Skates Out // a Luis Mendoza Fan Fic

28. Sisters

JJ.

Before I left with Jess I had to go find Elsa and Luis so they didn't think I'd just disappeared off the face of the earth. Luis's mouth practically dropped at the sight of Jess and Elsa remained impassive, but there was no surprise there, not much fazed her. "So this is the runaway bitch?" She asked tilting her head to the side.

I grinned, she knew exactly what to say. "Yeah, this is the runaway bitch."

Elsa looked my sister up and down, "hmph, do you want us to take you home JJ?"

I shook my head, "no. We have a lot to talk about."

Mendoza shot me a concerned look, "are you sure?"

I nodded, "yes. I'll see you later."

They both shot her distrusting looks before begrudgingly walking out of the alley, instead of following them to the tube station Jess and I sat down in a cafe instead. I crossed my arms, "you have a lot of explaining to do."

She sighed, "yeah I know. I just don't know where to start."

"How about you start with the part where we're adopted Jess." I snapped, "that seems like the most obvious place to me."

"Mom had a sister who we never knew about, her name was Kate. Kate was married to Oliver Aspen, I'm assuming you know who that is." Jess started explaining.

I nodded, "yeah, the gang leader."

"Exactly, well Kate is our real Mom, she had us with Oliver but then she started realising things with his business weren't as legitimate as he claimed. And the more she looked into it the more she knew that it what he was doing was illegal. She was pregnant with you at the time and I was one." Jess told me, "she changed our names and gave us to Mom and Dad for safe keeping while she hid from Oliver. A few weeks later she died in a mysterious car crash and we were adopted by our parents."

I rubbed my fingers against my temple, this was a lot of information to take in at once. "Okay, so why did you run then and more importantly why did you pretend you were me?"

"Oliver had no idea where we were for the first quarter of our lives, but when you started getting put in local newspapers and then national newspapers because of your skating the news of you reached him eventually. He didn't know he had two kids, Kate never told him she was pregnant the second time."

Ohh. "So when he saw me in the newspapers he thought I was you because he thought there was only one." I put together.

"Exactly. And Oliver decided he wanted his daughter back so he came for you, but when they tried again after the failure next door it was my room they climbed into and I went along with it. He hadn't been able to tell the difference between us and with me technically kidnapped we moved to Chicago where they'd be less likely to find us and it was easier for me to hide the fact that you were still skating from them."

This was all far too complicated, "that makes Terry our half brother."

Jess nodded, "unfortunately. I have never met a bigger idiot."

I snorted, "try going to school with him for two years."

She cringed, "eugh, I can't imagine anything worse. So then when they finally did find out they freaked and busted into your arena security office and the rest is history."

I frowned, "so do what are they doing with you?"

Jess sighed, "well he wants both of us so he wasn't too pissed off, but I'm still on thin ice right now. But don't worry I won't let them anywhere near you."

I rolled my eyes, "sure. But what are you doing about it? I'm not about to become you and give up everything just to please our new Daddy."

My sister glared at me, "I didn't do it to please our new Daddy Jules, I did it to save your life."

Well you ruined it instead, I bit back. The year after she'd left had been the worst of my life. "Yeah and you've been slumming it with him ever since, it didn't occur to you to go to the police?" I asked pointedly.

"How do you know I haven't?" Jess shot at me.

"Because if you had we would have had this exact conversation a couple years ago." I shot back.

"It's not that simple." She bit out.

"Except that it is Jess. All you have to do is walk into the police station." I snapped unimpressed.

"I already tried that, they need evidence and that's what I've been collecting all these years. Not evidence to put him away for a couple years, evidence to put him away forever." Jess replied.

"That sounds ridiculous." I muttered.

"Well it's the truth, the law doesn't exactly take the word of teenage girls as proof." Jess told me.

I scowled, "and it didn't ring a bell on the fact that we had an amber alert out on you?"

"I waited a year because they wouldn't let me out of their sight before that, it was old news and forgotten." Jess answered shrugging. "But I'll have enough soon and then I'm out of that dump."

"So why did you never reach out? If they let you free after one year?" I asked glaring at her.

"Because I knew you'd do exactly what you're doing now. And I wanted him in jail when I got back. Not free." She responded.

"Like you wouldn't be doing what I'm doing if I'd been the one who'd gone missing." I muttered.

She snorted, "I never said I wouldn't."

"Well then maybe you should be a bit more understanding." I told her, "so are you back for good now or are you going to run off as soon as we leave here?"

She shook her head, "I can't be around completely but I'm not going to disappear on you again Jules. I'm done with that shit."

I nodded, "you'd better be. Because if you ever go radio silent on me again Jess I'm never going to forgive you. And I mean that."

I could see regret flash across my sister's eyes, "I won't I promise. But you have to promise me you won't tell Mom and Dad yet."

I narrowed my eyes, "they'll be dying to see you, and they can probably help Jessy, don't be stupid."

She smiled and I instantly regretted calling her that, I didn't want her to feel too fogiven yet. I knew I would because she was my sister and I wanted her back, but I wasn't about to spring in her arms and act like she didn't hurt me. I held onto grudges.

"Please Jules." Jess asked me.

"Fine. But they'll be here soon to watch me skate so then it's up to you not to run into them." I added.

Jess checked her watch, "I have to go back now Jules but I'll keep in touch okay?"

"Yeah." I replied, "you will."

I got up off my chair and followed her to the exit, but just before she left I threw my arms around her. "I missed you."
My sister hugged me back so tightly that I almost lost my ability to breathe, "I missed you too Jules."