SINCERELY, YOUR DARLA. || ~ jj maybank.

🌊| Poguelandia, thats what we called it. (40)

I get my stick ready. "All me." I shakily say.

I haven't killed any sea animals, JJ and I only use to hunt insects when we were kids. This is nothing like hunting insects.

"It's.. it's travelling towards you!"

"Yeah- yeah it's me." I gulp.

"Darl, this is it. This is the time."

I stare at it. "I cant. I really can't."

"What? Darl- just! Fuck." He jumps in to try catch it but misses.

"Dang it! I missed it. Where is it! Where is it?" He panics.

I spot it, and feel my stomach rumble. I need this. We all need proper food. Shit- I need to kill it.

I yell and stab into it, lifting my stick up and gasping in disbelief as I realise I got it.

JJ stares at it and laughs also a bit shocked. "Oh my god. You did it!"

I smile over my shock. "Yea- Yeah. I .. I got it."

"We're having skate tonight, baby! Whoo!" He hugs me as I hold the pierced skate on my stick.

I laugh "Oh shit!"

"Full Pogue!" JJ screams.

I cackle. "Always, dude!"

"That's food in our bellies right there." He nods as we quickly do our pogue handshake in celebration.

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Your perspective.

The group is all sat on the mats, they're playing truth our dare with the hat. The hat that whoever's being asked has to wear. And if you back out from the dare or don't tell the truth, the hat is stuck on you for a day. And you can not take it off.

"John B!" Sarah calls out with a smile, holding  a tight grip on the hat, ready to swing it over to John b.

He holds out his hands and catches it swiftly, popping it loosely on his head.

"Truth or dare."

He contemplates his answer for a minute. "Truth."

"Truth! Exciting."
"All right, truth..."

Sarah smiles a little. "If you could do it all again, what would you do different?"

"Ooh." John b hums.

"Uh, get the gold out before Ward did." JJ inputs quickly, even if it wasn't his question.

"Maybe hide the cross a little better?" Pope shrugs.

"Not.. yell murder at Ward." Kie hesitates to admit.

"Steal a couple of bottles of rum before we jumped off that boat?" John b decides on his answer.

"Shit, yeah." Cleo laughs.

"Persuade JJ not to do that stupid beer trick that day on the boat." Darla sighs, she remembers life before all this ruckus.

"So what, so we couldn't find that grady white? And so we couldn't get gold?" Pope scoffs. "I mean, isn't that the greatest thing that's ever happened to you?"

Darla scrunches her face up, not saying anything.

JJ looks over at her, he knows what she means. They used to have the best fun as carefree problem free teenagers.

"I would look both ways before crossing the street." Cleo butts in, referring to John b crashing into her in the Bahamas.

Darla cackles.

"Hmm, my bad. My bad." John b sighs.

"Your turn, chief." Cleo says to him.

"All right.. Darl, truth or dare?" John b looks over at Darla while taking off the hat and plopping it onto her head.

"Truth." She nods.

"All right, hm. If you could go home, to Natalie's house on figure eight right now, would you?" He tilts his head.

JJ looks over at her as she thinks.

Darla smirks, knowing her answer right away. "No chance."

"Seconded." Sarah points with a smile.

"Copy that!" Kie laughs.

"To no chance." JJ holds up a coconut.

Darla looks over at him and smiles.

He smiles brightly back.

"All right, Darl. Ask." Pope taps Darla with his foot.

She takes off the hat and throws it over to JJ.

"Truth or dare J!"

"I mean, do you even really need to ask?" He scoffs.

Darla squints her eyes as she thinks, but soon after smiles with her conclusion.

She points with a pocket knife over at an eroded cliff in the island. "Big jump. Nobody's done it yet."

JJ looks over at it, not hesitating a second.

"Dare." Darl points the knife at him.

_______________________________

"Whooo!" The group hollers at JJ who is standing on top of the cliff.

"He's not gonna do it." Cleo scoffs.

Darla doesn't say a word, she brings her arms to a cross with a smile on her face.

"He's not gonna do it!" Cleo repeats a little louder.

"Oh, I won't, huh?"JJ's yell echoes.

"No way."
"He's gonna do it."

"Highly dangerous, uhh.. zero reward? Yeah. He's doing it." Pope nods.

"He's crazy." Sarah rolls her eyes.

JJ cheers from above, feeling a bit anxious but the celebration of his friends below hypes him a little more.

"Do it!" John b laughs.
"Come on!"

JJ takes a few steps back. He reassures himself with a pat on the back before running into a huge jump, hurling through the air and splashing into the waves with force.

The group cheers and celebrates in disbelief that he survived it.

He floats to the surface, paddling back into shore and the group run to him, congratulating him with hugs and laughter.

Darla runs over to him and scruffs up his hair. "Full freakin' pogue, hey?" She chuckles, wrapping her arm around him.

He looks at her as they walk further onto shore. "Always." He cracks a smile and can't help but look at Darla's lips. 

He loves her. He really does. But he doesn't want to hurt her. Or break her. Is he even really good enough for her? She might get disappointed with him. Leave him. She deserves better, someone who can provide for her. Not some broke low life.

He breaks away from the hug quickly, leaving Darla a little confused. But she doesn't think too much of it.

He walks on, he needs to stop leading her on.

Even though he loves her, he can't have her. She'll regret him in the future.

That's what he thinks.

Not what she thinks. Not what she thinks at all.

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end of chp 39!!

I STILL CANNOT BELIEVE WE HIT 1K omg

sorry. just so surreal.