CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
BRUTAL — OLIVIA RODRIGO
And I'm so sick of seventeen
Where's my fucking teenage dream?
JJ LIKED TO think that Stella fell in love with him first.
He liked to imagine that she was the one who sent longing stares across the schoolyard growing up and grew jealous when his attention was stolen from her.
But in reality, it was him who fell first. His love for her was resolute the moment they met.
He was the one who watched her every move, captivated by the simplest of actions and awestruck by her existence. How he'd hold her body against his, run his fingers through her hair, and kiss every scar that littered her skin. He knew the story behind each one. A cut on her thigh by a rock in the marsh, a burnt forearm from the dropping a hot cookie sheet, torn skin from when she fell out of a tree and gained her fear of heights. From the the way her eyes shifted colour with a fleeting change in emotion to her tiny habits of frustration. He knew everything about Stella.
So when he walked into the Chateau's kitchen and saw her tapping her pencil against the dining table with furrowed brows, he paused. She was beautiful, even hunched over her science textbooks, muttering something about DNA replication. But something was bothering her.
"How're you doing, Sunbaby?"
She lifted her head from her notes, her gaze following shortly after, and sighed. "Most definitely not golden, J."
"Biology's that bad, huh? All could've been avoided if you just stopped studying and hung out with me." He chuckled and grabbed two water bottles from the fridge, placing one in front of her before taking a sip from his own. When the tired look on her face failed to falter, he sat beside her. "Alright, talk to your hubby. What's goin' on in that big ol' brain of yours?"
Stella glanced a Pope through one of the windows. "Yesterday, Mrs. Rowe told me that I got accepted into a summer program at UNC."
"Oh, shit," JJ gasped, a proud grin spreading across his lips. "Isn't that, like, really good? Why do you look like you did when One Direction broke up?"
"The spot in the program goes to the person at the top of their class." She shook her head and fiddled with her necklace. "It should be Pope, not me."
JJ stared at her, trying to figure out exactly what she meant. He wasn't good at many things, but he was an expert on Stella. She was struggling to find a balance between doing what she wanted and being a good friend.
"Is Pope at the top of our class?" he asked, giving her a knowing stare. "Or are you?"
"Me, but—"
"Did you cheat your way there?"
"No, but—"
"Okay, so what I'm hearing is that you earned the spot fair 'n square."
Stella huffed and returned to scribbling in her notebook. He was right, but that didn't stop it from feeling wrong. "If I say no, the opportunity goes to him. And after everything with his scholarship... Being in the program wouldn't mean as much to me as it would to him."
"Have you talked to him about it?" He took her silence as a 'no' and he was willing to bet that she had no intention to.
"He'd just tell me to go." She dismissed with a shrug.
Sometimes her stubbornness was more frustrating than it was cute. "Then go!" JJ exclaimed.
"It's not that simple," Stella continued to argue. "I don't need anything other than mediocre grades and my mom's money. I don't need merit scholarships or special programs. Pope does! And I can't sit here and pretend that I'm not privileged enough to go college when my biggest worry is picking which one I want to go to. It's insulting."
JJ glanced at the pencil in her hand and reached over, replacing it with his water bottle. "I know you mean well and all, but it's kinda insulting either way. Drink."
When she recovered from her small outburst, he put a finger under her chin and forced her to look at him. "Take away the bullshit," he ordered. "Forget about Pope, forget about the money. What do you want to do?"
Stella hesitated. "I... I want to go."
He smirked at her silent defeat. It was his job to remind her of where selflessness ends and where self-sabotage starts.
"Then go."
Standing from his chair, he took his water bottle back and kissed the top of her head. "I love Pope, but you deserve this just as much as he does." He then turned and walked out of the Chateau, surprised to see Sarah Cameron standing in front of him. "Well, hello, princess."
John B tilted his head at the Kook. "Shouldn't you be on Figure Eight with your little group of polo players? Or did you break up with Topper already?"
JJ raised his eyebrows at the drama of it all and leaned back through the Chateau's door to call Stella over. "Yo, stargirl! Get out here." He knew she wouldn't want to miss out.
Stella emerged from the Chateau with a look of confusion that only melted away once she saw Sarah and John B glaring at each other.
