first, but then again it was JJ.

His attention be damned if she messed up her recital, her biggest paying one yet.

And although she could have rebutted, she didn't. There always was a pull that told her to fight, to reply and give him the reaction he wanted. It was as if they were magnets and she was either pushing and he was pulling or she was north and he was south. To forces fighting to land on top.

But she had to let it go for now.

Instead, she put away her stack of warm-up sheet music on her red folder. Red was for warm-ups, green was for classical, blue was for originals, orange for everything else and purple was for recital practice. She decided on blue because Margie kept telling her that originality sells along. That and classical music. Plus it was like writing whatever she wanted.

And a little secret of her own, she liked to sing. And she could actually do it too. But not in front of people. No way. She could play piano and let people focus on the music, while looking around the room or silently speaking, but if she sang, eyes would be on her immediately. So singing was off the table, but she found that writing lyrics that went along with music helped her write better and quicker. She'd sing in her head while playing.

She had multiple songs lined up, but she found herself focusing on one she had titled Champagne Problems. Her entire idea was based on the idea of a failed proposal and admittance that it was her fault - kind of reverse of what one would usually hear. No failed marriage. Just a failed proposal. She had some lyrics written down, but not a full song.

She played for a few moments before writing a few notes down and repeating the process for a full ten minutes. She hadn't noticed, but she had begun to hum and sing lightly under her breath. She especially liked the chorus, but she found it repetitive. Without lyrics, it wouldn't be as interesting.

Maybe I should cut it short. Just the chorus and the bridge. Short like a rejected proposal.

"What song was that?" Her ears perked up to JJ's voice, which was filled with curiosity.

Her response was instantaneous, "One you don't know."

"Nice." He quipped, turning towards her, pulling his knees into his chest, watching as she pushed a piece of hair behind her.

Surprisingly, JJ didn't speak anymore, but instead let the pianist write and mess around with her instrument. He didn't feel the need to interrupt nor did he want to interrupt. She was so concentrated. Her bottom lip was captured by her top teeth, signaling her fixation on what she doing.

"Damn it." She mumbled. It's definitely too repetitive. Maybe changin- but that wouldn't work. Would it?

"What?"

She glanced down to the boy, who was watching her, "Nothing. Just trying to figure out how to make my song less repetitive."

"You wrote a song?"

She paused her writing.

Okay, one thing to note about the pianist and JJ was that they actually talked a lot in person. Sometimes online whenever she posted on her story something about her recitals or she'd post herself playing the piano in some grand room or opera house and he'd comment or reply with some joke or quip about her getting famous or something of the sort that she'd reply back with a sarcastic or lighthearted joke. And they were frenemies (as she deemed it, she didn't know what JJ thought) but she didn't think she could trust him with something that personal, something so close to her that only few people knew. He'd probably just think it was stupid writing songs that she didn't even sing outloud.

"No." She mumbled and tried to swallow the fear that was beginning to form in her stomach.

"Huh."

"What?" She glared.

"Nothing." He shook his head, grabbing his phone and his backpack. He stood for a moment, the two of them staring at each other for a moment. Neither of them looked away and it was almost as if neither wanted to. She felt her heart quicken, mistaking it for a feeling she was all too common with, before the she looked away. "Nothing." He repeated, "Nothing, just...sounded good."

The pianist didn't say anything, only watched as he left the room, like he usually did around that time, but she felt something else biting her stomach. He was able to leave the room, glancing back at her only to see her eyes planted on him and not on the piano as she usually did.

He grinned, seeing her curiosity about his response. He winked and headed out the door.

And it was about ten minutes later when she looked back at the now closed door when she mumbled, "Thank you."

◇ ◇ ◇

As the weather turned from spring to summer, the heat came as strong as it could. The chill spring wind was being replaced with the humid Kildare summer air. Unfortunately, the Cut was victim to it as ACs didn't work, fans were old and opening windows wasn't an option most times. And you can't just go swimming in the marsh or driving to the beach at two in the morning because you're sweating in a tank top and shorts in your bed. Due to this revelation, the pianist tried to visit Sarah more often during these times - the rich loved their air conditioned homes and boats. And it was the day after her and JJ's strange moment that school was called out because t was unable to hold students due to the heatwave coming through.

Free day for the Kildare High School students.

Unfortunately the same couldn't be said for Sarah as her school had enough funding to hold over fifty ACs in the school 24 hours a day, seven days a week. However, when she woke up drenched in sweat and in desperate need to practice in a comfortable area, Sarah offered her home. Neither she, her dad, Rose, Wheezie or Rafe, who was a Senior at the prep school, would be there, but Ward Cameron welcomed the pianist into their home constantly and agreed to let her come by that day and any day she needed.

The only issue was getting there in the first place.

She had to walk due to her mom taking the car to work and couldn't call her to come get her. While they had money due to her accomplishments, there was always something happening. Either the AC wasn't working, a light went out, or anything else that happened, they had to be prepared. Always vigilante. Always checking off boxes twice.

So she had to brave the elements.

She put on a blue sports bra and white button up over it (keeping it unbutton of course) and jean shorts that were loose enough that it wouldn't bother her while walking. She grabbed her bag, remembering putting extra clothes, knowing she'd get cold in the chilled house before running out.

She hadn't made it to the bridge that separated the Cut from Figure Eight and she was drenched in sweat. Her hair was up, water nearly gone and her white button up would have been thrown into the backpack if it wasn't her only protection from the sun's devious rays. She was melting.

"Someone save me, please." She choked out, trudging through the heat. "Only you, Kildare. Only you."

A high pitched whistle hit her ears with a bang. The girl jumped back, only to see her blond boy in a van and not some stranger ready to kidnap her, "I would ask if you're delusional, but I think I have my answer."

"Jeez!" She put a hand on her heart, "You scared the crap out of me. Don't do that!"

"I can see that." He chuckled, driving slowly on the abandoned road, "What I can't see is why the hell you're out here in this heat. We're in a heatwave." He took the hat he had off his head and plotted it on her head.

She would have hit him with some sarcastic retort and tore off his hat from her head that gave her much relief, but she had no energy for it, "I need to practice. My house is crap. Heading for the Cameron's." She wiped her forehead, feeling agitated by the sweaty hair sticking to the nape of her neck. "Why are you out?"

"It's hot, sunny and the waves are perfect according to the report." JJ looked forward for a second before saying, "Get in."

"What?" She choked out, but it was out of confusion, not suspicion as it would have been if she was cognate with her mind.

"Get in." He repeated, "I'll drop you off nearby. I'm getting John B from a house job anyways."

Once it registered in her mind, she didn't reject the offer. She ran to the other side and jumped into the passenger's seat of the van, "Thank you." She wheezed out, leaning back in the seat the moment she buckled up.

"No problem." She thinks she heard him chuckle, but she couldn't be so sure at the moment.

They drove with the windows down and the breeze did miracles with her pending state. Five minutes into the drive, she was wide awake and conscious. She finished up her water and leaned back as she watched the Cut pass by. She, then, turned to JJ, and immediately noticed that he was shirtless.

Glistening tan and freckled skin with muscles flexing with every breath and spark of movement.

She shouldn't have stared for as long as she did and if you asked her about it, she'd deny it. But hell, she couldn't deny that he was attractive. With or without a shirt, but at that moment, his shirtless state was definitely affecting her more at the moment. She'd hadn't denied it in her mind that her annoying fucker that liked to interrupt practice sessions was attractive - fuck it, he was hot - but now that she was face to face with one of his attractive aspects mixed with the delusion of the heat...all rational thought was gone.

"So I was thinking." He turned his head and she pulled her face together as if she wasn't ogling him.

She snapped back into her sarcastic tone, "You do that? Never would have guessed."

"And I was thinking you could expand your music taste." He ignored her tone, "There's a whole world out there that isn't classical music that could apply to your piano playing."

"Really? This again?" She groaned. "Sorry that I'm not into whatever the heck you listen to. Piano playing is delicate, but strong in its chords."

"I have no idea what that means, but you could totally change your mojo." He replied as if he believed in what he was saying.

"I play classical and the occasional movie score. Okay?" She quipped, rolling her eyes, "It's what people want to hear. Not Metallica or Red Hot Chili Peppers."

"Nah, people want to hear music. Something with soul and meaning behind it. Not just instruments." He explained, "Do you even like what you play?"

"Of course I like what I play." The half-truth slipped out with ease, "And even if I didn't, I don't get paid to play what I like."

"But you could." He pointed out.

"No, I couldn't. When you get hired for a job, you do the job or else you get fired. I'm pretty sure you understand that."

"You don't get it." He turned up the radio. An upbeat song was playing. Michael Jackson. "If you were able to convert songs like these onto the piano, you'd have a bigger audience. I promise you that and Papa J never fails in his assumptions."

She thought for a moment, ignoring the fact that he called himself "Papa J". If she was able to convert those songs into piano themes, she would have a bigger audience. But it's not easy. There's so much practice that goes into doing things like putting Beat It into piano formation. It's not impossible, but it'd be difficult. Out of his mind, but...he wasn't wrong.

"C'mon! What'd it take you to do it?"

"Answer a question for me."

"Shoot."

"Why do you keep come into the music room to bother me? You've been extra annoying lately." Bingo. He'd never give into the question. "You tell me that, truthfully, and I'll convert any song you want into a piano ballad or something."

His eyes narrowed. JJ wasn't a guy to open up about his feelings or about the reasons he did things. He usually just did it and then thought about it later if he even thought about it again. He's impulsive. Never has a reason for anything.

"Gets me out of homeroom."

"I said truthfully." Her voice took a playful tone, which caused JJ's eyebrow to lift up, "You skip either way."

"I don't know. I never really thought about it." He shrugged. "I guess..." He shifted again. He was uncomfortable. She could see it as clear as day, "You're easy to be around."

He didn't say more.

She blinked, not able to find the confident nature she had only moments ago. He didn't answer her question correctly, but it caught her attention. She was easy to be around? Lately, she constantly glared at him, told him to shut up, and dragged him out of the room once. She wouldn't consider herself "easy" to be around even when she wasn't doing any of those things. Especially in the music room. She was her most uptight in those moments. She didn't care who she hurt as long as she got her work done. Her target was mainly JJ - and now thinking about it, she felt bad. Yes, he annoyed her, but she felt shameful of her behavior.

"Easy?" She scoffed, "I wouldn't call myself easy."

He clicked his tongue, "That's my fault." He admitted, "You're easy to get to when you're working."

"So you admit that you do it on purpose?" They stopped at a stoplight and he turned to look at her. And she knew. She just knew that he did. She also knew by his expression that he was getting a kick out of her just figuring it out, "You little shit."

"Glad to know you just picked up on that." He teased and she almost had the decency to push him out of the car, "Now what song to pick."

"You don't get a song."

"What?"

"You lied to me first."

"Oh come on!" He complained, hitting the gas again when the light turned green. "You can't take that back. I get a song."

She couldn't get over the fact that he was whining about getting a song played by her. He looked kinda cute actually.

"Fine!" She rolled her eyes. "You get one song, any song, as long as you keep your bothering to a minimum and I'm talking the most JJ minimum you can give me. Deal?" She held out her pinkie.

"Really?" He asked, almost missing how she used his name for the first time, and she nodded with a confidence that should have been hilarious in any other situation. "Deal." He wrapped his pinkie around hers. "Original."

"What artist is that by?"

"You."

She paused and deadpanned, "I don't write songs."

"Look who's lying now. You said any song, therefore I get a song by you. I already have a name for it." He put his hand out in front and moved it across the air, " "The Ballad of JJ". Upbeat. Nothing fancy. Something like Bohemian Rhapsody."

She shook her head, "Do you even know what a ballad is?"

"Sounds cool. So, why not?"

This kid will actually kill me.

"Fine. You win. "The Ballad of JJ" it is." And he smiled like he won a million dollars.

He dropped her off at the front of the house, watching her disappear into the house with his hat still attached to her head. And while she did practice, she allowed herself to begin to write for the blond boy, who wasn't so annoying today.

Or really any day.

Not that it mattered.

Right?

◇ ◇ ◇

What JJ had said bothered her.

A new audience.

She scoffed.

Based on ratings and statistics, people enjoyed classical music over anything else. Covers of pop or rock songs didn't fit the mold nor did they get high ratings. Maybe on youtube they did, but not for live concerts.

And it was like he was challenging her. Challenging her to try something new. As if she was afraid to do it. She scoffed at the thought.

Afraid?

She wasn't afraid.

She'd show him.

◇ ◇ ◇

"That was excellent!" Margie Jones clapped her hands. "Truly wonderful. I have no words other than magnificent."

Her mother joined in, "I've never heard you play something that energetic before. It's mostly mellow. Is it original?"

She nodded proudly, "Yes, it is. Got some inspiration. It's not fully done, but it's getting there."

"What's it called?" Margie asked, pulling out some files, but still with a wide grin.

She opened her mouth to reply, but the words couldn't come out. Her one piece of music that was the light of her mother and Margie's life at the moment was orchestrated because a boy had her write it. Not just any boy. JJ Maybank. Her annoying (ex-annoying) music room bother. It wasn't exactly The Ballad of JJ, just an alternate verison of it (she felt like it was personal to the point that only the two of them could hear the original),but it was similar enough to be connected to the song titled in her blue folder with his name. However, she couldn't have it leave her mouth. Weird.

"Oh, I don't know yet. Like I said, it's just coming to me in pieces, so I'll figure it out in a bit. It's just one of my originals."

"Excellent." She nodded, "More originals open more doors for your solo career without any orchestra or becoming back up for a band. More money for us." She clapped her hands, "And this is good because I got news that the scouts from France and the United Kingdom are coming."

She gasped and stood up, "Really?"

"Yes and because of this, you'll be performing for a longer bracket. I talked to the managers and everyone I needed to and they agreed that instead of a fifteen minute time slot that you'll take on an hour time slot. Thirty minutes for the first half, a ten minute break, and then your final thirty minutes. With this you'll have to do a setlist that I'll need by next Friday. We only have three more weeks."

Her heart dropped.

Her mother clapped her hands, "Wonderful. How about the pay?"

"Because she's bringing in the scouts for the entire program, not just the orchestra part, I negotiated for her to get triple for her section plus her original fee for her part in the orchestra."

As Margie and her mother spoke, they hardly noticed the sixteen year old girl sitting on the seat by the piano, turning pale by the moment. She had never done anything more than twenty minutes straight of playing. Now she has to do an hour with a set list and most likely originals that she had never tested before. Plus the orchestra. That would be two hours of straight playing.

She didn't know if she wanted to do it.

She was a performer. She had played in front of a hundred people before, but this was a concert hall in Washington D.C. Hundreds of people and staff. Now scouts for her future in music. For more time than she had been used to. With original music she had never tested. She was performer, it was her job.

But they hadn't asked her if that was what she wanted.

