005. ╱ 𖦹⠀⠀ ❝ to going full kook. ❞

AMELIE TOOK THAT SMALL WHITE PACKAGE THAT HAD MADE HER IMPACIENT SINCE THE SECOND SHE DISCOVERED IT. With the emotion driven by her finding, she analyzed it with determination. There, she could tell that it would be for John B, for on the cover of it was written ''FOR BIRD'' in large letters.

⠀⠀She spent a few seconds analyzing it and, when she had finished her work, she passed back through the narrow space, returning to her friends, who were waiting impatiently for her. After landing, she left the package in John B's possession.

⠀⠀"That's not gold," Pope noted, with a trace of disappointment.

⠀⠀"Holy shit," muttered John B, perplexed, drawing the attention of his friends. "This is from my dad," he indicated, looking up at them.

⠀⠀"That's good, isn't it?" Questioned Amelie, approaching John B.

⠀⠀Before her friend could respond, JJ interrupted.

⠀⠀"Code red, code red. Square groupers! Square groupers!"

⠀⠀"Go! Go, go," Kie ordered, starting to move quickly. Next to her was Amelie, doing exactly the same.

⠀⠀"It's the guys that robbed your house," JJ added, pushing John B's back, hiding behind the large tomb.

⠀⠀"Light," signaled Amelie, sitting down on the imperfect grass. John B obeyed, while JJ took care of putting out his cigarette.

⠀⠀"Turn your light off, man!" Repeated Pope, still standing, turning off the flashlight that JJ carried over his head.

⠀⠀"I see something!" Spoke the unknown voice.

⠀⠀"Do you think it's them?" Kie questioned with concern.

⠀⠀"Homie's got a gun," replied JJ mumbling. He wouldn't let his friends go through that terrible situation again.

⠀⠀"Fuck it. I'll die someday, but not today," spoke Amelie standing up. Once she did, she didn't stop for a second to think twice; she ran off in the direction of the nearest exit.

⠀⠀Thanks to the calls behind her back, she knew that Kie was following her.

⠀⠀"Ames!" Named JJ from the short distance. Apparently he, Pope, and John B were also running.

⠀⠀They ran a few more steps until they reached the entrance. Through the fence, they caught a glimpse of the van on the other side. It didn't take them long to climb over it to cross.

⠀⠀"Hurry up!" JJ rushed as he continued to run along with his friends, except for Pope, who had already reached the door.

⠀⠀"Guys, I'm stuck," squeaked Pope, with noticeable nerves. The brunet was already at the top of the fence.

⠀⠀Everyone rushed to him with the intention of helping their friend and getting out of there as soon as possible.

⠀⠀"Pope," JJ reached over and pulled out the much named gun. "Don't move, okay?" He ordered as he pointed it at Pope's pants.

⠀⠀"You're going to rip him," John B complained as he pushed JJ's hands down so he couldn't finally shoot.

⠀⠀"Wait, wait! You're going to rip me," reported Pope, being dragged by Kie and Amelie, who were tugging at his short, jammed pants.

⠀⠀"What does it matter? I'll buy you others," complained Amelie still straining to pull Pope.

⠀⠀Eventually, Pope broke free, only for Amelie and Kie to end up ripping his pants, leaving his brown legs exposed and his tender underwear being seen.

⠀⠀"Come on! You can't die yet," encouraged JJ as he ran toward the van with his three friends.

⠀⠀"Nice legs," said Amelie, from between laughs as she watched Pope enter the van covering his underwear in embarrassment.

⠀⠀"Get in!" Commanded JJ again, then, he walked away to climb into one of the front seats.

⠀⠀"Let's get out of here, John!" Called Amelie peeking through the space between the two front seats. Kie and JJ were still laughing.

ONCE THEY ARRIVED AT THE CHÂTEAU, fearful that those dealers would come back for them, they gathered in the living room of the cozy place, waiting impatiently for John B and his curious white envelope.

⠀⠀John B took a place in one of the few chairs surrounding the circular table, while Amelie stood behind him, leaving her two hands on both of his shoulders as a way of showing support.

⠀⠀"That bread had mold on it three days ago," reported Pope, watching as JJ made a sandwich out of that damn bread.

⠀⠀"Yeah, I'll just pull off the bad parts," replied JJ, finishing his meal. "Plus, mold is good for you. It's just a natural organism."

