4 a.m. // Jeggy

Chapter 26

"Yeah, yeah, I'm on my way." I answered quickly, glancing to John who was giving me a confused look. I talked to Eliza for another second before hanging up.

"She says something weird is going on. I don't know what it is, she just... asked me to come home. So I think we gotta go. Or I gotta go, or - I dunno. You can come if you want? I feel like I'm taking up so much of your time, I'm sorry." I said, words tumbling out of my mouth in knots. He grabbed my hand and kissed the top of it gently, drawing a smile to my lips.

"Of course I'll go, Pegs. That's why I'm here. Today, this is about you. I'll do whatever you want or whatever you need." He told me. I smiled before another realization came to me.

"How the hell am I gonna cover all of these hickeys?" I asked, pointing to my neck as nervousness filled my stomach, "My sisters are going to see, they're going to realize that I'm just a, a stupid slut, that all I'm good for is sex and being taken advantage of. They're going to realize how awful I really am because I let James do this."

John shook his head quickly and pulled my into his chest as more words tried to escape my mouth. I quieted down after a moment, settling in against him as he calmed me down.

"I'll give you something to wear. They won't think any of that, though. They're your sisters. They're there for you. Knowing them, they'd never think any of that. They'll just be worried for you." He said.

I nodded against him before we sat up yet again and he dug through his closet, giving me a crewneck that came up much higher than my tank top, effectively covering the majority of the marks on my skin. We quickly zipped over to my house, John giving me a quick kiss before we got out of the car and quickly realized what was the matter.

My hands flew over my mouth and tears sprung in my eyes at the sight before me. My window was covered in red spray paint, the word "whore" written in bold lettering. There were printed out pictures of what looked like me, taped all over the outside of the house. How could he do this? How could he even have time for this?

"That son of a-" John began, his voice filled with rage as he stormed up to the house and began yanking the pictures off of the house.

"Oh my god." I whispered, unable to comprehend what was going on. How many people have seen this by now, what if Dad sees it? How could James do this?

"Peggy!" Eliza called, running out through the grass and onto the driveway with Angelica by her side.

"What is all this? We heard people talking and laughing outside and when we came out, there was a bunch of guys that just ran off." Angelica asked, coming slightly closer to me as we stared up at the house. I shook my head, the shock still keeping me from totally flipping out as I looked at the mess James had made.

"I don't... I don't understand. Let me see one of those pictures." I mumbled, not looking to my sisters until they failed to make a move or answer. I glanced over to them and they were giving each other a look.

"What?" I asked, confused. Eliza took a breath at the same time Angelica did, but Eliza held up a hand to Angelica and began to speak.

"Peggy, I don't think you want to see one..." She started. No, no, this can't be happening. This isn't happening.

"Why?" I asked, my voice beginning to tremble. She looked at me sadly.

"Why, Eliza?" I asked. She shook her head and tried to hug me, console me, but I ran to the house and yanked exactly what I was afraid of off of the siding.

And there I was. All of me. Too much of me, that is. I never took this picture, which means that James had to have taken it without my knowledge. Oh my god, how many of these does he have?