𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐍𝐄𝐖, ʲʲ ᵐᵃʸᵇᵃⁿᵏ

viii. more harm than good

SOMETHING NEW
Chapter Eight: More Harm Than Good

JJ HAD AVA'S arm wrapped around his shoulder, one of his arms supporting her waist. "That was stupid, J." She whispered as the boy opened the front door of the girl's home. It was nearly one o'clock in the morning as the two entered the house, Cammy immediately greeted the teens with a bark.

"Well look what the cat dragged in." The deep voice made Ava look up in concern, she suddenly didn't need JJ's help as she stood straight. There was a man on her couch, then her mother stumbled in from the hallway.

"M- mom?" Ava questioned, JJ put his hand on the middle of her back.

JJ whispered in her ear. "Let's just go to JB's." Ava shook her head.

"Who the hell is this? And why is he in my house?" Corrine Blake asked her daughter, looking at the blonde boy.

Corrine and JJ had met on multiple occasions, the boy had spent countless nights in the woman's house when he needed to get away from home. "I should be asking you the same damn question." Ava spat, stepping forward, glare set on the unknown man displayed drunkenly on the couch. "This isn't some run down, sleezy joint for you and your drugged up suitors to shack it up for the night." Her look of disgust was now trained on her mother.

The older woman suddenly hurled her glass at Ava, it shattered against the wall behind the teens. Ava's dog barked wildly only to be kicked by the man. The girl's blue eyes widened grabbing the next thing she could get her hands on which happened to be an unopen can of beer, she chucked it at the man, it hit him right between the eyes, hopefully breaking his nose. "You little bitch!" The man stormed forward, throwing a hard backhand at Ava, a cry of pain escaped her lips as she fell to the kitchen floor, her head smaking against the linoleum, ringing filled her ears.

"Avani!" Her mother called out.

JJ quickly was by her side. "Ava! Ava, open your eyes." He brushed her blue hair out of her face. "Come on, beautiful, look at me." He muttered under his breath, pulling her into his arms.

Behind JJ, the door was swung open then slammed, the house shaking. "Avani?" Corrine called again inching toward her daughter. "Baby?"

"You should probably go too." JJ said quietly, looking up at Corrine. "Ava won't want you here when she wakes up." He glanced back down at the insensible girl in his arms. Corrine still stood as JJ lifted Ava off the ground and walked into her bedroom, he laid her down on the bed. He whistled, calling Cammy into the room then shut the door and locked it. JJ sighed, taking the girl's shoes off and tossing them aside. He covered her with a sheet as Cammy crawled in next to her owner with a whine. Running a hand through his hair, his other hand reached out and stroked her cheek where a welt was forming from where the drunk man had struck her, it was no doubt going to bruise. "I'm sorry, beautiful. I'm sorry." JJ sat on the floor watching the girl sleep, losing himself in his mind.

___

Ava stirred with a groan, the warm fuzzy feeling she felt for a second before she truly woke up leaving when she yawned. Her head pounding against the inside of her skull, the last thing she could remember was that she had been talking to some touron she couldn't even remember the name of. "Ow." Ava cried, JJ's head shot up.

"Ava?" He asked quietly from his position on the floor. He stood walking over to her bed, the boy hadn't got a wink of sleep, he was too worried about Ava.

Ava cringed, even though his voice was quiet, it still seemed so loud. "Shh." She turned around, pulling the sheet away from her face to look at JJ. "Advil, please?" The boy nodded, going into the bathroom attached to Ava's room. He rummaged through the medicine cabinet grabbing the bottle he was searching for. JJ moved back into the room handing Ava the bottle, she poured two out then another just for good measures before popping them into her mouth, she grabbed a bottle of water and washed the pills down. "What the hell happened last night?"

JJ's eyes lingered in the girl's cheek, a dark, nasty bruise left in the wake of the unknown man's outrage. Idiotic decisions were made last night, not only on JJ's behalf, John B had gotten into an all out brawl while Topper was the ring leader of it all. "Everything was fine... Then I offered Sarah Cameron a drink and everything blew up in my face. John B and Topper went at it. Topper, he- he was gonna drown John B, Ava. You were in the water, I- I had to. There was no other way to stop it." The boy's voice was laced with defeat, he didn't look at Ava as she stood.

She sat to next the boy, wrapping an arm around him, he buried his face into the girl's neck willing himself not to cry. "Hey, hey. It's alright, J. It was stupid and impulsive, but it was a heat of the moment decision. And, I mean, who knows what would've happened if you hadn't of done it." Ava ran her fingers through his hair, as memories if last night flooded her mind. The party, the screaming, the water, the gunshots, the panic and fear; she and JJ had walked home, the man on the couch, her mom throwing something, Cammy being kicked, Ava throwing something, Ava getting hit, then nothing. "It's all okay, now. It's a new day, we can do better today." She felt JJ nod. "Did you get any sleep?" He shook his head. "Then lay down with Cammy, I need to take a shower." JJ didn't move at first, still clinging to the girl but he slowly let go of her. Ava stood, helping JJ to his feet then guided him to her bed, he covered himself with the sheet, cuddling Cammy, easily falling asleep. Ava sighed grabbing a change of clothes and walking into the bathroom. Looking in the mirror, she lightly pressed her finger tips to the bruise on her face, wincing. She shook her head, turning on the shower and letting the water heat up. She undressed and hopped in the shower, the hot water calming her down, a heavy sigh fell past her lips as she leaned against the wall, tears falling down her face. Ava shook her head, stopping herself from crying anymore, she washed her hair and her body then got out of the shower.

She got into her clean clothes and walked out of the bathroom, JJ was passed out, he looked so peaceful when he was asleep, not so angry at the world. Ava smiled a bit walking into her living room seeing the broken glass in the floor in the kitchen, She walked out her front door and stood on her porch. Her eyebrows furrowed when she saw the sheriff's truck in front of John B's house, wondering what the hell it could possibly be about.