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Topper sat staring at the padlock on his father’s liquor cabinet. Subconsciously, he had known it would be locked. It was always locked when his father was away. And yet, here he was, glaring at his reflection in the polished steel of a padlock. Shit, that sounded depressing. He just needed something to give him a break from wallowing in self-deprecation. Erego, Topper needed a drink. Usually, he’d just go over to Tannyhill where Rafe would have plenty. Or have a kegger, but he wouldn’t have backup and it almost always ended in bloodshed. Topper sighed and walked out of his father’s office, wandering down to the kitchen. He knew he would have to head out to the Cut if he wanted anything. It was a lot easier to flash his fake ID and slip a twenty across the counter there then Figure Eight. So he resignedly grabbed his keys and went out to the garage. As he started the drive, he watched people pass by; walking dogs or jogging without fear on the sidewalk. Once he crossed through town to the other side of the island, all that changed. Sidewalks disappeared, street lights became scarce, and nobody was found walking the side of the road. Topper continued his drive through the dark, rundown streets, keeping an eye on all sides of the car. The last thing he needed was to hit someone. He cruised down the street slowly, watching for the turnoff towards the convenience store. It had to be close now. Topper turned his head to check his mirrors, glanced at the road for a millisecond, before whipping his head back and slamming on the brakes. He wasn’t nearly fast enough, and the person who had come staggering into the middle of the road crumpled to the ground as his car bumped into them.
“ Shit!” Topper swore, throwing the car roughly into park before hurrying out to see the damage. Oh, his parents were going to kill him. He fell to his knees as the person on the ground groaned in pain.
“ What the hell, man?” And Topper breathed in sharply at the voice.
“ JJ ?”
“ Topper?” The guy sat up on his elbows, and the light from Topper’s car showed JJ Maybank. An extremely bruised and banged up JJ.
“ Holy—” Topper couldn’t stop gawking at the blond in front of him. Had he seriously done that to him? But on closer examination, the blood on his face was mostly dried and the bruises were too defined to be from less than a minute before.
“ Did you just hit me with your car?” JJ asked in disbelief.
“ You walked in front of me!” Topper said defensively.
JJ started to grumble under his breath, but stopped with a yelp of pain. Topper looked down and noticed there seemed to be a lot more blood than what came from his face.
“ We need to get you to a hospital.”
“ No!” JJ shouted, slapping Topper’s phone out of his hand.
“ Hey! What was that for?” Topper leaned over to grab his phone, but JJ snatched it up before he could. “ You look like you're dying!”
“ I’m fine, it’s just a scratch. And you’re the one who made it worse when you hit me with your frickin’ car .”
“ And now I’m trying to help you, so give me back my phone!”
“ No.” JJ scooted further away from him, clutching the phone to his chest, bad leg dragging across the road. Topper huffed angrily.
“ Look, if it’s about the money, I’ll pay for it, okay? I didn’t mean to hit you, but I don’t need that on my record right now. So if you keep that quiet, I’ll take you to the hospital and pay the bill.”
“ It’s not about money.” JJ snapped, his face growing more pale.
“ Then why the hell won’t you let me call 911?!” JJ flinched backwards at his yell, his expression flickering to fear for half a second before it hardened.
“ Why do you care?” He shot back. “ You and your little gang jump me every other week and mess me up twice as bad.” Topper didn’t need the reminder.
“ I’m not heartless enough to leave you bleeding out in the middle of the road.” JJ didn’t respond immediately, one of his hands switching from gripping the phone to his leg. Topper waited, and couldn’t help but notice JJ’s eyes drooping, the way his hands kept twitching, how the rips in his stained wife beater seemed to be crusted with blood.
“ I’m not going to the hospital.” He finally said. Topper sighed and bit back his question.
“ Ok, fine, whatever. Where do you want to go then?” JJ hesitated, clutching his leg tighter. He seemed to be close to losing consciousness.
“ I, I don’t—” Then he keeled over and passed out.
