Standstill Bonds

Chapter 20 ~ A (grand)mother's love

Josephine woke up with a start, realizing she'd been gone from home all day and the evening was setting in. Panic set in as she read the angry texts from her parents. Before she could spiral further, Holly briskly entered the room, shushing her gently.

"Dear, don't worry about it. I'll talk to your parents for you. Right now, let's get you fed. I prepared some food for you earlier."

Holly took Josephine's phone, ushering her to the kitchen where a warm meal awaited her. Josephine was hesitant but followed Holly's lead. As she sat down and began eating, Holly reassured her.

"Don't stress about this my dear. I'll handle it, you just focus on eating and taking care of yourself."

Jotaro entered shortly after, quickly noticing Josephine's uneasy state and his eyebrows furrowed in response to her stressed look.

"Jotaro, can you keep her company while I deal with this?" Holly asked, gesturing to Josephine's phone in her hand.

Jotaro nodded and took a seat nearby as his mother dissappered down the hall. He decided to probe a bit, wanting to understand the situation better. "So, you still haven't told me, what's the deal with your parents anyway?"

The air became heavy and Josephine avoided eye contact, anxiously playing with her food.

Jotaro pressed on, his voice calm but firm. "Tell me the truth, Josephine."

Josephine looked down, conflicted. She hesitated before finally sighing and deciding to share her full story. "Fine. They committed some kind of fraud back in England. I don't know all the details, but it's bad and they moved us here to avoid getting caught."

Jotaro leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, observing the young girl with narrowed eyes. "And you're okay with all this?"

Josephine looked up, her eyes showing a mix of frustration and vulnerability. "Of course not. But what can I do? I can't change the past and I can't control them. I just want to get through this and move on with my life."

Jotaro narrowed his eyes, his posture slightly shifting. "Kid, if you're involved in this mess, it could affect you too. I can't promise I won't do anything."

Josephine clenched her fists, a flash of panic in her eyes. "You can't! Jotaro please, promise me. You can't make it worse by reporting them. If you do the cops will come and we all get deported back. They will go to prison and I'll end up in foster care. I can't lose the only stability I have right now."

Jotaro studied her for a moment before relenting. "Fine. I won't interfere, but you better handle this, Josephine."

Holly's return was marked by a noticeable sigh. "Your parents are quite a handful, but I managed to pacify them," she said, shooting Josephine an amused glance. "I told them you'd be staying with us for the week. Convinced them it's a good idea to have the house to themselves."

Josephine nearly choked on her food, her eyes widening in shock as she grabed a nearby napkin to cover her mouth.

Jotaro stood up abruptly, shooting his mother a scorning look. "What were you thinking? You can't just decide things like that without talking to me first!"

Holly raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "And you were going to say no, were you?"

Jotaro grumbled in response, clearly irritated by his mother's antics. "Good grief, you can't just manipulate people like that, Mom."

Holly smirked, "Oh, come on. It's for a good cause. She needs a break from all that chaos."

Jotaro shot her another stern look but then silently backed off, realizing that arguing further would be futile. Josephine, caught in the middle of this exchange, could only look on with a mixture of surprise and amusement as she turned to look at Jotaro once Holly left the room again.

"Did you mum really just do that?"

-

Night drew in and Josephine sat on her futon alone with her thoughts, the lamp casting a warm glow. Jotaro noticed her still awake as he was about to head into his own room. He hesitated for a moment, contemplating whether to talk to her. Eventually, he decided to step in, pushing the door slightly wider.

"Can't sleep?" he gruffly remarked, trying to lighten the mood.

Josephine looked up at him, offering a small smile. "Yeah, can't stop thinking about earlier."

Jotaro took a seat nearby, leaning against the wall. "My mom has a knack for causing a stir," he admitted with a hint of amusement.

Josephine chuckled. "She really caught me off guard."

He nods, "Yeah...me too."

As the night progressed, their conversation took an unexpected turn. Jotaro found himself inquiring about Josephine's earlier excitement with the "Life of Birds" book and her admiration for Darwin. The relatable passion in biology stirring the chit chat between them.

"He's like a hero to you, huh?" Jotaro asked, tilting his head slightly.

Josephine nodded with a fond smile, "Yeah, his work has always fascinated me."

Jotaro, with a slight smirk, remarked, "Aren't most girls your age into clothes, phones, and other stupid teen stuff?"

Josephine, without missing a beat, retorted, "Most girls are idiots."

Surprisingly, Jotaro burst into laughter, a hearty sound that caught Josephine off guard. She blinked in surprise, not expecting such a reaction from him. When he caught her look he quickly composed himself, the lightest shade briefly dusting his cheeks.

Their playful banter took an unexpected turn when Josephine challenged Jotaro, playfully questioning if he's as strong as Star Platinum. A spark of amusement lit up in Jotaro's eyes, and without a word, he stood up. The room became their makeshift training ground, and they sized each other up with playful glints in their eyes.

Josephine, with a mischievous grin, attempted to make a run for it, zigzagging through the room. Jotaro, always a step ahead, effortlessly caught her, lifting her up and holding her upside down.

"Hey, no fair! Put me down!"

Jotaro smirked but didn't comply, enjoying the unexpected fun. "You started it, what did I say about getting into trouble without thinking? There you go doing it again." and playfully began tickling Josephine. Laughter echoed through the room as she squirmed in his grasp. The unexpected turn of events caught them both off guard, and the playfulness of the moment was abruptly interrupted by Holly's passing comment.

"Don't kill the poor girl, Jotaro!"

Jotaro, embarrassed at being caught, quickly set her down. There was a lightness to the atmosphere, an unexpected and refreshing change from their usual interactions. Clearing his throat, as though clearing the awkwardness away, he ruffled her hair before turning to leave.

"Get some sleep, kid. You have school tomorrow."