𝐋𝐢𝐚𝐫, 𝐋𝐢𝐚𝐫 | 𝐉𝐉 𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤

72. the dicks were subliminal.

S E V E N T Y - T W O
the dicks were subliminal

The texts and calls started within an hour, and they didn't stop. Call after call. Text after text. Voicemails pile up.

I popped in to see my Mum, and JJ tagged along. We didn't talk about much, but after the island, I've made sure to see her more than once every few days. After that, we headed back to the Chateau. We sit hours later, in a comfortable silence. Nelly came over for an hour and got caught up; she's down for a trip to South America.

Turns out she's fluent in Spanish. Not JJ claiming he's fluent, she's like actually fluent.

"I probably should answer them," I mumble, staring at the phone I turned off a little after the calls started. I tried waiting them out, but he just kept going. I haven't even looked at one text. I really don't want to know.

I wish I were older, like Robbie, so I didn't have any skin in the game.

The word 'custody' seems so inhuman; it sounds like I'm an animal and not a sixteen-year-old girl. I know the piece of shit doesn't even truly want me; he just wants to fuck over my mother in retaliation for leaving him. I'm nothing but a pawn, and that's fucked up. The more I think about him taking it to court, the more worried I get. He has so many connections he's made through the Camerons, connections in high places. He's probably got favours upon favours he can call in.

But surely they can't make me move in with him, I'm sixteen, not six, I can make choices for myself.

Even if they did make me move in, I'm not staying; they'll have to come get me every day, and drag me back, because I'm not living there.

"You don't have to, you can ignore it. Always works for me." JJ shrugs, drawing little patterns on my leg. I think he's drawing a dick. Charming.

"I think ignoring this is only going to make it ten times worse. This is why I just wanted to dip immediately," I groan, leaning my head back against the sofa.

I decided against telling my Mum what happened. She's supportive, but I think she'd draw a line at international drug-smuggling. And Shoupe won't tell her anything, he's my Dad's friend, not hers. Her friends are nice.

"I can call him?" He offers, trying to be helpful. And failing, that would be an awful choice. His fingers don't stop their calming movement.

I grin, "Now, that would make it one hundred times worse." I tell him whilst pressing the power button on my phone, waiting for it to turn on.

Head on. I need to face this head-on. Or at least mostly head-on.

When it turns on, I get notifications of missed call after call, and a slew of texts.

From: Piece of Shit.
Answer me. Right now.

From: Piece of Shit.
I'm not joking, Francesca.

From: Piece of Shit.
This is serious.

From: Piece of Shit.
If you don't answer me, I'm going to have to resort to drastic measures.

From: Piece of Shit.
Answer me.

From: Piece of Shit.
Pick up the fucking phone.

From: Piece of Shit.
This is your last chance.

From: Piece of Shit.
You've made your choice. This is not how I wanted this to go.

Well, my last chance was over an hour ago. May as well just ignore him now. I turn it back off and drop it in my lap again.

"Going with the ignoring technique?" He asks.