30

Junior was seated in the back of the cop car, while his father and Officer Simmons were in the front. Being in the back reminded him of Chef PeePee's arrest, but it's not like there was anywhere else he could sit. He knew he was getting closer to his house. He was terrified.

It'd been days since he was alone with his father, and he wished it'd been longer. The thought of it made his heart race and his body shake. He stared out the window at the passing houses, some of them resembling ones he passed when he first left. They were getting closer and closer.

He remembered his plan, and readied himself. He channeled all of his anxiety into adrenaline, and pumped himself up. He felt his heart beating faster, and his breathing quicken, but he didn't care. The officer then pulled into the driveway.

"Well, here you lads are." Simmons said. Junior grasped the handle, and tried to open the car door, but it was locked. He jiggled it a few times, but the door wouldn't budge. "Oh yeah, the back doors are always locked. I'll let you out in a second, mate." 'Damnit!' Junior thought.

"No need, I'll let him out. Could you help me carry his things inside?" Bowser asked the officer, glancing at Junior for a slight moment. Junior clenched his teeth and watched his father closely as he stepped out of the car to Junior's door. Bowser waited for the officer to get out of his seat to open Junior's door.

Bowser tried to stop Junior from running past by grabbing his wrist, but Junior wiggled out of his grasp and sprinted towards the front door. The officer hadn't even noticed until he was done getting Junior's things out of the trunk. "My, he must be eager to be home." He remarked.

"Yeah... I bet he is." Bowser mumbled, frowning to himself unbeknownst to the officer.

Junior stumbled up the front porch and stood in front of the front door. He yanked and pulled the handle until the door opened, then he bolted inside without even closing the door. He viewed his surroundings, brainstorming a place to hide. He decided that upstairs would have more places to hide, so that's where he went.

"Stupid daddy, not letting me play on my phone..." Jeffy grumbled to himself while sitting in his room playing with his cat piano. "Just because I threw a stupid desk because all the teacher teaches is bullshit!" He continued to bash his cat piano while he sulked.

His piano playing was pretty loud, but not loud enough to mask the sound of quick thumping coming up the stairs. He looked towards his door, only seeing an orange blur coming running inside. It shut the door behind it and sat in front of the door, breathing heavily.

It was Junior.

Junior felt tears starting to fill his eyes. His eyes darted around, and his entire body shook. He pressed his knees up to his chest, and started to sob into them. He knew why he was crying, but at the same time didn't. He should be brave right now, right? I shouldn't be crying right now. That's not what Chef PeePee would do. Or would he? No, he wouldn't.

"Oh, hey Junior! You're back, I didn't even know. Now you can play with me when my daddy isn't looking!" He heard a voice say. He looked towards where it came from, and saw Jeffy. The boy startled him a little; he hadn't even noticed he was sitting there. Though, he also hadn't known what room he'd stumbled into. Jeffy took a good look at Junior, and noticed how disheveled he looked. "Are you... okay?"

"Jeffy! You gotta hide me! My-my dad! He's gonna b-beat me! He always does! Nobody believes me! He's- He's..." Junior stuttered, talking quickly like a crazy person. "Please! Just h-help me!"

Jeffy was now concerned. He recognized this. He hadn't seen anyone fret like this since... Nancy. He straightened his mind, and eyes, and stood up from his bed. "I believe you Junior." Jeffy said. He looked around his room, looking for a good place for Junior to hide. Under the top bed? No... in the toy box? He wouldn't fit... Jeffy's eyes then fixated on his closet, specifically the top part.

There wasn't really anything at the top besides some boxes, and it looked sturdy enough. It also had a part that went behind the wall, like a small crawl-space area. Jeffy knew that because he used to hide green beans up there, but then they started to smell bad so he had to find a new spot. "Come here, Junior." Jeffy said, walking towards the closet. Junior slowly stood up and followed him. Jeffy moved one of the boxes out of the way of the spot. "Stand on my foot, I'm gonna boost you up." He said. Junior took a glance at the top of the closet before nodding, and letting Jeffy boost him up.

It was a tight squeeze, but Junior was able to fit. As Jeffy slid a box in front of him, effectively hiding him, he heard the front door shut. Jeffy let out a breath of relief. "Don't make any noise, or they'll hear you. I'll sneak you some food later." He said. He then went back to his bed, and continued playing his cat piano.