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Out of everything Jolyne could possibly think of, she would never think she would end up in this position.
Of course, she knew she was one to be thrilled by going against what people or the world have told her, always finding a path just for her. Jolyne knew sometimes that would lead her into the wrong direction, but never anything as bad as this.
That’s because today, at the ripe age of fifteen, Jolyne Kujo had been arrested for stealing a man’s wallet.
There was one problem though.
She didn’t steal that man’s wallet.
Here is the situation:
Jolyne, with letting Dad know and dropping her off beforehand, was exploring the groove they live nearby, pleased that he let her go shopping there for the day. She had been scouting at all the stores to see if they was anything to her liking (and by liking she means anything with butterflies on them) and even with all the time she was there, Jolyne had only acquired two things: A new blue butterfly crop top and a headband, something she new would go great with that shirt.
As soon as she paid for those two things, she left and went to the gas station, since with all the money she had left, she knew she could afford the cheap food there to fulfill her appetite. Jolyne walked in and walked out with a bag of Lay’s chips and a sandwich, ready to sit at one of the benches and eat her lunch and talk to Dad for a little bit. Though, as she made her way to the wooden thing, her eye couldn’t help but catch the brown leather thing on the floor: a wallet.
And that’s when everything went to shit.
When noticing the wallet, she also heard a man’s cries of distress about losing it, looking frantically for it. So, thinking that it might be nice to help the man, she carefully picked up the wallet, holding it gently in her hand. Once having it with her, she gets up and as soon as she is about to call out the man, he starts yelling at her with widened eyes, pointing at her accusingly.
“ Thief! ” He yelled, getting louder by the second. “She took my wallet!”
Fuck .
Before Jolyne knew it, two cops had surrounded her, putting her arms behind her back as they wrapped the cuffs around her, yelping from how tight it was. The cuffs dug into her skin, bound to leave marks that might stay there forever.
(Guess it’s another thing Dad and her could, having scars run down their bodies as horrible as it sounds.)
It pissed Jolyne the fuck off that no matter how much explanation or words that came out of her mouth, mumbled and fumbled together, the cops never listened to her. Instead they gave snarky replies and said “lying to a cop isn’t good,” while roughly showing her inside the blue and white car. It boiled her blood when hearing that and she was ready to spit in the man’s face while giving her an earful, but she heard Dad’s voice in the back of her head, telling her that would only make things worse, so for once today she kept her mouth shut. Jolyne was already in so much trouble for something she didn’t do, why create more?
So, at 4:45 P.M. Jolyne was officially put into a jail cell.
Fucking wonderful .
Even with the painfully tight cuffs and annoying cops, there was something worse that she knew she had to do soon, making her shake every time she thought of it.
Calling Dad.
Jolyne is aware that he has had calls about her and the behavior with some of the events that happened in school. It was mostly about her fights and the damage she has caused, the staff asking him to pick her up. She is always waiting for him to yell at her, give her an earful about her wrongdoings, but she is always surprised that he never does, explaining to her gently but firmly, that she should only fight to help and not hurt and it’s what she has done ever since.
Jolyne was always anxious whenever that call was made, stomach in knots as her mind made up scenarios of the fallout between the two of them.
But this ?
Jolyne’s fucking terrified . The bile crawls up her throat, seconds away from throwing up, hands shaking more and more the closer the officer gets to her.
Eventually, the man comes to her cell, opening the door swiftly. Without exchanging a word between the two of them, he uncuffs her with a loud clicking sound. Jolyne instantly runs her hands, hoping to soothe the throbbing pain in her wrists. Her green eyes stare at the officer deadly, though he seems to not be phased at all as he throws her a bored look, securing the silver object on his belt.
“We can call your father now and see if he can arrive to get you out.”
Jolyne swallows thickly as she nods, pushing some of her green bangs back as she unsteadily gets up. Her legs wobble as she takes her first step, already imagining how bad this call can go. She knows Dad never seems angry about these type of things, but she wonders if this is the thing that pushes her over the edge, finally getting the earful she has always been expecting.
