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 chopsticks 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 the kitchen, and his brow furrowed slightly as he noticed her discomfort.

"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 his tone was calm, but his curiosity was evident as he sought a deeper understanding of her home situation. "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. The weight of his gaze made the air feel as thick as concrete, and she avoided eye contact, playing with the food on her plate.

"Josephine," Jotaro pressed, his voice steady but insistent. "Tell me the truth."

She hesitated, her inner conflict written all over her  tense face. After a long pause, she sighed and finally spoke, her voice low. "Fine. They... they committed some kind of fraud back in England. I don't know all the details, but it's bad. They moved us here to avoid getting caught by the police."

Jotaro leaned back, crossing his arms as he studied her with narrowed eyes. "And you're just okay with all this?"

Josephine's head snapped up, her frustration surfacing 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 you're involved in this, it could come back to bite you too. I can't promise I won't do anything about it. I might need to report them for all this."

Josephine's eyes widened in panic, her fists clenched tightly at her sides. "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 with a sigh. "Fine. I won't interfere... but you better handle it, Josephine."

Soon after that, Holly returned, a small, exasperated sigh escaping her lips. "Oh boy, your parents are a handful, but I managed to calm them down," she said as she gave Josephine a playful smile, 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."