"He didn't do it!" JJ shouts, causing Shoupe to stop in his tracks with putting the handcuffs on Pope's wrists. "It was me, you know where I'm from. Pope is a good kid, he wouldn't do this." JJ steps closer to Shoupe, who had hardly believed that it was the Heyward kid in the first place.

"This true?" Shoupe asks Pope, although he was already removing the cuffs that were half on. Silence fills the air as everyone just looks at each other. After making eye contact with his father and then JJ, Pope looks at his shoes and whispers "yeah." Shoupe misses the guilt in his voice because he is already throwing the cuffs on Maybank and walking him to the back of the cop car.

As they drive away Pope casts really sad and guilty looking eyes at John B and Kiara before Pope himself is pulled away by his dad. They understand, Pope has to worry about his scholarship. But now they have to worry about JJ who was currently on his way to prison.

...

"We need to identify these two men and knowing your father's reputation, we assume you probably know 'em." Peterkin says, tapping the two pictures beneath him while leaning over his shoulder. JJ refuses to look, knowing he's gonna be disgusted by the dead men's images.

There was a burly man behind Peterkin and with a little nod of the head from her, he walked over and grabbed JJ's blond head with his empty hands, slamming the side of it into the table before forcing JJ's head in front of the picture. But at this point, JJ just wants to be stubborn and squeezes his eyes shut, somewhat through the pain as well. "Jesus Jim, calm down." Peterkin gasps lightly, not expecting him to take it that far. This Jim guy backs off with a sneer.

"JJ do you know these men?" The question was asked again through his pounding head and dizzy vision. He decides to take a glance, seeing the marred chests, arms, and faces that were ripped and torn open by what seemed like a spear-shaped thing. He feels like barfing, the idea that someone could do that and the fact that he immediately recognized them. He rests a hand against his stomach subtly to not show weakness but to try and keep the bile down.

"They attacked John B's house and almost killed us, they just tore the place apart and then drove off." Peterkin nods in understanding but JJ takes it the wrong way, thinking she was beckoning Jim over again. He hold his hands up quickly. "I–I swear that's all I know, I've never seen them before that." Peterkin thanks him for his information before helping him up and to a cell that would soon become his.

The stained and dusty walls surrounded him as the gate rolls shut. As Peterkin leaves, JJ turns and punches the wall. Hard. A crack resounds through the small space, but he doesn't react. JJ just sits on his cot with silent tears falling down his face and his now hurt hand limp in his lap. His father was gonna kill him.

But then a thought comes over him. He just saved his friend from jail time, he actually helped someone. One of his best friends too! He allows a smile to grace his face as he thinks of the trouble he's just saved Pope from.

The next morning he is retrieved for breakfast time with the other inmates, JJ's honestly kind of surprised that his father hadn't come and picked him up yet. But he knew better than to get his hopes up like that. He sighs as he eats his soggy pancakes with an odd cardboard texture. It was during free-time that it goes to hell.

Being a kid, JJ is easily picked out of the crows of build and muscular men with large beards and tattooed arms. Occasionally, a punch would be thrown at him, not nearly enough for a guard to notice, but it didn't even evolve into a fight because JJ wouldn't let it. Kiara would be proud of his restraint right now because all he wanted to do was punch some of these men back. The only thing stopping him was that hope that he'd be out of here soon anyways so what was the point.

On the third day, John B visits with some soft words of reassurance. Only John B sees the fleeting fear in his friend greenish eyes, no one else cares to notice.

Pope visits the next day for the longest, only 5 minutes was allowed. He continuously thanks JJ for saving his life and promises that they'll find a way to get him out soon. JJ only nods silently but lets the same smile from his first day come through again. "Any time Pope, for you." Pope beams at him.

JJ was foolish to think his father would come soon. Ha, it turned out to be 5 days before Luke could manage to show up and bail his son. By then, JJ was hungry, bruised and just sick of everyone's shit. But too tired to do anything about. His hand ached occasionally still from his first day.

His adam's apple bobbed as he spotted his father from across the room, he was happy that he got his old clothes back though, his white tee rested comfortably on his shoulders.

