𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐎𝐍𝐄 , 𝐄𝐏𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐃𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄
𝟎𝟎:𝟎𝟎-𝟖:𝟐𝟎
𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘨: 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴 » 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘰 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘳

tw:abuse

❦

THIRD PERSON POV:

JJ runs his hand through his blonde hair while he slouches further down in the sand seat he'd be sat in for hours. He's dreading everything that happens after this; his dad finding out and the interrogation that comes with that, and having to face Ava after lying.

He knows she is most likely angry, probably yelling at Pope at this very moment and he's almost grateful that he isn't there.

Suddenly, Sheriff Peterkin opens the door, causing the boy's head to jolt up from its hung position.

"You're like a little rock in my shoe." She mumbles, closing the door behind her and she nears, her eyes never leaving JJ, "I shake my foot, I think I've gotten it out, then dang, there it is again."

Bowing air into his cheeks, JJ sits back, resting his hands on the back of his head, "Maybe watch where you're stepping."

"That little rock on the back of my heel makes me want to crush it," She grumbles, taking a seat opposite the blonde teenager, sliding a document in front of her, "Unlawful discharge of a firearm." She starts to read out its contents.

JJ sighs, crossing his arms over his chest.  He knows it's quiet a long list. He's been breaking the law for a quite a while, just only now has it been brought to anyone's attention because he lied for Pope.

"Trespass on protected habitat," She turns another page, eyes scanning, "Felony destruction of property. All in the last two weeks. You're on a roll, chief."

"If you think I'm gonna rat anybody out, you got the wrong idea," JJ mumbles.

"I know your little teen brain doesn't like to think ahead, but I want you to come with me to uncharted territory," She takes a deep breath, watching as the boy's eyebrows furrow in confusion, "The future." She explains, "How you gonna feel six months from now, sittin' in juvenile prison in Wadesboro?"

Clenching his jaw, JJ bites the inside of my cheek, staring down at the floor. His dad had been in and out of prison for years when he was a kid, he aspired to not be anything like his father.

"You know these two?" She questions, laying two images out in front of him.

Straightening up, and letting his hands drop to his lap, he leans forward. His face drops at the images of the two square groupers who had chased them through the march, and broke into the Chateau, breaking Ava's arm.

At the memory, he rolls his jaw and stays silent, just staring at the photos with nothing but fury running through his veins.

She rises from her seat, moving round to beside him, "My question was, do you know these two?"

"They— they broke into John B's house, beat Ava, then they chased us through the marsh. Other than that, I have no idea." JJ seethes through gritted teeth, glancing up at her with sharp eyes.

"They beat Ava up?" She raises an eyebrow, her face worried, clearly this information is new to her, "Is that how she got her broken arm?"

JJ nods.

"Right," She shakes her head, annoyed at herself for not joining the dots together earlier. Then, she lays down two more pictures. Both of them are of the square groupers, dead — they look like they've been mauled by sharks, causing JJ's eyebrows to cinch together in disgust.

"Somebody gaffed them, then used them for chum," She informs me while JJ bites back a gag, "Whatcha think, bull shark?"

JJ shakes his head, turning his head away and Peterloo leans on the desk, staring down at me, "Listen here, Chief," She raises her voice, "Whoever killed these two men is still out there, and I got reason to believe their next target is a friend of yours. . . John B."

She moves forward even more, lowering her tone again to a whisper, "You kids don't think you're the only ones after the Royal Merchant now, do you?"

JJ's eyes shoot up to her.

"And, yeah." She tilts her head, noticing his change in expression, "I know about that, too." Peterkin stands up, moving back round to the other side of the desk.

JJ straightens up in the chair, "Okay, Sheriff, I can promise you he's not on it anymore."

She sighs, digging her hands into her pockets, "So you say. I'm just tryin' to keep him safe. I want you to tell your friend John B to come in and talk to me, let's see if we can keep you out of Wadesboro. Actually, tell Ava to come in with her brother too." She marches out of the room, making sure to make a point by slamming the door behind her.

Taking a deep breath, JJ bites his lip, the cut that Rafe inflicted yesterday stinging but he barely flinches, completely acclimatised to the feeling.

"Fuck," He sighs, dropping his chin to his chest.

❦

"Someone's here to pick you up." An Officer says through a small crack in the door before walking back over to reception.

