Chapter Text
xxxx
It had been two weeks since Topper’s world basically fell apart. His best friend was a possible murderer, if the rumors were true, and was whisked away to rehab after Ward posted his bail. Kelce followed suit into rehab, once his parents found out about Rafe, they had him drug tested and shipped out. Topper was lucky his parents took him for his word when he said he didn’t do drugs. But that was the actual truth now, he was only drinking. The rest of Topper’s friends abandoned him as well. Word got around that he had helped John B. and Sarah escape, as much as he denied it, no one believed him. This is what he got for trying to prove his love for Sarah.
This was supposed to be his summer. It was supposed to be his and Sarah’s summer. Instead he was completely alone. His dad was away on business, his mom on some retreat, her parting words only disappointment in him, and none of his friends would speak to him. He felt invisible and unimportant. He buzzed his hair short and stopped shaving his face. He didn’t care about his clothes or his appearance anymore. He wondered if this is what depression felt like.
Topper had been holed up in his house for days. On this particular morning, he had heard it was best conditions for surfing. He hadn’t gone in what felt like ages. He was missing it, the feeling of adrenaline, the water crashing around him and the feeling on control when he mastered the wave, the feeling of freedom as he moved with the force of nature. He chose a secluded spot, not the best or ideal spot, but decent. It wasn’t as popular, so Topper was hoping that no one else would be there. As luck would have it, he saw only one solitary surfer, only distinguishing feature was blonde hair in the distance. He paddled out at a respectful distance and began riding the waves. Out of the corner of his eye he tracked the blonde surfer. Whoever he was, he was one of the best he’d seen. Topper respected that. They surfed for awhile until the other guy started heading to shore.
Topper followed him. “Hey! You’re pretty good!” Topper shouted out the compliment.
The other surfer froze and visibly tensed up before turning. As Topper got closer he recognized the dimpled crooked grin of JJ Maybank. “Well shucks princess, you’re making me blush,” JJ dramatically raised his hands to cup his own cheeks.
Topper felt his hackles rise. “I was paying you a compliment. It was genuine.”
“Yeah, when you’d rather pay me to clean your shit.”
Topper huffed. “Seriously shut up. You know I’m nationally ranked. You’re as good as I am. You could compete.”
JJ snorted. “Not if I can’t pay the entrance fee.”
“You could get a sponsor. You have the look.” It was true, JJ looked like a natural born surfer, the lean line of his body would look nice in a wetsuit and his blonde hair, a little longer now and falling in his face.
“They looking for white trash?” JJ seemed amused.
“No, that’s not what I meant. You look…” Topper trailed off. He could feel his face flushing in embarrassment, though he wasn’t sure why. He hoped the beaming sun in their eyes would distract and that JJ didn’t notice.
JJ gave him a puzzled expression and then a look of clarity crossed his features. “Oh. Huh…” He mumbled softly before grinning. “Well, you’re pretty good Mr. Nationally ranked, I’ll give you that, but I’m still better.”
Topper raised an eyebrow. “Oh you’re a better surfer than me? You think so?”
“Yeah. C’mon. Nut up and prove it. Let’s get back out there,” JJ challenged him.
They paddled back out and started showing off, trying to one up the other. It started off harmless fun until JJ cut in front of Topper beating him to a wave and causing him to sputter under the water.
“Asshole! That’s bad etiquette!” Topper shouted when he breached the water.
JJ cackled and veered back. “Guess I have to go back to charm school.” JJ whipped around and knocked Topper off his board, sending him into the swell of the wave. Topper was slammed by the water, forced onto his back. He struggled to reach the surface and pushed toward the shore. After what felt like eternity, he finally breached the surface.
“What the fuck man?” He cursed between coughing up salt water.
JJ paddled up next to him. “That’s payback for when you tried to drown John B.”
Topper sighed. “That was a stupid move on my part. I was drunk, not that it’s an excuse. I regret it.” Topper groaned. “That feels like an eternity ago. I feel like a completely different person. Saving John B. and Sarah from the cops didn’t redeem me?”
