"Welcome to crackhead wasteland" said sarah as we pulled up to a busted up house
"I dont know about this, man" said Pope "Yeah, I think we should just turn around and leave" i said and smiled at Pope
"Aves, he pulled a gun on you, you think im just gonna leave it?" said JJ looking straight ahead
"Dude, why are we at Barry's?" asked John B
"This'll only take a second" said JJ getting out of the van
"Where are you going?" called out JB as JJ walked towards the house
"Yo soy justicia" replied JJ without stopping
"Did you glean anything from that?" asked Pope "You know somebody should probably-" said Kie but i cut her off "Yeah, I got it" i said and walked out of the van
"I'll come with you" said my brother knowing that it takes more than one person to convince JJ
"C'mon JJ, what are you doing?" i asked him as we walked in and saw him trashing the place
"Yeah, so whats your plan, slick?" questioned John B
"Well, as thou hath stealeth from us, we shall stealeth from ye" replied JJ with an accent to our questions
"That kind of got lost in translation" said JB "An eye for an eye, John B" said JJ
"JJ are you really doing this? This could get you hurt, I mean stealing from a drug dealer? That a whole other level" i tried telling him
"Ava, im not scared of him, okay?" he said making me roll my eyes at his stubborness
"Yeah, thats great, JJ. But what happens after you rob a drug dealer? Huh?" said my brother "He knows who we are!"
"Like I said, im not scared of this guy" said JJ and scoffed "JJ dont" i said as I saw him walk further into the house dissappearing from our sight
"What are you doing?" asked John B since we couldnt see him
"Getting even!" said JJ
"All right, took care of bussiness" he said coming back from wherever he was
"Hey, look at me. If you keep going down this road, youre gonna end up just like your dad" said my brother making me wince at the mention of his dad "John B" i said quietly
JJ grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and said "You watch your mouth, man. Arent you tired of being messed with?"
"Thats not the point, JJ" tried reasoning JB "'cause i am" said JJ as he lets go of my brother and walked right past us to get out of the place
"All right, so we're looking at 5 grand each for reparation for putting through that bullshit. Sorry about that ya'll" said JJ as me and my brother walked out of the house
"So thats what we're doing now? We're robbing drug dealers?" asked Kie looking disappointed
"This Barry guy's gonna find out. And he's gonna come after us" said Sarah concerned
"Yes, he will. This is not the time to start willin' out" said Pope
"How'd you like havin' a gun pulled on you?" said JJ getting mad
"Relax" said JB walking closer to him
"He had it right here on you, bro" said JJ pointing to where Barry had put his gun in JB's face
"Look, we've gotta go get the gold, okay? Just give me that shit, we're putting it back" said John B frustated and tried grabbing the bag with money but JJ shoved him up against the van
"You feel like a tough guy? Huh?" said John B mockingly "What are you gonna do when he comes for us?" he said but this time he was serious
"We punch him on the throat" said JJ simply
"Yeah, good fuckin' idea, JJ" John B said exasperated
"Im not putting it back" said JJ letting JB go and getting into the van
"You guys gettin' in or what?" JJ asked as we all just stood there without joining him, I looked at him with concern in my eyes at his lashing out, I hate seeing him like this when I know I cant help
He got out of the van and said "What?"
"We're sick of your shit" said John B
"Oh, my shit?" JJ asked sarcastically
"Yeah. Yeah. Your shit" said my brother really serious
"Yes" joined Kie "Your pulling guns on people shit"
"You acting like a freaking maniac-" started saying Pope but JJ cut him off abruptly "Okay, Pope, I took the fall for you, man! Know how much money i owe because of you?"
"Im gonna pay you back, and i didnt even ask you to do that!" exclaimed Pope
"I just did!" yelled JJ "Pay it back. Right here, right now, by myself"
"And what about you Princess? You surely agree 'cause youre not speaking up against them, am i right?" asked me JJ making my heart drop at his words
"JJ" i whispered trying to pick up my thoughts "I... I dont agree with them, but I dont think that what youre doing right now is exactly your best choice, this could end up in you getting hurt and i dont want to see you that way" i tried to reason with him
He shaked his head and looked away "You know what? Thats exactly what I'm gonna do. Go off by myself" said JJ picking up the bag and started walking away
"JJ, wait!" i exclaimed with tears rolling down my face and walking to him
John B walked up to me and pulled me into a hug "Hey, aves, let him go. He needs some time alone right now" he mumbled
________________________________
We were at the wreck and i was fiddling with my hands which is something i do when Im nervous, and thought about what JJ might be doing
"Look, he'll come around, all right? Its... he's doing a JJ thing" said John B and gave me a soft smile
"You think he'll go home?" asked Kie with a blank face
"There's about a zero percent chance that JJ goes home" said Pope
I know JJ more than he knows himself, so i know that there might be a chance that he went to see his dad. He might not want to admit it, but he wants to make his father proud of him, no matter how badly he treats him, JJ wants his validation, so thats why im worried
"You okay?" asked John B to Sarah who looked lost in her thoughts "Yeah, and you?" she asked JB "I mean im in one piece, so..." he answered, they looked at each other in a loving way which made me miss JJ
"Okay" sighed Pope "Its too dangerous to pawn this thing off piecemeal. So our best bet is to go down there and get the rest of it. Bring it all up at once. Put it in-- in a safe or a vault or something. I-- i dont know"
I zoned out of the conversation and started thinking about JJ again, I dont get why everyone thinks that getting the gold is more important than making sure JJ is okay, the last time i checked we cared more about friendship
"I have to go fishing with ward" said John B taking me out of my thoughts
"You cant get 400 mil 'cause youre gonna go kill fish?" said Kie in disbelief
"Look, I have to go" said JB looking down
"Blow it off. Its 400 million in gold!" said Pope kind of desperate
"Why do you have to go?" i asked him confused on why that was more important than getting the gold
"Look, I-- I have to, okay? He... he saved us, all righ Aves? And if it weren't for Ward, we would be in foster care, so... I have to go. Plus, i'll be better to do it at night, right?