"We're just friends," the blonde said.
John B scoffed. "You have a lot of friends, Sarah Cameron."
"Yeah, and it seems like you've got some of your own too."
Deciding to break the tension, Stella stepped forward with open arms and pulled Sarah in for a hug. Over her shoulder, she sent a narrow look at John B, warning him to be nice.
When she pulled away, she asked, "What're you doing here, S?"
Sarah sighed. "I'm here for Pope. I think I found the island room."
"I told you guys that it was a room in Tannyhill!"
STELLA HAD A hard time believing that the Cross of Santo Domingo held a magical scarf that could heal all illnesses. Though, she did find it extremely concerning how desperate Carla Limbrey was to find it.
The island room of Tannyhill was a mess when they arrived. Wallpaper was ripped from the walls and discarded on the floor, and furniture was out of place, scattered around the room.
"You've got to be kidding me," Pope stated as he crossed the threshold.
His friends followed him in. "Yeah, I know, right?"
"Stella was right. It's been here this whole time."
"Mhm, that's right." Stella nodded with a smug smile. "That's why y'all should always listen to me."
Her friends ignored her and dispersed around the room, looking at the paintings on the wall that matched the ones found in Denmark's diary.
John B nudged her arm playfully as he passed and canvased the room. After a moment of realization, he turned to his friends. "Yo, this is a map of the island."
JJ, who had been inspecting the closest wall, nodded. "Yeah, John B, I think you're right because this is Rixon's right here," he said pointing at one painting. "And then, there's the lighthouse."
"But what does it mean?"
"Well, it has something to do with the key, right?"
Off to the side, Stella was going over the mental list of things they already knew. One thing stuck out to her. "The path to the tomb begins in the island room," she muttered. If the room was a map, then the key was the clue that would point them in the right direction. But what was the tomb?
Turning to Sarah, John B tilted his head. "How did you know to uncover this?"
"I didn't." She shrugged. "It was like this when I got home."
"Okay, then who did it?"
Tension suffocated them as they pondered the question, only to be startled by a voice sounding out from the door.
"The freaks," Wheezie stated, causing the others to jump.
Sarah narrowed her eyes at her younger sister and placed her hand over her heart. "Wheeze! Quit doing that!" she scolded, ignoring the small smirk on the girl's face. Scaring her was one of her favourite pastimes.
JJ crossed the room and took his usual place beside Stella. "What freaks are we talking about, Wheeze?"
"Uh... that sick lady and her attack dog," she replied, slightly confused as to why everyone was staring at her so intently now. "They showed up last night and they wanted to talk to Rafe."
Stella looked at her friends. "Limbrey and Renfield." Turning back to the youngest Cameron, she gave an encouraging nod. "Then what happened?"
"First, they searched the whole house looking for something, and then Rafe told me to go upstairs."
"But that didn't stop you from listening through the grate," Stella stated knowingly. "Did it, Wheezie-Wheeze?" She knew from her friendship with Sarah and personal experience that Wheezie was far more nosy than a normal thirteen year old should be. It wasn't an uncommon sight to see Wheezie with her ear pressed up against the grates whenever her older siblings had friends over.
"I didn't want to miss out." The youngest Cameron shrugged with a meek smile. "They were talking about getting across the sand flamingo...? Whatever that is."
"That's code for something," Kie said, looking at her friends.
John B nodded. "Maybe sand means a beach? Across... That could mean they need a boat or a plane? And Florida has flamingos, right?"
JJ snapped his fingers. "They're going to Florida."
"They're not going to Florida, idiots," Stella said, rolling her eyes. "They're talking about the Cross of Santo Domingo."
Their mouths dropped. "Oh... Yeah, that makes more sense."
Wheezie looked at the older girl and nodded. "Yeah, that's it. Oh, and they were talking about angels. A lot of angel talk. I don't know."
"Guys, Denmark's famous last words," Pope said. His eyes widened at the connection he made. "He buried the real treasure at the foot of the angel. They're looking for an angel. We have to find the angel in the room. Start looking."
The Pogues spread out, eyes scanning the chipped pain for anything that resembled an angel.