“ JJ!” He scrambled towards him, unsure what he was supposed to do in this situation. Normally, you’d take someone to the hospital, but JJ had been so insistent on not going he figured it would be a bad idea. And he didn’t want to have to explain that he’d hit him with his car.
“ Right, what to do, what to do.” Topper mumbled, pulling his phone out of JJ’s grip and hurriedly pulling up Google.
“ Okay, elevate the feet.” He went to grab for his legs and had barely touched the bad one when JJ flew up with a strangled scream.
“ Sorry, sorry!” Topper cried, backing away with his hands in the air. JJ breathed heavily, sinking to the ground. Well, at least he was awake again. That meant nothing was too wrong with him. With his eyes closed, he softly swore.
“ Shit, man, that hurt.”
“ I know.” Topper said. “ Can I take you to the hospital now ?”
“ No.” JJ repeated forcefully. Topper sat back on his heels, thinking. He knew what he had to do now. It still didn’t make that thought more appealing, but he wasn’t about to leave him to die.
“ Think you can stand?”
“ What?” JJ cracked an eye open to stare at Topper.
“ We can’t stay here, so you have to get your ass up and into my car.” JJ sat up fully at the statement, looking at him in disbelief.
“ Your car?” Topper rolled his eyes.
“ Yes, my car. How else are we getting you out of the middle of the road?” JJ hesitated, but nodded.
“ Yeah. Okay.” He slowly got to his feet, ignoring the hand Topper offered. He took one step, and then another, the third one he stumbled. Topper caught him around the torso. Without asking, he looped an arm around his shoulder and half dragged him to the passenger side. Topper went around to his own door, sliding in and starting the car. He looked over to see JJ hesitating. Topper opened his mouth to ask if needed help, but JJ was already pulling himself into the seat, both hands dragging his bad leg behind him. When the blond finally shut the door, he was paler than before, his breaths short and heavy. Topper looked over at him.
“ Last chance to go to the hospital.” JJ shook his head.
“ Anywhere else.” Then he paused. “ Except the cops.”
“ That’s not suspicious at all.” Topper muttered as he shifted into drive and completed a u-turn. JJ fiddled with the seat controls, leaning the seat back with a huff of pain. Topper tapped his fingers against the steering wheel as he drove, glancing over at the boy next to him.
“ There’s towels under your seat.”
“ What?”
“ I’m not about to let you bleed all over my car. Grab a towel.” JJ rolled his eyes, but reluctantly dug one out and awkwardly wrapped it around his leg.
“ Better, your highness?”
“ Just shut up. You’re lucky I didn’t leave you on the side of the road.” Topper grumbled. JJ slumped farther into his seat.
“ And ruin your spotless record? I don’t think so.” Topper didn’t bother with a reply. They both knew he was right. He really was just a doll for his parents to mold into the perfect, successful young man. The worst part was that he would do anything to avoid disappointing them.
“ What were you doing out here anyway?” JJ asked after a couple minutes. Topper felt the tips of his ears go red.
“ Nothing.”
“ So you just wanted to drive through the Cut at night for no reason? Maybe you have more of a death wish than me.” JJ laughed breathlessly.
“ I doubt that.” Topper replied. He’d watched JJ do the crazy stunts at Keggers—he could only guess what happened any other given time. That was probably why JJ was as banged up as he was. Some stupid dare or dumb idea that lead to him falling off a roof or something. Whatever happened in this car would be going to both of their graves, he knew that. Pogues and Kooks didn’t help each other. They fought—simply because of who the other was.
The rest of the drive was silent except for the occasional muffled wheeze from JJ. Topper shook his head as he turned to a street a block away from his house. How JJ was managing to keep from screaming or even just moaning in pain every second he couldn’t understand. Just one glance at the bloody cut on his leg and he felt squeamish. He’d suffered a fair amount of injuries from his own fights with Pogues, and had seen others with worse after, but nothing like this. Topper had the uneasy feeling that this was nothing new to JJ. He pulled into his driveway and through the garage, pushing the button to close the door behind him.
