#childabusetw

TRIGGER WARNING: This post contains C-PTSD flashbacks relating to child abuse. While not graphic, please use your own discretion in continuing with this post if those topics are triggering or upsetting to you.

Bonnie: I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for coming out to celebrate my birthday with me. We’ve been through a lot as a family, but I’m so glad that we’re all here together now.

Johnny: Happy birthday, Mom!

Chantal and Destiny: Happy birthday!

Trinity: Just cut the cake already!

[laughter]

Johnny: So you’re the kid who’s dating my little sister. What’s your deal? Got a job yet?

Demarcus: No, sir, I’m only 12.

Johnny: Hmm. Well, I hope you’re treating my sister right. I know how 12-year-old boys are. I was one, after all.

[Johnny starts to put his hand on Demarcus’ shoulder]

Demarcus: Ah! Don't hurt me!

[Johnny has a flashback of Jimmy: Don't be such a brat and I won't have to!]

Johnny: I won't, why would you think that?

Demarcus: I dunno. Isn’t that what big brothers do?

Johnny: No! I was just messing with you. I would never…I’ll be back.

[Johnny goes to the bathroom to compose himself] 

Bonnie: [holding Darien] And there’s your Auntie Chantal!

Chantal: Hey sweet boy!

Destiny: Sorry Mom, I’m gonna have to take him back so I can put him down for a nap. 

Bonnie: Aw, sweet dreams little guy! [to Chantal] Doesn’t he make you want one of your own?

Chantal: Nope! I’m done with men anyhow.

Bonnie: I can’t blame you for that one. They cause nothin’ but trouble.

[The front door opens]

Trinity: Dad!

Jimmy: Hey princess! I thought I’d stop by to say hello since I didn’t get to see you this weekend.

Chantal: Mom, what the fuck? Why is he here?

Bonnie: Jimmy, I told you not to come!

Jimmy: Relax, I’ll just be a second. Hey, Johnny! Listen, I've been wanting--

Chantal: Don’t you fucking get near him!

Destiny: Stay back, Jimmy!

Jimmy: I just want to apologize!

[Chantal and Destiny block Jimmy from getting near Johnny. Johnny runs out of the apartment]

Bonnie: Johnny! Wait!

[Everyone follows Johnny outside]

Chantal: Jimmy, get the fuck out of here before I fucking end you!

Destiny: Leave, Jimmy!

Jimmy: Fine, I’m leaving! This wouldn’t be a problem if he wasn’t such a pussy.

Destiny: [to Bonnie] We’ve got him.

Johnny: [to Chantal] Please take me home.

Bonnie: Johnny, I’m so sorry, I told him not to come. I–

Chantal: Stop! You’ve done enough. Let’s go, bubs.

yes i can!! 💖 some of this stuff has only been mentioned in passing as of yet, so don’t feel like you’re missing anything if you’re thinking “wait, when did that happen?” because it was probably like 1 sentence, six months ago, that i added for extra context lol

LEADING UP TO FINN’S DEATH:

Many neighbors, including Rosie and Isa, contact CPS after seeing Finn with increasingly more injuries. Finn resents CPS’ involvement and does everything he can to keep them away.

Tensions run high between the Atwood’s and Officer Tim Andrews, the neighborhood cop. This culminates in Richard being arrested for disorderly conduct and aggravated battery during a bar fight. The charges are later dropped, but the incident increases the animosity between them.

Steven suddenly ends his friendship with Finn. Without anyone to stop him anymore, Finn starts getting into fights at school. He becomes heavily disliked by his peers.

Finn’s Grandma Bessie gives him a gold necklace and instructs him not to let his dad find it. Soon after, she passes away.

Finn wants to run away to live with his aunt Etta and cousin Liz in New York. He asks Officer Andrews for a ride. Reluctantly, he agrees to pick Finn up on March 13th in his personal truck.

THE NIGHT OF FINN’S DEATH (March 13, 1982):

Richard and Finn are planning to go on a hunting trip. Lucy invites herself on this trip as well, and brings friends. Many of these people are also heavy drinkers & drug users, so the trip quickly turns into a party.

Finn doesn’t have time to grab his bag (with all his belongings and money in it), but he does have his necklace, which he can sell for cash, so he decides to take the chance and continue with his plan. The last thing he remembers is running into the woods towards the location where Officer Andrews will be waiting in his truck.

Chris Porter (Steven’s father, and long-time friend of the Atwood family – you’ll remember him later as the headless man) was at this party. Years later, Steven says that on the night Finn died, Chris came home in a terrible mood and was covered in mud.

THE SEARCH:

On the morning of March 14th, Lucy and Richard wake in their tent to find that Finn is gone. His backpack is still there, so they assume he started his day without them, and would be back soon. Hours later, he still hasn’t returned. They walk to the nearest gas station to use their payphones. Lucy frantically calls her sister, Etta, who urges her to hang up and call the police. Richard calls Chris, who says they shouldn’t call the police unless they want CPS to take Finn away once and for all. Lucy and Richard spend the rest of the day searching the woods for Finn themselves.

Finn is finally reported missing that evening, almost a full 24 hours after he was last seen. Police find the money in Finn’s bag and assume he ran away. As a result, the investigative effort immediately relaxes. They start to focus their search on truck drivers that were in the area and may have given Finn a ride. Police are not aware of the party that occurred the night before. Every person involved, including Lucy and Richard, lawyers up quickly or outright refuses to talk, like Chris Porter.

THE INVESTIGATION:

Finn’s body is discovered by a fisherman on March 27, 1982, a mile away from the Atwood’s camp site. The temperatures had been below freezing for most of the last two weeks, so his body is found in relatively good condition. This is when he is given the nickname “Angel of the Bay” for the cross necklace he was wearing, and the way he was lying on his back with his arms out at his sides like wings. An autopsy is performed, though the results are not publicized for many, many years. The only information released is that the manner of death was homicide.

