CHAPTER TEN.
family secrets

THE DRIVE HOME after the movie night and the chaos that followed was spent in complete silence, no one really saying much to each other. During the drive, Nova sat in the passenger seat next to Kiara, who was the designated driver for the entire journey back, whilst Juno had blatantly told JJ and Pope off for messing with Topper's boat and getting themselves into another fight, her angered tone ringing through the old Volkswagen for a short few minutes. That was until Kiara dropped the O'Connell girl home, allowing the deafening silence to flood the air once again.

Occasionally, Nova would hear the quiet murmures exchanged between JJ and Pope, the two boys talking back and forth quietly about the fight from earlier. But other than that, the drive to Nova's house ( she insisted she walked back, but Kiara was nice enough to offer her a ride home. Surprising, she knows. But it was dark and walking home late at night always came with dangers — one that Nova would rather avoid ) was spent in silence. No talking. No radio. Just silence.

Nova didn't have any complaints about the drive home. Of course, there were times where she absolutely despised the deafening silence, but after the long and agonising night she had, Nova would rather wallow in the quiet instead of the chaos. It gave her space to think, and after tonight, she had plenty of thoughts consuming her hyperactive brain.

One of those thoughts being the fact that her and Rafe were over — their relationship fading away in a matter of seconds. Nova didn't even know why she was so surprised. Her and Rafe's relationship was doomed the second they fell into a dark hole of drugs and addiction together, their relationship becoming nothing more than a continuous fight. It took Nova a while to realise that her relationship with Rafe was built on pain and toxicity, but now that she had come to the conclusion that he was no good for her, Nova felt free from him and his hold over her — something she had never felt until tonight.

It was a relief to say the least. And now that Nova and Rafe's story had drawn to a close, Nova was free to start fresh without fear of what Rafe would do to her next.

     All of a sudden, Nova was quickly snapped back to reality when the old Volkswagen came to a sudden halt, the vehicle parking itself outside her house. This caused for Nova to blink a few times before she peered out the window to see her home standing tall in all its elegance and glory, a quiet sigh leaving her lips at the thought of going inside again. As much as she loved her home, it was still a constant reminder that Riley was gone, his ghost haunting the halls of the Van Kirk household time and time again.

     Nova then averted her gaze elsewhere and looked over her shoulder to glance over at JJ and Pope with a smile forming across her lips in the process. "I'll see you boys around?" She assumed. Well, it sounded more like a question than an insinuation.

     Pope nodded his head, a small smile of his own forming across his lips, his eyes staring back at the blonde, whilst JJ lifted his gaze and nodded towards Nova. "Hey, thanks for saving my ass back there, Princess." JJ said to Nova, a slight smirk ghosting across his lips in the process. The sight alone was enough to make a small flutter erupt in the pit of the girl's stomach, before she shook her head and turned her attention over towards Kiara.

     "Thanks for the ride." Nova says to the Carrera girl, expressing her gratitude. This caused for Kiara to smile and nod her head, before Nova opened the door and climbed out of the vehicle, slamming the door shut behind her. However, before the girl moved any closer towards her house, she turned back around to face Kiara with a thought crossing her mind. "Hey, Kiara, can I ask you something?"

     Kiara shrugged her shoulders, a confused look washing over her face. "Sure." She answers, allowing Nova to continue.

     "Is there any reason why you're being so nice to me?" Nova questioned, a curious look burning in her ocean blue eyes.

     It wasn't such a strange question to ask either. Everyone who knew or even heard about Kiara Carrera knew she hated Kooks despite being one, but always made room for people like Riley Van Kirk and Juno O'Connell in her life. Everyone knew that was because, like Kiara, both of them despised being segregated to one side of the island and practically taught to hate Pogues and anyone else who came from the South Side. Nova was nothing like Juno or her brother. In fact, Nova was aware her and Kiara had nothing in common. So, it always made Nova wonder why Kiara was perfectly fine with her tagging along with the rest of them without even putting up a single fight.

