chapter 21.
tell the ones you love
you love them.

୨୧

"We have to find him before they do." jo pinches her thumbnail into the pad of her index finger. they were aimlessly walking around the island, still no sight of her brother. it was dark but police lights illuminated the streets; they were looking for the same person. "where is he!"

josephine had made them stop once so she could change the bandaid; cleo reluctantly turned back, stating she needed to be with the heywards during popes trial. it's only then did the teens notice the night had gone, and daylight was pouring through the sky.

the remaining four friends walk through an empty
downtown, ransacked from the previous night. "jesus, this place is trashed." joey carefully steps over shards of broken glass, courtesy of her brother. the streets are quiet now, the only evidence of the previous nights storm being the destroyed shops lining downtown. josephine felt tense knowing this was all her brothers doing. but she wasn't surprised; never surprised. it was only a matter of time until one of the siblings snapped; blood or not, they were maybanks. born to become monsters sooner or later.
why not start now?

"jj's long gone." john b looks ahead, surveying the damage. "we should get out of here."

"and go where?" kiara asks with a painful reminder. "they're probably already bulldozing poguelandia."

although she had already known this as a possibility, josephine can't help the pit forming in her stomach. after everything, she'd be sent back to foster care after all. no guardian, no home, no chance. kiara must sense her inner turmoil as she places a gentle hand on the child's tense shoulders. "joey, you're not going anywhere. we'd all go to jail before letting you get taken away again."

while jo wanted this to be true, she'd learnt long ago that hope kills. "you're probably all goin' to jail anyways."

kiara rolls her eyes but john b falls behind before she can respond, looking at sarah with concern. "you okay?"

"yeah." the blonde nods slowly but joey is a good enough liar herself; she knows the cameron girl isn't telling the truth. "i'm, uh...i have to, you know." sarah jumbles over her words and steps away from the group. "i'll be right back." she disappears through a shattered drug store door. joesephine watches her go, tuning out john b and kiara until she hears the name of the man who fathered her. (more or less.)

"...luke comes back, and then next thing you know, he sells the house right out from under his kids to the kooks of all people." john b is saying. "i mean, luke makes my dad look like the father of the century."

standing behind the teen josephine grits her teeth, muttering under her breath. "and he might not even be our..." she trails off and john b spins around. "what?"

jo sucks her teeth and averts her gaze. "nothing."

"no, joey. what did you say?" john b persists. jo wishes she'd never said anything at all... until she's hit with a sudden realization and her eyes widen. "goat island."

"what?"

joey looks over john b's shoulder, making eye contact with kie. "i think i know where jj went." kiara stands straighter with this realization. jo wishes she would've thought of that before almost revealing that luke may not be their true father. "i'll get sarah."

jo misses the shared glance between the older teens before kie nods. "i'll come." josephine shrugs in response and the girls head toward the drug store, broken glass crunching beneath their sneakers. jo's were two sizes too small and pinched the backs of her heels; she hoped they'd find this stupid crown. maybe then she could finally buy herself a new pair.

as they enter the destroyed shop, kiara notices a certain pop of color missing from jo's blonde hair. "hey, did your pink fall out?"

"what?" joey touches her fingers against her unruly hair, momentarily forgetting she had not been wearing the clip-ins. "oh. guess so." she shrugs, brushing it off nonchalantly. in truth, jo hasn't felt the need to wear them. people were afraid of little girls with dyed hair; josephine didn't need people to be afraid of her now. it was more of a subconscious decision—she hadn't actively thought of it this way—but now that she has, she appreciated its truth. jo didn't need people to be afraid of her anymore, because she was no longer afraid; josephine had protectors. six of them, to be exact.

kiara doesn't miss the girls disinterest; she had expected a freakout over the missing hair pieces. a win is a win. the brunette raps her knuckles against the closed bathroom door in the back of the shop. "sarah? are you in there?"

"yeah. um..." sarah responds, voice shaky.

"i think i know where jj went!" jo speaks excitedly through the locked door. "i can explain on the way."

the door clicks open and sarah appears, looking frazzled. "okay." she inhales sharply, hand pressed against one side of the doorframe. "you okay?" kiara stitches her eyebrows together as sarah stands in the doorway, leaning it to block off the bathroom.

"yeah." the blonde repeats, the lie effortlessly rolling of her tongue. an esteemed liar herself, jo is unconvinced. she slides under the girls arm with ease, twisting into the small bathroom. sarah gasps, spinning around. "joey!"

jo's eyes widen as they land upon a plastic stick resting on the sink. kiara follows her gaze, looking to sarah. "what is that...?" josie pinches two fingers around the tests far end, holding it up with a raised eyebrow. "this yours?

sarah presses her lips together. "mm-hmm." she hums. the silence is killing josephine. she sets the test back onto the sink and rocks back and forth on the balls of her feet. "so..." kiara eyes the distinct double pink lines. "are you sure?"

"well, i took both for confirmation." sarah looks over her shoulder into the bathroom, gesturing to a second test resting on the back of the toilet just behind josephine. jo leans over, checking the second test. she grimaces at the identical double lines, looking to the older girls. "yup, she's sure."

"john b...?"

"yeah." sarah is quick to confirm, eyebrows pointed down. if it weren't for the seriousness of the situation josephine would have laughed at the look on the blondes face.

"yeah, yeah. for sure." kiara backtracks. "like... does he know?"

"oh, no." sarah shakes her head. "i just found out."

"great timing, sare." josephine abandons the tests, moving to lean against the doorframe beside sarah. "i mean..." kiara lets out a huff of air, giggling softly. "homeless, chased by killers, broke again." sarah hums in agreement, finding the humor despite her fear.

"i don't really know how it could get any worse." jo struggles to find empathy; feelings make her nauseous. "oh, wait." although she'd normally laugh at the younger maybank as bluntness, sarah shoots her a look. "it would be super great if maybe you guys could find, like, one positive thing." she smiles bright but it doesn't reach her eyes; it fades fast.

kiara returns the soft smile. "you're gonna be an amazing mom, and john b loves you."

"yeah, it's kinda gross." jo can't fight the sappy moment as much as she tries. the older girls break into much needed laughter, appreciating their usual comedic relief. "but he's gonna be an all right dad." josephine swallows her smile (and pride) as she turns to face sarah. "and you have all of us." sarah sniffles, wrapping an arm around the younger girl and pulling her into a group hug; jo doesn't fight it.

"you're gonna be okay." kiara assures from inside their embrace.

"i love you." sarah tells the brunette.

"i love you too."

there's a brief beat of silence before sarah whispers, "i love you too, joey." kiara hums in agreement. "we all do, jo." josephine freezes; she can't remember the last time she's heard these words. she thinks it was four years ago, when she was ripped from her brothers arms.

jo swallows the lump in her throat and blinks, allowing tears frozen in time to cascade down her cheeks. she feels her tense posture slowly relax after years of tightening and her fists unclench; her hands hung loose by her sides. "yeah, love you guys, too."