𝐑𝐮𝐧 ✯JJ Maybank

𝐓𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞 || 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤

✯♛✯

𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐞 turned twelve years old, she was content with her life, well as much as a twelve-year-old could be. Her mother was normal, her father was still in her life and she had four best friends who she wouldn't trade for the world. Sure, her living conditions weren't ideal and they were basically living paycheck to paycheck, but she was happy, as was everyone in her family. Well, that's what she thought.

One night, JJ showed up at her window, like he usually did after his dad would yell at him or just leave without telling his son about where he was going. But this time the boy had bruises and cuts littering his face and body. Francine didn't know what to make of the blonde who was in tears standing outside her window, but she let him in nonetheless. Francine asked him what was going on, but all he kept repeating was 'my dad', she knew what it meant but just didn't want to believe it. His father was a deadbeat, but she didn't think he'd go that far.

She begged the boy to tell someone else what happened to him but the blonde only shook his head and pleaded with her to keep the whole thing to herself. She promised him that she wouldn't tell a soul, and one of the pogue rules was: 'You never break a promise', so she didn't. Without further hesitation, Francine began to clean up her friend's cuts, hoping that she never had to do it again. It was the worst feeling ever, seeing the once funny and carefree boy she knew so well, crumble because the one person that was supposed to love you more than anything in the world, did something no parent or guardian should do.

When the two preteens woke up the next morning to get some breakfast, the living room of the house was almost empty. The first thing Francine thought was that they were robbed, but when she heard the quiet sound of her name coming from her best friend, she knew that it wasn't the case. A long page filled with her father's handwriting was in JJ's hands, two of the words onto the paper stuck out the most. Francine never thought she'd ever see them written by anyone in her life, especially her father. But that was the naive mind of a twelve year old.

'I'm leaving' was scribbled onto the top of the note, a whole explanation about how the man hated their life on the Outer Banks and he found a 'stronger' love with one of his models. Daryl Castle was a photographer, it was one of the reasons they were struggling financially. The job wasn't that high paying, especially on Kildare. Not very many people on the island who could afford the photos, kooks, wanted their pictures taken by a pogue. So the family would have to pay a lot of money to send him to the mainland almost every week for work.

Her father was gone, and just like Francine did the night before, JJ held the crying girl until she had no reason to cry anymore.

That was the worst twenty four hours of the girl's life, from the fact that her best friend's father began to beat him, to her father leaving her family. Her luck seemed to be non-existent. Everything went downhill from there.

For four years she hadn't told anyone about the incident with JJ, even though she knew that the pogues probably knew about the boy's father by now. Maybe, by some slim chance, the man stopped, but she doubted that. Luke Maybank was an asshole. Even after that dreadful day, for the next year, before she moved to Figure Eight, JJ would show up at Francine's window in the middle of the night with more bruises. Each time worse than the next. He would cry, but the next day, the two would act like nothing happened.

Francine Castle never cried, but neither did JJ Maybank.

"Bullshit, Francine, Kat would never do that," John B scoffed, rolling his eyes looking at his blonde friend who had the same reaction as him to what the girl said. Francine had just finished telling the boys about everything that happened when she moved to Figure Eight. She thought she would make progress and have her friends back, but now they just think she's a bitch and a liar. The tall boy shook his head again, "Y- you believed this, Pope?"