JJ stands there with his eyes closed, listening to the waves breaking, feeling the water lap around his feet, the corse sand between his toes and under his feet and the warmth of the sun heating his skin. He can't believe his life has lead him to this place, this piece of paradise. His brain takes him back to the night his parents died, the feeling of hopelessness, the empty void that suddenly appeared inside of him, that void still there to this day. He remembers running out the front door, his brain just empty, trying to run from the pain. He ended up at a park, his lungs burning and his legs heavy with lactic acid. He started to dry heave, tears streaming down his face.
"Hey, you alright?" A voice asked him from the dark. He remembers looking up and seeing Sampson standing there, the same height as JJ, looking at him worried. "I'm Sampson." He told JJ holding out a hand. He took his hand and Sampson pulled him in. Not letting go and hugging JJ.
He remembers the day Sampson died in JJs arms. And his last words "live your life for us both." Before going limp. The day another void appears inside JJ.
He then remembers signing his name away to the Government and joining the army. Stepping off the plane into the hot desert, the feeling of excitement mixed with apprehension and fear. The fear of the unknown, going to war and the highly likely chances of killing another human being.
"Yo JJ you playing or what?" His best friend Antonio asked him, breaking him out of his daydream. JJ turned around just in time to catch the football. He jogged over towards him pushing the ball into Antonio's torso.
"Yeah Bruh."
He stood opposite his opponent. To sets of testosterone filled men playing touch football on the beach, which had obviously turned into full contact football.
"Where did you go? Day dreaming about your boyfriend?" The random guy asked.
"Na, was day dreaming about what me and your mom did last night." JJ replied with a smirk, looking the guy dead in the eyes. JJ sometimes had that look of a caged animal that still remembered the thrill of the hunt and the kill. The guy decided to not say anything.
"Hick the ball you greasy Italian plumber." Something snapped inside of JJ. He could have chosen to just let the comment go or he could get violent. He chose violence.
"Ah fuck it." He said, causing the bloke to look at him. With lightening fast reflexes from years of training JJ put both hand behind the blokes head and yanked it down while bringing his knee up. He felt the satisfying crush of the blokes nose. As he instinctively pulled his head back JJ let go of his right hand and swung his elbow into the guys face. He crumpled to the sand. Out of his peripherals he say one of his friend moving towards him, he pivoted on the spot and caught the next threat with a side kick, catching the guy off guard and sending him to the sand. A third guy rushed JJ who went for a double leg, pulled the guys legs towards him and lifted. Slamming the guy down and quickly moving to mount. Before JJ could throw a punch two sets of burley arms were pulling him off the third bloke who was stunned at what had happened.
"What the fuck man!" Antonio said.
"You're a fucking live wire bro." His bigger, by both age and muscle size, Angelo told him.
"I'm going to get you!" The first guy shouted at JJ blood streaming from his nose.
"I'm right here you bitch." JJ shouted back trying to rush around Antonio and Angelo who for once were a split second quicker then JJ stopping him in his tracks.
"Chill." Angelo told him. Pushing him towards where their friends were sitting.
"What's wrong with you JJ?" Shannon asked him, slapping him around the back of the head.
"He was racist towards your husband. I was just the one who handled it." He told her with a smirk.
"You ever heard of diplomacy?" Isabella asked JJ. He looked at her, looking her up and down. He didn't know who she was. He arched one eyebrow. "Sure, why don't you go and have a talk to him. I'm sure he will remember that over the shattered nose he has. Although looking at you he will defo remember you" He told her with a wink walking back towards the sea. No one else would have noticed but she recoiled a fraction when he said the first word. He put his feet in the sea and closed his eyes again. He took a deep breath and heard someone's feet splashing the water.
"You didn't have to be dick towards her." Shannon told him while passing him a can of beer.
"Who is she?" He asked cracking open the can.
"A new friend from work, she just moved to the island." Shannon looked back. "She's pretty right?"
"I guess she is okay." He told her taking a sip of beer. Shannon laughed.
"She is beyond okay. You'd be punching. But that's something you're good at." She told him pushing against his arm but not even moving him. "You'll be seeing a lot more of her so try and be nice." She told him walking back to the group. He looked back over his shoulder and Isabella. She was extremely pretty with a killer body. He turned back around and closed his eyes.
"So tomorrow at my parents." Antonio told JJ. He nodded at him.
"Need me to walk you home?" Angelo teased him.
"Na I should be fine." JJ said wrapping his arms around Angelo and trying to talk him down to which Angelo countered. "See you tomorrow fratello." JJ nodded.
JJ rounded a corner and standing there waiting was the three guys from the beach. JJs flight or flight instinct kicked in, he only ever run once and that was the night his parents died. Reacting before the men could he threw a jab and the guy with the broken nose, his head snapped back and he screamed. Before JJ could swing another punch the other two guys had grabbed him and had his arms pinned.
"Think you are pretty tough." The guy with the broken nose asked him.
"Let me go and I'll fight you all one after the other and then I'll carry on walking home." He stepped closer to JJ and got right in his face, which was a mistake. Before the guy could react he snapped his head forward, slamming his head into his already destroyed nose. JJ laughed.
"You're an idiot." The guy stepped towards him and punched JJ right in the face.
"Who's the bitch now" He asked JJ.
"You, cause you need your two friends to hold my arms." That caused the guy to hit JJ again. He felt his eye start to swell. Another punch split his eyebrow open. All three of them then started to punch and kick JJ. He covered his face with his arms, some shots still got through. His body took most of the punishment. JJ crouched down against the wall, covering up as much as possible.
Sometimes you had to know when you are beaten and feigning defeat was the right move. The guys run around the corner and JJ waited a minute before standing up.
"That's going to hurt tomorrow" he said to the darkness and slowly stumbled home.