⠀⠀"JJ!" Called Kie from the table, intending to hurry his friend's pace.

⠀⠀"Yup, yup, yup! Hot damn! Let's do it," the blond said excitedly, then took a big bite of his sandwich. It didn't take long for the taste of mold to hit his palate, so that piece of his sandwich quickly went back outside after JJ spit it out.

⠀⠀When John B finally opened the envelope, he took out a smaller piece of paper from inside. Not wanting to take much longer, the brown-haired man did not hesitate to unfold the paper. It turned out to be a map.

⠀⠀"Holy shit," John B muttered in confusion.

⠀⠀"Is it a map?" Amelie wanted to know, peering over John B's shoulder so she could see it clearly.

⠀⠀"Oh, X marks the spot," pointed out Pope as he rested one of his fingers on the named cross.

⠀⠀"Longitude, latitude..." Guided John B as he scrolled his finger across the map. "Wait, there's something else in there," he indicated, as he picked up the envelope again.

⠀⠀When he finally rummaged around long enough to find something, he pulled his hand out of the envelope, and, as some had expected, it didn't come back empty. Now, he had pulled out a tape recorder. Everyone stared at the object with curiosity.

⠀⠀"What's that?" Asked JJ, sharing confused looks. His two friends looked at him in disbelief.

⠀⠀"It's a tape recorder, dumbass," Kie answered, with obviousness, at the same time she shook her head, tired of JJ's many questions.

⠀⠀"Dear Bird."

⠀⠀"Who's Bird?" Questioned JJ again.

⠀⠀"That's what my dad called me," John B replied, with a small smile on his lips.

⠀⠀"I hate to say, 'I told you so,' but I told you so. And you doubted your old man. I suspect at this moment, you're filled with guilt and self-loathing over our last fight, but don't kill yourself just yet, kid. I didn't expect to find the Royal Merchant either..."

⠀⠀As soon as they heard that, they rolled their eyes like saucers in surprise, only to share victorious glances with each others. Still, unable to process all the new information.

⠀⠀"You were probably right to call me out, wan't exactly Father of the Decade. What can I say, kid? I could smell the barn. And hopefully, we're listening to this in our brand new sugar-shack down in Costa Rica, living off passive investments and pulling on permits. If not, and you find this for less than optimal reasons, well, that's what the map is for. There she is, the wreck of the Merchant. If something happens to me, finish what I started. Go for the gold, kid. I love you, Bird, even if I didn't always act like it. I'll see you on the other side."

⠀⠀By the time the recording ended, John B had moved away from the table and his friends, leaning one of his sides against the mural at the entrance to the room, his back to his friends. Despite being at a distance, Amelie could recognize and hear the sobs of John B. As if he couldn't stop crying for finally knowing. For knowing that his father had not survived.

⠀⠀"Holy shit, he did it! Big John, he found the Merchant," celebrated JJ raising his voice, so excited he couldn't tell what was going on John B.

⠀⠀"Can you... Can you please...?" Required Kie, without much patience for her friend, to then also walk away.

⠀⠀Kie walked to stand next to John B, not hesitating for a second as she hugged him from behind, laying her head on his shoulder comfortingly, letting him know that his friends would be there for him.

⠀⠀"I'm sorry," apologized JJ even though Kie had already separated from around him.

⠀⠀And so they stayed for several more long minutes, waiting for John B to be well enough to speak to them again, sharing several words, but never a steady conversation with him.

⠀⠀After those long minutes, they decided to go outside with John B, who was taking fresh air in the privacy of the dock. Although he himself had said he needed to be alone, they knew he really didn't want to be left. Without further hesitation, Kie, Amelie, Pope and JJ went to sit on the dock to keep their best friend company. They were silent, but they were together, and that was better than anything else.

⠀⠀And they didn't leave without forgetting their cans of beer, of course.

⠀⠀"How much was it again?" Spoke JJ with his questions, being the first to speak since they came out.

⠀⠀"Four hundred mil," John B replied.

⠀⠀"Alright, let's talk the split," talked again JJ. "Now, before we say 'evenly', may I remind you that I am the only one that can properly defend us from those groupers who were after us. Protection? Not cheap, okay?"

⠀⠀"You haven't trained. You've zero training," added Pope with obviousness, looking at JJ incredulously.

