┍━━━━ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ━━━━┑
chapter sixty four
THEIR OWN LITTLE PARADISE
┕━━━━ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ━━━━┙
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
"JJ!" Athena called as she broke the water, swimming towards the Maybank boy.
"Athena, you okay?" Kie asked when she cam up form under the water.
"Kie, you have to go find the boat." Athena told her.
"I'm not leaving you!" Kie spoke firmly.
"And I'm not letting you drown." Athena snapped. "Seeing as the person who saved us last time is currently laying unconscious in my arms so go!"
"Okay." Kie hesitated before swimming through the water. Athena looked down at the boy in her arms, him laying face up to keep his head out of the water.
"JJ, hey, JJ." He was limb, breathing, but lacked movement and was unconscious. Athena wasn't the best swimmer and trying to hold JJ up wasn't making it any easier, "Cmon, JJ, wake up, please, stay with me."
JJ wouldn't move, his head bleeding and to be completely honest it was scaring the shit out of her. Blood dripped from the cut on her arm, falling into the water and mixing with her salty tears that followed it. That was another thing that scared Athena, the possibility of her wound attracting sharks.
"JJ, please. Please don't leave me." Athena begged, trying to keep his head up, "Kie! Hurry!"
"JJ, cmon, wake up, stay with me." the blonde repeated again, kicking her legs violently in hopes of staying up, body burning from doing so as she began to give up slowly, "It's okay, it's okay, I'm sorry. John B's coming, okay, Kie's coming back."
Athena tried to stay above water, "Kiara! John B! Sarah! Someone help!"
"Athena!" it was Sarah to yell in fear.
"No, no, no, JJ!" John B yelled in a panic.
"John B, please, help me!" she called, crying, "He ripped my stitches, I'm bleeding, ima attract sharks man."
"Get her up, get her up." a girl Athena hadn't recognized called, on the back of the boat with Pope.
"Get JJ, cmon." Athena said, trying to lift him as Pope and John B yanked him up. Sarah and the other girl reached, pulling athena up as she winced.
The engine gave out, Sarah's eyes widening, "John B."
Athena didn't have to look around, her immediately going over to JJ, placing his head in her lap as she patted his chest.
"He's pointing at us. Hurry!" Pope panicked.
"We gotta go." Kie called.
"I'm trying!" John B called in annoyance their way. Athena finally looked up, seeing Rafe pointing a gun at them. She stared at the boy as if she was waiting for him to shoot. But he didn't, and the engine started up again. The blonde sighed in relief, turning her back.
"Is he breathing?" Pope asked, him and Kie leaned over JJ in worry.
"Yeah, but he's got water in his lungs." Athena took a breath, looking back down at JJ. "Come on, J."
Athena hit against his chest a few times before tilting his head back, pressing her mouth to his and breathing in. She sat up again, leaving his mouth open and his head leant back as she hit his chest once more trying to get the water to leave his lungs.
"Come on, come on, come on." Athena chanted under her breath, tears rolling down her chest. "Please, please, please wake up, JJ."
Athena tried pushing two breaths into his mouth once more but he laid still. Athena hit his head, angrily putting her forehead on his shoulder. "Come on, J. I need you, please."
Athena took a deep breath sitting once more, hitting chest once more harshly, "Come on!"
This time a cough came from the blonde boy, water flying out of his mouth. he coughed again as he leaned over to get it all out before falling back again. Athena sighed in relief as she dropped her head in the crook of his neck.
"There he is." Kie laughed as they all sighed and smiled in relief.
"Hey buddy. Welcome to the land of the living." Pope smiled down at him.
"No CPR needed, huh?" John B joked.
JJ turned to look at Athena, who had sat up, her hand now on his shoulder. "Hi, you okay?"
"I'm doing good Cinderella." JJ looked up at her with a lopsided grin.
"I hate you." Athena laughed, falling into him once more.
"Always looking for attention, aren't you?" John B spoke up.
"Whatever it takes, right?" JJ laughed.
"I love you so much." Athena muttered.
"I love you too." JJ hugged her back as they slowly sat up.
