Heated Lies (Jiara)

The Ropes

"Oh my god, JJ!!" Pope was the first to hug him, maybe a little too tightly. "We missed you, man."

John B didn't wait his turn, only piled on top of his friend in a thoughtless manner. Sarah joined seconds later, each pleased to find their friend back. But he still looked hurt. They still had questions.

"How'd you escape?" John B asked him.

"He gave me the green card. As long as I don't..." He trailed off, deciding now would've been a really great time to shut up. "It was stupid."

"Can't be. Shoupe letting you go was not of regular graces." Pope grabbed a small beer and handed it to JJ.

"Uh... there's just some shit you don't know. It's just, like, daddy issues. Not important, though." His face grew red as he spoke, and then he changed the subject just as quickly. "Have you guys seen Kiara?"

Pope and John B stared at each other and then back to JJ. There was something about their look that JJ didn't like. It was a look of knowledge. Almost like an inside joke he'd been left out of. Before he could question it, Pope answered.

"She left." He then looked to Sarah, who seemed confused by their stares as well. "She went to that women's school. Her parents think she's crazy."

JJ knew this, but the urge to kick something still came and passed. He sighed, momentarily forgetting about his need for a home.

"So how do we get her back?" His hands formed fists, but he shoved them in his pockets before any Pogue could see. "Better yet, how do we get to California fast?"

No one came forward with any bright ideas. It was just as well, because it looked like JJ was still recovering. His labored breathing caused prolonged stares as it was the only sound in the room.

"S-So we'll sleep on it." He quickly said and everyone agreed. "Right so I'll be back tom-"

His brain immediately terminated the thought of going home. He slowly turned to Pope, who had the same knowing look. As much as JJ wanted to know what the hell that was about, he was grateful for the mathletes offer.

"Stay here." He'd said, pressing his lips together afterward. "Got a bed... and other stuff."

Sarah looked at John B. He sat twiddling with his thumbs.

"Alright!" She clapped, making JB stand with her. "We'll reconvene in the morning."

They left rather quickly, letting Pope grab a few blankets for the Maybank. As he handed them to JJ, he said something that made him pause.

"If you ever need someone to talk to, we're here, J."

At that point, they knew something and JJ knew it. He was angry, but not enough to ask quite yet. As long as it wasn't about Luke, he didn't care why they were babying him.

***

"Ms Carrera!!" Her name was shouted like battle cry, she couldn't help but flinch. "Office! Get decent!"

She wasn't completely sure what that even meant. But she did tuck in her shirt, run some water to define her curls, and dusted off her skirt.

She was buzzed into a small grey room. A man sat at a wooden polished desk, flipping through his papers. He was tall despite being minimized by the chair, and his locked hair fell just below his chin. He looked her up and down once, and chuckled in a deep voice.

"I don't know who you think you're dressing up for. I'm not your friend."

Kiara swallowed hard. "Yes, sir...?"

"You and the other runts are new. There's no walk through, just pay attention to what you see around you. You don't eat, you starve, it's not my problem. You don't exercise, you get jumped and break a limb, also not my problem. You don't cooperate, get the ward on you, you'll wish it was my problem." He said everything quickly and efficiently.

"For how long?" She timidly asked after his speech.

"Depends on your behavior, sweetheart." He then pushed his glasses up on his nose. "No gay shit, you hear? You're not here to fuck. I hope that's clear. Do it at home."

She hated how direct he was, but there wasn't much she could do besides nod and smile awkwardly. "Yes, sir."

"And cut that shit out."

"Yes, s-" She quickly corrected herself under his intimidating gaze. "Oh, okay."

The buzzer sounded again, making her flinch. He pointed to the door, and she took the hint, quickly leaving the area. She didn't make it five feet without bumping into another girl her age.

"Shit! Sorry!"

The girl's eyes went wide. She put a hand over Kiara's mouth, and this didn't curve the Carrera's nerves. She followed the other girl's gaze toward a woman at the end of the hall. She looked extremely pissed.

"You can't cuss here!" She whispered shouted, removing her hand. "They'll kick your fucking ass."

"But you just-"

"Whispering for a reason, dim wit. Name?"

Kiara glared at her, and sighed. "Kiara. My room in five? I'm new."

"Same. My name is Nora." She took off her glasses to rub the glass with her sweater sleeve.

"Oh, from before!" And Nora nodded, following her friend back to her room.

"What's the gist? What do we do here?"

"Group. Eat. Bathroom break. More group. And sleep. It's the same thing every day like clockwork. If you're lucky, they'll give you an extra pudding cup, but that's as good as it gets here."

"Jesus, it's prison." Kiara chuckled dryly.

"Quite literally."

But then something bugged her. "What's group?"

Nora's eyes became glossy, and she pushed her short hair behind her ear.

"Kinda like a large therapy session. They ridicule the fuck outta you, and expect you to act like it's okay." Kiara had bitten the inside of her cheek, knowing too well what Nora meant.

But she'd made a friend... right?