Kiara laughed, shooting Nova a skeptical look. "I didn't know being nice was such a bad thing." She retorted, sounding almost confused whilst she spoke.

"I know. It's just...everyone knows you hate people like me." Nova pointed out, pausing for a short moment whilst she sighed quietly to herself. "I know I don't have the best track record when it comes to friends, but you were definitely the last person I expected to be so welcoming into your group." She elaborated further, her words causing for Kiara's smile to falter.

"Oh, I still hate you." Kiara deadpanned, forcing Nova to purse her lips into a thin line, whilst Kiara continued to speak. "And for a number of reasons. One of them being how you treated Juno. She told me everything you said to her and that's enough to make me hate your guts." She explained, earning a nod from Nova in response.

"So, why are you being so nice to me?" Nova pressed, wanting to know the reasoning behind Kiara kindness towards her if she hated her so much.

Kiara couldn't help but sigh in response to Nova's question, her lips parting to speak soon afterwards. "Because I'm not completely ignorant. I know you've been through a lot these last couple of months. You lost your brother, and I get that pain because I lost one of my best friends. Riley...he was like a big brother to me, and I know that if he was here right how, he would have wanted you to tag along with the rest of us." She explained to the blonde, a sad smile forming across her lips when she mentioned Nova's brother.

     Nova quickly noticed Kiara's weak smile and approached the Volkswagen, leaning against it with a caring look glazed over her eyes. "For the record, Riley talked about you a lot." She informed the girl.

     Kiara glanced back at Nova with a surprised look glazed over her dark and luminous gaze. "He did?" She inquired, sounding almost shocked.

     "Yeah. That's how I found out so much about you." Nova nodded her head, speaking in a reassuring tone. "He said his favourite thing about you was your dedication towards protecting the environment. He never knew how important it was until he met you."

Shortly after Nova had spoken, Kiara's entire demeanour changed, the girl staring back at Nova with a bright look glimmering in her dark orbs for a short moment, before a thought of her own crossed her mind. "Hey, is it true what JJ said? Did he actually, you know—"

"Yeah, he did." Nova cut Kiara off, confirming what they both already knew, the sudden realisation being enough to make Kiara release a shaky breath past her quivering lips.

Nodding her head, Kiara turned her attention back to Nova with her lips parting to speak. "Well, for the record, I'm glad you quit before you ended up like him too." Kiara reassured the blonde, a heartwarming smile ghosting across her plumped lips.

"Thanks, Kiara." Nova replied. "You know, once you get past the bitchy attitude, you're not so bad after all."

Kiara laughed quietly. "Likewise."

     Nova spared the Carrera girl one last glance, before she turned her back on the girl and began to walk up the pathway leading to her house. The distant sound of a rumbling engine then ripped through the night, the aggressive sound only lasting for a while, before it began to drown out, causing for Nova to look over her shoulder to see the old Volkswagen disappearing down the road, the vehicle slowly disappearing into the night.

     A small smile flashed across Nova's face. Despite the night ending in chaos and violence, she had a good time hanging around the Pogues, and even Juno, despite the recent hostility towards her ( not that Nova could blame her. She still had to apologise for the other night ) and for the first time in a long time, Nova had fun, alongside the people she least expected. If you had told the girl months ago that she would be hanging around the Pogues soon enough, she would have simply laughed in your face.

     But for some reason, the Pogues understood Nova in ways her respective Kooks friends never did. She hoped fate would bring them together again soon.

     Nova's smile faltered whilst she walked up the steps towards her house, standing outside for a moment, before she wrapped her hand around the door handle and pushed it open carefully, which was surprising since it should have been locked. Anyways. . . It was late and she didn't want to wake her mother, and so, Nova did her best to stay quiet whilst she entered the house, closing the door shut behind her, thus trapping the girl in a thick blanket of overwhelming darkness.

Nova released a shaky breath and locked the door behind her, before she began to make her way through the dark hallways of her family home, a shudder dancing its way up her spine, the hairs standing up on the back of her neck. She wasn't exactly lying when she said her home felt haunted at times. Her home was always a reminder of the ghosts that haunted it, hiding in the shadows with no chance of being caught. She wished they would leave and let her be free of their torment. But it was always difficult when the demons she was scared of in the dark were the same ones plaguing her mind.

