JJ was somewhat giddy with joy and pride as he jumped up his front door's steps waiting to greet his dad. He held the small bag from the man that jumped them's house, containing 25 thousand dollars, enough to pay off his restitution. He couldn't believe it. His dad might be proud of him.
He makes his way to where he assumes his dad would be, likely working on some old car parts or some shit like that. He opens the ratty door with some struggle but looks up and meets his dad, who barely spared a glance at him.
"I got the money dad." Luke bothers to look up from the chunk of metal under his surprisingly steady hands. "Yeah, I'll believe that when I see it." He looks back at his work.
JJ nods slowly, biting his lip. He then tosses the blue bag next to his father, who looks at it with surprise and caution. But some hope. He allows his father to inspect the bag. Once he realizes that his son wasn't lying, Luke looks at him once again. "Wow." He whispers with amazement. "I don't wanna know how you got this but," He pats JJ's chest with a large grin planted on his face. "You did it, son." JJ lets a smile lift his cheeks and happiness swell in his heart.
Comfortable silence fills that air as Luke takes the wad of cash out of the bag and counts some of it up, almost not really believing that it was real. JJ rocks himself on his feet anxiously, shifting his weight from foot to foot.
Just as JJ heads to the cooler to grab a celebratory beer, Luke stands up and says "I think that sale's still on at Guffy's of Makos. They're practically givin' 'em away." JJ's heart sinks to his stomach, a lump fills his throats once he realizes his father's intentions.
"Dad, it's for the restitution." He says gently, not wanting to make him angry but still trying to make a point. Luke pays no attention, although it's clear that he heard him.
JJ tries his hardest to convince his dad to give up the money and do the right thing for once. But he's talking to a Maybank, he's as stubborn as they come.
The blonde kid purses his lips once he notices that his dad stuffed the money in a blue mini cooler. Some heated words are exchanged before Luke sits back down at his bench, JJ stands a couple feet away from the cooler and the door. After mulling it around in his head, it seems like he has a chance of making it to the cooler and the door before his dad can get up and stop him. He acts quick, reaching for the cooler.
Luke is already up and in the way by the time his son turns around, already expecting the fight back for the money. He shoves him into the side of the house with ease, his head cracks into the hard wood and he falls to floors, rolling a couple feet before coming to a stop. The cooler is clutched to his chest. Blood leaked out of his mouth from a split lip. Luke laughed.
"Boy, you stay down there." What happened next, he didn't expect. The punch comes at him quickly, leaving no time to dodge. JJ never physically fought back to his father, sometimes verbally but would never lay his hands on him. Luke throws an easy backhanded slap at his ungrateful bitch of a son, rendering him useless on the floor. Especially because he restrained him in a choke hold.
The hands grasp tightly at JJ's throat, cutting off his oxygen supply with ease and efficiency. His arms scramble for a hold on his father, pushing him away by the face. But the chokehold is unrelenting, slowly his struggles die down. He chokes out a final breath before black obscures his vision and he slowly starts to pass out, mere inches away from death. He greets it.
But suddenly, the hands release and oxygen floods into his lungs but he barely recovers from it, dragging himself to a kneeling position on the creaky porch when a sudden flash of pain abruptly assaults every inch of his body. He falls limply to his side and cries out, suddenly too weak to do anything else. His father steps on his shoulder, straightening him out, with a gross sneer.
"You cost too much anyways, this," He holds up the cash that is now in his possession again. "barely makes a dent of what you should owe me." He leaves loads, boots clambering as the door slams shut.
JJ faintly hears his truck pulling out of the driveway but it starts to fade, along with everything else. His vision gets blurry and his hearing goes wonky because it starts ringing. He decides to steal a glance at his side, but somehow it causes the pain to worsen once he realizes what had happened.
His father had left to grab some metal piece that he was working with, just a piece of scrap metal but it was long and very very sharp. It was nestled deep into JJ's side. He lets out a long cry once he realizes what had happened to him. This was new, his father never went to this extent.
He searches numbly for his phone, which he realizes had fallen out of his pocket during the scuffle. Perfect. He drags himself slowly, inch by inch, towards it. His fingers scrape the boards beneath him. With shaky and slightly bloody fingers, he opens the lock-screen in order to call John B, not realizing the predicament that his friend was in as well. It picks up after a couple rings.
