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"Didn't know Jesus dropped a new Bible verse."

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THE VAN SLOWED to a crawl as we pulled up outside Barry's place, if you could even call it that. It was a barely-standing shack surrounded by old tires, scrap metal, and empty bottles scattered across the yard. The place looked like it had been abandoned years ago, except for the dim light barely flickering inside.

"Welcome to Crackhead Wasteland," Sarah muttered, glancing around with a grimace.

"I don't know about this, man..." Pope shifted uncomfortably, his eyes darting between the yard and the house.

"Dude, why are we at Barry's?" John B turned to JJ, eyebrows raised as if hoping for some logical explanation that would make all this make sense.

JJ shrugged. "This'll only take a second." He hopped out of the driver's seat without another word, barely even glancing back at us.

''Where are you going?'' I asked leaving the van.

"Yo soy justicia!" he replied with a mock accent, grinning as he threw open Barry's front gate like he owned the place.

"Did you glean anything from that?" Pope mumbled from the van, looking genuinely confused.

Kiara shook her head, exasperated. "You know, somebody should probably—"

"I'll go with that dumbass," I cut in, already moving to follow JJ. There was no way I was letting him go in there alone, or worse, with just his own terrible plan for backup.

John B shot me a look and sighed, falling in step behind me. "Yeah, I'm not letting you two maniacs in there alone."

Inside, JJ was already tearing through the cluttered living room, rifling through whatever he could find without a second thought. "Yeah, so what's your plan, slick?" John B asked, his voice laced with irritation as he watched JJ dump a pile of dirty laundry onto the floor.

"Well, as thou hath stealeth from us..." JJ mumbled dramatically, tossing pillows and papers aside, "...we shall stealeth from ye."

"Didn't know Jesus dropped a new Bible verse." I rolled my eyes and joined in, lifting a half-broken lamp to check under it.

John B gave JJ a skeptical look. "Yeah, that kinda got lost in translation."

"An eye for an eye, John B." JJ looked at him.

John B stepped closer, trying to break through to him. "That's great, JJ, but what happens after you rob a drug dealer, huh? He knows who we are!"

"I'm not scared of this guy," JJ shot back, barely giving him a second glance as he opened another drawer.

"Listen, he already threatened to kill us all," I interjected, hoping to bring a little reality to the situation. "It can't get any worse than that, right?"

"There we go." JJ grinned, pulling out a bag from Barry's closet. He tipped it upside down, letting a surprising amount of cash fall onto the floor in a messy pile.

John B's eyes widened. "What the hell are you doing?" he demanded.

JJ's grin only grew wider. "Getting even!"

"JJ, stop!" John B's frustration was turning to anger, and he turned on me, exasperated. "Why are you encouraging him?"

I shrugged. "As you can see, I have nothing to lose, JB." I looked away, but I knew he could see the vulnerability in my expression. As brave as I acted, I was just as scared as the rest of them, feeling that same knot of fear and loneliness tightening in my chest.

John B stepped over to JJ, grabbing him by the shoulders to get his attention. "Hey, look at me. If you keep going down this road, you're gonna end up just like your dad, do—"

Before he could finish, JJ's face darkened, and he shoved John B back against the wall, gripping his shirt. "You watch your mouth, man," JJ warned. "Aren't you tired of being messed with?"

"That's not the point, JJ!" John B's voice softened.

"'Cause I am." JJ laughed, but it was more bitter than anything, his frustration spilling over as he turned and stormed out of the house, leaving us to pick up the pieces.

I sighed, meeting John B's gaze. "I know you were trying to help, but it won't work like that."

John B's expression softened as he looked back at me. "I'm sorry, Mavie. I just—my approach wasn't exactly...gentle."

Outside, JJ addressed the others with a forced casualness, gesturing to the cash. "All right, so we're looking at five grand each for reparations for putting us through that bullshit. Sorry about that, y'all."

Kiara shot him a sharp look. "So that's what we're doing now? Robbing drug dealers?"

"This Barry guys, he's gonna find out, and he's gonna come after us," Sarah added.

"Yeah, this is not the time to start wilin' out, JJ," Pope agreed, arms crossed tightly over his chest.

JJ looked at John B, something flickering behind his eyes. "How'd you like havin' a gun pulled on you?''

