#and then youre like 'oh he can drink even though he was having alcohol withdrawls because i dont want him to be boring' ???

[angelmotifs]

i know im the millionth person to say this but the first few seasons of vanderpump rules really is the always sunny of reality tv. every single one of these people are so insanely addicted to alcohol and they're all enabling each other its such a disaster

[apoguecalledjj]

Fixation (Chapter 8)

Sorry, this one is a bit short! It’s because the next one is going to be long, also there’s only one more part + an epilogue!

Series summary: Eleanor is new to the outer banks, and the pogues are quick to take her in. But so are the kooks, and as she grows closer with Rafe, trouble emerges. Trying to balance her relationship with the pogues and the kooks, as well as dealing with her own personal problems, Eleanor falls into a hole she may not be able to dig herself out of.

Chapter Word Count: 2140

Chapter Warnings: Hospitals

Previous Parts: Ch. 1  Ch. 2  Ch. 3 Ch. 4 Ch. 5 Ch. 6 Ch. 7 Ch. 8

Taglist: @prejudic3 @maragritatimebaybee @drewxxrudy @outerbankslove @bricksatanakinswindow @alexa-playafricabytoto @gigi-june

“I don’t think this is a good idea, JJ.”

“Kiara, he almost killed her. He almost fucking killed her.” JJ was fuming in the front seat of John B’s van. The five of them were currently on the way to figure 8, more specifically, the Cameron residence. 

“JJ’s right, Kie. I’ve had enough of Rafe fucking with my friends.” John B’s eyes were fixated on the road, but everyone knew his thoughts weren’t focused.

He pulled into the driveway and Sarah jumped out first, the pogues trailing behind her. Kiara and Pope hung slightly back, not entirely comfortable with the idea of a fight. Even though they both agreed that Rafe deserved to get his ass kicked, it wasn’t often that he was without Topper and Kelce. 

They learned quickly that Rafe wasn’t alone as he burst through the front door, his two friends just behind him. Topper glared, but Kiara could see a sliver of worry in Rafe’s eyes. Worry for Ellie, or worry about getting in trouble, she wondered.

JJ didn’t hesitate. “You fucking prick!” He yelled, lunging toward the closest kook boy, his fist connecting with bone. But JJ wasn’t thinking clearly, he wasn’t focused like he normally was during fights, this time he was overcome with anger and it was easy for Rafe to hit him back and eventually straddle him to the ground.

“Don’t come around my place acting all mighty and strong, you dirty pogue,” Rafe spat in his face. John B stepped forward to pull Rafe off, but Topper stood in front of him, giving him a shove back.

“You deserve to fucking die,” JJ snarled, his hands wrapped tightly around Rafe’s arms as he struggled to get out of his hold. “You left her alone. You left her alone to die!”

Topper’s fist froze in midair, and Kelce, who had yet to move anyways, took a step back. “What’s he talking about, Rafe?” Kelce asked.

“Nothing,” He mumbled, loosening his grip on JJ. 

JJ managed to push him off of him, flipping the boy over so he was now pinned against the ground. “Causing your girlfriend to overdose isn’t what I would classify as nothing.”

“Ellie overdosed?” For once, Topper sounded genuine. The two kook boys actually did care a lot about Ellie, they had grown quite close to her and to hear Rafe had hurt her upset the both of them.

“Yeah, she did,” Sarah said, stepping towards where JJ and Rafe still sat on the ground. She motioned for JJ to move and he did, and Rafe stood up to face her. “You idiot-” She jabbed her finger into Rafe’s chest. “-Got her hooked on cocaine. You know her mom’s a fucking addict? That’s why she lives with her uncle. And you got her addicted. Are you stupid?” 

Kelce moved away from Rafe, looking at him in shock. “What the fuck, bro.”

Pope continued where Sarah left off. “You think you’d be smart enough to at least not push her limits. But obviously not, since she’s now unconscious at the hospital, after they found her ALONE, SEIZING in your room, Rafe. Why would you leave her?”

