Thalassophile // JJ Maybank

Chapter 19

"I mean, it's obvious, right?" John B asks, glancing at the Pogues sitting in the back of the van. "A family heirloom. What better place to hide a message? He had to know it was gonna get back to me, right?"

"Yeah, it's possible." Kie agrees from the back.

"It could also be possible that you're concocting wild theories to help, you know—"

"Pope?"

"Deal with your sad feels." Pope says.

"Bro, you know how I process my sad feels. Dank bugs and the stickiest of ickies, that's how I do it." JJ adds.

"Or you could be like Franklin and go cry to JJ every time something is slightly inconvenient." Kie retorts.

"Kie." John B warns.

"You don't gotta be like that." JJ responds.

"Look, I'm not concocting, okay? My dads trying to give me a message."

"If it helps you believe, John B." Kiara coos.

"Dude, stop condescending him." I tell her, looking back at her.

"Look, I don't need a therapy session, okay? I'm not tripping out."

"It's okay to trip, bro, but—"

"Look, my— my dad is missing, okay?" John B cuts off JJ's comment. "Missing. You don't know what it's like to have the person closest to you vanish and then have no idea what happened. Just wake up every morning."

"It's been almost a year." Kie points out. John B side glances her before looking back at the road.

"Hey, he could have been kidnapped." JJ speaks up. "That's definitely a possibility."

"Yeah, he could be in a Soviet sub getting interrogated by the KGB somewhere." Pope adds.

"Absolutely. Uh... or Atlantis." I can't help but crack a smile at JJ's comment.

When they had told me everything about Big John and his disappearance my first thought was he had died. How could someone still believe their dad was still alive after being missing for so long? The kid had faith, I had to give it to him.

I held my tongue, not wanting to add to the situation.

"Look, what do you think the message is?" Kie asks the brunet.

"Redfield." John B answers as we drive by the sign to the Redfield Lighthouse. "That's my dad's favorite place."

John B pulls up to the white fence around the lighthouse before parking his van. We all climb out, looking up at the towering structure. The brunet boy turns around, approaching JJ.

"Right. You're gonna post up and look out for bogeys, okay?"

"Wait... why me?" JJ asks confused.

"Because you're not coming." Pope answers.

"Why?"

"There are independent and dependent variables. You're independent. We don't know what you'll do."

Anger spreads across JJ's face. "Shut up, just shut up!" I grab his bicep, pulling him a step back.

"Listen to me for a second." John B gestures between the two of us. "You two need to figure out what the hell is going on between you guys."

"John B..." I trail.

"Pope, you stand look out with JJ and Franklin. Okay? If we split up, we meet back at JJ's house."

"Great." Kiara answers. The other girl turns around and marches toward the lighthouse.

"I'm gonna work on my merit scholarship essay." Pope pipes up. "And I'm trying to keep felonies to a minimum."

JJ looks over at me, holding his hand out. I take his hand and allow him to lead me to a log that laid along the side of the fence. I take a seat next to him, ready to finally talk.

"Look-" JJ starts, but I cut him off.

"Before you start, I want you to know that I have some understanding for what you did. I know you were trying to save him."

"I'm sorry, for doing it in the first place. I knew your stance on it, even when I did it. That day was so fucking hard for you and I made it worse. Hell, you came crying to me just before it happened."

I could see how angry JJ was with himself. The way he talked about what he did, the frustration was clear.

"JJ, I forgive you, okay?" I tell him. "I'm done acting like I don't wanna talk to you, because that is all I want to do."

JJ wraps an arm around my shoulder, pulling me into him. "I'm so fucking sorry."

"It's okay, J."

He stands up, reaching a hand out to me. I let him pulls me to my feet. We jump apart when a loud siren erupts into the air, causing us to scramble to our feet. "Shit, we gotta go." JJ grabs my hand once again, pulling me toward the van. "Pope, come on!"

Pope crawls into the backseat quickly before slamming the door shut. JJ quickly turns the key in the ignition before pulling away from the lighthouse.