JJ’s mouth was set in a thin line. “I guess it’s a start.”
“Honestly, I’m over it all, the whole kook vs pogue thing. I don’t fucking care anymore. What does it matter really?” Topper blurted out. JJ was surprisingly silent for a moment. “Well whatever. It’s a small island. I’ll see you around.” He dragged his board out of the water and onto his JEEP and headed back to the seclusion of his home.
xxxx
The next time Topper left his house was two days later. He heard about a big kegger down by the boneyard via posting on other people’s social media, and decided to go. Almost as soon as he arrived, he realized it was a huge mistake. People stopped talking when they saw him and began whispering to each other, kooks and pogues alike. Topper raised his chin, determined not to turn and run away, no matter how much he wanted to. He grabbed a drink and wandered around. No one greeted him. People were actually turning their backs on him as he moved closer. He didn’t have the energy to call them out on it and walked through the crowd.
He spotted JJ’s blonde hair in the distance, he was gesticulating wildly as he spoke to Kiara and Pope. In between movements, he would casually touch his friends, on the shoulder, arm, hair or cheek. Topper found himself slightly jealous in that he had never had anyone in his life that would touch him so freely and be so affectionate. He had friends and a girlfriend, but always felt that he cared much more for them than they did for him. Looking at the pogues, he envied their closeness, their obvious loyalty to each other.
As he observed them, Kiara and Pope separated a bit from JJ and began kissing. JJ’s happy expression faltered. Was that evidence of some splintering in their friendship?
Topper watched as JJ moved from the embracing couple. Topper didn’t know why, but he grabbed some more drinks and followed JJ. It didn’t take him long to catch up as JJ had stopped to sit on some drift wood.
“Hey, want a drink?” he held one out.
JJ startled at the sound of his voice, then relaxed, resuming his usual demeanor. “Did you roofie it man? Intending to slip me a mickey?”
“What? Why would I…No,” Topper sputtered awkwardly. What was wrong with him? He didn’t get why he always felt like a floundering idiot around JJ. Maybe it was because JJ always had some retort ready and Topper felt like he was always searching for the right words.
JJ made a grabby hand gesture towards the drink. “Give it here. I’ll risk it.” JJ chugged his drink tilting his head back. There was something about the line of his throat that mesmerized Topper. JJ whooped as he finished his drink. He looked up at Topper. “Are you gonna just stand there?” He gestured to the wood around them. “There is plenty of room.”
Topper sat across from the other boy. He had wanted to follow him and now that he caught up, he wasn’t exactly sure why or what he should be saying or doing.
They sat in silence for a few minutes.
“I was thinking about what you said at the beach, about kooks and pogues,” JJ started. “Did you really mean it?”
“Yeah.”
JJ dug into his pocket and revealed a joint. He lit it and took a drag exhaling a cloud of smoke. He leaned forward and reached toward Topper “A peace offering if you partake.”
“I was trying not to, but if it’s a peace offering I guess I shouldn’t say no,” Topper shut his mouth to stop the babbling that was starting to come out of his mouth, teeth clicking together with the force. He met JJ halfway and took the joint. “Fuck, that’s smooth,” he commented before passing back to JJ.
“Right? My cousin hooks me up with some excellent, primo shit.” JJ looked him up and down. “So, why are you hiding back here with me instead of playing king of the island out there?”
“Haven’t you heard? I’ve been dethroned.”
JJ snorted. “Yeah? Is that why you’re sporting the new look? What is it, hobo chic?”
“Aw thanks, you like it? You’re the only person who’s noticed,” Topper ran his hand over his hair and attempted to sound nonchalant, but that was very much the truth.
“Ehhhh. Not sure if it suits you,” JJ kept a straight face for a minute, then laughed, clapping a hand on Topper’s shoulder. “Naw, man. It makes you look less like a kook. Did you stop wearing the pretty pastels too?”
