Small Town Sinners

A little over a month had passed since JJ overheard Emily’s phone call. When they went back to school that following Monday, Emily had tried to act like nothing had changed. She kept up her teasing and snappy comments, but JJ started noticing things she hadn’t before.

She began seeing the dark circles under Emily’s eyes, the way her shoulders would tense whenever someone asked a personal question, and how she would dodge those questions with a snappy remark or a quick change of subject. JJ just couldn’t ignore how utterly drained Emily looked.

Something between them had shifted that day, though JJ couldn’t quite put her finger on it. It was undeniable, though—something had changed.

“JJ, come on, a girl only turns eighteen once in her life.”

“Technically, we all only turn any age once.”

“Spencer! You’re not helping. Now, JJ, please let us celebrate your birthday, pleaseeeeee.”

Penelope had gotten wind that JJ’s birthday was that Saturday and was determined to throw a celebration. JJ wasn’t exactly excited for her birthday that year, but she wasn’t about to tell them why.

“Penelope, it’s no big deal, really. I’ll probably just stay home and watch Love Island or something,” JJ said with a soft grin.

But Penelope wasn’t backing down.

“This is not up for discussion, Jayje. We will be celebrating.”

JJ shook her head gently. “Pen—” Before she could finish, she was interrupted by Elle, who had been quietly listening in on the conversation.

“Ooooh, we could make it a girls’ night!” Elle exclaimed, her eyes lighting up with excitement.

“Guys, it’s really not necessary—”

Penelope practically squealed at the idea. “Yes! That way we can celebrate without any boys!”

JJ sighed and rubbed her temples. There was no getting out of this. Elle turned to Emily, who had been quietly listening in, her usual smirk playing on her lips.

“What do you say, Em? Are you in?”

Emily looked up from her meal, her smile as smug as always. “Oh, well, I wouldn’t want to crash Jenny’s birthday.”
Her tone was snarky, but there was a touch of sincerity in it. Emily wasn’t used to being included in things like this; she didn’t stay in one place long enough to make lasting connections.

For some reason, even though JJ wasn’t looking forward to celebrating in the first place, she found herself wanting Emily there.

She needed Emily there.

The words left her mouth before she could even think about them.

“No, Emily, come.”

Emily raised an eyebrow, surprised that JJ was actually inviting her to her birthday.

“Alright, if you say so, then I’ll be there, Jenny.”

She smiled softly and gave Elle a playful shove on the shoulder. “I told you guys she’s warming up to me.”

Garcia squealed, “Alright, ladies, it’s a plan! Everyone at my house tomorrow night, 7 p.m. Don’t be late. I’ll provide everything, just bring your wonderful selves!”

JJ smiled softly. She wasn’t planning to celebrate this year—not after everything that had happened.

But for some reason, the idea of Emily being there made it seem a little better.

Though she still didn’t quite understand why.

The next day Emily stood in front of the mirror, adjusting her shirt for what felt like the hundredth time. She patted her hair down trying to get it to lay flat, her stomach fluttering.

Why was she so nervous?

She didn't usually care about how she looked so why now? Why was she so worried about how she looked for a girl's night she wasn't particularly excited to attend?

This whole thing felt kind of foreign, the whole making friends and “girls' night” thing was so new to her.

Growing up she hadn't had many friends and the ones she did have she never stuck around for long enough to do anything like this with. It had always been just her and her mother no matter where they went, and Elizabeth Prentiss wasn't exactly the “girls' night” kind of mom.

Her fingers tugged at the fabric of her shirt once more, she couldn't tell if it was the shirt she didn't like or the reflection in the mirror.

This wasn't the type of thing that Emily Prentiss worried about.

For God's sake, it's a stupid slumber party.

Emily always kept people at a distance before they could see through any cracks before they could see the real her.

But JJ had invited her.

JJ who had been giving her looks lately–looks that felt like more than the usual teasing. Looks that made Emily's heart flutter.

Was she being delusional? Yeah, that's probably it.

Emily was known to overthink but she couldn't help it. Not when it was JJ. Even when Emily was at her most guarded the blonde made it hard for her to pretend like she didn't care.

Emily looked at the clock.

Shit
She was gonna be late if she didn't leave now.

She ran her fingers through her hair one more time and patted her shirt before gathering her things, and walking out the door.

She took a deep breath trying to calm the nervousness crawling up her spine, but she just couldn't get rid of it.