Her breath felt heavy and her chest began to heave. Her body didn't feel in control of anything. She hardly said anything as she excused herself to the bathroom. She closed her eyes as she slid down the luxurious bathroom wall and tried to level her breathing. She flexed her hands back and forth, trying to stop the shaking.

She was a performer. She had to do this. She had to do more. She had to take the job. She couldn't say no. She was a performer. Performing was what she did. It was her job. Her future. She couldn't say no. She had to for the money. A better life. More for her mother. More for her. She couldn't say no.

But she really really wanted to.

◇ ◇ ◇

That weekend, she stayed as close to Sarah as she could. Distracting herself from the reality that she would have to do something that was holding her heart down. She didn't understand it. So she ignored it.

A tale as old as time.

Sarah sensed something wrong, but didn't say anything. She knew she'd come around eventually and she'd give her space until then. So, she suggested that they go to the beach and get acai bowls at the Playa Bowls nearby.

The two girls walked arm in arm and got their bowls and sat by the docks, watching early tourons and kooks and pogues alike spend their Saturday with their friends or family. From the docks, she watched people surf on the waves as if it was second nature.

She didn't know how to surf - another downside of piano being your life - but she liked watching it. She found it interesting how people were able to move their bodies in a way that allowed them to move with the ocean's ripples. She believed it was similar to how her fingers meshed with the keys of a piano and became one with the instrument. However, that was only one part of her body. Surfing was control over the entire body to not go flailing around. She admired the people who could do it.

Sarah chatted to her as she nodded along and allowed her to speak. She felt like she was in 2nd grade again when she hardly ever spoke. She only spoke when she had something she needed to say, but no coaxing would get her to open her mouth. It wasn't until around middle school that she started speaking full sentences to people. Even then, she was only chatty around people she was comfortable around such as Sarah Cameron or her mother. And she only wanted to listen that day anyways.

And as she watched the waves, she noticed one person surfing as if his life depended on it. Flips and turns and going through waves and making it to the end. She began to observe him up until he came up to the beach. That was when she noted who it was.

She turned her head before he could spot her, but she heard a classic high pitched whistle. She turned back and noticed JJ, staring right at her with his hand lifted in a hello. She couldn't help, but smile and wave. His friends, who she recognized as John B and Pope Heyward, turned to her as they began to nudge JJ around, teasing him. He swatted them away.

A nudged on her shoulder caught her attention and she turned to Sarah.

"What?" She furrowed her eyebrows.

"Oh Schroder." She teased, "Don't leave Lucy hanging by the piano all day."

"What are you on about?"

"Gonna play dumb? Okay, Schroder, I'll play Linus." She put her finger up, closing her eyes as if she were the comic character, "'No problem is so big or so complicated that you have to run away from it.'" She opened her eyes, "Running away isn't the answer even if you think it's yours. I should know. I do it a lot."

"I'm not running away." She took another bite from her bowl. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Okay." She hummed, "But don't be surprised when Lucy decides to stop waiting by the piano and goes out to become a psychiatrist that you meet in twenty years wondering "what if"."

"What in the actual hell are we talking about now?"

◇ ◇ ◇

She didn't hear her alarm. Two weeks had flown past her like sand falling out of her dry hand and she had been pushing herself everyday to practice playing nonstop. Finishing a handful of originals and practicing complex songs that made her hands cramp from how much she pushed. Staying up late nights was all too common for her. Missing her bus and a ride from her mom was not.

Everyone looked up at her when she entered the door. She feels like she came to school with no pants and mix and match shoes by the way everyone looks at her. Miss Prodigy is never late, never tardy, never disheveled, never not perfect. This was a sight: her hair was brushed, but was covered by a red hat, the bags under her eyes could carry bricks, her shirt collar was half up, her socks were different colors and her shoe laces were untied.

"Sorry." She mumbled to her history professor, handing the pass that the office lady had signed with the same amount of shock.

She walked to her seat and sat down, taking out her textbook and notebook. The shock had passed and whispers ensued as the class continued. She noticed the stares, but she just fixed her collar and payed attention to the lesson. It wasn't as if the other ten of them didn't come in late every other day in worse conditions.

From behind her, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned slightly to her left and saw JJ quickly passing a note to her. He sat in the next row but two seats behind her. She grabbed it and turned back around before opening it discreetly.

Didn't know prodigies came in late. Sounds like a crime. You look like crap also.

She scoffed lightly before grabbing her pen and scribbling down her response before tossing it over without so much as a whisper. And it just kept getting passed back and forth.

You sure do think of me a lot to know it's a crime. And yeah I know I look like crap. Thanks, Lucy Shit I didn't mean it like that. Like you look tired. You know like the little alien in Lilo and Stich? I have so many questions, but do you mean Stitch? I know I'm shorter than you, but you don't have to stoop to that level. You just called me Lucy from the fuckin Peanuts comics so I think it's fair game You've called me "Schroeder" since freshmen year. I think it's bound time I respond correctly. I've been scattered brained lately. Can't remember to hold my tongue. Oops Or wear your own clothes. Nice hat. Where'd you get it?

She touched her head, pulling down the hat that she had grabbed from her desk only to realize who's it was. She heard him chuckle behind her and she put up the bird in the air, waving it in his direction, not daring to look at him.

The bell rang within the next ten seconds, signaling for her next period, which she knew she was going to skip. She packed up her items and before she could head for the door, a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Truly amazing fashion choice. You get it at a boutique or something?"

"Ha ha. Very funny." She rolled her eyes, "I would give it back to you, but my hair did not cooperate this morning so I will be keeping it at the moment."

"Looks good on you. Not better than me, but close enough." He said as they walked out of class together.

It was a stupid compliment, and he was teasing her, but she still felt the apples of her cheeks begin to burn and she rolled her eyes, shoving him slightly with her shoulder, "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Get to class."

"We both have art next." He pointed out with his thumb at the classroom door.

"Not me." She sang before heading down the hall to the stairs towards the first floor. The sound of hard boots followed her, "Class, Maybank."

"I'm good." He shrugged, "Where we going?"

She rolled her eyes, but she didn't command him away. In fact, she couldn't bring herself to even if she needed him gone. Something about his presence lately had been calming to her, even if he was as calm as a hurricane. She'd felt in the car the previous week, when she saw him at the beach that weekend and even now as her anxiety began to peak for being late.

He made her feel like everything would actually be alright. (It confused her for a moment before she shook it off).

"Music room. I need to practice." She said, taking a moment to yawn. She covered her mouth, "A lot of practice."

"You keep saying that. What the hell's got so much of your attention?" She noticed his tone, but kept her observation to herself.

"Recital. Big one."

"And?"

She sighed, "Recitals make me money. I get a lot from it. I play with the Virginia Orchestra and they have their annual recital event. Because I'm part of it, a lot of people come. Some from New York. Others from Los Angeles and other places. It's a big deal." She pulled the music room key out of her pocket, "I got news that some scouts from Europe are coming to see me. It's next week, so pressure's on."

"That's amazing." He complimented as she swung the door open.

"Thank you." She shrugged as she headed for the stage, "It's just that I have a bigger time slot now so-" She didn't finish her sentence as she dropped her bag and began to pull out her blue folder.

"You don't seem so happy about it." He grabbed a chair that was on the stage already and pulled it so it was right next to her. "Don't you like playing?"

She nodded, "I do. It's everything to me." She pulled out her pens, "I just never played for two hours straight before. It's new."

"Hours?" He blinked, whistling lowly at the thought of playing piano for hours.

"I play for an hour with the orchestra and then an hour solo." Candor began to spew from her mouth, "I've never played solo for an hour in front of scouts before."

He didn't speak for a moment and she glanced at him. He nodded slowly, as if he began to understand why she was killing herself the past month. Why she stopped joking more and more with him and began to be stricter and cold to him. She was nervous.

"No wonder you've been such a buzzkill." He laughed, "You're anxious."

"I guess," She fiddled with her hands, "I'm not nervous. It's more like a feeling that I can't do it and that I'll disappoint everyone if I'm not shiny enough." She couldn't control her mouth. It just came out. She had told some of it to Sarah, but nothing like she was now, "I'm the main income in my home and now this is paying triple for my set, which could get us closer to getting out of the Cut, but-" She laughed, but it was more pained, "And I would have done it either way, but they never asked me. Just threw it in my face and I think I sound like an ungrateful brat for saying that because these scouts could eventually be my ticket to some great music school or job in the future. I just...wanted to be asked for once." She looked up at JJ, who had gone quiet. She blinked and sat up straight, turning back to her music, "Sorry. I'm ranting."

JJ reached out, hesitantly, but put his hand on her shoulder, "It's okay to be anxious and like so much is on you. It is. You don't have to apologize. And you're the artist. They should have asked you."

She looked at him with appreciation. A thought sparked her mind and she turned to the folder, "Oh, um, I have your song. Well part of it."

"Oh?" He leaned forward, seeing lines and song notes both scribbled and written over. The Ballad of JJ was written at the top of it, "How's it coming?"

"Halfway done. I just need to figure out the ending."

"Play it. The muse needs to know what's being created." She rolled her eyes at him, but complied. She had been able to get through the entire half she had before he spoke again, "I like the whole crashing part."

"The what?"

"The way the playing gets loud and wild, I mean. I don't know how to speak music."

She laughed, "You're a wildcard, Maybank. If it was about you, might as well get loud." He paused, but she hadn't noticed, "Now I'm thinking for it to start off loud and maybe end loudly, but I'm not so sure. Maybe it can mellow out or-"

JJ only nodded, feeling a smile creep up his face. He reached out and pulled his hat, that was on her head, down so that it covered her face. She pushed it back up, shoving his shoulder before smiling and going back to writing music.

And there it was.

Air shifted.

Something was changing.

Maybe their frenemies ways were turning more friendly than they both expected.

◇ ◇ ◇

Within that week, whenever she could, the pianist would sneak off to the music room, hoping to pack more and more time into her playing. And more and more she did, JJ Maybank followed. He'd come in, less distracting than usual after she had told him about the important recital. and sit down next to her on a separate chair or lay on the floor. He would comment here or there, but he left her be for the most part. When she wasn't looking, she could feel him staring at her. She'd then hit him with her foot or glare at him and he'd just laugh and the cycle would repeat.

And then there were moments where she wasn't sure if she should be feeling the way she did.

The moments where time would stand still as they stared at each other. His blue eyes meeting hers and the small smile she'd give him as he brushed his hair out of his eyes and smirk. The moments where she'd take her eyes off her sheet music to stretch her hand and catch JJ's puppy-like eyes following her every move. The moments where she'd pack up and he'd hand her the sheet music and their fingers would touch ever so slightly, making her heart jump a few octaves.

There was one day that week when he brought her a Monster, saying that it'd give her energy like him. She didn't think he needed any energy drink to be the way he was. He was high off of life. She drank it and by the end, she was practically running around the room. The jitters left her and she was just left with the energy rush. She said out loud that it actually helped.

"If you think that's helping, just wait for weed. Bring you right up."

She hadn't been big on drugs or usage because she needed to focus, but she thought that maybe it would be a good idea to try for some creative juices. She held it off until after the recital though. She didn't need some sickness to hit her. She didn't know if weed even caused sickness, but she wasn't going to risk it. The two made plans to smoke together after her recital - weirdly enough she trusted JJ to be the person she smoked with for the first time.

JJ also helped with his ballad. He helped her navigate what he wanted in the song and she was nearing to finish it. (A part of herself was nervous if he would like it).

She didn't know if she should have done it, but had asked Margie was an extra pit ticket. She didn't know why. It was for a friend? She didn't tell JJ.

It was Friday when Sarah decided the pianist could use some fun. She would have rejected the offer, but the recital wasn't until that following Monday. And according to JJ, she deserved a break. So, she (surprisingly) said yes to the kegger that was being thrown on the beach. Sarah had personally taken care of the outfit - a white tube top and colorful skirt that fell to her knees. Sarah dressed similarly in order to have her more comfortable and also because it got desperately hot during the day.

The two girls made their way to the beach by foot and made it around sunset. The girls stayed together the entire night, drinking from cans instead of solo cups, and chatting on pieces of wood. Kooks and pogues alike were there - it wasn't touron season yet, so it was just Kildare kids. No trouble was stirring up, so it was calm as people drank and smoked whatever they had on them before passing it on to their friends. Girls and boys chatted each other up, some couples fought at the farther end of the beach, some made out near the fire that was starting up while others swam in the ocean or sat with their friends.

At some points, people would say hi and boys would come up and chat up the two of them. Sarah was more likely to entertain than the prodigy ever would. She didn't like their dark hair and dark eyes or the way they would try and shoot out jokes. She just watched the ocean, seemingly ignoring them. Soon enough, a kook from Sarah's school - his name was Topper which was weird as hell - and by the way he sat by Sarah, he was there to stay.

"I'm gonna get another drink." She said and Sarah nodded while the boy chatted her up. Sarah nodded and said if anything, she'd come running.

She walked to the coolers, where closed drinks were. She wasn't stupid enough to take from the "punch" bowl or 2 liter soda bottles that had been opened. She neared the coolers, noting that many of them had water in them.

"Hey!" Someone called out her name and she turned her head, seeing John B Routledge calling out to her. She walked over, "What's up, Miss Prodigy?"

Oh he was tipsy. Not fully drunk, but he was getting there based on his loud volume.

"Hey John B." She chuckled slightly. "I'm doing good. How's it going?"

"Not bad, not bad." He raised a tap he had in his hand, "Want one?"

It is closed, she thought. And one isn't bad. Right?

She nodded and John B filled up a red solo cup half way before tossing it over to her. It was mainly foam and however bitter it was, its coldness soothed her.

"So uh, how's you and J?"

"What do you mean?" She wiped her mouth with her wrist and looked at the boy. She gestured for more beer, the coolness had filled her dry throat and warmed her stomach.

"I mean, I'm surprised you were able to tie the man down. He talks nonstop about you as if his life depended on it." He said. She had a feeling that JJ didn't know that he was saying that, "So you two are like-" He put his hands together and before he could continue, she shook her hands.

"Oh, no. Me and J...we're not like that." She chuckled nervously, "J's a good friend, but he doesn'-he would never- I mean you know." She drank more, hoping it would help more. She wasn't stupid to the insinuation, so she looked up, "Umm, does it look like that?"

John B rubbed the back of his neck, seemingly growing nervous, "I mean, yeah. Especially with these last few days. You two are always together at school."

She thought for a second. Maybe...

"Well, I didn't mean to make it awkward or anythi-"

She waved her hand off, "Don't worry about it. Sarah's called him Lucy one too many times for me to not notice." She surprised herself with the candor.

"Lucy?"

"You know. Schroeder and Lucy? The Charlie Brown comics?"

John B laughed loudly, "I can't get that out of my head now. I have a new nickname for him. I can totally see him in the little blue dress, and waving his feet in the air and-" He kept laughing, "Thank you seriously. He won't get me to shut up."

