Audacious//JJ Maybank (Outerbanks)

Chapter 6

As we take the gear and carefully hop on the boat as we walk inside, we notice Sarah Cameron sleeping on the sofa and I turn around and put my finger to my lips. 'Be quiet.' I whisper to him and he nods. 'Wheezie, shut up.' Sarah groans waking up. My brother hits one of the tanks on the counter causing a loud noise, I roll my eyes. 'God. You're not Wheezie.' She says sitting up and I sigh. 'Correct. Yeah.' John b sighs along with Sarah. 'I'm sorry.' He says with a soft smile and I look at him with 'Are you serious' written all over my face.

''What are you doing?' She asks. 'Uh, we're just dropping off some scuba gear.' John B answers. 'What are—what are you doing, here?' He questions her and she looks at him seriously and I mentally face-palm myself. 'It's our boat. It's also the only place with air conditioning.' She shrugs and I scoff. 'Of course, you can't survive with her air conditioning on. Wouldn't last a day in the Cut.' I roll my eyes and she glares at me. 'Did you, um..top the tanks?' She asks, changing the subject. 'Uh, no. No powers down, so compressors were off.' John b stutters and I sigh.

'So you're sneaking onto our boat at 5 a.m. with empty tanks?' She asks him before glancing at me. 'I'll make sure to tell Ward.' She adds cocking her eyebrows. Clearing my throat I look at my brother. 'We need to go.' I whisper and he nods in agreement. 'Okay, okay. Cool. Cool. Just drop these off.' John B says taking the tanks from me and dropping them to the floor.

'Yeah, yeah, the middle of the room is fine.' She remarks. 'Yeah, this is pretty much what he told me to do.' John B says. 'Bye.' Sarah says as we begin to walk out of the boat but John B pauses at the door and turns around. 'Actually, you know, what—what exactly are you gonna tell your dad?' He asks high-pitched as he chuckles nervously and I sigh. 'Nothing much. Just that you poached our scuba gear.' She shrugs with a smirk and I scoff.

'Okay, fuck. We borrowed it for a few hours. Okay! And we bring it back intact and unharmed.' He sighs. 'Minus air!' She smirks and I groan. 'Lose the attitude, it doesn't look good on a kook.' I say leaning against the door frame and she rolls her eyes. 'Look, please don't tell him. Okay? He'll fire me.' John B says sheepishly. 'So what are you going to do? Pull a gun on me?' She says sarcastically and I was about to walk over and give her a piece of my mind but John B blocks me. 'Jackie, no.' He says sternly and I scoff crossing my arms, glaring at her. 'I didn't know JJ would do that.' John B confesses. 'That's convenient to believe.' She scoffs. 'Maybe you should get better friends.' She suggests looking at John b and me. 'Well, Maybe you should get a better boyfriend.' I sass back at her.

'Like one who doesn't poach?' She scoffs. 'Look, please, just don't tell him. Okay?' John b pleads. 'Relax. I'm not gonna tell him anything.' She says and my brother sighs in relief and my eyes widen in shock at her words. 'Your secret's safe with me, John B.' She smiles at him causing him to break a smile too, I groan.

'Okay, you can leave now.' She says laying back down and we both nod, exiting the boat, and making our way back onto our boat. 'She has a crush on you.' I tease and he scoffs as we drive away from the dock. 'What? No, she doesn't.' He says as a blush appears on his face. 'Uh, yeah she does. Your secret's safe with me, John B.' I mock before pretending to gag. 'You're so annoying.' He scoffs and I burst out into a fit of laughter as we make our way back to the Chateau.

***

Once John B and I arrived home at 6 a.m., JJ had already left probably to go back to his own for a while. We decided to get a couple of hours of sleep in before the day fully started so we laid down on the couch and before we knew it, we were sound asleep.

A loud bang startles John B and I awake, John b tumbles off the couch. 'DCS! I know you're in there!' A familiar voice shouts banging on the window. My heart rate starts to escalate as my brother and I look at each other with utter fear.