The Least Favorite Cameron

Chapter 22

"Hey, hey I gotchu. You're okay," JJ says as he wraps his arms around my soaking wet body. 

I could barely even speak as I held onto him still dizzy and trying to catch my breath. I peer over JJ's shoulder and see my brother laying there barely conscious. I let go of JJ and try to go over to him but JJ pulls me back.

"No Gracie, just leave him," He says and pulls me toward the HMS Pogue.

"How?" is the only word I can get out. My throat feels like it's been torn apart and I'm so tired.

"I saw your text about coming here and my plan with the ambulance fell through so I came here to make sure everything was okay. Thank God my cousin was working when I went over there or I don't know what would have happened. Damn dude, I thought you were dead when I saw you in that water," JJ says and I can hear the worry in his voice when it cracks. 

"JJ, where do we go? I don't wanna go back to the Chateau, Rafe could go back there," I say weakly, my voice slightly raspy.

"Well we can crash at my house, my dad is uh in jail so he won't be an issue," JJ says and my heart breaks a little for him. His relationship with his dad was so complicated, I could relate now.

"Okay," Is the only response I can give as I close my eyes as the rock of the boat lulls me to sleep.

When I wake up I find myself in a small bed in a room cluttered with some magazines and posters of dirt bikes. There's a few clothes scattered on the floor but there's one thing perfectly tidy in this room. On a small nightstand sits a picture of me, JJ, John B, Pope, and Kiara from two summers ago at a bonfire. JJ's room is like the perfect embodiment of him. I get up still feeling slightly off, and go out into the living room. There on the couch is a snoring JJ, his hat is laying over his face and the tv is on a low volume playing some show on Nickelodeon.

"Boo!" I yell as I shake his shoulder a little. He jerks up and looks startled until he sees me laughing.

"Damn dude, I saved your life and you give me a heart attack as a thank you!" He says as he shoves me playfully.

"How are you," He says as his face drops a little and he looks worried again.

"I don't even know how to begin to answer that question so, let's talk about something else," I say and get up and peer into his fridge. I'm not surprised when I see that the only contents are a six pack of beer, some butter, and an old pizza box.

"Okay we need food," I say to him. He's still looking at me with a concerned expression but I try to ignore it.

"The only place that'll have food is the Chateau," He says.

"Well might as well try it, I've still got a few lives left to spare so if Rafe's there, I'll risk it for a sandwich," I say and force a laugh. We get back onto the Pogue and head towards the Chateau. I didn't know what to do now. I guess I could try and ask Sarah to talk to Wheezie. Everything just felt hopeless. As we approach the dock, I think I am hallucinating again. Standing there, is Pope, Kiara, and I feel like my heart is gonna jump out of my chest as I see John B.

"OMG, JJ, look!" I yell.

"WOOOO! That's my boy! What the hell did you bust out?" JJ yells as we get to the dock. I jump out of the boat and leap into John B's arms.

"Is this real?" I say to him as I hold his face and look into his eyes.

"They dropped the charges, I'm free," He says and he picks me up, spinning me around. Everyone has huge smiles on their faces and things feel like they are finally coming together again.

"But uh Gracie, they're coming after Ward and Rafe," John B. says and I try to read the expression on his face. He looks conflicted at what to feel.

"Good. Rafe-uh, Rafe jumped he last night, if it wasn't for JJ I'd be dead right now," I say to him and John B. looks to JJ with gratitude but I see something else flash across his face, was he jealous? How could he be jealous of JJ for saving my life? The thought made no sense but I've known John B. long enough to know what he's feeling just from a look on his face. Maybe he was mad at himself for not being there but that wasn't his fault? Was he mad I even tried to go in the first place? These thoughts flowed through my head as the boys stood there looking at each other with unreadable expressions on their faces.

"I owe you one man," John B. finally says to JJ and they give each other a little bro hug.

"What do you mean he jumped you? What happened? When you didn't come back last night, we wondered if you just crashed somewhere with Wheezie," Pope says and a part of me feels hurt. Would they really not have come looking even though they knew the risk I was taking?

I didn't want to explain to them what happened last night, the thought broke me, and I was barely holding myself together as it is. I could see the battle Rafe was having within himself last night, it was like I was literally watching the angel and devil on his shoulders fighting. He was so angry but so hurt and so conflicted all at the same time. His brain is so warped he can't see that I was never against him, I was against what he was doing and who our father was making him become. I know what he's done and tried to do last night is fucked up and there's no way around it but I couldn't shake the pity and love that still remained for him in some broken part of me. Like he said, I've always been the only one he could count on.

"Gracie?" John B. said my name quietly and gently shook my shoulder trying to break me from the train of thought I was lost on.

"I went to talk to Wheezie, Rafe had her phone and was the one texting me back. He started telling me that I betrayed him and that I was against our family. He uh- he just got so mad and hurt," I say and my voice cracks and the lump forms in my throat making it hard to breathe.

"He was drowning her in a tub when I found her," JJ says it, so I don't have to and I look at him with thanks.

"Fuck," Kiara says and walks over and wraps her arms around me. I return the embrace but with one hand. The other is holding John B's hand. I feel like he is the only thing anchoring me to the ground. My entire life has turned into something I don't even recognize, the only constants have been the Pogues and him. If he wasn't standing on this dock when we got back I wouldn't have known what to do next. The fluctuation in my emotions makes me feel dizzy. From total paralyzing fear and the deep heartache, to the happiness and excitement of just seeing him. Then the anxiety of what will happen to my family as the police ready the warrant for my father and brother's arrests. My hand subconsciously reaches up and fidgets with the piece of fabric John B. placed around my neck, something I've found myself doing since the night on the boat when he gave it to me. Then a thought crosses my mind.

"Oh, by the way guys, probably isn't the right time to announce this but, John B. and I got married," I say leaning into John B.

"What?" JJ yells in a flabbergasted tone.

"It wasn't exactly legal or official but yeah," John B. says and kisses my forehead softly.

"Damn and we didn't even get to throw you a bachelor party," JJ says with a laugh and slaps John B. on the back playfully.

"Wow so just total abandonment of the Kook life huh Gracie?" Pope says with a laugh.

"Oh yeah cause she totally indulged in the Kook lifestyle before now," Kie replies.

"Guys we should head out soon though," Pope says as he looks at his watch.

"Where are we going?" I ask in a confused voice. I still felt like we were in hiding, the reality of John B's freedom hadn't quite hit me yet.

"Pope wants to visit his Grandmother to ask her about this," Kiara says as she holds up a small gold key.

"No way! It's real? That lady wasn't nuts after all?" I say taking the key in my hand and looking it over.

"It was hidden in her old apartment in the ceiling, I think the story Limbrey told me is true. And if it is, that makes me related to Denmark Tanney," Pope says and it doesn't sound like he believes it himself.