The closer they get to the pay phone, the worse her shaking gets, it becomes so bad that she has to grip her arm, hoping that might be enough to make it stop. The police officer stops right by the black device, watching her carefully as she steps next to him. They quickly exchange what Dad’s telephone number is, her fumbling over the numbers as panic enters her system. The man presses in the correct numbers and brings the phone up to his ear, waiting patiently for him to answer as Jolyne is on the verge of tears. Dad picks up quickly (because if you see the words “police”, everyone will) and he starts talking to him, Jolyne tuning him out because of how stressed she is. All she could hear is Dad’s yelling in her mind and her warning to never do something like this, the fear of it eating her up inside.
Reality catches up to her when the cop taps her shoulder, making her jump a little bit.
“You can speak to your father now.”
Jolyne nods as she grabs the phone of the man’s hand, clenching into it so tightly that she can hear the plastic creak a little. Her heart is in her throat as she brings the phone to her ear, stomach turning into violent knots. With a big gulp, Jolyne speaks to him.
“Dad?”
“Jolyne?” Dad says curiously, not the angry tone she was expecting him to sound. It’s almost as if he was confused, for as passive as his voice was. “What happened?”
He’s not angry.
Jolyne could feel the way tears were starting to build up in her eyes from hearing that tone alone, but quickly brushes them off with her finger.
“Dad, it was an accident, I swear it was. I know you weren’t expecting this today and I don’t know what the cop told you, but I hope you know I would never do something like this,” Jolyne explained rapidly as she bit her lip. God, she hopes Dad believes her. He knows that she is a shit liar and would never mess around with something as serious as this. Jolyne has always been truthful to him with important information and nothing will ever change that.
Still, the doubt seeps in.
What if Dad doesn’t believe her?
She clenches onto the phone tighter than before, feeling the way it is seconds from snapping as she thinks this and let out a shaker breath.
“Dad, you have to believe me. I would never let myself get arrested! I promise I would, I swear I —“
“Butterfly, of course I believe you.”
Dad believes her.
Thank God .
Relief entered her system once more and a small smile graced her lips. She’s glad Dad has always been on her side.
“It might take a little awhile, but as soon as I cancel my flight, I’ll come and pick you up, alright?”
Jolyne freezes when hearing those words, feeling as if a bucket of ice cold water was dumped on her.
She completely forgot he was leaving for Japan today.
It was just going to be a quick business trip for five days in Tokyo to deal with a new stand user the SPW had found. Dad had told her about this a week before and they had made rearrangements for Grandma to come down later tonight to watch her. And the worst part was, right before he dropped her off, he said this to her.
“Don’t get in trouble when I am gone.”
And you know what Jolyne responded with?
“I won’t, Dad. Love you!”
And look where she ended up.
In. Jail.
(Jolyne wants to bury herself alive.)
Her face becomes a dark shade of red as she rubs the back of her neck, doing anything to soothe out her embarrassment. She is hoping with anything that the floor might consume her to forget about this entire day.
“ Shit ! I am so sorry, Dad. I didn’t mean for this to happen and—shit, don’t they need it for this trip?” Jolyne panicky asks, the guilt rolling inside her like waves.
She can hear the way the phone ruffles a little, giving her the signal that he probably is shaking his head.
“Jolyne, it’s fine. They didn’t need me that much anyways, they can get someone else to take care of the user.”
She’s bitting her lips so hard that is almost bleeds.
“Are you sure?”
“Jolyne,” Dad responds, voice the softest she has ever heard it, it comforts her, easing the guilt a little. “I’m sure.”
She sighs as she leans herself against the pay phone.
“Okay,” she pauses. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. Listen, I’ll be there as fast as I can. Be safe, okay? Sometimes people can be real assholes in jail.”
Jolyne chuckles a little, glad that he is trying to make her feel better with his odd ways. She doesn’t even have to see him to know he is smiling just a bit.
“I will,” she says as she grips tightly on the phone again. “Love you, Dad.”
“Love you too, butterfly. Don’t cause any more trouble.”
“ Dad! ”
“Alright,” Dad chuckles lightly. “Bye.”
“Bye, Dad,” Jolyne softly whispers out.
Within seconds, Jolyne hears static in her hear. She gently places the black phone on the holder as she turns back towards the cop, staring at her intently, waiting to see what the answer to be to someone picking her up.
“My dad can come and get me,” Jolyne tells him blankly as he nods, lifting himself off the wall.
