ONE FOR THE MONEY - rafe cameron

chapter four

"These days, I haven't been sleepin'
Stayin' up playin' back myself leavin'"
- taylor swift

gina was sitting at the boat dock by herself, dangling her feet.

as she admired the view, she heard someone coming up to her.

"hey gina.." she looks up and sees topper.
"hey top."
"how are you?" he sits next to gina.
"good." she sighs.
"look. i wanted to talk to you about something that's been happening lately."
"what's up?" she puts her attention onto him.

"i know it's not all your choice, but my parents have been getting a divorce. i wanted to know if i could stay at your family's house for some time cause it's been really messy." topper mumbles the last part out of embarrassment, but gina still hears.

"what? of course you can stay for as long as you'd like. if you don't want my parents to know i can totally make up an excuse for you." gina rubs his back and topper breaks down.
he hugs gina and she hugs him right back.
"i'd really appreciate that ginny thank you."

-

gina told her parents she wanted topper to stay over for some time so they can hang out more often and build their bond, they said yes.

they moved some of topper's stuff into their guest room and set it up for him, he wouldn't stop saying thank you.

"so, are you and sarah dating?" gina asks as the two are watching tv in the guest room.
"not yet, we act like we are but i want to ask her out in a special way. she deserves it." he tells her.
"i totally agree, she's the nicest girl i've ever met."
"yeah, she's one of a kind." he smiles.

topper's phone buzzes and he checks it.
"speaking of sarah, she just texted me asking if i wanted to hang with her."
"go ahead." gina nods.
"are you sure? you've been helping me out all day, i wouldn't mind saying no so we can hang out." gina shoos him.
"go! you're like deeply in love with her and we can cousin bond another time." topper nods.
"thank you so much by the way."
"you've said that a million times."
"i know, but i really mean it."
"i know, top."
topper leaves, and gina walks to her room.

-

gina scrolls through her old photos out of boredom, til she finds a few from the beginning of senior year.

she rubs her eyes that are slowly filling up with tears as she looks at pictures of her and her ex-boyfriend. jj maybank.

in few pictures they were kissing, in a few others they were laughing, and more showed the adventures they'd go on together.

they used to be the perfect highschool sweethearts, til his father started getting more and more abusive.

it started to show in jj's personality and started causing him to have mood swings.
gina always tried to be there for him but he would always shut her down and take his anger out on her verbally.

her mental health started going downhill, and she knew she had to leave. before it got physical.

THE NIGHT THEY BROKE UP

"gina, get the fuck out!" jj throws everything off of his table and at gina.
beer cans, glass and old tv dinners all miss gina's body.

jj was completely drunk and in the wrong mindset, and everytime he was, gina would use that as an excuse to stay with him.

"jj, i just want to be there for you and make sure you're okay, why won't you let me?!" she breaks down and slides down the wall and on to the floor, holding her knees to her chest and digging her face in them.

jj held an object in his hand and placed it down, realizing all he's done to his girlfriend. and he's become another version of his father. which was the one thing he never wanted to become.

he rushes towards gina and hugs her, causing her to flinch at the contact.

"i'm so so sorry, gin. i didn't realize wh-"
"save it jj." she pushes jj off of her and gets up.
"you've put me through hell for most of our relationship and i'm over it!"
"babe don't do this." he gets up and pleads.
"it takes you to realize what the fuck you've done when i break apart?!" she scoffs and walks away.

jj grabs her arm and forces her to face him.
"i need you."
"should've acted like it." gina, with tears in her eyes continues to walk towards her car.
"i love you, gina!" he yells.
"we're done." she slams her car door shut before driving off.

PRESENT TIME

gina sighs as she holds her phone close to her chest as she remembers all the arguments, things thrown at her, and the few times she's witnessed jj's 'encounters' with his dad.

her bedroom door opens.

"honey i- are you okay?" her mom sees the blue look on her face.
"just thinking about jj." gina's parents never cared about the kook vs. pogue thing, since her mom was once a pogue too. only thing is, they didn't know the true story on why they had broken up, otherwise her parent's would have despised jj.

"aww, look. i know he was your first love, but it's been months. and the cameron's son totally has a crush on you." she rubs gina's arm and laughs.
"mom!" gina jokingly pushes her mom and laughs with her.
"i'm just telling the truth!"

the laughter dies down and gina gets back to overthinking.
"was i a bad girlfriend?" she looks her mom in the eyes, hoping she'd know just what to say.
"look, i wasn't your boyfriend so i have no clue.
i know jj broke up with you but, that was just because his father was taking a toll on his mental health, not because you were a bad girlfriend." and that was the story she told her parents.

even though her mom didn't really know the truth, she knew what to say and it did help gina.
"i don't know what i'd do without you." gina smiles and hugs her mom.
"no, i don't know what i'd do without YOU." her mom chuckles and hugs her back.

"alright, i originally came up here to tell ya i made lunch. if you want some, come down and get it."
"okay, i'll be down in a second."
"alright honey." her mom walks out and quietly shuts the door behind her.

gina fixes herself up, then heads down to eat lunch and talk to her family.

THIS IS A SHORT CHAPTER, I JUST WANTED THIS ONE TO BE A LITTLE ABOUT HER PAST AND HER RELATIONSHIPS WITH HER FAMILY.