⠀⠀"YouTube, bro! That's at least a five percent bump right there," continued JJ, intent on defending his gain.

⠀⠀"You haven't..." Pope began, but before he could even finish, JJ spoke again, interrupting him.

⠀⠀"Any objections?" Finished JJ. Kie raised her hand quickly. "Didn't think so. I don't hear any, so..."

⠀⠀Kie grimaced in disgust at JJ's disregard for her opinion, knowing full well that he had seen her raise her hand.

⠀⠀"What are you going to do with your hundred mil, Pope?" Kie asked now, trying to ignore JJ until he stopped talking.

⠀⠀"Pay for collegue in advance. And also textbooks. Those are expensive," Pope replied, without having to think much about his answer.

⠀⠀"What about you, Kie?" Asked JJ now, directing his gaze towards Kie, who finally turned to look at him.

⠀⠀Amelie was really focused on the amusing conversation her friends were having, but she couldn't help but get lost in her phone, which hadn't stopped vibrating in one of her back pockets. She had decided to ignore it since it started, knowing the exact reason it kept bothering her.

⠀⠀When she finally decided to turn her attention to it, she had to break away from the group to walk across the dock bridge and away from her friends, who didn't seem to notice.

⠀⠀"What do you want?" She questioned reluctantly. A conversation with that boy never went well.

⠀⠀"Amelie? Hi, I thought you weren't going to answer me," Rafe's voice came over the phone.

⠀⠀"Surprise. Are you going to tell me what you want?"

⠀⠀"Yeah, yeah, I... I wanted to know if..."

⠀⠀"Bye, Rafe."

⠀⠀"Wait! Can we talk?"

⠀⠀"Okay. What do you want to talk about?"

⠀⠀"No. Not like this."

⠀⠀"Not like this? What do you mean?"

⠀⠀"I was hoping to talk in person, is that possible?"

⠀⠀"Well..."

⠀⠀"Please, Amelie."

⠀⠀"Fine."

⠀⠀"Great. Tomorrow at your home dock?"

⠀⠀"Okay. Three o'clock in the afternoon sharp. And don't be late."

⠀⠀"Yes, I won't. See..."

⠀⠀Before she could even hear what Rafe had to say, Amelie ended the call. Even after what he'd done to her he was calling her again? He couldn't get much more selfish, but from the sound of it, that ran in the family.

⠀⠀She put the phone back in her pocket again. She felt JJ's impatient and curious look as soon as she approached again, which she also ignored.

⠀⠀"I see I was left without my hundred million," spoke Amelie as she took her place on the dock again, intent on continuing to ignore JJ.

⠀⠀"You're already rich, why would you want more?" Questioned JJ with obviousness. Amelie could tell the annoyance with which he rarely said it.

⠀⠀"What would you do, Amelie?" Asked Pope, interested.

⠀⠀"I don't know... travel all over the world. Maybe I'd learn to surf," replied Amelie, unable to help but think of the many times John B and JJ tried to teach her to surf.

⠀⠀"Wait," called her attention JJ, as he raised one of his fingers in the air, asking to speak.

⠀⠀"What?" Questioned Amelie curiously, this time without giving him a hateful look as soon as she turned to see him.

⠀⠀"Don't you want to live in my mansion?" Asked JJ.

⠀⠀"If you assure me to have a room with a jacuzzi, I'll be happy to," said Amelie with a small smile of amusement.

⠀⠀"Why do you think I said 'double bed'?" JJ pointed out with obviousness and a flirtatious smile.

⠀⠀Right. Amelie and JJ had never said certain compliments to each other in front of their friends, or at least more JJ than Amelie, since Amelie never did, basically. Even though Kie knew how dead Amelie was into JJ, and Pope and John B knew how crazy JJ was about Amelie.

⠀⠀The awkward silence began to be felt quite a lot. Amelie shared glances with Kie, and with Pope, who had a small smile on his lips. When his and Amelie's gaze met, Amelie gave him a significant, screaming command to speak again to put the awkward silence aside.

⠀⠀"What are you going to do, John B?" Pope questioned after a few seconds of wondering about Amelie's intentions.

⠀⠀Thanks, Pope.

⠀⠀"To going full kook," remarked John B, giving his friends their first look. This time, more amused and open to them.

⠀⠀"To going full kook!" Shouted the group in unison as they raised their beer cans once they were all on their feet.