Minutes passed and disappointment was starting to tug at Stella's heart. She couldn't find anything, leading to one of two conclusions—either there was no angel or she just sucked at playing I Spy.
Stella shook her head and leaned against the closest table. Facing the wall, she scanned the mural again, hoping to find something she missed.
"You find anything?" JJ questioned, standing next to her.
She sighed. "Nothing."
But just as the word left her mouth, both teenagers froze. In the centre of the wall was a painting of an old oak tree, and while this wouldn't be worth stalling for, it was the tree hollow that caught their attention. It was in the shape of a keyhole.
Slowly pushing off of the table, the couple turned to each other. "Is that...?"
JJ nodded, tracing his fingers over it. "A keyhole? Yeah."
"But why is it on a tree?" Stella questioned. "What does that have to do with angels?"
Giving her a knowing look, the blond turned to their friends. "Hey, guys, I think we found something." When the rest of the Pogues gathered around, he pointed at the tree. "This humongous tree is still on Goat Island. You know what it's called?"
"Angel Oak," John B answered, realization flooding his features.
"Look there." JJ pointed. "There's the keyhole."
"Wait," Sarah said. "That means the cross is buried at the foot of the angel."
"Wow, that must be where he put it."
Pope turned to leave. "That must be where they are right now! We have to go!"
He ran out of the room, leaving the rest to follow.
"I think I'm Sherlock Holmes, alright?" JJ shouted, fixing the hat on his head. "You're welcome by the way!"
John B rolled his eyes and beckoned him along. "Yeah, yeah. Hurry up, Sherlock."
Stella was the last Pogue out of the room, but before she left, she made sure to mess up Wheezie's hair and give her a wink. "Thanks for the help, Wheezie-Wheeze!"
"WE'RE NOT GONNA get across."
"Not with that attitude."
Ignoring Pope and Stella, JJ patted John B's arm. "Mmm, what do you think, chief?"
He looked at the muddy road ahead. The tide was coming in and soon, the road wouldn't be a road at all, but rather a swamp. The options were clear—give up or run the risk of the Twinkie getting stuck. "I'm thinking it's looking a little dicey."
"Yeah, I'm gonna have to agree with that statement."
Kie moved over to stick her head between the two front seats. "You can see Limbrey and Rafe's tracks. Clearly, they made it. No?"
JJ scoffed. "In a two-wheel drive? I don't know about that."
Rolling her eyes, Sarah glanced at them. "Why are y'all acting like you're not gonna do it anyways? Like when have y'all ever done the safe thing?"
With pursed lips, the Pogues shared a look.
"She's got a point," JJ said with a shrug. He hit John B's arm again. "Alright, buddy. Speed is your friend here, okay? So, put her down in second and hammer down, brother."
With a shaky breath, John B nodded and put the van into second gear. The van lurched forward as he stepped on the gas.
"Stick to the ground in the middle," Pope advised, rocking back and forth due to the van's harsh movements.
"Speed is your friend, B," Stella said, repeating JJ's previous words. "You're not going fast enough."
"I'm in second!"
"We're gonna get stuck and towing is expensive!"
"Will you relax? I can't concentrate with you in my ear, Stella!"
In the back seat, Sarah narrowed her eyes. "Jesus Christ, they've really got the sibling thing down."
"And I can't concentrate when you're driving like a grandpa!"
"Well, I got us across, didn't I?"
Stella stopped and looked out the window, seeing that he was right. "Huh," she huffed. "Good job, buddy. Didn't doubt you for a second."
"I told you we'd make it."
JJ chuckled and patted the dashboard. "That's my girl," he mused, smiling fondly at the interior of the van.
John B drove further through the swampy back woods until he came upon a good enough parking spot.
"Angel Oak is right through here," JJ said as the group left the van. The others wondered how he knew about the tree, but decided against questioning it. "Alright, so word to the wise, definitely know that gators nest back here, so keep your eyes peeled, okay?"
Stella's eyes widened as he made sure she stayed behind him. "Gators?"
"You don't wanna step on a mama gator, Stel. That's the last thing you want. You don't wanna be a Pat Womack. She had her calf chewed off by a gator. You know that, right?"
Pope furrowed his brows. "That's actually not true. Pat Womack was injured in a car accident, but I hear you."