Nova just wanted to get to her bed and sleep the night away.

However, Nova came to a quick stop when she noticed something peculiar that stood out in the midst of the darkness. This caused for the girl to squint her eyes, noticing that it was her father's suitcase. He must be home, Nova thought to herself, a bubble of excitement erupting in the pit of her stomach when she thought about the last missing piece of her family being home after his long business trip. She knew he must be in his office since work was always his passion, after his family, of course.

Nova decided to take a quick detour and continue walking further down the hallway to see a beam of light peaking out from her father's office, clearly from where he must have left a gap in the doorway. Nova smiled to herself, excited to finally see her dad after being separated for over a month. And after everything she had been through, she could use him more than ever right now, causing for Nova to reach out her hand and attempt to push the door open.

"How long is this going to take, Ethan?" The familiar voice of Allison Van Kirk ripped through the silence, her frustrated tone being enough to make Nova retract her hand and lean against the wall, keeping herself hidden. She knew that sharp tone from anywhere, and it normally came out to play whenever her parents were engaged in a heated argument. Nova was curious to know why.

Ethan Van Kirk sighed, sounding exhausted whilst he spoke, "For as long as it takes. You know we can't rush this."

     Nova furrowed her brows in confusion, continuing to lean against the wall, keeping herself hidden and remaining silent whilst she eavesdrops on the brewing argument between her parents. "Why not? You know what happened, and from what I can see, you're not doing a single thing about it." Allison retorted, venom laced in her voice.

     "I'm doing everything to put an end to this nightmare." Ethan argued, snapping at the woman. "It's just taking some time."

     Allison frowned at her husband. "Well, surely, you can try and pull some strings. You're a D.A. You can make things move faster—"

     "I'm a D.A. Not a cop. It's hard to find proof on someone who did good at covering their tracks." Ethan corrected, pausing for a short moment whilst a thought crossed his mind. "Besides, you know the rules. Everything we do has to be kept under the radar, so we don't raise suspicion. If I move quickly to find proof, then it can attract unwanted attention." He added, before he turned his back on the woman, reaching over and pouring himself a glass of expensive scotch.

Allison continued to stare at Ethan from where she stood, a thick lump forming in the back of her throat, a spine tingling thought crossing her mind — one that she dread asking, but chose to anyways. "Are you trying to protect him?" She questioned, a sickly feeling erupting in the pit of her stomach. She continued to dwell on the worse possible answer, scared that there was a small chance her husband was still loyal to the one person who destroyed their family to begin with.

The question was enough to make Ethan Van Kirk tense, his entire body freezing in place for a short moment. Not only was he shocked that his own wife would ask him that barbaric question, but he was hurt that she would lose trust in him and even question his motives and loyalties towards his family. This caused for Ethan to slam the glass back down onto the table, droplets of the beverage spilling out onto the wood, before he turned around to face Allison, who stared back at him with a weary look burning in her eyes.

     "Did you seriously just ask me that?" Ethan inquired, hoping he heard her wrong.

     "I know that you two have a lot of history. He's always had your back. It wouldn't surprise me if you were doing the same for him." Allison replied, sharing her suspicions with the man. She felt guilty for doubting him and his intentions, but she had to be sure.

     Ethan scoffed, turning around and picking up the glass, before lifting the rim of the glass to his lips and downing the contents inside, a shaky breath escaping past his lips. "Well, to answer your question...no. I'm not trying to protect him." He answered, putting the glass back down onto the table in front of him, before he turned back around to face Allison. "And the fact that you think my loyalties lie anywhere else, but my family, is insulting." He told her.

     "Can you blame me?" Allison pressed, emotion and grit flooding her voice whilst she stared back at her husband with tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "You convinced me to help you do this. I broke the law making those documents. I could lose my job, Ethan. But I did it because you said this was the only way. I've lied to everyone. I've been lying to our daughter for months—"

     "Does Nova know anything?" Ethan interjected, quickly speaking up the second Nova became the topic of conversation.

