𝐃𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘 𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐋𝚬 𝐒𝚬𝐂𝐑𝚬𝐓, ʲᵒʰⁿ ᵇ ʳᵒᵘᵗˡᵉᵈᵍᵉ

xv. i'll kill him in his sleep

XV. I'LL KILL HIM IN HIS SLEEP

"hi, hi," briar rushed over to john b's bed as he woke up. she'd bribed the nurse to let her stay the night, giving her the standard sobbing teen mom story.

she was still in her midsummers dress, flower crown still on her head. john b noticed the mud and blood on her dress and immediately felt awful that it was him who'd ruined it.

"where am i?" he mumbled, eyes opening and closing.

"st. olive's," chase valentine piped up from the corner. "we've covered your bill in full, bud. don't even worry about it."

"you feel from the hawk's nest," briar whispered. "topper pushed you. you have a concussion and a broken wrist."

john b slowly looked down at his arm in a black cast. "whoa."

"i tried to tell them you'd want a fun color but they said if you weren't awake to decide, it would be black. pretty cool, huh?" briar smiled at him. taking his uninjured hand.

"i need to get outta here," john b attempted to sit up. "dcs is gonna find me."

"hang on there, kid. hang on," ward cameron stepped up. briar smiled at her uncle, her heart nothing but grateful.

"sarah told me everything. about your little adventure, about you running from the dcs, about how you were protecting her in the tower. john, i believe i owe you an apology. you were honest with me about a small indiscretion, and i went ahead and fired you anyway. and i shouldn't have. unfortunately, from time to time, i have a bit of a . . . short fuse," ward admitted. briar could do nothing but smile as he owned up. "ask them." he gestured to briar and sarah who now stood at her side.

"it's true," sarah nodded.

"i'd like to make up for it, if you'll let me," ward offered. "i spoke with sheriff peterkin, and. . . i've offered to be your legal guardian, if you'll have me."

"what?" john b chuckled.

"it'd mean a roof over your head and no more run in' from the dcs," ward explained.

john b sighed loudly and looked at briar. she nodded her head excitedly.

"it's the least i could do," ward added. "you protected sarah, and my niece needs the father of her baby around for a long, long time."

"sure, yeah," john b agreed. "uh. . . sounds good."

ward chuckled and placed an arm around his niece's shoulders. "okay, then, it's settled. welcome to the family."

ward shook john b's hand and him, chase, and sarah went into the hall to give the teens some privacy.

"what the hell just happened?" john b asked, still confused and in shock.

"you're living with the camerons now," briar shrugged. "i didn't expect that, but, what the hell? this summer has been anything but predicable."

"so topper really pushed me?" he asked as briar snuggled into the side opposite his cast.

"oh, yeah," briar nodded. "jj was livid. i'll kill him in his sleep, don't worry."

john b laughed and ran his healthy hand along briar's shoulder. "this is so fucking weird."

"so fucking weird," briar agreed. "the fucking weirdest."

🃏

"how are you always a mess?" cece shook her head as chase and briar walked through the door.

"i can't help it," briar shrugged, plopping into a chair so her mother could fret over her.

"unbelievable," cecelia shook her head again. "topper thorton. pushing john b! even when he knows about the baby. selfish asshole!"

"mom!" briar laughed.

"goddamn, cece," chase shook his head chuckling at his wife.

"well, i mean it. how on earth could he do that? clara would lose her mind if she knew, maybe i should call her."

"no," briar interrupted as cece cleaned off her chin. "just leave it, mom."

"fine," cecelia said as she stood. "but don't make me say i told you so. now, go change, shower, please."

"yeah, seriously, you reek," holly said coming downstairs in her pajamas.

"good morning to you, bitch face," briar said.

"good morning, slut bag," holly snapped back.

"sisters," chase shook his head. "i'll never get it."

briar dragged herself up the stairs, quickly discarding her dress on her bedroom floor.

she sat on the floor of the shower for an hour or so. just thinking. about topper. about john b. about pear. about sarah. about holly and kiara and whatever was happening there.

she thought about a lot. not once did she think her uncle was going to ruin her life within the next few business days.

SADIE SPEAKS!
word count: 758
short one but next one
will be good i promise