"Don't let it get in your head. Three of them and two of us," JJ happily spoke as they were lounging around Heyward's store, reminiscing in yesterday's events, "That's typical Kook shit right there." "Hell, yeah," Kie smiled as she gave the credit card back to the customer.
"What was your thought process, using your head?" JJ asked Pope as he helped package up the bought merchandise. It hadn't slipped past Cassie that JJ looked extra good this morning in a white t shirt and some kacki shorts that showed his muscles perfectly. When they had woken up together, Cassie had played with his hair as they laid in her white bedroom with the perfect breeze swirling through the opened balcony doors. She had woken up also, looking fresh and rested as they always slept best when they were together. She had decided on a summer dress that accented her curves beautifully, but wasn't too dressed up.
"I don't know, man. I just kind of acted off instinct. I was a cornered animal," Pope responded as Cassie laughed, "A cornered animal?" JJ sent her a grin as they tossed a lemon between each other. Heyward walked into the shop, "Hey, Pope, someone here to see you."
An officer walked in behind him as JJ glanced at Cassie who was sending a worried look at Pope. Pope was dumbfounded and gulped, "Evening, Officer." "I have an arrest warrant for felony destruction of property."
Heyward couldn't believe it, "What?"
"Hands where I can see 'em. Young lady, out of my way." "Whoa. Shoupe, what'd he do?" Heyward asked. Cassie stepped forward but JJ grabbed her wrist, shaking his head. She turned, "You can't do this officer."
He ignored her and looked at Heyward, "Look at the warrant." "You're just arresting my boy?" Heyward asked as he took out his handcuffs and unlocked them just to be locked once more around Pope's wrist. JJ, Kiara, and Heyward started talking belligerently towards the officer as he guided Pope. Cassie read over the warrant, This couldn't be possible.
The Pogues and Heyward followed the officer and Pope out, trying to talk him out of arresting their teenage best friend. Cassie watched with her mouth gaping open, she couldn't believe this was happening.
And poor JJ couldn't watch it happen.
So just as Pope was about to be pushed into the Police vehicle, JJ stepped up. "It wasn't him!" he yelled, "It was me."
Cassie whipped around to look at his beautiful face, "Don't do this, JJ, please -" But her pleas had no effect. Because she knew that even though JJ was the most reckless person she had ever met, she knew he wouldn't do this. "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." Pope shook his head, trying to speak. "I can't let you take the blame for somethin' I did. You've got too much to lose."
Pope stared at his best friend, "JJ, what are you doing?" "I'm tellin' the truth. For once in my goddamn life, I'm gonna tell the truth. I took his old man's boat, too."
"What da hell?" Heyward started. "JJ, come on," Pope tried again.
"Just shut up, Pope! Just shut up," JJ turned to the officer, "He's a good kid. You know where I'm from. This was all me."
The officer turned to Pope and sighed, "That's the whole truth?" "Whole truth, swear to God," JJ answered, but it was not enough. "I know what you think, damn it, I'm asking Pope."
Pope hesitated while giving a horrified look, and for once Cassie wished that Pope wouldn't do it, but she knew the risk and watched as Pope lied. "Yeah, that about covers it."
So the officer unlocked the cuffs, but before he could push their Pogue into the car, Cassie ran over. She pulled his shirt towards her with her fists pooling with the fabric, placing their foreheads together, "Please, don't do this."
He took a deep breathe and treasured the moment before planting a kiss on her forehead and smiling, "It's okay. I promise."
And so he was pushed into the car and rolled away to the police station. Cassie felt like collapsing onto the ground, as her most cherished person in the whole world was pulled away to go into a holding cell. Kie came to her rescue and put her arms around her, embracing her as the two girls watched Pope yell and walk swiftly back into the shop.
This was a disaster.
~~~
Of course, Cassie went to go see him. It wasn't a charted visitation so they denied her access to him outside of his cell.
She ran up to the bars and they immediately laced their fingers together through the bars. She didn't speak as they curled together in silence for a few minutes.
JJ couldn't help but be glued to her large hips and small waste that was so perfectly defined by her red dress. He was beginning to love that dress. Or maybe it was the girl he was starting to love.
"Why did you do it?" she whispered. He sighed, "I had to."
She shook her head, "Never mind why, I'm paying your bail and/or restitution or whatever they think they can wry out. AND you're coming home with me. I cannot believe they would lock a kid up."
Cassie tried to pull away from the bars to leave and write an easy check of $30,000 because it was easy for her, but instead her hand was tugged back, still intertwined with JJ's. "Don't pay it." "No-" "Please."
She looked into his gorgeous green eyes. "Please promise me you won't."
Her knees buckled and couldn't seem to find any will to say no to him. She pressed her forehead back onto the bars, "I promise."
They stayed like that for a few minutes, just trying to treasure one another's presence. It seemed as though even a short amount of time without each other was like drowning. They needed each other like air. They were two pieces of a puzzle, two ropes intertwined, two lovers that couldn't be separated.