“I called the ambulance,” Rafe mumbled.

“Yeah, and it was almost too late. Any longer and she probably would have died,” Kiara told him, not even able to look him in the eyes.

Topper was still staring at the ground in front of him. “I had no idea she was doing drugs.”

“She wasn’t, till she got with Rafe,” John B sneered.

“She’s still unconscious?” Kelce’s voice was quiet, barely above a whisper. “Can we see her?”

JJ froze, obviously not knowing how to respond. He didn’t like Kelce and Topper, got in fights with them often, but their reactions seemed genuine and they did spend a lot of time with Ellie. He glanced at Kiara, urging her to answer the question for him.

She nodded. “You two can. HIm, though-” She motioned to Rafe. “Absolutely not. I don’t even want to see him outside of the hospital.”

Rafe nodded, his eyes wide and frantic. He looked crazy, worried, and paranoid, and that was when JJ realized he wasn’t even sober. His girlfriend just overdosed, and he was still getting high.

Kiara’s phone rang, and she stepped to the side. JJ stepped closer to Rafe. “I think it’d be a good idea for you to stay away from Ellie from now on.”

“Yeah, whatever.” Rafe kicked at the ground, turning to go into the house. “Keeping me away from my own goddamn girlfriend, yeah,” He mumbled just loud enough to be heard.

“I doubt she’s your girlfriend anymore. I got a feeling she’s gonna want to stay a long way away from you,” Sarah said.

Rafe scoffed. “Top, Kelce, you coming? Fuck the pogues.”

“Nah, man, we’re gonna go see Ellie,” Topper told him.

Kiara stepped back into the group. “Perfect timing. She just woke up.”

---

The pogues, plus Topper and Kelce, rushed to the hospital and through the halls. Travis was leaned against the wall outside of Ellie’s room, his eyes closed slightly as he hummed.

“Hey, kids,” He said, hearing their loud footsteps approaching. He opened his eyes and turned. “Topper and Kelce. Didn’t expect you two with this crowd.” His eyes narrowed and he scanned the group. “Rafe isn’t here, is he?”

JJ shook his head. “No sir. We made sure he wouldn’t come, I hope that was the right thing to do...” JJ trailed off nervously, still not entirely sure how Ellie’s uncle felt about the situation even though Rafe had almost killed his niece.

“No, that’s good. We don’t want to see him around here anytime soon,” He said, nodding. He turned to Kelce and Topper. “You two weren’t involved with this, were you?”

Kelce’s eyes widened. “No, no! We had no idea she was doing coke. She never did it around us.”

Travis nodded once again. “Alright. Well, you guys can go in and see her. She’s been asking for you. There’s no limit anymore since she’s awake, so all of you can go in, but please, try not to overwhelm her.” His gaze was aimed towards John B and JJ with that last statement.

JJ entered the room first, and the smile that spread across Ellie’s face caused his heart to flutter. She already looked so much better, there was color in her skin and her eyes were bright. She lifted her hand up in a small wave and he went to return the favor but was interrupted by John B slamming into his back. 

“Why’d you stop man- Oh hi Ellie!” 

She giggled at John B, and JJ swore it was the most beautiful thing he ever heard. He had been terrified he would never hear that laugh again, and every sound that came out of her now felt like a blessing.

The rest of the group piled into the room, which was way too small for all of them, but Ellie didn’t seem to mind. Her smile just grew wider and wider as they piled in, especially Topper and Kelce, who she was obviously shocked to see.

JJ took the chair by her bed, a silent agreement among his friends that he would be the one to sit there. Kiara took the other chair, John B propping himself in the windowsill and Pope standing next to him. Sarah sat on the foot of the bed after some encouragement from Ellie, and Topper and Kelce stood on the other side of the room, not used to being with this group of friends.

“Hey El, how you doing?” JJ spoke quietly, finally able to talk to her.

She sighed. “Withdrawl is hard. I have a brutal headache, and I’m exhausted. But I'm not gonna sleep. I wanna talk to you guys.”