     Allison shook her head in response, her lips parting to speak. "No. But she's getting suspicious. She's been asking about the business trips, and I had to go and pick her up from the station a few days ago because she got caught up in some trouble with the Routledge boy." She explained.

     "Shit." Ethan cursed, the mention of the young Routledge boy being enough to raise his concerns through the roof. "Have you told her anything?" He interrogated further.

     "No. Like I said, she doesn't know a thing." Allison replied, swallowing thickly before she spoke again. "But I do think we should tell her the truth about what really happened that night."

     Shortly after Allison had spoken, Ethan cocked his head up to lock eyes with his wife, before he began to frantically shake his head. "No. No way—"

Allison sighed quietly, staring back at the man with a disapproving look glimmering in her eyes. "Ethan—"

"We agreed to keep Nova out of this." Ethan snapped at the woman, cutting her off whilst he continued to stare at Allison with a twinkle of fear shining bright in his eyes. "We talked about this time and time again, and we agreed that this is what's best for her."

"What's best for her is the truth." Allison retorted, folding her arms over her chest. "Because we can keep lying to her face every day, and maybe, just maybe when this is all over, she might understand why we lied. But what if we're wrong? How do you think Nova is going to feel when this is all over and she finds out the truth? How do you think she's going to react when she finds out we kept her in the dark about something this important? She's going to hate us, Ethan. I get that you're trying to protect her—"

"Exactly. I'm trying to protect our daughter." Ethan interjected once again, raising his voice in the process. "Not only am I trying to protect Nova, but I'm trying to protect this family."

"So am I, Ethan!" Allison exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. "Every day I'm trying not to fall apart and tell Nova the truth. You didn't forget about what I told you about her, did you? She's going to end up just like her brother if we're not careful, and I won't lose my little girl. Please, I just want our family to be whole again."

"I want that too." Ethan sighed, his eyes softening when he saw the tears rolling down the woman's cheeks, before he approached her. "But hiding this secret from Nova is in her best interest. When this is all over and we finally tell her the truth, she's just going to have to understand. Look, I'll figure it out. I'll try harder. But you have to promise me that you won't say anything to her."

Allison then sighed in defeat, wiping away the salty tears streaming down her face, before she nodded her head. "I promise, but please, for the love of God, please make this nightmare end." She told him.

"I will." Ethan reassured her, wrapping his arms around his wife and pulling her into his embrace. "I promise."

━━━━━━━━

     Nova Van Kirk hardly slept that night, the words her parents exchanged in the midst of their heated argument still burning in the back of her mind, smouldering flames carving their venomous words and haunting secrets into her skull until it was all she could think about. Nova couldn't stop thinking about it, her every thought being consumed by the unspoken lies, and even the hurtful truths her parents were keeping hidden from her. It made the girl feel completely lost in the dark, her only way out being the truth her mother and father still needed to tell her.

     She wondered why her parents were trying to find substantial proof. What were they trying to prove? Why did they keep referring to that night? What did it have to do with John B? And why did they have to protect her from it all? All these questions left Nova more confused and lost than ever.

     Sure, Nova could just confront her parents about what she overheard the night before. But from the sound of it, she knew her father wanted nothing more than to keep the family secret ( whatever that may be ) exactly that. . . a secret. As for her mother, she had become his willing accomplice in the lies she had been telling to Nova for what she presumed was months now, making her complicit in the lie. If she just confronted them about it, they would most likely spill another lie and tell her she was just being paranoid.

     Truth is, Nova Van Kirk wished that was the case, except it wasn't. And whatever the secret that her parents were both hellbent on keeping buried was, Nova wanted nothing more to find out. The only problem was that she would have to do it all on her own, but either way, she would figure it out.

