Keep Me Safe Y/n Routledge x JJ Maybank

part 17- Breaking Point

Y/N POV
*btw i'm probably gonna keep the rest of the story with y/n pov cuz it's just easier to write and easier to imagine. Sorry for the sudden change but it's my first book and i didn't really know what i was doing*

As I waited for JJ to return, I was hanging out at Pope's place with him and Cleo when Pope dropped a the news that he had quit school.

"You did what?" Cleo exclaimed, her eyes wide in disbelief.

"I quit school," he repeated nonchalantly, as if it were no big deal.

"Pope, what about your scholarship? You can't just throw it away!" I tried to reason with him.

"I already lost it, Y/N. I'll be lucky to pass this grade," Pope replied, annoyance creeping into his voice. "My transcript is a mess anyway."

"Pope, man—" I started, but was interrupted by JJ bursting onto the scene, breathless and soaked. He looked so hot with his hair wet like that, but I could instantly tell something was wrong.

"Yo. Bombshell!" he panted, struggling to catch his breath. His wet hair and clothes only added to my confusion.

Before he could explain, he took in the tense atmosphere, noticing Pope's frustration. He met my eyes, concern evident on his face. "Okay, What's going on? I'm detecting a serious vibe here."

I hesitated, glancing at Cleo, who sighed before speaking. "Pope quit school."

JJ, still catching his breath, shrugged it off. "It's not that deep I quit ages ago."

"JJ, not now. He's clearly upset," I said, my tone laced with disappointment. "What happened?" I added whilst I was still sat on the bench in front of Popes house.

"Great, so it's definitely not the time for this. Shit," JJ muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Are you going to tell us or not?" Cleo pressed, annoyance creeping into her voice.

"Alright, so I was at Guffy's trying to get my job back," JJ began. "Then I saw Rafe and Barry on his boat. So, I snuck over to see what they were saying."

He hesitated, clearly reluctant to say the next part. "Pope, he has the cross. And he melted it down."

My heart dropped at those words. I could see the pain flash across Pope's face. The cross meant everything to him. He went silent. I got up to offer my support to Pope but he was already walking to the end of the deck, staring out at the water.

"I'm so sorry, bro," JJ said.

Suddenly, Pope yelled, "Fuck!" at the top of his lungs, and I flinched slightly since I didn't expect that to happen. JJ's arm wrapped around my shoulder, offering silent support as Pope began to pace up and down the deck.

"Of course it was Rafe," he muttered, frustration etched on his face.

"Pope, listen, you need to stay calm. We can think of a plan," I urged, but in a fit of rage, he grabbed a wooden mop that was next to him and smashed it on the floor, causing the mop to break.

"This is messed up, even for them!" he exclaimed, his voice dropping in intensity.

"I know, I know," I replied quietly.

"And they're just going to keep getting away with it. They'll keep winning. Every goddamn time!" Pope continued, anger building in his tone.

"Is that news to you?" JJ shot back.

Pope was panting now, his frustration boiling over. "No, no I'm sick of being the good guy." Without waiting for a response, he bolted away.

"Pope! Pope! Where are you going" Cleo called after him, but he didn't stop.