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❝ you're banned from seeing him ❞
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𝘚𝘺𝘭𝘷𝘪𝘦'𝘴 𝘗𝘖𝘝

Shoupe escorts us into the station and I keep my head held high, as does JJ. We reach the cells and the Deputy undoes our handcuffs before opening a cell door.

"In there, big guy" He tells JJ before looking at me "You too, princess"

I shoot him an unamused glare and follow JJ into the cell without as much as a word. He slams the door shut and locks it behind us, not even glancing back as he walks away.

JJ starts pacing around, running his fingers through his hair in frustration and I sigh sympathetically.

"JJ?" I speak up and he ignores me.

"Babe?" I try again, but he continues pacing.

"Baby, look at me" I sigh and he finally looks at me "Sit down. You're making me dizzy"

He sits down next to me and hides his face in his hands. I frown, noticing straight away that he's crying and my heart aches at the sight.

I grab his arm closest to me and pull it away from his face. He looks up at me through his tear filled eyes and I throw my leg over his lap, straddling him. I then wrap my arms around him and he accepts my embrace, hiding his face in my neck as he cries.

"It's gonna be okay. I got you, J" I mumble, stroking his head.

He sobers up and lifts his face up to look at me. I smile softly, wiping away his tears and he leans forward, placing a chaste kiss to my lips.

"Thank you for having my back, angel" He smiles, tucking my hair behind my ear.

"Always, hot stuff" I grin, kissing his cheek.

We sit for what feels like hours and I move seating over fifty times before I hear the clinking of the metal doors. I turn my head from my position draped over the bench and I see Sheriff Peterkin opening the cell door.

"Follow me, you two" She sighs and I scramble to my feet.

JJ grabs my hand and I squeeze his tightly as we follow the woman through the station.

"Just in there" She tells us, pointing to a room.

I head in first and JJ follows right behind me, the both of us sitting down at the desk.

"You're like little rocks in my shoe" Peterkin declares as she enters the room, closing the door behind her "I shake my foot, I think I've gotten them out, then dang, there they are again"

"Maybe watch where you're steppin" JJ suggests with a shrug, putting his hands on the back of his head as he leans back in his chair.

"Those little rocks on the back of my heel make me want to crush them" The Sheriff states and I grimace, crossing my legs on my chair like a child.

"Yikes" I mumble.

"Unlawful discharge of a firearm. Trespass on protected habitat. Felony destruction of property. All in the last two weeks. You're on a roll, chief" She tells JJ before looking at me "Vandalism. Disturbing the peace. Trespass on protected habitat. Felony destruction of property. Just in the last month, princess"

"Will you all stop calling me that?"I huff in annoyance.

"If you think we're gonna rat anybody out, you got the wrong idea" JJ remarks.

"I know your little teen brains don't like to think ahead, but I want you to come with me to uncharted territory. The future. How you gonna feel six months from now, sittin' in juvenile prison in Wadesboro?" Peterkin explains.

"Juvie?" I ask in worry and JJ grabs my hand under the desk as the Sheriff nods at me.

"You know these two?" The woman asks us, showing us two pictures.

I immediately recognise them as the men who shot at us and trashed Lana Grubbs' place, but I stay quiet and choose not to speak. Peterkin gets out her seat and rounds the desk to stand next to us.

"My question was, do you know these two?" She repeats herself.

"They..." JJ hesitates and I sigh, looking up at the woman.

"They broke into John B's house, and chased us through the marsh. Other than that, we have no idea" I explain to her.

"Here's a more recent photo" The Sheriff says, placing down two pictures.

I immediately gasp, my free hand covering my mouth as I stare at the gruesome photographs of the two men dead on metal tables with missing limbs and guts hanging out.

"Somebody gaffed them, then used them for chum. Whatcha think, bull shark?" Peterkin says and I retch, JJ rubbing my back as I cover my face "Here's the bad news, chief. 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. You kids don't think you're the only ones after the Royal Merchant, do you? And, yeah. I know about that too"

"Okay, Sheriff Peterkin, I can promise you he's not on it anymore" JJ tells her as I recover, sitting up straight.

"So you say. I'm just tryin' to keep him safe" She tells us "I want you to tell your friend John B to come in and talk to me, and let's see if we can keep you two out of Wadesboro"

She gets up and leaves the room, slamming the door behind him. Shoupe enters a couple minutes later and I look up at him, my hand grabbing JJ's.

"Your parents' are here to collect you both" The man declares and I gulp, squeezing JJ's hand tightly "Hop to it, kids"

We both stand up and follow behind Shoupe as he confidently walks through the station. I make eye contact with my father and I drop JJ's hand out of pure fear. JJ seems to slow down at the sight of his own father and I try to give him a reassuring smile but it comes out weak.

"You their guardians?" The officer at the desk asks Luke and my father.

"Sorry to say, I'm his father" Luke replies and I refrain my urge to kick him in the balls.

"Her father" My dad grumbles.

"Well, hearing will be in two weeks. If you fail to show up, you will forfeit your bail. The restitution will be based on the average of three outside estimates of the cost of the damaged article" The officer tells him.

"Restitution?" Luke and my father question in confusion.

