✓ 𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐁𝐋𝐄𝐌𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐑, 𝘫. 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘬 ¹

60

chapter sixty
"we lost them"

trigger warning: there will be brief mentions of abuse in this chapter. if you don't feel comfortable, go ahead and skip the chapter <3

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"HOW'S THAT FIST OF YOURS?"

Lynn jokingly smiled towards JJ, who was currently leaning his back against the green jeep where his mind was flooded with different thoughts. He glanced up from being distracted when he heard Lynn's voice, though, and he stopped fiddling with his already bruising fist as he looked down in a bit of shame.

"Fine," JJ answered quickly, but Lynn frowned a bit, knowing the boy was just lying to cover his ass. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay," Lynn nodded, and she anxiously bit down on her pink lip, and then continued. "I'm okay because I have you, JJ, and I have Pope, and Kie, and John B and Sarah...in two months, at least."

Lynn shook her head as she realized all this time she was hiding her feelings, hiding how angry and sad she really was, how shit of an abusive father she has. She could've just talked to her friends.

"You know what," Lynn scoffed, turning her back away from JJ as she started marching towards the wooden dock Kie and Pope were standing on. "Guys, I need to talk about something."

Kie and Pope both glanced over their shoulders at hearing Lynn speak up, and they both seemed to have their moods lightened tenfolds. She wasn't sure exactly what happened between them, but she hoped they had worked out their differences and realized how much they actually like each other.

"Yeah, what is it, Lynn?" Pope questioned, signaling for the girl to continue.

"Okay," Lynn stated, letting out a huge breath in hopes of calming down the nerves that were sinking in after the impulsive decision to tell them about everything. "My father, he, uh, I don't know the best way to phrase this...It started when I was ten, my dad would get drunk, or high, or whatever it was, and he'd just get so mad."

Lynn felt the emotion overwhelming her voice, and she was mad she was allowing it to happen so quickly. She let out another shaky breath, trying to convince herself she could do this; she could tell them her story.

"He would, hit me, whether it was his fist, or palm, or...foot," Lynn continued, and she finally got the courage to raise her eyes to look at her two best friends, and they looked overwhelmed with emotion in their eyes. "It's happened for as long as I can remember, I guess. And I never, um, told anyone. I guess part of me always wished, someone would notice, but I never wanted to say the words out loud. I was afraid you guys would think I'm such weak coward, and you wouldn't want to be friends anymore, and you'd thought I was weird, or there was something wrong—"

Lynn was crying at this point, but frankly she didn't care. They needed to know, they needed to know that part of her; even if it was broken, wounded, or hurt.

She didn't have to continue anymore, because at the same time, both Pope and Kie rushed forward to envelope the frail blonde girl into a big hug. JJ had been onlooking from the jeep, and he was beyond proud of his girl being able to admit to her background.

So, he rushed forward and wrapped his arms all around his best friend, and he placed a quick peck on Lynn's forehead. "I'm so proud of you, princess."