tides | jj maybank x oc

ep. 18 ~ they call it justice

b didn't really remember that fight, and honestly she was kind of glad for it. she didn't need that memory on top of all the others she had leading up to it.

what she did remember was the way the pogues took care of her, the way they took her back to kie's, no questions asked. the way kie got them into her room, past her parents.

the way pope guarded the door, and got her food, and made the bed up nice.

the way kie showered her and dressed her, keeping going as soft and gentle as ever even when she couldn't help but cry at the marks on one of her best friends.

and the way jj brushed her hair and held her hand and sat by the bed all night long.

she remembered that they cared and they listened when she wanted to talk and that she wasn't alone.

pope was confused really, he was still panicked after the fight with the kooks and now he was angry and worried about luna b because he had put together the pieces. because he now knew what topper must have done to her.

kie was mostly angry at herself, because she felt she had pushed b out and away and that that must mean it was her fault she ended up at that party. that it was her fault that topper had got to luna b.

and jj? jj was angry at everyone and he hated himself for letting it happen, for not being there, for treating her so badly, for all of it...

he was going to kill topper.

~~~

i don't think jj left my side at all in the past 12 hours. initially i thought it would be suffocating but it's actually been kind of reassuring. comforting.

even kie and pope have become more glued to me than ever before: so much so that all three of them have now joined me for my shift at heywards. pope even took an extra (unpaid) shift for it.

heyward definitely knows somethings up.

pope and jj are muttering about last night as i stock shelves, but i can feel jjs eyes on me every so often.

someone brushes behind me and i force myself to breath slowly, fisting my hands in the sleeves of my (jj's) hoodie until it passes. my heartbeat steadies. i continue filing away tins of tuna and tomatoes.

they managed to get me to change clothes this morning and, whilst it's all still big enough to swallow me up in a sort of half comfort, it's nice to be in clean clothes. even if they're an assortment of other peoples garments.

even the socks are popes rather than my own (he keeps denying it but they are so clearly his because of the dorky little math puns on the sides).

"b?" jj calls out softly, breaking his conversation with pope.

i ignore him, reaching for the next tin.

"luna?" pope tries.

"i'm okay." i call out then, mostly because i can feel kie turn her attention to me and i really don't want to trigger her 'mum mode' anymore than usual.

then the door slams open, making me jump and drop the tins in my hands, stumbling backwards into the shelf as my hands fly to my chest.