𝐽𝑈𝑆𝑇 𝑁𝑂𝑇 𝑌𝐸𝑇 / JJ MAYBANK

𝟺𝟹

AINT SCARED OF YOU

"Look, he'll come around, all right? It's- He's doing a JJ thing." says John b to the others. They sit in the wreck. Kiara, Sarah, Pope and John b.

"You think he'll go home?" asks Kiara, concerned.

"There's about a zero percent chance that JJ goes home." replies Pope.

---——
3rd PERSON POV

"I've been staying at John b's." JJ comes out onto the porch to join his father who is fixing an engine.

"I didn't ask you where you were stayin'." Luke replies, uninterested. "I don't care." he stands up and gets a tool. "I knew you'd get hungry."

"That's not why I came back, dad." JJ looks down for a moment. "I got the money." he then says.

"Yeah, I'll believe that when I see it."

JJ throws the backpack with the money on the table next to his dad. He grabs the bag and opens it.

"It's all there." JJ says. "25k"

Luke pulls out the wad of cash and stares in amazement at his son.
"I don't know how you got this. I- I don't even wanna know." he points at JJ with a smile. "You did it."

JJ laughs in relief at his father. He feels like he has finally made him proud, and heard something good from him.

"I'll grant you that. You did it." Luke laughs. "There's beer in the cooler." he points to the cooler and JJ takes a beer.

While Luke gets up and walks to a newspaper. "I think that sale's still on at Guffy's of Makos. They're practically givin' 'em away.

JJ takes his cap off his head, in disbelief. He stares over at his father, confused and disappointed.
"dad, that's for the restitution."

"We're gonna tap that..." Luke completely ignores his son. "Put a little more in..."

"Dad, can you please just do the right thing for once, okay?" says JJ, who is obviously scared.

His father moves closer to him. "You know how much you cost me, you little shit?" he holds up the wad of money. "This nut? It ain't going to the cops. No."

He puts the money in a jar and screws it shut. "I'm gonna take it south. I'm gonna triple it-"

"Dad!"

"You got somethin' to say?" yells Luke, moving closer to JJ. "After everything you done? You wanna get into it? I didn't think so."

He walks back to his seat. "Man, people keep wastin' my time. I gotta fix this motor."

JJ looks at the container with the money. He summons up all his courage and runs to grab the container, but his dad throws him right into the wall and slams him down, knocking him to the floor. Blood comes out of his mouth.

"Boy, you stay down there," his dad says.

But JJ gets up and punches his dad in the face. He knocks JJ to the ground and presses his hands on his son's neck. JJ can barely breathe. He manages to kick him away but Luke stops him and kicks him in the stomach.

"Get up!" his father yells and pulls him up by his hair to continue punching him.

Then JJ snaps. He punches back and throws himself and his father down the porch onto the grass.

"You wanna steal from me?" JJ kicks his father in the stomach.
"You gave me nothing! You gave me nothing but a shitty life!" he screams in tears. He sits on his dad and holds him by his shirt. And keeps punching him in the face.

"All you ever did was try and scare me!" JJ picks up a tool from the floor.
"Well, guess what, dad?" he yells. He holds up the tool, tears coming to his eyes, and then drops it again.

"I ain't scared of you anymore." he cries, his voice breaking with each sentence.

He stands up, sobbing, takes the money, and leaves.