nightrunners

xxix.

"Water?"

"I'll pass."

The silence between the two teens is thick with tension. JJ sat down the second water cup that he initially took out and leaned against the counter, eyeing her carefully.

He cleared his throat, "Are you hungry at all? I have leftover-."

Cassiopeia let out a long sigh, "JJ, stop."

He closes his mouth abruptly, his lips forming into a thin line.

"Look, I'm leaving here, the Outer Banks, in the next day or two. Before I go, I need to know the truth."

His eyes widen and his lips fall into a frown.

"What the hell? You are just going to pack up and go? There is still three weeks left in the summer."

"I realized that I'm better off at home."

"This is, this is home."

She locked eyes with him, "My actual home, JJ."

It gets silent for a moment before the boy slammed his clenched fist down on the counter, knocking over his empty glass in the process.

"Let me ask you this," He waltzes towards her, rage prominent across his normally docile expression.

"Did you ever give a damn about me Cassiopeia?"

The girl stands there silently, watching his every step.

"I waited six summers for you, six fucking years just for you to run off with the rich junkie."

Cassiopeia sucked in her cheek, biting down on the skin furiously.

"And it wasn't just me that waited for you, but I thought about you every fucking minute. I tried to rake up enough money to buy a ticket to see you, I wrote you letters Cassiopeia, actual pen and fucking paper. Why do you think it's okay to break me like this?"

The boy's voice cracks at the end and Cassiopeia can feel her heart sink.

"JJ," She breathed out, leaning over the counter to stroke his sweaty forehead, "I'm so so sorry."

He pulled away from her instantly, wiping the back of his across his face, likely collecting the forbidden tears he refused to reveal.

"No," His voice was shaky, "You never, ever gave a fuck about me. You stayed in NYC while my dad OD'd. You were a thousand something miles away and couldn't even return my calls."

She sucked in her lower lip, "I had a lot going on – I never meant to-."

"What, hurt me? You obviously meant that and more to it. I was wrong about you," He turned away from her to grab another glass of water, stepping over the broken pieces on the tile floor.

Something in the girl clicked, this was not what she was here for.

She took a deep breath, "You aren't a saint either."

"I don't know what you are talking about."

She scoffed loudly, shaking her head, "We both know why I am actually here."

"I don't have anything to say that you don't already know Cassiopeia."

His back is facing her as he picked up the glass and took a long gulp, likely processing his next thought.

"Bullshit," She snapped, "Look me in my eyes and tell me you weren't involved."

JJ let his head drop to his chest, inhaling deeply before turning to face the girl. His cheeks were red and his eyes had grown cloudy.