everything about you •• jj maybank

forty seven

"You're in love with him?"

I wondered for a moment if it was a smart idea to admit how I felt about JJ to Rafe, but I hadn't given it much thought at all.

To be fair, I was admitting it to myself for the first time too.

Rafe's face was beat red now, his jaw clenching and unclenching in harmony with his fists.

"Y-yes," I choke out, my breath pulling the words from my mouth.

He took a few steps back, allowing me to relax slightly. My hands recoiled from the fists they were previously in, and I watched him, wearily.

"What, so you think he's gonna want to be with you or something?"

The question is charged, angry and spitting. My brows knit.

"I don't know, Rafe."

"He's not good for you, Josie," he shakes his head back and forth, sucking in a sharp breath, "He's not and he's gonna drag you down to his level, okay? And then- and then he's gonna hurt you. JJ Maybank doesn't come from a good family, and he's not a good guy."

I roll my eyes at his words, "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh I don't?"

I shake my head. JJ was a good guy. A great guy, even. He was just misunderstood.

"Josie, his best friend's a murderer!" I flinch at his words, stepping back when he lurches forward. "I know you and my sister think these kids are fun and they bring you on these cool advantages, but they are getting you both into shit you'll never come back from."

His pupils were dilated, his eyes looking all around him as he spoke.

"John B is not a murderer."

His eyes dart back to mine, the intensity that grows within moments sending a chill up my spine. My throat tightens up when I'm backed into a tree, his arms hovering over each side of my head. I shuffle slightly in fear, but he only pushes closer, his breath against my cheek making my stomach drop.

"Who did it then, Josie? Who killed Peterkin if it wasn't John B? I was there, okay. I was there!" His hand lifts, slamming back down against the tree and I flinch, involuntarily whimpering at the sudden movement. "You weren't there. I was there. It was John B, okay?"

All the saliva has dried up in my mouth, leaving my throat burning. I'm beyond terrified, but I try to keep my held high, not wanting him to know how scared I am. I fear that would only make it worse.

I always thought Rafe would never hurt me. Growing up, he was a protector. Sure, he had anger issues and wasn't the most gentle kid in the world. But I always felt like he would do anything to keep me safe. He'd never lay a hand on me. 

Now, I'm not so sure. 

I'm face to face with someone I no longer recognize, raking my brain for a smart way to get out of this situation. One that wasn't going to get me hurt. Or worse. Killed. 

"I don't know." I finally spit out, panic struck and panting. 

His eyes were so dark. It felt like a horror movie looking into them. His hands were pressing my wrists against the tree, and the longer we stood there, the harder he pressed. Rafe Cameron was in a different world at this point, and I knew I needed to get out of this soon. 

"Exactly. You don't know, Josie. You don't know shit, okay!" He was screaming now, spitting in my face with each word. My chest rose and fell quicker and quicker. "Don't talk about shit you know nothing about."