The Strays ⎈John B Routledge⎈

Vices

CJ's words came out slurred and before John B could even respond, she was almost completely changing subjects. 

"You know, I never told you what he said." CJ hiccuped, a sad smile on her face as she swayed slightly, finally turning to face the boy. "He-he noticed the scars. The cigarette burns. He said I was disgusting." She told him, her face screwing up. "People never notice them. He knows, J," she stuttered, "he knows. He could tell everyone. They'd only- only add it to their arsenal. It scares the shit out of me." Her words trailed off, ending in a whisper.

Most people didn't know about the scars that littered parts of her body. Small ones from glass, knives, and barbed wire were overlooked and unbothersome, it was the burns that she hated. The ones that were obviously distinguishable between injuries and abuse. Over time, the marks faded, and the places they were in covered them from view. Completely naked in front of the boy, Topper had seen most of them; two on her inner bicep and one in the crook of her neck. That was when the boy seemed to realize his actions, pulling away from the girl with a nasty sneer. He made sure to say some awful things before he left, including the word slut and the reminder that she was absolutely nothing. It was twenty minutes later that John B found her, curled up alone crying by a tree. She was nursing a beer with empty bottles strewn around her figure. She was so out of it, her shorts weren't even buttoned over her bikini bottoms.

Tentatively, John B stepped forward, trying to get to the distraught female. She was already wasted and all he wanted to do was hold her and make her understand that she wasn't nothing. She was everything. "Bunny, you're beautiful." He told her, using the nickname he coined for her when they first met. The name, along with his words, forced a choked sob from CJ's lips. "He is a tool who isn't worth anyone's time, let alone your thoughts. You are the strongest person I have ever met and you and we both know if anyone said anything, you'd kick their ass. And we'd all help." Watching her face screw up further, John B immediately knew what she was thinking. "No one judges you. They still love you."

"You heard Kie."

"Ceej, she's just confused. You hate him more than any of us. She's just lost. You're still her best friend. If anyone will understand, it's her. She is a Kook by blood."

"Being a Kook isn't the same as a pureblood Pogue screwing one of the alpha douches." She groaned, her head waving back and forth in extreme disappointment. In herself. Her vision swam for a moment and she grasped the rope tighter as the swing tilted with her.

"Maybe not. But it's close enough." He told her, getting closer to her. "Remember when JJ screwed that Touron and got the clap?" His question made CJ look up, confusion flooding her irises as she gazed at the boy. "Or when Pope popped a boner in the middle of his history presentation? Or when I accidentally flirted with a forty-year-old woman at the store? We all do things we're not proud of, or things that embarrass us. Did we judge JJ when he got the clap?"

"N-no, we laughed about it and made jokes for weeks while he complained."

"What about Pope?"

"No, you gave him a noogie and we told him it was normal." She answered, head spinning with the newfound viewpoint. Her heart warmed, spreading through her body thickly. She was beginning to realize she never needed to worry about everyone looking at her differently. They were her family. But that's exactly why she'd been scared in the first place. They were the only family she had. She didn't want to lose them. 

"See. There's nothing different now. The only difference is it's a different day, different person. CJ, you could murder someone and every single one of us would help cover it up. I mean have you met Pope? You got nothin' to worry about."