THE NEXT DAY, the group was back in their small boat, with the bad intentions of continuing their investigation, which was now the search for the Royal Merchant. And they had already confirmed it themselves.

⠀⠀"You guys see that? That's the Malibu 24-MXZ, the world's finest wakesetter. Number one in luxury, quality and performance," JJ spoke with excitement at seeing the named boat there.

⠀⠀When Amelie turned to look at that boat, she could see Topper, obviously she knew him from being rich. And that wasn't the worst of it. Sarah Cameron, Amelie and Kie's best friend —now enemy— was standing next to her, as always with her aura of superiority.

⠀⠀Needless to say, Amelie disliked her so much that she had reached the point of detesting her.

⠀⠀"Number one in luxury, quality and performance. 200K, easy," added JJ, who was still talking excitedly about the boat.

⠀⠀"We picked the wrong paretns," said Pope with disappointment, but some amusement. "Except you," he pointed at Amelie as he felt the impatient look she was giving him.

⠀⠀"No shit," replied Amelie rolling her eyes and turning the impatient look away from him.

⠀⠀"I hate to break it to you, guys, but that's Topper and his girlfriend," Kie indicated with a grimace of displeasure as he recognised the two.

⠀⠀"Sarah asshole Cameron," named Amelie with an amused smile, yet with fury and spite for her.

⠀⠀The resentment Kie and Amelie felt for Sarah and her past could be a bit hurtful, but did it matter? It might, at least to their friends it mattered enough. If only they knew what Sarah had done to them to have such a grudge.

⠀⠀The real question was: did they care? Of course they didn't!

⠀⠀"You don't have to act like you don't see us, bitch," Kie murmured as she followed the named one with her eyes.

⠀⠀"Suck it up, Sarah!" Shouted Amelie with amusement, amidst laughter as her friends joined in.

⠀⠀When she saw Sarah turn towards them, knowing full well whose scream it was, Amelie stood up, stretching up her arm as she stuck out her middle finger. She laughed even harder as she watched Sarah roll her eyes at her, turning back around.

⠀⠀"Amelie," John B mumbled, waiting for Amelie to finally stop doing that.

⠀⠀Amelie gave him an offended look, but did not hesitate to sit back down in her place. She and Kie shared glances, beginning to laugh loudly again. Their hatred for Sarah was mutual.

⠀⠀"Hey," Amelie caught their attention. "Will you drop me off at the dock at my house?" She questioned, a little ruefully not wanting to tell him why.

⠀⠀"What?" Modulated John B with disbelief and curiosity at Amelie's question. "Why?"

⠀⠀"Because... I need to look for... something," answered Amelie, this time more nervous, as she was clearly very bad at lying.

⠀⠀"You're lying," said JJ, his eyes on Amelie.

⠀⠀"I'm not lying, okay? Just take me home," Amelie ordered again, this time, perhaps a little angrier.

⠀⠀"Fine," John B finally agreed to take her, earning a victorious look from Amelie.

⠀⠀When Amelie turned the same gaze on JJ, he was looking at her with a grimace of seriousness, as he mumbled several 'you're lying' and Amelie shifted in her place, intimidated.

⠀⠀When they arrived at the dock of Amelie's house, Amelie herself quickly got off the boat, feeling all the murderous looks of her friends behind her, but she didn't say a word about it, ignoring it.

⠀⠀And as if that wasn't enough, she could spot Rafe in the varying distance. This definitely made her more upset, her friends couldn't know she was going to meet Rafe, so she turned back towards the boat, and finally, her friends.

⠀⠀"Well, you'd better leave quickly, Jake will kill you if he sees you," applied Amelie, a little nervous that Rafe would be discovered there.

⠀⠀"What?" JJ modulated from the boat, not believing a word of it.

⠀⠀"Amelie, is everything all right?" Kie asked now, showing how worried she was about the little information the brunette was giving them.

⠀⠀"Yes, why wouldn't I be?" Amelie confirmed after a nervous laugh. "Well, bye," she said goodbye, still smiling.

⠀⠀She finished faking that smile as her friends left. She turned around again, this time, Rafe was right there, which made her startle a little.

⠀⠀"I'm sorry, did I scare you?" Apologised Rafe as he approached Amelie again, unsure.

⠀⠀"No," denied Amelie slowly. "Why did you want to see me, Rafe?" She finally questioned, crossing her arms.

