Chapter 8: The Wreck
My gif ^
~SiriusCatBennett
"Where've you been?"
That was the first thing the pair heard as they walked through the door for work. Of course, Kie already had an answer ready as CJ slunk into the kitchen. "I got up early to go to John B's before work. I needed to talk to CJ."
Mike Carrera nodded, mostly focused on the putty he was spreading on the wall. Pulling away, he held out the objects to his daughter. "Here, keep spackling. I'm gonna go help Claire."
The girls were there early, before most people started showing up. The only ones there were random people in need of coffee and a family of tourists; the two teenagers obviously having been unwillingly pulled from bed. CJ was scheduled to prep today while Kie waited tables. With no orders, the girl was seen cutting up tomatoes when Mike rounded the corner. It was easy to see the bruises on her face as all of them were on the side of her face that was turned toward him and despite the red bandana she used to cover her neck, Mike could see the handprint poking through.
Mike couldn't count the number of times CJ had come to work with bruises or red marks or cuts in the last year. Sometimes, it was from work or fights or the girl just getting roughed up but he knew the times when it wasn't. Like now.
Now, Mike didn't like Kiara's friends. Sometimes, he thought they were alright, but he worried Kie might get dragged down with them. The only one he actually liked was CJ. Despite her impressive record and sometimes short temper, he knew she was a good kid. She was always polite with customers (and most people) unless they were overly rude and she always showed up on time. She worked hard and she was a good friend to his daughter. She stuck up for her when rude Kooks came into the restaurant and always tried to take the fault for things Kie did wrong. There'd been a few times over the years when he'd accidentally overheard conversations at slumber parties and Mike knew CJ was much too good a soul to have the life she was handed.
That was why he sometimes fed the kids. It's why they had a standing agreement that Mike would give them ice during blackouts. It's why he didn't put up so many fights about the kids Kie hung around. It was why he offered to prep while CJ cooked when an order came in, knowing the girl loved to cook. It was one of her happy places, hearing things sizzle and pop. He did these small things to try and make her life a little easier and to thank her for being there for Kie. To try and keep them out of trouble. He doubted the reasonings would ever be consciously noticed, but he didn't want them to be.
The three of them worked alone until eleven when another waiter came in. Kie took her break shortly after and found the boys outside, dragging them the rest of the way inside. As soon as she had them seated by the back door, CJ noticed them through the serving window. A smile immediately split her cheeks once she realized Pope was with them; a grin on his face as JJ shoved him down onto a chair.
"Make 'em some food. Nothin' too expensive."
Turning to where Mike was standing, she raised an eyebrow at the knowing grin on his face. "You sure?"
"Yeah. They look hungry. You and Kie can take off after that." He told her, looking down to continue cutting a bell pepper. "Martin's here and Alice will be in at 2. We'll be fine."
"You got it, chief." She saluted with a spatula, turning back to throw burgers on the grill.
It didn't take long for CJ to finish dishing out everyone's food. Maneuvering around lazily pulled out chairs and a leaving patron, she brought it out with a smile. She was still a bit wary, but after her conversation with Kie and seeing Pope's mood, she was less worried. She still held a high amount of disgust for herself, and probably always would, but those negative emotions were easy to push back when her friends didn't look at her like a pariah.
As soon as she set the food down, JJ looked at her like she was literally god while John B began scarfing down food. She was sure neither of them had eaten since they got up; the boys being utterly neglectful of themselves when she wasn't around.
While JJ shoved the juicy burger in his face, he tried snatching John B's fries despite not touching his own, receiving a swift smack to his hand. John B sent him an incredulous look with the burger still stuffed in his mouth and JJ pretended he hadn't done anything, sending an amused look his sister's way.
Pope was more meager, having eaten breakfast, slowly savoring his food with a small 'thanks, CJ.'
CJ sat in between Pope and Kie, the girls sharing their individual sides. While CJ stole a bite of the caesar salad, Kie grabbed a few fries. On Kie's other side, JJ was sneering at the identical salad on Pope's plate.
"Bro, you need to learn how to appreciate grease."
Scoffing at the blonde boy speaking with a mouthful, Pope took a pointed bite of his vegetables. "JJ, if you were a Kook you would have diabetes."
CJ scoffed out a laugh, putting her hand over her mouth to keep the food in. The statement was entirely factual. JJ's favorite foods were junk food and grease filled delicacies. If the boy had all the money in the world, CJ was certain she wouldn't be able to stop her brother from eating himself dizzy. The girl tried to imagine it and simply couldn't picture an obese JJ.
"Oh, yeah? Well, at least I'd be rich. You know what rich people get? Liposuction. Secret cures to diseases. What are you gonna do when you get cancer? 'Cause I'll be fine."
JJ shrugged, wiping the remnants of burger off his face with a napkin. He was quick to delve into his fries, dipping them in tortured tomatoes.
Shaking his head at his best friend, Pope returned his attention to his salad. For the rest of their meal, the kids ate in silence, all of them leaning back one by one as they finished. Each of them let out similar groans or satisfied sighs, relaxing into their chairs. The food was utterly delicious and a mildly starving CJ was grateful for Mike's giving nature.