Slowly, JJ stands up, anxiously pulling at his hair before leaving the room and walking down the hallway. His face drops forward when he notices his dad at the other end, his usual disappointed scowl on his face as he watches his son make his way over.

"You his guardian?" Deputy Plumb asks from behind the counter.

"Sorry to say, I'm his father," He mutters, glancing over at JJ and the boy's eyes fall to the floor.

"Well, hearing will be in two weeks. If you fail to show up, you will forfeit your bail." She informs up, scribbling something down a sheet of paper, "The restitution will be based on the average of three outside estimates of the cost of the damaged article."

Trying to distract himself from the thoughts playing in his mind, JJ lazily kicks the wall in front of him.

"Restitution?" Dad lifts his head in surprise.

Plumb nods, "Pay for what he broke. It's part of the plea."

The teenager's dad's snaps his head back to his son angrily, his jaw even more clenched than before. Feeling his gaze burning into his cheek, JJ makes sure his eyes don't meet his father's while he chews on his bottom lip once more.

"Yeah, okay, and—" She hands Luke a pen,  turning the form around for him, "—sign right here for us."

He quickly signs it before pushing away from the desk, pointing towards the main exit, "Let's go. Go now!"

Running his tongue over his teeth, JJ makes his way past his father, stepping out onto the sidewalk while shoving his hands into his short pockets. Luke comes up beside his son, the smell of alcohol wafting off him, "I wonder what restitution's gonna be on a 2019 Malibu."

JJ stares down at the floor, "I'll pay it off. All of it. I swear, Dad."

"30k?" He scoffs, "When you gonna clear that, big guy, when all you do is smoke weed and hang out on the south side? Get in the car."

He trudges quickly around to the drivers side while JJ anxiously pulls the door opens sliding, into the passenger seat slowly while nervously slipping his hand through his hair. He puts the keys in the ignition but doesn't turn them, just stares at the steering wheel and JJ lifts my eyes from the glove box to his father.

"Dad, I swear to go—"

He punches the blonde boy right across the jaw, causing blood to splatter across the window. Luke grabs the collar of JJ's shirt and bangs his body into the door roughly, occasionally punching my stomach and jaw.

"THIRTY-THOUSAND-DOLLARS!" He yells, spitting in my face, "Do you know what you did to me? Damn fucker."

Tears begin to stream down JJ's cheeks as starts to shake from the force of his father's hits. All while he's shamelessly beating his son, strings of cuss words leave his mouth. JJ let's him, not bothering to fight back or argue and eventually, Luke gets bored and his knuckles ache.

Back at the Maybank household, JJ paces up down his untidy bedroom, his hands pulling at his hair while his breathing increases as he listens to his father's roared

"HOW YOU GONNA GET THAT MONEY? HUH?" Luke bellows from the living room, his music blasting, "BY SITTIN' AROUND AND DOIN' NOTHIN'? I'm gonna tell you right now," He throws another beer bottle at the wall to the side of JJ's bedroom door, "YOU ARE A WORTHLESS PIECE OF SHIT!"

Angrily, JJ rams his fist into my bedroom door, his hair falling in front of his tear soaked face, "SHUT UP!"

"YOUR MAMA KNEW."

Those words rattle JJ further, and he delivers another punch to his bedroom door, causing wood splinters to fall onto the floor, "SHUT UP!"

"YOU TELL ME WHERE YOU'RE GONNA GET 30 GRAND NOW! GET YOUR ASS IN HERE!" Luke roars, and JJ throws another childhood toy across the room, shouting out in anger.

❦

After a while, the whole house finally feel silent. Luke's music flicked off manually while the cruel man slept, leaving JJ sat on his bed with his head resting in his hands.

Slowly, JJ raises up, making his way into the living room while his breathing shakes and tears continue to stream down his cheeks. The last few hours had been absolute torture for him.

He walks over to his father on the couch, who's fast asleep with beer bottles surrounding him and several blunts left on the coffee table.

Clenching his jaw, JJ swiftly pulls the pistol out, cocking it and aiming it directly at his dad's forehead. His lip quivers and he grits his teeth, preventing himself from sobbing aloud and risk waking up the man below.

Angrily, JJ whirls around, roughly grabbing his bag off the table and throwing the gun inside before running outside, jumping onto his dirt bike and leaving, not caring if the roar from the ignition awake his father.

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this is written horribly, so i'm sorry 😭