PAPER RINGS | jj maybank

014. cinderella

"I'm so glad you're okay." She sighed in relief. He placed her feet back in the ground after a few moments.

"I made a promise, didn't I." JJ shrugged.

Athena looked over his face, taking note of his bruised face, a few new cuts to the collection he already had. She took his face in her hands, her thumb gently running over them. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, my dad has a killer right hook, remember?" JJ told her, shrugging once more.

"I remember." Athena sighed, concern in her eyes.

JJ hated that look. He hated how concerned she was, well, he didn't. He loved the fact that she was so caring and kind that she continued to be concerned even after he told her multiple times not to worry. What he really hated was that when she was concerned she had this frown on her face and her eyebrows knit together, and JJ hated nothing more than seeing her with a frown. If he could go a day in his life never seeing her sad or frown it would be his own utopia. He would do everything in his power until he day he dies to get her to smile for as many hours in the day as he could.

"You look incredible." He told her. A blush covered her cheeks at the compliment, it being paired with that dorky smile that JJ had, his nose scrunched up slightly as he looked at her. "This is why I call you Cinderella. You've got the whole Disney Princess vibe going on."

Athena let out a laugh, nodding as her hand come to straighten his bow tie. "Thank you. I quite like the bow tie."

"Thank you."

"What are you doing here anyway?" She asked.

"I have to deliver this." JJ held up a note. "It's from Vlad."

Athena furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, thinking for a moment before she let out a gasp. "For Sarah, from John B?" She asked.

"I am so glad you understood that." JJ sighed in relief.

"Sarah told me." She laughed before looking around and seeing Sarah still on the dance floor with Wheezie. However as she turned around to face JJ once more, another person caught her attention, the boy making her breath hitch.

She took a slight step away from JJ, her eyes locked on the boy in the distance as he turned and made eye contact with her. The boy smiled at her fear filled expression, her mind plaguing with memories she tried to supress.

"Athena come on, you want this. You said so earlier, with that skirt and those glances."

"Please leave me alone."

Athena's breathing got heavier, JJ's face filling with concern as he watched her.

Lips were placed on Athena's neck as she squirmed underneath him. Her back was pressed against the alleyway wall, no one else in sight as she tried to get him off of her. His hands on her chest while she cried, begging him to leave her alone. She didn't want this. She never wanted this. She was thirteen years old and all she wanted was to go home after school, not be dragged into a random alley by one of her brother's friends.

"Please get off of me."

"Attie? Are you okay?" JJ asked her as she stood in front of him, wide eyed and heavy breathing.

"Leave me alone. Get off!"

"Attie? Athena?" JJ placed his hands on the girl's shoulders. And just like the hands that ripped the boy off of her that day, hands that belonged to none other than John B Routledge, JJ managed to snap Athena out of her memories. "Are you okay?"

"Um, yeah." Athena nodded, looking around once more. She pushed the thoughts of her past back in the locked box in the back of her brain.

"Are you sure?" JJ asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I swear." Athena smiled causing JJ to nod. He didn't believe her but he knew they weren't quite close enough yet for her to tell him what had happened. He knew she wasn't fine, for she would have promised not sworn if she was truly okay. "Dance with me."

"What?"

"Trust me." Athena ordered. "May I have this dance, kind sir?"

"You may m'lady." JJ bowed as Athena curtsied, jokingly. JJ took her outstretched hand, placing his other on her waist. Athena put her hand on his shoulder, the two swaying as they made their way through the crowd on the dancefloor.

JJ spun Athena, just like the first time they had danced together only a few days ago. Except this time, she bumped into Sarah to get her attention. Athena then grabbed Wheezie's hands, dancing with her baby sister as Athena subtly listened to JJ and Sarah's conversation.

"JJ?" Sarah questioned.

"Yes." JJ confirmed.

"What?"

"I've got a note from Vlad." JJ stated, holding up the note.

"From..." Sarah trailed off, a smile beginning to force on her face.

"Yeah." JJ nodded.

"From Vlad?" Sarah wanted to make sure.

"From Vlad." Athena piped up, a smirk on her lips.

"Okay." Sarah nodded, taking the note.

"Read the note." JJ demanded, turning to leave.

"Be safe." Athena told him.

"Don't worry Cinderella I will be." JJ winked at her, turning and walking off.

"Cinderella?" Sarah repeated, smirking slightly.

"It's a thing." She laughed. "Come on we have to find out what Vlad said."

The twins laughed, bidding goodbye to Wheezie and walking off the dance floor as they read the note Sarah had from John B.

"A secret rendezvous." Athena laughed.

"Maybe?" Sarah smiled.

"Go get your prince charming Sar." Athena pushed her in the direction she needed to go, smiling as she walked off before leaving to find Kie once more.