One of Two // JJ Maybank

dead calm: four

we all sat at a table inside the wreck in silence. i pulled my legs to my chest, not being able to get over what jj said. john b was the first to speak since we arrived. "look, he'll come around, its.." he trailed off. "he's doing a jj thing."

kie sighed and stood up. "you think he'll go home?" she asked quietly.

my ears perked up, jj told me about what his dad does. i couldn't imagine he would go back to that monster. "there's about a zero percent chance jj goes home." pope answered.

i was mostly silent until john b spoke to me. "spencer, you okay?" he asked. "you've been a little short-fused since we left barry's."

i nodded, with a tiny smile. "yeah, yeah." i replied. "i'm good."

pope coughed, which brought us back to reality. "okay." he started. "it's too dangerous to pawn this thing off piecemeal. so our best bet is to go down there and get the rest of it." we all nodded as he continued. "bring it all up at once. put it in--in a safe or a vault or something. just until we can find someone who won't rip us off. i can figure it out tonight, get it done, and we can be out there tomorrow morning."

we all agreed and john b started to get up but sarah interrupted. "what about the thing with our dad?" she asked. i threw my head on the table and sighed. jesus christ.

john b sat back down and groaned. kie looked at us confused. "what thing?" she asked, sitting next to me.

"i have to go fishing with ward." john b sighed, running a hand through his hair.

kie and pope both rolled their eyes. i hid my face, groaning also. "blow it off. its four hundred million in gold!" pope exclaimed.

john b nodded, holding up his hands. "look, i-i have to okay?" he said. "he saved me. if it weren't for ward, i'd be in foster care. so, i have to go." pope slumped back into his seat. "plus, it'd be better to do it at night."

i nodded. "maybe jj would be washed up by then." pope mumbled as everyone nodded.

night fell upon obx quickly and i decided to help pope and kie with the pulley system. "gotta be done before my scholarship interview in the morning." he said, opening the back of the truck.

"well we all gotta focus." i smiled as we grabbed some things.

kie stood next to me as pope continued. "we got john b and jj inside and me on top." he pointed. "you two and sarah will be outside transporting. also, i got a winch, can hold like two to three hundred pounds."

i nodded as kie wrapped an arm around my shoulder as i did the same back. "thank you, pope." kie said randomly.

pope looked up and froze. "what?"

i chuckled, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. "stranding us. you know, making us make up." i shrugged. "i've been a lot happier."

pope let out a laugh and sighed. "what makes you think that was me?" he asked. then a whirring sound came from the front of john b's house. we all looked at each other worriedly as we walked over.

my jaw dropped as i saw the backyard decorated with lights and a giant hot tub in the middle. kie looked at me bewildered and we all looked around in confusion. pope looked in the hot tub to find jj, popping a bottle of champagne. "what did you do, jj?" he asked.

jj chuckled, pulling down the sunglasses he had on. "i got a jet going straight in my butt right now." he smiled. "y'all should get in here immediately, you hear me? salud!"

he drank from the champagne glass as i looked at him in shock. i couldn't even process what was going on right in front of me. "how much did this cost?" i asked, still looking around.

he smiled at me and started counting with his fingers. "well, the generator, the petrol, and oh, yeah, express delivery..." he trailed off and chuckled. "pretty much all of it."

my mouth parted as i scoffed, rubbing my forehead as pope went ballistic. "all of it?" he asked. "you spent all of it in one day?"

jj nodded. "yeah, burned a hole right through my pocket." he laughed. "but, hey, i mean, come on guys, like look at this!" i sighed, crossing my arms and shifting. "finest in jet-based massage therapy, that's what they told me."

i shook my head, looking around at everything that was in front of me. "what, spencer?" my name rolled off his tongue. i shot up, as he looked me right in the eye. "can't a man have a little luxury in life? come on, all this scrimpin and scrampin, like, guys, we only live once." his body movement was disturbing, he kept shifting back and forth, pouring enormous amounts of champagne in the glasses. "enough of the emotional shut. get in the cats ass, come on."

"in the what?" kie asked quietly.

jj snickered. "in the cat's ass. that's what i named her." he replied. me and kie looked at each other with worry written all over our faces. "hey, yo, i almost forgot." jj flipped a switch which made water shoot out from the sides of the hot tub. "that's right, disco mode, baby!"

pope scoffed. "are you kidding me?" he asked angrily as jj looked towards pope. "you could have paid for restitution!"

kie nodded and shouted. "or literally have given it to any charity!"

pope sighed and stepped closer. "you could have helped us buy supplied to get the rest of the gold out of the well." he added.

jj pinched the bridge of his nose. "okay, well, you know? i didn't do that!" he shouted, standing up from the hot tub. i gasped as i saw the horror in front of me. his body was covered in large purple bruises. i wanted to be sick.

i looked up to jj who was looking right at me. i felt my breath hitch as he started splashing around. "i got a hot tub for my friends." he stopped for a moment and took off his sunglasses. i covered my mouth as i felt tears start to form. "you know what? screw friends. i bought a hot tub for my family."

"jj.." i whispered still looking at his abdomen. i couldn't take my eyes away from the bruises.

"guys, look what i did for you, alright?" he shouted towards us. jj looked at me as tears started to fall from my eyes. "no, stop being emotional, its fine!" i couldn't hold myself from running to him, which i did.

i took off my shoes and climbed into the hot tub, hugging jj tightly. he slowly wrapped his arms around me as he cried onto my shoulder. "i just couldn't do it." he sobbed. "i can't take him anymore, i was going to kill him." my hand ran through his hair, trying to calm him down. kie and pope quickly joined the hug, holding jj as close as we could. "i just wanna do the right thing." he whispered.

after about fifteen minutes, kie and pope left to go home for the night and i was left with jj. i walked into john b's house and grabbed jj a water before he showered. i sat in the couch and thought to myself to pass time. jj finished quickly and sat down on john b's couch.

i was still upset about our argument earlier that day so i didn't say much to him. it hurt me to not say anything, but it was for the best. i grabbed my backpack and started to walk out the door, but i felt a hand grip my wrist. i turned to see jj looking at me in distress. "spence..." he whispered.

i sighed and shook my head. "i cant do this right now." i said, opening the screen door. jj followed me out as i stopped in my tracks and turned to him. "what?"

he looked taken aback at my tone and froze in his spot. "i-i..." he started. 'you're a kook' replayed in my head. i pressed my lips together as i waited. "thank you." he mumbled.

i scoffed, throwing my bag over my shoulder and grabbed my bike that was next to me. "yeah, anytime." i said bluntly. i didn't feel like talking to him. i know we had a sweet moment in the hot tub but i wasn't ready to face him.

i got on my bike and went back home, leaving jj standing outside the chateau.