Pancakes for dinner - JJPOPE

Chapter seven

"Oh my God, JJ." Kiara exclaims just as JJ takes his seat at their usual table outside under a tree, leaping up from her seat and taking his face into her hands, searching over the injuries. "What the hell happened?"

Brushing her hands away, JJ lets out a deep sigh. "Nothing. I'm fine."

"You don't look fine." Sarah cuts in.

"Guys, please." Mutters JJ, hanging his head. "I'm not in the mood."

Saving the day, John B distracts the group with a story from pe which consisted of him falling over in a puddle of mudd. Surprisingly, JJ joins in on the laughter, even with the bitch of a pain that attacks his core.

Once JJ had been able to stand up in the bathroom and clean up the blood from the floor, washing his mouth out with water, JJ lifted his shirt to see the evidence of Rafe's attack. His usually tan skin was painted black and purple, the softest of touches making it ache and burn like hell, and breathing harder to do. There was no doubt something was going on internally, but there was no way JJ was going to the hospital. If he took one step into that bleach scented environment, Luke would be called from work or wherever the hell he was and make JJ's injuries all the worse in the car. There had been far too many of those incidents.

The day that JJ took the fall for Pope, told Shoupe that it was all his idea, all him, allowed himself to be taken to the sheriff's station and locked in a cell all to keep Pope from being taken away from his Merit scholarship. All to try and prove to Pope that he would do anything for him. Would suffer beating after beating from his dad just to have Pope safe and sound at home with parents who loved and cared for him. Only to have Luke lose his shit in the car, blood splattering across the window, his hands wrapping around JJ's throat, spit flying across JJ's face along with Luke's fists. The memory was still so vivid in his mind, was still so haunting, even after it being almost a year. Along with many others JJ would rather forget.

JJ is relieved when the bell rings for the last period, gathering his things and bidding the others goodbye. He enters the music room with a large smile, relief and a surge of happiness filling his chest at the sight of Miss Davis writing things out on the board.

"JJ," She says, wrapping him in a hug. "How have you been?"

JJ forces himself not to wince as she squeezes him tight. "I've been okay." He replies. "How are you feeling?"

Pulling away, Miss Davis cups JJ's cheek, thumbing gently at the bruise under his eye. "I was feeling better, but now that I've seen this, I don't know how to feel."

Smiling sadly, JJ shrugs, leaning into the touch. "It's not what you think." He assures her. "Just some stupid guys picking a fight."

Miss Davis doesn't question JJ, for she seemed to be able to tell when he was lying, and shifts the topic of conversation to his song. JJ tells her about how he had drafted the last few cords, and how he hoped she would read them over today so he could finalise it. She agrees easily and leads JJ to the back room, reading over the cords whilst JJ picks up the guitar, laying it in his lap. "Play it for me, hun." She says, placing the book down.

Nodding, JJ does as he is told, plucking the cords and singing the lyrics softly, almost like he was whispering them. The entire time, he keeps his eyes closed, focusing on the pitch of his voice and not fucking up the cords. Finally being able to play what JJ had written felt incredible. Felt so freeing. JJ had waited so long to be able to do this, to show to the one person he trusted to see what she thought of it all being tied together.

Singing the very last note and strumming the last chord, JJ is welcomed by Miss Davis's loud, pride filled claps. Her eyes are swelled with tears, her lips in a large smile. "It's absolutely beautiful, JJ." She says, pride in her voice. "You've just completed your first song."