[JoJo's Bizarre Adventure] Standstill Bonds

Chapter 20 ~ A (grand)mother's love

Josephine jolted awake, disoriented by the sudden realization that she had been gone from home all day. The dim glow of evening creeping through the windows only deepened her panic as she glanced at her phone, seeing it was six in the evening and a slew of angry messages from her parents. 

"Oh no! No no no, shit!"

Her chest tightened, but before the fear could take hold completely, Holly entered the room, quickly shushing her.

"Don't worry, dear," Holly said softly, placing a gentle hand on Josephine's shoulder. "I'll talk to your parents. Right now, you need to eat. I've prepared something for you."

Without giving Josephine time to argue, Holly took her phone and guided her to the kitchen. Reluctantly, she sat down and picked up her chopsticks, though she felt too uneasy to eat right away, her hand hovering just above her dish.

"Don't stress sweetheart," Holly said kindly, "You just eat up."

Josephine nodded, though the tension in her chest hadn't fully eased. Moments later, Jotaro entered and his brow furrowed slightly as he noticed her anxiety.

"Jotaro, keep her company while I deal with this will you?" Holly said, holding up Josephine's phone before disappearing down the hall.

Jotaro gave his mother a nod and then took a seat opposite Josephine, leaning forward in his chair as he scrutinized her. When he finally spoke he sought a deeper understanding of her home situation, something that long now had bothered him. "So, you still haven't told me. What's the deal with your parents anyway? Just why are they so controlling and why are you so afraid to stand up to them?"

Josephine froze, her hand tightening around her chopsticks. His heavy gaze made the air feel as thick as concrete and she looked down, instead playing with the food on her plate.

"Josephine," Jotaro pressed firmly, "Tell me the truth."

She hesitated, then after a long pause, she sighed and then spoke, "Fine. They... back in England, stolen goods and insurance fraud had been their thing for years and they often get these dodgy packages in the mail. They've carried it on here, its why they always want me at home, so I can be there to collect deliveries or help sort through things. We were always moving around London where I grew up so the police wouldn't know where we lived if things got suspicious. I guess their latest endeavor back home finally got them noticed, so they moved us here to Japan to avoid getting caught for real."

Jotaro leaned back, crossing his arms, "And you're just okay with all this?"

Josephine's head snapped up, her frustration rising at the suggestion. "What? Mr. Jotaro of course I'm not okay with it. But what can I do? I can't change the past, and I can't control them. I'm just trying to get through this mess and move on with my life."

Jotaro's posture stiffened, as did the tone of his voice. "Kid, if what you've said about why they brought you here is all true... it will come back to bite you. I can't promise I won't do anything about it. You do realise I should report them for all this."

Josephine shook her head frantically,  "No! Mr. Jotaro, you can't! Please! Promise me you won't report them. If you do, they'll get arrested, we'll all be deported back and I'll end up in foster care. I can't lose the only stability I have right now. Please... don't do it..."

For a moment, Jotaro said nothing, but seeing her distress at the thought of being dragged back to England under such circumsrances, he relented, "Alright. I won't interfere... but you better handle it, Josephine."

Soon after that, Holly returned, a loud, exasperated sigh escaping her lips. "Oh boy, your parents are a handful, but I managed to calm them down," she said, handing her phone back. "I told them you'd be staying with us for the week. Convinced them it'd be good if they have the house to themselves for a while."