Sunshine in the Rain

23. Phantom

Kie, JJ, and I get food for Sarah and JB.

"Is that gonna be enough food for them?" Kie asks.

"For a couple of weeks. Yeah." JJ says.

"I'm worried about Pope." Kie says.

"We all are Kie." I say. Then we walk outside and Kie's mom is outside.

"Where you been?" She asks.

"I'm fine. I slept here." Kie says.

Kie's mom tries to convince Kie to not go but Kiara gets in the car anyway and so do I and JJ.

Kiara and her mom start yelling at each other. JJ and I look at each other.

We drive to JJ's house we park out front.

"Home sweet home." JJ says.

"I'll come in with you." I say.

"No it's fine." He says. He kisses my cheek and then walks inside.

A few minutes go by and I start to get worried. "I'm gonna go in." I say.

"Ash, no." Kie says. "He can handle himself."

"I know but I'm worried." I say. "What if his dad hits him again?"

"Ash, you gotta stop worrying." Kie says.

A few minutes later, JJ walks back out and I can see that he was crying.

"JJ you okay?" I ask.

He sniffles and wipes his eyes. "I'm fine. I got the keys." He says. I hug him. Then we start driving.

We drive down the road and a bunch of police cars drive by. JJ and I duck down and my breathing increases.

"They're still looking." Kie says. I start breathing normal again. JJ hold my hand because he knows that I'm worried.

We get to the garage and JJ opens it up. "Woah." I say.

"Hey, girl." He says to the boat. "A 1983 Formula 402 SR1. The Phantom." JJ says. "The first boat to make it to Bermuda in under 16 hours." He says. "Forty years old!" He says.

"It better still work." I say. "It's kind of a junker."

"Really Ash? She's right there. She can hear you." JJ says. "You wouldn't be smoking weed right now if she never existed."

I hear a motorcycle and turn around to see Rafe Cameron. The guy in my dream last night. The guy who sexually assaulted me.

"Hey there. What's going on?" He asks. I back away.

Barry gets in the garage too. "Woohoo." He says. He points a gun at JJ. "I want my motherfuckin money!" He yells. He starts fighting JJ and I try to intervene but Rafe pulls me back.

"Well hello pretty girl." He says. He smirks and I slap him. JJ is on the ground.

"I know what you did." I say. "You murdered Sheriff Peterkin!" I yell.

"Never say that again." He says. He punches me in the face and I fall backwards on a box and hit my forehead on the concrete floor.

I can feel blood trickle down from my forehead but I get up and punch Rafe. I kick him in the gut and beat him up myself.

Than I start getting dizzy and I fall down. Then Rafe goes after Kie and I feel my forehead. I look at my hand and there's blood all over it.

"We gotta go." I hear Kiara say. My ears start ringing.

"Ash?" JJ asks. I barely hear him. I feel him pick me up and gasp. "Oh shit." He says. My ears keep ringing but I can hear JJ. "Ash can you hear me?" I hear him ask. I nod my head. "I'll carry you." He says.

JJ carries me bridal style into the car and lays me in the back seat with my head on his lap.

"Kie do you have something in here I can use to stop the bleeding?" JJ asks.

"There's a first aid kit under the seat." Kie says. JJ grabs it. My ears stop ringing.

"Ash, this might hurt okay?" He asks. I nod. He puts a cotton ball on my forehead where the cut is and it starts burning.

"Ow ow ow." I say. I close my eyes and wince in pain.

"You're doing great princess." JJ says. Then he gets a cloth and wipes off the blood and then puts a bandaid over the cut. He kisses it and I smile a little.

"Thanks." I say.

"I'd do anything for my Ash." He says. Then I sit up and lean my head on JJ's shoulder. He wraps his arm around me while we drive to the dock.