"Fine. Fine, go fishing" gave in Pope
"And at least JJ will probably have washed up by then" said Kie making me slightly glare at her for the words she decided to use
We were about to leave when John B pulled me aside and told Sarah to go wait for him in the van
"Whats up?" i asked him
"Is it okay if I take Sarah to our secret spot?" he asked me
"Of course, I know you really really like her and i want to see you both happy, so go ahead" i told him
The Bell tower meant a lot to us, our dad used to take us there when we were younger, after some time, it became a place where John B and i would go to when we wanted to escape reality, also, I had already taken JJ up there when our dad went missing, so i had to let him
"Thank you Aves, I love you" said John B and wrapped me in his arms in a brotherly hug
________________________________
"So we gotta be done before my scholarship interview in the morning" said Pope as we drove back to the Chateau
"Okay, well, we gotta focus" said Kie
"I know, its gonna be fine. We got John B and JJ inside the well and me up top, and you, sarah, and Aves will be transporting" said Pope
"Yeah we got this" i said and started unpacking things, I heard Kie and Pope talking but i wasnt paying attention, I was still worried about JJ
I was taken out of my thoughts when I saw lights power up and sorrounded us
"What the hell?" i said looking around
"who the hell is that?" asked Kie as we walked forward to see who had done this
"JJ?" i whispered concerned as I took in everything that was around
"What did you do, JJ?" asked Pope
"I got a jet going straight in my butt right now" said JJ and laughed, he was clearly drunk "Ya'll should get in immediately, you hear me? Salud!"
"How much did this cost?" asked him Pope as we all tried to understand what was happening
"Uh... Well, with the generator, the petrol, and oh, hey, express delivery... Pretty much all of it, yeah" said JJ as if its not a big deal
I closed my eyes and put my hands in my head, trying to calm down, knowing that something must've happened with his dad for him to be in this state
"All of it?" i asked "Yeah, all of it" he replied
"You spent all the money in one day?" asked Pope in disbelief
"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, thats what they told me"
I looked at him with concern, and Kie looked at him in dissappointment "What Kie? Cant a man have a little luxury in life?" said JJ
"Come on, all this scrimpin' and scrapin'... I mean, like... guys, we-- you only live once, right? Enough of this emotional shit. Get in the Cat's ass. Come on"
"JJ" i said quietly as tears started building in my eyes as I saw him in that state
"In the what?" asked Kie
"in the Cat's ass, thats what I named her" said JJ "Oh, hey, yo, I almost forgot" he pushed a button and the hot tub became even more exotic "Huh? Yeah, thats right, I know. Disco mode. Thats right, baby!"
I saw his eyes starting to get teary when Kie and Pope yelled at him and named all the stuff he could've done with the money
"Okay, well, you know what? I didnt do that!" i gasped once he stood up and saw his bruised stomach, now a few tears slipped my eyes, I felt guilty that I wasnt there for him when he needed me
"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! I got this for you. Guys, look what I did for you! All right? Look at this! Look at this!" JJ said with his voice breaking a little
"JJ" i said and we made eye contact, he shook his head as he saw the tears falling down my face
"No, princess, can you stop being emotional. Its fine, okay?" he said not reassuring a bit, I saw him trying to hold back his tears and that broke my heart "I mean, its sweet, right? Everything-"
I stayed quiet and instead i walked over to him and hugged him, he wrapped his arms tightly around me and melted into the hug, then he burried his face in the crook of my neck and sobbed
"Its okay, im here" i said hugging him tighter and his sobs became louder
"I just couldnt do it. I cant take him anymore! I was gonna kill him" he whimpered and i put my hand in his head "i know" i said with tears rolling down my face
"I dont deserve this, no one loves me and i dont deserve this" said JJ breaking down in my arms
Is this how he felt? That he didnt deserve love? I grabbed his face and put his forehead in mine
"JJ, please, I.. I love you" i said "You deserve nothing less than love" i told him also crying, he continued to sob but now a small smile appeared on his face I pulled him closer and gave him a small kiss "Please never say that again, youre the one that deserves love the most"
Eventually Kie and Pope joined the hug, the four of us stayed there in silence, trying to let JJ know we would always be there for him and made him feel loved