“ Your house?” Topper jumped and swore, placing a hand over his heart.
“ I thought you were asleep.” JJ quirked an eyebrow.
“ Could you sleep through this?” He waved a hand at his leg. Topper didn’t reply. It was obvious that he couldn’t. “ But that’s your big plan? Take me to your fancy-ass house?”
“ You didn’t give me a lot of options, alright?” Topper got out, shutting the door behind him harder than necessary. He was seriously starting to regret helping JJ out. He should’ve just dropped him off at the Hospital anyway, or called 911 and left him there in the street. He opened the door to the house, flicking on the lights in the basement. He half-expected JJ to stay in the garage or even just flat out leave, but he heard his uneven footsteps behind him, soft and quiet. Unsure. Topper led him to the bathroom, where he retrieved a first-aid kit from under the sink. He set it on the counter.
“ Here. It should be fully stocked. There’s extra towels in the cupboard.” JJ nodded.
“ I’ll try not to get blood everywhere.” Topper snorted.
“ Yeah, that would be nice.” He shut the door, leaning against the wall for a moment. The water started up in the tub, and JJ cussed. He almost laughed again. If someone had told him that JJ Maybank would be in his house, invited , not for mowing the lawn or fixing the family boat, but as a guest, he would’ve thought they were insane. Kooks and Pogues hated each other—it was no secret. Some they hated less than others, but shove Rafe and JJ together and there was no doubt in the resentment buried between them. And Topper was at Rafe’s side, following along with whatever the older boy had on his mind. Usually, something violent. The thought made Topper’s stomach twist. He hadn’t noticed it until the night a week ago, when Rafe had backed him into a corner, accusing him of letting the Pogues win. It hadn’t been the first time, but Rafe had never actually threatened him before. Physically taken him by the shirt collar and pushed him against the wall, spitting cruel words in his face. Topper was too blinded by his parents forcing the friendship between them, the companionship offered to him, the way he’d grown up knowing the Kooks were better than the Pogues. He refused to see Rafe’s psychotic side until it slapped him in the face. Literally.
He hadn’t tried to talk to him since. Sticking to his house, where normally he would’ve killed time at the Island Club or golfing. Rafe needed time to cool off, especially since he’d gotten into deeper trouble with both his father and his drug dealer. If he had been scary before, now he was downright terrifying. The thought entered his mind that Rafe might have been the one who roughed JJ up. But JJ would’ve had no qualms about telling him that. And he hadn’t said a word. Topper shook his head, trying to focus back on the present. JJ was mere feet away from him, and he couldn’t let him know about the falling out with Rafe. So he pushed himself off the wall, off to the kitchen in the living room downstairs. He poured himself a glass of water. And then a second one for JJ after a moment of hesitation. He was probably dehydrated with all the blood loss, and it was really the least he could do. Especially after hitting him with his car. Then he dug through the fridge, and debated just doing doordash. He hadn’t been able to fulfill his craving for alcohol, and would need to substitute food until he could get some. He hoisted himself up to sit on the counter and started scrolling through different fast food restaurants. He wasn’t really in the mood for cheap, greasy stuff, and it took longer to get to Figure Eight anyway. The island was very much a tourist trap—any eatery was local and one of a kind. If you wanted a chain restaurant, you had to go to the mainland. Honestly, he could just get food from the Island Club.
“ Do all Kooks sit up on their expensive counters instead of using their expensive chairs?” Topper looked up to see JJ standing in the doorway to the room, looking marginally better. There wasn’t much to be done about the blooming bruises on his jaw and around his eye, but the worst of the cuts had a band-aid haphazardly slapped over it. His leg had been wiped clean of blood, and had about 4 big bandages stuck on it. But Topper could already see small streams of blood leaking through the adhesive.
“ That’s not going to work.” He said, pointing at the cut. JJ glanced down at it.
“ Why?”
“ It’s already bleeding through. I think you might need stitches.”
