43

Junior woke up to the sound of pounding on his door. He sprang up, fearing the worst, until he realized that it was morning, and not the middle of the night where no one would hear anything. "Junior! Time for school! Why is your door locked?!" He heard Bowser say from the other side. He knocked more, and Junior got up from his bed. Well, actually it was Chef PeePee's bed, but Bowser didn't need to know that.

"I'm up." Junior said tiredly.

"Finally. Get your clothes on, brush your hair, blah blah blah, you know the drill." Bowser said. Junior then heard him walking away. He sighed, before changing his clothes.

Jeffy laid in his bed, still fast asleep in his bunny suit with the carrots. Marvin cracked the door open, and peered inside. "Jeffy, time for school." Jeffy didn't budge. "Jeffy... Jeffy!"

Jeffy stirred. "You aren't touchin' her anymore, CJ. Not after you go into the volcano..." He mumbled, still mostly asleep.

Marvin grumbled before walking over to Jeffy's bed and shaking him. "Wake up, Jeffy."

Jeffy sat up angrily. "What the hell, daddy?! I was having a really good dream!" He exclaimed.

"You can continue it tonight. It's time for school. There aren't any more kids in your closet I need to worry about, are there?" Marvin said sarcastically.

"You aren't funny." Jeffy deadpanned, before standing up. "Junior is really in danger."

"Just get ready. You're still grounded, so tread lightly." Marvin said. He then walked out, leaving Jeffy standing there.

"I want whatever he's smoking." Jeffy mumbled to himself before starting to get ready.

Junior finished brushing his teeth, then moved to combing his hair. He looked in the mirror as he ran the comb through his orange locks. The bruises on his face were basically gone, and the ones on his arms were nearly faded as well. "If only my skin could always look like this." He said to himself. Once his hair was good enough, he left the bathroom. He went to his room, and got his bag and phone. He sat on Chef PeePee's bed and scrolled through his notifications.

Weird but hot new ginger girl messaged you: I'm back from vacation. Don't steal my seat or I'll beat u.

He scoffed at the message, before scrolling to the other ones. Sadly there wasn't any from Joseph. Junior knew walking back to his spot would take a long while, but he was still worried. He looked on the Florida mobile patrol for any recent arrests, but the only people he knew that recently got arrested was Mr Winkle, some clown named Screwball, and of course, Chef PeePee. Junior winced at the mugshot, then closed the app.

"So if Joseph wasn't arrested... he's gotta be safe, right?" Junior asked himself out loud. He was starting to really miss him. He wondered if this is what Cody or Jeffy felt like a few days earlier.

Junior checked the time, and realized It was almost time for the bus to get there. He stood up, grabbed his stuff, unlocked his door, and headed downstairs.

"Jeffy, you're not getting chocolate on your sausage. Just eat your breakfast." Junior heard Marvin say. Junior always wondered how Marvin was able to take care of Jeffy for so long, though he probably just got used to his antics.

As Junior was just making it down the stairs, someone rang the doorbell. Bowser came from the dining room to answer, and Junior snuck past him, headed to the kitchen for something to eat.

"Hello officer, I didn't think you'd be here this early." Bowser said to Officer Simmons, who was on the other side of the door.

"Well, I got put on the early shift again, so I thought I'd just stop by and see if anyone was awake." Simmons told him. "Kids gettin' ready for school?"

"Yep. I'm pretty sure Junior's still upstairs. We finally found him at school of all places." Bowser laughed. "You want something to eat while we chat?"

"Sure, if you're offering." Simmons accepted, following Bowser into the kitchen. While following, both men passed Junior, who was walking out. "Oh, hey champ."

"Oh, I didn't know you were down here, son." Bowser said to Junior. Junior didn't say a word, instead giving both men a slight glance before speed-walking away.

"I see he's still not adjusted?"

"No... that chef's influence is still going strong. I hate to see him like this, I really do. I just want my son back..." Bowser sulked, looking down at his feet and tearing up a little.

"Ah, don't cry, you'll make me cry..." Simmons said, patting Bowser on the back. "Don't worry mate, we'll win that case again Peepers and get your son some help. Then everything will go back to normal."

"I'm such a bad father... I should've fired that chef the moment I knew something was fishy..." Bowser said, covering his eyes with his hands.

"You are not, mate. I don't think anyone would expect someone they trust to take care of their child to just kidnap them pretty much out of the blue." Simmons told him. "Don't put yourself down for someone else's mistakes. We're gonna get through this."

"Thank you so much officer..." Bowser said, wiping away his tears. "Have you found any lawyers that could help me win this? Even if the evidence is stacked against that chef, I don't want to take any chances."

"Well, I would've recommended my officer partner, Guy, but he said he doesn't want to do lawyer stuff right now. Though, I do know another good one. He is pretty pricey, but I know he'll get the job done." Simmons explained. "His name is Goodman. James Goodman."

"That's the man who interviewed me when Junior was missing... Could you give me his number? I know he can help me." Bowser requested.

"Of course, mate." Simmons said.

Junior watched out the window for what felt like forever, waiting for the bus to come by. He didn't want to go sit with Jeffy, since he felt really awkward around his parents, and going back to the kitchen was completely out of the question.

Thankfully, the bus finally came by. Junior threw the door open and ran to it faster than he ever had. He felt like Cody from how eager he was to be at school. Though, it was moreso being happy about being away from his dad than being happy about the educational prison, or legal torture camp if you will.

Junior sat in his usual spot, with Jeffy right beside him. Once the bus started moving again, Jeffy started talking.

