Jo's POV:
"YOU GOT FIRED" I yelled practically kicking the door off its hinges when I got home
"mama's mad" he laughed sitting back with a freshly open beer which i slapped out of his hand causing it to spill everywhere "Jo what the fuck...my beer" he replied just looking down at it
"i'm not cleaning it" John B said from his usual spot on the couch
"what was that for?" JJ snapped looking up at me
"What was that for? Are you dumb" I said smacking him round the back of the head
"ok ouch, i thought i said i would like to keep the JJ beatings down to a minimum" he replied rubbing the back of his head
"so what did you do?" I asked folding my arms
"I had a good reason I swear"
"it better be a damn good reason. You left me alone for the last four hours of my shift. I had to work double the speed to cover your work load so please JJ, give me your very good fucking reason"
"good luck explaining this one. I'm on his side by the way" John B laughed
"you don't need to get involved" I snapped turning my head round to look at my brother causing him to put his hands up in surrender
"I hit Rafe"
"YOU DID WHAT? JJ are you crazy" i shouted snapping my head back round to look at JJ again
"he was talking shit about you...so i hit him"
"oh....well done then" I sighed leaning back against the counter
"wait serious...thats it? You come in here like the fucking hulk and all you have to say is, well done then?" JJ asked sitting up
"well yea, i thought you did something bad. I mean you did, Rafe is gonna be after your ass now"
"I'd like to see him try" he laughed
"Whatever. It's late and i'm going to bed, cause someone made me do their workload on top of mine" I said walking towards by bedroom
"You want me to help-"
"JJ sit your ass back down" John said shooting daggers at him with his eyes
"oh come on man i was kidding"
"no you weren't"
"no i was not" he laughed
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I was woken up by a loud bang followed by laughter coming from the front room. I swear to god, do these idiots ever shut up. I jumped out of bed and got up to see what was going on....and to tell them to shush
"hey did you know Pope in Italian is Papa" i heard Sarah say
"ha Pope is daddy"
"JJ shut the fuck up" Pope replied as i walked into the room
"oh shit Jo, i thought you were sleeping" John B said looking in my direction
"i was....then you guys woke me up"
"is that my shirt?" JJ asked looking at me
"yes, it's comfortable and I wear it to bed" I shrugged in response
"that is so cuteeee"
"Sarah"
"sorry.....just excited" she giggled
"or drunk" I laughed
"ok ummm. sorry we will be more quiet. Just go back to bed" John B said quickly
"Why? Are you trying to get rid of me?" I laughed
"umm...no, its just uh. You don't wanna be umm ya know, tired for work tomorrow" He stuttered
"i don't have work tomorrow. What is up with you?" I asked confused
"nothing Jo, Just go back to bed" He said with his eyes now darting to look at the bathroom door then back to me
"why are you acting so strange-"
"hey uh John B. You don't have any clean towels in your bathroom" i heard a voice behind me causing me to snap my head round to look at her
"What is she doing here?" I yelled. Walking out of my bathroom was no one other than Kie.
"I.... invited her" John B said putting his head down and not looking at me
"Jo-"
"Don't fucking speak to me" I snapped cutting her off
"Come on Jo, just hear her out" Pope asked looking up at me
"You knew" I said now looking down at JJ "you knew she was coming over before I went to bed didn't you"
"Jo I-"
"I can't believe this" I said putting my hands to my head "so what? You were all just gonna keep meeting up with her in secret. BEHIND MY BACK? That's rich for you Kie, what happened to no secrets between pogues" I yelled rolling my eyes
"I just wanted to talk to you" Kie said quietly looking at her feet
"unless your next words are goodbye then I don't want to hear it" I snapped
"Jo....just, hear her out" Sarah said quietly
"OK fine, FINE, What is so important that you needed to say"
"i uh....i just wanted to come over to say that I was sorry" she said still looking down
"well sorry doesn't cut it Kie"
"oh come on Jo!" She snapped "You can forgive your brother for beating JJ to a pulp but you can't forgive me for telling him?"
