𝑻𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 | 𝑱𝑱 𝑴𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒂𝒏𝒌

[8] Happy Tears | Pilot VIII | Tease

"Or maybe body parts. Everything about this is sketchy," I countered, tapping my foot impatiently.

"Can we please just open the bag?!" Pope bursted harshly, unable to contain himself. We stopped talking to look at him. All of our faces matched, echoing shock.

"Wow, Pope." John B chuckled. "That's a rare outburst of emotion." John B went back to unzipping the bag, but still took his time.

"Okay. The anticipation is literally killing me," Pope said, ushering John B to hurry up. "Open the bag. We almost died over this."

"I second that," I agreed. "Let's get it going."

John B finally pulled the bag open, taking out a small bag. He opened the smaller bag and a metal canister tumbled out onto the dock. Everyone was silent as John B twisted the cap open, our eyes unable to move from it. John B tipped the canister into his hand, a golden object falling into his palm. He opened it, revealing it was a compass.

"Oh, wow. That's about right," Pope uttered, his voice full of irritation. "Good job, everybody. We found a compass."

"That's rich. Really rich. We got shot at ... for that?" I laughed sarcastically, pointing to the useless object in John B's hand.

As I ran my hands down my face, JJ pulled off his hat, pushing his hair back as he sighed. JJ turned to face John B, seeing that the brunette was deep in thought as he stared at the compass. JJ huffed, "Dude, what? It's not worth anything."

"This was my father's," John B whispered, a small grin pulling at his lips. I suddenly stared at him, looking for any sign that he was joking.

John B's father has been lost at sea for nine months, leading everyone but John B to think he's dead. The surreality of the situation was hard to grasp. How did Scooter Grubbs end up with the compass? Did Scooter Grubbs have contact with John B's dad? It's all so weird and unbelievable.

We were at a loss of words as John B scrambled away to his house, his wheels clearly turning in his head. I gulped, knowing tonight wouldn't be a good night to stay at his house. John B needed space.

I know if I found something that belonged to my parents somewhere where there shouldn't be anything that they owned, I would need some space. So I spent the night at my aunt's.

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After a sleepless night, I was in bad mood. Not only did I feel horrible, I looked it. My eyes were weighed down by the bags they carried, dulling their usual vibrant mixture of green and brown. I spent the entire night tossing and turning, staring at the walls and listening to every sound the empty house made. It was around noon when I started walking to John B's house, every step I took heavier than the last.

I was about a five minute walk away when the familiar van of John B's wizzed past me. The van shrieked, coming to an abrupt stop, before going into reverse. The passenger window rolled down, revealing a smirking JJ and a smiling John B.

"Get in, Grumpy," John B hollered over JJ. I crossed the road, approaching the van.

"Where are you going?" I asked, rubbing my eyes as I got closer. JJ looked me up and down, his lips pressing together in a thin line. I glared, daring him to say something.