"Are they watching the house?" I asked, turning to look at JJ who stood next to me, both of us peering out the window. "what the fuck" JJ let out, moving from the window and running his hands through his hair.
"What are we going to do?" I stated, less as a question and more as a remark.
"It's probably a trap for John B, we should go find him before someone else does," JJ told me, reaching for his bag that sat on the floor. "yeah, we should" I repeated, both of us heading through my house and out the back door. We crossed to where JJ had put his bike, JJ making room so I could get on behind him.
I wrapped my arms around JJ's torso, resting my head on his shoulder as he drove down the road, making sure to go around the house completely.
"You think they can see us?" I asked as I got off, brushing my tangled hair with my fingers. "no, I think we're good. Now we just pray John B comes this way and not around by yours." He let out, leaning against a tree.
"you hear that?" JJ whispered, looking around for the person belonging to the footsteps he could hear. "yeah" I hummed, following his gaze to the path. JJ's hand grabbed onto my arm pulling me with him behind the tree. Just in case.
We waited, both peaking around the large tree, watching for the person approaching. JJ let out a breath, catching my attention. It was just John B. JJ put his hand up, signaling me to stay there and wait as he grabbed John B before he could walk by.
I heard the two grunting, like they were fighting as I moved around the tree. John B on top of JJ fighting him. It only lasted a second until John B realized it was JJ.
"what are you doing?" He shouted at the boy. "shh" I let out. "Shut up," JJ told the boy, John B's eyes landing on me.
I watched as JJ covered his mouth and pulled him to where he could see the car. I walked up behind them. JJ pointed to the car, all three of us now watching it. "See that?" JJ asked, turning to look at John B. The three of us stayed crunched over as we talked.
"they're watching us, okay?"
"Who?" John B asked and I sighed. "we don't know" I let out and John B half nodded, taking in the information.
"Let's go. Sneak around to the dock" JJ said and I nodded, following them to the water. The only way to the dock without being seen was to go through the water.
"you okay getting a little wet princess?" JJ joked, making me scoff.
"Here," JJ said, holding his hand out to help me. "JJ I don't need help to get into the water" I laughed, walking past him and making my way beside the boys. Wishing now the only option didn't involve swimming in our clothes and shoes.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait. You got the keys to the Pogue?" JJ asked, stopping slightly. "Yeah," John B answered. We made it past the first bit, running through the weeded part before going into the deep water.
I was thankful I didn't have a bag like the boys, a bit pissed I didn't have any dry clothes but it would have been impossible for me to swim with the bag on my head let alone already having to swim with my one hand above the water. I still had the splint on my arm and I couldn't get it wet.
JJ pulled himself up and onto the boat first, reaching down and grabbing John B's bag after. Then John B pulled himself up and turned, reaching his hand out to me. I grabbed on and pushed myself up as much as I could, letting John B pull me in the rest.
The three of us were laying in the boat, JJ undoing the tie to the dock and John B and me pushing off. We waited, getting further away from the dock before starting the boat. Making it away from the house and that car.
I let out a sigh as I rang out my shirt and hair. Shaking some of the water off my hands. We didn't go far, just to a spot we could stop the boat and get out. So we could talk.
"First, I almost get strangled to death by kooks, Rafe broke Laney's wrist and now I'm on the hook for thirty grand. We should just dip" JJ fumed, John B's attention seeming to go to the second thing JJ had said. John B's eyes fell on my wrist. I was standing further from them but I could still hear some of their conversation.
I didn't listen to their conversation much longer, I just wasn't in the mood to hear the two fight. I stood by the water, tossing rocks aimlessly.
"Have you lost your mind?!" JJ yelled, his voice catching my attention. It was impossible to not.
"One hundred years man, one hundred years, people have been trying to find this Royal Merchant, and no one succeeded. And you think you are gonna be the one that actually finds it? When are you going to get it in your thick skull? If you keep goin' down this road, you're gonna end up just like your dad!" JJ's yelling was cut off by John B shoving him.