"YOU'RE THE REASON HE DID IT" I screamed
"and i'm sorry. I didn't know he would react like that" She said now looking up at me "look, I know what I did was wrong but I honestly just wanted him to be mad at you....cause I was mad at you"
"and why Kie? What exactly did I do for you to be mad at me"
"I don't know. It's just with you and JJ starting to hang out, I was starting to feel left out of the group"
"oh cry me a fucking river Kie"
"Should we go?" Pope asked
"Na i'm enjoying this....plus i'm not missing the fight this time" JJ said
"there isn't going to be a fight JJ" I snapped rolling my eyes
"Jo, honestly I am so sorry. I didn't think. I let my emotions get the better of me rather than us just talking about it. We always used to hang out just us two, then JJ came along and I never saw you anymore"
"Kie i'm allowed to have other friends" I sighed
"I know. I just got jealous ok? there i said it. I was jealous. It was me you and Sarah until she started dating John B, then it was us two against the world and now you're always off with JJ. So I had no one"
"i'm right here" Pope said raising his hand
"Pope not the time" I said dismissing him "Kie, why didn't you just tell me you felt like that. You had weeks before the argument even happened"
"because, I convinced myself I was overreacting. But when I saw you guys kissing it just confirmed that i was gonna be left out again" she said looking down as a single tear started rolling down her face
"Kie we never would have left you out, you know that right?" I said calmly walking over and taking her hand "but you didn't have to be a bitch about it" I laughed
"I know, I was a bitch wasn't I" she laughed back "so do you forgive me?" she asked causing me to pause for a moment before letting out a sigh
"Forgive Kie, but not forget"
"that i can work with" She smiled grabbing me into a hug. When she pulled away she put her hand out to do the pogue handshake "P4L?" She asked
"i'm not gonna say it" I said rolling my eyes
"come on Jo, can't make up until you've said it" JJ said from behind me
"ugh, fine. P4L" i said as we did the handshake and everyone cheered.
"Disappointed, I wanted to see a fight" JJ grumbled causing me to smack him round the back of the head again
"once again, can we not hit me please" He said defensively
"aw i'm sorry" I mocked bending down and giving him a quick peck on the lips
"guys seriously, can we not" John B said dramatically covering his eyes
"wait so are you guys dating dating, or are you just talking?" Kie asked
"bitch if i kill you are you dead dead, or just not breathing?" I snapped
"woahhhh, what happened to the whole P4L thing, y'all just did the handshake" JJ exclaimed
"sorry....still a little mad" I laughed
"you're all good girl" she laughed back as I lifted a rolled joint from behind JJ's ear
"Apology joint?" I asked
"always" she laughed as we walked outside
"that's mine...ugh whatever" JJ tried shouting after us but quickly gave up as the back door swung shut.
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JJ's POV:
It was nice to actually sit around with everyone again and not worry about who was going to scream at who next. I could tell Jo still wasn't completely thrilled with the idea of Kie being here but the fact that she was able to set aside her differences for everyone else meant a lot. We had been sitting around for a couple of hours before Jo came out of her room holding my phone
"J, Your phone is ringing" She said throwing it to me
"Who is calling at this time?" Pope asked confused
"uhh i dunno, unknown number. Hello?" I said picking it up
"Hi there, is this uhhh JJ Maybank?" The voice on the other end of the phone asked
"Speaking" I replied confused
"Oh good, Listen JJ we apologise for calling at such an hour but this is Officer Plum from the Kildare county sheriffs department, do you have a moment to speak?"
"whatever i did i swear it wasn't me"
"No, Mr. Maybank, this phone call is not in relation to you....surprisingly"
"oh um ok, uh two seconds" I said standing up. "I'll be back in like 2 minutes" I said to everyone in the room
"is everything ok?" Jo asked me as i started to leave
"yea yea...uh everything is fine" I said walking out of the house and sitting down on a fallen tree "sorry, i'm here...um whats this about?"
"It's your father JJ" she replied
"He's not dead is he?"
"No don't worry he's not dead. We did however find him with vast amounts of illegal drugs... and dealing them to minors"
"shit, you're kidding right?" I said gripping at the back of my neck
"Unfortunately not. An officer will be out to speak to you tomorrow regarding future living arrangements and-"
"hold up. Future living arrangements?"
"well yes.... you would be a minor living on their own. JJ your father is going to prison"
"i basically am a minor living on my own, the man was never there. Come on Plum you gotta know that, basically everyone on this island knows that"
"JJ I don't make the law, I just enforce it. Now an officer will be down to speak with you in the morning tomorrow to see-" I didn't hear the rest of what she said, i couldn't over the ringing in my ears. My head started spinning and i felt my breathing start to grow heavy. I hung up the phone and threw it hard against the side of the house
"FUCK!" I screamed letting all the rage flow out of me at once. How can this man continuously fuck up my life. This isn't fair. I officially now couldn't breath. I let myself fall to the ground forcing back tears. Why am I even upset? Everything is slowly starting to cave in on me. Thats when i managed to make out someone running through the front door of the house
"JJ? JJ is this another panic attack?"