"Don't do that to me okay or I'll kill you." Athena threatened, a relieved smile still on her face.
"Yes ma'am." JJ saluted.
"Sharks are gonna surround us, girl. This is gonna hurt like a bitch." the girl Athena hasn't known spoke, grabbing hold of her ankle. She pulled a thread off her pants, digging a fish hook from her pocket.
"What the hell happened?" JJ spoke, putting his arm around Athena.
"The blunt end of a machete." Kie informed him.
"Bitch ripped my stitches." Athena scoffed before she turned to the girl, watching as she tie the thread to the fish hook. "Ugh, thank you but can I know your name?"
"Cleo." she gave a grin, "Sorry, zero numbing medicine but if you wanna avoid infection and sharks eating us alive, we're gonna have to get you stitched."
"I'm athena."
"Oh god." Pope exhaled, "Oh god."
"Okay, yeah, that's gonna hurt." Sarah said as she looked away, "And that's a lot of blood."
"This is the second time you've put fake stitches on that wound." John B shook her head. "You're a liability."
Popes eyes set on the cross, watching as it was pulled back onto the boat, "This shit ain't over."
"No, it ain't." John B agreed.
"Keep her still." Cleo demanded as JJ wrapped his arms around Athena's waist "Deep breaths, blondie."
Athena let out a yell of pain as Cleo stuck her with the fish hook. Athena pushed her face into JJ's chest, Cleo keeping a hold of her arm.
"Sorry, sorry." Cleo apologized.
"Holy hell." Athena moaned, breathing heavy as the pain of the fish hook weaving through her skin went through her whole body, "Can we— can we take a break?"
"Keep her still!" Cleo yelled as Athena attempted to move away from the hook, "Sorry, Miss Athena, you're doing fantastic."
"Hey, it's almost done." JJ tried to reassure her, pressing a firm kiss to the side of her face.
"Your boyfriend is right. Deep, but not too big." Cleo spoke in reassurance, nearly done, "You're a tough one, girly."
"Thank you." Athena let out a breath.
"If you make that much noise, you two are never allowed in the chateau together with me in it." John B commented, making everyone laugh.
"She's usually louder." JJ responded.
"JJ!"
"Gross."
"I know."
"Stop it!"
Athena leant her head on JJ's shoulder, looking over to Sarah, mouthing 'You okay?'. Sarah nodded in response, smiling in reassurance. Athena smiled before moving her head to lean on Kie's shoulder instead of JJ's.
"Kiki Dee. I love you, right?" Kie nodded as everyone looked over to them. "But never invite me to hang out with your friends ever again. It has ended badly every time."
"You're so right." Kie laughed. Athena looked out across the water, before turning to look at the boat she just left, hoping that she could one day keep her promise to Wheezie.
The group managed to make it to an island, the girls sitting down as the boys dragged the lifeboat onto shore. When the boys had got the boat up they moved over to sit with the girls, JJ sitting next to Athena as he spoke.
"Okay, anybody know where we're at?" JJ asked.
"Deserted beach. Unknown island." Pope shrugged.
"All right. I'll take that as a no." JJ smiled sarcastically. "Plan A, huh, Pope? That went well."
"This is the lowest we can go." Pope shook his head, angrily. "We literally have nothing else to lose. The cross, gone."
"The gold, gone." Sarah added.
"Seriously, if we had a nickel for every time we got beat up, I'd say we're at a dollar fifty." JJ nodded his head, standing up and leaning on a nearby tree.
"That's more than I got on me." Kie chuckled slightly.
"That somehow doesn't make me feel better." Sarah stated.
"Yeah, you're right." John B piped up. "I mean, we've, we've had some good stuff happen."
"Name something." Pope asked him.
"Um... Uh, the boiler room. What? If the boiler didn't explode, I wouldn't have gotten away from Rafe." John B explained. "I couldn't have gotten the Zodiac and gotten us out of here."
"That wasn't luck." Cleo told him. "That thing was gonna blow the second I stopped feeding it."
"Stealing my thunder, Cleo. Um..." John B trailed off.