"Hey Jay I can't really talk right now cause I'm with uhh...someone." JJ can hear the smile in his friend's voice, who was probably looking at Sarah. Once only silence follows the call, it's when John B starts to hear somewhat raspy breathing on the other end.
"Jay?" Oh right, JJ had forgotten that he needed to talk, only his mouth didn't seem to be working. Neither was the rest of his body though. He whispers out "help..." It was such a weak and pitiful croak that it had John B standing up immediately.
"JJ?! What's wrong buddy, talk to me. Shit Sarah, c'mon we have to go." There are loud noises as John B and his almost girlfriend clamber down from where they had been residing. JJ couldn't talk though cause he felt his grasp on reality wavering.
"Hey hey hey man you okay? Can you at least tell me where you're at?" JJ is silent for a moment. During which he could hear the phone being handed to someone else, presumably Sarah, and the Twinkie's engine being turned on. The van squealed as it left the parking lot.
"...home..." Was the near silent response. John B was already headed there. He takes the phone back from Sarah. "Hey, do you have Kie's number?" He asks her. She nods with fearful eyes. "Call her and tell her, and have her tell Pope as well, to meet up at JJ's. It's an emergency." Sarah nods and whips out her phone, finding the contact quickly. John B tunes out her voice and starts talking to his friend over the phone again.
"Jayje you still there man?" There was a groan over the cell. "Bubba what happened?" John B was trying his hardest to make his friend stay awake.
JJ pressed a hand against the open wound in his side, hissing when he made contact. He was seriously trying to staunch the bleeding but failing miserably because the pain and the metal was still in him. He swears he could literally feel it in him, a good 6 inches into his slim waist.
John B asked what happened. He thought it over for a moment, unsure if he should expose Sarah to his life. But his thoughts seemed to be answered. "Sarah, don't be alarmed by what he says, okay?" "Okay" She responds, trying to prepare herself for something she didn't know was about to happen.
"m'dad. brought him th–the mmmoney." He slurs the words out, but it seemed like his voice was getting stronger at least. It might've been his imagination. JJ hacks a wet cough before continuing. "was gonna buy som'thin' w'it. di'n't wan' 'im tah." There is a long intake of breath. "r–rest–itution." Was the explanation he gave. "there's metal in...me. m'side. he ssstabbed me." John B gapes at his phone, flooring his gas pedal.
"How much are you bleeding?" John B is afraid to ask the question. "JB...alot." There's a pause because JJ adjusts himself with a loud grunt. "...don't wanna die." He practically whispers once he settles. Both Sarah and John B's hearts break. No, shatter.
"Don't worry at all bubba you're not gonna die, we're almost at your house. I see it right now." That was actually true, they were just down the street. "Kie and Pope are coming as well." John B looks to Sarah for confirmation of his statement, she nods her head as a yes. "5 minutes behind us." John B looks back to the road.
He slows down when he pulls into the driveway. "Hey, where are you?"
"...porch." The two of them ran to the back porch because he clearly wasn't on the front one. There, they find their blond friend lying limply in his own puddle of dark red blood. His phone is clutched in his hands, his knuckles turning white, as white as his pale face. It's just like how JJ had described it over the phone.
There was a large blue piece of shrapnel protruding from his side, just under his ribcage. Blood poured out and stained the light blue shirt JJ was wearing. His eyes were barely open, just slits of color that flickered over John B and Sarah.
"hey." he murmurs. John B chokes back a sob, Sarah doesn't either. She has to turn around because she can't handle the fact that his own father did this to him and he might die because of it.
"You're okay JJ you know that right? Just stay awake, we're gonna call an ambulance." John B grabs a towel that was hanging over the flaking railing beside him, applying pressure around the metal but not wanting to move the metal because it was currently also acting as a plug. JJ lets out a harsh groan, his muscles tense and his head rolls to the side with his jaw clenched with his efforts to keep in the screams. With his other hand, John B pulls out his phone and dials emergency services, requesting an ambulance.
Sarah had returned from pacing the porch, wiping her newly made friend's sweaty forehead. Bleary eyes look at her, she smiles gently down at him. "Hey." She says. "hey." is the weak response.