"Okay, just live in ignorance," JJ huffed. "But like, she did have her calf chewed off by a mama gator. I know that for a fact. They like the brackish water."
In the distance, there were indistinct whispers. The group followed them until the whispers were at a regular volume, stopping suddenly when they saw Rafe, Limbrey, and Renfield surrounded by several excavation machines.
All Pogues except one crouched behind a mound of dirt to hide. When JJ saw Pope stand to rush at the older trio, he pulled him back by the shirt.
Before anyone could scold or question him, Pope let out a sound of anguish. "Cecilia Tanny, Denmark's wife," he said, pointing at the wood box in front go Limbrey.
The others followed his line of sight and felt grief and disappointment all at once. The older trio didn't excavate the Cross. They excavated a coffin.
"He wasn't talking about the cross," Pope lamented. "He buried her at the foot of the angel."
They watched as Limbrey expressed her anger and stared at Cecilia's coffin in disgust. She ordered everyone to turn around and go back to Tannyhill. And when they were gone, the Pogues slowly approached the foot of the Angel Oak.
"The true treasure. His wife." Pope kneeled by the head of his ancestor with a sniffle. "Denmark was hung for burying his wife, and now they defiled her grave. We can't leave her like this."
His friends didn't know what to do to make him feel better, but they did know that Cecilia deserved more than having her final resting place disrupted with disrespect by the same family that led her there. "We won't," they said assuringly.
Using the shovels left behind, they buried Cecilia's coffin once more and collected wildflowers to place upon it.
"I just don't get it," Pope sputtered, staring at the bundle of flowers on the ground. "I mean, you guys saw the map. He hides his gold so no one finds it for nearly two hundred years. And then he sends a message to his son to come here to his mother's grave, but the message never gets to him. Denmark wanted him to find the cross. I know we're in the right spot. It just feels like—"
"Like we missed something?" Kie finished gently. She leaned against the Twinkie, which John B had driven up to park in front of the tree.
Off to the side, JJ was standing with his arm across Stella's shoulders. He looked at their surroundings, unaware of Stella's furrowed brows as she stared at the tree hollow above their heads.
Without a word, Stella left JJ's side and studied it. She tried to climb onto the Twinkie to get a better look, but was pulled back by her boyfriend.
"What do you think you're doing, Mrs. Maybank?" He asked, hands still on her hips. Their friends hadn't noticed their exchange yet.
"The keyhole," Stella answered. "It doesn't make sense that there's a clue for everything but the Cross. The gold was the wheat symbol, his wife was the angel and the inscription, so by process of elimination, the actual keyhole has to be connected to the Cross, right? Otherwise what's point in creating a scavenger hunt when he could've easily put the location of the grave in a letter? Why be cryptic if you're not trying to hide something else?"
"So what?" JJ questioned. "You want to stick your hand in it and see if you can find anything?"
She shook her head. "Well, since I went in the storm drain, I was hoping you would do it."
JJ stared at her before letting out a defeated sigh. Nodding, he helped her climb up the side of the van and followed her shortly after.
The attention of their friends finally shifted towards them and confusion flooded their faces. "There they go," John B mused, watching as the couple stepped onto the roof of his car. "What are you guys doing?"
"Following a hunch." When Stella saw JJ hesitate to put his hand in the hollow, she raised a brow. "Do you want me to do it?"
He shook his head. "No, I'm gonna do it," he swore. "It's just..."
"He's scared," Kie snickered from the ground.
The blond scoffed. "I'm not scared, dude."
"You seem scared."
He rolled his eyes and put his hand in the hollow. "There's something in here," he confirmed, glancing at his wife. "Wait..."
Stella furrowed her brows but was sent into a frenzy of panic when JJ started screaming as if something was biting his hand. Her arms wrapped around his waist and she tried to pull him away, making him laugh.
When she realized he was joking, she dropped her head onto his back and closed her eyes in relief. "You suck, J."
"Oh, man!" JJ chuckled. "I got all of you on that one."
Pope rolled his eyes. "Oh, yeah, real original."
"Wait, but seriously, there's something in here."
He pulled his hand out to reveal a long bronze bar.