"He had it right here on you, bro," he insisted, pointing to his friend's head as if the memory was playing back in his mind.

John B just shook his head, standing his ground. "Look, we've gotta go get the gold, okay? Just give me that." He reached out to take the backpack, but JJ shoved him back against the van with a rough push.

"You feel like a tough guy now?" John B muttered, anger flashing in his eyes. "What are you gonna do when he comes for us?"

JJ didn't hesitate. "We punch him in the throat."

"JJ, this is not the time to turn against each other." I looked between them, hoping to break up the tension.

JJ threw me a glance, mumbling under his breath. "As much as I love you, I politely disagree." 

After a tense moment, JJ finally lowered his gaze and sat back in the driver's seat, clenching the backpack tightly in his lap. "You guys getting in or what?" he called over his shoulder, but the energy had shifted. He looked down, breathing heavily, realizing he was alone for a moment as we all exchanged uneasy glances.

"We're sick of your shit," John B told JJ.

"Oh, my shit?" JJ echoed, his blue eyes narrowing as he glared at us. He looked around, daring anyone to challenge him further.

"Yes," Kiara replied as she crossed her arms. "Your pulling-guns-on-people shit."

"Your acting-like-a-maniac shit..." Pope added, his voice full of exasperation. He couldn't even meet JJ's gaze; his arms were folded tightly across his chest as if holding himself together.

JJ turned sharply to Pope. "Okay, Pope, I took the fall for you, man!" He was nearly shouting. "Do you even know how much I owe because of you?" 

"I'm gonna pay you back, and I didn't ask you to do that!" he shot back, his voice raised, meeting JJ's glare.

"I just did!" JJ yelled, stepping forward until he was close enough that Pope had to take a step back. "I'll pay it back. Right here, right now, by myself. You know what? That's exactly what I'm gonna do. Go off by myself." He grabbed the bag from the ground.

"JJ... Hey, wait, man," Pope called out, but JJ was already storming off, too upset to even look back.

Kiara sighed, shaking her head. "Just let him go."

I shifted uncomfortably, not sure if I should speak up. "I would voice my opinion, but I don't feel like getting shitten on right now," I mumbled, and with that, I pushed past them, determined to catch up to JJ.

I trailed after JJ. His pace was fast, but I matched it, my feet crunching over loose gravel, stepping on fallen leaves as I followed him. He didn't say a word to me, and I stayed silent too.

Finally, he came to a stop, breathing heavily, staring at the ground as if it held the answers to questions he couldn't even begin to voice. I watched as he clenched and unclenched his fists, struggling to keep his emotions in check. He was angry, yes, but beneath it, I could see how tired he was—how all of this was eating him up from the inside. He wanted to yell at me, to tell me to leave, but he just couldn't. Not to me.

I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "JJ," I started softly, trying to keep my voice steady. "You know... I love you bro, right? I can't stand to watch you go through this. I just don't want to see you get hurt anymore." My voice cracked a little, and I stepped closer, resting a hand on his shoulder.

JJ looked at me then, his expression softening, a flash of vulnerability breaking through his tough exterior. Without a word, he pulled me into a hug, holding on like he was afraid to let go. I wrapped my arms around him, trying to give him whatever strength I had left to offer. In that moment, he was just JJ, my friend, the person I knew was hurting more than any of us realized.

After a while, he pulled back, giving me a half-smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "You should go home, Mave," he said. "You don't need to see what's going on... at my place."

I shook my head, unwilling to leave him alone. "JJ, it's okay. If you want to come back home with me, you can. You don't have to do this alone."

He shook his head, his eyes darkening with something I couldn't quite read. "No, Mavis... this is something I gotta do. I need to handle this myself." His tone was pleading, and I could tell he meant it.

I wanted to keep holding on, to drag him back with me if that's what it took, but I could see that he wasn't going to let me. Reluctantly, I nodded, biting my lip as I took a step back, feeling the chill of the night settle in as the warmth of his hug faded.

"Just... be careful, okay?" I whispered, my voice barely audible.

He nodded, his gaze softening for a moment. "You too, Mave."

