Bruises ~ Jiara // obx

5 - "We're gonna be ok"

Kiara POV

My instincts half kicked in as I chocked on my own sobs, rushing over to the blonde. I kneeled down and begun to shake him in a futile attempt to wake him; he was still screaming. Strangled, high-pitched cries full of pain rang through the air, each one hurting even more than the other. Shock was taking over me as I began to process the severity of his state. A sudden burst of fury for his dad spread through me; he was a fucking, sick monster.

"JJ! JJ PLEASE WAKE UP!" I gasped through sobs. Sweat beads adorned his entire body as he shook violently in my arms.

"DAD, stop ... please," he whimpered; it was obviously some sort of nightmare. The sight broke my heart.

"JJ!" I screamed and he finally jolted awake, eyes wide and glassy – filled with an immense amount of fear and pain. I pulled his terrified form close to me in an instant and embraced him tightly, as he buried his head into my neck and sobbed uncontrollably. I stroked his hair and attempted to calm him through my own tears. I felt helpless as I held him close, afraid to ever let him go again. Eventually, his sobs calmed slightly and turned into occasional sniffles, yet we stayed in each other's tight embrace.

"It's ok JJ, I've got you," I whispered.

"I'm so sorry Kie," he chocked, and I pulled out of the embrace slightly, gazing at his horrible state. It took every inch of strength left in me to prevent myself from breaking down even further. His hair was tussled and he appeared ghastly, tears rolling down his flushed cheeks and adding to the sting of the cuts and bruises littering his face.

"JJ, you have NOTHING to be sorry for. Your dad is sick," I spluttered through tears as I pulled him back towards me.

"But don't do this to me ever again," I whispered into his hair and we both simply sat crying silently and holding each other until our cries ceased to whimpers. Somehow, despite everything, I felt extremely safe in JJ's arms, as if nothing could ever hurt me.

"Thank you Kie, for everything." He whispered, not letting go. His grasp on me was weakening and pain stabbed at me as I could tell he was slowly losing consciousness, but I couldn't bring myself to let go of him. I was falling apart and so was he, and we were the last thing holding each other together.

JJ POV

My entire body ached. It was as if a million tiny knives were stabbing every last part of me, plunging straight through the flesh and into my heart. But Kie's presence was making it a whole lot more manageable. In her arms, I felt safe. And I never wanted her to let go. Right now, she was the only thing keeping me from falling back into unconsciousness. This was exactly what I wanted to avoid; dragging her down with me. But here we were, and I must admit, it feels a whole lot better with her here. My grip around her was loose yet her arms were strong, and she held me with such force that I didn't have to fear her letting go. Right now, in this moment, I felt incredibly safe. She was like this positive force that took all of my worries and trepidation away. I loved her. I held onto that thought as my vision begun to fade again. But for the first time in a long while, I felt safe in the knowledge that someone was there to help. To hold me through my struggles. And that that someone was Kiara. Because as much as I've hidden from it for a long while, I need it.

Pope POV

My phone was buzzing repeatedly on the table, and it was beginning to irritate me. A lot. I knew it was Kie, but honestly I didn't want to hear it. She clearly wasn't interested and right now I just needed to cool off, especially before having to endure her sympathy.

"Pope, your phone seems to be going off," Heyward was leaning at the door.

"I know, but right now I can't deal with that," I sighed, burying my head in my hands. Hesitantly, my dad walked over to it and picked up the small object.

"Dad..." I protested, but it was futile. His eyebrows furrowed as he scanned the texts.

"You might wanna see this Pope..."

"No I don't dad ... look, you asked what was up. Well me and Kie got into an argument and honestly I don't wanna hear her shit right now ok?" I snapped, and shock flashed across his face briefly before he cleared his throat. Great, now you're snapping at your dad as well. What's happened to you?

"Seriously Pope, your friends need you," he tossed the phone to me and I rolled my eyes, scanning the spam of text messages. A wave of guilt hit me as I processed why Kie needed me, and before I knew it I was sprinting out the door as fast as my legs could carry me.

10 minutes later

My entire body was on fire from sprinting the entire way here as I approached the house. Honestly, I was afraid of what I might actually see. I knew JJ's dad had never showed the slightest trace of mercy for the poor kid, yet I had a horrid feeling that this time was much worse than usual. My heart sunk as I rushed in and paused to catch my breath. Kie was on the floor holding JJ, who looked as if he had been through some kind of war. His dad was sick; seriously sick. A newfound fury bubbled inside of me as my brain processed the situation.

"Pope, we need to get him to the hospital..." Kie gasped, motioning to his state.

"Nah I'm fine Kie, no need for hospitals and shit," he muttered weakly, barely able to form the sentence.

"Shut up JJ, you've let me in now and I will help you, whether you like it or not," she snapped, smiling as a look of shock crossed both mine and JJ's face.

"Alright then mum," he smiled weakly. Even when he seemed broken beyond repair, he still found a way to lighten up the situation. That's something I've always admired about JJ. Life has been cruel and honestly did him dirty, yet he always seems to be up for a laugh or dropping constant sarcastic comments. He was so skilled in concealing his emotions. He was broken, but at first glance, you would never guess it. I went over to give Kie a hand, and saw the hurt swimming through her eyes as we prepared to lift JJ.

"JJ, this is going to hurt a lot ok dude, but I promise you'll be ok soon," I warned him, as we prepared to help him up. Kie bit her lip as she got a grip of his arm.

"On the count of three," Kie whispered.

"3, 2, 1 ..."

JJ's screams filled the air as we aided him in getting to his feet.

"Your ok, your ok," Kie gasped, a pool of tears glistening in her eyes. This was killing her. Finally, we made it to the van and carefully set JJ down in the back.

"I can drive," I offered, acknowledging how right now, she simply wanted to be there for her best friend.

"Dude, honestly I'm fine, we don't need no hos ..." JJ trailed off, and Kie gasped. I glanced back to see the blonde losing consciousness again.

"Hey, Kie look at me," I whispered, reaching my hand out to hers.

"We're gonna be ok."