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— and now we're left with broken promises, my heart can't take no more.
JO HEAVED A sigh as she exited the chateau and bounded towards the dock that opened up to the water below. She had spent the majority of her day babysitting JJ because he'd decided to get cross-faded. John B was helping, thankfully, and had taken a shift of watching the reckless boy while Jo went to take a shower. She'd tried to take a beer away from JJ after he downed more than an entire twelve-pack, but that only resulted in him spraying her with it.
She watched wearily as John B raised his eyebrows at her. JJ was slouched against one of the dock posts with a hand wound in his disheveled hair. He dragged his eyes up to meet Jo's and gave her a lazy smile.
"He sober yet?" She asked in exasperation.
"Gettin' there," John B sighed.
Jo huffed and grabbed the water bottle John B had been coaxing JJ to drink out of. She unscrewed the lid and splashed the water onto JJ's head, causing him to jump in surprise.
"Dude, what the fuck," he complained. JJ winced as he felt a headache coming on and Jo dropped the empty bottle by his feet.
"You said you were gonna stop," Jo stated. It was obvious she was upset, but JJ was in far too much discomfort to get into it with her.
"No, I said I was gonna cut back," JJ said, raising his pointer finger up.
"Neither of which you did," Jo snapped. She folded her arms over her chest and glared down at the blonde boy. "JJ, this isn't healthy," she scolded.
"Whatever," JJ grumbled. "Why's it matter?"
"Because you promised!" Jo cried. "I'm sick of your excessive drinking and smoking and stealing and just throwing your life away!"
"Maybe I want to!" JJ shouted back. He stumbled to his feet and glared at Jo. "It's my life, let me do whatever the hell I want!"
"You're better than that," Jo fumed. "You could make something of yourself."
"Yeah, right," JJ scoffed. He began to pace the dock and ran a hand through his hair. "Make something out of the baggage and debt my deadbeat, abusive old man left me?"
Jo frowned at the boy. "Stop doing that," she snapped. "You can't use your childhood trauma as an excuse forever."
"Why not?" JJ said coldly. "My dad did. His probably did before that. All I'll ever be is some pathetic salt-lifer."
It pained Jo to hear JJ talk about himself in such a way. She knew that he was bright and intelligent when he really applied himself and that he could make his life worthwhile if he tried hard enough. Unfortunately, no one could do that except for JJ.
"Only if you chose to be," Jo said lowly. "It doesn't have to be that way."
"It does, Jo!" JJ shouted. He picked up an empty bucket nearby and hurled it in the opposite direction, causing Jo to flinch. "That's just the way it is. I've accepted it. You should, too."