"Glad to be of service. He's annoyed me one too many times." She finished the cup, "Is he here?"

"Uhhh yeah. He's somewhere over by the fire."

"Hmm." She placed the cup in the trash by the tables, "I'll pay Lucy a visit."

"Go get em', Tiger."

She threw a thumbs up and walked closer to the fire.

Okay, she wasn't dumb. She knew what John B was saying and what Sarah was saying with the Lucy comments. She knew how it looked and before it would have inconvenienced her, maybe made her mad, but it didn't. In fact, it excited her. Could it be that JJ liked her? Like really? A boy she may possible totally liked actually liked her back? I mean, she's had boys who liked her before, but they weren't anything like JJ. He was funny, charming, annoying and a total nuisance at times, but she always liked it.

At a kegger in the middle of the night, searching for the boy who had captured her heart, she came to terms with what she had been hiding for over a year.

With a mind that was not sober, in fact tipsy from her lack of consumption in the past, she decided that she'd tell JJ. She'd tell JJ that she was sorry if she ever made him feel unwanted in the music room because she wanted him there. She wanted him to come and annoy her and tell her what he thought of her playing, of her original pieces. She wanted to teach him about Beethoven, Chopin and Brahms and listen to his song recommendations. Maybe he'd teach her how to surf. Maybe he'd want to go to her recital. She had a ticket prepared for him like she had for Sarah. She could play his ballad. She'd tell him how she wanted to him that summer coming up because then she'd get to know more about him - filling her brain with more about him because he made her feel like she wasn't just a prodigy or someone who only played piano. He made her feel like she was human, like she was girl who had more. She'd tell him that she liked him more than just a friend. She'd tell him that she wanted to be with him if he'd have her.

And he had given her all the signs, so she wasn't saying it out of the blue. He had stared at her. Carried her bag. Didn't mind that she still had his hat. Was considerate of her. Made her laugh. It all pointed to one conclusion. Just like Sarah had said. There was one theory as to why he always bothered her and in the middle of the night, during a kegger, with people talking and a fire burning, she decided that it was one she'd consider.

Maybe JJ Maybank liked her. She wouldn't know unless she asked.

But she knew.

The piano prodigy liked JJ Maybank.

And maybe he'd like her too.

She had made it to the fire when she spotted a glimpse of blond hair. Her heart picked up a beat as she came closer, only for it to drop to her stomach when she saw what he was doing. Another girl, who she had known as a pogue and lived on the Southside, was touching his shoulder and he brushed his hand against her hair. He was staring at her like he had stared at her that morning. He leaned forward, saying something in her ear, causing her giggle and shove him a little

It was a tiny thing. Miniscule. She still could have gone up to him and told him and maybe the night's ending would have been different. But it made her blood boil. He had always given her attention, but she hadn't considered that he gave other girls the same attention as well. She had heard about JJ Maybank's notorious history with girls - his endless list of makeout sessions that girls swooned over, his mysterious hookups and his knack for making girls fall to his feet. She hadn't judged him because everyone had their "things" that they did, whether proud or not.

But if she wasn't the only one he was giving attention to, who else was there?

Yes, the green jealousy monster came to haunt her. Maybe it wasn't fair. She hadn't been interested before, but she had shown signs too. RIGHT? She had stared back and laughed and flirted a little without her knowing. She wrote him a song! But he was there, with another girl, touching her, laughing with her and he would probably kiss her by the end of the night.

JJ had said before that her music was sad and depressing and emotional. That's because the composers were. Artists, writers, composers, poets and the like were tied to emotions. It was how the most heart wrenching, beautiful and one of a kind art was made. How Shakespeare wrote about doomed romances. How Beethoven wrote Fur Elise. How Van Gogh painted with such originality. How Louisa Mae Alcott wrote a story about four sisters. How Taylor Swift wrote in a way that made poetry come to life through music. How she wrote songs.

And as a pianist, she agreed.

She was emotional.

She was strung by her emotions constantly. It was why she responded angrily when JJ bothered her. Why she cried in the bathroom when she felt used and ignored. Why she spiraled when she felt anxious. Why she tried to ignore her feelings in the first place because when she was emotionally attached, she hyper fixated.

Her emotions controlled her.

And it was why she turned around and let the tracks in the sand be the only proof that she was ever there.

Whatever confidence, whatever hope, whatever beautiful thing she had felt for the boy was shattered like a chandelier falling from a ten story building. The pieces, whatever was left, would be hidden in the back corners of her mind, collecting dust for the rest of eternity.

Her sober mind knew that it probably wasn't completely fair for her to get angry. It wasn't like they "talked" or flirted outright or kissed or anything of the sort. He had a right to go off and be with who he wanted. He wasn't tied to anyone.

But it didn't stop her from feeling the way she did.

She was angry. First at JJ for being with someone else. For making her feel like she had been led on. For making her distracted. For filling her up with hope. For giving her attention that she thought was only hers. For making her feel like she had a piece of him that no one else did.

She was angry. Secondly, at herself. For allowing herself to get distracted when her music was what she needed to focus on. For allowing her mind to be filled with teenage ideas of love and boys. For believing that someone actually liked her for her. For thinking that JJ may have been hers.

She was stupid to think those things. Irrational. Irresponsible.

She walked away from the party, walking down to the Cameron's home to get her bag that she had left. The streetlights were the only thing lighting her path and it was there that she felt the first tears of anger fall onto her cheeks.

It wasn't fair to him. For her to be angry for something he didn't know he did.

But she really wanted to believe that he liked her and her only.

So on the sidewalk, in the middle of the night, alone, the pianist cried out into the dark for a boy that she held close to her heart. She would allow herself to cry once and once only.

Before stuffing it in the farthest corner of her hardened heart, locking it away forever.

◇ ◇ ◇

He's liked her since they were in elementary school. Truthfully, he never looked at girls until he was in middle school. Boys thought girls were icky and girls thought boys were gross, but there was always something about her that intrigued him. She was the quiet one, sat in the back, never talked to anyone and usually ate lunch alone on the field they had. That was if she was there. Out of the 250-ish days of school, she had been there less than 100 of them.

Piano prodigy they called her. Girl with a gift. Marvelous. A wonder. A bunch of words that he knew a lot of his classmates got jealous of. Even him at one point. All because she could touch keys in order to make music.

She was hardly ever there - always on Figure Eight, on the mainland, in New York, Washington D.C or any other place that required her presence. But when she was there, it was as if she was a ghost. No one talked to her. If they ever looked at her, it was with jealous envy.

He didn't know why he liked her so much.

The one time she spoke to him, it was during the one rare moment when they had to work in pairs for music class. They got to choose their pairs and while he would usually pair with his new best friend of 2nd grade, John B. Routledge, he made a beeline to the pianist. She looked at him, tilting her head, as he asked if she wanted to be partners. She merely nodded his head and let him pull up a seat next to her desk. It was music class and anyone else, even John B who had paired with the new kid named Pope, thought he was in it for an easy 'A' as did anyone who was partners with her. The pairing up was to help each other with piano playing on the little keyboards.

She had been flawless with her rendition of "Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star", but he had been a mess of a player. Wrong key every two notes and wrong note every key. He semi-expected her to laugh at him, but she didn't. Instead, she stood behind him and put his hands on the keys and guided him through the motions. She never said anything, only used her hands to help him. It took a whole class period, but he was able to do the lullaby as easily as she did by the end. He shyly thanked her, although he didn't know because he was never shy about anything as a kid. She nodded and while they waited in line to go to lunch, he kept on yapping.

He eventually figured out why he kept talking, but at that time, he was oblivious. He eventually said that he probably won't be a pianist like her when he's older since he's too hyperactive to be sitting down playing songs. He stopped mid-sentence when he saw her smile.

"You're a wildcard, JJ."

The class was led out of the room and before JJ could ask her what she meant by that, John B caught up with him and was pulling along the new kid with him.

A wildcard. Something with unpredictable behavior. Uncontrollable. Unkempt. Wild.

They never really talked after that incident, but he always watched her. In class. When they passed by in the halls. When she played at their 5th grade recital. The middle school play rehearsals. Their short interactions around Kildare. When she was on the news. She was always somewhere and anywhere she was, it caught his attention whether he wanted to pay attention or not. Always a thought in the back of his mind.

As he got older, he hated that she had some hold on him. She didn't do anything and neither did he, but he just liked her. Her. Her work ethic. How she found a way for herself. How she practiced day and night to get better and better. Her confidence in what she did. Her concentration. He liked her because she was just her and unapologetically so.

And when high school came around and she began to attend school more often, he found himself in the music room, escaping his pre-algebra class when found her there. The more he skipped some classes, he would escape to the otherwise empty music room. She was there for her first periods and her last periods. So he sometimes found himself in the room with one other person occupying it. The first time, he sat in the back as she practiced. If she saw him, she didn't say anything. The second and third time, he sat closer - seeing if she would say something. She merely glanced at him while fixing her sheet music and continued with her practice. Nothing moved her. Nothing shook her. She was still and commanded with everything she did.

And eventually he began to make some noise. Open a can of Monster. Take leftover sheet music and make paper airplanes that landed on or around her. He even blew a trumpet once. She never said anything, only glared and handed him the airplanes back, pointing her index finger to the back of the class. The more he seemed to bother, the more attention he got from her. The more she looked at him with her focused eyes, the more he wanted them on him.

And eventually, she became more vocal with her dislike and her annoyance. She'd tell him not to do something and he noted that when he began to push her, she pushed back. Soon their bickering became a common thing to do.

At first, he had to admit that he was trying to get her to dislike him, so that whatever little crush he had on her would disappear as her dislike grew. He wanted her to look at him with malice that maybe he'd grow some too. But instead, it had the opposite effect on him. Her dislike grew, but his crush only grew. Whether he bothered her or not, she never told on him (only that one time at the beginning of Freshman year) and used her words instead of her fists to tell him to stop bothering. And he did. Usually. By the time of the beginning of Sophomore year, he had accepted that he did like the pianist.

He liked her a lot.

He liked her hair and how she fiddled with it when she grew restless or anxious. How her short fingers moved across keys and flexed ever so delicately. How her eyes were as expressive as her face. Her shorter figure that always demanded she look up to him when she spoke. The smiles that told him that she enjoyed being with him. Her hands too. Delicate and soft.

Oh yeah, he liked her a lot.

But now her resentment had grown into a full grown hate and he didn't blame her for any of it. He didn't even have to speak for her to glare at him. So he toned it down. Only making playful remarks with some sarcastic crack at her and it seemed to work. She was less aggressive with him and he even caught her smirking a few times. He'd made the rare notion of messing with her outside of class, but he wasn't met with the harsh stare or tongue of malice, but instead with a similar joke or a narrow of playful eyes. He swore he even saw her look at him a few times during history and art.

But now came the interesting million dollar question.

What now?

He liked her. He was sure that maybe she felt the same way, but then the doubt sinked in. What would she have with him? She was future a pianist in some famous band or orchestra or would become a solo artist or whatever in New York or D.C or heck, even in the United Kingdom or France. She was destined for more.

And him?

Some punk from the Cut who never had more than fifty bucks in his pocket. Wasting his life away at keggers, fights, weed and barely passing his classes. He'd go out with almost every girl who caught his eye. He'd never been in a committed relationship. He didn't even know if he wanted that. He didn't go out with girls to forget her because he wasn't a boy waiting for a girl. But that wasn't the full truth. He couldn't forget her because she had made her mark. She had imprinted herself like a golden tan on his mind - forever a reminder that there was some amazing girl out there that liked Beethoven and Mozart, who enjoyed drinking iced matchas with almond milk and writing music, who could push back as much as you pushes her, who had a confidence that others would pay for, who shined like a bright star whenever she played. She was everything he wasn't.

So, what would she have with him?

Easy.

Nothing.

She would never look at him the way John B said he looked at her. She would never willingly want to hold his hand or spend every waking moment with him or go to the beach to watch him surf or spend time listening to him talk about fishing or surfing or rock music.

That was the thing of dreams.

So he went out with other girls. He continued on with his life as if she hadn't completely flipped it around.

But then things began to change within that last month. She was more playful, nicer even to him. She still had the ability to give him hell if she wanted to and if he decided to push, she'd push back. But their friendship grew and flourished. All because he finally let his guard down and allowed her to drop hers without judgment. She responded to him as much as he responded to her.

So, he knew that if he shook the boat too hard, she'd obliterate it.

They were similar that way.

But she wanted him around. She even complied with writing The Ballad of JJ. She called him "wildcard" as she had done before as a kid. She smiled at his with a kind of sparkle that almost made him kill her in order to feel it. And for once, he had hope, but what was hope if, again, she was destined for the stars and he was stuck on Kildare just like his old man and every man in his family beforehand?

If he tried hard enough, maybe he could deserve her.

Or maybe he would never and he would merely be a song that she wrote as she went off into the world.

Either way, he was done waiting.

He decided that at a kegger he went to. He was sitting with a girl he knew from school, flirting and talking, when he realized he didn't want to do that. The pianist was plaguing his mind and all he thought about as he flirted and touched the girl's hair is how much he wanted to be with her. Did she like keggers? He never saw her at them? What would she wear? Did she drink? Does she like dancing?

Questions that went round and round when he stopped and realized what he had to do.

He was done waiting.

Because it was stupid. Waiting. Hoping. He was a doer. If he got rejected, that was it. He would live. He would go on with his life. He wasn't going to keep pining. If he ruined a friendship, well, he's ruined worst things.

It was stupid to tell her how he felt. It was stupid to ask her out. It was stupid to believe that she would say yes.

However, he believed in his personal philosophy.

Stupid things have good outcomes all the time.

◇ ◇ ◇

He just hadn't realized how stupid he had been

◇ ◇ ◇

It was Sunday, the day before the recital and she's determined to avoid JJ at all costs after Friday night. She had told Sarah about what happened and she immediately told her to come over. She offered to pick her up, but she just wanted to walk. To think. To find closure within. She semi-regretted it as the June sun began to beat on her.

She believed the world hated her because she would have never believed that she would have run into the very boy she was trying to avoid on the day after he accidentally fractured her heart. She was walking, ten minutes away from the Camerons, when she heard her name being called followed by a short but hight pitched whistle.

Driving the same van as before (which she know knew as the "Twinkie" as John B called it) JJ Maybank slowed down his driving near the girl he had caught feelings for.

"Hey, what you doin'?" He asked with a cheeky smile.

"Walking," She replied, her tone mimicking the same unimpressed one she had at the beginning of May when JJ came around to the music room.

"I can see that. Very nice walking." When she didn't respond, he cleared his throat, "So uh, where you going?"

"Camerons."

"Cool." He cleared his throat awkwardly. The one word answers were not normal after their week of delight. "Is everything okay?"

"Peachy." She folded her arms and kept walking, never putting her eyes on him.

