A FIRE IS LIT in the middle of all of us. My pumps are set aside and my dress is pulled on the way up to my knees. "Hey, guys. So, like, my dads already gonna kill me. So what's this mandatory meeting about?" Pope, as per usual, is panicking. "Ready for this?" John B asks. "Yeah," Kie and I both say in unison. "So, the gold never went down with the Royal Merchant."
I knew it. I fucking knew it.
"Here we go, again with this."
"Hear him out, alright?" JJ says to Pope. "It's been here the whole time. It's on the island," JB says.
I stand up and literally jump for joy at myself being right and the 400 million dollars worth of gold being in arms length. "Are you serious?" Kie asks. "I'd like to voice my skepticism," Pope speaks out. I'm still reeling from the excitement when John B is going on about the evidence as to why it's on the island.
The map gets passed around as John B explains and I'm stunned. "Tannyhill Plantation!" Sarah's house? "What?"
"Tannyhill?" John B explains what Denmark Tanny did and how he bought his freedom along with other slaves their freedom but was sadly, lynched for his actions. "....In the last line of that letter he leaves a coded message on where to find the gold."
John B leans down in front of Kie and I, "Where?"
"Harvest the wheat in parcel nine, near the water. Except..there's no wheat. You see, wheat is code for gold. Check this out, " John B flips the paper around and shows it to us again, "The gold is in parcel nine, near the water." Everything starts to add up and I get more excited again. "All we need is an original survey map of the property! And we found the gold!"
"Okay, so this might actually have a small chance of being true," Pope says actually believing for once. "Holy shit, John B. You did it!" I exclaim. JJ leaves my side to give John B such a tight hug it lifts him from the ground. "Fire, fire. You're near the fire—"
"Sorry to interrupt the bro moment but, what's the plan?" I ask. "Good question, so Sarah Cameron is coming tonight—" My eyes immediately shift over to Kie. I didn't know about this. "Sarah, why Sarah?" She's already pissed off at the mention of her name.
"Think quick, JB," I lean forward on my seat and listen as he stutters to explain. "Sarah, um, she—got me into the archives at Chapel Hill yesterday and that's where I got the letter." Two hours of getting ready and she never mentioned this to me? I'm not mad, just curious as to why. Kie's mad though.
"You were in Chapel Hill with Sarah Cameron?" She looks disgusted which makes me roll my eyes and get ready to defend Sarah. "Yeah, uh—"
"He's mackin' on her." My boyfriend's words make me snap my neck and he shrugs my shoulders. "You're WHAT?" I shout. "I wasn't macking!"
"You were totally macking on Sarah Cameron!" I'm just blinking. I have no idea what to do. I'm too stunned and maybe grossed out. "I'm using her for access—"
"There was an access alright." I smack JJ hard and he winces in pain. "John B, do you realize how fucked that is? Using her for information?" I stand up again. I'm pissed, no, livid, at John B right now. "Did you tell her about the treasure?"
Kie and John B start arguing so I turn to JJ, "You knew and didn't feel the need to tell me?" JJ shakes his head, "No, I found out when I got to Midsummers. They have some weird like Russian character kink and I had to deliver a letter to her—"
"What in the fuck—JJ!"
"I'm just as stunned as you are, okay?" I scoff and turn back to the arguing. "What about Pogue Lyfe? What about the t-shirt company, bro?" Kie's so mad, I'm scared she'll pop a vein. "I was just using her for information—"
"Stop saying that or I'll kick your ass, John B!" He looks scared for a second, like he forgot how close Sarah and I are. "Why don't I believe you?"
"I'm trying to make us filthy rich here. Okay, so that we can pay off a boat or, or, uh—send you to autopsy school to study dead bodies. Look, you guys know me. Do I look like the type of person to fall for Sarah Cameron?" JJ goes to open his mouth but JB and I both stop him. "You don't know her, yet," Kie starts up. Here we go, "I do! You can't trust her!" I bite my lip and turn away from Kie. "Her brother did hit me with a golf club."
That's when I butt in, "Sarah and Rafe are two completely different people!" Never in a million years would I let Sarah get slandered. Rafe deserves it. "What did she do to you, exactly?" I smack my thighs, getting ready for whatever Kie is about to say. "She's like a spitting cobra. First, she blinds you—"
"This is a bad analogy."
"Listen to me! Whatever we get, she's gonna try to take."
