"My atoms love your atoms
It's chemistry."
-Atticus
----
"Don't let them get in your head bro, there were two of us and three of them" JJ consoled Pope as he rummaged through the different tic tac flavors at the convenience store, acting like he wasn't satisfied with any of them but actually slipping one in his pocket unnoticed by everyone but me. "That's some typical kook shit".
I winced when he turned and I got a full view of the state of his face yet again. When I'd tried to ice it a few hours earlier he had shimmied away, laughing and saying it was "personally sculpted by the great kook Rafe Cameron himself" and "one shouldn't mess with art".
"Hell yeah" Kie agreed. I nodded, the image of Rafe and Kelce teaming up to beat the shit out of JJ coming to mind. The thought alone felt like a knife twisting around in my gut.
"What was your thought process though?" JJ asked Pope.
"I don't know man I acted off of instinct", Pope replied, almost proud of himself.
"Hey, Pope, someone here to see you" Pope's father butted into our conversation solemnly as he walked in to the store.
To my dismay, Officer Shoupe was following not far behind him.
Oh boy.
"Evening officer" Pope gulped, seeming to already know where this was going.
"I have an arrest warrant for felony destruction of property".
There was tension in the air, and a chorus of "whoah, wait, what?"s all around. Pope looked at me in fear and I just stared back at him in shock.
He looked at JJ, who just mouthed "deny deny deny" at him, shaking his head darkly.
What had they done?
And how far was this going to go?
"Young lady, out of my way" Shoupe practically shoved me.
"Wait you can't arrest him what did he do?" I protested.
"Shoupe are you listening to me? You cant just arrest my boy!" Hayward yelled.
But the officer simply pinned Pope's hands into handcuffs, smugly citing him his rights as we all watched on, powerless.
"How much did they pay you man?" JJ asked angrily. I put an arm on his shoulder to calm him down and he looked at me in desperation. Hayward shot him a warning look. There was no point in starting a physical fight with a police officer right now as that wouldn't help Pope.
We all followed them outside. I wasn't sure if I was clutching onto JJ's arm to make sure he didn't try to punch someone or to reassure myself.
"It wasn't him!" JJ shouted out of nowhere. I looked at him in shock, as did everyone else.
"JJ-" I started in protest, but he looked at me, shaking his head and gently releasing his arm from my grip.
"It was me." he stated loudly, for everyone to hear. He moved forward, confident and unwavering.
"He tried to talk me out of it, but I was mad because he'd just been beaten up. I was so sick of those assholes from Figure Eight that I lost my shit." He paused to look at everyone, settling on Pope. "I can't let you take the blame for something I did" he paused "You've got too much to lose" he paused, as if implying that he himself had nothing.
"JJ, what are you doing" Pope panicked
"I'm tellin' the truth. For once in my goddamned life, I'm gonna tell the truth" He smirked confidently but it was easy to see the sadness and resignation behind his bravado. "I took his old man's boat too".
"JJ what the hell", Pope protested, taking a step towards his friend.
"Just shut up, Pope!" JJ yelled, stopping to take a breath. "Just shut up."
He glanced at Shoupe and the other detective behind him. "He's a good kid" He drawled matter of factly, gesturing to Pope, and paused, a look of hopelessness on his face. "You know where I'm from".
I could see the look in his eyes, but he looked at everyone confidently, his usual Casanova swagger intact.
A Casanova with a badly busted lip, a muddy torn shirt, and bloody knuckles.
"That I do". Shoupe agreed.
"JJ no" I muttered quietly. I knew he'd heard me because he tilted his head to me just tiny bit, but he avoided facing me fully, choosing to keep his eyes on the ground instead.
Looking at the ground is easier I guess.
When they took him away, all I could do was stare as he folded his lanky body into the back of the car, hands cuffed between his back.
----
I barged into the station, angry as hell. I didn't have a car so I'd walked there but I hadn't lost any of my anger in that half hour.
"Where is he? Where's JJ?" I let out my frustration on the front desk woman, who just looked at me alarmed.
"Excuse me? Young lady what are you doing here?" Shoupe himself came out from his office.
"Please!! You have to let him go, sheriff!" I moved to get past him, but he blocked my path to the cells in the back of the hallway where I knew JJ was being held.
"Now look you're a good kid Athena but I simply cannot."
"He didn't do anything!!"
"Young lady, you need to leave. Now, if you've got $25,000 in reparations that he owes, I'll be happy to hear ya out and post his bail, but unless you've got that I suggest you leave before I have you join him."
I peered around Shoupe to see JJ up against the bars of the cell in the back, watching me. "At least let me talk to him! Sheriff please!" To my dismay, Shoupe didn't budge.
Changing tactics, I gave the man my best puppy dog eyes. "Sheriff, I just want to have a word with him, surely that couldn't hurt anyone, could it?"
I took the fraction of hesitation as encouragement. "Pleaaaseee sheriff. I think I can talk some sense into him".
He sighed. "Well, alright. But Ms. Wilkins I think you should be careful. Girl like you, to be frank, you could find a way out." I wanted to ask him what the hell he meant because his tone made me think he was talking about more than the situation at hand. "A girl like you could do much better".
A little taken aback but choosing not to take my chances arguing with him, I shook it off, rushing to JJ's cell. He seemed to have heard the entire exchange but didn't show any signs of being affected by it, as if talk like that was common to him, accepted innately in his nature since birth.
"Well hello darling." He drawled, "Come here often, visiting criminals?" His hands gripped the bars in front of him tensely, contrasting with his languid body, almost relaxed behind the bars.
I put my hands over his, just wanting to touch him, looking into his eyes.
"JJ, I-"
I stuttered. I hadn't come with a plan, just to see him, to get him out of here, where he didn't deserve to be. He leaned back, not moving his hands from under mine, and studied me.
"Why'd you come?" His voice was deep, hoarse.
"I don't know". I whispered. He observed me silently, almost confused that someone had followed him.
Shown up for him.
"I don't know, I just had to see you. I'll get you out of here, I'll- I don't know, we'll figure something out, ok I-"
"You won't do anything of the sort, like I said, I'm a criminal. Didn't you hear? I sunk a rich asshole's boat. " he joked, as if the whole thing was funny. I happened to know it was his defense mechanism though, to avoid feeling vulnerable.
"On purpose!" He drawled loudly, staggering at the deputy, raising his hand, as if he was proud of his achievement.
JJ looked back at me, a bitter look on his face. "Besides, a girl like you deserves much better" He smiled, but in a way that made me want to cry, not smile back.
"Isn't that right, sherriff" he said mockingly.
Shoupe just shook his head, looking at me with an "I told you so" expression.
"Your dad will come get you right?". I grabbed his hand again and he let me keep it. I traced patterns on it lightly for him.
"I better hope he doesn't" he responded darkly.
----
Yooooo sorry to be honest feel like not by best chapter? Will try to edit it tomorrow and really make the next chapter super dope because idk how I feel about it.
Open to any constructive criticism or suggestions if anyone has!!
ALSO MADE IT TO 10K READS THANK YOU SO MUCH
Y'ALL ARE THE BEST
JJ IS THE BEST
THAT IS ALL
GOODNIGHT
:)