little sister// jj maybank

twenty-one

𝕝𝕖𝕥 𝕚𝕥 𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕡𝕖𝕟

reese didn't do much or anything actually the next few weeks. she sat in a state of depression that no one thought she would go through. she couldn't cope with the fact that she lost her family and when she was asked to sign papers of their deaths she refused. while her and john b's relationship wasn't the best, she loved him so much.

the rest of the pogue group made immense efforts to cheer the poor girl up. she felt like she lost. she felt like her entire life was a game and it was just game over. that was until this day when she was finally given clarity. jj had stayed with her refusing to leave her side. even when she showered he sat in the bathroom with her just so she wouldn't feel alone.

it only made her like him more, but she knew now wasn't the time. she couldn't offer him anything. she couldn't love someone when she didn't even love herself. i guess you could say reese never realized how much family meant to her. while she considers the rest of the pogues family it wasn't like her father or her brother.

reese's pov

"jj?" i said as he kissed me. "huh?" he said pausing for a moment before continuing to kiss me. i pulled away from him. "i'm sorry i don't feel like kissing anymore." i told him in a very low monotone voice. "it's okay reese take your time." he said hugging me. i cried into his chest. i felt like my life would never be good again.

i felt like i was just living a slow and agonizing life. ever since john b went missing and they told me they had reason to believe ward killed my father, i tried to get justice for my dad. ward was questioned for the death and of course denied it. they opened an investigation to see what happened. i was still trying to get justice for john b as well.

i don't believe he's dead. he can't be. i had to prove he was innocent and i didn't know how i was going to do that when i wasn't their that night. if they proved ward quilts of murder for my father then surely we could get him for peterkin. "are you okay?" jj asked me pulling me out of my thoughts. "yeah i'm fine." i said and he looked at me sadly.

"reeses?" he asked me and i looked at him pulling my eyes away from the floor of the boat. see he had been pulling me out of the château and taking me fishing to try and relax me and cheer me up. it wasn't really working i guess. "what?" i asked him sounding a bit rude and regretting it, but i couldn't control myself.

"i love you." he said looking down at me.

i sat there shocked. i wanted to say it back i wanted to yell it back and kiss him, but i didn't. "oh cool." i sad immediately regretting it. "cool? i just told you i loved you okay reese look i know you're upset you have every right to be, but we were close too you know?" he said and i looked away fast hating the feeling of being yelled out.

"i—" i started but stopped as he continued. "he wouldn't want this from you reese. neither would your father. they'd want you to be happy okay they'd want you to live your life to the fullest and i know that hard. hell its hard for me too, but you have to cheer up okay. you can't be sad forever." he said raising his voice some, but not yelling.

i could feel my tears coming down my face as his words sunk in. "i know. it's just— it's just hard some— sometimes... you know. i don't i don't know ho-w to live without th- without them." i said crying and he wiped my tears with his thumb. "i know reese i'm sorry." he said hugging me. we sat like that for a minute before i finally calmed down.

"i love you." i mumbled into his side. "what?" he asked me. i pulled away and looked up at him. "i love you." i said and he immediately smiled. "i love you too." he said grabbing my hand as we drove the boat back to the château. when we got back i saw pope and kei pull up and we walked inside as they did.

"hey..." kei said hugging me. "how are you?" she asked and i shrugged. "trying to do better." i said as pope came up and hugged me. "we can't give up now okay john b wouldn't want us to." he said and i nodded. "i just can't afford to lose anyone else right now so no more gold at the moment." i said and everyone nodded. "yeah we can wait." kei said as we all sat watching tv.

the power had been back on which meant our phones were now working as well as the tv. i only really had a home phone since i couldn't afford anything else at the moment and had to get rid of my phone. kei offered to pay, but she already payed for almost everything i owned so i thought it was too much of a luxury item to have.

we all sat watching the tv as jj had his arm around me when i got a phone call. we all looked at each other. "that's weird only you guys call." i told them as i stood up. i was about to answer it when i thought of something. "what if it's the dcs? their gonna make me go stay with ward." i told them as the phone rang through all the way. i started to walk back to the couch when it rang again.

"just answer it reese i doubt it is they'd just show up here." jj said and i nodded picking it up. "uh he-hello?" i said with a shaky voice. i was so worried it would be the police. or the dcs. i can't handle them right now. "reese?" i heard a voice call. no it couldn't be. "john b?" i questioned with a dazed and confused look. everyone jumped off the couch running over to the phone.

"jo-john b is is that you?" i said into the phone. "yes reese we made it." he said and i immediately cried. and jj hugged me.