Sunshine in the Rain

76. Devil

"Ash!!" JJ says. "Wait up!" He runs up to be next to me. I don't look at him. "Ash, baby, look at me." JJ says. He puts his hand under my chin and makes me look at him. Then he sees the tears falling from my eyes and he gives me a hug.

"I-I can't take it anymore, JJ." I say. "Why are all of the bad people in the world close to me?" I ask, still crying. "I just want JB to be here. I want to know that he's safe." I say. JJ rubs my back as we stand on the dock.

"Hey, baby, I'm sure JB is safe." JJ says, clearly lying. "All of the bad people aren't close to you, everyone has a bad side. Even me." JJ says. "I have a bad temper."

"And I've killed people to prove to my father that I'm not a worthless piece of shit." I cry. JJ looks at me, shocked and concerned but he keeps us in the hug and rocks us back and forth.

"It's okay, Princess." JJ says. "We need to go tell Pope about the cross so, can you tell me what you're talking about? On the walk there?" JJ asks.

"Y-yeah." I sniffle. It feels like all I do is confess anymore. Ever since my dad has come back, all of those memories have come for another visit.

We walk for about 5 minutes in silence. "He was looking for the gold, a few years ago." I say. "My dad. People would talk shit on him and try to get him to stop searching and I knew my dad hated it." I say. JJ looks at me while we walk. I break down crying again. JJ hugs me as we stand on the side of the road.

"Shhh, it's okay baby." JJ says, "Keep talking, let it all out." JJ says.

"So I went and killed the haters. One by one, I killed them all." I say. "When I told my dad, he looked shocked. He screamed at me to leave the house, so I did. I left for 3 days until he found me and took me back in. Not a word about it ever again." I say. JJ looks shocked so I look down. There is a moment of silence.

"Hey-" JJ says, I cut him off.

"No JJ!" I say. "I'm a monster! A murderer!" I scream as tears fall down my face. "It feels like all I ever do anymore is cry and confess!!" I yell. JJ pulls me into a hug as I cry into his shoulder. We sit on the side of the road as I cry.

"Ashlyn, my Princess, you are not a monster." JJ says. "You've done bad things. So have I." JJ says. "But right now, we need to tell Pope what happened and we need to leave your past, in your past." He says. He gets up and helps me up. "Now come on, let's continue this treasure hunt." He smiles at me and it makes me smile.

"I'll race you there." I say. I start sprinting towards Heywards and JJ follows me.

"Cheater!!" He yells, laughing. I'm laughing as well. God, I love this boy. I want to marry him.

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"Pope!" JJ yells, a we run onto the dock and see Pope and Cleo. Pope looks frustrated. "Yo, bombshell." He says.

"What's going on?" I ask. "You guys look like you're about to slap each other."

"Pope's quitting school." Cleo says.

"Well, it happens to the best of us. I just go because John B forces me to." I say.

"Being a coroner's kind of weird anyway." JJ says.

"Shit up, wrench dick." Pope says.

"Great. This is definitely not the right time." I say.

"We were down at Guffy's and I was tryna get Ash and I jobs but then we see Rafe Cameron on his boat so Ash and I go listen in." JJ says.

"Barry was with him too." I say. "He has the cross." I say. JJ looks down, still out of breath from running.

"And he melted it down." JJ says. "I'm sorry, bro." He says. Pope looks heartbroken. He closes his eyes and goes and looks off of the dock.

"Fuck!!" Pope yells. JJ and I sit down and take a breath. "Of course it was Rafe." Pope says. "All he's done is cause problems."

"Really?" I ask, sarcastically.

"The Cross of Santo Domingo, desecrated!!" Pope yells. "For money?!" He asks.

"Yep." I say. "He said that they're selling it in bars." I say.

"I think we gotta stay calm to make a plan." JJ says. "But we gotta stay-" JJ gets cut off by Pope smashing a rake thingy.

"You're getting better at that." I say.

"This is messed up." Pope says. "Even for them. They're just gonna keep getting away with it." He says.

"I mean Pope, is that news to you?" JJ asks.

"Kook's have been winning our entire lives, Pope." I say.

"I'm sick of being the good guy." Pope says. He walks away.

"Shit. I think we just unleashed the devil." I say.