"Pay for what they broke. It's part of the plea" The officer replies and Luke shoots JJ a dirty look, my father clenching his jaw in anger.

"Yeah, and...sign right here, please" She adds and the men signs the document necessary.

"Let's go. Go now!" Luke demands and it scares me a little.

"I'll see you later, angel" JJ whispers, squeezing my shoulder before following his dad out the police station.

"Sylvie, move" My father snaps "Today!"

Startled at his anger, I quicken my pace and follow him out the station. We get into the car and I immediately pull my knees to my chest.

He angrily mutters about how stupid I am but I tune him out, all my worries focused on JJ who has to go home with his own father. Tears prick at my eyes at the thought of what the blonde must be going through right now and my father sees them, assuming I'm crying for attention.

"Oh, don't you dare give me your crocodile tears, Sylvie!" He scoffs in disbelief.

I hide my face, crying harder and he lets out a frustrated huff.

By the time we reach the house, my tears are dry and I'm blankly staring out the windscreen. I hear a faint clicking next to my face and I turn to see my father looking at me in annoyance.

"Do you know what you've done? You've set me back fifteen thousand dollars. All because of that little Maybank shit!" He rants wildly "Well, no more. You're banned from seeing him. If I see you with him again, I'm sending you to live with your aunt in Texas"

"You can't fucking do that to me!" I shriek in disbelief.

My face abruptly whips to the side and a stinging pain spreads across my cheek. I hold my cheek in hurt and my body screams in exhaustion.

"Don't ever speak to me like that" He warns me and I feel too drained to even argue back, numbly nodding "Now, what happened to your neck. The bruise is faint but I can still see it, which means the whole of midsummers will too"

"I got into a fight at the boneyard. He strangled me" I lie emotionlessly.

"Fucking ridiculous, Sylvie. Get your sister to cover that up with some make up or something" He tells me and I nod.

He gets out the car and I follow numbly, walking behind him into the house.

"Your daughter says she's not going" Rose chirps as we reach the kitchen.

"She's off Topper, JoJo" Wheezie teases.

"Wheezie, please. Go" Our father tells her and she walks off "Thank you very much. What's goin' on?"

"I just...don't feel like Topper is my splinter bean" Sarah explains and I lean against the wall.

"I don't know exactly what that means, but it sounds to me like you should probably dump his ass, maybe, huh?" Our father suggests and she smiles, their stupid conversation making my heart ache for the father daughter bond I never had.

"Probably" Sarah nods in agreement.

"Maybe just not tonight, though. Maybe you could, I don't know-" He gets cut off.

"I just don't want to go with him" Sarah complains.

"I know, I know. What if you just paste on a smile and you go, and we have a good time, all right? And you deal with your love life mañana? Please" He pleads with her and she nods.

"Okay, fine" She agrees, standing up.

"Thank you. Now, can you help your sister get ready and hide that nasty bruise?" He asks and I stand up straight.

"Dad-" I cut myself off when I see the deadly look he gives me.

"Uh, sure" Sarah nods.

I roll my eyes and storm upstairs to my room. I take a quick shower before drying myself off and slipping on a fluffy dressing gown over my black lacy underwear set. Reluctantly, I knock on Sarah's bedroom door and she opens it fully ready.

"Where's this stupid dress?" I grumble.

"On the bed" Sarah answers and I walk past her.

I unzip the bag and pull out a dress so beautiful that I makes me pause for a second just to take in how pretty it really is. It's a sunflower yellow in colour and there are golden yellow flowers scattered over the bodice and straps.

"Not that it's not pretty, but yellow isn't really my colour" I comment.

"I disagree. I think yellow really brings out the blue in your eyes and the golden highlights in your hair from the sun" Sarah argues simply and I stand there speechless, which she quickly realises "Sorry, Rose picked the outfits. Since Wheezie's dress is blue, white, pink and yellow, Dad and Rafe are wearing blue, i'm wearing white, Rose is wearing pink and you're wearing yellow"

"I see. How cute" I say sarcastically.

I slip off my robe and grab the dress, ignoring Sarah's eyes burning into me.

"Can I help you?" I huff as I step into the dress.

"What happened to you?" She asks and I notice her eyeing my bruised ribs.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you, barbie" I wave her off, pulling the dress fully on.

"Sit here" She tells me, pulling out the chair at her vanity.

I sit down and she grabs her curling iron. We don't talk at all as Sarah curls my hair, humming a soft tune to herself as she works. She then pins a section of my hair back with a large clip that has gold leaves on it and gets to work on my make up.

After applying minimum make up, she tilts up my head and starts covering the bruise on my throat.

"You still not gonna tell me what happened?" She asks.

"You really wanna know?" I ask and she nods "Okay. Rafe wanted to do a little brother sister bonding"

"Meaning?" Sarah drawls off in confusion.

"Meaning, Rafe strangled the air out of my lungs before beating the shit out of me and Pope with a golf club" I explain bluntly and she freezes, looking down at me in shock.

"Are you being serious?" She asks me.

"No, I'm having a laugh" I reply sarcastically.

"Why haven't you told dad?" She gasps and I roll my eyes.

"Because the only person he dislikes more than Rafe, is me. He'd never believe me" I scoff and she quietens down, finishing what she's doing.