The cop’s hands go towards his belt, unhooking the cuffs once more as he unlocks them, placing them roughly back onto her wrists. She winches as he tightens them, it being more painful than it was the first time. Jolyne throws him heated glare with her green eyes, something he seems to ignore. Once done, he places the key into the small hole and locks them, putting the key in his pocket when satisfied with his work. The cops take one last look at her before he turns around and starts walking towards her cell, Jolyne following after him with her feet shuffling slowly against the concrete floor, ignoring the way her camouflage pants were getting dirty.
They reached her cell in a few minutes and the cop immediately went to open up the metal door, letting her in first. Jolyne sat down onto the plastic chair provided there as she waited for the cop to move the handcuffs off her right hand, relieved to no longer feel the pain on her wrists. She grunts quietly to herself as he attaches the cuff to one of the metal doors on the cell, the rush of pain being too much for her. The man leaves and locks her cell without a word, the only noise was the creaking of my door as it echoed throughout the hall.
Jolyne brings her knees to her chest, the pants bunching up as it pressed against her orange shirt. For the first time that day, she is able to relax a little and rest her head on her free arm. She can rest because she has a couple hours before Dad arrives, it being a nightmare of traffic from the airport, the guilt growing inside her again that he has to drive during the worst time of day.
Jolyne feels as time crawls by, going as slow as a turtle walks. The most interesting thing that goes on around her is the new people the cops bring in, the yelling in commotion being captivating for a few minutes before it quiets down as they accept the fate of waiting for someone as she has. The worst was when a guy screamed for an hour, finally losing her patience as she shouted at him to shut up. She knew the guy was thinking of having a verbal fight with him, but the steely glare Jolyne threw at him must have spooked him because he grew pale before he sat down, looking everywhere except for her.
At some point she must has nodded off because on second she was staring at an empty cell in front of her, playing I Spy in her mind because that’s how bored she was and then the next she saw another girl in front of her, crying quietly as she held onto her thighs with a deathly grip. Jolyne was about to talk to her, surprised to find another girl, but before she could, her dad was in front of her, getting her out as she hugged him happily, both pleased to be reunited with each other.
A spark of sadness grew inside her as Jolyne realized how much she wished Dad was her right now, being able to get her out of this shithole and be with him again, giving him the hug he should have gotten when he dropped her off.
(She’s misses Dad more than she ever has in her life, now hoping more than ever he could get here soon.
Jolyne will never take advantage of their time together ever again.)
Her wish came true quickly though.
From the corner of her eye, her eyes landed on Dad’s signature purple coat, the green star being the dead give away that it was him. Jolyne immediately pricks up, a smile spreading across her face as she watches the coat get closer down to the hall. Without thinking, she tries to run up to the door, letting a hiss of pain that was also a groan of disappointment, when the cuff stops her in her tracks. Instead, Jolyne does what everyone has been doing when they see a loved one come in.
“ Dad!! ” Jolyne shouts, smiling wide.
The purple coat turns around and she almost cries on the spot as she sees Dad’s face. He doesn’t run, but he does speed walk to her cell, making the cop have to rush up to meet her. She tries to keep her smile even, to calm him down about the situation she is in, but she can’t stop the grimace forming on his face as his eyes catch into the cuff and the mark it left behind, giving him an angered look that the cop never saw. Jolyne tries to keep the tears at bay, but the second the door clicks open, she knows they are already coming down her face, never being more relieved to be out of her and with Dad. She didn’t care how much her wrists were killing her, she ran towards him, wrapping him up in a tight hug, so happy how quickly he reciprocated.
Jolyne stays firmly planted by her side as he talks to the cop, ignoring what they are taking about as she savors the fact that she came. She always knew he would, but knowing he drove during traffic, canceled his fight and the missions just to help her out of jail meant more to her than words can describe. She so’s fucking grateful and the thought of everything he has done makes her want to cry again, burying her head into his side as he grip tightens around him. Jolyne feels the way his Dad goes to her back, rubbing it, making her feel more relaxed and safe than she has felt in the entire day.
At some point the conversation reaches the end and they both exchange some polite goodbyes, but Jolyne is aware he doesn’t mean them with how tight and strained his voice was, barely keeping his anger at bay. The cop leaves and it’s just the two of them again, just as she always knew it as.