"Sorry."
"Okay, Pope, you're related to Denmark Tanny." John B continued to try and make them all feel better.
"And I lost all of his inheritance." Pope deadpanned.
"You know what?" John B stood up in front of them all. "Guys, this is it. This is the Pogue life. We are in the Caribbean. It's our own little slice of paradise. With my best friends, with my family. I don't know. I wouldn't wanna do it with anyone else. Look and while you guys were complaining about every little thing... JJ?"
"Hmm." JJ stabbed the tree with the pocket knife he was playing with.
"I was looking at those burly lefts." John B finished, turning to Kie. "Kie, I know you wanna get out there."
"No boards." Kie shrugged.
"Well, we can bodysurf till we make some boards." John B made a face. "Pope? Come on, man."
"There's nobody around, we could squat here for a bit." Pope nodded his head.
"Are we just ignoring the massive beach hut over there." Athena piped up, grabbing their attention. Everyone furrowed their eyebrows before following in the direction Athena was pointing to see a beach hut just a few yards away from them.
"Has that been there the entire time?" John B asked.
"No it magically popped up just now when I pointed at it, I haven't told you guys yet but I'm actually a witch." Athena spoke with a straight face, confusing everyone at her seriousness but John B who smiled at her sarcastically.
"Ima drown you if you keep with your attitude." John B threatened.
"I'd like to see you try JB, I'd stab you with JJ's knife before you got the chance." Athena retorted, the two staring at each other before Kie spoke up.
"Uh, guys, there's someone coming out of that house." Every spun back towards the beach hut to see someone coming their way. The boys began to panic, moving to go back towards the lifeboat.
"Hey, who are y'all and what the hell are you doing on my island?" The person shouted, now becoming clear it was a girl. The voice made the boys panicking even more.
"Wait guys." Athena stopped them, staring at the figure as it walked closer. "Sage?"
The girl stopped, "Athena."
"Oh my god!" Athena ran over to the girl she hadn't seen in over a year, jumping into her arms and Sage spun her around. "I'm glad you're alive. Have you been here by yourself all this time?"
"Nice to see you too Thens." Sage laughed as Athena led her over to the group. "I had to leave, some shit about my parents being involved with the gold that went down with the royal merchant."
The group all shared a look, Athena scoffing. "We know all about that."
"My green baby." Sarah exclaimed, moving over to huge the curly haired girl. "I missed you."
"Sarah! I've missed you too babe." Sage smiled as Kie stood up.
"Sage Hartman." Kie stated.
"Kiara Carrera, looking as good as ever." Kie smiled bashfully, Athena sending her an 'I told you so look' as Sage hugged Kie.
"Boys." Sage greeted.
"Sage this is Pope, John B, Cleo and JJ." Athena introduced them all.
"Hi."
"Howdy."
"Sup."
"What's up."
"Maybank." Sage looked towards the boy, who smiled nervously. "You got a girlfriend?"
"Yep, she's stood next to you." JJ answered immediately making Sage smile turning to look at Athena.
"Just checking you finally found the balls to talk to her." Sage shrugged. "And John B."
"He's in love with Sarah." Athena whispered.
"Good." Sage smiled, everyone but Athena very confused on what happened. "So what brings you to my neck of the woods?"
"Long story." Athena told her.
"I've got time. You guys staying for a while?" Sage asked.
"If you'll have us." Pope stated.
"You got surfboards over there?" John B spoke up.
"Yep, probably enough for each of you." Sage answered.
"Pogelandia." JJ announced as he stood once more.
"Oh boy." John B sighed.
"I now claim thee Polegandia. I like the ring of it." JJ nodded confidently as the wind blew in his hair back. "I'm gonna make a flag. It's gonna have a chicken on it. With a coconut bra, smoking a J, in crocs."
"I could use a J." Kie said honestly.
"I've got one." Sage spoke. "I'll grab it when I get the boards, wanna come."
Kie nodded, jumping up and following after Sage as John B stepped towards Sarah.
"Sarah, till death do us part." John B grinned down at the Cameron girl. "Welcome back to the pogue life."