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Jo's POV:
"FUCK!" We all heard JJ scream from outside
"Jesus what the hell was that?" Kie asked standing up
"i'll go check on him" I sighed standing up and walking over to the door. "shit" i muttered to myself as I sprinted out the door seeing JJ in a heap on the floor crying
"JJ? JJ is this another panic attack?" I asked kneeling down beside him "JOHN B!" I screamed causing him to come running outside
"Holy fuck, what's happening?" He asked now concerned for his best friend
"that doesn't matter right now. Go inside, go wet a towel or a t-shirt or anything like that in freezing cold water" I said at him and he ran straight back inside to grab it
"Ok, JJ you need to try and slow your breathing ok? OK look at me" I said sitting him upright and holding the sides of his face so his eyes locked with mine "ok, John B is getting you something that will help ok, now try breathe with me ok? In and out" I said, he tried copying me letting out a shaky breath but it wasn't slowing down as another tear rolled down his cheek "hey hey hey, you're ok. I'm here. You're doing great, now try again" I spoke softly at him. He attempted again with a slightly slower breath
"i got it" John B yelled as he came running out of the house
"put it on his wrists"
"what? Why? Jo what is happening?"
"John B for the love of god just do it!" I snapped as he ran over and wrapped the cold shirt around JJ's wrists
"Ok JJ, try again with me ok. In and out. Thats good, ok in and out" I said as his breathing slowly started to come back to normal
"You ok buddy?" John B asked him concerned. He just nodded his head in reply as he continued concentrating on his breathing
"Panic attack?" John B asked me
"yea but he's ok, his breathing has slowed down now" I said
"how did you know that would work? Ya know the cold shirt." my brother asked still concerned for his friend
"its called the divers reflex" I replied wiping a tear away from JJ's cheek
"huh?" he responded still not understanding
"When your body is exposed to the cold it naturally lowers your heart rate due to the drastic change in temperature and therefore your breathing slows. And the wrists or the back of the neck are both pressure points so it will send the signal to your brain and release endorphins."
"you're starting to sound like Pope"
"Cold water make heart go slow and brain happy" I said in a dumb voice rolling my eyes "you ok J?" I asked noticing that his breathing had now returned to a normal speed, it was still shaky but at least he could breathe again.
"uh yea....thanks" he coughed
"anytime" I laughed
"you're like freakishly good at dealing with this shit" he said still somewhat catching his breath
"yea well i've had some experience" I replied setting my hand on his leg and drawing small circles on his thigh, yet another tactic to distract him from whatever has happened to cause this
"huh? What do you mean?" He asked
"I used to get them when our dad disappeared" I shrugged
"You did?" John B asked looking at me "how did i not know this?"
"cause I learnt how to deal with it so i hid it"
"wait, you have anxiety?" JJ asked
"yea. I still get them sometimes, but it's not as bad anymore. Anyway enough about me. What's going on? Was it just a random one or did something happen?"
"its uh...it's my dad" he sighed running his hands through his hair as i shooed my brother back inside
"What happened?" I asked sitting down next to him
"he's been arrested"
"oh my god for what?"
"drug dealing"
"shit" I sighed
"yea....shit"
"well thats good news is it not? You won't have to worry about seeing him anymore, you can actually go home without having to worry he will be there"
"yea except i can't go home"
"why not?"
"say hello to the newest member of the CPS club"
"you're fucking kidding me" I said sitting up
"i wish" he sighed "cops are coming by tomorrow to talk to me"
"then just don't go home tomorrow" i shrugged
"and you really think they won't check here next" he said looking over at me
"then we could all go somewhere for the night, like Pope's or Kie's or take the boat out to the marsh and sleep there for the night"
"Jo, it's fine. I'll work it out"
"we can talk about this tomorrow, do you wanna go back in?"
"na not yet" he said pulling me over to lay on his chest. We both just sat for a second looking up as the crystal clear night sky illuminated by thousands of stars "i just wanna lay here for a bit"
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"I'm away to work if anyone is awake to hear this" I yelled out just earning me a grumble from JJ who was face down on the sofa
"i thought you weren't working today" John B called from his room
"Someone called in sick and JJ got fired so I need to cover"
"you're welcome" JJ mumbled into the pillow
"yea whatever" I laughed walking out the door
I started my usually quick journey to work forty minutes before i normally would. Why i hear you ask? Cause JJ can't drive me anymore. So now i have to walk nearly an hour to get to the club...its ridiculous.
