Sunshine in the Rain

14. Screaming

JJ, Pope, Kiara, and I head to Haywards the next day and the cops walk in and arrest Pope.

"Hey what the heck?!" I ask. "What did he do?"

"Destruction of property." He says. He walks Pope out to the car and tears fall down my face.

"It wasn't him!" JJ says. "It was me."

"JJ no." I say. I hold onto him.

"Pope, you've got to much to lose. He tried to talk me out of it." JJ says. "But I was mad because some Figure Eight bitches beat him up. I lost my shit." He says.

"JJ what are you doing?" Pope asks.

"I'm telling the truth." JJ says. Tears fall down my face. "For once in my god damn life I'm gonna tell the truth." He says. "I took his old man's boat too."

"What da hell?" Heyward asks.

"JJ-" Pope says.

"Just shut up Pope! Just shut up!" JJ says. "He's a good kid." JJ says. "You know where I'm from." JJ says. The cop nods.

He takes the handcuffs off of Pope and puts them on JJ.

"JJ NO!!!" I scream. I hold onto him for dear life.

"Ash, it's gonna be okay." JJ says.

Kie pulls me off of him and tears fall down my face as he drives away.

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I hang out by JJ's house the whole entire day waiting for him to get back. I hide in a bush and I see him and his Dad walk into the house. I see blood all over JJ's face. His Dad is abusive.

I listen from outside.

"You are a worthless piece of shit!!" His Dad yells.

"Shut up!" JJ yells.

"Your momma knew!!" He yells.

JJ keeps yelling "Shut up!!" And he bangs on his door.

I start crying outside his house as I hear JJ crying and yelling at himself. I hear him throwing things around his room and I want to hug him but I can't go in there.

Later, his dad falls asleep and I hear JJ crying. I cry while I hear him cry. I look in the window and see JJ pointing the gun at his Dad. JJ has tears in his eyes. I see him put the gun in the bag. He storms out of the house and I hug him when I see him.

"A-Ash?" He asks. He starts crying.

"Shhh. It's okay. It's me." I say.

"You shouldn't have been out there." JJ says.

"I know. I'm sorry. Do you want to talk about it?" I ask.

"No." JJ says. I kiss him and hug him again and then we both get on his bike and drive to my house.

We see a car and a person watching us.

"What the hell?" I ask. As soon as we see JB, JJ tackles him and we show him the car.

"Sneak around to the dock." JJ says. We all go to the dock. We sneak around in the water and get in the boat and drive away.

We are on a random island and JJ is telling JB and I about his jail trip.

"Let's go to Yucatan." JJ says. "You should've seen the pictures of the guys." JJ says.

"That means it's serious and the gold is actually out there!" JB says.

"Have you lost your mind?!??" JJ yells. "100 years people have been searching and you think you're actually going to find it?!" He asks. "When are you gonna figure out that if you keep going down this road, you and your sister are going to end up like your Dad!!" JJ yells. A tear falls down my face as he brings up my dad. I zone out and start thinking about Dad.

I miss him. He was there for me through everything. My mother bailed on us but he stayed. Him, JB, and I were the closest family on the cut. I wasn't always the favorite and I did some things that I regret, but I miss him.

"I just miss him!!!" I yell. "He was everything to me. He disappeared and left JB and I to fend for ourselves for this Royal Merchant!!" I yell. "I can't fucking give up!!" I yell. Tears fall down my face and I walk down to the two. "I don't care who's trying to kill us."

"I've got a plan. You coming or what?" JB asks. "400 mil. That can pay off your restitution."

JJ and I get in the Twinkie and sit in the back together. I hold his hand and he holds mine.

"I'm sorry." We both say in unison.

"I talked about your Dad." JJ says.

"And I snuck outside your house and spied on you and your father for 3 hours." I say.

"Wait what?" JB asks. "Creep." He says. I laugh.