“ I already told you I’m not going to the frickin’ hospital.” JJ growled. Topper glared right back.
“ I didn’t say that. If you don’t want it to get infected or pass out from blood loss, you need to find a way to stitch it up.”
“ I’ll be fine.”
“ No, you won’t. Did you not just hear me?” Topper asked incredulously. Why was JJ so flippant about something that could seriously hurt him?
“ What do you know about this stuff? I bet every time you get into a fight, you go and get fixed up at instacare. You’ve always had mom and dad’s money to spend on fancy band-aids and bruise creams.”
“ So what? I still know when things are bad, and that is bad.” JJ met his eyes with a hard gaze.
“ You don’t know shit about what’s bad. This? This is not bad, this does not need stitches.” Topper held the stare for another moment, then sighed and shook his head.
“ Fine. Whatever. You’ve probably had enough of them you would know.”
“ Well, extra smarty points to you.” JJ said with a sneer, but the tension lessened in his shoulders. Topper decided not to push it. It sounded like a sore spot, and honestly, he didn’t want to have the Pogues extra angry at him when Rafe wasn’t on his side.
“ Do you want some Advil or Ibuprofen or something?” Topper finally asked. JJ sighed, leaning against the wall.
“ Rather have a drink.”
“ A drink?”
“ Yeah. I’m sure you got some real nice stuff hidden. Probably in Daddy’s office.” Topper glared at the blond’s smug expression.
“ Jokes on you, he keeps it locked up.” JJ stared at him for a moment, then burst out laughing.
“ That’s why you were out in Cut. You were gonna use your fake ID to get yourself some crappy beer.” Topper’s face flushed.
“ Shut up.”
“ Seriously, man? I’m sorry, but that’s stupid.”
He crossed his arms defensively.“ Why? I would’ve gotten my beer, wouldn’t I?”
“ Or you could’ve just picked the lock.” JJ said like it was obvious.
“ I’m not a criminal, I don’t pick locks.”
“ Sucks for you then.” JJ said with a shrug. Then he grinned. “ Hey, I’ll pick it for you, as long as you let me have some.”
“ But my father—he’ll notice.” JJ rolled his eyes.
“ When was the last time he was home?”
“ About a month ago.”
“ And you seriously think he’s going to remember how many bottles there are or how full they are?” Topper hesitated. He really could use a drink, and JJ did have a point. What was the worse that could happen?
“ Fine. Make sure you aren’t leaving a trail of blood behind you.” JJ saluted mockingly.
“ Sir, yes, sir.” Topper rolled his eyes and started walking. JJ followed him, slowing slightly on the stairs, but moved faster than he should be with his leg. Topper pushed the door open to his father’s study and guestered to the liquor cabinet.
“ Good luck.” JJ pushed past him and lowered himself to the floor in front of it. He examined it for a moment, then pulled a mini toolkit from one of his many pockets and picked out a slender metal rod. Topper watched as JJ worked, humming to himself quietly as he fiddled with the lock. A minute or two later, he heard a quiet click and the door swung open.
“ Still got it.” JJ said with a satisfied grin. Topper rolled his eyes.
“ Don’t let the cops hear you say that.”
“ It doesn’t matter what I say, the cops don’t hear anything but Maybank.” Then he grabbed a crystal container and took a long gulp. Topper debated on whether or not to acknowledge the little slip. He couldn’t lie to himself and say that phrase hadn’t given him pause. There was no obligation to be so forthcoming or personal with him. JJ seemed to notice his hesitation. He rolled his eyes and shoved the liquor into Topper’s hands.
“ Stop acting like I just said something you didn’t already know.” Topper shrugged. Wasn’t wrong there. He took his own long drink, feeling the nice burn. It was high-end, expensive alcohol, something Topper hadn’t had in a while. He thought it was strong, enough he barely managed to keep from coughing. JJ had already gone back to digging through the rest of the bottles.
