Serenading Sunshine - JJ Maybank

Page 20

"You okay Calliope?" I nodded, "yeah a bit bummed we haven't heard anything since the lighthouse, I hope they weren't arrested." I leaned over making grabby motions at JJ, "Mango me please." He laughed reaching up and grabbing one but instead of handing it to me he pulled a knife out of his pocket after hopping off the ladder he stood on.

I watched him cut it up and hand me a piece of the fruit, "Why thank you sunshine," I watch as he handed a slice to Pope before cutting off slices and eating straight from his knife, "So I learned some information the morning my uncle left for some business thing," both of them looked at me, "like what?"

"Like who my uncle really is..." They both looked at me confused, "my last name is Glades." Pope coughed, "like Glades, Glades?" I nodded, "I also haven't told y'all everything either..." I looked at my slice of fruit, "I live with him, my parents uh, they kinda might have sold me like cattle to him."

To say they were shocked was an understatement, "he's a nice guy, I'm the only child in the family, no siblings or cousins so..." I probably should have explained better, "sold you like, like a sex thing?"

I looked up disgusted at Pope, internally and externally gagging, "oh my god, no, no... My parents weren't the best so when he found out DFPS got involved he just took me, paid off my parents with a few grand and that was that."

"What's DFPS?" I licked my lips, "Department of Family and Protective Services, a.k.a. Child services, the big CPS," I looked down at the grass beneath my legs as JJ moved to sit in the grass against the tree, "so wait, why did he take you in then?"

"He wants me to take over the club, the hotel, the mangroves, the whole sha-bang when he retires which apparently means I'm needed at whatever Midsummers is to start my reign, won't be for a long time, but yeah. He wants me to get started with it before high school ends though."

"But you live in the cut," I nodded, "yeah he's from here, still lives in the house and everything, I just don't really care you know? Not like I'll be hanging around any rich snobs willingly anyway."

"Figured I wouldn't really make it past sixteen or seventeen, but now I'm here so I dunno."

"Why're you telling us this, why not keep it a secret?" I looked over at Pope, "because I'm me, and I like you guys. Never really had any friends and I'd like to keep in y'all's good graces, besides I just found out yesterday and it's not like its my money, don't own nothin' don't got nothin', sides my jeep."

"Also, I'd really like to not be left alone on this island with how close my uncle wants me to be to those rich snobs, especially that Topper guy."

"Why?"

"Because of what he did to John B?" I shook my head at Pope, "I uh, so, first off we've howdy'ed but we haven't shook ya know?" I spoke like they would know, Pope stopped me almost instantly, "I'm sorry what? What does that mean?" I thought for a second, thinking of how to explain my words better, "uhm, we met but it wasn't exactly a formal type of introduction, sorry."

"What happened then?" I sat up popping my neck with a sigh, "I met him on my first day, didn't get his name or nothin but I know his face and I uh," I looked up gesturing as I talked, looking between them as the silently watched me with curiosity in their eyes, "I was at that little corner store my first day, my uncle was a few buildings down talking to someone and when I was inside looking at the drinks, he came in, saw me and followed me around."

"He didn't do nothing at first, just kept asking for my name and why he hadn't seen me around before, stuff like that but after I paid and left he followed me outside." They were just watching me as I talked, "he pulled me into that little alley between the buildings by the back of my neck."

"Next thing I knew he had like, slammed me against the wall," I made a motion pushing forward with my hands as I continued, "bruised my neck and made my head bash into the bricks, had scratches on my shoulders a nasty blackish purple bruise from the back of my neck to my shoulder blades the next day."

"Do you know how much force he had to put into that for the bruises to still be that dark after almost a week?" I stood up and turned around as I pulled my shirt over my back, my hair being moved out of the way by the pull of the fabric. I heard Pope curse and sat back down pulling my shirt down again.

JJ looked pissed and I couldn't look into his eyes for longer than a second, same with Pope, "but the cashier saw him on the camera and came outside, found him trying to stick his hand down my shorts while he was covering my mouth."

"I have the video and the pictures of the bruises but I couldn't show my uncle. I didn't really know what to do about it but I guess he realized how freaked out I was to leave the house so he got me a taser." I pulled the thing out of my bag next to me and just held it in my hand.

"When I saw the bruises the day of the surge I thought you had maybe just fallen or got caught in a rough wave, hit the sand bed too hard. Why didn't you go to the cops?" I looked at JJ before answering Pope, "I was going to after the hurricane but I chickened out I guess, I dunno, wasn't gonna tell anyone but It's been bugging me since he almost drowned John B. I just didn't expect to see him again."

"He freaks me out..."

"I'm gonna kill him if he comes near you again, the fucks wrong with those kooks!" I looked up, surprised at JJ when he jumped up, "Please don't, I mean if anything it's good blackmail now," Pope was standing up with me now, JJ had his knife in his hand still, "Hey, it's okay JJ, I'm okay, we're okay."

"Come on dude, let's spark up some, calm down okay," He paced for a few seconds as Pope and I looked at each other, "Come on sunshine, roll up a jiffy yeah." He calmed down looking at us before centering his gaze on me, "Hey, see we're all good sunshine."

I made the mistake of patting my sides and basically slapped my gun shot wound, "Holy mother, fuck me!" I grasped onto Pope and bent at the waist lifting my hurt leg off the ground, "owie..."

I looked up to see both of them laughing at me suddenly in a burst of ridiculous humor at my own outburst, a lightened mood. I flipped them both off as a certain Van pulled up into the drive honking, everything instantly pushed to the back of our minds, "Ow," I stood up and JJ moved closer to me, "Hey um, I get it if y'all tell them about my family and everything but can we maybe keep the whole me getting sexually assaulted between us for a bit? Please?"

"Of course Cali, we got you," I smiled at Pope, "Thank you, promise you won't totally kick his ass off the planet just yet JJ?" He snorted as the twinkie pulled up next to us, "For now, I promise Calliope, now, let's ride."