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(S1 E7)
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Parker walks up to her front door, hesitating a moment before taking a deep breath and pushing the door open. She quickly runs to her room and stashes a wad of cash for JJ, hoping it would be enough for him. She glances around for her father, finding him on the couch surrounded by empty bottles of liquor and drugs.
She stands in front of him, stating, "I've been staying at John B's." Luke Maybank doesn't look up at his daughter, responding, "I didn't ask you where you were stayin'. I don't care. I knew you'd get hungry."
Parker lets out a sigh, shakily saying, "That's not why I came back, Dad." Luke lets out a disbelieving sound, still not even sparing a glance towards Parker.
"I got the money." Luke scoffs. "Yeah, I'll believe that when I see it." Parker lets out a grunt as she drops the duffle bag filled with money onto the table in front of him. Luke hums, pulling the bag closer to him.
Parker points at the bag, stating, "It's all there. 25K." Luke opens the bag, sifting through it. He lets out a chuckle, making Parker smile. She didn't know why she still needed his approval, as he had never treated her or JJ well, but she still seemed to ache for it.
"I don't know how you got this. I-- I don't even wanna know. You did it." The Maybank man finally looks up at his daughter before standing up and putting his hands on his head. "I'll grant you that. You did it."
Parker grins at the praise, and for once her father had brought a smile to her face. "I think that sale's still on at Guffy's of Makos," Luke says out loud. "They're practically givin' 'em away." The smile on Parker's face drops.
"That's for the restitution." Luke ignores Parker's plead, continuing to think about what new drugs he was going to buy. "Dad." Parker tries again, but he still doesn't listen. "Dad. Can you please just do the right thing for once, okay?"
Parker regrets saying it as soon as it comes out of her mouth, especially when Luke whips his head in her direction. He stands up slowly, advancing on Parker. "You know how much you cost me, you little shit?" Parker nods her head, but Luke still gets right up in her face. "This nut?" He points to the duffel bag. "It ain't going to the cops. No. I'm gonna take it south. I'm gonna triple it--"
"Dad!" Parker cries out, hoping to shake some sense into her father. Instead of it working, it makes Luke even angrier. "You got somethin' to say? After everything you done? You wanna get into it?" Parker whimpers slightly, making Luke nod his head. "I didn't think so."
He turns around and begins to mutter about how people waste his time, and Parker realizes that he had taken his eyes off of the duffel bag. She builds up the nerve for a second before she grabs it and sprints out the door. She can hear her father let out an angry exclamation and she can hear his heavy footsteps begin to chase after her.
She makes it out the door and halfway across the yard before Luke catches up and tackles her to the ground. He flips her over, and she struggles to push him off as he begins to throw punches at her. Her face flew to the side with each blow, and she tried to spit out the blood that was pooling in her mouth.
Luke throws a few more punches before getting off of Parker, standing up aggressively. "Get up!" Parker stays on the ground, groaning in pain, so Luke grabs her arm and drags her up. "You wanna steal from me?" He screams.
Instead of responding, Parker brings her arm back and punches her father in the face. He falls to the ground, pressing his hand to his cheek. Parker kicked him one more time before grabbing something and hitting him in the head with it to knock him out.
She picks up the bag of money and walks back into her house, wiping the blood away from her face as she goes. She drops the duffel bag onto JJ's bed and grabs a piece of paper and a pen to write him a note.
It's yours to deal with. I don't need it anymore. I'm sorry for being a shitty sister. I hope this makes up for it.
A couple of blood drops drip onto the paper, but Parker ignores them. She puts the duffel in the first place JJ would look, their special hiding spot. She then walks out the door, not sparing her unconscious father another look.
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JJ had separated from the rest of the group, going to see how Parker was holding up while they got the materials they needed to retrieve the gold. He walked towards his house, unsure of what to expect.
When he walks through the front door, he can hear Luke rustling around in the living room area. He moves quickly into his room and looks in the hiding spot where he assumes Parker would have hidden anything, and when he finds the duffel bag and the note, he begins to see red.
He storms out into the living room, catching sight of his father sitting on the couch. "What the fuck did you do?!" He yells, catching Luke a little off guard. JJ advances on him, grabbing his shirt collar and yanking him up. He lets go with one hand so that he can punch Luke in the face, but this gives Luke the leverage he needed to shove JJ off of him and turn the tables.
The older man hits JJ, sending him to the ground, before getting down and hitting him continuously. "I'm not getting beaten by both of you motherfuckers today," He mutters. "Your mother should have never had you two. You were a mistake."
This makes JJ even more furious than he was before, and he kicks up before shoving Luke to the side and into the table, knocking Luke out for the second time in a day. He spits out the blood in his mouth and wipes away the tears running down his face. "I'm not fucking scared of you anymore, dad."
He runs back into his room and grabs the duffel bag full of money, running out of the house. He was about to do something he would come to regret, but in the moment, he was too angry and hurt to think straight.