“ Seriously? All this stuff is so pansy. How do you Kooks get through a day with this weak shit?”
“ You realize this is a $800 bottle of scotch.” Topper said defensively.
“ Well, you got ripped off.” JJ sighed disappointingly and selected another bottle. Topper watched him guzzle from there, before dropping his gaze to his leg again.
“ I didn’t do that—right?” He asked.
“ What, this?” JJ asked, motioning to the cut. “ Nah, all I got from you was road rash and a mark off my bucket list.”
“ You had getting hit by a car on your bucket list?” JJ rolled his eyes.
“ It’s a joke, Topper.”
“ I can never be sure with you.” He muttered, taking another swig of his drink. “ So, who jumped you? Was it a drug dealer? Is that why you couldn’t go to the hospital?”
“ I’m not that popular. Just a little disagreement with a guy.”
“ Why no hospital, then?”
“ Why all the questions?” JJ shot back.
“ Figured you owed me for saving your ass.” Topper said. It was a lie. He was curious.
“ Fine. The hospital and I don’t have a good relationship, alright? Too many visits.”
“ Hmm.” Topper hummed, leaning back and closing his eyes. “ I would find that a little funny, ya know? Seein’ the same idiot every week for some stupid shit.” JJ laughed weakly.
“ Not when you get accused of stuff.”
“ That’s why then?”
“ Yup.” He popped the p. “ Not in the mood for DCS questions tonight.”
“ Makes sense.” Topper mumbled. He decided he didn’t want to get into that.
From there, they drank in near silence. Eventually, Topper had to stop himself. His father might not notice a little bit gone, but JJ was going through the bottle way too fast.
“ Alright, that’s enough.”
“ Hey!” JJ complained. Topper gave him a deadpan look.
“ I thought you said it was weak shit. Pansy.”
“ Yeah, but it tastes like money.”
“ Whatever.” He yanked the bottle out of his hands and put it back in the cabinet. JJ slipped down from his position against the wall until he was lying on his back on the carpet. Topper looked at him curiously as he locked it back up.
“ You okay, man?”
“ No.” JJ breathed, before forcing himself to his feet. “ What time is it?”
“ About 1.”
“ Ugh, that’s not good.”
“ Why not?” Topper asked. He walked towards the door, waiting for JJ to get the hint and follow him out. He did, but took his sweet time.
“ Not the best time to walk through the Cut, ya know.”
“ Why would you go walk through the Cut?” JJ turned to look at him incredulously.
“ I know I just drank a $800 bottle of Scotch, but I still ain’t a Kook. I don’t live in a McMansion.”
“ Trust me, I know.” Topper but his lip, thinking. JJ was definitely buzzed now, if not drunk. And it would take hours to walk from Figure Eight to The Cut with that leg. That was not a good mix. Not even for JJ Maybank. Topper knew what he had to do. And if part of his reasoning was it would tick Rafe off, who needed to know?
“ Why don’t you just stay the night?” JJ stopped on the landing, looking at Topper with the most dumbfounded look he’d ever seen.
“ What ?”
“ Stay the night. It’s already late, and I’m not about to go driving back to the Cut.”
JJ still didn’t move. Topper groaned, already regretting his decision.
“ It’s not a big deal, man. You look halfway to passing out anyway.” He started down the stairs, and JJ slowly followed.
“ Fine.” Topper almost stumbled, grabbing onto the hand railing in surprise. He hadn’t expected him to agree that quickly. Ignoring JJ’s snicker, he led him to the guest bedroom, just across the hall from his own room.
“ Right, so you have en-suite bathroom there—with extra towels, soap, and everything. The sheets are clean, pillows too. Uh, there’s guest pajamas in the dresser, and a robe hanging in the closet. ” JJ burst out laughing.
“ Are you kidding me? That is the kookiest shit I’ve ever heard.”
“ Just shut up, alright?” Topper huffed, he should’ve kept that part quiet. JJ hesitantly ventured past the doorway.