Her mind kept going back to the softness of JJ’s voice when she had asked Emily to come. JJ didn't even want a party but she had practically begged Emily to come.

Emily couldn't tell if it was the idea of a girls' night or the quiet pull of JJ’s attention that was making her so nervous.

She let out a soft sigh and leaned her head onto the steering wheel.

“Why does this matter so much?” she whispered to herself.

She lifted her head, adjusted her mirrors, and forced herself to silence the thoughts for a moment.

But as she turned on the engine she couldn't shake the feeling that something or someone was drawing her in. And she wasn't sure if she was ready to face it or not.

The night had turned out to be more fun than JJ had expected.

It was full of sugary candy and cheesy rom-coms. Penelope had even gotten her a cake.

Eventually, after a night of games and overly enthusiastic horoscope readings from Penelope, things started to settle down.

Elle was out first, and soon after, Penelope muttered something about beauty sleep and passed out.

JJ turned to look at Emily for a moment. She’d been mostly quiet tonight, only occasionally shooting a snarky comment. She hadn’t let herself fully sink into the fun.

The living room wasn’t completely dark, dimly lit by a small lamp in the corner of the room. It was quiet except for the occasional snore from Penelope and the soft hum of the heater.

Emily and JJ sat next to each other on the floor, leaning against one of the couches. The air between them felt thick—not uncomfortable, just heavy.

Emily, as if sensing the weight of the silence, finally broke it. “So, why didn’t you want to celebrate your birthday?” Her voice was soft. She was genuinely curious, but she didn’t want to push JJ.

JJ didn’t answer immediately. She just stared at the space in front of her and toyed with the hem of her shirt. After a moment of silence, she took a deep breath and spoke.

“I…” she started, her voice barely audible. “I guess it just didn’t feel right to. Not this year.”

Emily shifted slightly, turning to face JJ, taking in the way the light highlighted her side profile perfectly. “Why not?”

JJ paused again before turning to face Emily as well, her eyes distant—not in the way they usually were, but heavier, more personal. Emily waited silently, unsure if she had pushed JJ too far but still waiting for her to continue.

JJ swallowed and looked down at her hands. “My sister didn’t make it to eighteen, so I guess it feels wrong to celebrate when she never got the chance.”

The weight of JJ’s words hit Emily harder than she expected. The realization of what JJ was saying settled in, and she instinctively reached out, her fingers lightly brushing against JJ’s wrist.

“Oh, JJ, I’m sorry.”

JJ’s gaze flickered back up to hers, eyes soft but full of vulnerability. When she spoke again, her voice was shakier.

“Yeah… she was seventeen when she committed suicide. I was eleven. Ever since then, birthdays have been tough, but this one… this one’s hitting harder than usual.”

Emily felt the weight of JJ’s words sink in, and she didn’t know what to say. For a minute, silence filled the room again. She could feel the tension in JJ’s body—it wasn’t just about not wanting a party. It was deeper than that.

To Emily, JJ had always seemed like she had the perfect life. Everything just fell into place for her. She hadn’t even stopped to consider there might be something more beneath the surface.

JJ shifted slightly, her shoulder brushing Emily’s. “I guess that’s why, the other day when I heard your phone call,” she continued, voice soft, “I just… I needed to make sure you were okay. I couldn’t not check on you. I know what it’s like to lose someone, and I don’t want anyone else to go through that. Not if I can help it.”

The quiet settled between them again, but this time it wasn’t heavy—it was understanding.

Without thinking, Emily reached out and touched JJ’s arm. The touch was light, just enough to show JJ she was there. JJ didn’t pull away. Instead, she lifted her gaze to meet Emily’s. After a second, she shook her head and pulled back slightly.

“I’m sorry,” she muttered. “I didn’t mean to make things so sad.”

Emily smiled softly. “You don’t have to apologize for anything. I’m glad you told me.”

JJ let out a slow breath. “Yeah… me too.”

After a beat, Emily broke the silence again. “Well, I guess I better get some sleep if I want to function tomorrow.” She smiled, and JJ smiled back.

“Yeah, me too.”

Both girls got up from their spots on the floor and made their way to their designated sleeping spots. As Emily was settling in, she heard a small voice.

“Emily?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for coming.”

Emily felt a small smile play on her lips. “Anytime.”

As JJ drifted off to sleep, she couldn’t help but feel like this was the beginning of something. And for the first time, she didn’t mind not knowing what it was.

And Emily—Emily didn’t feel so alone anymore.