"My stupid daddy wouldn't listen to me this morning either. He's a real fuck."

"We gotta get someone to listen to us and help us out, at least besides yourself and Cody. I don't think Chef PeePee will even have a lawyer so we need all the help we can get." Junior said.

"Well who are we gonna ask?" Jeffy questioned.

"Well, most of the random people in our house like Chef PeePee, right? We could ask them to come to court and vouch for him." Junior told him. "I know the ogre likes him because he makes him cheesecake... Toad is friends with him, I think..." Junior tried thinking of more people, but then the bus stopped at Cody's house.

Cody got on the bus, and nearly fell into the aisle due to the bus slamming on the gas before he was seated. He was able to stumble to the back and sit next to Junior without falling on his face, though it was a close call.

"Hey Junior." He said, breathing a little bit heavier.

"Hey Cody." Junior greeted. "Me and Jeffy are trying to get a list of people to ask to help Chef PeePee out. Do you know anyone that could?"

Cody paused to think for a moment. "Well, my mom seems to take a liking to him, and I told her everything about yesterday. I'm sure she'd testify in favor of him."

"If she can fit on the stand, then that'll be great." Junior said, slipping in a jab at Cody's mom. "If Joseph was here, he'd be cracking up. I really hope he's ok."

"Me too..." Cody agreed. The bus stopped and a girl got on, who luckily didn't suffer the same fate as Cody. She went to her seat, but much to her dismay it was taken by Jeffy.

"Jeffy, get out of my seat." She said.

"Finders keepers, pineapple girl." He retorted.

Pineapple girl, or more known by her actual name, Penelope, was about to respond, but was interrupted by Cody. "Oh hey Penelope. I didn't know you were back from vacation."

"Oh, hey Cody!" Penelope said, her frown turning into a pleasant smile. "You should help me get Jeffy out of my seat."

"I would, but Jeffy, Junior, and I are actually talking about something important. So, if you could move seats just for today, I'd really appreciate it." Cody requested.

"Ok... Fine... But only because you're my coolest friend!" Penelope settled, before sitting in the seat behind him. Penelope had not yet known that Cody was gay, or at least didn't understand, so she always made a good impression. It annoyed Cody sometimes, but he didn't mind it too much.

"Anyways, besides my mom I don't know many people who are too good of friends with Chef PeePee. I'll try to think of more during the day though." Cody said.

"Alright. It's better than nothing... I still have a bad feeling about this though." Junior said.

"Just try not to think about it. Having a panic attack in class isn't very fun. Trust me, I know from experience." Cody told him.

The bumpy bus ride continued on as the boys made occasional small talk. It finally stopped at every house in the main town, then went to Titoville.

Sadly, Joseph didn't show up to the bus once again. The boys were once again confused and worried. Junior kept himself thinking that Joseph was still on his way, but there was still that thought in the back of his mind that something bad had happened.

-------(labelled this one as 43 too on accident. I really should've checked it more lmfao)------

Chef PeePee's eyes felt increasingly heavy by the minute. Though, he heard that reading would make you tired, so it checked out.

The jail that the chef had been at had a library, so during morning freetime he got as many law books as he could find. He knew he was too poor to hire a lawyer, and the public defender may not even defend him after they've seen the accusations directed at him. He decided that instead of suffering in his cell drifting in and out of sleep, he would learn some things about the laws in Florida so that he could defend himself.

So far he'd learned a few helpful tips, like how the court system worked, but even with those he was still very anxious. There was so much that could be piled against him. Bowser had that bald officer on his side, and most believed that he himself had brainwashed Junior. Chef PeePee couldn't believe his ears when He heard that accusation. He even started laughing, thinking it was a joke. But the look on the officer delivering the news's face was serious.

The chef brought his eyes up from his book to take a break for a quick moment, when he was practically jumpscared by Brooklyn Guy sitting in the prisoner-watching stool. He was finally back on duty. The chef then got excited. The cop and him were at the least well acquainted. Brooklyn was also a lawyer, and since they were both chill, maybe he could be put on a payment plan, or at least have the price reduced. The chef at least had to try.

"Brooklyn? Brooklyn Guy?" He said. The cop jumped a little, before looking over at the chef.

"...Hey Chef." He said hesitantly, and not as casually as he would any other time. The tone of his voice shrank Chef PeePee's confidence a little.

"I... Didn't know you were back from vacation." The chef said, trying to make some small talk.

"Yes, I am. And I really didn't like what I heard from my partner once I got back. So, if you'd just go back to what you were doing, that'd be great. I don't want to talk to a kidnapper." Brooklyn told the inmate. Chef PeePee held back a groan. Of course the officer would believe his partner over some acquaintance he only sees when he gets some weird house call for god knows what. He at least had to try to defend himself.

"I'm not a kidnapper! Bowser lied!" Chef PeePee protested.

"That testimony doesn't explain why you and two kids were towns away without saying a word to anyone." Brooklyn said.

"Okay, listen, Junior and I were both being abused by Bowser. I know you've been called there at least a few times for his violent nature, but didn't do shit. So, we decided to just run away. We found one of Junior's friends too and he came with us because he was already homeless." Chef PeePee explained.

Brooklyn Guy stared at the chef, processing his words. He then got up from his stool. "My shift is over. Talk your crazy to the next officer. I have traffic duty." He then walked out.

"Brooklyn! Wait!" The chef called. He heard the door shut, and he fell against the cell wall in defeat. So many emotions were going through his head. Confusion, anger, sadness, anxiety. "I'm... fucking screwed."