Dad comes down to her level he gently grabs onto her wrists, his stare feeling like it was burning into her skull. He begins to rub them.
“Your wrists,” Dad starts off with, a frown forms on his face as his eyes become full of worry. “Do you want me to bandage them so they won’t hurt as much?”
Out of everything Jolyne was expecting him to ask, that was not one of them. She was expecting anything about how she got her or what the cop said, not about her wrist. So hearing that question makes her smile again, shaking her head.
“Nah, they’re fine. The pain will probably go away soon, but thank you, Dad,” Jolyne responds sincerely, touched by his offer.
Dad nods before he gets up, never letting her go and reaching out towards her right hand. Normally, she wouldn’t hold his hand, thinking she was too old for it now and it was better to walk on her own, but right now she wants nothing more than that. She grabs onto his large and rough hand instantly, the warmth of it calming her down more. Dad’s eyes widen slightly as he uses his other hand to pull down on his hat, not at all expecting her to do that, but from the little peak of the smile Jolyne can see, she knows that it has made her entire day, happy beyond words.
Dad lifts his purple hat and looks down at her.
“Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
Jolyne chuckles into her hand, smile becoming big again.
“Hell yeah.”
Nothing more is spoken between the two of them as they leave. They try to make their way out as quickly as possible, letting Dad take the lead so that can happen. When they finally get outside, she gets the idea she has been in there for at least 4 or so hours as her eyes land onto the sun setting, the golden light hitting everything it touches. She stops for a moment, taking a deep breath, enjoying her moment of being outside again. Just as she will with Dad’s hugs, she won't ever take advantage of the world around her. For the brief time she was in jail, it made her crave just to be out in the world again, never wanting more to feel the soft touch of grass on her fingertips. She can tell Dad has figured out her need to enjoy the moment around her, taking a deep breath along with her as he patiently waits for her to finish. Jolyne gives him the signal he has been waiting for by pulling down on his hand, now taking the lead to walk back to his car. She pauses at the driver’s seat as she moves her head towards the car with a smile, telling him to open the door. He nods as he fishes the keys out of his pocket, pressing the button until the car comes alive, lighting up the sideway for a brief second. They both enter, placing themselves on top of the cushioned seat, Jolyne leaning her head against the window instantly, pleased by how cool it is.
Jolyne expects Dad to immediately start the car and drive them home, but she is completely thrown off guard with his question.
“Where do you want to go?” Dad asks, hands on the wheel, ready to drive her whenever she wants to go.
She wipes her head around, eyes blow wide open, staring at him as if he was the strangest creature on Earth. Her not responding seems to confuse Dad, his brow raising high the longer the silence prolongs between the two of them.
“Jolyne?”
“You want to go out somewhere?” Jolyne responds when she is able to find the right words. She, of course, is pleased that Dad isn’t mad, but her getting placed into jail (no matter how unjust it was) doesn’t sound like something would warrant a reward.
Dad shakes his head.
“Not me, you,” he clarifies, as if it is the simplest thing in the world. Blue meets green, the blue ones staring at her with curiosity. “Do you want to go anywhere?”
She blinks, mind running a mile a minute as she tries to grasp what is going on.
“But, I was just in jail , Dad.”
“It was an accident and plus, jail kind of sucks. So, it's nice to go anywhere after being in a place like that.”
Jolyne blinks again.
“You being serious, Dad? You haven’t lost it yet?”
Dad huffs as he rolls his eyes.
“I haven’t lost it yet, Jolyne,” Dad grumbles out as he sighs, leaning against the seat more, his eyes never leaving yours. “And I am being completely serious. So, where do you want to go?”
There is a feeling that Dad is saying more than he means, but being presented with the option of going anywhere she wants, overrides that feeling and blurts out the only possible place that comes to mind first.
“McDonalds!” Jolyne shouts out, hands in fist as she shakes them excitedly.
“I figured,” Dad sighs, but the small smile is evident on his face as he pulls out. She snorts.
“You did ask me, Dad.”
He sighs again, which only makes her giggle, glad that normalcy is strong to come back again.
