SINK OR SWIM, jj maybank

c h a p t e r e i g h t

Teddie sighed as she drizzled the caramel over her vanilla iced coffee. It'd been a few days since she'd been home and she was in desperate need of a shower and fresh change of clothes. Between staying at Kiara's and John B's the girl could only recycle outfits so much.

"Finally remembered where you live?" Topper's voice rang out as Teddie sat at the island, stirring the ice around the glass. She fought an eye roll and chose not to respond, not wanting to get into it with her brother this early in the morning. "So you're just not going to talk to me now? Is that it? After that dirty pogue put a gun to my head?"

Teddie slammed her hand down on the counter top, cutting Topper off. "For once in your life Topper, just shut up."

"Fuck you, Teddie. You hang around Maybank after he pulled that shit? He tried to kill me, Teddie!" Topper exclaimed, his face getting redder by the second.

Teddie finally looked up at her brother with slitted eyes as she stood from her barstool. "You were drowning John B, Top! You were holding him under the water, JJ didn't know what else to do!" Teddie exploded.

Topper didn't say anything, instead he stared at his sister's face. More specifically, her split lip and bruised eye that still weren't fully healed from that morning at Lana Grubbs. "Did he do that to you?" He asked quietly, his hand moving to come up to her face, before he stopped himself and let his arm relax at his side.

"What? No, I just- don't worry about it." Teddie sighed. There was no way in hell she was going to tell her brother about what her and her friends had gotten themselves into. Not when there was four hundred million dollars on the line.

"Teddie, if he's hurting you-" Topper tried again.

"God Topper, give it a rest." Teddie snapped. Topper didn't respond, only stared at his sister in confusion. "You don't get to call me a slut, threaten my friends, and try to drown John B and then act like you care."

"Act like I care?" Topper scoffed. "Teddie, of course I fucking care! Are you kidding me right now? That's why I'm trying to protect you from them."

"I don't need you to protect me from them, Topper! They're my best friends, they're the ones protecting me from you!" Topper looked taken aback as he opened and closed his mouth, not knowing what to say. Teddie sighed sadly, sitting back down. "How did we get here, Top?" Teddie knew things hadn't been the same since their dad died, they'd each been damaged by it in their own way. But what Teddie needed was her brother, and instead the boy turned to Rafe Cameron and everything changed.

Topper didn't know what to say, of course he missed how things used to be for the siblings. But he also knew their mother expected more of him. He was the man of the house now. He was in with the Cameron's. He was dating Sarah and that's who he'd marry. He'd join the Cameron's business and be set for life. His mother expected that of him, and he didn't know how to steer away from that.

There was a million things Topper wanted to say to his sister, but he knew none of them would change anything. "I'm taking Sarah out on my boat. I'll be home later."

Teddie scoffed and rolled her eyes, wiping away a lone tear that fell down her cheek. "Whatever."

The pogues had pulled up to Teddie's dock, but the girl was nowhere in sight. They had all agreed last night they'd go out on the HMS Pogue and just chill, so JJ was surprised when the girl didn't show up to John B's with her cooler of alcohol like she normally did. "Maybe she's still sleeping." Pope suggested, making Kie scoff.

"It's nearly noon, no way she's still sleeping."

"I'm gonna go knock." JJ decided, only to be stopped by Kie.