ALWAYS [J. MAYBANK X OC]

chapter two

"Florence," JJ knocked again.

JJ didn't know what happened that night. He didn't know why Florence was suddenly ignoring him, why she suddenly decided to give him the cold shoulder like she once did for her mother.

He knew he had fucked up somewhere that night, but how? What did he do? Why is she so freaking upset with him? Why is she upset now, when JJ has no one?

"Florence, I know you're in there." JJ called. He knew Florence was there, listening. Waiting for an apology from the boy.

Or was she?

"Florence!" JJ groaned again as slammed his fist into the door like he's done countless times before.

"Florence, please! I can't fix anything if I don't know what's wrong!"

He hadn't meant it to happen, but his voice cracked towards the end of the previous sentence. Florence was the one person he couldn't bear to see upset with him. So yeah, his voice cracked at the next sentence as well.

"Please? I need you."

  —

If the world was ending you'd come over, right? You'd come over, right?

The words echoed through Florence's prison of a mind; a mixture of song lyrics and JJ's pleading words kept her in a cage of sorrows.

Her cries were muffled under her sleeve. The door was shut, a small boundary between her and reality.

Right?

I need you.

If the world was ending you'd come over, right?

You don't need me.

Right?

You never needed me.

Right?

Florence wanted to scream so badly. She wanted to be done with her tears. She wanted to throw her heart and soul away in a fit of blind rage like JJ. She wanted, just for once, to be numb to this feeling.

Numb to love.

"Florence, please don't do this." JJ called again. Florence knew he was right there, standing on the other side of her door, being just as stubborn as she.

She didn't dare move though, nor speak.

Not for him, not for anyone.

JJ sighed, then. Florence hoped he'd leave, but she knew better than that. She knew him better than that.

"Uh, John B's got a death compass." JJ said. The laugh which followed was forced, as he too was in pain. "Some square groupers chased us around for it.

"Got paint in my hair."

Nothing.

"He's still in denial... 'bout his dad, I mean. Can't blame him though, I'd probably too if I had that."

If I had that.

Florence ached more than ever for JJ. She wanted nothing more than to open her door and run into JJ's arms so he can hold her while she cries out countless apologies and a few quite literal tears.

"The cops chased us off again.

"Not Gary though."

But Florence knew that she had to stay strong — even if it left her alone, because that was how life was. That was how she survived so far, and how she'd continue to survive.

"Uh, JB's takin' the Pogues to some gravesite tonight. I know you're mad at me but you should tag along. He thinks he's found some gold or something. We're going' full Kook...

"Flo? Hey, wait a sec..."

The doorknob jiggled, and Florence widened her eyes in horror. JJ only laughed in response.

"You're fucking kidding me! All this time... seriously?! It was open this whole fucking time!"

Florence blushed and nodded her head. She quickly looked away and attempted to push past her friend. He may have found her but that didn't mean they'd talk.

JJ, on the other hand, was sick of the silence. He didn't come this far to get this far. "Please, Flo, let me fix this."

Florence shook her head, but stopped when JJ held onto her.

"You promised," She spat, not daring to look the blond boy in the eyes. Her focus was on the ground. She was hurt, but looking at him would hurt more.

"I — what?"

"You promised me, J!" Florence looked in his eyes, now. Red clouded her vision, blocked her from his emotion. "You promised me that you wouldn't turn into him and you did!" She yelled, sending JJ a hard shove.

Oh shit.

No, no, no. I'm not like him, right? I could never be like him. She doesn't... I don't... no. I'm still me. I love her. He never did. I'm not him.

Whether he admitted it or not, JJ's worst fear was that he'd somehow turn into Florence's crazy uncle. To him it was scarier than death itself. Perhaps even scarier than facing his father.

"Uncle Joey", as he had previously been referred to, was a druggie to put it lightly. Joey used to live with Florence and her parents, and was the main reason for the sudden death that surrounded their name.

From what JJ knew — which wasn't much — Joey Montgomery (Florence changed her last name as soon as she could, as she wanted no part of him with her) loved meth more than he loved life itself. He loved to threaten people, too.

Especially Florence.

One evening, when Florence and JJ were exchanging family trauma stories (a thing they commonly did before), Florence confessed that Joey walked into her room at dead night just to trash it so he could scream at her for being "a messy whore".

She also confessed (on a different night) that Joey would throw away any sort of important medications that their family needed to survive (such as Florence's fathers' insulin pump which he repeatedly smashed to smithereens).

Joey was crazy, but not like JJ. JJ wasn't crazy. JJ was fine. Just hurt.

Maybe upset.

But not crazy.

"And I kept your promise!" JJ yelled back.

Florence ducked down, a reaction JJ was far too familiar with. His heart dropped at the thought.

She wasn't afraid of him.

She was afraid of the gun that JJ shot into the air last night.

It all made sense! If Florence's parents were shot and killed with a gun, that meant someone was on the other end, holding the weapon.

Someone had to have killed them in front of child-Florence with a gun, and JJ figured that he knew who.

It was Crazy Uncle Joey.