You Can Be My Bad Boy: Stop The Plot

~Evening~

I woke up the next morning to a room full of boxes. I looked at my phone that was plugged in on the floor. It was about eleven and I had a message from JJ.

JJ the Sourpuss - I called everyone. We'll be over at noon.

He was so sweet, getting everyone together for me. I mean, he is involved, but I feel special for some reason.

Wait, did he say noon?

I jumped out of bed and rushed to the bathroom with a fistful of clothes from one of the boxes. Most of the time the curse sucks, but sometimes it makes sure that a box of clothes that I need is readily available. Or it was a coincidence. Or maybe JJ. No! Not JJ. That would be weird.

I finished getting ready and rushed down the stairs right as Josh was opening the door to JJ, the boys, and GD. I was surprised, but it looked like Alex had come with them. I was glad that Alex seemed to get along with everyone so well. JJ looked at me and smiled almost sadly. I couldn't help myself, but to return it. I walked over to them as everyone greeted each other.

"It's really quiet now that you're gone," Leo said.

I laughed, "I didn't even say that much in the car."

"Yeah," Sam agreed, "but it's just . . . different now."

"Raph, your level headed. Tell them they're just being dramatic," I joked.

Raph just shook his head.

Did I really make that much of a difference?

"Everyone to the kitchen," Josh said, "Dad took Jackson to some boy scouts thing so we have the whole house to ourselves and guess who made pancakes?"

"Did you burn the kitchen down?" I teased as everyone rushed for pancakes.

"Ha ha, Evie," Josh rolled his eyes and followed everyone.

JJ and I were the only people left by the door and as he passed me he said, "They're right, you know. It's too quiet."

At that moment the doorbell rang again. I really wanted to ask JJ some more questions, tease him a bit, but guests called. I let in Jess and Mari who had Chris trailing behind them. Chris told me he was thrilled that I was home and he asked if I was too. I told him that it hadn't really hit me that I'm home yet, which was true, but also not. I didn't really know how I felt about leaving. I looked behind Jess and saw Matt on the porch. I still wasn't used to him hanging around us again.

Just as I was about to greet him I heard JJ's voice behind me, "Sorry. Invite only."

I glared at him, "JJ. Be nice. He's one of us now."

He looked at me with cold eyes and I heard his voice in my head with the same tone that it had taken last night when I'd asked for the reason behind his feelings towards Matt at the party, Bambi, please. I'll explain later, but he can't join us.

I was hesitant, but JJ was so sure that I couldn't say no, "Sorry, Matt. This meeting is kind of a secret, so I can't let you in on it. But we'll explain everything later, okay? Jess will text you when we're done so you can hang out if you want."

"But-" he looked disappointed, but nodded, "I'll see you around."

After he left I turned back to glare at JJ again, "What was all that about?"

"Come on," he said coldly as he turned, "I'll explain during the meeting."

"You better," I mumbled as I followed him.

I walked into the kitchen to see everyone lounging around and eating Josh's surprisingly edible looking pancakes. Everyone seemed pretty relaxed to be here at a surprise meeting thrown by a mafia boss at the house of a girl who was recently kidnapped. I suppose that they thought the worst was behind us. They were right, but it didn't mean that we were out of the woods yet. Surprise ex-girlfriends were pretty bad, but nothing compared to being kidnapped into a forced marriage. This still sucked pretty bad, though.

JJ cleared his throat and got everyone's attention, "Guess who showed up at my house last night right as Bambi was about to leave?"

"Who?" Leo said a little too loudly.

"Maddy Lee."

The boys and GD went quiet.

I see they all knew.

I turned to everyone else, "Maddy is JJ's ex-girlfriend."

"I still don't get why this is a big deal," Josh said.

Jess hit the back of his head, "A bad boy's ex appearing out of nowhere is a plot point, dumbass."

"Meaning that this story is still going," Mari added.

"There's more to it then that," JJ said, before he told us his story with Maddy.

Maddy and JJ went to Jasper together for two years. JJ didn't know who she was until his sophomore year. She'd known about him the whole time and hated him. She thought he was stuck up and selfish. Everyone who knew him from then said that he was. Maddy and JJ were paired for an English project at the beginning of the year and she wasn't letting him get out of helping her, so they ended up spending a lot of time together. Soon, they became friends. Unfortunately, her neighbor at the time had been in love with her since they were kids and hated JJ. He confessed to her and it complicated her friendship with both him and JJ. Eventually, JJ got over himself enough to ask her out and they dated for a while. They thought that they'd be together forever, but after only a few months, right as summer was starting, she broke up with him saying that she loved the sweet boy next door and always had.  She broke JJ's heart that day. She didn't come back to Jasper in the fall, but no one really cared enough to look into why. When GD found out she said that the story sounded familiar and showed the boys some Bad Boy novels. That's how they came to the conclusion that JJ was cursed.

"Cool, but I don't see why we need to know all this," Josh said.

"Josh," I scolded.

JJ put his hand on my shoulder to reassure me, "No, he's right. I haven't told you why all this matters yet. It's about the boy next door that she left me for."

"What about him?" Josh asked.

JJ looked at Jess, "Matt. Maddy left me for Matt. And she's starting school with us on Monday."