I'm trying to bite my tongue but she just keeps going on and on about Sarah. JJ rests a land on my thigh in an effort to calm me down but I can't and I snap, again, "You wanna talk about snakes right now?" Kie stops talking and panics, "Sam, don't."
"Then, shut up. You're lucky I can even be near you and that I accepted your apology. So, for the love of God, shut up about Sarah Cameron and let's go meet her. Tired of this shit already." I get up from my seat to go back to the van. When Kie wasn't there, Sarah was. Better than Kie ever could do.
I sit in the van, wishing I could change my outfit. "Babe," His voice makes me look up but a frown is still on my face, "That was quite the show." JJ gets in the van with my shoes that I forgot and sits down next to me. "I just hate how much they shit talk her when she's been my friend longer than any of you and I just, I hate it." I sink down to the point where I'm flat on my back and looking up at the blonde that owns my heart. "Kie is just being Kie. Do we even know why she hates her?"
"Something about a party. Some stupid middle school shit." I can hear the others coming closer and I groan. "So, ignore Kie. It's petty bullshit. She'll live," JJ runs a hand through my hair and I lean into the touch. "You guys ready?" The others get in but I don't even look at Kie. I stay next to JJ and let him play with my hair the whole ride to see Sarah.
The van comes to a stop and I open the door to hop out.
"So, I think I'm going to do this one by myself," John B says with pressed lips. I slump back down in the van. "Really?" JJ says. "What?"
"Nothing—"
"Listen, I don't wanna spook Sarah with the peanut gallery, minus Sam." I press my lips together and nod. "I just don't understand why we're involving her at all!"
"Kie, we're not involving her! It's just like a, a business meeting—" JJ does a gagging motion next to me and Pope smiles but I elbow him to stop. "Once we get what we need, we cut her loose." I roll my eyes at the way John B is talking about her. It's gross and I know he's lying. I caught him staring at her that night at the kegger. "Promise me nothing is happening between you two," Kie says.
John B puts on his worst lying face, "Nothing is happening, Kie." A storm is close by and I zone out their arguing again. Rolling my head on JJ's shoulder. "That was really believable."
"100% believable."
"Anyways, I'm gonna take care of business," JB walks away from us. I throw up a thumbs up, "You take care of the business, business man."
"You're gonna take care of that business so hard," JJ adds on. "We'll just sit here, in the hot ass car, while it's lightning," Pope sarcastically says. Thunder rumbles and crashes. "Holding onto the grudge is like drinking poison and thinking Sarah will die."
"Exactly, Pope," I nod my head in agreement. Kie sends me a glare but I send one right back. Kie doesn't say anything which I'm thankful for. "You look so pretty, darlin'," JJ compliments me randomly which makes my cheeks heat up. "Stop being gross in front of the kids," I playfully smack him. "I can't love my wife now?"
Wife.
The thoughts of realizing I'd marry JJ at anytime, any place come back. He could propose with a zip tag and I'd shout from the mountain tops showing off my ring. "Stop, you're making me nauseous." We both laugh at Pope. "You're too smart for anyone, Pope."
Someone shouting for help gets my attention as JJ is telling the story of how Rafe jumped him, again. Kie hears it too because she makes JJ shut up but they don't hear anything till a second later. "Please, somebody help!"
It's Sarah's voice.
My heart races as we get out of the car and I'm thinking of all the worse possibilities.
My feet speed up when I see John B on the ground and a crying Sarah holding him. "Sarah, what happened?" Pope asks first.
"I don't know what to do. He needs help. Topper shoved him."
I put my hand over my mouth and look up to see how far the drop is. My body goes cold at the distance of the drop. "Where the hell is he?" JJ shouts. "Get help! I don't care who, just call someone!" Sarah sobs and I bend down to comfort her and John B. Pope rushes off to get someone and I feel the tears streaming down my face as I rub Sarah's back. I hold back my own sobs for her sake but look towards JJ who has watery eyes. "Pope, hurry!" Kie shouts so loud it hurts my ears.
He'll be okay. He has to be okay. He's John B. Routledge.
"John B, stay with me." I pull my hand back in surprise when Sarah kisses John B. I don't have to look up to know the expression on Kie's face. "Pope! Please!" I shout as loud as Kie did. As soon as I do, the tears begin to fall as I stare at John B's unconscious body next to me.
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