"you're late" my manager said as i walked in and started hanging up my bag
"i'm sorry my ride bailed" I said rolling my eyes at him
"very funny Routledge but your little boyfriends actions nearly got us all sued. Being fired was the least of his problems"
"always the Kooks who gotta win, am I right" i said tying my apron round my waist
"unfortunately so" he sighed "also you won't need that" he said gesturing to my apron "you're on a private party today, specifically requested"
"someone requested me? Who?"
"Rafe. Cameron. Now don't ask me why-"
"no i'm not asking why, i'm not doing it" I said turning around to face him
"look, its just to work as a caddy on the course, you'll be fine"
"you seriously can't see that it's a trap. Are you dumb?" I asked
"look Jo, unless you have a restraining order or something against him, you gotta do it"
"how quickly can i get one of those"
"Jo, stop being ridiculous. If it makes you feel better i'll go for a walk around every thirty minutes to check in"
"it doesn't but thanks" i said throwing my apron off and walking down to the course
"JO! Over here" Rafe called out. Lord give me strength
"Morning Mr. Cameron" I smiled walking up to him
"aw come on Jo, no need to be so formal"
"unfortunately it's in the employee handbook" I laughed awkwardly. Seriously, why couldn't JJ have hit him harder so then i wouldn't be doing this right now
"Na Jo, just two old friends hanging out. Plus you're getting paid to hang out with me, so it's a win win"
"Whatever you say Mr. Cameron" I sighed. This is gonna be a long day.
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"So Jo, why do you never come over anymore" Rafe asked handing his golf club to me to carry
"oh you know, Sarah comes round to ours and-"
"I mean to see me" he said cutting me off
"oh um...well. You know...i uh have work"
"not all the time" he replied simply
"yea but then i go home and see my friends"
"and am I not your friend Jo" he asked turning round to face me
"A friend?" I laughed "no, you're merely clientele" i said counting down the number of holes left in this game
"clientele? Jo i- I saved you"
"Saved me? Rafe you did fuck all for me other than get me addicted to drugs. You think i'm your friend, really? Hate to break it to you Rafe, I was there for the coke...not you"
"W-what? Y-you don't mean that. You...you love me"
"Oh my god, you're insane. No Rafe i don't. Ok? I have a boyfriend now, who will not hesitate to put you six feet under if you don't stay the fuck away from me. So whatever you think is going on between us doesn't fucking exist" I snapped
"oh and you think your little pogue boyfriend can do better than i can"
"well, his dick is bigger I can tell you that much for free" I snapped throwing his drink i was holding at him and walking away
"HEY! My father runs this island Jo. I can ruin your life if i want to!" He yelled after me
"Not much left to ruin" I yelled back walking up to my manager as he stood with a disapproving look on his face "fired?" i asked to which he just nodded "yea thought that. Its been good" I said tapping him on the shoulder and walking to the staff room to lift my coat and go home. Well....kinda regretting yelling at JJ last night for getting sacked. Whoops.
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"I'm home"
"Jo? you weren't meant to finish for another 4 hours" JJ said before letting out the most dramatic gasp ever "what did you do"
"threw a drink at Rafe"
"did he deserve it?"
"obviously" i said causing him to high five me and us both to start laughing
"Jo? What are you doing home so early?........fired?" John B asked walking out of his room drying his hair with a towel
"yep"
"god sake" He said throwing his head back "you two are too similar" he laughed looking between us
"it was a dumb job anyway" i responded shrugging my shoulders. "now, i wanna either get drunk or high so i'm gonna close my eyes and one of y'all is going to put something into my hand that is gonna assist me in those wishes" I said putting my hand out and closing my eyes. No more than 2 seconds later a cold tin of beer was placed in my hand and a joint was placed on top of it.
"thank you" I smiled opening my eyes "two little genies.....and idiots" I laughed putting the joint to my lips as JJ lit it. "Perfect" i laughed
(3500 words)
AN// Hey guys, hope y'all enjoyed this chapter. First thing is first HOLY SHIT WE HAVE REACHED 500 READS, THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH. I seriously cannot thank you all enough and I really hope you are enjoying it. Also to all my fellow anxiety besties out there, all the techniques used in this chapter for panic attacks work for me so there is a little technique if you need it (hopefully you don't). Can't wait to watch Rafe go absolutely insane in the next few chapters, it's coming Rafe girlies don't you worry (i got you). Please remember to comment as you go and vote if you want to, it's always appreciated. If you have any story suggestions as well please feel free to comment them as well (credits will be given). I have absolutely adored writing this book so far and I really hope you guys are enjoying reading it cause i have procrastinated doing all my uni work to keep writing chapters for y'all hehehehehe.As always, see y'all in the next one :))))))))