promise me
ROCK MUSIC BLASTS FROM JJ'S ROOM, still not enough to block out his father's screaming. JJ grunts into his hands, frustration, and guilt seeping through his bones. He growls through his teeth as his hands rummage through his hair, pulling on the locks. He paces in his room, his mind racing over the ideas of how he should sneak out— without getting into more trouble.
"How you gonna get that money back, huh?!" Luke screams from outside his room, the walls thin from the wear and tear over the years. "By sittin' round, doin' nothin'?!" Luke yells again, drinking a mixture of alcohol and slamming it down on the scuffed-up dinner table. Beer bottles, cans, garbage, tools, and fishing supplies were scattered about. "I'm gonna tell you right now," Luke starts as he fixes something in his bait box. "You are a worthless piece of shit! Your mama knew!"
"Shut up!" JJ yells back, pounding on his door frame. "Shut up!" He grinds his teeth as he tears off his bedding and throws it down in frustration.
"You tell me where you're gonna get 15 grand now! Get your ass in here now!"
JJ ignores his father, kicking the bedding jumbled up on the floor, anything to get his anger out. He doesn't go in the living room, instead, he continues to pace back and forth in his room, waiting until his father drinks his way to sleep. Apparently, verbally and physically abusing your child makes you really sleepy.
The music shuts off as his father lays down on the couch and passes out with a Budweiser can in his hand.
JJ's breath is heavy and fast-paced as he pushes off his bed. He walks into the living room, biting his lip as peeks around the corner to check on his father. His body shakes as he steps into the clearing. He stares at his deadbeat father. His eyes were teary, puffy, and red, his skin sticky from the sweat. Clutching his backpack strap, he tears it off his shoulder and hastily pulls out his gun. One thought ransacking his mind: Kill this son of a bitch.
His lip quivering as he hovers over Luke's snoring body. Tears slowly falling down his face, stinging the open wounds. He cocks the gun, shutting off the safety. JJ gulps as he points the muzzle to the center of his forehead. The barrel sways violently as JJ hesitates in pulling the trigger. He grits through his teeth, pain aching throughout his entire body. Blood, sweat, and tears as his heart couldn't do it.
He pulls away. Clicking on the safety and sobbing back out of the house. Bag in hand.
Revving his motorbike, he escapes through the forest; swerving in and out of the harsh marshland; dodging roots, bushes, and trees as he heads straight towards John B's.
➵ ➵ ➵
JOHN B WALKS TOWARDS THE CHÂTEAU with so much nonchalance that one might think he was a walker. He did have the right idea of walking around the main driveway and taking the backside where the canoe boats were tied up on top of each other. He smiles to himself as he's finally back home, not realizing that JJ was behind him.
JJ jumps up, grabs him by the head and mouth, turning him away from being spotted. Of course, John B freaks out, startling the blond with a counter-attack move of punching him in the side and throwing him into the ground— John Cena style. JJ grunts in pain as he swiftly dodges JB's punch.
"It's me. It's JJ. Stop, stop, stop!" JJ whispers, pushing up against a frantic John B. "Fuck."
Locking eyes with his best friend, John B instantly gives and stands up. "What the fuck are you doing?!"
JJ shakes his head, harshly holding Johnny's mouth shut with his palm. He pushes himself up off the ground and John B into the old rotten wood behind them.
A car door slams shut as JJ pulls him to the barrier of canoes. He points over to a shady car, black and obviously a lookout vehicle. "See that?" He points over to the house, "they're watching us."
John B's breath begins to slow down as he looks back towards his friend. "Who?"
"I don't know. Let's go," he shrugs, pushing John B in the opposite direction. "Sneak around to the dock." He jogs up ahead, leading the brunet through the tall grass and shrubbery, "gotta go this way."
Trudging through the marsh, JJ puts his bag on his head as he leads John B to the HMS Pogue. "Wait, wait, wait," he turns, his hand rising to hold his friend back behind him. "You got the keys to the Pogue?"
"Yeah," John B nods.
"Okay good," he adds, turning around and stepping through the murky water. The ground is muddy and not stable as it slushes around as they walk. Jumping into a clearing, the pair of boys fall into the deep waters, the tide up to their shoulders. Hastily swimming to the underside of the white docks, JJ pulls on the available rope and heaves himself over onto the boat. John B follows him.
"Hurry John, hurry," JJ says, tying off the rope as he lays across the stern. John B pushes off the docks, the momentum pushing the boat down and into the stream. He quickly makes his way over to the steering wheel, turns the keys into the ignition, and sails off without Deputy Shoupe even knowing he was there.
About ten minutes later, the two boys set up camp to discuss the next steps in the plan. JJ, especially.
"First, I almost get strangled to death by kooks, and now I'm on the hook for 15 grand. We should just dip."
"Okay, where do you wanna go? Hm?" John B asks, his arms folded over his knees.
"Yucatan," JJ answers, his left hand shrugging it off like it's an obvious answer.
"Yucatan," JB repeats, his head dipping back as he rolls his eyes.
"No, I'm dead serious right now. Surf all day, and then we can just live off lobsters we catch with our bare hands."
"You just wanna leave 'cause you got your ass beat?" John B flings his arms in the air as he continues, "what about Martha? You're gonna leave her too?"
"No, of course not. She's coming with."
"Before or after Rafe stands trial?"
"Whatever, bro. You need to talk with Sheriff Peterkin," JJ states, his head tilting downwards as his fingers twist the ring on his finger. "If not for me man, then for Marty." I miss her so goddamn much.
"Why?" John B looks back at his friend. "What's up with Martha?"
"Peterkin knows you guys are related. And if Peterkin knows, then the guy, who murdered those two, must already know! You gotta stop digging!"
"Think about it, bro!" John B jumps off the rock. "They're willing to kill for the gold, then it's gotta be out there!"
"Have you lost your mind?!" JJ yells back, ripping off his hat as he steps up to face JB. His face contorts in confusion as he looks at his best friend. "One hundred years, man. One hundred years, people have been tryin' to find this Royal Merchant, and no one has succeeded." His robin-blue eyes are as dark as the deep waters of the Atlantic. "And you think you," he points hard onto John B's chest, "are gonna be the one that actually finds it?"
John B scoffs, clenching his jaw as he tears away from JJ's gaze.
"When you gonna get it in your thick skull? If you keep goin' down this road, you're gonna end up just like your dad!"
"I can't give up, JJ!" JJ yells back, pushing the blond off of him. "The last time I saw that dude, we got in an argument, and then he took all of our rent money and dipped for this Royal Merchant." He points out to the water, the waves calm as they juxtapose the tension between the two friends. "And then I told him he was a shit father, and you know how the rest of the story goes."
"Bro, that wasn't your fault."
"It doesn't matter whose fault it was, JJ! Do you not understand that? I just can't give up on the hunt, man. I don't care who's out there, I don't care who's gonna try to kill us. Do you understand that?"
JJ blinks away, biting his tongue as he does so. "Promise me, Martha doesn't get hurt. Promise me."
John B hesitates, grabbing his backpack off the rock and turning back to face his friend. "I promise."