A comfortable silence falls between the two of them as he drives towards the restaurant, Jolyne taking in the view of all the palm trees that they pass by. The soft tune of the pop music in the background is the only noise made in the car, almost with Dad’s tapping against the steering wheel. It is a quick drive and they pull up into the McDonald’s, him turning off the car as soon as they get a parking spot. Jolyne practically runs out of the vehicle, wanting to get her meal as fast as possible and Dad rushes to get to her, grumbling to himself about how she shouldn’t run so quickly. There was only one person in front of them and when the person finished, they got up next, Jolyne instantly telling the women her order, Dad going as soon as she was done. They both ordered cheeseburgers, drinks, and fries and they waited off to the side to get their meals. It took around 10 minutes for them to get their food and once they got it, Dad found a booth for them, the two of them sitting on the same side of the table. They both quickly got their meals out, Jolyne practically tearing the bag open to get it, Dad having to sternly tell her to sit down to make sure they didn’t lose any of it to the floor. Once all the food is on the table, they began eating, Jolyne humming happily when taking the first bite of her burger.
It is after Dad takes a few bites of his burger, does a conversation start between them.
“So, what happened?” Dad asks seriously, crossing his arms on the table.
Ah, so that’s why he wanted to take her out, to hear her side of the story.
Jolyne sighs as she rubs her arm, trying to calm the knot in her stomach.
“What did the cop tell you?”
“You stole a man’s wallet.”
Jolyne knows Dad believes her that he didn’t do that, but she couldn’t help to let the words out of her mouth.
“I didn’t steal his wallet,” she snaps, not at all meaning for it to come out that way. She’s afraid for half a second for him to yell at her, but he instead hums, blinking at her.
“I know, so what happened?” Dad repeats again, waiting patiently for her answer.
(Jolyne’s so fucking glad that he believes her, just wiling to hear her side more than anything else. She’s not sure what she would do if he didn’t, so gratefulness swells up in her heart.)
“When I was done at the grove, I left to go to a gas station to find some food. I got the food I wanted and then, I left and that is when I noticed the man’s wallet on the floor. I heard him frantically yell and search for the thing, so I thought it would be nice to give it to him. I picked it up and as soon as I had it in my hand, the man turned around and accused me of stealing his wallet. And well, you know what happens next,” Jolyne explains, moving her hand off to her arms to fiddle with her thumbs. Now,she is the one patiently waiting for his answer. She knows that he won’t get angry, but the unknown of his response puts her on edge.
Dad scuffs as he pats her shoulder.
“Got fucked for doing a nice thing, huh?”
Jolyne sighs but it quickly turns into a chuckle. His response wasn’t bad, it was funny even.
“Yeah, I told you it was an accident.”
“I know,” Dad says with a little smirk on his face. “The only wallet you would want to steal is mine.”
Jolyne gasps.
“ Hey! I would not! ”
“I’m joking,” Dad deadpans as he shoves a fry in his mouth, having a hard time pushing his smirk from becoming bigger.
It’s there in that moment, that all the thankfulness she has for Dad washes over her hits her like a truck. She knows how difficult it was for him to come here and he could have easily waited until he was done, but he didn’t and came back for her. It makes her feel a strong emotion of love, so happy to have him as her father. She knows what she has to tell him.
“Thank you for coming to get me,” Jolyne tells him with a small smile, hoping Dad sees every ounce of appreciation in it.
He smiles back fondly right after a huff.
“Of course, butterfly. I will always come back for you.”
Jolyne laughs as she gives him an evil grin, knowing it’s his turn for teasing now.
“Thank God I can always count on your soft side, Dad.”
“This will be the last time I help, Jolyne.”
“Hey! What the hell!” She shouts as she hits him in the arm lightly, before gasping as he steals some of her fries. As revenge, she takes some of his.
“That’s not fair,” Dad says with a frown, though she is not a fool and sees the mischief in them.
“It’s not fair that you said you won’t help me anymore!”
“You deserved what I said.”
“Hey!” Jolyne tells again as she points at him accusingly. “Meanie!”
“Actually, I think you were the mean one to be before.”
“ I was not! ”
It is there Dad couldn’t keep a straight face anymore and starts to laugh softly, Jolyne following soon after with her tiny giggles. She scots closer to him as she gives him a side hug, something he returns quickly and it’s the widest smile she has ever seen on him.
All in all, for how shitty of a day it became, it ended nicely and honestly, Jolyne’s glad Dad will always be here for her.