Lucy and Richard were in the middle of a press conference when they were informed that Finn’s body had been found. Police wanted to see their reaction live, though most people now view it as cruel and unfair to deliver the news in this way.

The lack of info led to wild speculation among the public. Finn’s parents were prime suspects in the court of public opinion, but other theories were tossed around as well: Satanic cult rituals, a bullying incident gone too far, a serial killer traveling through the area, etc. None of these claims can be backed up.

Finn’s case grows cold.

His case is reopened in the 2000s. New information is released to jog people’s memory, including that Finn’s cause of death was blunt force trauma, that no weapon was involved, and that a red or black 1976 Chevrolet Pickup was circling the area leading up to Finn’s death.

Sometime in the 2010s, Chris Porter is called in for questioning in relation to Finn’s case. This scares him, though if he knows anything about Finn’s death, he doesn’t give up any information. Days later, Chris sets his truck on fire in the road. It was a newer model, and couldn’t possibly have anything to do with Finn’s death, but it was a strange reaction nonetheless. Chris then lies down in front of an oncoming train, which kills & decapitates him.

Lexie: It’s too bad we got assigned to set design for the first production, but at least we’ll be able to hang out together. 

Johnny: Yeah, it looks like most of the acting roles went to the juniors and seniors. Maybe next year we’ll have better luck.

Lexie: Well, the semester’s just getting started. Who knows what will happen. We could impress them with our sick acting skills and get the leads next time. 

Johnny: [laughing] I support your delusional optimism! Oh, I almost forgot…my mom wanted me to tell you hi and that she enjoyed meeting you.

Lexie: Hmm, that’s nice of her. I guess let her know I said hi as well.

Johnny: [teasingly] You’re not going to say it was nice to meet her too?

Lexie: No comment.

Johnny: I don’t blame you! Honestly, it went better than I was expecting.

Lexie: Really? That's kind of sad.

Johnny: Yeah, unfortunately, that was just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to my mom. 

Lexie: Well, it really bothered me how she was speaking about you. I kept trying to change the subject, but she’d always end up making some snarky little comment. 

Johnny: I’m used to it, I guess. The thing is, if I’d called her out she’d say I was overreacting. In the past, I would’ve believed her, but now…not so much.

Lexie: Good, because she’s wrong about you. I can’t imagine how it affected you to hear that as a child, or even now.

Johnny: [sighs] I wish I could say that was the worst thing I had to deal with as a kid, but it wasn’t by a long shot. If you don’t mind, I think I’m ready to talk to you about it.

Lexie: Of course. You can tell me anything. Let's go somewhere more private.

TW: The dialogue below includes discussion of child abuse and drug abuse (not graphic but please use your own discretion if this topic is triggering to you).

Johnny: It wasn’t just my mom who treated me badly. It was also her husband, Jimmy. I refuse to call him my stepdad because he wasn’t any kind of parent to me. He was way worse, though. With my mom it’s this kind of passive aggressive backhanded shit, but Jimmy? He was full-on aggressive. Not just with his words, either. 

Lexie: Oh my God, he hurt you? Johnny, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know it was that bad.

Johnny: Yeah, it was pretty awful. I started having nightmares and I was anxious all the time. I tried to talk to my mom about it, but I was too scared to tell her what was really going on so she thought I was just being dramatic. 

Lexie: Geez, I can’t imagine my parents just brushing me off like that. You must have been terrified.

Johnny: I was. It only got worse when my mom started doing drugs. By that time I was old enough to start fighting back and all the blame fell on me. Jimmy almost convinced mom to send me to military school but then my dads got custody of me and Chantal.

Lexie: Thank God for your dads! 

Johnny: For real, I’m so grateful for them. It’s weird, though…whenever a kid gets away from their abusive family, everyone expects them to be happy about it. No one ever talks about all the mixed emotions. I knew I was better off with my dads, but I still thought about the good times I had with my mom. It was hard to leave her.

Lexie: I think I understand more why you’re still trying to work things out with her. It sounds like the whole situation was really traumatic for you.

Johnny: Yeah, even when I wasn’t talking to her I always had this feeling of “what if?” Like maybe there is a way to fix everything and make it go away.

Lexie: Some things can’t be fixed, no matter how hard you try. I don’t know if your relationship with your mom is one of them, but I hope you’ll recognize when it’s time to let go if it comes to that.

Johnny: I think I will. I’m going to give it more time, but I’m starting to feel like…like I deserve better. I didn’t feel that way before.

Lexie: You deserve so much better, Johnny. You’re so much more than what your mom sees you as. And Jimmy. He better hope I never see him ‘cause I’ll kick him right in the balls!

Johnny: [laughing] Lexie! I’ve never heard you so angry before. I can’t see you doing something like that, you’re too sweet.

Lexie: I’d do it to him! And I’d enjoy watching him suffer. Oh, sorry, I probably shouldn’t be so violent about it. It just really got me worked up. 

Johnny: It’s ok. You’re cute when you’re protective.

Lexie: Well, consider me your bodyguard, then.

yeahhhh it's still definitely meant to feel wrong though. nothing about griffin's childhood was any different to finn's – his parents still abused and neglected him. but as griffin says, they had their "come to jesus moment" when they realized how close griffin had been to dying, and it made both of them snap out of the apathetic state they had been in for so many years. they got help for their substance issues, started family counseling, etc. but that doesn't erase what they did. griffin hasn't forgiven them (though he wants to), but he's trying to include them in his life because it would feel even more painful to lose them. it's easier with jules in the picture; she can be a buffer, and his parents absolutely love her, so it takes the focus off of him.