Shit, JJ thought. If she was pissed off, he couldn't ask her out. And if she was pissed off, there was something wrong. So, he made a risky move and quickly (and illegally) parked the car and ran up to her. His hand caught her arm and she turned around, pulling her arm out of his grasp as if he had burned her.

"What?" She asked.

"What's wrong? You can tell me if something is wrong." He reminded, "We're friends." He winced internally. Probably not the best phrase to say as he's about to ask her out, "Is it the recital?"

"Friends." She mocked and turned back around.

He didn't relent and decided to push, "What's wrong with you?"

"A lot of things. Thanks for the reminder." She chuckled dryly before digging her hand in her tote bag, "Oh and here." She tossed it to his hands.

He caught the item, noticing that it was his hat. He furrowed his eyebrows, not understanding.

"It's yours." He said, falling into pace with her, handing it back, but her hand pushed back.

"It's yours. I don't want it."

"Wait, wait, wait." He finally stood in front of her, blocking her path. "What's happening? Did I miss something?"

"Nothing. Just giving you your hat back." She tried to move to the side, but he blocked it with his body.

"No, no. You're doing something else."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"No!"

"Yes!" He shouted back.

"Fine!" She relented. "I don't want to see you. I don't want you around. I don't want your hat. I don't want you in the music room. I don't want you near me. Okay? Okay." She shoved him to the side, but before she could even take a step, he grabbed her bicep and pulled her close, close enough that she could smell sea salt and smoke on him.

"What the hell are you saying?"

"I was stupid enough to actually believe that you liked me, but I guess you like every single girl on the damn island." She tried to pull out his grasp, but he held on tighter. It didn't hurt, but her heart did.

"I d-"

"If you did, you wouldn't have been with that girl at the kegger. If you did, you would have said something by now. You can go out and be with as many others as you want but you don't have enough interest to tell me?" She scoffed, "You've distracted me enough. You made me feel so stupid for thinking that you liked me and I was even more stupid for thinking I liked you back." She tugged at her arm, but JJ was like a statue, staring with his mouth parting. "I don't have time for you and I don't want to make time for you anymo-"

It happened quickly.

She almost didn't process what he was doing when he did it until she was doing it with him.

His mouth fell onto hers as his other hand pulled her in by her waist. His hand fell from her bicep and instead cupped the back of her head, tangling his fingers in her hair as he kissed her. He tried to put every ounce of feeling into it - the passion and yearning he felt, the desire and burning. His mouth was soft, but demanding.

She felt all her anger and her malice fall as his mouth moved. The thoughts in her head flooded away as she pulled him in closer by his black button up. Her left hand held on tightly to his shirt while her right hand was flat on his chest, as if deciding whether to push him away or not.

His mouth almost pulled away, but she finally responded and allowed her mouth to open, allowing their kiss to deepen. They were breathing into each other's mouth, desperate to stay connected to one another. His teeth nibbled at her lip to which she pulled at his shirt even tighter. A chill ran down her spine as her body began to heat up more and more from their closeness. Not even the sun and its direct rays could have created the amount of heat between them.

JJ was in complete euphoria as their kiss went from soft and slow to burning and passionate as if they were speaking with their lips and lips only. His tongue teased her lips and her mouth opened slightly, allowing him to make his entrance. If they weren't in kook public, he would have pinned her up against a wall or a car in order to allow more room for movement.

And maybe it would have gone farther if her brain didn't zip back into rational thought and pulled away. Their breathing was rapid and heavy as they stared at each other, unsure how they got that far. She was silent, unsure how to respond to a sudden and stolen kiss.

JJ, not usually one to talk about his feelings, untangled himself from her, taking a step back before placing the hat that she had tried to return on her head.

"Keep it." He huffed out before walking back to the Twinkie and driving down the street.

The kiss had confirmed what both of them suspected and now knew.

Their feelings were real and reciprocated.

However, it didn't make anything else clear.

In fact, everything felt more complicated. She was angry at him for "leading her on" after she saw him with another girl. He was angry at her for not wanting to see him because of a miscommunication. She was angry at herself for not letting him speak and clear everything. He was angry at himself for being with another girl because now it fucked up everything with her.

But it didn't stop their minds from wandering to the same question.

What now?

◇ ◇ ◇

Sarah swore that she had never been friends with a dumber person. She may be a prodigy, but man, was she stupid sometimes. JJ had kissed the living daylights out of her, gave the hat back and she was doubting everything now. It was clear to Sarah - he was telling her that he liked her and that he was sorry.

But her best friend didn't see it that way.

In a way, she didn't blame her. She wasn't use to the dramas and the mind games of relationships, situationships or friendships that weren't friendships at all. And she knew that she was embarrassed by her outburst. So she allowed her best friend to wallow the day away.

The day of the recital, Sarah got an idea. It was risky and could backfire, but she knew that if she didn't do it, her little prodigy would never resolve this thing on her own. She was too focused on her recital that she couldn't take a break to think about the blond boy that had been pining for her.

The prodigy was near to leaving when Sarah snuck away from her, past her father and Rose who were speaking with the pianist's mother, and outside to the Druthers. She knew one person who could help and she was placing all her bets that he knew what was going on.

"John B." Sarah said, "We need to talk."

The boy put down the bucket and hose that he was using and wiped his hands with a cloth, "What about, Sarah Cameron?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. Unless JJ didn't fill his very best friend in." John B shook his head and Sarah sighed, "Look, she's embarrassed. She didn't mean to blow up at him. She doesn't know how to apologize."

"Tell me about it. JJ doesn't know how to apologize either. And the fact that he wants to apologize is something you don't hear everyday."

"She likes him. A lot." She smiled softly, "She wouldn't be all frazzled and upset if she didn't. So," She pulled a piece of paper from her pocket, "Let's give them hope."

"A ticket?" He asked.

"To her recital tonight in D.C." She sighed, "I don't know if he's gonna make it or want to go. It's a long five hour drive or train ride, but if he wants to go, it's there."

"I don't know." He shrugged. He'd never really seen JJ like that. Quiet. As if he thought too much that he couldn't even speak. "It could complicate things more."

"She was going to invite him on Friday." She admits, "She had the ticket in advance."

And with that he sighed, knowing that he couldn't take an opportunity away from his best friend, "No promises, Sarah Cameron."

"Wouldn't expect anything less."

◇ ◇ ◇

She pulled on her dress once more. It was a beautiful dress that had been bought by her mother, but she did feel kind of warm in it. The bow in her hair matched it and so did the shoes. She had been dressed in a simple black dress beforehand, but this one was made of velvet, and was longer in length than when she played in the orchestra and pockets.

Pockets!

Her performance was more important, she guessed.

But her mind was anywhere, but her performance.

Through the ferry ride to the mainland to the five hour limo ride to the concert hall - the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts - her mind was occupied with JJ Maybank.

"Oh great!" Margie barged into her dressing room, "You're on in ten. Let's get going."

She nodded, sitting up from her vanity, glancing once at the hat that was sitting on it. It was like her was actually there, assuring he that she'd be okay. She reached her hands out for a moment, but hesitated.

Margie called out her name once more, impatient by the door.

She followed Margie out the room.

The concert hall was full and from her view from the stage when she played earlier, she could see a few people she knew. A few senators. A couple congress men and women. Directors of universities. A professor from Juilliard that she had studied under when she was nine. But there were some she hadn't known, but knew from their posture and the way they took notes that they were either scouts or people of importance.

She was prepped and ready, but began to breathe heavily. She could do it. She could do it. She knew she could. The anxiety told her she couldn't, but she tossed them aside. She couldn't do anything, but play now. Whether she had boy problems or not, whether she just had her first kiss less than 48 hours before, she was a pianist first. She put her first love first before anyone else. Her future first.

But having him there would have been better.

She stood at the corner of the stage, breathing more steadily as her announcement was made. A round of applause followed and she walked elegantly on the stage. Her shoes clicked against the clean and slick floor as she made her way to the sleek black piano. She moved her dress aside so she'd sit comfortably. Her sheet music was out for her as a guide, but she knew she wouldn't even have to look at it.

Deep breath in. Deep breath out.

She put her fingers on the keys and played her first piece. As written on the program handed out for her time slot specifically, she played it as tribute to herself. And down she went on the list for her first section - classical and somber.

Fur Elise - a tribute to her middle name and her favorite composer of all time. La Campanella - at only the age of eight, she played this piece during her first live performance in Lincoln Center. I Wanted to Leave - an spectacular original piece by our composer. the inspiration came during a late night practice session at her home when she decided to write her own music. it is one of her first original works. Mists - one of the most challenging parts of her journey was learning to be spontaneous with her music. much like Beethoven, Iannis Xenakis' work inspired her to try less regulated music and explore the chaos. Cardigan - this original song took over two years to write. her inspiration for this piece was the idea that when one is young many believe that they know nothing. her song explores the highs and lows of both the piano and life, showing that she does know more than others believe. She dedicates it to her five year old self. Gymnopedie no 1 - going back to her roots, she plays one of the first songs she's ever memorized. she dedicates it to her mother, who encouraged her to play from day one and to her father, who once told her she'd play for audiences around the world.

The first set of thirty minutes ended as soon as it started. She was given a loud applause and she gave a small curtsy, a spotlight on her, before the curtains enclosed the stage and the lights turned on for the audience. She let out a breath as Margie, her mother and others came towards her, catering to her. Someone gave her a water bottle, another brought her lotion for her hands and another with a small towel to dab her forehead.

"Beautifully done, honey." Her mother kissed her head. "Your last piece made me remember the first days when you kept playing it. Drove your father and I crazy."

"Thank you, ma." She smiled.

"Okay, okay. Costume change!" Margie sang. "I have to go check up on your audience."

Quickly, she was rushed to the back and put on another outfit. It was a dark blue dress made of tulle. It was airy and light compared with the black dress that had made her feel suffocated. It was off the shoulder with tulle frills. She was thankful as long sleeves combined with hot stage lights did not combine well. Her shoes were replaced with Mary Janes. It was relief to her sore ankle that kept rubbing on a sharp part of the heels she was thrown into.

She received a text from Sarah as her black bow was replaced with a gold hair pin that kept her hair back. She congratulated her on her performance, saying that there was a lot of positive feedback. The pianist smiled for a moment before, replying with a smiling emoji, before thanking her hair stylist. For a moment, she was left alone to give herself some room to breathe.

Alone was the damn hat.

She picked it up. It felt intimate now. Touching the hat from the boy she liked and who liked her back. The hat that he had told her to keep after he kissed her for the first time. She couldn't help, but smile.

That boy made her crazy.

She had been distracted and pissed before, but now, all she felt was acceptance.

When she got back to OBX, she'd make things right with him. Maybe he wouldn't forgive her and she'd accept it. Maybe he would decide that he didn't want to be with her and she'd accept his answer. Whatever the ending would be, she'd be thankful for the hours of attention he gave her and the feeling of being cared for. He deserved her explanation without yelling because he had been nothing but good to her.

Maybe she'd always like JJ Maybank. And she was okay with that thought.

A knock on the door came and so did a ding from her phone. Margie barged in, calling her for her last thirty minute set. She nodded before standing up. She glanced at the hat.

She followed Margie out of the room.

The same process repeated.

Deep breaths. A last sip of water. Another announcement and she was off onto the stage. She sat on the stool, but before she put her hands on the keys, she placed JJ's hat on the empty space to her left, hidden from the audience's view. She had hidden the hat in her black dress' pocket, but without any pockets, she put it to her side. She smiled for a second before placing her fingers on the keys.

"Why do you play depressing songs? I thought pianists were supposed to be lighthearted."

She paused.

"There's a whole world out there that isn't classical music that could apply to your piano playing."

Her mother and Margie would probably kill her later. It was stupid to deviate from the plan.

But if there was anything JJ Maybank taught her: stupid things have good outcomes all the time.

She turned in her seat, gesturing to the stagehands for a microphone. Margie and her mother stared from the sidelines, slightly freaking out. Realizing she wasn't going to play without a microphone, she was quickly handed one by a stagehand. She tapped it, making sure it was on before, turning to the audience.

This is so stupid, but here we go.

"Uh, hi, everyone. Thank you for being here today. I know you're probably wondering what I'm doing with a microphone if I'm a pianist." She chuckled, "Don't worry, I'm not going to sing. I'm not total singing potiental, I promise you," A round of laughter, "and it's not what you came here for. You came for piano and I promise I'll give you that, but I've changed my mind about something." She took a breath, "I will not be playing the complete set that is written on your programs. I've realized a common theme in my playing tonight and someone who I care about recently told me that, um, there's another world that doesn't contain classical or melancholy music that could be applied to my talent. And I didn't believe in it before, but I do now.

"I believe in it now because I experienced something I never have before and I am very grateful for it because it has expanded what I once believed. It has challenged me and brought me to what I now believe and want. I thank that person for telling me that. I...I wish he was here tonight" She let a beat pass before sitting up straighter, "Which is why I will be changing up the setlist tonight. In honor of changing my way of thinking and thanking the people that have impacted my life in many different ways. I hope you still enjoy it."

She turned back to the piano, sliding the microphone into the holder that was already on the piano.

"This first one is to my best friend, Sarah Cameron. She's in the audience. Hi, Sarah." The audience chuckled a little, "This one's for you. For being my best friend and for choosing me during our rocky years."

She didn't play the setlist chosen for her. She played her own. And in each song, she explained the meaning behind it. Something she had never done before, but felt right in doing so.

Later, when her performance went viral online for her unexpected change of plans, Margie would have her write up the reasons for the songs she chose to post online with a deeper thought process.

The Climb - a song for Sarah Cameron. my best friend. we watched the Hannah Montana movie a million times at her house and at mine and we always sang it together. we know the journey is tough, but with each other, we're never alone. i adore her. she helped my journey so much that i had to start with her. Viva La Vida - it was one of my favorite songs as a kid. i used to sing it all the time. i liked the history behind it. the fall of a famous king. i played it once for my mom and she recorded me without knowing. i think she still has the tape. Sweet Nothing - this song is original. i wrote it when i was struggling with being alone. it began when i was in elementary school and i finished it the summer before freshman year. i wrote it in order to convince myself that one day i'd have people in my life that would want nothing from me, but myself. i never played it because of how personal it was and i didn't think anyone wanted to hear something sweet and about me. thankfully, someone changed my mind. Don't Stop Me Now - the person who told me there was another world of music i hadn't tapped into was right. after that conversation, i decided to try it out. simple to see if he was right. i decided on this song by Queen because my dad loved the song. i know he was smiling when i played it. it was so upbeat and fun to play that i forgot i was on stage. Never Grow Up - okay, okay, i had to. yes, slow songs are my forte. at the time, i didn't really have other original upbeat songs, but i thought this was the sweetest to play. again, it was another song to myself. it was to my younger self, who didn't know where she'd end up. it was a apology to her, to tell her she still had time to be a kid. it's my apology to her for growing up too fast. i hope she can forgive me. Left Hand Free - so the same person who told me to explore other world told me randomly that a song by Alt J would be perfect for me. i rolled my eyes at the time, but i decided to play it. it was like a little inside joke as i'm pretty sure most people in the audience didn't know what i was playing. it's kind of like the theme song of OBX, where i'm from. my gift to you from paradise on earth.