“Honestly, I don’t really give a shit what I look like right now.”
“Still working out though?” JJ’s hand slid from Topper’s shoulder to bicep. Topper was surprised by how warm JJ’s hand was. It felt so nice, Topper thought he must be pretty touch-starved to enjoy it.
“One must do something.”
“Oh yes, one must do something,” JJ repeated with an overly exaggerated posh accent. “Dude, so, I’ve always wondered what your kook house was like. Personal gym? Pool? Hot tub?” JJ waggled his eyebrows.
“Yes to all of that.”
“In the spirit of peace offering in the putting aside of the kook and pogue mentality, want to invite me to your house?” JJ was grinning so his dimples showed, somehow simultaneously giving puppy dog eyes.
“Yeah, what the hell,” Topper found himself answering. Well, it would be better than going back to that empty house. He felt lonely enough, he could use some company, even if it was from a past enemy.
“Seriously? I didn’t think it would be that easy,” JJ’s surprise was obvious. “So what convinced you? My good looks or my charming personality?”
“I’m due to provide some community service,” Topper attempted to joke. JJ’s expression dimmed slightly, so Topper back-tracked, not wanting to extinguish the tentative bond they were forming. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. Come on, let’s go.”
They climbed into Topper’s JEEP and he made his way to his home. Topper was surprised at how easily JJ followed him into his vehicle, especially after their past bad interactions. Topper took it to be a sign of trust.
“This is a sweet ride man. This thing is fucking loaded,” JJ was fiddling with the JEEP’s audio system. JJ stood up in the passenger seat to hang out of the open top of the JEEP.
“Be careful,” Topper warned.
JJ was laughing, but actually listened and tucked himself back into the confines of the vehicle. “We’re almost there right?”
“Yeah.” It wasn’t long before Topper pulled into the driveway.
“So you gonna give me the grand tour?”
Topper opened the door and let JJ in.
JJ looked around and whistled. “Wow, this place is fucking fancy. Do I need to take off my shoes? I feel like I need to take off my shoes.” He started toeing off his boots. He tossed them down, laces flopping out. “Ok, I'm ready.”
Topper walked him around the ground floor, JJ following with an almost overwhelmed expression on his face. “I can’t believe you live here man. This place is sick.”
“Come see the backyard. It’s my favorite spot.” The back was secluded with a privacy fence. That’s where the pool, hot tub, water feature, firepit, and outdoor bar were.
“Sweet hot tub. I mean, it doesn’t have disco lights, but it looks pretty good,” JJ commented.
“Disco lights?” Topper parroted, not sure what that meant. “You can try it out if you want.”
“Yeah!” JJ cocked his hips and started working on the fastening on his shorts.
“Whoa! Hey, there’s trunks in the pool house,” Topper felt his cheeks heating up, his eyes lingering on where JJ had his shorts resting precariously low on his hips. Was JJ going commando?
“No skinny dipping?” JJ waggled his eyebrows.
Topper fiddled with the hot tub’s settings, distracting himself. “No skinny dipping.” He went in the pool house and tossed JJ a pair of Blue patterned swim trunks. Topper spun around immediately because he had an idea that JJ would strip right there. Hearing fabric rustling let him know he was right. He went into the pool house bathroom to change into his trunks. When he came out, JJ was at the bar mixing up some drinks.
“What are you making?” Topper asked.
“It’s my own creation. It is perfection,” JJ came out behind the bar and Topper noticed he had large bruises on his ribs and stomach.
“Jesus! Who did you piss off?” Blurted out of Topper’s mouth.
“You know, my charm doesn’t work on everyone,” JJ sounded lighthearted, but Topper could see his expression was strained. “Try this.” He thrust the glass into Topper’s hand.
Topper took a tentative sip. It was strong, but the flavors blended well together. He hummed as he took another sip.
“Good right?” JJ beamed. “Let’s take these to the tub.” He hopped over the side and stretched back.
