Together

59. He ain't your daddy, boy

Oh, you let your feet run wild
Time has come as we all fall, go down
Yeah, but for the fall, ooh, my
Do you dare look him right in the eyes? Yeah
-KALEO

The next surfing competition that Ben had instructed JJ to participate in was on the mainland, in Charleston. It was bigger than the one in the Outer Banks, since the beach was larger, and more people lived in Charleston than Kildare. He's pretty sure that even if it had half the crowd size as the OBX competition it would feel huge.

This is part of the reason Ben wanted him to do it though. To get used to varying locations and crowds. It was a mental game just as much as it was a physical sport and that included what you were surrounded with between heats.

There were far more competitors for this location as well, which meant qualifying rounds had larger groups of people and more competitors were eliminated each round, with the competition lasting three days.

Shoupe had a limited amount of time that he was allowed to take off every year, so he decided to forgo this event in order to be able to accompany JJ on the last competition in October, which was out of state.

JJ didn't mind the deputy's absence. Things between them had been good since they talked, and he didn't feel like he was leaving with anything hanging in the balance. And besides, Kie was tagging along which in his mind was way better, though she had to go back to Kildare every day because her parents definitely still didn't trust her and JJ to stay in a hotel together unsupervised.

Surprisingly though, Mike and Anna had been suspiciously nicer to him since the camping trip, or rather when he saw Luke at the gas station. Anna would wave with a genuine smile when he would pull up on his bike to collect Kie for the day, and Mike didn't raise a menacing glare nearly as often, instead shot for more suspicious stare instead. He figured it was because of Luke's return.

To be honest, he thought that would have been reason enough for them to keep Kie locked away from him. Like, he was the whole reason they didn't trust JJ in the first place, so he was curious as to why the sudden flip.

He hoped it wasn't pity. The last thing he wanted was to be treated like a charity case or fragile.

"You ready?" Kie asks as they approach the check in station near the beach.

"Please," he boasts. "You know I got this, baby."

It was the third round and things were going to get much harder now that the weaker surfers had been thinned from the rest of the competitors.

JJ recognized several surfers from the previous OBX competition and knew they remembered him. Some waved and made conversation, having made a connection with him on the water, good sportsmanship, and all. Others turned away, taking the competition a little more seriously, and didn't want to fraternize with the enemy.

JJ didn't find himself in either camp really. He'd acknowledge others but overall didn't go out of his way to talk to anyone. Ben suggested as much, stating it was good to not be a dick, but you didn't want to get too close to anyone. Better to get yourself in the right head space with no one around to mess with it.

"Alright, I'll meet you at the rest station after your heat, okay?" Kie confirmed. This competition was a bit stricter about the rules when it came to competitors being where they needed to be and spectators staying out of it. Kept things more organized and on time.

"Sounds good," he confirms, leaning in to kiss her chastely on the lips.

"I love you," she tells him, smiling as she gives the hand she's holding a squeeze before letting it drop so they can depart.