"Some people play victims of crimes they committed."

❥

"Isabella, where's Kiara? Is she fine?", Anna immediately asks me worriedly so I nod. "Kie's fine." "Where is she? Why is she not coming back?" "I don't know and I don't know." Anna looks at me disappointedly, she knows that I'm hiding something from her. But I can't tell her. Kie wouldn't want me to and I promised Kie to always stand by her side so that's what I'm doing now.

"Since when do you pretend to be a rebel hanging around pogues?", my mom confronts me as soon as they're coming into the living room. "Let me think about it.. Maybe ever since you abandoned me? They're my best friends since kindergarden", I sass back rolling my eyes. Sure, they didn't know it because they never cared. 

"Anna, did you know that?" "I didn't know that they spend so much time with those boys until summer when they stayed away longer. JJ's been here once but Christian allowed him to stay for that one night." "Why would Christian allow JJ Maybank to be close to my daughter?", my dads brings out, "And what for god's sake happened to Rafe? He's been a good boy and JJ is a hopeless case." 

"Don't talk about him like that! You've got no idea who JJ or Rafe are!", I snap at my dad without thinking about any consequences, "How can you even judge him when you've been a pogue yourself? You're just lucky that Mom accepted you and Ward and you got rich. Otherwise you'd still be on the other side of the island." 

He's not going to disrespect JJ in front of me if he doesn't even know him. I don't care what he says. He's talked about Ward and his pogue life too many times to judge other pogues. "Isabella", my mom scoffs shocked, "How can you talk to us like that? The Cut have such a bad impact on you. You're not going to see JJ or anyone else again, do you hear me? And I want your car keys." 

"My car keys? You-" I'm about to defend myself but my dad cuts me off. "Then tell me, Isabella. What are they like?", my dad looks at me with expectant eyes and when I hesitate to answer, he shakes his head angrily and shouts at me, "Now give your mom the keys and go to your room and stay there. You're grounded. Go!"

❥

Izzy 🤍

are you awake?

JJ ♥️

where did Shoupe drive you?

my parents told him to bring me home

you're parents are here?

what did they say?

I don't think you would want to hear that

JJ ♥️ is calling you...

baby, answer my call

I can't, my parents would hear me talking

Tell me what happened

I can handle it

they were basically defending kooks and

blaming pogues

I tried to defend us but well..

they weren't amused

my mom forbids me to be with you

we're all staying at John B's

I'll pick you up

I can't.. I'm grounded

I'll play along until JB is out

sure?

you could lay next to me right now

in my arms, you know

maybe on top of me

sounds tempting for sure

can we consider that tomorrow?

If I'm just quiet until then

they might let me go to court

and I'll go home with you

we'll figure a way out to help JB

we'll do?

of course

I know that you've got an idea already

and no matter what you're planning

I won't let you do it alone

have I told you that I love you

the past days?

you might have forgotten about it

we were quite busy

well I love you, Iz

tomorrow might not be a good day

but seeing you will make it a lot better

cheesy

I love you too J ♥️

go sleep baby, it's been a long day

you too, okay? good night J

goodnight Iz ♥️

❥

"John Booker Routledge, pursuant to the Criminal Code of North Carolina section fourteen you are accused of murder with intent in a especially serious case", the judge declares in a frighteningly neutral way, "If you're sentenced, the highest penalty would be the death penalty." 

Just when she finished her sentence, everyone in the room is speaking loudly and wildly. I couldn't believe it. This whole rule about the death penalty is stupid anyways and John B didn't even do anything. How could she talk about a death penalty when there's not even enough evidence? 

"Your honor, he's seventeen!", I cry and try to move forward, "Are you being serious? He's seventeen!" I feel JJ laying his hand on my left shoulder but my dad is trying to get me away from the barrier by pulling me back. "Don't touch me! I can walk on my own so don't touch me, okay?", I snap at him turning around and see him giving me an angry look. 

"Show some respect, Isabella", my dad demands and again, I'm just shocked about how he tries to get me away from here. He was the one who told me everything about our law system and what fair is and not. And this trial is anything but fair. "Come on, let's go out", JJ says surprisingly calmy so I follow him, Pope, Sarah and Kiara outside.

"I'm sorry about what your family had to go through, that's how the system works", Topper's dad says to Ward and Rose and I roll my eyes. Of course he would say that. "Excuse me, could you talking bullshit?", Kie suddenly scoffs loudly next to me, "Of course you think that the system works. It's made especially for that reason, to save people like you!"

"He'll get a fair trial, a jury is going to decide about that." "He shouldn't even stand there, in front of a court", I spit back. How could they defend this trial while they know for sure that Kie is right? Most kooks are only as rich as they are because they make use of this system which makes pogues work for them and rarely cross the line to become a kook. It's like glass ceiling, only for pogues. 

"Isabella!", my mom hisses and points to her side telling me that I should come over to her but I ignore it. I won't support this 'system'. "Exactly! You should stand there. You are the murder and you've got the nerve to sit in court today", Kie continues and I nod heavily. "I know that you're angry and I understand your anger", Ward lies, "But he fooled all of you, he fooled you." 

"What?!", Kie shouts and is about to run over and looks like she would want to hit Ward but Shoupe is here to hold her and make her stay away from Ward. "This is too much. Show a little respect", Ward pretends to be a good man again and I roll my eyes. "Why don't you arrest one of the kooks for once in a while?", JJ snaps at Shoupe and I completely agree with him. 

"Oh yeah? If you want to, I could arrest Kiara and Isabella. Would you like that?" "What a mature answer, Shoupe", I reply shaking my head, "Especially for someone who doesn't do his job right." "It's not a coincidence that your daughter is not with you!", Kie shouts for a last time before we leave.