"Let me see it," Pope requested, taking it out of the blond's hands. "HMS Royal Merchant. It's a spyglass."
"There's something on the ends," Kie noticed. "An inscription right there. Look at that shit."
"Oh, what does it say?"
"You've come this far. Do not falter. The cross is on the Freedman's altar." Pope looked up with wide eyes. "Freedman's altar! The cross is at Freedman's Church!"
"Well, what are we doing here? Let's go!"
If only it were that simple.
When the Twinkie returned to the muddy road, the Pogues were disappointed to find that the tide had risen faster than expected.
"The road's gone," John B deadpanned, staring at the now swamp.
"Yeah, no shit."
JJ scratched his head thoughtfully. "Uh, John B, how high are the spark plugs?"
"They're good. We're fine."
"That's not what he asked, B."
"Stella, I swear to—"
"How high are they?" JJ repeated.
John B looked out the window. "Oh, um... Uh, just above the taillight."
"Okay, so that's, what, three feet?"
"That's three feet. Yeah."
Kie studied the body of water ahead with great skepticism. "It can't be three feet deep."
"Then what's the problem?"
"The middle won't be," Stella decided, looking at the water as well. She tried to picture the road before the tide came in. "So if we slide off the path, we're screwed."
JJ took a sharp inhale of breath and shook his head. "No, we're good," he insisted. "We're good. She'll make it. Fasten your seat belts. Hold on to something."
"We're going into hyperdrive."
"I'll say a quick prayer."
"Speed is your friend, John B!"
Unfortunately, John B slid off the middle path and the Twinkie sunk into the muddied ground of the swamp.
"Shit. I think we miscalculated."
The group got out of the car and stared at the van with their hands on their hips.
Sarah glanced around before sighing. "Okay, maybe we can walk from here."
John B looked at her like she had grown two heads. "What? And leave the Twinkie? The tide's coming in!"
"So then what are we supposed to do?"
"Not stay here, that's for sure," Stella muttered. When the others gave her a harsh look, she threw her hands up on defence. "What? I don't like gators."
At the back of the group, Kie scratched her forehead and nodded. "I can take my dad's truck," she offered with hesitance.
"Kie," Stella started, "are you sure?"
She shrugged. She was already disowned and she doubted her parents would put out an arrest warrant for grand theft auto. "How much worse can it get, you know?"
"We need something to pull her out with," JJ said after giving a curt nod. "There's a winch at the Chateau."
"That's, like, two miles," Stella guessed. "If we're gonna do it, we should go now."
Kie gave her a look. "We?"
"What, you think I'd let you steal a car on your own?"
JJ nodded. He wasn't going to let the girls do something fun without him. "Tide's comin' in, ladies. Double time, let's go."
"MRS. STELLA MARX-MAYBANK," Kie mused with a teasing smile. "Dr. Stella Marx-Maybank."
Stella rested her elbow on the middle console between the truck's two front seats. A small grin spread across her lips as she shook her head. "Shut up, Kie."
Kie watched as her best friend placed her chin in the palm of her hand. "You got married."
"I know," Stella chuckled. "I was there."
"D'you think Sarah and John B are separated or divorced right now?"
Stella thought about it. She saw how the pair argued earlier in the day, but it was clear that they still cared for each other. "Definitely going through a rough patch, but not divorced..." Her stare flickered to something beyond the windshield of the truck. Two people—more specifically, JJ and his father. "What the fuck?"
The two girls watched as the Maybank duo emerged from the Chateau's surf shack. JJ's face was twisted in annoyance as he dragged his father along. They could feel Luke's smug arrogance from twenty feet away.
"I thought his dad was in jail," Kie said, sharing a concerned look with Stella.
"Yeah, me too."
The door closest to Stella opened and she was met with the frustrated stare of her husband. "What is this?" She questioned, nodding towards the older man.
He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Go sit in the front."
"JJ, the Twinkie is drowning right now," she stressed, discomfort bubbling under her skin as Luke's stare burned into her. "We don't have time for this."
He took her arm and pulled her out of the truck. After shoving his father into the back seat with his free hand, he guided Stella to the front seat and opened the door.
"JJ." She gave him a stern look and crossed her arms. "What's going on? What is this?"
"Get in the car, Stella."
