Gold Digger// JJ Maybank- OBX

forty

*TW: Mentions of violence and blood.* (Scene marked with stars if you wish to skip)

SCARLETT FOUND herself fiddling with the rings on her fingers as she sat in the courtroom next to JJ. At the front of the room was John B, wearing an orange jumpsuit. To say Scarlett was scared was an understatement. Her best friend was on trial for a crime he didn't commit and she knew it wouldn't end well for the Pogues. They always lost while the Kooks always won. Scarlett sunk her teeth into her bottom lip as she waited for the Judge to speak.

"John Booker Routledge, pursuant to the North Carolina statute section 14, you are charged with murder in the first degree with aggravated circumstances. If convicted, the maximum sentence would be the death penalty."

Scarlett's face dropped. "No, no, no, no." She mumbled, shooting out of her seat. "You can't do that!" She yelled, waving her hand at the Judge.

"Your Honour, he's 17." JJ yelled, also standing up.

"Quiet!"

Kiara stood up from the row in front of them, putting a hand on Scarlett's shoulder. "Stop."

Scarlett shook her head, trying to step round her friend. "You can't do this! He didn't kill anybody!"

"He's 17!" JJ repeated. "Are you kidding me?" Pope stepped in front of the boy, trying to calm him down. "Hey, John B, we're gonna figure it out." JJ called to the boy as he got escorted away by a police officer.

"John B!" Sarah called, moving through the crowds towards him. She had tears in her eyes. "John B! John B! No!"

"Sarah!" Kiara called after her. She pulled the girl out of an officer's grip as the man tried to push her back towards the crowd. "Stop! Don't touch her!" The man dropped his grip on the blonde and Kiara linked their arms. "Let's go, Sarah. Let's get out of here." The girls joined up with the other three, walking out of the courtroom.

"Justice is served." Scarlett heard one woman say.

"He had it coming." The woman she was talking to responded.

Scarlett shook her head, anger and frustration building up inside her. "I can't fucking believe this shit." She muttered. "We're gonna lose John B all over again. I can't deal with anymore of this shit."

"Is this a joke?" Kiara asked, rubbing Scarlett's arm gently. "Like, are we in hell or...?"

"Fucking feels like hell." Scarlett mumbled.

"I should never have come home." Sarah muttered as they walked down the courthouse steps.

JJ shook his head, screwing his baseball cap up in his hands. "They're gonna kill him, guys. I know it."

Scarlett lifted her hand to her face, wiping away the blood that had started to leak from her lip. She looked up to see a lawyer comforting the Cameron's. "Sorry for what you and your family have gone through. Thank God the system works."

"It should be you behind those bars!" Scarlett screamed suddenly, pointing at Ward Cameron. "Not John B. It should be you. You and that psycho son of yours."

Kiara nodded, stepping next to her friend. "Can you please shut up? Of course you think the system worked because it was made to protect you and people like you."

"He'll have his day in court. A jury will decide."

Scarlett shook her head. "That whole system is biased. You know John B will lose, because you have influence over the police department." She pointed to Ward. "You'll just pay them to fake evidence. I'm gonna lose my best friend- my brother- all over again because of you! You are the foulest human being alive, Ward!" She screamed. JJ stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her waist before she started fighting the Cameron's. He was just as angry as she was, but causing a fight against the Kooks wouldn't help the situation.