Zach and June had spent almost an entire hour tearfully catching up, the apologies out of the way and her mind set at ease. Coming home was starting to look better and better by the moment, proven by the fact that she now knew Zach didn't hate her.

"And then this guy in Barbados—" June was cut off by the sound of a car door slamming, the girl looking at the window and then shaking her head and looking back at Zach. "This guy in Barbados—"

"Get the hell out of here!" Both Zach and June looked now, the voice belonging to her father as the shout carried all the way from outside into her room. June stood, holding a hand up to Zach and approaching the window with furrowed eyebrows. Once she took in the scene her eyes widened, her heart stopping as she saw who her dad was yelling at.

JJ.

"Oh no." She said, hurrying towards the door as fast as she could. She ripped her bedroom door open, running down the stairs at a quickened pace. Her heart pounded in her chest as she approached the front door, the shouting from outside making a lump grow in her throat.

"Sir I—please I just want to see her. June—"

"No you're gonna to stay the hell away from my daughter! I'm not losing her again because of you fucking kids." June ripped the front door open, running onto the porch to see what was going on. She was confused, but the second JJ saw her his anger felt reprieve, his heart felt alleviation from the stress he was under.

"Dad! What are you doing?!" June asked, hurrying down the steps and towards  where her parents were. Her dads face as red with anger as he looked at JJ, the boys eyes wide as he looked at him in disbelief. Her mother was standing behind him, the woman quickly rushing to her daughter who was approaching.

"Get out of here! You cannot see my daughter."

"Sir with all due respect your daughter is 17 years old!" JJ argued back, the boy having already had a pretty shitty day before now. He wasn't sure how it could get worse, and all her wanted to do was see June. Even if they weren't on the best of terms.

"Exactly! Meaning she's not 18! Meaning she can't do shit without my say so." Her father argued back, nothing but hatred in his eyes. In his mind it was the boy standing in front of him that had taken his daughter away, that had killed her and kidnapped her and taken her, because before he came into their lives she was doing just fine.

"I just need a minute alone with—" Mr. March cut him off,  June starting to push forwards as the shock of all of this unfolding made her go into panic. Her mother was quick to stop her, grabbing June by the arms and holding her in her place. Her mothers eyes were wide as June looked at her in a strange light, unable to comprehend what was happening. This could not be happening.

"You'll never get a minute alone with her again if I have anything to say about it."

"Honey go back inside your fathers got this handled." It was now that both June and JJ realized that in the Marchs eyes, he was the bad guy. He was the villain. JJ scoffed, shaking his head as his breaths began to quicken.

"Mom let me go!" The shouting had drawn the attention of Tyler and Adam, Junes brother starting down the stairs and towards the scene.  Tyler stood on the porch, realizing his version of paradise may have been a little more complicated than he had expected. Her mother started to forcefully pull her daughter inside, June fussing and turning ti get her mothers hands off of her.

"June!" JJ directed his attention towards her, taking a few steps forwards but being stopped by her father, the man using  his hands to push him back into his place. June opened her mouth but her dad held his hand up,  stopping her before she got the chance.

"Don't talk to him June! I swear to God you better not  talk to him!" JJ saw someone new on the porch, his mouth opening in some weird fashion as he saw Zach come out of the front door. This was all it took for him to realize he would do anything to get a moment alone with her, his rage reaching new heights as his anger issues threatened to make an appearance. Up until now he had attempted to keep his cool, but his eyes left Zach and went to Junes father,  the aggression in his rising as he processed everything that had happened that day in this exact moment. June could see the  switch in his eyes, and so could Adam, the boy trying to decide what to do and where to help.

"She can talk to me if she wants to." JJ said, his tone changing from asking for permission to doing whatever it takes. His attitude astounded Junes father, the girl in question shaking her head and trying to stop the situation from escalating any further.

"JJ just let it go okay? I'll come find you." She said, panicked as she realized her parents were forcefully removing her from the situation.  Their relationship would only get harder now, and she knew that.

"The hell you will June. You will never see him again. Or those fucking pieces of shit you call friends! You'll never—"  Mr. March was cut off by a fist to the jaw, the older man falling to the ground and JJ going to follow him. Mrs. March yelled out and  let go of her daughter, Junes jaw dropping as she looked at the crumpled body of her father. JJ got him in the face again, his fist pulling back for another punch before he was pulled back by Adam, the older March sibling throwing the boy to the ground. He took this as an opportunity and quickly hit him in the face as hard as he could, JJs lip busting as he put his arms up to deflect  another hit.

"JJ! Adam stop!" June snapped into action, her adrenaline pumping as she reached for her brother who was pulling his fist back again. Tyler ran off of the porch, helping June pull Adam off and JJ scrambling up from the ground. Blood streaked his chin and he grit his teeth, Adam pushing past Tyler and June with such rage in him that he had to physically stop himself from killing the boy right there.

"You get out of here! You hear me! Get out of here!" Adam yelled, grabbing JJ by the front of the shirt and then pushing him back. JJs eyes flew to June and she faltered, seeing a look in his eyes that terrified her. It was a look she had only ever seen in Rafes eyes. She let out a breath, turning her head to see where her dad was. He was on the ground, sitting up now as Junes mother spoke to him. Adam was at a standstill with JJ, but JJs eyes were glued to her. Zach had used his crutches to get down the stairs, and they all looked at JJ, the boy processing what he had done in real time. His anger lifted a little bit and he was left breathing in regret, the worst feeling in the world seeping into his bones as he saw the way that they all looked at him. Like he was really the bad guy. Like they were an army against him, and he was alone. The red cloud that had hung over his eyes started to disintegrate and June spoke, putting the weight of what he had done on him finally.

"What did you do?" She whispered, the girl looking at her dads bloodied face and then to JJs, her head shaking in some kind of fear as she looked at him. JJ took a step forwards but she inched backwards and he stopped, Junes head shaking as she looked at him with wide and questioning eyes. Her  step back from him turned his worry into resentment, and he ran a hand through his hair trying to figure out how she could possibly look at him that way.

"June I-"

"JJ you need to leave okay? Just—just get out of here!" June said, her hands flying out towards him. Tyler could only hold Adam at bay for so long, the boy concerned with his father but not as concerned as he should be, his head still turned to JJ. JJ felt his heart rip in half as he turned, sent away by the girl that he loved. He stalked off and then started to run, getting back on his bike and taking off. He felt pain in his chest as June shrunk away from his view, everyone there having looked at him like he was the problem. He felt tears prick at his eyes and he wanted to hit something, to break something. He looked down at his hand and saw the blood on his knuckles and he tightened his grip, pulling the bike over and getting off of it. He pushed it over, running down a dock and kicking over barrels and buckets.

He had lost his home, his girlfriend, and his mind all in one day. All because he wasn't good enough, all because he was a piece of shit. He knew he had ruined everything, ruined his chances of making things up to her, ruined their relationship. He didn't care about that. The only thing he could see was that look in Junes eyes, that look that she had only ever held when she was afraid. She had been afraid of him.

The sun set on him as he stood there, his breaths heavy and loud as he realized returning home was nothing he had wanted. It was the worst thing that had happened to him thus far. His jaw clenched as he tried to get rid of the terrible pain in his chest but he couldn't shake it, nothing he did made him feel less guilty. Less hurt. Less betrayed. Less angry. He would never be enough, he knew it deep down. He saw it right in front of him. He would never be enough.

JJ looked out at the water, the solution presenting itself in big bright letters and making his heart hurt even worse than it already was. He knew what he had to do.

:::

Yikes.

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