With one last glance, I turned and walked back the way I'd come, my heart feeling heavier with every step.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

I SAT ALONE in the quiet of the Chateau, letting the tears fall in silence. It was rare for me to break like this, to let anyone see that I wasn't always the brave one, the tough one. But right now, with the place abandoned, no one was around to see it, and I didn't have to pretend. I could feel the pain settle deeper, especially when I thought about JJ. I let him go, and he'd probably be hurting for it. I hated myself for letting that happen.

Trying to hold back panic, I pulled at strands of my own hair, the ache in my scalp grounding me to the here and now. The sharp pain was almost a relief—a reminder that I could still feel, still have control. My phone buzzed, and I glanced down to see John B's name flash across the screen.

"Hey, Mave, I'm going out with Ward to do some fishing," John B informed me over the phone. "Could you do me a solid and keep an eye on Wheezie? Make sure she actually does her homework?"

I sniffled, wiping the last of my tears away. "Yeah, of course," I replied. I grabbed my things and called a taxi, heading for Tannyhill.

When I arrived at the Cameron estate, I barely made it up the steps before Rafe appeared by the door, blocking my way. 

"Well, look who it is—the Chateau's charity case," he scoffed, folding his arms over his chest, his voice dripping with disdain. "What, you finally figured out you're poor and thought you'd come by to steal something nice?"

I froze, my jaw tightening, feeling that familiar wave of irritation rise. But I held back, knowing it wouldn't do any good to snap at him. Rafe and I had never gotten along—he hated everything I stood for, and maybe I felt the same about him. But for some reason, I remembered the Rafe I'd seen briefly during the hurricane: the version of him who'd helped me without hesitation, who'd seemed, if only for a moment, like he had a heart. Back then, I'd wondered if maybe he could be different. But now, seeing him like this, I knew that Rafe Cameron wasn't capable of that kind of kindness. That side of him was gone—or maybe it had never been there in the first place.

I forced myself to look him in the eye. "Yeah, Rafe, because obviously, I'm here for your shiny, overpriced junk," I shot back dryly, pushing past him and making my way upstairs.

Inside Wheezie's room, things immediately felt lighter. Wheezie beamed as she greeted me, immediately launching into a rundown of her favourite songs and movies, showing me playlists and talking about her favourite scenes. I laughed along with her.

Eventually, I sighed, giving her a small smile. "Alright, Wheezie. Fun's over. We really need to get to work now."

Wheezie groaned, rolling her eyes but nodding reluctantly. "Fine, fine," she grumbled, slumping down at her desk with her notebook in front of her.

We'd only been working for about fifteen minutes when the door swung open, and Rafe strode in, his presence filling the room with an almost stifling energy. He didn't say anything at first, just sat himself down on Wheezie's bed, his eyes darting around the room as if he was looking for something suspicious.

Wheezie looked up, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "Uh... Rafe, what are you doing in here?"

He leaned back, giving her an offhanded smirk. "Just making sure Mavis the Pogue here isn't planning on swiping anything." His tone was light, but his eyes stayed fixed on me, and it was clear that he wasn't joking.

Wheezie laughed, shaking her head. "Rafe, Mavis wouldn't steal anything. I'm right here, for one, and she's literally here to help me study."

I glanced up at him, feeling the irritation I'd managed to bury start to creep back up. "Alright, Rafe," I began. "You're a bit of a distraction, and I'd really appreciate it if you'd let us get back to work. I just want to make sure Wheezie gets the help she needs."

Rafe's smirk dropped, and his expression hardened. "Last I checked, this was my house," he replied icily, not budging from his spot on the bed. "I can do whatever the fuck I want."

I held his gaze, not backing down. "That's fair, but I'm here to do a job. As Wheezie's tutor, I'd like her to be able to focus. And right now, your presence isn't exactly helping her concentrate."

For a moment, he looked as though he might argue, his jaw tense, his fists curling slightly at his sides. But then he seemed to reconsider. He exhaled sharply, giving me a quick, mocking salute before standing up.

"Fine," he muttered, shrugging as he made his way to the door. "Good luck dealing with her, though," he added with a smirk before he turned and left.

As the door closed, Wheezie let out a sigh of relief, rolling her eyes. "Thanks, Mavis. He can be... a lot sometimes."

I managed a small smile, shaking my head. "No kidding. Alright, where were we?"

Wheezie grinned, and we dove back into her work, the room finally peaceful again.

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