His eyes slid shut again. "JJ!" They jerk open. "Stay awake man, keep your eyes open." JJ nods slowly but his eyes continue to close again.
"Jay! JAY! C'mon man!" This time they barely have the strength to pull themselves open again.
"What's your birthday?" Sarah asks, prompting a response. JJ immediately understands it's an attempt to keep him awake. He feels really weak and doesn't have the energy to move a hand up.
"A–August twelfth." He stutters out. But it doesn't work, his eyes slide shut again. With even more begging from his two friends, he finds them opening again.
His head lolls to the side and he sees the blood still coming out of him, dripping down his side and covering John B's hands. There was a massive puddle underneath him, hot and sticky where he lay.
Just then, two other people clamber up the steps, Pope and Kie. Kiara gasps and lets out a cry, tuning into Pope's shoulder. He comforts her with a hand through her hair before kneeling next to John B and applying even more pressure. JJ bucks underneath him, to feeble to do anything else
"How you doin' JJ?" Kiara asks, joining Sarah's side. "jus' dandy." The weak whisper does not live up to his answer.
"There's an ambulance coming, about 5 minutes out now. They said to just keep him awake and apply lots of pressure.
"Ask him more questions, keep him awake!" John B demands quickly after noticing his best friend's eyes close once more, his pale features relaxing and his breathing getting even softer. John B held a bloodied hand to JJ's throat, feeling a weak and thready pulse beneath it. Although he's never been religious, he was seriously praying that his friend would make it through this.
The four of their efforts combined were still not enough to keep their blond friend conscious.
"JJ?" Sarah had questions, alarm and panic lacing her voice. She had just asked him what John B's birthday was but was horrified to realize he didn't make any move to answer. Sirens echoed in the distance, getting louder as they got closer.
John B felt panic rising in his chest. His best friend might be dead. Blood smeared across JJ's already bruised neck as he raised a very shaky hand to yet again feel for a pulse. It had seemingly become a nervous habit over the last couple of minutes. It was there. Barely. JJ was still fighting, the stubbornness of a Maybank was driving him.
"C'mon Jayje, stay alive for me please. Don't leave me here." John B let out a sob without realizing it. He kept crying, leaning into his friend's limp body. The paramedics swarmed around them and the other Pogues had to forcibly remove John B from JJ's bloody body in order to load JJ onto the stretcher.
"Hey JB calm down dude, JJ's okay. He's still alive, they're being brought to the hospital right now. He'll be okay, don't worry." Sarah grabbed John B's hand, explaining the situation to comfort him. Kiara and Pope stand behind him, together they walk down the steps to the Twinkie and Kiara's mom's car that she'd stolen for the moment.
Both Pope and Kiara were studying at her house at the time when they received Sarah's call because her parents weren't home then. They're definitely pissed now but she didn't care.
"John B, he's got the survival instinct of a cockroach. Nothing can hurt him." Kiara says, making him chuckled wetly with tears shining in his eyes. "True I guess." He turns around and falls into a hug once he realizes that Sarah was waiting there next to him with her arms open, he lets his wet cheeks dry on the tee covering her shoulder. She makes his life complete, inside and out.
Kiara and Pope form their own hug, comforting each-other simultaneously.
Silently, but with no rush, they made their ways into the appropriate cars and drove to the hospital. The blue car trailed behind the brown Volkswagen. Both cars were filled with silence, dread hung in the air making it thick and hard to breathe in.
It took hours for the operation to finish, and it turned out that it was because there was some slight internal damage. The rebar had nicked JJ's kidney, causing some vital internal bleeding in said blonde. Thankfully the wound was stitched heavily and JJ was given a quick blood transfusion, and he pulled through easily. He would be weak and dizzy for a while, but it didn't matter. He didn't die, they wouldn't have let him.
And if John B made JJ stay at the Chateau for as long as he could, until Peterkin was on JJ's ass because Luke had driven to the station to report a missing child. Peterkin knew that JJ was at John B's, in fact she knew why he was at John B's. She was pretty sure that she knew what JJ's home life was like but as a police officer, she couldn't act upon it unless a file was claimed by the victim or witness. Which seemed unlikely to happen, even after the incident.