A minute or so passed before CJ was abruptly pulled from her seat. The girl squealed, her eyes flying open as she was spun into John B's hold. The boy smiled adoringly down at her before spinning her again.
Getting a grasp on what was happening, CJ giggled as she was spun around and back into JB's chest. As he began to sway, guiding her lightly around the room, he kept direct eye contact with her, never faltering. His gaze was piercing and CJ didn't dare look away; she couldn't. The girl was enraptured, pulled in by the undeniable connection the two had shared since the dawn of time.
Being distracted, CJ stumbled into a stool, breaking the eye contact as John B righted her. The girl laughed at the situation, looking back up to see him smiling widely down at her. So may thoughts were rushing through his brain. She's so beautiful. Her smile is breathtaking. I wonder what it would be like to kiss her. I wonder if she would hit me. I wonder if she would ever view me as more than just a brother. More and more thoughts kept flitting through his brain, but he just kept dancing, his eyes on her like there weren't a million of his own voices whispering in the back of his mind.
The two danced around to a few more songs, transitioning seamlessly between slow movements and more fast paced steps. At some point in the process, a few salsa moves sauntered out, knowledge courtesy of their old music teacher. Multiple giggles left CJ's lips and John B savored every one, thankful that she was starting to feel better.
While they danced, the rest of the Pogues chatted and Kie grabbed some water. During a lull in conversation, Pope found himself staring at the two. More specifically CJ. The boys had mildly explained what happened with Luke and Peterkin, leading Pope to not stare when she could see but he was worried. CJ had always been the pack mom, doting on everyone else and making sure they were okay. Sometimes Pope worried about who that left looking after her, but knew the group surrounded the tiny blonde like a protective blanket. He didn't like the bruises dotting her skin and felt anger sizzle in his veins the more he looked at them. JJ, who had moved to the seat next to him, was the one that had to pull him out of it, grabbing his shoulder and twisting him around.
"Yo, you good?"
"Yeah," he responded in a sigh, "yeah, I'm good."
Pope wouldn't bring it up. He wouldn't bring it up when he knew that was the last thing to help. He wouldn't bring up the fact that he felt guilty for not being around the last few days. He knew he couldn't have stopped it and he knew it wasn't his fault, but he could have been there. Or he could have at least left some stress off the Maybank's plate by not taking off the night of the kegger. He knew no good would come from the simmering guilt, but it was just how he was programmed. Eventually, the bruises would fade, and with it, most of his negative emotions.
"Good. 'Cause we're leaving." He said, abruptly standing, causing his chair to scuff on the wood floor. "Hey, lovebirds! Come on, we got shit to do."
"Like what, J?"
"Um...very important things. Obviously." He responded to the brunette flippantly, rounding the table with a wave of his hand.
CJ sighed, unwrapping herself from around her dance partner as one of her favorite songs drifted off into the afternoon. Turning to her brother, she titled her head with a snide smile. "You get to carry the ice."
Without waiting for a snarky response, the girls went into the back to bag some more ice. They bantered a bit back a forth, the ice around CJ's heart melting a bit more, until they were done. Just as she said, the two shoved the bags into JJ's arms, the boy fumbling with the cold contents until he got a good grip on them.
"You know I hate you, right?"
"You know I don't care, right?" CJ shot back, raising an eyebrow with a small smirk. "And don't lie, you love me."
Her sibling huffed but didn't respond, deciding to start for the door instead. JJ led the charge to the van and they all piled in the groovy mode of transportation; CJ in the passenger seat as usual. On the way there, the five bickered and babbled nonsense, JJ handing the Juul over to his very needy sister. Her ribs were kind of killing her but she'd never say anything, especially since she knew JJ got it worse. Besides, it wasn't too bad. She was used to it. She'd learned to live with it a long time ago and accept it as just part of her day-to-day. Most of the time the wounds just stayed at a dull buzz on her skin, the girl subconsciously convincing herself it was just sore muscles and bruises from usual Pogue activities. She, of course, knew they weren't and she wasn't in denial, it was just how she got through the bullshit. The same way she often pretended her father didn't even exist. That their house was an entire universe away from their homes, despite being walking distance from both. She knew this distancing was the only thing that kept her from being a depressed hate-filled wreck of a human. That wasn't who she wanted to be. That wasn't CJ Maybank, that was Luke Maybank's puppet. And she refused to let that man win.
When they got to the Chateau, Pope pulled her to the side momentarily. The boy needed to apologize. He didn't know the whole story, but he didn't need it. The girl did nothing wrong and she didn't deserve to feel like she did.
He'd gotten momentarily distracted by the bruises, especially when she pulled her bandana from around her neck to tie around her head. The girl noticed but didn't say anything, leaving it in the cloud of shit the Pogues didn't bring up. When Pope started, he stuttered before quickly ranting off a long apology, only being stopped by CJ's dainty hand on his arm and her soft smile. When she told him he had no reason to apologize and she was just glad they were okay, Pope was once again reminded that the Maybank was much too good for this world. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he steered her inside, not noticing the kicked open door as they followed everyone inside.
