Underground {OBX}

Part 10

⚠️ ⚠️ MENTIONS OF SEXUAL ABUSE ⚠️ ⚠️

All I could feel was the pain weakening my body. I feel like shit, I can barely open my eyes. When I do, I see JJ. He sits next to me, talking. I can't hear him just yet. I can't see his face, but he seems distressed.

I squint, focusing on my senses. It smells like salt water, which is normal. I can tell I'm laying on the pull out bed in the living room of the Chateau based off of the scratchy feeling of the blanket that JJ always sleeps under. I don't know how he does it. Other than JJ, I see Kiara sitting across from us. She looks worried. My ears are ringing.

"Okay, Pope," JJ says quickly. "Where did you find her again?" Pope's here too, then.

"I told you, I found her on the beach. She was just off the trail from the woods." Who are they talking about? Are they referring to me? Kiara's eyes widen. "Guys," she says, but they don't hear her over their talking. It's giving me a headache. "Guys," she shouts again.

When the others look at Kie, she points towards me. "She's awake," she breathes. JJ turns around with wide eyes. Pope pops up from the floor, and John B stands up in concern. JJ leans downs closer to me. "Hey, princess," he smiles lightly, running his fingers through my hair. "How're you feeling?"

"Like shit," I groan. I attempt to sit up, but JJ pushes me back down. "No, you need rest." I prop myself up on my elbows, looking around in confusion. "Why," I ask. "I've been hungover before."

The others look at each other in silence until John B softly tells me, "Brie, I don't think you're hungover." I furrow my brows. What does he mean? What is he trying to say. It's like all four of them have the same thought in their heads, but I can't make out what it is. "What do you mean," I ask, my voice raspy.

Pope stands up slowly. He looks at the others for reassurance, and they all look down. I face Pope. "Pope," I ask.

"Do you remember where you were last night," Pope asks me. I think about it. "I remember working with Kie, then i'm drawing a blank."

"Brie, you were delivering orders in Figure Eight with me when you ended your shift last night," Pope tells me. Why didn't I remember that? Once he says it out loud, I remember getting on the boat with him. "I heard you scream and went looking for you. I found you an hour later on the beach, and you were passed out."

"Okay, and," I ask, waiting for a response. He looks at the others again. "Okay, can someone just tell me what the hell you're all thinking," I shout, giving myself an even bigger headache.

"Should we tell her," Kie asks softly.

"She deserves to know," John B nods. The others agree. "Tell me what," I ask.

"You were shaking when Pope found you," JJ says, tears in his eyes. "You and I both know what someone on hard drugs looks like."

"I wouldn't take hard drugs," I scoff. "Who do you people think I am?"

"We know you wouldn't," Kie assures me. "But if you didn't take it, that means someone else gave it to you."

"Or forced it," John B sighs.

I look around at the four of them; my brother, my boyfriend, my best friends. They all look like they're scared of me right now. "Do you remember seeing anyone last night," Pope asks. "Think."

I think long and hard, but can't remember anything. "No, sorry."

That's when it comes to me. A certain blonde trying to get with me, forcing me into the woods, then stabbing me with something. I remember him dragging me onto the beach and kissing me before I passed out. "Wait," I say quietly. All four heads turn to me. "I do remember."

I look at them, holding their breaths, worried about what I might say next. I bite my lip, take a deep breath, then tell them, "I ran into Topper."

JJ instantly looks angry. Everyone listens in. "He.. He tried convincing me to kiss him again. I kept telling him no, but he pulled me into the woods."

I hold my breath. Kie joins me on my other side, hugging me. "He, uh.. He stabbed me with something and everything went.. I don't know, blurry, but I remember him taking me to the beach. The last thing I remember was him kissing me, then I passed out."

A single tear rolls down my red cheek. Everyone's crying. JJ's eyes are filled with tears. "Do you think he..," I ask, unable to finish the sentence before I start sobbing.

"Could he..," Kie chokes, asking the boys what they think.

"I think he did," Pope mumbles. I fold my legs into a tight hug. Kie wraps her arms around me tighter. JJ looks down at his feet, hiding his soaking face. John B stares out the window, an attempt to hold his tears back. Pope gazes at the wall, unable to stop thinking about what happened.

"I'm sorry," I sob, breaking away from Kiara's embrace. I sprint to my room, slamming the door shut behind me. I slide down the door, unable to contain myself. How could I let this happen? Could I have done things differently? This was all my fault, and there was nothing I could do to fix it. I let myself be beaten down by a man. I let this happen. I let Topper take my virginity..

~ The Pogues POV ~

The Pogues sat in silence, trying to stop their tears from slipping out. All Pope could think about was how he could have protected Brie. He could have gone with her instead of insisting on splitting up. He just wanted to get them both off Figure Eight faster. Why did he let her go alone?

Kiara wondered if Briana staying at work with her could have prevented all of this. Would Brie have been hurt so bad if she stayed at the Wreck, doing what she loved?

John B thought about his sister. His twin sister, the one he couldn't protect from this kind of pain. He should have been there, but he wasn't. Now, she's hurting more than he could even understand..

JJ was beyond pissed. He wanted to smash Topper's head in for what he did to his girlfriend. Why wasn't he there? He's her boyfriend. He should have been there..

"What the hell, Pope," JJ screams suddenly. "You were the only one there with her! Why didn't you help her?"

Pope widens his eyes, terrified. He understands why JJ is mad, and he was feeling the same way. "I'm sorry," he sobs quietly. Hoping to calm everyone down, John B stands up. He reaches his hands towards JJ. "Hey, J, I need you to calm down."

"Calm down," he scoffs. He begins to shout, "How the hell am I supposed to calm down when the guy who left my girlfriend to get raped by a Kook is right in front of me?"

"Look, dude," John B says softly. "I understand how you must be feeling, but we can't help Brie if we're fighting each other. I'm sure Pope feels just as terrible as the rest of us, right, Pope?"

Pope looks up from his feet and nods before burying his head in his arms again. John B's gaze returns to JJ's eyes. "J, Brie needs us right now. We may feel shitty, but imagine how she feels. I need you to keep your cool for right now, okay?"

JJ nods, sitting down and huffing. How could he help Brie? How could someone help a victim move past their trauma? He'd never been put in this kind of situation. How could he handle it?