Bruises ~ Jiara // obx

4 - Falling apart

JJ POV

Screaming. The only sound that rang through the air, filling my ears and causing an excruciating headache. Worthless. Screwed up. Agony taking over my entire body. I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. But I could feel everything. Pain; so much pain. I put every last drop of energy into screaming. Screaming until my throat was scorched and I couldn't scream anymore. But I kept going. My head was going to explode for sure. All I wanted was a family who loved me; a dad who loved me. But this is what I was handed. This is the deck I had been dealt in this cruel game of life. I kept screaming. All I wanted was for this to be over.

Pope POV

Fury boiled in my blood as I stormed away from the beach. I could already tell I was going to regret was I said later, yet for now I was furious. How could she do that to me? She knew I loved her, and that I had loved her all along. It was probably that damn blonde. He had always thought he was better than me. I clenched my fists as I continued my journey home. Where even was he, anyway? He didn't even bother to show. I know Kie had specifically stated that she wasn't ready after everything that had happened, yet I've seen the way they look at each other. The way Kie looks at JJ; she's never looked at me in that way. And I'm damn sure JJ would swoop in if he even had the slightest chance. So why hasn't he already? Maybe he was backing off to give me a chance. Poor little Pope, needs help from his friends to even have a chance with a girl, and still can't even get the girl then. I laughed to myself.

"You alright Pope?" My dad chirped as I approached the house. He frowned as I brushed past him without offering a response.

"Hey boy where do you think you're going? What happened?" He stopped me, and I sighed.

"It's nothing Dad," I muttered, pushing past him once again and heading for my room. I needed my escape.

"Son, you know you can talk to me," he sighed, watching me with sad eyes. I stopped in my tracks, and averted my gaze to my dad.

"I know dad, and I will when I'm ready," I breathed, forcing a small smile. At least I had someone I could count on, because my friends clearly aren't it right now.

Kiara POV

I was mad. Mad at myself for being such a selfish bitch about the whole situation with Pope. Mad at JJ for not showing when I believed that this could've finally been the turning point. For god sake, I was mad at my best friends for dying on me. The world was falling apart before me, and it seemed all I could do was stand and stare, watching all the people I care about most in this world destroy themselves. I decided that I would go and check on JJ, just in case he got caught up in something along the way. Hopefully I would just walk into the Chateau and find him sprawled across the couch, passed out with an empty beer bottle beside him. And then I would jump scare him awake, joke about him being a lazy-ass and we would go off surfing. How today was meant to go. I smiled at the thought. The other possibility however, I didn't want to even spare a thought to. As much as I beg him time and time again not to, he always ends up returning home for some reason or another. I wish I could say he would be smart enough not to, but the truth is, he isn't. Part of him still believes his dad loves him. And it breaks me. All he wants is to be loved by the man. And if only he would just let me and Pope in, he would see that he has enough love in this world, without having to chase after a lose cause. I sighed at the thought as I approached the Chateau. Peeking through the window, I couldn't make out any sign of JJ. But what I could make out was how much of a state the place was. If JJ was crashing here, why didn't he bother to clean up? Lazy ass. I laughed as I began to pick up the countless beer bottles and dirty t-shirts littering the floor. Has he even been eating? All that seemed to be here was beer and weed. I checked the fridge and noticed a pint of out of date milk as well as some mouldy bread. Of course the idiot keeps bread in the fridge. Deciding that he was in need of a severe stock up, I added a trip to the supermarket onto my mental bucket list, before checking out the rest of the rooms. He wasn't here. Digging for my phone again, I pulled it out. No texts; I gulped. There was only one other place he could really be, unless he had somehow gotten into some street fight on the way and had been kidnapped by Topper and Rafe – which was a possibility knowing JJ. Whilst leaving, I noticed that the van had gone, so he must've taken it unless Pope did. I decided to pick up my own truck to get to JJ's house, seeing as it was getting kind of late. All I could think about on the drive there was Pope and how much I had hurt him. He was right about me leading him on, as much as I despise that I did. In no way whatsoever was it my intention, but I guess it was just the way things ... happened. I kissed him after telling him I didn't feel for him in that way. The whole thing had been cruel and misleading. I sighed. Usually, I would gossip with Sarah about this or even ask John B what he thought (JJ would simply make fun of us and offer some very poor advice). It was dusk when I arrived at JJ's, and the entire place was dark. No lights were on at all, and part of me was afraid to go inside. There's probably no-one even in. I took a deep breath before stepping out of the car. Silence. Suddenly, an agonised scream pierced the silence. Followed by another. And another. Instinct kicked in and I sprinted into the house, flicking on the nearest light I could lay eyes on. The next thing I saw shattered my heart into a million pieces. My hand slapped to my mouth as I stared in shock, the agony of heartbreak taking over my entire body. Before I could even process what I was witnessing, salty tears were streaming down my face uncontrollably and my entire body was convulsing. JJ was sprawled across the floor, littered from head to toe in a mush of nauseating purple and deep blue bruises, in a pool of his own blood.