𝐒𝐄𝐗 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐌𝐘 𝐄𝐗, ˢᵃʳᵃʰ ᶜᵃᵐᵉʳᵒⁿ

xi. callin' it off... or not

"HE WANTS TO stop everything." Emma told JJ, explaining the unfortunate event that occurred to her best friend.

"Em, listen." JJ grabbed Emma, turning her to face him completely. "Last night was my fault, I wouldn't leave Sarah alone, Topper got pissed and everything started escalating. I didn't really mean to start anything-"

"I know, J. I know." She pushed the hair that fell into his eyes back so she could see him better. "I- I get it. Shit happens. I'm sorry for blowing up on you about Sarah, you were right."

"Don't worry about that." JJ shook his head, shoving her lightly. "So, how's Ivy?"

Emma laughed quietly, shaking her head. "Wish I knew, I have no way to get ahold of her though." The girl shrugged.

"I bet Pope remembers where we dropped her off." JJ pointed out. "You could always ask him, ya know?"

Emma nodded. "Yeah, sure. But like, what happened last night? How'd that shit actually start?"

The boy looked at her, took a moment to think, then contemplated if he should tell her the truth. He sighed and shook his head. "I uh, well. Okay, listen, I had this drink and I was going to give it to your brother but then... I- I saw Sarah walking by and so, I uh offered her the drink, she didn't want it but I kept insisting until Topper got pissed off. I just wanted to, I don't know, annoy her or something. She's-"

"A bitch." Emma finished for him. "Yeah, I know, J, but that doesn't mean you can just try and force a drink she clearly didn't want on her. I mean she said no, right? How many times before Topper got pissed? He probably had the right, with you going at his girlfriend like that."

JJ froze for a second, a small wave of anger passing over him that he pushed down quickly, not want to acknowledge it. "I was just looking after you."

"But did she do anything to you?"

"No, they were leaving-"

"My point exactly." Emma sighed, standing up and walking over to the boy, placing each hand on either side of his neck. "You can't just do that."

"Yeah, Yeah. I know." He looked down at the girl, his hands wrapped around the small of her back, pulling her into a hug. "I missed you last night, stupid."

"I missed you too, dummy. Just not when you were shooting off rounds into the sky." Her head rested against his chest and she could hear his heartbeat, slow and steady, just like it always was, sometimes even helping her fall asleep some nights when the nightmares of Big John became too real in her mind. "Come on, everyone's out back, John B wants to talk to you guys."

___

AS SOON AS Emma and JJ walked out back, John B stood up. "Look, I'm calling it off, alright?" He announced. "Peterkin said if we stay out of the marsh she'll help us with DCS." He explained, he knew that last thing he wanted was for him and Emma to be shipped off to the mainland and placed with some random people, or even begin to think of the possibility that they wouldn't even be placed together.

"And you believed her?" JJ asked the boy, shaking his head as he threw a rock out toward the water.

"Yes, I believe her, JJ."

"An actual cop, John B. You believed a cop." JJ scoffed and turned to Emma. "What about you? You believe her?"

Emma shrugged. "Sounded like she was serious, I don't know." She sat next Kie, lifted her legs up into the girl's lap, grabbed the blunt from behind her ear and lit it.

"All we gotta do is stay out of the marsh for a couple days and she'll help us out!" John B reasoned, raising his voice to further his point. "And it doesn't help that your ass was the one shooting a gun."

JJ kissed his teeth, stood from the table he was leaned against and took a couple steps forward. "You know what I shoulda done? I shoulda just let Topper drown your ass."

John B scoffed. "Cause Topper was gonna drown me?"

He rolled his eyes and Emma looked at him, wondering how the hell he could be so stupid yet brilliant at the same time. "It sure fucking looked like he was planning on it." She told him.

"I didn't ask you." John B spat, not wanting to deal with her smartass comments.

"I mean have you looked in the mirror?" JJ asked John B, referring to his black eye gifted to him by the disastrous excuse of a man that is Topper Thorton.

"Come on, tell me some more." John B pushed, pressing buttons that he knew would set JJ off. "What else, huh?"

"They always win, don't they man? Kooks versus Pouges..." JJ turned around, punched a strung up boey just above his head, exclaimed in anger. Emma got up, placing a hand on his shoulder. "They always, always win! Goddamn!" The way his voice cracked broke Emma's heart, he began to walk away.

"Look, it's okay!" Kie told JJ,

"No, it's not okay!" Her turned back around and shouted out. "It is not! They don't want us to go down into the marsh that means there's something valuable down there and you know that." He pointed to John B. "I know you do. And I understand why you don't wanna go," He gestured to Pope who was sitting on a chair in front of him, next to John B. "You're the golden boy, you've got way too much to risk. And you-" He then moved on to Kie. "I mean, you're already rich as fuck anyway, why would you bother." He turned back to John B. "But you, me and Em? We got nothin' to lose."

"JJ."

"We really don't, alright?" He said seriously, then looked over at Emma. "And I know it didn't always used to be that way for you guys."

John B shook his head. "I don't wanna talk about this." He stood up, glancing between his sister and JJ. "I don't want to talk about it. Do you?" He asked Emma. "You wanna talk to JJ about how our dad isn't here anymore so we have nothing to lose. Want to?"

"So that's it?" JJ scoffed, when John B pushed him.

"Just get out of my way, bro!" John B walked out into the grass, shaking his head.

"John B, listen I have a plan." JJ told him. "You got the key to Cameron's big boat, right?" He questioned.

"No, JJ" John B quickly lied with a shake of his head.

"There's scuba gear inside." JJ pointed out. "We borrow that, and then we go down to the wreck this afternoon and that is what's gonna save you, man."

Emma shook her head. "No. No way." She said, JJ looked at her, disbelief written across his face.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. He's not gonna risk his ass stealing from Ward Cameron of all damn people." Emma glanced over at her brother shaking her head.

"You don't see rich kids going to foster care do you?" JJ asked John B, grabbing his attention, and by the look in his eyes, Emma knew he was going to go along with JJ's plan. The girl stormed inside, pissed and now at the pit of her stomach was a forming feeling of anxiety, fearing that her brother was going to get caught.

___
( author's note )
— currently in love with
em and jj's friendship