     However, the mere thought of facing her parents after last night left a bitter taste in Nova's mouth, a sickly feeling erupting in her stomach whilst she opened the door and stepped outside of her bedroom, the girl dressed in comfortable clothing with the intention of staying with them for the rest of the day. Nova hoped her parents wouldn't be around for the day. At least it would give her time to go through her father's office in hopes of finding something connected to the secrets him and Nova's mother have been keeping from her these last few months.

Despite the uneasy feeling Nova felt in the pit of her stomach, the girl sucked in a sharp breath and rolled back her shoulders, before she headed down stairs, the familiar voices of her parents and Sheriff Peterkin breaking through the deafening silence. This caused for Nova to furrow her brows together in confusion, standing on the bottom step to get a view of the three adults standing together in the kitchen, discussing something clearly important by the looks plastered across their faces. But the second they noticed Nova, they were all quick to stay silent.

     Nova frowned at the sight of their serious faces, her lips parting to speak. "Hey..." She greeted them, a glimmer of confusion burning in her bright orbs.

     Neither of them said anything back to her. Instead, Peterkin turned around and said her goodbyes to Ethan and Allison Van Kirk, before she made her way out of the kitchen and towards the front door. But Nova was quick to rush towards her with a feeling of suspicion pulsating through her bloodstream. Peterkin was a cop. If she knew something then she would tell Nova surely. At least that's what the girl hoped for.

     "Peterkin, wait..." Nova trailed off, causing for the older woman to stop in her tracks and turn around to face the young girl. Nova then swallowed thickly before speaking again. "What were you and my parents talking about? It seemed serious." She asked, hoping Peterkin would be honest with her unlike everyone else.

     Peterkin glanced at Nova for a swift moment, her breath hitched at the back of her throat, before she shook her head. "Nothing for you to worry about. Just some business stuff." She reassured the girl, shrugging her shoulders.

     "Really?" Nova inquired, quirking a brow in the process. "What kind of business?" She pressed further, hoping Peterkin wouldn't lie to her too.

     "Your father and I were just going over the details about a case he's working on for the court. Like I said, it's nothing for you to worry about." She explained vaguely. Nova saw the guilty look burning in the woman's eyes. She knew Peterkin was lying to her, but she chose to drop it for now. "Besides, I would head in there and make a good case for yourself." Peterkin added, quickly changing the subject.

     Nova glanced at the older woman with a puzzled look evident in her eyes. "Why?" She asked.

     Peterkin sighed and gave the girl a small smile. "Rafe Cameron told your parents you've been using drugs." She informed Nova, the sudden news being enough to make Nova's entire body stiffen, a chill going up her spine when she found out her secret had been told to the two people she never wanted to find out.

     Peterkin quickly noticed Nova tense, causing for her to place her hand in Nova's upper arm with a comforting touch. "You should have told someone about this. You could have told me." She told the blonde.

     "I know." Nova sighed, forcing a smile in the process, the revelation that she would have to explain the entire ordeal to her parents striking fear into the girl. "Well, I should head in there and explain everything to them." She suggested, looking over her shoulder to see her parents staring back at her with a stern look.

"Well, if you need back up in there, then I'm more than happy to stay." Peterkin offered, earning a genuine smile from Nova this time.

"I'll be okay." Nova reassured the woman, nodding her head. "Thanks, Peterkin." She added, before Peterkin opened the front door and left the house, thus leaving Nova alone with her parents.

Nova released a shaky breath past her lips and turned around, taking a few deep breaths whilst she walked from the front door and into the kitchen where both her parents stood, staring back at their daughter with disappointment in their eyes. It didn't take a genius to realise that Nova was only seconds away from receiving one of the most grilling and intense lectures of her life. But how could she blame them? She was a ( recovering ) addict, who was falling down the same rabbit hole as her brother. They were bound to be a little angry, and maybe even scared.

Ethan swallowed thickly and folded his arms over his chest. "I'm barely home for a day and I come back to find out my daughter is using drugs. Do you care to explain why you would be so selfish and reckless that you would even touch the stuff?" He spoke up, his voice laced with authority whilst he stared down at Nova, the girl beginning to stare back at him with worry.