⠀⠀"Amelie, I want to talk to you," Rafe insisted modestly. He really did look even worse than he had the year before.

⠀⠀"Fine, but I don't want to talk to you about..." Amelie began to point out, and was interrupted.

⠀⠀"Listen to me, Amelie. I know what I did to you was wrong, shit, it was horrible, okay? I just want you to forgive me," spoke Rafe, detailing Amelie's directions.

⠀⠀"Why would I forgive you if I don't want to? Because you ask me to?" Said Amelie in disbelief.

⠀⠀"Amelie, I still carry the guilt of what happened, I can't see you and not remember that moment," explained Rafe with condemnation and grief.

⠀⠀Amelie didn't want to make any assurances, but she also didn't want to be so easily manipulated by Rafe. She wanted him to know what she went through, even though he seemed genuinely sorry.

⠀⠀"I think it's good that at least you're the one who remembers everything that happened this time. I'm over it, Rafe, but I'm not over the fact that it was you. I trusted you, you were my friend," Amelie clarified.

⠀⠀"I'm sorry, Ames," Rafe apologised again with embarrassment, but more sincerity.

⠀⠀"I'm going to ask you a question, and if I agree with your answer, I'll forgive you," said Amelie, while Rafe nodded his head quickly.

⠀⠀"Sure, yeah, go for it," corresponded Rafe anxious about Amelie's question and ready to give her the answer.

⠀⠀"Why did you do it?" Questioned Amelie finally. This seemed to take Rafe unawares, as he shifted nervously in his place.

⠀⠀"I don't know, I..." Rafe began to relate, even though he didn't know what to answer, perhaps he wasn't as willing as he thought he was.

⠀⠀"Tell me why you did it, Rafe, I know you know," repeated Amelie, this time with less patience.

⠀⠀"I think... I was in a very weird moment in my life, I thought if I did that you'd get away from those pogues," finally, Rafe answered.

⠀⠀"Rafe, I was fifteen, I was very conscious of the friends I chose back then," stood up for Amelie with obviousness. This time, Rafe shook his head.

⠀⠀"You don't understand... Dad was acting like an idiot, pushing me away, hitting me, it was like he wasn't really my father, and when I wanted to run to someone who made me feel that what my family said about me was a lie, I ran to you. But you... you were always with them, you pushed me away, just like my father."

⠀⠀"I'm sorry, okay? They've been my friends forever, and you of all people know how much I've suffered because of you and the stupid people at school, Rafe," Amelie defended, crossing her arms.

⠀⠀"I'm sorry," apologised Rafe. "I'm so sorry, Ames," he continued, approaching Amelie with open arms, but Amelie pulled away.

⠀⠀"It's alright," said Amelie in a little murmur, gradually becoming calmer.

⠀⠀"Are we good?" Rafe questioned after the seconds of silence, returning to his place.

⠀⠀"Yes, but I don't think we can be friends again," said Amelie, sincerely.

⠀⠀"Fine," Rafe finally replied, even though he didn't look like he agreed, he gave Amelie a friendly smile before leaving.

⠀⠀After Rafe left, she thanked the heavens for that, then went back inside her house. Her friends would probably be busy for a few more hours, so now she was alone.

⠀⠀She decided to take a quick shower to pass the hours more distracted, so that perhaps the time would pass more quickly until her friends came to pick her up.

⠀⠀When she finished, she dressed in an old John B's T-shirt, which she had cut off, so that it reached a little above her navel. And then a pair of black shorts, leaving her hair tied back.

⠀⠀Only an hour had passed, and after that, she had no idea what else to do. It had never been so boring at home. The most fun she could have there were the fights with Jake.

⠀⠀And as if she had summoned him, she knew Jake had arrived when she heard the door being slammed shut. But that wasn't all, the cries that seemed to be at his hand were present. She knew instantly whose they were.

⠀⠀She peeked through the mural on her door to get a glimpse, and there she saw her mother, crying her eyes out as she walked away from Jake.

⠀⠀"How many times do I have to tell you?" Jake began to shout. "I don't want you near him!" He scolded while pointing spitefully at Casiopea.

⠀⠀"What do you want me to do? Ignore him?" Casiopea questioned wryly, raising her voice as well.

⠀⠀"Yes! Can't you be more considerate?" Jake asked as he dropped Casiopea's bag onto the kitchen island with force.