"This you son?" The women from the reception counter asks him, taking the forms on a clipboard back from him. "Sorry to say but yes." Luke grouches, adjusting his jeans before addressing said son. "Get your ass in the car." JJ gulps, fear filling him and making his stomach clench, but he listens nonetheless. It doesn't go missed by Peterkin who was watching from the doorway.

"30,000 dollars? Restitution JJ? How the hell do you think we can afford that? What the hell were you thinkin' huh?" JJ barely conceals a flinch as his father walks past him, nudging him towards the passenger door in order to force him in. "Get in that damn car."

It's silent for 20 seconds. "Dad I–" JJ is cut off as a fist slams into his face, blood splattering on the window behind him because his face jolts back with the blow. The punches rain down on him until he's near consciousness, then he realizes that Luke had driven a little bit away from the station and stopped by the side of the road.

"You're a son of a bitch you know that." Luke mutters, he exits the car. With bleary and swollen eyes, JJ's eyes follow. He's barely aware when the door opens and he is hauled effortlessly out of the seat and thrown onto the hard pavement. He groans in pain and rolls into a pitiful ball against the curb but his dad pays no attention to him. "You don't deserve to come home, I should've kept you in that jail for longer apparently 5 days wasn't enough." The engine of the truck starts and drives off, leaving a bruised, battered, and crying teenage curled against the cube.

JJ doesn't know what happens after then, if he falls asleep or if he passes out. It just goes black.

...

With a jerk, JJ snaps jackknifes into a seated position but then flops back down onto his back when he realizes how much it hurts. Not only that but he's freakin' starving.

"JJ?" Three people come running by his side, crowding around him. He recognizes his environment immediately after he gains enough awareness to feel the comfortable cushion beneath him.

"...'happened?" He slurs out, eyes, well technically just eye because his left one was just about swollen shut, sliding around them lazily.

"We went to the station to meet with you as a group cause we wanted to make sure you were okay but the lady at the desk said your dad already picked you up and brought you home, so we decided to go to your house. Ya know...to make sure you were okay and stuff. But you were passed out near a sidewalk a few miles away from here, it was that one side road that no one takes because it's almsot always flooded with the tide. Thank god it wasn't." John B explains carefully, reaching for a glass of water while he's talking. He lifts JJ's head and helps him sip it gently.

"I bet you're starving dude you look like you haven't eaten in weeks." Pope exclaims.

"...'thin' like that." JJ murmurs, exhaustion is taking over him again. He doesn't even know why he's so weak. Maybe because the constant adrenaline and fear he's been living with during the last week had finally passed and JJ could relax. He hasn't had a proper night's sleep since before his extended prison trip. His face hurt to talk, his jaw popped uncomfortably, and his knuckles were heavily bruised along with some of his ribs.

"How bout you eat something before you go back to sleep, you need some food in ya." John B comments. JJ nods but makes no move.

Kiara and John B got on either side of him in order to help him into an even further sitting position with his legs dangling off the couch, brushing the floor. Pope heads to the kitchen to make a sandwich with surprisingly not moldy bread or old meat.

JJ's head falls limply on John B's shoulder, so he rests it there with a soft groan.

"sucked." JJ states. Kiara chuckles quietly. "Yeah I bet Jay." She ruffles his hair lovingly.

Just then, Pope returns with a plate and sandwich and the three of them sit with him while he eats it slowly. It's only then that they allow him to fall back asleep, leaning against Kiara with his head resting in her lap and a blanket draped across him. He snores softly as Kie massages his scalp lightly, calming his tense muscles.

"He'll be okay?" Pope questions, looking from the two to John B, who nods confidently. "He'll be fine." They all stare at JJ for a moment of silence before the two boys disperse ot do their own things across the house. As Kiara tries to get up as well, JJ wraps one of his arms instinctively around her and pulls her back. One foggy eye opens slightly to stare innocently at her.

"Stay?" His voice rasps, sounding loud in the quiet room. She grins warmly down at him and decides to stay, they fall asleep together and stay like that for the multiple following hours and further into the next morning.