The Bad Boy's Reward

Chapter 5: Play Me Something

June's POV

My hand throbbed as I stared JJ down. I wanted to shake the pain out, to rub my sore knuckles, but I refused to let him know the pain punching him caused. His lips were the first to ever touch my own. In a way, it was like he had stolen my first kiss, as I had no other option but to give him mouth-to-mouth last night. His comment definitely pushed me over the edge.

“What’s your problem?” he asked, mad.

“You are!” I replied sharply, storming out.

In my haste to get away from him, I didn’t pay attention to where I was going and was now lost in the maze of tunnels underground. I felt the sting of my tears as I forcefully wiped them away. A mixture of hurt and anger swirled inside me, causing me to be stubborn and continue down one of the paths. I had no idea of knowing where it went.

“June!” I could hear Tiff calling my name in the distance. “Oh thank God,” she said, sounding so relieved to see me as she rounded the corner. “Did he do something?” she asked me, clearly seeing my tear-stricken face. I shook my head, not wanting to admit that JJ’s comment earlier made me mad because it was technically my first kiss. That would only embarrass me further.

Tiff grabbed my hand gently and led me back out onto the warehouse floor, and outside. For once, I was grateful for the embrace of the humid air with the sun's intense heat. I closed my eyes and took deep breaths, further relaxing my tense muscles and shot nerves. Tiff was silent, staying directly by my side, never once bothering me. She gave me time to regain myself before she finally spoke.

“I’m sorry, June. I wanted JJ to thank you and be grateful, the way he should be — the way I am. He’s too damn stubborn to admit he needed saving, let alone thank you for it.” She sighed as she stared up at the fluffy white clouds littering the sky.

“I get what you were trying to do, but it’s probably better if I’m just left alone. I’m sure having the Sheriff’s daughter around would put a damper on your group activities,” I said, hinting at their criminal tendencies.

“Are you kidding? After you risked your life for someone you don’t even know, how could I ever leave you alone?” She smirked at me. “I’ll just leave those two at home next time I come see you, okay?”

Her words surprised me as I stared at her, dumbfounded. She wanted to be friends, despite who I was and who I was connected to. It was the first time someone had asked about me without seeming to want something in return. I nodded my head at her, giving her a small smile in response.

“Okay, I can live with that.”

Tiff and I sat outside a while longer, talking about random things. This girl could keep a conversation going with a mute if she wanted. I never felt pressured to say anything. She kept it light and easy. It wasn’t hard to follow her lead, and soon I laughed alongside her. Tiffany was definitely a breath of fresh air in this town.

We were in the midst of laughing at one of her stories when Rodney and JJ emerged. He still looked bothered, his jaw tense with an obvious expression of annoyance. Rodney elbowed him in the side, arching a brow at him as if to remind him to say something. He rolled his eyes before making his way towards me. I kept my head high, refusing to look down, despite the nerves I was feeling. His clear blue eyes met mine, and I kept my gaze fixed on him.

"Thank you, I guess," he finally huffed out, as if it were the hardest thing to say.

"For what, exactly?" I smirked, giving him an equally hard time. The corner of his eyes squinted in an angry surprise before he muttered his answer.

"For saving my life, okay?"

"No problem, JJ. You may want to be more careful. I might not be around next time." The look on his face was priceless, worth the panic and anger I had felt earlier.

Tiffany laughed, reminding me we weren't the only two around. She locked her arm with mine and turned to look at Rodney. The way she looked at him clearly denoted her deep love for him.

"Love, will you drop June and I off at her house? I want to keep talking to her. You boys can do whatever you want to do to keep yourselves entertained," she said with a smirk.

The way she called him love didn't go unnoticed. She said it as if he were love embodied. He was the very definition of it to her, and I'd never seen or heard such devotion from one word. It was crazy to me, as we were all still so young. How could she be so sure of her feelings for him?

"Awe, I wanted time with you, too," he said, giving a cute little pout which made Tiffany smile widely.

"You're so whipped," JJ's unwanted commentary cut through the adorable moment.

"And you're such a jerk," Tiff snarled, rolling her eyes at her friend. "You can come over tonight," she told Rodney, who broke out in a mischievous grin. More than a hangout was clearly being offered here.

"Okay, let's go drop you guys off then."

"I call shotgun!" JJ called out as he raced to the passenger door, clearly not wanting to be stuck in the back seat with me again.

"That's fine, just don't get any ideas. Rodney is all mine," Tiff joked, walking us towards the back seat.

The music was kept at a punk rock genre, as JJ had taken over as the DJ. I hummed along to a couple of songs I had recognized. Having listened to and studied all types of music in my quest to find the right sound for myself, I needed to know what genre resonated with me the most to produce my music. Often, I found myself mixing and mashing them up as I experimented.

"Drop us off at the corner, please." I tapped Rodney as we approached my street.

"Don't want to be seen with criminals?" JJ teased, thinking he was being real cute.

"Not allowed to be seen with any boy, actually," I answered as I stepped out. Tiffany gave Rodney a kiss goodbye, one which lasted so long you would think they thought it would be their last. Eventually, she pulled away, and Rodney and JJ drove off.

I spent the afternoon getting to know Tiffany better. We hung out in the living room, venturing into my room after a while. However, I felt a bit embarrassed never having had someone up here before. It was a pretty plain room, as I couldn't decorate it the way I would have liked without arousing suspicion from my dad. She opened my closet, causing my guitar to fall out as I had placed it hastily inside without being careful this morning. Thankfully, it didn't make a loud enough sound to wake Dad, who could be heard snoring down the hall.

"You play?" she asked, seeming very surprised.

"Just a little, nothing to brag about," I answered, shoving my guitar back in the closet.

"I am the worst at playing any kind of instrument. I can't even sing, but I still love music with all my heart. I hope to become a music producer. In fact, my major at the University of New York will be Music Business. I am so excited to start. What about you?” she asked, plopping down on my bed without a care.

It shocked me to hear she would be in New York as well. What were the odds that two small town girls would end up in the same city for college?

“I’m moving to New York, too.” I smiled, not wanting to get into specifics. I didn’t want to lie to her, but I also didn’t want her to have to lie to my father.

“No way!” she squealed excitedly, causing me to shush her. “Sorry, I know I can be loud sometimes,” she whispered, ducking her head down in shame.

“You’re fine. I just don’t want my dad to wake up. I don’t mind. Honestly, I could use less quiet in my life.” She smiled at me as I took a seat beside her.

“Play me something, June. I wanna hear you.” I was reluctant, but after a lot of pushing from Tiffany, I grabbed my simple Yamaha acoustic guitar and led her outside. When we were far enough away from the house that Dad wouldn’t hear, I played “How Deep Is Your Love” by The Bee Gees. I’ve always felt like I sounded the best in this key.

Tiffany leaned back against the large pine tree, just watching me. It made me extremely nervous, but I knew that was something I would have to get over as an aspiring musician. So I kept my eyes open, trying to get used to the feeling of being watched.

My voice didn’t shake or give way to my speeding up heart rate as I sang. This song was always my favorite to sing with my mother, so it was near and dear to my heart. When I finished, Tiffany stayed so silent, only making me more anxious.