⠀⠀"I think I was pretty considerate of you, Jake," replied Casiopea, curving the corner of her lips, unable to believe this situation with Jake.

⠀⠀"You were flirting with him! And I was there!" Replied Jake, approaching intimidatingly towards Casiopea, who kept stepping backwards.

⠀⠀Before he could even touch a hair on Casiopea's head, Amelie decided to enter the scene to prevent it, clearing her throat. Luckily, she managed to get Jake's attention, who slowly pulled away from Casiopea.

⠀⠀"Amelie..." Named Casiopea as she took her appearance as an opportunity to completely separate herself from Jake. "Hi, honey," she greeted, kindly.

⠀⠀"What's all the shouting about?" Amelie asked, her angry gaze on Jake, who was avoiding hers.

⠀⠀"Nothing, don't worry..." Casiopea tried to answer, as Jake couldn't help but interrupt her.

⠀⠀"Your nasty mother was flirting with Cameron," Jake explained, raising his voice again, finally looking at her.

⠀⠀"Nasty?" Amelie now replied in the same way. She couldn't hear the rest, as she didn't like what he had called her mother.

⠀⠀"You seem to understand," Jake noted wryly as he folded his arms.

⠀⠀"The house you're standing in right now is hers," added Amelie angrily. Jake was beginning to show what little patience he had left.

⠀⠀"Oh, really? I didn't know that," Jake said sarcastically, smiling his stupid and sarcastic grin.

⠀⠀"Well, just so you know that if I see that you treat my mother badly, I also have the right to take you out of here."

⠀⠀"Your mother's not going to throw me out, and neither are you, Amelie. Right, Cassie?" Ironised Jake, for the latter, turning back to Casiopea.

⠀⠀"I will if I want to," replied Casiopea through her teeth, facing Jake, without intimidation or fear.

⠀⠀"See what you're doing?" Questioned Jake towards Amelie, while Casiopea was quickly pushed aside by Jake.

⠀⠀"Hey!" Called Amelie in amazement.

⠀⠀She never thought Jake was capable of doing that as Jake was always prone to raise his hand to Amelie, many times he had done it, but her mother had no idea of that. But watching Jake hit her mother caused her to feel guilty in some way.

⠀⠀The only one to blame was Jake and his madness.

⠀⠀"You idiot! Don't you ever lift a finger to my mum again, who do you think you are?" Commanded Amelie, taking quick steps towards him, without thinking too much about it.

⠀⠀Nor did she think about the moment when she pulled him hard, causing him to almost fall. She hadn't considered it, let alone the consequences, all she wanted was for him to get away from her mother.

⠀⠀But Jake was always one step ahead of her, so he turned around, now open-handedly striking one of Amelie's cheeks, who, from the hurtful impact, put both hands over the blow, with the intention of soothing the pain.

⠀⠀"Who do you think I am? I'm the man of this house, I deserve respect!" Replied Jake with obviousness.

⠀⠀"Someone who treats women like that doesn't deserve respect!" Spoke Amelie, feeling the burning in her throat from the loud scream.

⠀⠀She was beginning to believe that the neighbours could safely call the police, as their fight could probably be heard all the way to the Cut.

⠀⠀"Are you going to disrespect me again?" Asked Jake approaching Amelie again. "Answer me!" He ordered, raising his voice so much so that Amelie felt his dirty breath.

⠀⠀"I will, and I don't care what you do to me. I can also sue you, did you know that?" Replied Amelie, this time it was she who raised her voice.

⠀⠀"Are you going to sue me? Girl, don't be ridiculous," Jake spoke ironically, letting out an amused laugh at the latter.

⠀⠀"Yes? Who do you think they will believe? A girl, the daughter of the man who gave this island the most prestige, or a man who if it weren't for a woman, would be living on the street?" Shouted Amelie with emotion and fury.

⠀⠀"Go away," Jake ordered as he let out sighs, as if he was trying to control his anger.

⠀⠀"No," denied Amelie, her voice almost cracking with the lump beginning to form in her throat.

⠀⠀But there was no way she was going to cry in front of Jake, she didn't want to appear more fragile and weak in front of him.

⠀⠀"Go away!" Jake ordered, this time coming intimidatingly close to Amelie. "If you tell anyone about this..." He muttered, grabbing her arm to start dragging her towards the door.

