UNTOLD | JJ Maybank

Chapter 3

As she fixed her shorts from climbing in, Malou looked around the room. She couldn't remember the last time she had been in there. It had probably been 2 or 3 years, when Malou had brought him some school work, when JJ had been sick. It wasn't as messy, as she had thought it would be, but the smell of weed was even stronger than it was at the Château. Pulling out her phone, Malou checked if JJ had replied to her text yet. When she saw, that he hadn't, the girl sighed and put the phone back into the pocket of her shorts. She opened the door of his room carefully and made sure, not to make a sound. Walking into the hallway, she checked a few rooms for him, until she reached the living room.

Her heart suddenly sank to her stomach, when she saw his father passed out on the couch. His face was swollen and bruised and Malous gaze fell to his hands that rested on his stomach. His bruised and bloody hands rose and fell slowly to his breathing and Malou instantly felt sick. Just when she was about to turn around to leave, her eye caught a glimpse of something familiar. She took a step closer and recognized the sport bag filled with money, that JJ had taken from Barrys hut. Taking a short glance at the drunken man on the couch, Malou held her breath. JJ would not have left the money at his fathers by his free will. Silently, the girl tiptoed closer to the coffee table the bag laid on. The closer she got, the stronger the smell of alcohol and nicotine got. Malou pulled a disgusted face, before she breathed in deeply to hold her breath again. Just when her hand grabbed for the bag, a loud sound suddenly echoed through the room. Malou startled and let the bag drop again, before she tried to figure out, where the sound came from. At the same time, she pulled out her phone to decline the call from Pope, another sound startled her. Lifting her head, she saw Luke slowly sitting up on the couch as he rubbed his face. For a moment, Malous heart stopped beating, before it suddenly beat so fast, that she could feel it in her throat.

"Mary-Louise? What the hell do you want here?", Luke slurred and Malou gulped.

"I- I... I was looking for JJ." Malou stuttered and took a step backwards, when the man suddenly raised his head to look at her.

"Did he sent you to get his stuff? Just take anything and tell him, that he doesn't need to come back.", Luke mumbled and rubbed his face again, when his eyes suddenly fell onto the bag full of money. His drunken mind seemed to sober up immediately and he angrily looked up at Malou. Before she knew what, she was doing, the girl quickly grabbed for the bag and pressed it to her chest. Malou ran out of the living room and flinched a little, when she heard glass shatter. In the small hallway, Luke caught up to her. He grabbed her shoulders roughly and pushed her against the wall with his left arm pressing down onto her chest.

"He really sends a small, weak girl to steal from me?", he said angrily and tried to pull the bag out of Malous hands.

"It doesn't even belong to you.", Malou hissed and spat in his face right after. Luke let his hand drop from the bag to wipe his face, before he glared at Malou and slapped her across the face. Malou winced at the sharp pain on her cheek and felt her lip split open from where his ring had collided with her skin.

"Get out of my fucking house, right now.", Luke growled and Malou gladly agreed to his wish. Lifting up her knee forcefully, she hit him right in the crotch. As he stumbled backwards in pain, Malou pushed him away from her and quickly ran back into JJs room. Trying to ignore the shouting of Luke, Malou locked the door and quickly climbed back outside the window. With the bag underneath her arm, Malou ran off as fast as she could. Once she felt, that she was far enough from the house, she finally slowed down and tried to catch her breath. Looking back, she made sure, that he wasn't following her, even though she was pretty sure, that he had been too drunk to even walk straight.

"Oh, shit.", Malou mumbled, when she saw, that while she had been gone, JJ had come back to the Château. He was pacing around the porch nervously and suddenly stopped in his tracks, when his eyes caught the sight of Malou. Sighing, Malou lowered her head and walked up to the Château. JJ already jumped off the porch and ran towards her, while Kiara and Pope slowly followed him.

"Where were you?", JJ wanted to know as he walked up to the girl. Once she was close enough and slowly lifted her head, he stopped in his tracks.

"What happened?", he asked again and sounded much more bitter this time.

"JJ...", Malou started, but he cut her off immediately.

"What happened?!" Without saying another word, Malou pulled the bag from behind her back and let it drop to the ground. Carefully, she looked up at JJ, just to see him stare at the bag. Once he lifted his head and looked back at her, he turned around and angrily pulled at his hair.

"What the fuck, Malou?! Are you fucking stupid?! How many times did I tell you not to go there?!", JJ shouted and Malou nervously looked around to see Kiara and Pope slowly get closer.

"I just – I...", Malou tried again, but got quiet at the second that JJ turned around to her again. With his eye swollen and a bruise on his cheek, he looked as bad as his father, just that JJ had washed away the blood already.

"You what? Didn't trust me with the money? Didn't care that I asked you not to go there? Do you even know what the fuck you've just done?!" Tears welled up in the hazel eyes of Malou and her hands began to shake slightly. Just like JJ, Malou had only wanted to do the right thing. Instead, she had made everything worse. Taking the bag off the floor, Malou quickly went inside the house. Shutting the door to her room behind her, she threw the bag onto her desk and breathed out deeply. Wiping away some tears, Malou heard how the door to her room opened again. Turning around, she saw JJ walk inside.

"You don't just run away from me, alright?", he asked, much calmer this time, before he closed the door behind him.

"I'm sorry, ok? I didn't go there for the money, I went there to look for you. I was scared, that he was gonna hurt you again, I just wanted... I just wanted to make sure you were ok. And yes, then I saw the money and I thought you would have not left it there, so I took it, so we can give it back or pay your restitution or whatever, but he couldn't have it. I'm sorry, I just wanted to do the right thing.", Malou cried and saw how JJs eyes softened.

"I know, I know. It's ok.", JJ whispered and walked up to the crying girl. Malou watched him come closer and looked up to him, when he carefully placed his hand on her cheek. Gently running his thumb over the red mark on her cheek and the small cut on her lip, Malou noticed how his blue eyes filled with tears.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry he hurt you.", JJ whispered, when some of the tears ran down his cheeks. With his hands still on her cheeks, Malou lowered her head. JJ pulled his hands back and Malou moved a little closer to rest her head on his chest. With her face nuzzled into his neck, her hands grabbed his tank top to hold onto it. When JJ wrapped his arms around her, Malou closed her eyes and sighed in relief. JJ rested his chin on her head and for a while, they just stayed like that.

"JJ?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm tired. And I'm scared.", Malou admitted quietly and eventually opened her eyes again.

"Of what?", JJ asked, still holding her tight to his chest.

"I know ya'll say, that you've got nothing to lose, but... I'm scared of losing you. I'm scared, that John B will end up like my dad and I'm scared, that Pope will ruin his future. I'm scared, that Kie or Sarah will get hurt or send away and I'm scared that you'll... I don't know. I don't want to lose you, JJ." JJ loosened his grip around the girl and pushed himself back a little to look down on her.

"You're not gonna lose anyone.", he tried to comfort her, but Malou slightly shook her head.

"You can't promise that."

"You're right, but... I can promise, that I'll do everything in my power, to make sure, that you don't ever have to be without me." Malou smiled lightly at his choice of words and lifted her head to look up at him.

"Promise?", Malou asked quietly and JJ nodded.

"I promise."