Book 4 - Shot of Life

Chapter Twelve

"Where is my shoe," She is trying to avoid him.

"Stop!" He tries again.

Everett can't stop the sobs that come from her chest. "Fuck it!" She grabs what she can and bolts out the door. When she emerges she sees Jack and Anna are on their porch with their mouths wide open. She stands there in JJ's shirt and nothing else.

She runs towards her cabin with such embarrassment. Her walk of shame, her humiliation. Anna runs over to her and she pushes her away, "NO! Stay away!"

She runs into her cottage, slamming the door behind her and locking it. She starts the shower and climbs in, sinking to the bottom. She starts to scrub her skin raw from head to toe to allow the tears of disappointment fall from her eyes.

Her skin is red and raw. Her chest burns from the sobs. Her heart is destroyed. She is trying to wipe every surface of herself, every part he touched, scrub herself clean of him.

Forever alone, She feels stupid to ever think she had a chance at love. Stupid for EVER feeling like maybe for once she could have what her dad and brothers have. A significant other who cherishes you and never asks you to change or pose for a picture. Someone who wouldn't ask her for anything more than just her.

Now she is a liar.

That was a category that she didn't expect to fall in. As if she doesn't feel bad about herself enough, she's added herself to another list.

She pulls her knees to her chest and rests her head on her knees. Praying this nightmare is just a nightmare.

JJ sits on his couch surrounded by the articles. He reacted first before he read anything.

Anger fills his chest that she lied to him. Name is a name but he took it as her pretending to be someone else.

Anna and Jack rush inside and take notices of the view before them.

"What happened?" Jack inquires looking around.

"What did you do?" Anna asks.

"Why do you think it's me? She lied! Her name is Everett! Not Roxana!" JJ confesses.

Jack shakes his head and for a brief moment, JJ feels that he has someone on his side.

"You just had to ruin the only good part of you," Jack states.

JJ looks at him confused. Anna walks over and looks in the box and around at the articles around him. Her eyes got big and she looks at JJ pissed.

"Oh shit! What did you do?! What the fuck did you do!" Anna screams. The entire time at the ranch she's never raised her voice. She is straight yelling at JJ. "GOD! You couldn't leave her alone? Did you read any of this?"

"Not yet, but I mean..." JJ pulls up an article with Everett's face and a crown on her head, "I mean beauty pageant princess. Come on!"

"You are a stupid mother fucker!" Anns says, causing JJ and Jack's eyes to go wide. "I have to make some calls. I suggest you sit and read these fully. By the way, a lot of the "Everett is so awesome" articles, just note that her real mom sold the story and the picture to the newspapers. Either people wanted to be her friend for the wrong reasons or they wanted nothing to do with her. Simply for the fact they may end up in the press or because her dad is a cop! Everyone judged her but never got to see the real Everett. You were the first person I saw her be the most real with. The Everett with no pretense and you just dropped a grenade,"

Anna walks out cursing JJ's name and Jack stands before him with his hands on his hips. JJ is feeling all sorts of awful.

"You think I didn't do my research on them?" Jack offers. "I didn't know what she looked like but I knew all this when I called the favor in from Sampson,"

"I didn't know," JJ tries to defend himself.

"You had better hope she stays. Her "Roxana Photography" name is the only reason people here are blowing up the phones to come here and have her shoot their weddings. Read the articles since exposing her was your top priority. I just didn't think you'd stoop so low to sleep with her then expose her,"

"It wasn't like that!"

"THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID!" Jack yells back at him. "You embarrassed the hell out of her! Had I known what was in that box when I dropped it off, I would've burned it!"

Jack shakes his head as he walks out the door slamming it behind him.

JJ picks up the closest article and starts to read. After an hour of straight reading, it was the first sentence of the first article that made him regret ever doing what he did. He has ruined everything and he ruined her. Needing to make amends he starts to walk over to her house. As soon as he takes the steps towards her cottage, Jack and Anna jump out of their house and cut him off.

"I need to see her! I have to fix this!" JJ pleads.

"NO! Stay away and that's a goddamn order!" Jack orders.

"You don't get to be boss to this little man," Anna pins him with a look.

"You don't understand!" JJ tries to explain.

"What? That your need to be right trumps being kind? God, she would've told you the truth! You can't just leave anything alone. You are like a freaking child!" Anna sternly states.

JJ feels the hot tears in his eyes. He didn't cry when Alia left, or when they said he couldn't be a Marine anymore. His actions of what he did are tearing him up inside, knowing how much he destroyed her.

JJ backs off and walks back to his cottage and closes the door behind him.

Anna stands with Jack between all the cottages, pulling her phone out and texting the person that can help Everett during this time. She needs to call in the big guns. She is in shock as to how last night went down. They think they were stealthy sneaking about but Anna saw them the entire time. The storage room when they "hid" in the corner. She chose to walk away and give them the privacy that Everett so desperately longs for. The little looks and touches between JJ and Everett were all too noticeable. She watched her friend leave the barn hand in hand with him. She never looked so happy and relaxed. To this morning when they heard the screaming. Anna knows that Everett always kept an arm's length with things and she's never pushed. When tomorrow comes, it's going to hit this ranch hard.

"Jack!"

"Yeah?"

"Package at the airport tomorrow morning. 7 am, can you get it?"

"Yeah, Anna. I got it,"

"In three days we have a family photoshoot and next weekend is the first wedding. You got your head in the game?"

Jack nods his head and looks at Anna with regret. "Will she be ok?"

"God, I hope so,"