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After collecting all of the materials they need, the rest of the Pogues head back to the Château. They knew that the twins would need time, especially Parker, but that didn't stop Sarah from being worried. She had tried to call her girlfriend multiple times, but the Maybank girl had never picked up. She hadn't ever dealt with this type of worry, and it was gnawing at her from the inside. Kiara, Pope, and John B had tried to assure her that Parker and JJ would pop up at some point, but it seemed to go in one ear and out the other. When they pull up to the Château, John B sprints off to go check on something.
Sarah anxiously checked her phone again, sitting on one of the seats in the Twinkie. "Gotta be done before my scholarship interview in the morning." Both girls roll their eyes, and Kiara replies, "Jesus, dude. We gotta focus."
Pope nods his head, ignoring the exasperation in Kiara's voice. "I know. It's gonna be fine. We got John B and JJ inside the well, and me up top. You, Sarah, and Parker will be outside transporting." They nod and step out of Heyward's truck, making their way to the back of it.
"Uh, I got a winch. That tin can hold over like... two hundred, three hundred pounds," Pope informs as he pulls down the hatch on the back of the truck. He and Kiara begin to chat, but Sarah tunes them out as she checks her phone again. After JJ had gone off to look for Parker, she had hoped he would have brought faster results. Suddenly, a generator kicks up and begins to run. The lights around the trees flash on, and the trio looks at each other in confusion.
"What the hell?"
Kiara's face morphs into a look of slight worry, asking, "Who the hell is that?"
The other two shrug, and they begin to slowly make their way to the side gate into the backyard of the Château. When they walk through, they are met with the sight of JJ Maybank in a hot tub, holding a bottle of champagne with sunglasses perched on his nose. The blonde boy pops the cork off of the bottle before finally turning towards his friends.
"What did you do, JJ?" Pope asks with an anxious and disappointed tone to his voice. Instead of answering the question, JJ replies, "I got a jet going straight in my butt right now. Y'all should get in immediately, you hear me? Salud!" He raises the bottle with a giant grin on his face, his words completely slurred.
"How much did this cost?" Pope asks, worried that he already knows the answer. JJ thinks to himself for a moment before answering, "Uh... Well, with the generator, the petrol, and oh, hey, express delivery..." He chuckles before finishing, "...Pretty much all of it, yeah. You know, P left it for me in my room, with a nice little note. She said she didn't need it, so I thought, why not buy this stuff?"
"All of it?" Pope repeats, looking as if he was about to throw something. JJ nods, not even alarmed by his friends angry state. "Yeah, all of it."
"You spent all the money in one day?"
"Yeah, burned a hole right through my pocket. But, I mean, like, come on, guys, like, look at this! Finest in jet-based massage therapy, that's what they told me." He sees the angry look on Kiara's face. "Kie, what? Can't a man have a little luxury in life? Come on, all this scrimpin' and scrapin'... I mean, like... guys we-- You only live once, right?" He waves his hands in the air as he speaks, his voice cracking. "Enough of this emotional shit. Get in the Cat's Ass. Come on."
This statement throws the other Pogues off, making them look at the blonde boy in confusion. "In the what?" JJ gestures to the hot tub, patting the side. "In the Cat's Ass. That's what I named her. Oh, hey, yo, I almost forgot." He flips a switch, and the hot tub begins wirring.
"Huh? Yeah, that's right, I know. Disco mode. That's right, baby!" He looks at his friends, expecting them to be amazed, but instead they begin to yell at him.
"Are you kidding me? You could have paid for restitution for Parker!" Pope exclaims, his hands on his head. "Or literally given it to any charity!" Kiara adds in, pointing an accusatory finger at JJ. "You could have helped us buy supplies to get the rest of the gold out of the well!" Pope contributes once again.
"Okay, well, you know what? I didn't do that!" JJ jumps up from his seat, revealing a plethora of dark bruises on his torso. The trio can't think of anything to say as JJ continues. "I got a hot tub! For my friends. I got a hot tub for my friends. You know what? No, you know what? Screw friends. I got a hot tub for my family!"
All three of the Pogues gasp, taking in the bruises. Kiara puts her hand over her mouth, her eyes tearing up as she watches one of her best friends fall apart right in front of them. "Guys, look what I did for you! All right? Look at this! Look at this!" He gestures around, pointing at the lights and the hot tub.
"JJ," Kiara tries. He waves her off, on the verge of tears. "No, you stop being emotional. It's fine, okay? I mean, it's sweet, right? Everything--" He is interrupted by Kiara running forward and wrapping her arms around his neck, climbing into the hot tub. She doesn't seem to care that her clothes are getting wet, and she just holds JJ as they both begin to sob.
"I just couldn't do it. I can't take him anymore! I was gonna kill him." He takes a breath before brokenly saying, "I just wanna do the right thing." Pope then moves forward, climbing into the hot tub with them. He and Kiara hold JJ as sobs rack his body, knowing that this is what he needs.
Sarah watches on from where she is standing, realizing that this is what makes the Pogues so special. No matter what one does, no matter how angry they are at each other, they find a way to come back together.