And that was when it clicked.

Last night she overheard her mother say something along the lines of, you didn't forget about what I told you about her, did you? They were talking about Nova's addiction. Rafe must have said something to them before arriving at the OBX Summer Series yesterday.

"Listen, I don't know what Rafe told you, but he probably twisted everything around to make me look bad because we broke up." Nova replied, taking a seat on the nearest stool next to the kitchen island centred in the middle of the room.

"Regardless of his reasoning, that boy told us everything we needed to know." Allison deadpanned, preventing Nova from speaking, her voice not sounding as caring and lovingly as Nova remembered. "How could you do something so careless, especially after everything that happened with your brother?" She interrogated further, her voice demanding answers from her daughter.

     Nova simply shrugged her shoulders, staring down at her twiddling thumbs for a second, before she lifted her gaze to stare at her parents. "I lost my brother. Everyone was beginning to move on, including you guys, and I just felt so alone. I just wanted to forget about everything. I had to grieve in my own way." She explained, hoping it was enough to make her parents understand.

     But she should have known better than to think they would understand something like this.

     "And you thought experimenting with the thing that got your brother killed was the answer to your grief? It was reckless and stupid. You should be ashamed for yourself." Ethan snapped at the girl, making Nova look down at her hands again. She knew he was right. Drugs should have never even been an option for her. Ethan then sighed and shook his head. "Go upstairs and pack your bags."

     Nova quickly cocked her head up and stared at her father with confusion in her eyes. "Why?" She asked.

     "Because I'm taking you to a rehab facility on the mainland far away from this place." Ethan informed her, his words causing for Nova's eyes to widen in surprise. Sure, maybe rehab was what she needed, but there was no way in hell she was being dragged away from her home.

     "No, no, no. You are not making me go there." Nova argued, her eyes darting over to where her mother stood. "Mom, come on. You can't let him do this. You can't force me to go." She begged.

     Allison stared back at her daughter, a concerned look burning in her eyes. "You are sixteen years old, and as long as you live under our roof, you do what we say. If your dad wants to send you to a rehab facility, then you go upstairs, pack a bag and you go." She elaborated, earning a sigh filled with frustration from Nova.

     "No. Okay, look, I know I screwed up. I acknowledged that a long time ago and I've been clean ever since. So, please, don't send me away. I know it might be for the best, but for me it isn't. I need to be here with my family and friends, because sending me away is not going to help me get better." Nova retorted, making her case in order to convince her parents to let her get better in her own way. "Look, if I lose my way and spiral again, then you send me away. But I'm okay. It's difficult right now, but I'm getting through it and I need your support to do that."

Ethan and Allison stared at Nova for a short moment, before they turned their attention to each other, the couple exchanging a few glances. It was almost they were communicating telepathically, which was something Nova never understood, because there was no way people can speak just be using their eyes, but for some reason, it always seemed to work with her parents. It made her wonder what their answer would be, the girl silently hoping they would be reluctant into letting her stay in Outer Banks.

Finally, Ethan turned back to face Nova, a breath leaving his lips before he decided to speak. "Fine. You can stay. We trust you enough that you can get better with the support you need underneath this roof. But one single slip up and you are gone, you hear me?" He informed the girl, a serious look glazed over his eyes whilst he spoke.

Shortly after her father had spoken, Nova smiled and nodded her head. "Thank you." She replied, a grateful look plastered across her face.

"But you are grounded...after tonight, that is." Her dad added, his words being enough to make Nova frown again.

"Why?" Nova paused, knitting her brows together. "What's tonight?"

     Nova's words were enough to make Allison gawk at her daughter, a surprised look washing over the woman's face in the process. It made Nova wonder what she had said to shock her mother to the core. She meant what she said too. Nova was absolutely clueless to what was happening tonight, making her curious to know what the answer was going to be.

     "Sweetie, it's Midsummers." Allison announced, her words being enough to make Nova's small smile falter. "How could you forget?"