“ So, as payment, am I supposed to make you breakfast in bed, or what?” Topper snorted.
“ Just don’t wake me up before 10.”
“ No guarantees.” JJ said distractedly, already halfway to the bed.
“ Right. Well, don’t bleed through onto the sheets.”
“ Goodnight to you, too.” JJ smirked, kicking his shoes off and hopping onto the bed. Topper shook his head and shut the door behind him. He breathed out heavily, dropping his face into his hands. It felt like it had been hours since he’d hit JJ, and yet it couldn’t have been more than one. And now he was spread out in his guest room. The weirdest part was they hadn’t fought, physically at least, so that made everything even more surreal. Honestly, he was a little nervous about what would happen when the night ended. How could either of them just forget anything happened?
Topper crossed into his own room, going through the regular motions of his bedtime routine as he pondered on the night’s events. Maybe it was the alcohol making everything hazy—but JJ had opened up to him, whether he knew it or not. Maybe the self-deprecating thoughts were on brand for him. But still, the DCS comment and the fact Topper still wasn’t quite sure why it looked like JJ had been run over by a bus before he’d hit him kept cropping up in his mind. Why should he care about JJ? He had no doubt that in a few years, the gap between them would be bigger than it ever had. Topper would be off at some prestigious college, and JJ might not have even graduated. He was pretty sure he’d end up back in Figure Eight in a decade or so, just like his parents. And JJ would still be living in the Cut, like his parents. It was just how things worked in the Outer Banks. If Pogues worked hard enough, like Mike Carrera had, they could make it to Kook status—but Mike had had Anna to help get them started and most Pogues didn’t have that opportunity. Topper sighed, scrubbing his face roughly, trying to rid his mind of all these confusing thoughts. He shouldn’t be thinking about this. He should be focusing on the fact Rafe Cameron was mad at him and he had JJ Maybank in his guest room. Both were more important at the moment then revolutionary thoughts about class systems. He flicked off the lights, took two melatonins, unwilling to let his brain keep him up, and climbed into bed.
~~~~~
Intending to wake up early enough to find JJ still in bed so he could ensure he hadn’t stolen anything or broke something, Topper cursed as he gazed blearily at the time. 9 AM? He should’ve been up hours ago. He scrambled up, tugging his door open and crossing the hall. Then, his hand on the doorknob, took a deep breath and slowly pushed the door open. The room was empty. He walked to the bathroom, and found it empty too. The only indication that JJ had spent the night was the messily made bed. He stood there for a moment, trying to decide what to do when a loud bang sounded from upstairs. Topper jumped, staring upwards. The maid wasn’t scheduled for today. That meant it had to be JJ. JJ potentially breaking something expensive. Topper ran for the stairs, taking them two at a time, skidding into the kitchen to find JJ standing in the middle of the room surrounded by fruit. The large stainless steel bowl that usually held them upside a few feet away.
“ Hi.” JJ said after a moment.
“ Seriously?” Topper groaned. “ What were you even trying to do?” JJ shrugged.
“ At first, I wanted some aspirin or something, and then I couldn’t remember if you’re supposed to have it with an empty stomach or not, and I saw the fruit, but then I hit my leg against the cupboard handle and started falling, so I grabbed the counter to stop it and then grabbed the bowl instead.”
“ Right.” Topper said, still not a hundred percent sure what happened. “ Okay, I’ll grab a trash bag, and we can pick it up.”
“ Trash?”
“ Well, most of it is probably bruised now and the floor hasn’t been cleaned since Sunday.”
“ Dude, that’s like 40 bucks worth of food you’re just tossing because it’s gonna taste a little different.”
“ If you’re going to eat something, it might as well taste good.” Topper said defensively. “ Besides, it’s been a week or so since we got them, they’re not going to be too good anymore.” JJ just shook his head.
“ Do Kooks like wasting money? You have so much of it you have to find some way to get rid of it.”
“ Do Pogues just like judging Kooks for everything they do?” Topper retorted, snatching a paper bag from a drawer and starting to scoop the fruit into it. JJ scoffed.