By the end, she hadn't realized that her time was almost up when the stage manager gave her the five minute warning sign. she nodded and picked up the microphone again.

"So I don't have much time left, but if you're still here, then thank you for still being interested." She laughed, "But uh, for this last song, I want to play something that I actually wrote for someone else. It was my second time writing something for someone else in such fashion. It's called The Ballad of JJ No.2 . If it sounds weird, blame his parents for naming him JJ because that wasn't me." The audience laughed, "It's part two because the first part is for him and him only. This second part, however, I can share with the rest of you because I don't think it's much of a secret." She turned back to piano and put the mic back in it's slot before picking up the hat and placing it on her head, "And to JJ, thanks for being a wildcard."

The Ballad of JJ No. 2 - so JJ is actually the boy who told me the quotes that I mentioned during the recital. he was my friend at the time (more like frenemy) but during the second half of the recital, i just thought back to him and how he was right. the reason i wrote the song was because he answered a question for me and i had to write a song for him in return. he was the one who titled it "The Ballad of JJ". he actually helped me write the first part. i decided that since his name was in the title, it might as well be a song about him. the first part is up and down and all around. wild. just like him. and sorry to all who want to hear it, but it's for JJ's ears only. the second part i wrote as an "alternate" version and it was the one i shared with my manager, mom and best friend when i was testing out originals. it was unfinished at the time, but i completed it on the way to the recital actually. i didn't know i would perform it, but i'm glad i did. his second ballad was what i felt about him. wild. electric. passionate. enchanted, it was everything i felt for him in a song that i couldn't say in words at the time. if you're reading this, i know you're going to tease me, but thanks for challenging me, J. it's the best thing i've ever written (also know that you're never getting your hat back. it one hundred percent mine now and you're the only one to blame).

The last note rang and she let out a breath. It was done. It was out in the open. No denial. No pauses. No hesitation.

(Later on, that one specific part of the recital went viral for her "love confession". It was all anyone could talk about for a couple days. No one outside of the OBX knew who "JJ" was or how he got her to write not one, but two ballads about him. She found it funny how everyone thought "JJ" was her boyfriend, when in reality, they weren't even together. At the time, at least.)

Claps and shouts rang through the concert hall. She stood up and as she did, so did the audience. A standing ovation she received for her performance. She walked to the edge of the stage and gave a final curtsy. She stood for a moment, taking in the cheers and approval for her performance. She hadn't failed, but she didn't care for failure at the moment.

She did something new.

A whistle came from the audience.

She knew that high pitched whistle anywhere.

She scanned the audience, hoping she wasn't dreaming, but couldn't find the person anywhere.

In the first box on the right, Sarah Cameron was waving frantically. The pianist's attention was soon caught and she scrunched up her eyebrows as Sarah rapidly pointed downwards to below the box she was in. Her eyes followed and landed on a boy with messy blond hair, blue eyes and a dopey smile on his face.

He was there.

Before the curtains could close properly, she ran towards the side of the stage where she barreled through the stage crew, her mother and Margie as she made her way out of the backstage. Her shoes hit the ground hard as she ran with all her might. She didn't have to go far because as soon as she saw the door that led to the audience's front row, it swung open so hard that it hit the wall with a bang.

"JJ!" She shouted, catching hit attention. She stopped short once she made it in front of him, "How...why...I-" She had run so fast that she was out of breath, panting.

"Sarah gave me the ticket you saved for me." He said, "Well she gave John B the ticket, who gave it to me almost two hours before your performance. I had to take a train to get here and I didn't see everything, but I made it during the beginning of your second round."

"So you heard-"

"Everything? Yeah," He grinned, "Really ballsy changing your music at the last minute. Did not expect that."

She shook her head with a laugh, "I just knew.I had to. I have to like what I'm playing. Like you said." Her breathing had become more regulated, so she spoke clearer, "I'm sorry I blew up on you. I wasn't being fair to you. I was angry and jealous and a complete ass to you. I'm sorry." She confessed and it was like a weight lifted off her shoulders, "I really like your attention, but I really really like you."

JJ replied with, "I'm...sorry too. I should have told you earlier instead of fucking around and ignoring what I felt for...you." He cleared him throat, "When I'm around you it's like...it's like heavy and like," He moved his hands around his chest, "It's like my heart wants to implode and just like...just...wow! You know?"

JJ had never been good with communicating his feels. Especially to the girl he's liked since elementary school. He was never good with his words, but he was good with his actions. That's why he kissed her. Saying everything he couldn't in action. But even then, he tried his hardest to say what he felt. And she saw that fully. She had trouble saying it too. That's why she played it instead - it was a love note to him that she couldn't say out loud.

"It's like...fireworks or like the freaking butterlies. Ever since we were kids and now I just..." He took a breath, "I really really reall- I never thought that you would even look at me. You're you and I'm me. I'm a reck and you're just-."

And the more hand movement he had, the more he made her smile. A bright one that said everything he needed to know. He noticed and stopped speaking. He knew she knew. No words could say what he felt, but every action said it for him.

So, he reached forward and pulled his hat down so that it covered her face, "Nice hat. Where'd you get it?"

She pulled it up, meeting his eyes, "Some guy I wrote a second ballad for."

"Oh yeah?" He took a step forward.

"Yeah." She nodded nonchalantly, "Don't know what he thought of it though. He hasn't even heard the first one fully."

JJ looked amused, chuckling as he looked to the side, "Oh he liked it. So much so that you can play both of them on your first date with him."

"Oh really?" She tilted her head to the side, with a teasing smile, "He won't try and distract me, right? Throw a paper airplane. Blow a trumpet. Crack open a can of Mons-"

Her sentence didn't even get to finish as JJ only shook his head with a wide smile and pulled her into a kiss. She smiled, knowing that her rambling would caused that reaction. His body pressed up against hers, molding into each other as if they were made for one another. His strong arms eloped around her, one around her waist and the other around her neck. She put her hand onto his shirt, pulling him closer as her other hand ran through his hair.

Their first kiss was matches and gasoline being poured together. Their second was thunder and lightning. Same passion, different area. The first was destructive based on two opposite forces. The second were merely nature, two forces that worked together.

Both beautiful in their own categories.

Her hand tugged on his hair and his tongue slipped into her mouth. Their noises were drowned out by the clamor outside the door. Her fingers trailed his jaw and his throat. His stroked her waist, causing her stomach to erupt in butterflies.

More. More. More.

It was all they wanted.

More as everything ran through them. The wants. The desires. The love. The fire. The passion. The need. The unexplainable euphoria that ran through their bodies and into their souls - their souls that spoke to one another in this one moment.

He smelt like sea salt and smoke. He tasted like sugar. He felt like fire. His hands like water as they drowned her in sensations that she hadn't felt before, but would die to feel over and over if it was him causing it.

She smelt like old books and flowers. She tasted like sweet chamomile tea. She felt like velvet. Her presence, her entire being, was like the salty air of the beach - consuming every part of him until he desired nothing more than to stay in that moment forever.

"So that's a yes?" He pulled away abruptly, eyes sleepy and hands shaking.

"Shut up and kiss me."

And he did just that.

◇ ◇ ◇

thedarlinglore: you'd be dead if you took a shot every time i used the word "maybe". it should be illegal with how much i used that word. it took me three days to write this and one to edit. it took me out of my writing slump. might make a part 2. thank you mr.maybank ❤

no thoughts, just the idea of jj maybank falling in love with the golden girl of kildare. she's from the cut, but she's a ray of sunshine. always willing to help. alway friendly. always giving out her signature smile because she never knew when someone needed one. always getting the best grades. i mean, she gives pope a run for his money. and then there's jj - a teenage dirtbag from the cut. always late. always self interested. gets into fights if someone looks at him the wrong way. mild klepto. the complete opposite of her. i mean the only reason they even interacted was because she worked as a hostess at the same club hotel he was a bus boy at. she was so sweet to him. non-judgmental. always asking him how he was when he passed by. always smiling. she was working her way into college and into whatever profession she would choose. what would she have with someone like him? no thoughts, just the idea of the golden girl falling in love with jj maybank. he was from the cut, like her, but he was different. he was wild. he was a ball of energy. always making people laugh. always surfing. always living as if it was his last day alive. he could make a crowd of people question their philosophies with one conversation. he was looked like a ray of sunshine. how could she not notice him? and her? she was some boring girl who had her head stuck in books, working or volunteering. she didn't have time to have fun or do something dangerous. she couldn't even see him at keggers because of how much she worked. she only saw him at work. sometimes she'd sneak a peek at him while he cleaned up tables. he was a hard worker. like her. but who was she kidding? what would he ever see in someone like her?

I 100 percent believe that JJ’s full name is Jesse James. But like two name together. Jesse-James. You can’t tell me that Luke wouldn’t (DEFINITELY) name him after a criminal. Just saying. Also it’s just so hot. So JJ is Jesse-James Maybank and I stand on that.

okay so i was thinking about jj maybank's cabin in PJO and a part of me might say poseidon because he's so closely linked to water and is "the best surfer" according to john b. HOWEVER i would like to suggest aphrodite as apart of that because c'mon....look at him. blond. blue eyes. tanned. in shape. shit eating grin. if this man even looked at me, i'd hyperventilate. this man also knows he's fine. so i don't know if there is any other possibilities (someone said apollo once i think) but that's my two cents.

H20, fish out of water (preview)

pairing: jj x fem!mermaid!reader

summary: in a turn of events, jj maybank almost drowned one summer, but thanks to a beautiful (and mystical) creature, he was saved. after obsessing over it for weeks, he returns during another storm in order to find her.

word count: 1.2K *headcanon preview for upcoming fic

warnings: mentions/description of drowning

loosely inspired by "the little mermaid"

enjoy ❤

jj doesn't really believe in the "fanatical" stuff

not really his fault because of his father's abuse and his mother's departure when he was kid

fairytales only disappointed him because he didn't have the kind parents that died or the ones that kept searching for their children even when they're supposed to be dead

heck even king triton loved ariel enough to keep her from what he deemed dangerous. what he would have given for his father to do the same, even if it hurt.

although his mom tried to keep the magic for him, by the time he was in the second or third grade, the tooth fairy, santa claus, the easter bunny, elves, tinkerbell and fairy godmother had been deemed childish and impossible to actually exist

how could it?

magic didn't exist

neither did these fanatical creatures

oh and mermaids as well

he scoffed at the thought

how could humans have evolved so much or even born with fins for feet? and breath underwater? or speak to sea creatures. he's seen the mermaid tale movie so he had a good idea of what people thought about mermaids

being from OBX and coming from a long line of fisherman, he's heard the stories

so many stories

they were beautiful

they were ugly

they tried to call them out to sea to wreck the ships

they were the most kind creatures to ever exist

they never wanted to be seen

they only greet the kindest of souls out to sea

so many stories

it almost made his head hurt

his grandfather, granddad maybank, when he was alive, once told five year old jj that he saw a mermaid once.

she was beautiful

long curly hair that was cherry red with streaks of caramel through them. her face was pointed, but with a rosy glow. she had pink lips and an incredible voice

he saw he only saw her because she tried stealing something off the boat - a wrench

he never got to speak with her or anything

he never even saw her again

but sometimes he said he heard her singing

jj, later on, decided that the old man had a screw loose and that he didn't see crap

so yeah jj's not much a believer in mythical things

so one day, jj decided to go surfing during a storm. because why the hell not?

he'd been waiting since the beginning of a summer for a good storm

to face the dangerous of the soaring winds and waves, letting it splash on his face and cover his body enough that he'll shake from the cold when he gets out

he didn't even tell John B that he was going because he wanted to do it alone

if there was one thing that jj loved, daring danger by himself

(and with others, but hey sometimes he liked to rough it out alone)

he ran off the beach and into the waves, surfing like his life depended on it

the exhilaration

the freedom

the adrenaline

he wasn't anyone

he was just jj maybank

unfortunately, he got so lost in himself that he didn't notice the monster wave heading towards him. by the time he turned his head, it pushed him off his board and into the sea

he pushed himself up, trying to get above water, but with each effort, he is pushed down by the waves

his shortboard is gone, drifted and carried by the waves, never to be seen again

he has nothing to grab onto as he flails around

that's when water begins to fill his mouth

and his nose and his throat

in a last moment to save himself, he was able to capture one gasp of breath before going under the waves

compared to the surface, it was calm under the water, but pitch black. he tried to swim as hard as he could towards what he thought was land, but to avail.

water bubbles began to form as he let go of air, inch by inch before it began to fill his lungs with unimaginable pain

it was something similar to letting water go down the wrong pipe and feeling the burn of your lungs

except there was no relief

just his body beginning to shut down as his eyes began to close - his arms and legs gave out as he floated in the dead calmness of the depths of the sea

jj couldn't believe it. he thought he'd die in a shoot out with the police or by the hands of his own father or in some cool way that would give him a rep of a rebel for life -- forever eternalized in the OBX

but drowning?

now that's embarrassing

but he never got to say goodbye, not to pope, not to john b (heck even kiara who was in her "kook" year and he couldn't give a shit about her at the moment)

what if they never found his body? he just ran away? he'd never abandon them like that. no, jj had a loyalty that was rare to find

he thought of their faces as his eyes began to finally close

and he swore that he hallucinated at the last moment

because he saw something he never thought he would

there was body (a tail?) and hands, soft hands that held onto his face

it was blurred but there was a face in front of his - hair floating around it before it swam around him and pulled him upwards

by then, sleep took over his body and he slumped into the arms, waiting for his soul to leave him

if he had one anyways

next thing he knows, he's coughing

violently coughing

it burns, but as he finished and lets out a sigh of his first breath of air, he opens his eyes in time to see a shadow over him

it was a face

so beautiful it almost shocked him awake, but his body was too tired

wet hair covered her face and her eyes were wide and curious; it was all blurry, however

something alike to a hand went up to touch his cheek, dragging what he believed to be a finger to his jaw, his chin, dragging along his lips, to his nose, forehead and then tangling a strand of his hair around it

and then he heard it

her singing

as if lulling him to sleep

smooth and lovely

and then his eyes closed

and when he opened them, it wasn't a girl

he nearly kissed john b though

"woahhhh there buddy. i'm flattered but i don't think either of us play for both teams"

jj nearly gagged when he realized what he had done

"dude, i nearly called the cops," john b smacked the side of his head, "you've been gone for the entire night and i found you passed out here. how'd you even end up here?"

and jj had no choice but to tell him what he did

john b nearly killed him, but felt like maybe jj did that already because of how he began to talk

"dude there was girl! an actual girl. she saved me."

jj wasn't about to forget her, not at all

thedarlinglore: this is a preview for upcoming fic! should be coming up in the next few days! please do not steal, plagiarize, etc. and once again, thank you mr.maybank. love you my darlings ❤

going off of this post i need to continue my rant. okay so...no thoughts, but jj and the golden girl of kildare becoming unlikely friends due to working together. one day they come in, working the same shift together with some other pogues that they know. jj eventually works up the courage to go to the hostess desk during the start of his break and chat her up using some of his jj charm. surprisingly, she laughs at his jokes and smiles that beaming smile she shows everyone else, except this one is direct at him. oh my land, this man feels that he could float with just your smile. no thoughts...just jj and the golden girl talking during every break every time they have a shift together...and even when they're not on break. they talk about everything under the sun and he learns that there is more to her than just books and studying. she learns that there is more under the tough surface he puts on. they starts to hang out more and more everyday. constantly. at the club. near the wreck. sometimes at the beach. no thoughts...just the moment when they're hanging out outside of work and they just went swimming in the ocean. the sun is setting and a golden glow is covering the two of them. the moment when they look into each other's eyes and their hearts begin to skip a beat. the blood rushing to the apples of their cheeks. the twinkle that they both see in each others eyes. jj is quick to end the moment after he realizes they're getting closer. they swim back and act like nothing just happened. no thoughts...just jj realizing he was falling when he's never fell before. jj's self destructive nature begins to chime in and he knows he can't let it happen. it's not possible. it would never end well. she's perfect and he's horrible. it would end like his dad and mom and like every other relationship on the cut. he couldn't hurt her. who was once mr.tough guy couldn't bare to hurt her. so he wouldn't...meaning he would distance himself until he was only a vague memory in her mind. no thoughts...just the golden girl realizing that she was falling in love and being absolutely terrified and in awe at the same time. she'd never gotten so far with a boy but she's ready to venture even further if that's what's in store. she's giddy and happy, thinking that the boy she likes may like her back...only to be disappointed the next day...