"I can't give up, JJ. The last time I saw that dude, we got into an argument." He paused and I moved from my spot, walking over to the boys.
"and then he took all of our rent money and dipped for this Royal Merchant. And then I told him he was a shit father, and you know how the rest of the story goes." He said, his voice calming at the end. He turned to walk away and I was next to JJ, my hand on his arm.
"bro that wasn't your fault" JJ tried to reason, getting almost cut off. "It doesn't matter whose fault it is, JJ. Do you not understand that? I can't give up on the hunt man" He told JJ, his eyes falling on me and just like the night we slept on the hammocks, a pang of something flashed on his face. He turned, beginning to walk away.
"Look, I've got a plan. You comin' or what?" I looked between the two boys. JJ had told me about what the sheriff showed him that morning. I understood why he wanted to stop. I stood by him still, not sure who to follow if JJ didn't want to leave.
"four hundred million JJ" John B stated, his stare blank at the boy. "how much do you owe in restitution?" His snarky comment made JJ let out a sigh and turn, motioning with his head to me. Telling me to come with him, I nodded. Both JJ and I headed towards the boat.
"shit" I let out as we sat on the boat, John B turned, giving me a confused look.
"I promised Kie I'd go to midsummer with her, can you drop me off?" I asked with pleading eyes. JJ laughed and turned back to John B. "well I'm not going to keep you captive now am I?" He joked, changing paths and heading to Kiara's.
"Hey, we'll see you later," John B told me as I got off the boat. I raised my brows at the comment. Not sure what he meant by it. "later princess" JJ called to me as they sped off in the boat.
My steps lead me up the path of Kiara's house, greeted at the door by Anna, Kiara's mother. "Laney," She said, smiling warmly at me. According to Kiara, her mother didn't like any of her friends apart from me. Kiara always chucked it down to the fact I was a girl and Anna happened to like my brother.
"Kiara's just up in her room if you want to go up," She told me, moving out of the doorway to let me in. The stairs felt cold against my feet and I was sure my clothes were still stuck to my body.
"Elle" Kiara called out, looking at me with a smile. "what happened?" She asked when she took a look at my half-damp hair and the clothes that clung to me.
"me, JJ and John B went for a swim," I said sarcastically and Kiara laughed. "You can go take a shower if you want," She offered, leaning her head towards the bathroom attached to her room. I smiled and thanked her before heading in.
Kiara went to get me a bag for my arm while the water warmed up which I thanked her for before wrapping it around the splint on my arm. The water felt therapeutic against my cold skin. I didn't stay in for long, just enough to wash up and get clean. Enjoying the short shower I had before wrapping myself in one of Kiara's towels.
"oh, wow" I let out as I stepped out of the bathroom, Kiara standing in front of the mirror with a purple dress adorning her body. "you get one too," Kiara said, mocking me like a five-year-old kid would.
It didn't take long for us to get ready, we were both helping each other out with the other's hair. Kiara disappeared into her closet before emerging with a baby blue floor-length dress.
"Here ya go, my mom freaked when she found out you were coming and went and bought you the dress," Kiara told me and I got a bit embarrassed.
"she didn't mean to buy it because of money, she just likes to go all out for my friends when she likes them" Kiara reassured me as she handed me the dress. I slipped away into the bathroom to get dressed.
"Wow," Kiara let out as I walked out of the bathroom. "bad wow?" I asked as I stood by Kiara in the mirror.
"no, good wow. Good wow," Kiara gushed, reaching for the flower crown that went with it.
We stood in the mirror and looked at ourselves and no matter how many times I told Kiara she looked beautiful in the dress, Kiara hated it.
"This is disgusting" She let out. "I know, it's just horrible. I'm asking you to relax and go to a fun party" Anna said, mocking her daughter. I let out a small laugh at Kiara's reaction.