“ Judge you? Of course we do! If I had even 10% of your monthly allowance, I wouldn’t have to decide if I wanted to eat or keep the power on.” Topper paused.
“ You pay the bills?” JJ let out a huff of laughter.
“ Of course I do. You know who my dad is, Topper. You really think the Salvage Yard pays enough for him to get his pills and his beer and then pay the water bill?”
“ But, you’re just a kid, you shouldn’t have too.”
“ Pogues don’t get to be kids. We have to suck it up and get a job so we don’t go hungry.” Topper started picking up the fruit again, before quietly saying,
“ I didn’t know that.”
“ Of course you didn’t.” JJ carefully knelt beside him, placing an apple in the bag. “ Don’t even know why I’m telling you this. It’s not like you’ll ever have to worry about it. You probably won’t even remember it when I leave.” Topper didn’t reply. He wasn’t sure what was happening between them right now. It was all very civil, but tense. One of them would screw up eventually and it would more likely than not end in bloodshed. And honestly, Topper was enjoying this JJ Maybank. He never would have thought he would want to voluntarily hang out with him. It hurt to say, but being around Kelce and Rafe felt like walking on eggshells. All the time, terrified of saying the wrong thing or doing something they didn’t like. And sure, kneeling next to JJ right now, Topper was careful about his movements and words. But he also knew JJ was being just as cautious. There was comfort in their shared solidarity. He placed the final banana in the bag and stood up. JJ followed, gripping the counter for support.
“ So, do you still want some breakfast? I was going to make an omelet.” JJ hesitated.
“ I have work at 10. At the Island Club. And I probably shouldn’t be late again.”
“ Oh. I just figured, with your leg, you would take a break.”
“ I can’t.”
“ Right, Bills.” Topper remembered. “ You know, if you need some help, I could give you some cash.”
“ I don’t want your charity.” JJ said stiffly. “ Besides, it’s not the bills. Not really.”
“ Oh. Your guy.”
“ My guy?” JJ asked confusedly.
“ The one you had a disagreement with last night.” Topper said. “ Who apparently split your leg open.”
JJ scowled. “ He didn’t do it, I did.”
“ You…split your own leg open?” Topper asked confusedly.
“ No, you idiot. I was running away from him, and tripped.”
“ Running away? And you owe him money? Is it a drug dealer?“
JJ snorted. “ I ain’t Rafe, I don’t do the hard stuff.”
“ Then who?”
“ Doesn’t matter.”
“ Wait—no hospital, no cops, on the run…the police are after you!” Topper shouted. JJ face-palmed.
“ Are you serious? You think I’m a fugitive?”
“ And nobody would ever think you’re hiding out in a Kook’s house, that’s why you agreed to get in the car and stay the night!” At first, Topper was just saying things, but now that he thought about it, it did make sense.
“ Definitely not because my leg has a hole in it and I wanted to steal some aspirin from you.” Topper ignored him.
“ What did you do? Steal? You look like you were in a fight—did you try and steal something? Pick a fight? Oh, I know, you snuck into a bar and started a bar fight. Who—”
“ It was my dad, okay?” JJ cried, fed up. Topper stopped, mouth falling open in surprise. “ My own asshole father beat the shit out of me. Happy?”
Topper shut his mouth, swallowing thickly. He hadn’t wanted to know this. What was he thinking, pressing him for answers that he didn’t need to know?
“ Why?” He finally asked. JJ laughed, but it sent chills down Topper’s spine.
“ Hell if I know. Probably ran out of pills and thought I was stealing them.”
“ JJ—”
“ It’s fine though. It’s nothing that hasn’t happened before.”
Topper shook his head incredulously. “ That’s not okay, you can’t just let that happen to you. Why haven’t you called the cops, or DCS?” He couldn’t understand why JJ was so chill about it all. This was huge!
“ Because they’ll stick me in foster care on the mainland, idiot.”