I like hurting people apparently 💀 dw I will give the ending that is deserved 🤞🤞

going off of this post i need to continue my rant. okay so...no thoughts, but jj and the golden girl of kildare becoming unlikely friends due to working together. one day they come in, working the same shift together with some other pogues that they know. jj eventually works up the courage to go to the hostess desk during the start of his break and chat her up using some of his jj charm. surprisingly, she laughs at his jokes and smiles that beaming smile she shows everyone else, except this one is direct at him. oh my land, this man feels that he could float with just your smile. no thoughts...just jj and the golden girl talking during every break every time they have a shift together...and even when they're not on break. they talk about everything under the sun and he learns that there is more to her than just books and studying. she learns that there is more under the tough surface he puts on. they starts to hang out more and more everyday. constantly. at the club. near the wreck. sometimes at the beach. no thoughts...just the moment when they're hanging out outside of work and they just went swimming in the ocean. the sun is setting and a golden glow is covering the two of them. the moment when they look into each other's eyes and their hearts begin to skip a beat. the blood rushing to the apples of their cheeks. the twinkle that they both see in each others eyes. jj is quick to end the moment after he realizes they're getting closer. they swim back and act like nothing just happened. no thoughts...just jj realizing he was falling when he's never fell before. jj's self destructive nature begins to chime in and he knows he can't let it happen. it's not possible. it would never end well. she's perfect and he's horrible. it would end like his dad and mom and like every other relationship on the cut. he couldn't hurt her. who was once mr.tough guy couldn't bare to hurt her. so he wouldn't...meaning he would distance himself until he was only a vague memory in her mind. no thoughts...just the golden girl realizing that she was falling in love and being absolutely terrified and in awe at the same time. she'd never gotten so far with a boy but she's ready to venture even further if that's what's in store. she's giddy and happy, thinking that the boy she likes may like her back...only to be disappointed the next day...

JJ AND THE GOLDEN GIRL HEADCANONS

pairing: jj x fem!goodgirl!reader

word count: 3.2K

based on this and this post that i made. enjoy !!!

✔︎JJ's habits

always watching her. not in a creepy way, but in a curious and somewhat protective way. she's either reading, studying, watching a comfort show or doing something she likes. jj finds her just fascinating not matter what she does. he admires her so much and the fact that he finds her absolutely beautiful is a plus. her mind is always working as well. always thinking. the way she picks her bottom lip or twirls her hair with her finger whenever she's concentrating just drives him wild and sometimes he wish he could read her mind just to find out what's got her attention. however, she also has a tendency to read while she walks or gets distracted by something she's concentrating on and it has lead to his hyper-vigilance. he's caught her after she trips on her own foot almost thirty times since they began dating and pulled her from walking across a busy street more than five times already. he's also had a hand in shielding her from people who seemed suspicious or invasive at keggers. not that he's complaining, he enjoys being her knight in shining armor at times since he usually believes he's the villain.

always willing to lend a hand. no like literally. lend her his hand. she has a tendency to fidget when she's nervous or bored or just in general is always moving in some manner. she was also a chronic nail biter when she was younger and has been trying to kick the habit since. therefore, she's always chewing gum or has a jolly rancher on hand or twirls her rings and bracelets around (if she wears them). one day, she forgot all of the above when she went to hang out at the chateau with jj, john b and pope and was not feeling her best. jj noticed and put his hand in hers and she immediately began to play with his fingers, his rings and bracelet and it calmed her down. now whether she has gum or her accessories, jj always lends his hands whenever he notices her cracking her neck more than twice or shaking her leg. he could be mid-conversation with someone and he'd just hand his hand over and continue talking. she always leaves a thank you by kissing the palm or back of his hand.

always willing to dress up. as they continue dating, she ends up having a preference with how he dresses. she loves his sleeveless shirts, when his hair is messy, his rings, his long gray crewneck sweaters, his red hat and the bandana he wears. she loves all his outfits, really, but these items are just the cherry on top. he notices it (she tends to cling to him more when he wears his sleeveless shirts or stare at him a little longer when he has messy hair) and ends up trying to wear these whenever he has the chance. he likes the little twinkle in her eye whenever she sees him in one of these outfits (or has the accessory). eventually he began to tease her about it and she never admits it but he knows. he just knows.

always ready to hug. growing up, he's never really had physical affection and he's never been in a long-term relationship before so affection is kind of hard for him in the beginning. however once he realizes that she loves to hug him, not just in a romantic way but in a platonic way; it's like she's telling him that's she's there for him and she feels safe around him, he's ready to give her a hug. if she even indicates for a second she wants one, he's already got his arms around her. heck, sometimes she just reaches behind him to grab something and his arms wrap around her waist and pull her in. she appreciates it ever single time. and it also heals a part of jj as he begins to believe that he's not unlovable.

always willing to learn. okay so jj and the golden girls aren't totally similar. in fact, they're pretty much opposites. pope has more in common with her (at least in the beginning). she studies when she has to and as she becomes friends with the group, she does it at the chateau. eventually, one day she asked jj to help her and although he'd rather get day drunk and pay for it the next day, he sucks it up and helps her. he ends up learning a little bit about the history of the King Henry the Eight and his six wives and the way to write an AP Lit. essay and although he can hardly understand any of it, he does it ever single time she asks. eventually he is able to pick up on certain things she's saying and can comment on it. he learns that a way to her heart is through paying attention to her and what she says and he does it without even thinking anymore. he also learns that she's different from the girls he's fooled around with or even somewhat liked, so he learns more about her and her likes, dislikes, hobbies, beliefs, work ethic, love language and more. he wants to learn and for once, he agrees with the saying "learning is fun". in return, she makes an effort to learn more about him.

always willing to teach. golden girl is inexperienced to say the least. it doesn't make her inferior, it just wasn't time and she wasn't comfortable having her firsts with someone who she wasn't in a relationship with. jj notices, in the beginning, that she's hesitant to make the first move when it comes to kissing. she later confesses (through massive coaxing on jj's part) that he was her first kiss and she doesn't know if she was doing it correctly or if she was doing something wrong or if he didn't want her to kiss him as much as she wanted to so she got nervous. jj just chuckled and offered to teach her. it started off slow and then...intense. turns out she's a fast learner and jj's somewhat suspicious on how she caught on so fast, but then again, he is the one to pull her away from where they are in order to have some alone time, so yeah. (although they haven't taken that step yet it's only a matter of time). this ended in multiple makeout sessions in different locations - his room at the chateau, in the living room when no one was there, in the corner of the beach during a kegger, in her room when her parents weren't home, the twinkie (john b doesn't know about this one and they don't want him to know). turns out, he's a pretty good teacher when he wants to be.

✔︎ JJ's quirks

lays on top of her. jj has a tendency to collapse on whatever surface or bed there is when he's tired. he doesn't even look at the bed. just falls and he's out. she's napping in jj's room at the chateau when he comes in, exhausted, from hauling around groceries for heyward. he made money, but he's beat. he took a shower, didn't even bother to put on a shirt and fell onto the bed. right onto her. he doesn't really notice the body underneath him and just wraps his arms around her and knocks out. however, she notices, waking up from the weight off jj on her chest. she tries to push him away and eventually maneuvers her body so she's on top of him and he's beneath her. this doesn't end well as jj always sleeps on his stomach. and this isn't the last time it happens. she swears that he does it on purpose. (maybe sometimes he does).

calls her the most absurb nicknames. her name is reserved for certain and rare moments and everything else has certain timing. he calls her troublemaker as a contrast to her actual behavior, and also when she's coming along on his little adventures. he calls her goody-two-shoes because well...she is. he calls her baby or babe whenever he wants her attention. he calls her princess in those very rare and private moments, but also he also uses it when he's teasing her. he calls her little lady whenever he's trying to be a gentlemen. and then...there's the other ones. he calls her wormy because she's a bookworm and he thought it was funny. he calls her grumpelstiltskin whenever she's extra grumpy or annoyed. he also thought it was funny to call her flounder when he found out she was scared of sharks. it's not all one sided though because she has a book full of nicknames and some are just as ridiculous. they try to one up each other constantly.

loyal to the end. jj finds loyalty to be the thing he wants most in friendships and eventually, his relationship. that's because jj is loyal beyond belief. it could be counted as his fatal flaw. his friends are his family and family is meant to be protected and something to defend no matter what. she becomes a part of that. he can and will fight if he needs to or even if he wants to. she doesn't find some thing willing or worthy of fighting, but she doesn't see it how jj does. he sees it as disrespect on his family, on his girlfriend, if someone made a comment or even looked at her weird. heck even if john b would to get pissed off and start a fight and jj would be cheering for him even if john b was wrong. and with her? someone who chose him? someone who wants to be with him no matter what? his loyalty is undying. she could be wrong, she could be right, she could be wining or losing, whatever it was, he was by her side, supporting.

ఌ Golden Girl's habits

always looking five steps ahead. jj is not in need of babying. she knows this. he's sixteen and knows there are consequences to his actions even if he's not in favor of those consequences. however, she gets to know that he is reckless because he thinks he knows everything will turn out like he plans it out. but, sometimes it doesn't. and when he's cornered, she already had a way out. sometimes she laughs with smile because she loves his adventures and how he plans with a childlike imagination. but even then, she likes to plan in her head in case anything goes wrong. she doesn't want jj to end up in jail or in major trouble (or any of the pogues) but even she admits that running from the cops is kind of fun and although she may have had a minor anxiety attack the first time, she was glad she already planned and knew the local back roads instead of the main highway. she tends to always have a food or a first aid kit in her bag in case of anything and if she's not there when the boys get stupid, her phone is always turned on. she knows she can depend on him when she's in trouble and jj knows he can depend on her.

always reassuring. she grew up a pogue so she understood bad and horrible home lives. she didn't have it all that bad, but it wasn't always pretty. jj on the other hand. she's heard and eventually seen the results of him and his father fighting. this resulted in jj having a deep rooted belief that he was unlovable. he believed he had to earn love. she quickly picked on it and tried to show him that he wasn't. she did things for him, never asked questions if he didn't want to answer, gave him space, gave him words and affection with reassurance wrap in it. he once asked if she ever got tired of him and she merely answered with "i could never be tired and i never will be". she said it with such confidence that a part of him began to believe it. little by little they were both healing parts of themselves, but her habit of reassurance always helps him stay ground. and in return, she has his undying devotion and admiration that includes reassurance of his own.

always willing to try something new. she's not that fond of getting into trouble and jj's middle name is trouble (and he calls her troublemaker ironically) but when jj suggests they go and do something kind of illegal like spend the night in one of the "in-progress" kook houses, she sucks up her fear and goes along. she's worried, but is willing to be apart of jj's recklessness because it's a part of him. she can't fight it so she'd join him. little by little, she gets more comfortable as she begins to understand that jj would never endanger her and if he had to, he'd take the blame for everything if it meant she'd stay out of trouble. and little by little, she enjoys getting into trouble with him and him only. after their little adventures are done and they're resting for the night, she only smiles and wonders what the next one is.

always leans towards him. the golden girl is use to the dangerousness of the southside as she lives there, but sometimes, even she gets scared or worried. it's just the world we live in. whenever they go out, she began a habit of leaning towards jj or moving near him. she knows that he would always protect her and would die trying to do so. of course she has a mean can of pepper spray and a punch that could send a grown man to the floor, but having jj next to her has her more relaxed. even if she wasn't afraid or in danger, she tend to grab his hand or lean her head on his shoulder without even thinking. having the physical contact with him makes her so happy because he's allowing her into his space and she's touch starved so much that it just makes her so giddy. and jj always puts his arm around her, holds her hand, kisses her cheek or pushes her hair out of her face. he leans towards her as well.

always smiles at him. her smile is something jj sees constantly. and she doesn't fake it at all. she happy to see him, hear his voice, watch him try some stupid thing with pope and john b. and jj is also funny guy and although he says the most absurd things, she can't' help, but smile. it's just an impulse. the joke could be the worst thing or could be a repeated one from the week before, but she always smiles. she learned that jj tells jokes to those he deems worthy of hearing them and they could be in the worst situation and he'd try to lighten the mood. he hated things being tense and worrisome, so he told jokes. she always smiles to show she appreciates them and she never wanted him to stop. jj has begun to recognize all her smiles - the coy ones, the teasing ones, the genuine one, the sarcastic one.

