RIVER | JJ MAYBANK

TEN

"JJ-"

"And I know it didn't used to be that way for you." JJ mumbled, he was talking about Big John.

River have his hand a slight squeeze. No matter how stupid any idea that JJ has was, she always stuck by his side.

"I don't want to talk about this." John B shrugged calmly. "I don't want to talk about it." He just slowly stood up.

"So that's it?" JJ questioned, trying to get more of a conversation out of John B.

"Just get out of my way bro." John B said pushing past JJ.

River watched as John B walked away, she felt guilty for standing by JJ's side. But she always would, and everyone knew that. JJ was her priority, he'd always been there for her.

"John B, listen to me. I have a plan. You got the key to Cameron's big boat, right?" JJ pulled River with him to talk to John B.

"No, JJ." John B lied.

"There's scuba gear inside there. We just borrow that, and then we go down to the wreck this afternoon, and that is what's gonna save you, man. You don't see rich kids going into foster care, do you?" JJ questioned, throwing his arm over John B's shoulder.

Hours past, John B had got SCUBA gear from Ward Cameron's boat and now the five were out on the Marsh, in the exact same spot as the Grady-white.

"This is empty. You took empty tanks?" Kie questioned as she checked over the tanks. "Okay, this one is a quarter full. It's enough for one of us."

"Love it when a plan comes together." Pope muttered sarcastically, causing River to stifle a laugh.

"Does anyone know how to dive?" River questioned. "Cause if not, nobody is going down. Do you understand?" She was protective over her boys and Kie. They were family.

She was met with silence, which honestly didn't surprise her. Diving was a kook sport, so out of everyone she thought maybe Kie would know, but since she didn't speak up, it meant none of them did.

"Anybody?" Kie questioned.

"It's kind of a kook sport." JJ admitted looking at Kie, saying exactly what River was just thinking.

"I read about it." Pope shrugged, he was trying to offer some sort of support to the group in their time of need.

River began to wonder if there was anything Pope hadn't read about or anything he didn't know. No matter what the subject was, Pope seemed to know and understand it.

"Great. Pope read about it, so someone's gonna die." Kie said sarcastically, causing Pope to look mildly offended by the accusation.

"Look, y-you put the thing in your mouth and breathe. How hard could it be?" JJ questioned curiously.

"Well if you come up too fast, nitrogen gets into your blood, and you get the bends." Pope answered.

"Bends like bend over and..." JJ said bending over.

River scoffed at the boy's immaturity, but he still managed to laugh. That was until Pope told him what the bends actually did.

"The bends kill you." Pope said making JJ stop.

"I can-I can dive." John B announced, he didn't mind taking one for the team.

"Yeah you can dive. I'm cool with that." JJ snaked his arm around River's waist.

River rested her head against JJ's chest, listening to the faint beating of his heart. It was in a way, soothing to the girl.

"John B, I've known you since third grade, you've never been able to dive." River said at the same time as Kie said,

"Since when can you dive?"

"I'll do it, it's fine." John B dismissed the girls, he knew that they worried too much.

Both JJ and Pope didn't seem to have an issue with it, so he just summed up that majority ruled and it would be him diving.

"No way, not over my dead body." River said angrily.

"Let me do some calculations real quick." Pope said standing up.

"You serious?" Kie questioned looking at John B, she didn't give him a chance to reply before she walked away.

"John B, it's not safe-"

"JJ, would you?" John B questioned, motioning to River.

"Don't you fucking dare." River turned to face JJ with a harsh glare. She knew exactly what he was going to do.

"Sorry baby girl." JJ said picking River up bridal style and throwing her over board.

It was something that he and John B did when they were younger and River was trying to control a situation. They learnt after the third time that she was a bit of a control freak.

And after a while she'd go into panic attacks with her over thinking, so to prevent it from getting too far, the boys threw her into the water. It was cruel, but it stoped the panic attacks before they even started.

Thankfully, River always deemed it necessary and told him to do it if it stopped her having an attack.

"Fuck you JJ!" River shouted as she reappeared. "I swear to go I'm going to kill you, you son of a bitch." River pulled herself back into the boat as Kie jumped into the water.

River furrowed her brows in confusion, wondering why she did it, but the blonde just shrugged it off and climbed back into the boat.

"What was that all about?" Pope questioned.

"I don't know, but I liked it. A lot." JJ said as he glanced to River.

River scoffed and went to sit on the opposite end of the boat. Her clothes were drenched and now she was cold.

"Yeah so when you're down there, you look for the cargo hold. You stick this thing inside and twist and pull okay?" JJ continued.

"Stick in the hole, twist and pull." John B mumbled.

"Yeah, my dad moved weight back in the day." JJ mumbled looking over to River, who seemed to be extremely pissed with him.

"Who didn't." John B added.

"Hey! I tied my t-shirt to the anchor chair about ten feet down. It's where you need to do your safety stop." Kie said frustratedly.

Despite being mad at her friends, she didn't want John B to die. Kie glanced over to River and offered her a sympathetic smile.

"Cool."

"Keep an eye on this. You need to make sure you have enough air to decompress." Pope said looking at John B.

"Okay how much do I need?" He questioned.

"Unclear, breathe as little as possible." Pope mumbled to the boy.

River pulled her legs up into her chest as she watched the whole thing unfold. She hated not being able to control a situation that could risk someone's life.

"Zen, think Zen, you know?" JJ said as he tried to imitate how to breathe through the mask.

"Yeah got it." John B smiles.

"Hey if we get caught out here in the marsh. We're basically screwed. So, better get a move on." Pope announced sitting by the wheel.

"Copy that." John B saluted. "Hey R.C, don't worry, I'll be fine." He tried to reassure the girl. "Love you River."

"Love you too." She attempted to smile towards John B.

Kie stepped up to John B and placed a light kiss on his cheek. "Diver down?" He questioned.

"Diver down." Kie repeated.

John B pulled on his mask and jumped into the water, offering a little salute to the groups as he went underwater.

"Diver down." Pope mumbled.

River sat anxiously, waiting for John B to come back to the surface. JJ tried to give her a comforting smile, but nothing worked.