Topper followed suit, sinking into the hot jetting water. He sighed as he relaxed into it, leaning back to look at the stars. It made him think of Sarah and how she described the North Star and a surge of sadness came over him. He missed her, even though he’d come to terms that she wasn’t really his. He downed his drink, blinking back tears, hoping that JJ didn’t notice.
“Broski! You really chugged that! Want another?”
“Please don’t call me that. It makes me…” Topper trailed off. He didn’t want to reveal that it made him embarrassed and ashamed because it reminded him of his past stupidity.
“Ok, I won’t then, princess.” JJ was grinning mischievously.
Topper couldn’t think of a good comeback, so instead he splashed water at JJ’s face. JJ sputtered and spit it out of his mouth, before retaliating. They continued retaliating splashes on each other until JJ laughed, “Isn’t this how a porno starts?”
Topper felt himself blushing, yet again and didn’t answer that. They hung out in the hot tub until their fingers started to get pruney. Topper directed JJ to the outdoor shower to rinse out and got them towels from the pool house and they padded into the house.
“Do you want a change of clothes?”
“Dear God, anything that isn’t pastel,” JJ exclaimed as he followed Topper up the stairs to his room. “Shit, even your room is ridiculous.”
“Yeah, it is,” Topper tossed JJ a pair of grey sweatpants and a plain white t-shirt. Again JJ began to strip in front of him as if he didn’t care if Topper saw or not. Topper changed in his bathroom. When he came out, JJ was poking around his desk.
“Did you want to head home? Or watch a movie or something?” Topper offered.
“Movie! I’m still awake.”
They chose an action movie and sat next to each other on the couch. Topper wasn’t sure when it happened exactly, or who moved, but about halfway through the movie they were touching thigh to thigh. Topper could have moved away, but JJ was warm where they pressed together and he didn’t want to. Topper felt like his whole body was aware of where JJ was and the points they were in contact. He felt a gentle brush of skin against his hand as JJ’s pinkie touched his. Topper had a strange urge to press back, so he did, his pinkie hooking over JJ’s. JJ didn’t pull his hand away, and they just kind of sat that way together.
When the movie was over, Topper turned to JJ and noticed he had fallen asleep. He looked so peaceful, Topper didn’t have the heart to wake him up. He slowly extracted himself from the couch and lifted JJ so that he was lying on the couch. He spread a blanket over him and brushed his hair back from his face. The blonde strands were incredibly soft, he kind of wanted to keep petting his hair. Instead Topper pulled himself away and went upstairs to his own bed.
xxxx
When Topper woke the next morning, he felt antsy, remembering that JJ was downstairs on his couch. He didn’t know if the sober light of day would change JJ’s opinion of him and the fact that he had stayed over. Needing to expend some energy, Topper decided to cook a nice breakfast. He made some omelets, bacon, sausage and was working on making some waffles, when JJ came into the kitchen.
“That smells amazing. You cook dude? Like this for everyone who spends the night with you?” JJ threw a saucy wink in Topper’s direction.
Topper blushed, “I like to cook.” He really did. It was something he was actually good at and he liked providing for people he liked.
“Fuck, this is incredible,” JJ complimented with his mouth full of food. “I don’t know how anyone would leave after you cooked this. Feed me all the time.”
“I’m glad you like it,” Topper felt a bit more at ease with JJ continuing on as they were from last night. They ate breakfast, not really saying too much.
“What are you up to today?” Topper asked.
“Eh, probably just hanging with Kie and Pope,” JJ shrugged.
“Yeah, if you get bored, want my number?” Topper asked.
“Sure,” JJ grinned as he tapped Topper’s number into his phone. “I’ll get out of your hair. See ya’!” JJ reached over and ran his hand over the top of Topper’s head, ruffling his short hair. He bounded away and then Topper was left alone again.
He hadn’t realized just how lonely he was until JJ’s company was gone.
xxxx (TBC)