⠀⠀If she didn't leave by hook, she would leave by crook.

⠀⠀"Mom!" Called Amelie, but as she turned around and saw her mother standing there watching Jake force her to move, she knew she wouldn't do anything.

⠀⠀Finally, Jake reached the back door of the house, opening it quickly to push Amelie out, causing her to fall roughly to the ground outside.

⠀⠀"Shit," murmured as she sat down on the cold, hard floor, letting the tears fall.

⠀⠀"Ames?" JJ's voice was heard on the spot.

⠀⠀Amelie turned in his direction, noting how few steps away they were. She quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and cheeks, even though it was in vain, as her eyes and cheeks gave her away, adding that JJ had just seen and heard her crying.

⠀⠀"JJ... Hi. I didn't expect to see you so soon," greeted Amelie in kind, looking away from JJ.

⠀⠀"What happened? Are you okay?" JJ asked with concern as he slowly approached Amelie.

⠀⠀"Yes, why?" Answered Amelie with a little sideways smile, which she clearly knew how to improvise.

⠀⠀"Amelie, I just saw Jake kick you out of the house," said JJ, still standing, with his impatient gaze on Amelie.

⠀⠀"I..." Amelie tried to say, but she couldn't find the right words to say. She couldn't lie to JJ, he could always tell.

⠀⠀"He hurt you again, didn't he?" JJ asked again, this time taking his place next to Amelie.

⠀⠀"What? No, no... he..." Amelie answered quickly, remembering Jake's intimidating words.

⠀⠀"Why are you defending him? Amelie, look at your wrists," JJ challenged her as he took both her hands.

⠀⠀JJ lifted Amelie's hands in the air, revealing the big red in them. Amelie couldn't see them, she couldn't, for some strange reason. She felt weak.

⠀⠀"You have the mark of his fingers on one cheek," JJ pointed out again. "And you.... You always have very nice and neat hair, except when..."

⠀⠀"It's okay, JJ. Yes, he did. Is that what you wanted me to say? I can't defend my mother, do you think I can defend myself?" Interrupted Amelie this time.

⠀⠀JJ felt her heart freeze at the sight of Amelie's watery eyes and the sad look she gave him when she saw him, a look she couldn't help but give him. Even JJ almost cried at the sight of it.

⠀⠀"You're the strongest woman I've ever met, Amelie. Remember when I said you look like something out of a comic book?" Asked JJ, with a small smirk of happiness when he saw Amelie smile. "I said that because... you're strong. Like... Wonder Woman."

⠀⠀"I don't think so," Amelie shook her head quickly, not believing him. JJ clicked his tongue, not agreeing with her.

⠀⠀"Well believe it, because you are," JJ assured confidently. "Now let's go to the others, they must still be waiting for us," he ordered, standing up.

⠀⠀When JJ reached out his hand to Amelie with the intention of helping her to stand up as well, Amelie was quick to take it, finally standing up. And as if in a trance between the two of them, their gazes connected, becoming locked with each other. And it felt vaguely right.

⠀⠀"Thank you, JJ," thanked Amelie, wrapping both arms around JJ in a tender embrace, which JJ did not hesitate to reciprocate.

⠀⠀"You're welcome, Amelie, that's what friends are for," replied JJ staying in the embrace. "Let's go."

⠀⠀Amelie swore she was fine with it, but that JJ had indirectly called her a friend made her worse than she was and caused her more pain than Jake could ever cause her. And what was even worse? That Amelie knew that to be true. JJ would always see her as his best friend, or even younger sister. She tried not to show how disappointed she was to hear it.

⠀⠀This time, they were walking towards the van, where Pope, Kie and John B were waiting for them. As JJ walked away to open the door again, Amelie waited impatiently for this, and when he did, she quickly climbed into the van, ahead of Pope.

⠀⠀"Is everything all right?" Pope questioned, noticing her sad expression. Amelie looked at him in surprise.

⠀⠀Pope could also tell when she was lying to him, so it was also in vain, but she wouldn't talk about it with JJ present. Still, she felt guilty, as she was more affected by JJ's comment than the fight with Jake.

⠀⠀"Yes, everything's fine," confirmed Amelie with a big smile.

⠀⠀Pope grimaced in disgust, implying to Amelie that he didn't believe her at all, but Amelie was silently grateful that he didn't let her know.