"I look like a bourgeoisie pig" Kiara uttered, her hatred for the dress and party coming out in pogue fashion. "will you please not worry about socio-economic injustice for one night?" Anna pleaded.
"Mom, people not three miles from here have no power, Elle has no power, and we're going to midsummers. That's so tone-deaf" Kiara argued, Anna sadly smiling at me.
"Put on a pretty face Kie, if you want to live," Anna told the girl jokingly as she left, leaving us to finish getting ready.
We finished soon after, putting on the 'finishing touches' that Anna told us to do, neither of us really wanting to get super dressed up, despite how good both of us looked.
We laughed as we got there, watching as the richies and snobs interacted. Even just watching how they greeted each other made us burst out into laughter, earning scolding looks from her parents. We looked around, trying to spot Pope.
"excuse me, sir. Do we have to shuck these ourselves?" Kiara jokingly asked in a British accent. "oh yes, that would be a shame" I added, neither of our accents any good.
Pope let out a sigh before turning. "cause It might mess up our costumes," Kiara exclaimed, both of us laughing with Pope.
"Well we wouldn't want that now would we?" He laughed, quickly doing the pogue handshake with both of us. "Those accents were bad," He told us. "yeah they were, we're just gonna let it go" I said to him, the three of us moving on to making fun of the kooks again.
"Did either of you see JJ?" Pope asked and I turned, nodding. Even though Pope still had his focus on the crowd of kooks. "Yeah" I said and Pope turned immediately.
"He's okay, he's got the survival skills of a cockroach" I laughed, trying to reassure Pope he was fine. "It's not your fault," I told him and even though he was skeptical, he nodded, listening to me.
Both Kiara and I had to eventually leave Pope, Heyward complaining about the two of us distracting him. We were now spending most of our time dancing and sneaking drinks.
I walked over to her, another round of drinks in my hands. I passed one to Kiara before looking back up, watching as JJ sauntered over to Sarah.
I squinted, trying to read his lips but he moved around the girl so she couldn't tell. "Hey, what's wrong?" Kiara asked, breaking my stare. "oh, nothing," I told her, brushing off the interaction.
I ducked down, drinking from the glass in my hand. I stood back up, a now empty glass being placed on the table next to us as we began to dance again.
We were standing off to the side when JJ started to get kicked out. We shared a look when we heard his voice, my eyes scanning the party for him.
"I really appreciate what you did for me back there. Let me just walk out by myself. Mr. Dunleavy, I see you got your drink. Good, that's really nice I'm actually gonna down that" JJ spewed, Kiara and I both rolled our eyes as we watched JJ grab Mr. Dunleavy's drink and indeed 'down it'
"It's okay everybody, do not panic. Leave it to the men and women in uniform, let's hear it for them. Rose, you look like lady liberty." He let out, and both Kiara and I were watching as he continued to get dragged out by the man.
"Let go of him!" Kiara yelled out. "You can just boot him. I invited him here. I am a member of this club" She continued, even through her parent's disagreeing words. It didn't take long for JJ to turn and shove the man off of him before telling us there was a mandatory power hour at rixons.
The guests looked at JJ with shock, something that almost made Kiara and I laugh. "workers of the world unite, throw off the chains" JJ continued yelling, both of us sharing a look.
"fuck it" Kiara murmured under her breath, I nodded at her, a smirk adorning my face. A building adrenaline in my veins. I reached onto the table, quickly taking someone's drink and downing it before I ran after JJ, Kiara and Pope soon following.
I ran through the crowd laughing with the pogues as I caught up to JJ and John B. JJ grabbed me by the waist and spun me around, the dress I was wearing flowing in the wind as he did. I giggled as I wrapped my arms around his neck, nudging my face against his. To an outsider, this moment probably looked like more than it was.
We didn't stick around long, the five of us running towards where John B had the boat. I could feel eyes on me as we got there, my unbroken hand holding the length of the dress so it didn't get caught as I ran with them, Kiara doing the same.
I was so happy where I was, right at that moment.