The driver's door slammed shut and Kie made her way around the truck. "What's the plan? What's happening?"
"We're wasting time, JJ—"
Sighing, the blond slammed the passenger side door, creating a barrier between them and his dad. "Listen to me," he snapped, grabbing Stella by the arms.
Kie stepped forwards to push him back, but stopped when he loosened his grip.
"Listen to me, okay?" His voice softened. "I need to get into the marina at the Island Club. There's a boat there he can take. Kie, you got the sticker on your truck. Twenty minutes, that's all I need."
"The Twinkie's gonna be a submarine in twenty minutes," Kie argued.
"I know, Kie!"
"So, leave him, and we can come back!"
"But the cops are after him!"
"No one's fault but his own, J," Stella drawled, clearly unhappy by the situation. As much as she wanted to leave Luke to fend for himself, she knew that JJ couldn't. If helping his father was something he needed to do, then she was willing to support him. With a small sigh, she turned to Kie and nodded at the car. "Let's go. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can get to the Twinkie."
"What?" Kie exclaimed. "Stel, you can't seriously be on board with this."
JJ moved to open the truck door again. "If I do this now, maybe I will never have to do it again."
Kie looked between her two friends in defeat, then walked around the truck to return to the drivers seat again. Glancing at Luke in the rearview mirror, she sneered. "Don't look at me."
THE GIRLS SAT in silence as JJ walked into the nearby grocery store. Neither one of them wanted to say anything—not in fear of angering Luke, but in protest of his presence.
It seemed that neither one could contain their disdain because both opened their mouths to speak at the same time. They glanced at each other with the silent question of who would confront the man first, and after Stella nodded, Kie turned in her seat.
"You're a terrible father, you know that?" Kie questioned.
Luke chuckled, almost as if he was expecting it. "Yeah, preach it to me. Set me straight."
"Do you have any idea how special your son is? Like, even a clue?"
Luke leaned further back into his seat. "He's a thief is what he is. We're not too different. You'll see it soon."
Stella couldn't stop herself. She couldn't listen to him shit on JJ's character like he knew who he was, like he had a right to know who he was, because he didn't. Luke Maybank had no idea what his son was like and he didn't even try to learn. She turned in her seat, her words coming out before she even realized she was doing. "No, when I look at JJ, I see a loyal guy who would do anything for the people he cares about. A good guy. The best one I know. You, on the other hand," she chuckled and shook her head, "you're a waste of space who takes his anger out on people who don't deserve it. And every chance you get to turn it around, you just throw it away. Seems pretty different to me."
The older man remained unaffected by her attack and pulled his lips into a smirk. "You sound just like your mama," he drawled, leaning closer to her chair. "She was exactly like that in high school. Always acted like she knew everything, an attention seeking, know-it-all bitch. You're just like her, aren't ya?"
Stella clenched her jaw. When he was close enough to her chair, she pulled the lever on the side of it and pushed the back of it onto his face.
He let out a groan of pain and pinched his nose, recoiling back into his seat while Stella glared at him.
"Don't talk about my mother."
Stella turned and exited the truck, leaving Kie alone in the drivers seat. She only hoped Kie wouldn't be too mad about it.
Her footsteps echoed in the small store, alerting JJ of her presence.
"You're dad's a dick," she deadpanned, standing next to him in line.
"Fuck," he sighed. "What did he say?"
"That I'm an attention seeking, know-it-all bitch like my mom."
"He said that? I swear to God, I—"
Shaking her head, she dismissed his question and helped him place items onto the check-out counter. "Don't worry 'bout it." She handed the cashier a twenty dollar bill before JJ could even take out his wallet. "But, J, are you sure about this?"
"I've gotta do it, Stella." He grabbed the bag of food and led her out of the store. "Once he's gone... that's it. I gotta do it."
She tilted her head up at him and offered a reassuring smile. "You know what I'm going to ask you, right?"
JJ kissed the side of her head, grateful that her mere presence was enough to cheer him up, and nodded. Half of their friend group already had plans to move into Marx Mansion, what was one more person?
"Look's like we're going to be roommates."
RAE SPEAKS !
jj when he found out his dad called stella and emma attention seeking, know-it-all bitches: