𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐎𝐍 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 || jj maybank

𝟎𝟓. 𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞

𝘀𝟭 𝗲𝟭

𝟯𝟴:𝟭𝟮 → 𝟱𝟰:𝟬𝟳

❝ HE USED TO CALL ME DN THAT STOOD FOR DEADLY NIGHTSHADE 'CAUSE I WAS FILLED WITH POISON BUT BLESSED WITH BEAUTY AND RAGE❞

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Georgie awoke to the sound of her brother's voice. The events from the night before washed over her, sending a shiver down her spine. She sprang out of bed and ran to the tall, tanned boy, wrapping her arms around him. "John B," she sighed, looking up at him and brushing a hand across his forehead. But as she gazed at him, she noticed something was off. "What's wrong?" she asked, sensing there was more to his troubled expression than just his injury.

John B took a step back, running a hand through his hair, clearly distressed. "Sheriff Peterkin came by," he said, his voice tight. "She's onto us, Georgie. She's this close—" he held his fingers inches apart, "—to send us to foster care."

Shit, Georgie thought. This was all too much. "I'm sorry, John B. I know it's hard," she began, but his expression shifted, and she could tell he was angry like he was blaming her.

"I get you don't have anything to do with the treasure, but Georgie, getting involved with guys like Rafe Cameron—it just can't happen, alright?" His tone was stern, and Georgie shivered. She always felt a need to make John B proud, and now she knew she was failing.

"I'm sorry, I truly am," she whispered, her eyes dropping to the floor.

"I just can't deal with this right now." He exhaled sharply and turned to leave her room, but paused at the doorway. "And you might want to cover that up." He gestured to the bruises on her neck. Georgie's stomach twisted as she watched him leave, feeling exposed and ashamed.

She sat down at her vanity, trying to cover the marks with concealer, but nothing seemed to work. Frustration boiled inside her. "Damn it!" she yelled, tossing the concealer onto her desk with a sigh. She was so sick of this—sick of feeling powerless. With a huff, she grabbed a turtleneck from her closet. "This will have to do," she muttered. She still couldn't wrap her mind around what Rafe had done to her—the man she thought she loved.

As Georgie stepped out of her room, she found the other Pogues in the middle of a heated argument. "You know what I should've done? I should've just let Rafe kill your sister. How would you like that, John B?" JJ snapped, his face reddening as Georgie entered the room. The space fell silent, and JJ's eyes burned with anger, not embarrassment.

"I mean, please, Georgie, tell us why you thought hooking up with a kook was a good idea." His words cut through her like a blade. She looked around at the other Pogues, hoping for support, but they all avoided her gaze. "Kooks versus Pogues—they always win, don't they?" JJ's voice rose, and he slammed his hand against the wall. "Goddamn," he muttered, shaking his head.

Finally, Kiara broke the silence. "Look, okay!" she shouted, trying to get JJ to calm down.

The tension in the room was suffocating, no one daring to speak after Kiara's outburst. Georgie's heart pounded, and she struggled to find her voice. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen," she whispered, but even she could hear how empty her words sounded.

"Yeah, well, it did," JJ snapped, still seething. "And now we've got Sheriff Peterkin breathing down our necks because of it."