ఌ Golden Girl's quirks

watches and speaks to jj as he sleeps. it began with a romance book she read while having a sleepover at the chateau. the characters reminded her of the two of them. the boy was wild but sweet and the girl was independent but ambitious. it was a wonderful love story and she felt so grateful that she ended up with someone like jj. she ended up sleeping with jj in his room and she just watched him breath. he slept on his stomach with his arm splayed across her waist. his lips were slightly parted. his hair sticking out everywhere because he moves. he looked so peaceful and calm. it's one of her favorite moments with jj when she can admire him without him noticing. just a small moment where she can speak beautiful things out into the night. how she was grateful for him. how she thought he looked like an angel sleeping. how she couldn't believe he chose her and tries everyday. she tells him how she notices everything about him. she'll whisper to him until she falls asleep, hoping that her words will melt into his dreams. and sometimes it does but he doesn't know it's because she's talking to him as he sleeps. he wakes up with a smile and turns over to look at her sleeping, deciding to just admire her for a little before he wakes her up.

connects him with songs and stories. any love story you can think of, she's thought of jj and her in it. any love song whether it be taylor swift or frank sinatra, she danced in room thinking of her and jj. it's so cute and she hopes that jj never finds out because he would totally tease her. it's without provocation at this point. the other day, she heard "paper rings" on the radio and nodded in agreement as she thought of it with her and jj. she went for ice cream after work and jj was working with john b and she thought of allie and noah for a moment, agreeing with the notion that she'd have a long summer romance with him if she was a touron, but they'd make it in the end, and continued on with her day. some called her lovesick or just a teenager, but she doesn't care. it's her first love and she's also his, so she allowed herself those thoughts and moments. a part of her knew that it would end well. she just knew.

gets him little gifts. she works, but she also likes the little home made gifts. she got really into origami when she was younger and likes to take the gum wrappers after she popped the gum in her mouth and make hearts with them. the first time she did it around jj, she handed it to him and went on studying. jj still has it in his wallet next to polaroid of the two of them sleeping together on the hammock during a sunset (taken by sarah). she's made him a bracelet. she saw a hat she thought he'd like and put it in his room to find. she noticed his shoelaces wearing out so she got new ones and replaced the old ones. she's made him a mixtape of all his favorite songs on a CD so he could listen to it in the Twinkie. she's written him a love letter before, but she refuses to give it to him. yet. she made a little plate during her pottery class in high school and put it in his room so he had a place to put all his rings and bracelets so he didn't loose it. she even made him a few origami cranes, swans and other animals because he kept asking. (he wants to ask her to teach him one of these days). he notices and feels touched, but he doesn't know how to express it because she clearly doesn't want a thank you. she just wants to do it. so he repays her in certain ways. once she grabbed a random rock from beach and ended up drawing on it with sharpie. she left it in his room for him to find with a little note saying she named it "rocky" and he would live with him. (jj ended up making "rockette" and she lives with golden girl in her room. they make jokes about sharing custody all the time).

thedarlinglore: this concept of jj with the golden girl (or good girl) just has my damn heart. like it makes me wanna giggle and write for hours. soooooo a FIC IS COMING SOON! i'm drafting rn and i am not busy this week so hopefully it only takes like 3 days bc i like to write longgggggg fics (my last was 18.8k). you might enjoy that one while i write this one. hope you enjoyed!

➣ my last "jj" work | "oh schroeder"

𝐉𝐉 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐏𝐓𝐒

˚✧˖°•*⁀➷

𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒐 𝒈𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒆𝒏 ↳ in which jj falls for the golden girl of the cut (and your fellow author indulges this fantasy with headcanons and fics)

➫ no thoughts...

➫ no thoughts II...

➫ no thoughts III...

➫ headcanons for jj and the golden girl

➫ headcanons for jj and the golden girl II

𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒚, 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒚, 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒚 ↳ in which jj falls for the lovely kook princess of Figure Eight

➫ the beauty and the beast

𝒄𝒊𝒈𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆 𝒂𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏 ↳ in which jj falls for a grumpy girl, dressed in black and red

➫ headcanons for jj and the black cat girl

𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒙𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒔

PJO au

H2o/Mermaid au

Jesse-James

to the darling masterlist & more jj content ❧

I'M SAYING!

Hey princess, I’ve always heard theories on JJ’s name (some say John, Jacobs, Jesse, etc) I personally think it’s Jesse-James but like hyphenated. ANYWAY I think he’d be stunned into silence if you called him by his first name whether it’s bc your mad and telling him off or reader just decided to tease him. It’s been on my mind for YEARS (btw your page is just 🤌💋)

i personally loveeee jesse-james for him i just think it suits him more than the others and ik whenever i say this ppl get soooo mad in the replies like “but it was confirmed-” “but it’s actually—” im sorry but i do not care he is not real 🩷🩷🩷🩷 he is jesse james to me 🩷🩷🩷🩷

anyways i think this is so funny omg. suddenly barking out a “jesse james get back here right now.” infront of all the pogues n they all just turn around all stunned, pope’s mouth forming an ‘o’ with an “ooooh shit, someone’s in trouble.”

and jj just turns back to you all wide eyed, even takes his hat off in respect and sidles back over like “oop, yes ma’am.” i dieeee

continuing from my last two rants (1 & 2)... no thoughts, just the golden girl crying because of jj's harsh words and reality check. she has no idea where it came from. jj just cut it off, ripping it out like it would hurt him more than her. like he didn't care. she hides in her room, trying to convince herself it's nothing...but it's not just nothing, it was everything. she keeps it hidden from everyone, unable to show anyone how the most "perfect" girl on the island cries from a heartbreak that wasn't even hers in the beginning. no thoughts, just jj kicking himself for days and even more when he sees her at work and she won't even speak to him. her eyes don't glance or even go in his direction. he finds himself staring at her as if he didn't pull everything out from under them, like he wasn't the one the destroy everything. they go one with their shifts like two ghosts until they leave and they bump into each other while heading out. they stand for a moment, staring, before she rips open the door and walks out. he watches her, cursing himself. no thoughts, just john b watching his best friend turn into an echo of himself because of a girl. he couldn't believe it with his own two eyes. he's heard everything about her. her smile. her eyes. how she was incredible she is. what a terrible surfer she was but because he taught her, she's pretty okay now. the jj once knew was now gone. like a ripple of a wave. once there, gone the next. no thoughts, just john b telling jj he needed to "man-up" and stop moping. when did jj maybank ever mope? when did he ever not "do" what he needed to do? why did he self-destruct if this was someone he truly wanted around him? he needed to fix it or else he would regret it for the rest of his life? what if she found someone else? what if she hated him forever? no thoughts, just jj realizing his best friend was right and pulling himself from the hammock of despair and racing down to find her. he searches their job, outside of her house, her favorite snack bar, and finally the beach. no thoughts, just jj seeing the golden girl sitting alone at the beach while the sun goes down and he knows he needs to do something. he wants the right words and he wants the right phrases to come out of his mouth. he was never good with words, but if it's for her? he'd do anything. he only needs to step forward...

JJ AND THE GOLDEN GIRL HEADCANONS II

pairing: jj x fem!goodgirl!reader

word count:

first part here & based on this and this post that i made. enjoy !!!

What is their favorite photo of with other?

✔︎ jj's favorite photo of him and his golden girl is when they were asleep on the hammock and sarah snapped a shot. she was laid on his chest and her head was buried into the side of his neck with her arms around him and jj head was resting against hers and his arms fully engulfed her waist. a small blanket was laid over them and the sun set in the background. as mentioned in my previous headcanons, he keeps it in his wallet at all times.

ఌ golden girl has so many photos that she loves of jj and her, but one takes the cake. it's one where she and jj had just gotten out of the ocean and dressed in their regular clothes, but their hair is still wet, and they were sitting next to a fire the pogues made on the far side of the beach. her head was on his shoulder, but tilted up so she was looking at him and he was looking down into her eyes. it was night, so the light from the fire made them seem like they were glowing. sarah also took the photo and golden girl framed it and put it on the wall near her bed.

What special thing do they carry with them at all times?

✔︎ well of course jj keeps the photo in his wallet, but he also has a couple of bracelets from her. however, one of his prized possessions is the gum hearts. as stated in the previous headcanon, golden girl is very crafty with her gifts and gave jj a heart made out of gum wrapper. she actually wrote in it. a little note that only said, "hey there criminal". it was so lame that he laughed when he opened it one day and saw it. it's a little of an inside joke because jj's name is jesse-james maybank, after the criminal. it was so stupid, but it makes him laugh.

ఌ for golden girl, she usually has a few things on her, but she adores her bracelet that jj made. he made it by hand (he never told her this, but she could tell by the messy threading and specific mini charms) and personalized it. he gave it to her about a year after they began dating (only a few days before he told her he loved her). he just handed it to her randomly when she was staying over at the chateau. he was so nervous but she loved. she always wears it and only takes it off if she's going into deep water because she doesn't want to risk losing it. one of the charms is a surf board, another is of half a sun and one of her favorites is of flounder from the little mermaid (as mentioned before in part 1, she's scared of sharks). she loves that thing and you can always see her wearing it no matter what.

How does the cut and figure eight react to them?

✔︎ first off, the cut is probably the most surprised at the news of them. it only appears maybe like five or six months into the relationship. they kept it hush hush for a while and eventually didn't care who saw them. multiple pogues saw them going for ice cream together. heyward saw them sailing on "the pogue" a few times, alone. others saw them at the kegger, sitting close to one another and jj's arm was around her. the cherry on top was when they came out of the ocean from surfing and he gave her a kiss (ON THE MOUTH???) and the news spread like wildfire. everyone had questions about how it began and shit like that. but it was the excited type of questions. separately, they ask the couple if they're together. jj's only response is "yeah, for a time now" in a lighthearted tone and golden girl's response is "yes, we are!" in a very cheerful tone. honestly the cut was so surprised, but they're honestly for it. with their responses, it seemed like the two were very much falling in love and by the way jj looked at her, the man was a goner and based on her smiles, she was half-way in love already. (everyone knew they were endgame at this point and any other secret suitors resigned) there were some skeptics and some who didn't believe they'd last long, but when they heard how long they've already been together, it crushed all of it. they didn't expect it, but they're kind of the cut's IT couple now. famous, i'm telling you.

ఌ the more judgmental pack is the kooks, aka figure eight. golden girl is known there because she works at the club restaurant as the hostess and she has a pretty good rep there too. heck she has a great rep everywhere. she is the golden girl after all. smiley and shiny. a bright future. the sun personified. (she'd argue but go on) so when they find out that she is dating jj maybank, the bus boy and absolute troublemaker of the cut, they're all fla-ber-gas-ted. like they all blink in confusion. and the only way the kooks found out was about a month after the cut found out and jj and golden girl went to a kegger together and ended kissing near the bonfire. kooks saw, told their friends, who told their friends, who told their parents and BAM! wildfire. some kids were actually really confused and some even tried to "warn" her about getting with a kid "like maybank". she had half a mind to flip them off but all she said was "i think i'm smart enough to make my own choices. thank you" and continued on with her day. she saw the judgment whenever they passed by each other at work and she knew it'd be a while before things went back to how they were at the restaurant. jj had the sharp end of the sword as he physically saw and heard the judgment from the kooks as if they knew her more than him. some of it kind of got to him, but he eventually over heard golden girl telling off some kook boys to leave her and jj the hell alone before she taught them how to shut their mouths. politely. but yeah that's what she said. eventually everything calm down, but figure eight isn't really their biggest fans.

How did their friends react to them?

✔︎ the pogues were really surprised that jj was capable of capturing her heart, but not surprised that they got together. she'd been part of the pogues for a while before they got together. even then, they saw the goo goo eyes and smiles and secret touches here and there and had bets placed. sarah won nearly every side bet, but pope won the last one about who kissed who first. they're for it honestly. they know that she makes jj really happy and he's more devoted to her than any other girl he's ever taken a look at and they know that golden girl would never hurt jj and that she's been in love with him for a while and they know they are made for each other. so very supportive.

ఌ golden girl is actually friends with a few kooks and they were very...ehhhh on the matter. they nearly choked when they heard and ask if the rumors were true. she said yes and they just shared a look. they warned her (like every damn kook on the island she was associated with one way or another) about how jj was and how they heard he was and just told her to rethink it or be careful. they continued on with that train for a while before she told them shut up or else she'd stop hanging out with them. (she's not friends with most of them anymore). however her pogue friends were very happy for her and admire them anytime they're around. again, bets were made and paid.

When did they know they were in it for the long run?

✔︎ the idea actually popped up in jj's head a few times, but he always pushed it aside or ignored it. i mean...being for someone for the long run? like marriage? and kids and a house. i mean, he's too young to even think about that right? i mean it's not possible to know right away? is it? he'd never thought about getting married beforehand. marriage was a wreck for anyone who got involved and it was like tying a noose around your finger, right? that's what he thought. and then she'd smile at him like he was her world and he made it spin on its axis. then she'd give him a little gift he never asked for and she wouldn't even ask for a thank you. then she'd give him a lecture about being reckless, but eyes just tell him that she's terrified something would happen to him. the one time he actually let the thought in was around their first year anniversary when they went surfing and ended up on the beach late at night with no one around. she was pressed up against his chest, sleeping with a few blankets over them and a smile fire burning to keep them warm. he glances down at her and there's something that glows within him that just tells him. for the first time, he thinks about marriage and being with her when he's old and gray and...it doesn't scare him for the first time. that thought alone leads to the first "i love you" only weeks later.

ఌ she's thought about it before. i mean, golden girl has watched rom-coms before, so she has thought about marriage. she'd hope to break the whole generation curse one day and be with someone she loves rather than for money or an accidental pregnancy. it's a wish in her. she does have the desire to marry one day, but she wants it to be for the right reasons. she's more into long-term relationships rather than hook ups or "situationships" because of the fear she'll be used like the women in her family before. so when jj came around and she actually let him in, she knows there's something special there. she thought about it here and there, but she always told herself that when she knows, she'll know. and that moment came around when she and jj were hanging out in her room about nine months in. her parents were out and jj snuck in and stayed for the night. they had played a game of uno, which she beat him at 3 times in a row, and received the reward of him telling her she was the best and amazing at everything (all in a playful manner, she demanded it) and when he won, he claps his hands in a taunting manner and went straight for her. she fell back and he caught her in his arms and pressed a passionate kiss to her lips and she swore she felt her heart skip two beats. when he pulled away, simply to press his lips to her cheek and request a game of cards to beat her at (still riding on the win) when she realize that she could do that forever. play games with cards and monopoly boards and win rewards of kisses and praise for the rest of her life. and the way jj smiled at her when she said she'd kick his ass at anything else, she knew it had to be him. (she knew he felt the same way before he knew).

What is their go-to and favorite date plans?

✔︎ jj is a simple guy. he doesn't need much. if he really wanted to have some alone time and take her out, he'd take her out for a drive to the beach, walk around, talking about everything and nothing before going to get an ice cream and ending the night watching the sunset. his favorite date plans is going surfing or staying on the pogue for the entire day and just be in each other's company.

ఌ golden girl understands that she and jj are busy people. busy bees. if they both had some time in-between their breaks or even after work for some time (or any time for that matter) her go-to suggestion is to sit outside or inside (probably the beach) and play a game of cards with two soda cans sitting next to them. it's quick and easy and they always have a good time. because of this, she and jj always have a stack of cards with them. her favorite date, however, is whenever the carnival or a festival comes near the mainland and they go together and just have fun. close second and most common one is introducing jj to all her favorite movies, musicals and series. (she got him hooked on money heist and gilmore girls, but he'll only watch it with her).