But after those minutes of bliss and some bars, a deputy barged in, "Times up."
Cassie didn't want to let go. JJ didn't want her to let go. But the deputy pulled her arm as Cassie stretched her arm out to be answered by JJ pressing his body to the bars and yelling, "I'll be okay. I'll be okay."
But without Cassie, JJ was anything but okay.
~~~
She was desperate.
She had interrogated the officer seated at the counter for how much JJ would have to pay and boy was she mad. "You're making a kid pay that?!? Despicable!"
And with that, she drove home and paced around her living room for an hour. After thinking about any solution possible, she decided it was time to go find JJ and his father.
When she approached JJ's home, she could hear the loud banging music coming from inside the structure. Her windows were down but the breeze was ruined by the noise. She was hesitant to go inside, she was scared if JJ's father had done something to him.
She took a deep breathe in. If she couldn't sway JJ, she could pay off his father, right?
Cassie knocked very loudly on the door inside the screen porch. She heard thudding and his father yelling some incoherent words from inside. The yelling stopped as the banging did as well as she heard the lock click quietly and the door swing open. She was met with the familiar face of his father, who looked very angry.
"Please, I-I know JJ has a debt and I can pay it. Let me help."
"Cassie? Is that you?" she heard from inside, JJ's voice cracking.
"Shut up!" His father yelled back as Cassie held a breathe in as the smell of alcohol reached her nose. "Now you listen here, Cassandra. My son has to pay this debt like the horrid child he is. Got it? If I -"
From behind him, JJ held up a polite front but his words were demanding, "Cassie, you need to leave. Please leave." His father turned, "So your little girlfriend, a kook, has to help you out because you're too worthless to have any money, huh?"
Cassie took a step back.
"Just give me a minute," JJ pleaded and his father stepped out of the way and went back to whatever beer he had been drinking. "One fucking minute," his dad repeated.
When he left the frame of Cassie's eyes, she engulfed JJ in a warm hug, breathing in his intoxicating addictive smell. JJ gripped her so tight as he was nervous that his father was evil enough to come back. "You have to leave," he said into his shoulder, "I will be fine."
She pulled away, "You've promised me so much. It's not safe here." "I know, but I'll be fine, okay? When have I ever lied to you?" He cracked a smile, "I would never lie to you."
She brought him back into the hug, "Come to my house after." She put their foreheads together, "Be safe." And with a kiss on his forehead, she walked back to her jeep, JJ watching her every step.
When he saw her leave, he entered the house carefully, but no sound gave way. He looked onto the couch on his right, which held his father, drunk and passed out with the music turned off. God, he was a slob. JJ hated him so much, especially after going near Cassie. He couldn't stand him. He hated him. He hated the man who was stupid and disgusting, snoring on the couch.
He didn't even realize the gun was taken out until he held it out, pointing it at his father's sleeping face. A tear slipped, and it took him a moment but he snapped out, whispering, "Cassie wouldn't want me to." And even when he didn't respond, he put his face near his father's, "You'll live only because I love her."
~~~
Cassie didn't want to go to Midsummers.
She didn't want to dress up and pretend like she cared about a stupid rich island party that only kooks were invited to. She didn't want to be far from JJ now, not when he needed her, even if he had promised her that he would be okay. Now you must be wondering, why would she go then?
Her grandma, one of her only relatives that actually cared about her, had prepped her for this day since she was a toddler. Grandma Jess always liked to dress up and be fancy because she was a beautiful social butterfly that wanted her granddaughter to do the same. So when she passed, Cassie promised herself to make the most of it and let loose for a night.
She took a long shower, massaging her hair and shaving all of her body dry to be perfect for tonight. She moisturized as her skin glowed and shimmered in the bathroom lighting. She put some skincare products on her face and watched the waves for a few minutes outside her window to calm her nerves. Her phone dinged, thankfully one of the cell towers were beginning to work so she had gotten a text from John B, saying that JJ was okay, making her finally relax.
She picked out some new jewelry and some antiques that were her grandmothers to honor her tonight. She had gotten a dress a few years ago that her mother had worn to her Midsummers. And although Cassie didn't like her mother, she liked the dress. So she slipped it on and stared at her curves in the body mirror. Maybe she was pretty for once. She did her own hair and was content with how it turned out, pulling on some heels to match the dress.
The dress was a gold wrapping that had a bodice on the top and a separate skirt on the bottom. The skirt had a long slit that rose up her body and exposed her right leg.
When she finished getting ready, the golden light of the setting sun flashed into her room, making the aura a spectacular sight. Cassie took a deep breathe. She could do this. She could do this and blow everyone away. After giving a quick pep talk, she exited her house.
This was going to be a very eventful night.
Forest: Personally, I'm going to be honest and say this was not my best chapter. If I edit this or rewrite it, I'll put a disclaimer in the beginning of the next chapter because I am not feeling it.