"Full pogue." She grinned.
"Welcome to the pogues." Pope pulled Cleo up.
"What is a pogue anyway?" Cleo questioned. "What is that handshake you do?"
"Full pogue?" JJ raised his eyes at Athena.
"Pogue life it is." Athena grinned, taking his hand.
"Now I can finally teach how to properly surf." JJ joked, putting this arm around Athena. When the blonde didn't respond, he looked down at her distracted face, nudging her, "She'll be okay."
Athena didn't need to ask to know who he was referring too. "You think? I promised her I'd go back for her."
"She's strong, she'll be alright. And we go back for her and then she can live her dream off becoming a pogue too." JJ reassured her.
"Come on!" Athena laughed, grabbing JJ's hand and running into the water.
The sun had been set for a few hours, the group now huddled around the fire, orange reflecting off of everyone's faces. The group was simply having fun together, the way it should've been from the start.
Athena was sat next to Sarah, leaning her head on her sister's shoulder, laughing as JJ did a full performance.
"We made it out." Athena spoke to Sarah, quietly.
"We did." Sarah smiled. "The Cameron twins."
"Always up to some bullshit." Athena joked.
"For all eternity." Sarah laughed, Athena joining in before JJ sat next to her, the blonde turning her attention to her boyfriend.
"Hi." She greeted.
"Hey Cinderella." He smiled, standing up once more and holding his hand out. "Dance with me?"
"Really?"
"It's like our thing now." JJ shrugged. Athena smiled, taking his hand and letting him guide her to the other side of the fire, the pogues smiling at them before going back to their own things, Kie chatting to Sage about everything she's missed.
Athena placed her hands on JJ's shoulders as they simply swayed in the peace and quiet, the sound of waves crashing against the rocks in the distance.
"I don't think I've ever this way about someone." Athena spoke up honestly.
"Really?" JJ looked unconvinced.
"JJ, you are literally the best thing to ever happen to me and I love you so much. Like I love you on a loop in my head constantly, you're always there and in every scenario that I make up in my head when someone would tell me that you're dangerous I would still love you in all of them." Athena looked up at the boy, him smiling down at her. "I have never felt that way about anyone except you and I never wanna stop feeling it."
"No ones ever loved me the way you do Attie." JJ told her.
"And as selfish it is, I don't want anyone else to." Athena let out a small laugh. "God, we sound like we're in some cheesy romcom film."
"Don't we just." JJ laughed.
"I'm gonna be cheesy anyway." Athena shrugged. "I know we're sixteen but I want you in my life forever and I want to be only one to love you the way I do for the rest our lives because I need you JJ and I don't know what I'd do if I lost you or your love."
"I don't know what I'd do either." JJ leant forward, pressing his forehead to hers. "So let's never find out."
"Let's never find out." Athena agreed.
"I'm sorry for all this." JJ closed his eyes for a minute.
"I was bound to be dragged into it somehow." Athena shrugged once more. "I'm just I got to all it all with you. John B was right, there is no one else I'd rather be here with."
That was enough for JJ to lean in and kiss her passionately, her arms wrapping further around his neck to kiss him back, her hands playing the bottom of his hair. They knew, no matter what they went through, or who came into their lives, no one could ever love them like they loved each other. And standing in JJ's embrace, her family a few feet away from her, Athena knew she finally belonged and after everything she was happy. And so she kissed JJ back more passionately than any other kissed they shared as they stood in their own little paradise.
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
𝗜𝗦𝗢𝗕𝗘𝗟 𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗦
cute everyone in this chapter
sage has arrived hope u like her
may or may not have started writing a tyler galpin book 😉
THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER 😭😭
i'm am so thankful for has read, commented and voted on this book as i publish this chapter it has over 180k reads.
i cannot wait until February so i get to write athena again until then look out for my other books and some bonus chapters of this book.
i may be editing it so also watch out for me publishing the edited chapters with added scenes in it because i don't like the short chapters at the beginning of this book :))
once again love you all and go look at my tiktok for this chapter !!!!