What is the favorite physical and non-physical trait of theirs they love?

✔︎ for jj, his favorite physical trait of hers is her eyes. she's so expressive in her eyes and if he needed to know anything, he'd just have to look into her eyes. she can say one thing, but the eyes tell another. he now believes in the whole "eyes are the windows to the soul" saying. (to be not so wholesome because it's jj duh, he really likes her chest. what can i say? he just likes the girls). his favorite non-physical trait is her ability to try and see the good in everything and everyone: aka her compassion. he knows it's hard for her to do that sometimes and he can see how she wants to be negative, but she tries her hardest to bring joy to others and to herself. she wants everyone to be happy because that's what she wants for herself (and sometimes she doesn't get it). jj doesn't really accept the fact that he's a cause of her happiness and joy, but he feels happy knowing he is.

ఌ for the golden girl, her favorite physical trait of jj is his hair. especially his wet hair when he just exited the sea and he shake it a bit out get the water out. *chef kiss* she also likes to play with it and toy around with it when she's watching tv or when jj is a little stressed, she likes to pass her hand over his hair. it works actually. (to not be so wholesome, his arms and back just make her drool and make her eyes roll back into her head, but you didn't hear it from me) her favorite non-physical trait is his loyalty. i've touched upon this in my last headcanon i think??? but he is loyal to the end. like it's actually this man's fatal flaw. she could be wrong or right, but jj is by her side. honestly her hype man. she's really happy to know he'd go search the entire world just for her.

What specific physical touch do they secretly like?

✔︎ jj is a sucker for back scratches. it's just a thing he found out he liked. he and golden girl were laying in jj's bed at the chateau, mumbling as the clock began to tick closer and closer to two in the morning. he was laying on top of her, head nuzzles into her neck. jj sleeps on his stomach, so golden girl had to learn how to not get crushed by him as she realized it was non-negotiable for him. she was mumbling something about school and jj was just responding with hums as sleep began to overtake him and she began to drag her nails up and down his bare back softly. jj is actually so embarrassed by how obsessed he became with it. if she stops, he'll whine until she gives in. if she begins, she cannot stop until she falls asleep or jj falls asleep or they have to get up. jj could go hours with her just scratching his back. he doesn't care how hard or soft she does it, just likes it (he does have a little fantasy about it, but it's only a fantasy for now lol)

ఌ golden girl really likes it when jj just holds her, whether in her room, his room at the chateau, or the hammock, she likes to curl up in jj's arms and have him hold her. sometimes she needs it because of all the stress on her. she specifically likes it when he talks to her, regardless if she'll respond. it's in his softest voice (he would never admit it to anyone and if she ever mentioned it someone (she hasn't), he'd deny it because why would she try and out him like that????) and he'll just mumble sweet nothings in her ears and sometimes she'll fall asleep because of it. she likes it a lot. (and just to out her a little, she's actually kind of interested in jj's soft voice in other types of scenarios if you catch my drift) but yeah she loves jj holding her and paying attention to her and only her in those moments?

How needy are they?

✔︎ if this man ever says he's not needy, he's lyingggggg. jj is an attention seeker at heart and he wants her attention at nearly all times. he just loves the attention and will do the most stupid stuff to gain it. once he waved her over just to show her he could do a handstand. she eventually caught the pattern of this, but she still goes over to him whenever he calls her. she likes that she's wanted by him. she thought he'd get use to it, but nope. this man is still as obsessed with her attention as always. as for physically, this man got a taste of physical touch after being touch starved (romantically at least) and he's never gone back. a hand on her back, hand in hand, hugging her, arm around her shoulder, etc, etc. he's always touching her if he can.

ఌ she admits it. she likes his attention. A LOT. she wouldn't say she's needy, but she really likes it when he's paying attention to her and only her. golden girl captures his attention in different ways. she'll fiddle with his hands or his hair or just call him over so he can sit next to her. she's heading towards jj-level obsessed at some points. physically however? she's right there with jj. hand on his knee, rubbing his back with her hand as he talks, fiddling with whatever jewelry he has on, stroking his jaw with her thumb, hugging him, etc. neither of them really care what everyone else thinks, but they never go beyond this to make sure others are comfortable in some aspects. since they're not there yet, this is as far as it goes for now (john b and sarah on the other hand are...well...they're not very quiet....lol)

Favorite nicknames?

✔︎ little lady, princess, flounder, sunflower, goody-two shoes, wormy, grumpelstiltskin

ఌ blondie, j, sunshine, pretty boy, criminal, giraffe, surfer boy, sleeping beauty

thedarlinglore: i love jj and golden girl so much. like it's actually an obsession. and there is more come!!! a fic is coming soon, but hey, we have more headcanons. i am thinking about blackcat!reader, but we'll see. requests are also open i hope you enjoyed and see you in the next one. love you, my darlings <3

➣ my last "jj" work | "oh schroeder" ➣ more concepts | jj maybank

He’s perfect 🫶

fangirl!reader x jj headcanons pls!

. ★ 🎸🎧 ౨ৎ ˖ ࣪⊹

𝜗𝜚 he's so invested in the music you listen to because he knows how important it is to you, to the point where he stalks your listening history on airbuds and then bombards you with questions, especially if you've been listening to a new artist recently. "so uh— who's this gracie abrams chick you been listenin' to? new right?"

𝜗𝜚 he's such a bully, unintentionally, but still a bully. this man will fully laugh in your face as you cry over taylor swift's suprise songs for the second time this weekend, rocking you back in forth in his arms as he says "ah shit— baby's cryin' over taylor swift again huh?" between his obnoxious cackles

𝜗𝜚 no matter how many times you explain concert etiquette to him, he fucks up. every. single. time. he's the 6ft tall boyfriend at barricade who knows none of the lyrics, bumps into people, and tries to act like he knows what is going on.

You made a pjo!JJ concept and I can’t help but feel like if he’s an Aphrodite demigod, golden girl reader would be part of the Apollo cabin (this lowkey works for piano reader too)

And that Aphrodite canon tradition where a camper from that cabin has to break someone’s heart, JJ would literally rather die that do that to his golden girl. No joke, would take going head to head with Kronos over hurting his sunshine (nickname for golden girl bc she’s Apollo’s kid)

the way I one hundred percent agree with all of this. i do think that jj may be more hermes than aphrodite, but if he was, I agree. (i like need to write this AU like now). i also just noticed that most of my readers! are part of apollo cabin. here are my thoughts on this (bc i love sharing my opinion)

for gold!reader (aka golden girl, but that's wayyyy to long to write every time) she is definitely his sunshine and he would neverrrrr try and break her heart. he'd actually like jump off a cliff (or tartarus if you'd like) for her. he's definitely broken some other poor mortal or demigod's heart so he knows he's aphrodite, but yeah he'd rather die than do anything to hurt her.

for gold!reader, jj is the one person who scares her twenty-four seven. since she's a healer, he tends to hurt himself a lot (whether on purpose or because he's naturally clumsy) and every time he comes to gold!reader for some healing, he'd make it so dramatic just so she'd come running over. she'd see his shit-eating grin and hit him on the top of his head. she's try and get mad but he'd shine that dazzling smile at her and she'd melt because how could she not?

gold!reader was always suspicious that there must have been intervention when it came to her and jj because of how some things just "fell" into place. aphrodite is just watching, loving every moment, knowing for a fact that she was the one who caused jj to eat poison berries at dinner (he was the only one which was a little sus) and be sent to the infirmary where gold!reader was ironically the only person to help him. (she actually kissed him to prevent the poison from harming his mouth - idk how that worked, but it did and yes that part is extremely self indulgent). he literally fell in love with her right then and there and she had to walk outside before she literally bursted into flames or something.

if gold!reader had to go on a quest or something, jj is pulled a Titan's-Curse on everyone. no wayyyyy is he letting her leave by herself or even with a group of campers. never. if he was forced to stay back, he's literally pulling a Percy in Titan-Curse because he's picking fights with EVERYONE and everything and yeah no good. he eventually sneaks out (with the help of a few gods - once ares helped him by causing chaos in the camp for enough time for him to sneak out because aphrodite wanted some drama and angst and he can't deny his lady and her literal child even if he hates them)

for gold!reader and jj, they'd be like on percy and annabeth tier. like there's percy & annabeth and jj and gold!reader (they're like two years older than annabeth and percy, but still the same amount of shipping and love). she almost dies in the Battle of Manhattan and jj flips out and abandons his post to go bring her to will or any other of her siblings because she couldn't heal herself. he pleaded with her father to heal her because he loved her too much (apollo was so heartbroken from so many of his children dying and pleading of jj that he actually did heal her)

NOW! for piano!reader, she's so grumpy that people didn't think she was apollo's kid at first. it was only when she played the piano in the Big House for the Summer Solstice her first year there when that mark appeared above her head. She has healing powers too, but she's more on the lyrical side of music. Beautiful voice, amazing music and can write music so good that she's actually a famous artist on the side (she uses the pen name Lenora (aka Light) for all her music and she is one of the most famous faceless singers and composers ever).

for piano!reader, she was the one to break his heart ironically. aphrodite was actually quite offended and impressed that she did so. it was because she rejected his advances - but that's not the full story. she was playing beethoven (of course???) and trying to play it in peace when jj popped out and tried to ask her out to the lake that night. she didn't even hear him as her out - only felt him bothering her - and she slammed her fingers on her keys, cursed him out in Ancient Greek, and sent him on his way. It was later on in the night when everyone was gossiping that she found out he asked her out and she didn't even hear it.

the way piano!reader (also grumpy!reader) and jj got together was because she apologizes and wrote him a ballad (the ballad of jj exists in EVERY universe) they are all lovely dovey, (they still tease each other though)

love.

(not my gif! creds to @romancedawg )

/this is also not proofread and it’s also my first time writing angst, please lmk any ideas for p2\

Part 2 here

warnings: mdni, heavy angst, bad ending

summary: best friend!jj you’ve always been afraid of jj loving kie, not you. your nightmare is real.

you wished it was a dream. you wished that you never saw jj maybank kissing kiara carrera. but at the party you saw them sneaking off. you always watched jj flirt with tourons and take them to the bathroom, but to see your crush kissing one of your best friends is the worst. after you saw them you ran, catching your breath and gathering your emotions. you saw sarah grabbing a drink and she looked at you. “hey y/n! are you okay? you look like you’ve seen a ghost” you nodded as she handed you a drink as you chugged it trying to get rid of your thoughts, feelings, anything to get rid of the pain and the lump in your throat from trying not to cry. “woah, slow down girl” sarah said taking the cup from you “jj kissed kie.” you sighed “oh my god.” she blinked “you poor thing” she hugged you and tucked the hair in your face behind your ear “it’s fine.” you wandered off and found some vodka as you took the lid off and chugged almost half the bottle. “no feelings. no thoughts.” you kept repeating to yourself. you wandered off and started dancing to the music waiting for it to kick in. eventually it did, and jj found you stumbling all over and laughing “woah are you alright there y/n?”he said holding you steady “ohhhh heyyyy jjjjjjjjjj” you giggled “hey princess” he held your waist and turned you to him smiling. “fuck you” you flipped him off and tried to pull away from his grip but he held you harder “what did I do?” he said with an eyebrow raised looking at you “i have a question first” you said looking at him back. “what’s up?” he said “Are you and kie dating now?” you said folding your arms, he broke eye contact “fuck. you saw that?” He sighed “uh yea. wanna explain?” you asked “I can’t do this right now.” he walked away “jj come back!” you yelled “JJ!” he just kept walking.

the next morning you found yourself at Sarah’s house. unable to remember the night before, only that jj kissed Kiara.. you had the worst headache ever and were hungover, you quickly changed into some of Sarah’s clothes and walked downstairs where you saw her making toast. you said thank you to her and quickly walked out, practically running to the château. you saw john b on the front porch and opened the screen door stepping in “is jj here?” you asked “yeah he’s inside somewhere.” he replied. you went inside and looked in his room. you saw him putting his shirt on and then he looked at you. “shit.” he said under his breath “wanna talk about what’s going on with you and kie?” you questioned but you knew he didn’t wanna talk about it. “there isn’t anything happening with me and kie. why do you care so much? it’s not like you’re my fucking girlfriend or something.” those words made you wanna rip your heart out. “I care because I fucking love you jj. you’ve been the love of my life ever since we met.” you froze. you couldn’t believe you just said that. “…” he stood there. not saying a word. just looking at you. he sighed and opened his mouth to speak. “I love kie. I’m sorry.” he said walking past you out of the château. leaving you a sobbing mess. what could you do now? why would he do this?

okay but... JJ teaching his girl shit about cars on the twinkie, and then he ends up fucking her against it. 😭🥵🥺

a/n: AHH I LOVE THISS YOUR BRAIN IS AMAZING PRINCESS💕I kind of rushed on the last bit though😭

~ 🎀.

jj working on the twinkie while you, who knows nothing about cars, does your best to understand what’s going on and help him 🥺

“babe can you hand me the wrench?” he asks while he’s working on the twinkie “umm, sure!” you reply hardly knowing what he’s doing or what he would need a wrench for anyway. “whatcha doing anyways?” you walk over and hand the tool to him

he takes it and says “an oil change, right now I need t’ unscrew the oil cap and then drain it.” “ohhh okay.” you ask, fascinated by how hot he looks like this

“ ‘nd now I need t’ fill it up.” he says explaining what he’s doing step by step for you to understand. “you’re good at that, huh?” you say, watching his every move. “y’know what im also good at?” he says while crawling out from under the car

“what?” you ask. “filling you up.” he says with a smirk while cleaning the oil off his hands. you blush and he starts walking to you. he puts his hands on your waist and starts kissing you while he picks you up and you wrap your arms around his neck and legs around his waist while he pushes you against the twinkie and starts making out with you.

he unbuttons your jean shorts and slides them down a little along with your panties. he rubs your clit a little and puts two of his fingers into you to warm you up. he then slides his own shorts down a little to which they drop to the floor.

he slowly enters you filling you up little by little “mmh.. jayj.. fuck.” you mumble “you like my dick princess? atta’ girl.” he says while he starts to speed up going in and out of your tight little hole

at this point he’s going as fast as he can, but he still makes sure you’re comfortable “fuck baby. you’re so tight” he says stuttering. he keeps hitting your g-spot every time he goes back in and you can feel yourself getting close. “fuck jayj, im so close.” “yeah? cum all over this dick baby.” he says while his thrusts get sloppier. that’s all it took for you to finish all over his cock and he follows right behind you shooting his hot cum into you. as you both come back from your high and catch your breath he sets you down

“told you im good at filling you up baby.” making you giggle and playfully hit him “shut up j.”

~ 🎀.