"What the fuck is this?"
Hearing the unusually harsh words fall from her boy's lips, CJ's smile fell as she rushed forward to him. She was stopped in her tracks right behind him, gazing around the absolutely fucked room - no, house - with wide eyes.
CJ couldn't believe what she was seeing. The house was completely trashed. Picture frames were broken, books and papers strewn on the floor, and lamps tossed to the ground. There was broken glass and random shit everywhere and CJ gradually became pissed. Mainly because this was her home, this was John B's home, this was JJ's home, but that wasn't the only reason.
"Dude, we just fucking cleaned this." She grumbled, starting to wade through the wreckage as she picked up a pillow and threw it back on the pull-out. "Who the fuck did this?"
In that moment, looking around the room, seeing the minor catastrophe that had even entered JB's room, CJ was ready to go on a warpath. She hadn't realized she'd taken a subconscious step towards the exit until John B's hand wrapped tightly around her arm, pulling her out of it.
"Should we call the cops?"
"And tell 'em what, Pope?" Johnny questioned angrily, turning to look at his friend. "We left, came back, and the Chateau was trashed? They won't do anything. We don't even know who did it."
"Yeah, we already had to deal with Peterkin once this week; I'm good." JJ said, stepping carefully around the group, glass crunching under his feet. "You think it was carrot Top?" He asked, his tone being infiltrated by his rapidly growing anger.
Turning to her sibling, one of CJ's eyebrows raised as her blood pumped harder, small spots dotting her vision for a split second. "I think we should go find out."
CJ was all for a fight right then but was once again stopped by John B. His primary reason being he couldn't see more wounds on the girl, but he also didn't want to start more conflict if unnecessary. "You do that and it wasn't them, it'll just open up a can of worms no one wants."
"A gross can of worms." JJ butted in, face scrunched up as he picked up a stray book and threw it on the dining table. "That only catches bitch ass Kooks."
John B was right and she knew it. So, after having a minor staring contest, CJ broke first, walking away from the boy to try and clean up some of the mess. While the more level headed (non-Maybanks) discussed what had possibly happened and what they should do, the twins walked around the destruction. A seething CJ started stacking books on the table while her brother started making a pile of now trashed items.
To anyone that didn't understand them, their anger wouldn't make sense. JJ was more subdued in it as he always held out hope that their house could be home again, but CJ knew better. Other than the tiny cabin, the Routledge Chateau had been their only real home. For John B, it was where he was raised. Where the last of his father was. For the twins, it was something completely different. It was the only place they were always welcome and greeted with open arms. It's the only place CJ ever felt like she had a father and the main place where the Pogues established their little family. It was something that wasn't Big John's or his household's responsibility as he wasn't their parent, but he did it anyway when their own parent didn't. Without it, they would've had a roof over their heads, but they would've struggled more with basic things like showering and eating. Not to mention the upbringing that a child desperately needs to grow.
Which is why when CJ stood up and noticed Big John's office door was kicked in, she just kind of froze and stared. It put her in a state of shock and she couldn't do anything but gawk at it. It felt like her heart seized and she desperately wanted to tell John B and hide it from him all at the same time but she couldn't do anything. The man that she respected more than any other was already missing and now? Now his private sanctuary had been ransacked and CJ didn't know what to do about it or how to process it.
Sadly, her stillness became quickly noticeable by Kie and Pope, and in turn, by John B. His head cocked to the side, he walked towards her, turning to see what she was looking at. As soon as he saw, his head straightened and his face fell, his jaw falling slack.
In the next second, chaos erupted. John B hurried forward for the door and CJ lunged after him. The movement from the boy was the only thing that could've pulled her from her stupor as she desperately tried to grab him before he could see any more.
CJ was too slow and stared fearfully after him as she was grabbed by Kie. The younger girl knew it was something John B needed to deal with on his own (as did CJ despite her desperate need to help) and knew he was likely to lash out. She didn't want CJ to accidentally get caught in the crossfire.
All the Pogues were now watching Johnny, and CJ didn't like everyone intruding on his breakdown as he picked up random papers, letting them slip through his fingers. He stared around, bewildered, before he was hit with a violent surge of anger and utter melancholy. CJ whimpered as he picked up a broken piece of wood, chucking it across the room. When his fingers threaded through his hair and he dropped to a crouch, CJ wriggled free, running over despite Kie's protests.
Dropping to the ground, she pushed off the need to hold him as she tried to look at his face. She just wanted him to know she was there for him. Johnny looking up with tear-filled eyes broke her heart and when he surged towards her, tightly wrapping his arms around her, a dry sob fell from her lips. She let him cling to her, holding him just as tightly, one of her hands threaded through his hair.
They stayed there on the ground, their family surrounding them, swimming in the destruction of a family home. CJ swore if she ever found out who did it, they'd pay. But for now, she just held her boy, willing him to go to sleep and wake up to find it had all been a bad dream.
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I really like this chapter js
~SiriusCatBennett