     That was an easy question to answer. Nova had been so occupied by the ongoing mystery of what really happened to Riley Van Kirk that she had completely forgotten about the biggest event of the year. Well, it was only a huge event for the Kooks. No one really rolled out the welcome wagon for the Pogues since fancy parties with finger foods and champagne wasn't exactly their scene. Not that Nova would know since Pogues were never invited.

     "Yeah, about that..." Nova trailed off, shrugging her shoulders. "I'm not going." She told them.

     "But you love Midsummers." Allison retorted.

     Correction. Nova loved Midsummers. Of course she did. Nova was what people liked to call a Kook Princess and most princesses from Figure Eight were taught to love a fancy party like Midsummers. Nova loved getting dressed up in a nice dress and putting pretty flowers in her hair to attend a party where she could dance with her friends and sneak in a few drinks whilst she was there. She loved being the centre of attention, like a shiny mirrorball shimmering beautifully for the rest of the party to see.

     But after Riley died, Nova started to realise the kind of person she was — the real her. She realised that she wasn't some Kook Princess who loved been the centre of attention, and that it was all an act to make people like her. Now she was still a mirrorball in some shape or form, but instead, she was reflecting back the personality of complete strangers to make them like her more — changing everything about herself to fit in with the crowd, because the real her wouldn't be as accepted compared to the little miss perfect she pretended to be.

     She also came to the realisation that Midsummers was just an excuse to get dressed up and party, whilst the less fortunate suffer, which was so tone deaf, if you were to ask Nova. All of these things were reasons why Midsummers wasn't worth attending.

     "When we picked out your dress months ago, you were so excited for this year." Allison reminded her daughter, staring back at the young blonde with a curious look. "What's changed?"

     Nova shook her head, lifting her gaze to stare back at her parents. "I just don't feel like going." She sighed. It wasn't exactly a lie either. Sure, Riley was the real reason for wanting to avoid the extravagant event, but Nova was exhausted. Every day felt like another battle because of her withdraw from drugs. Getting dressed up and going to a party was the last thing she wanted.

     "Nonsense." Ethan told his daughter, walking around the kitchen island until he was standing next to Nova. "You can go, force a pretty smile, and at least pretend to have some fun for your mother and I."

     Nova stared up at her father for a short moment, before she sighed in defeat and nodded her head. "Fine. I'll go and get ready." She told them, already regretting her decision whilst she hopped off the stool and made her way up the stairs and into her room.

     However, when Nova stepped inside the comfort of her room, she noticed something was different. When she scanned her eyes over her familiar surroundings, Nova quickly started to realise that her window was left open, which was enough to raise suspicion since she was convinced she closed it last night before bed. At first, she believed someone was in the room with her, the girl slowly taking a few steps further into the room.

But then Nova noticed something placed on her bed, standing out amongst the creased bedsheets. It was a woven bracelet with a few plastic beads attached to the pieces of woven string. Nova frowned whilst she picked the bracelet up from her bed, analysing it closely, before she lowered her gaze to see there was a folded up piece of paper, causing for Nova to stretch out her hand once again and pick up the paper, unfolding it to see it was a short handwritten note, a small smile forming across the girl's lips when she read the words scribbled across the paper.

     Save me a dance tonight.

     — JJ

Nova couldn't help but giggle quietly to herself, tucking some strands of her golden blonde hair behind her ear as another flutter of butterflies erupting in the pit of her stomach. Nova couldn't believe the boy went through all of this effort to give her a bracelet and note announcing that he would make an appearance at the party tonight. She wondered what kind of mischief JJ Maybank of all people had up his sleeve that required him to show up tonight, but that didn't matter because at least she would get to see him again.

Maybe Midsummers wouldn't suck after all.

━━━━━━━━

authors note.
What are Nova's parents hiding? 👀
It literally kills me not being able to tell you guys what's coming up, like I want to spill all the secrets, but it wouldn't make this story as exciting. You'll find out soon though I promise!!

Anyways Midsummers is coming up and there's going to be a lot of cute jjnova moments and a whole lot of drama, so I hope you guys are excited.

Until then, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I'll update again soon!!