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A couple hours later, the Pogues are seated in the Château, anxiously waiting for Parker's return. JJ is sitting on the couch with his head in his hands, a strong headache caused by the alcohol and fueled by the worry for his sister.
Sarah paces back and forth, eyes never leaving the door. She bites her nails anxiously before turning her gaze to the rest of the group. "You said she would be back by now. Where the fuck is she?" John B and Kiara share a look, knowing that if Parker isn't back by now, there was only one place she would be.
John B finally shakes his head, knowing they would have to go to her. "It's two in the morning. I'm going to go get her, 'cause I think I know where she is." Kiara nods along, standing up. "I'm coming too." John B nods at her before Sarah and JJ stand up as well.
John B immediately shakes his head. "No. JJ, you're staying here with Pope. Sarah-" The blonde girl in question cuts him off. "I'm coming with you." She states in a firm tone. John B sighs but relents, and the three that are going walk out the door.
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John B pulls the Twinkie into the driveway of an abandoned house, one of many on the street lined with abandoned houses. Sarah gives him a look of confusion, wondering why they are there. When he sees her face, he explains, "When JJ and Parker's dad would get angry, and he would beat them, when they could escape the house Parker would bring JJ here. They would pretend that they lived in this massive house, with a nice dad and a mom. It was their comfort space."
As they walk inside, they begin to call out for the Maybank girl. As they fan out, their voices bounce off the walls loudly. Sarah finds a set of stairs, and begins to climb up them. The steps creak wildly under her feet as she ascends, but she ignores it, hoping that she would find her girlfriend at the top.
When she reaches the final step, she looks out into an open room, and across it are two open double doors leading to a porch that is missing a railing. Seated on the ledge is Parker, with her feat dangling over the side.
Sarah lets out a sigh of relief, but her breath catches in her throat once again when she sees the Maybank girl sway. She moves forward slowly, not wanting to startle Parker into falling. John B and Kiara climb up the stairs, but they stop at the top when they see Sarah inching forward.
"Parker," she calls, making the Maybank girl turn around. Sarah can see the redness in Parker's eyes, signaling that she was high out of her mind. "You shouldn't be here, Princess." She turns around even further, seeing her two best friends. "None of you should be here."
Sarah steps forward, questioning, "What do you-" She cuts herself off with a gasp when the moonlight catches Parker's face. She can see the damage that Luke inflicted, and it makes the tears well up in her eyes immediately.
She rushes forward and gently but firmly grips Parker's face in her hands. She runs her eyes over the dried blood and the forming bruises, not knowing how to help the girl that she might just love.
Parker doesn't try to pull her face away, but she starts to tear up as she watches the worry on Sarah's face. She can see John B and Kiara moving closer to the two, wanting to make sure that she was okay.
"I'm not good for you. I'm reckless, and I make bad choices, and I put you all in danger. I can't keep putting you all through this all the time." Sarah immediately shakes her head, locking her eyes with Parker. "No. Don't you dare say that. You are kind, and you are thoughtful, and all of us care about you deeply. You make us better people. This is not your fault, it's his. It is all his."
This is what breaks Parker. She collapses into Sarah's arms as John B and Kiara rush forward to hold her as well. "I hate him! I can't- I can't do this anymore! He hurts and he hurts, and I can't fight against him because if I do, he'll just go after JJ. I can't protect myself if I want to protect him. It's too much to take."
The trio holds the sobbing girl, who balls Sarah's shirt up and pulls the blonde closer. Sarah just rocks her back and forth, whispering to her soothingly and trying to hold it together.
They stay like that, in a huddle, hoping that Parker would be okay. Sarah can't help but feel helpless, as she has never seen Parker look so utterly destroyed. She doesn't think anyone has, and no one knows what to do, so instead of trying to solve all of Parker's problems, they just hold her and bring her as much comfort as they possibly can.
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When the four Pogues pull into the driveway of the Château, JJ sprints out the front door and yanks Parker into a bone-crushing hug. The two of them begin to sob, each one muttering different apologies to each other. The rest of the crew decides to give the twins some space, and they go inside.
They gather in the living room, and begin to go over the plan for the next day. Sarah sighs, looking out the window at the Maybank siblings. "John B, I think the fishing trip should get pushed back. Parker needs time to recover, and JJ does too." The brunette boy nods in agreement.
"If the fishing trip gets pushed back, the gold recovery gets pushed back." John B sighs in disappointment, but he knows what the right thing to do is. "Lets push it back. They need it." Sarah gives him a grateful look, which he smiles softly at in response.
The rest of the Pogues murmur their agreements, and when the twins make their way inside, they are filled in on the plan. Soon, everybody is asleep in some space in the Château, tired from an eventful day, and hoping that the next would be happier and calmer than the rest.
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A/N: Here you go, y'all! Hope you guys enjoy it. Shit was hard to write. We hate Luke cause he's a fucking dick, but that's nothing new. I don't really know how I feel about this chapter, but whatever.
Don't forget to vote and comment!