RIVER | JJ MAYBANK

SEVEN

SCOOTER GRUBBS

"Well that was fun." JJ chuckled once they got back onto the boat. "Could have warned us a little sooner." He was laid at the front of the boat, who his arm around River, pulling her as close as possible to him.

The pads of his fingers had began to draw patterns into her soft skin. She rested her head on his chest and allowed her eyes to flutter open and closed at the soothing feeling that his fingers on her skin brought her.

"We would have, except Pope was on the math team." Kie shrugged. River stifled a laugh.

"You were on the math team?" JJ questioned raising his brow. His tone was almost comical, as if he was trying to make a joke.

"The math team? Seriously?" River questioned furrowing her brows as she looked at Pope.

It wan't like she couldn't imagine it, the boy was a genius, there was no suprise that he was on the math team. The thing that surprised her the most was that he wasn't the captain of the math team.

"The cops took everything like it was a crime scene. Did you guys find anything." Pope questioned, completely ignoring the question.

River sat up slightly, she pulled JJ's arm so he'd sit up with her. He rested his head on her shoulder and allowed a teasing grin to form on his face.

"Did we find anything?" The blonde boy paused and dug into his pockets. "No, I don't think so." JJ joked before he held up a wad of cash and a gun. "Oh yeah, we did." He smirked.

"What the-" Pope got cut off by River. John B couldn't help but laugh quietly.

"JJ, what the fuck is that?" River snapped angrily. "When did you take that?-Why did you take that?"

The girl pulled herself away from JJ and went to sit beside John B. The dark haired boy wrapped his arm around her and allowed her to rest her head on his shoulder.

John B was like a brother to the girl and often brought her a lot of comfort. All the pogues did, they were her family. She couldn't imagine them not being in her life.

"Dude chill. Come on." JJ stood up and went over to Pope, clenching his jaw at the fact that River had moved away from him.

"Why would you take that from a crime scene?" Pope questioned, his eyes widening in panic.

"Better than the cops having it." JJ defended himself, with a small shrug.

Everyone looked towards John B, he was the only one who hadn't said anything yet. Despite the huge smug grin on his face, he was trying to comfort River.

"You serious?" Kie asked John B who has a huge smile on his face.

"I'm gonna lose my merit scholarship." Pope panicked, his eyes became wide.

River felt bad for Pope, she knew how much that scholarship meant to him. It would be the only way he was going to get into college, without that he'd have to give up his chance at college and probably work full time in the store with his dad.

"JJ what the fuck is wrong with you?" River scoffed. "You shouldn't have taken that money. It's not yours. As for the gun. You're a fucking-"

"River, angel, I've got this all under control just chill." JJ shook his head and turned to face Pope. "Hey, shhh, shh, shh. At least you have us right?" JJ wrapped his arms around Pope's shoulders.

"I'm living a nightmare." Pope said as he went to sit back down.

River leant over John B and grabbed Pope's hand, giving it a light a reassuring squeeze. There was no way in hell that Pope wasn't getting that scholarship, he deserved it more than any one.