“ So? You’ll be safe there.”
“ Safe ? Foster care sucks, okay? Sure, there’s probably some nice young couple somewhere, but most of them just want the extra paycheck or a punching bag, alright? At least here I have the Pogues and my freedom.”
“ But why haven’t you told anyone? You could go live with someone else, unofficially, but stay in the OBX.”
“ What do you think I’ve been doing at the Château all these years?” And suddenly, Topper’s respect for both JJ and John B. doubled. They weren’t just stupid Pogues who didn’t stress because they knew they’d end up working a dead-end job, they were teenagers fending for themselves in an unforgiving world.
“ But, isn’t Big John gone? All the time? How is he supposed to sub in for your dad?”
JJ scowled. “ I don’t need anyone subbing in for my dad. Big John is a hundred times better than Luke already, and he doesn’t try to interfere. He just lets me come over when I need to and stay as long as I want.” Topper could tell JJ was very much past done with this conversation. And he didn’t want to end this on bad terms. So he took a step back and raised his hands.
“ Okay. Whatever. Let’s just get you to work.” JJ nodded curtly.
“ Fine. But I’m taking this.” He grabbed the bag of fruit. Topper sighed.
“ I don’t care. You know I was just going to throw it out anyway.” He grabbed his keys and started for the garage with JJ on his heels. The ride to the Island Club was still tense, but Topper felt as if the gap between them had lessened. Just a tiny bit. And not the class one, which had probably widened after all of JJ’s confessions, but the one between them as people. Things had been shared that couldn’t be taken back.
“ Is there a reason you aren’t hanging out with Rafe?” JJ asked randomly. Topper glanced over in surprise.
“ We…had a fight. And I don’t want to risk seeing him while he’s still angry at me.”
“ Yeah, not a fun experience.” JJ said.
“ I guess that sucks, man. ‘Cause Kelce is definitely taking his side, right? So you’re all alone.” Topper shrugged.
“ At least until they decide I was just being stupid or something and let me back into the group.”
“ Right.” Neither of them talked again until Topper had pulled up to the Island Club.
“ So, you’re good, now?”
“ Yeah.” JJ opened the door and climbed out. “ I’ll just catch a ride from JB or Kie when I’m done. Your blood debt has been payed in full.” He decided not to comment on that.
“ Cool. So, I’m just gonna go, then.” JJ gave him a sarcastic salute.
“ Good riddance.”
“ Goodbye to you too.” Topper said. JJ took his bag of fruit and shut the door, walking towards the employee doors with a slight limp. Topper watched for a second longer. Maybe it was creepy. But he was more worried about the fact they had spent nearly 9 hours together civilly.
Sure, they’d argued a couple times and had traded jabs back and forth all night, but considering that time JJ had nearly shoved him into the bonfire during a kegger or when Topper had nearly choked him out during a fight, it was like they’d spent the night singing Kumbaya together. Topper shook himself, and started to drive away. Everything that had happened between them was in the past. It would be like it never happened. All they had confessed to each other, all the nice things they’d done, he had to ignore it.
But still, he hated the goosebumps he got when he thought about the way JJ had broken down about his dad. How his voice had been steady and nonchalant, but his eyes were hard and his body tense. How was he just supposed to forget about that? He had half a mind to drive straight to the Sheriff’s office, but JJ’s harsh truth about the foster system stopped that thought immediately. He couldn’t risk JJ getting sent somewhere he could be neglected and abused, but wouldn’t be able to run off to a safe haven. And besides, it sounded like he had his system down. And it was common knowledge that Maybanks were stubborn as hell. JJ wouldn’t accept help. Otherwise he knew one of the other Pogues would have already gotten him out of his house. They had to know about his home situation. And Topper knew the cops well enough in this town, they probably wouldn’t do anything anyway. Nobody trusted a Maybank. But as Topper thought back to the JJ he’d gotten to know over the past 8 hours, and he suddenly had the realization that, for the first time, he might have met the true JJ Maybank.