JJ had noticed that her eyes were slightly drooping, her blinks were longer than normal, but he hadn’t wanted to mention anything. He had watched his dad go through withdrawals before, and he knew how terrible it could get. 

There was a moment of silence, no one really knowing what to say after your best friend just had an overdose. Eventually, Ellie spoke up again. “So how’d you two kooks end up with the pogues? Never thought I’d see the day.”

No one spoke at first, not sure if bringing up Rafe was a good idea. But Ellie was waiting for an answer and they would have to talk about it soon anyways.

“The pogues came to tell off Rafe,” Topper finally told her, earning a smack from Kelce for how blunt he was about it.

“You guys went to see Rafe?” Ellie asked, surprised.

John B nodded. “Kiara wouldn’t let us beat him up though.”

“John B! You can’t say stuff like that!”

But Ellie just laughed. “Should have let them,” She told Kiara. Her face turned more serious. “I don’t want him around here at all though, ok? Can you guys try to keep him away?”

Kelce nodded quickly. “He won’t be around. The pogues dealt with that one.” He sent a smile their way, something no one thought they’d ever see. “And I don’t know if I can speak for Topper, but I’m not going to be around him much anymore.”

Topper nodded in agreement, and Ellie smiled softly. “Thanks, guys.”

Pope finally asked the question everyone was dying to ask. “Are you going to rehab?” He said quietly, not wanting to make her uncomfortable, but curiosity getting the better of him.

Ellie shook her head. “No, I told uncle Travis I didn’t want to go and promised I wouldn’t do anymore coke. Or even drink alcohol. The doctor wasn’t pleased, and really wanted me to go, but uncle Travis is letting me have a chance. Me crying helped a little, I think.”

"I'm glad you'll still be around, " JJ spoke quietly but he knew Ellie heard him because she smiled.

They continued to laugh and joke around afterward, Topper even managed to make John B and JJ chuckle a few times. Ellie felt happy, even after all she had been through because she was surrounded by the best people. It also helped that JJ was right next to her, he always managed to put her in a better mood.

His hand was gently rested on top of hers, neither of them could remember when he placed it there but it stayed, bringing warmth to her palm. His thumb brushed over her skin, relaxing her unconsciously.

"'M getting tired, " Ellie admitted after hours of giggling with her friends. It was still early in the night, but she still wasn't 100% and probably wouldn't be for a while. Even though she had been unconscious for over 24 hours and had taken a nap afterward, she still longed for sleep.

Everyone slowly trickled out of the room, but JJ stayed behind. "Can I talk to you alone for just a minute? It won't be long, I promise."

Ellie smiled. "Of course, I don't mind."

JJ wrapped his fingers around the hand he was still holding. He met her gaze, and she could see how serious he was. "I meant what I said before and I still do. I am in love with you Ellie, and almost losing you just helped me realize it quicker. I would give the world for you, you make my heart beat faster, and having you next to me is the best feeling in the world. I know you've been through a lot and you just got out of things with Rafe, but I had to tell you. Again, since this is technically the third time I've confessed." JJ noticed her look of confusion and quickly explained himself. "I poured my heart out to you while you were unconscious."

He chuckled. "I don't ever want to see you hurt again. I love you Ellie, and I'm willing to wait. Or unless you don't have feelings for me. I didn't think about that but if you don't it's okay. I kind of jumped the gun with that one didn't I?"

JJ would have continued to ramble on nervously if Ellie hadn't interrupted him. "JJ. Stop. I do have feelings for you. I think I always have, I was just- just overtaken by the drugs." JJ smiled, and she quickly continued. "But you are right, it is really soon. I need to take things slow."

He nodded. "Slow. I'm good with slow."

Ellie didn't respond, instead, she leaned over and pressed her lips to his. He immediately kissed back without thought, his hand moving around to the back of her neck while the other still held her hand.

They pulled away, both of them grinning. "What happened to taking it slow?" JJ asked.

"Starting now." Ellie smiled at him, then kissed him once again.