The hot and heavy Carolina sun streamed in through John B's bedroom window, luring Slater from the deepest sleep she'd encountered in weeks. JJ was sprawled out next to her, his blond hair strewn across the pillow in every direction.
A grin crossed her face as she thought about the previous night, a warm, bubbly feeling filling her stomach. It was quickly replaced with a feeling of anxiety, a pooled dread of what was to come. She glanced at her phone, which laid on a makeshift nightstand made up of books she'd pulled off of John B's shelves. She hadn't plugged it in, so it was likely dead.
She wondered if there were any messages from her parents anyway. If they hadn't tracked her down at John B's by now, would they ever? Certainly they knew where she was — did they care?
Did she even want them to care?
JJ stirred beside her and she turned, seeing that he was awake and his blue eyes were already focused on her. He pressed a kiss to her lips, and desire rose in her chest as she recalled the night before.
Thoughts of her family problems and the treasure hunt and her other problems quickly disappeared as JJ sat up, pulling her with him. Her hands roamed his bare torso, tanned and taut from days of hard work in the sun. She looped her legs around his waist and he pinned her against the wall, his lips traveling down her neck.
Her eyes caught the clock on the wall and she cursed, pulling away from JJ. It was well after twelve, and Kie and Pope were supposed to come over to help with the gold retrieval equipment while John B went fishing with Sarah's father.
"The others are going to be here any minute," she said, sliding off of JJ's lap as she frantically searched for her bag of clothes.
JJ tugged her back towards the bed, his blue eyes dark with desire. "Come on, Slater. We've got time."
His statement was quickly disproven by a loud knock at the porch door, followed by Kiara yelling, "JJ? Slater? Are you in there?" After a second, she added, "Are you decent?"
"We have to get dressed," Slater hissed, gesturing between their two very naked, very un-decent bodies.
JJ's bottom lip stuck out in a childish pout. "Maybe if we ignore them, they'll go away."
Slater rolled her eyes as she located her duffel bag, plopping it on the bed. "I'll wear a sundress if you promise to get dressed."
He raised an amused eyebrow. "With no underwear?"
She scoffed and shook her head, throwing a rolled-up t-shirt at him. "Don't push it."
Slater quickly dressed in a purple bikini and a white sundress, patterned with tiny eyelet flowers that revealed the bikini beneath it. She watched JJ's toned body as she dressed in a variation of the same outfit he wore every day: a pair of shorts, an old t-shirt, and a hat.
JJ's eyes locked on Slater's dress and he let out a low whistle. "You sure we can't postpone this thing for just like, a few minutes?"
"A few minutes?" Slater echoed. "That's a bold estimate-"
"We're coming in!" Kiara yelled from outside, followed by the sound of the porch door squeaking open and two sets of footsteps entering the chateau. Slater quickly pulled her hair into a ponytail, knowing it was probably a mess, and exited the bedroom, JJ behind her.
Kiara smirked as she locked eyes on her two friends, both of whom looked rather guilty, like two children who'd just gotten caught doing something. Pope stood awkwardly behind her, pressing his fist to his mouth in an attempt to suppress a laugh.
"Great timing, really," JJ deadpanned. "You two couldn't have come at a better time."
"The predetermined time we all agreed on yesterday?" Pope said with a chuckle. "You know, you're right, JJ. We couldn't have come at a better time."
JJ mumbled something incomprehensible before Kiara led them all outside, where Pope had his father's truck, loaded with borrowed supplies that would help them bring the gold up from the Crain house.
They spent the better part of the day setting it up and testing it out, making sure it could work as they needed and hold the amount of weight required to bring the gold up from the well.
The pogues being the pogues, however, JJ and Kiara had turned the pulley system into a makeshift swing, and Kiara was swinging back and forth on it.
"Come on, Kie! My turn!" JJ protested.
"Y'all are going to hurt yourselves," Slater said with a shake of her head, though the smile on her face gave away the fact that she thought it secretly looked like fun.
Kiara hopped off of the swing and JJ immediately took her place. He gave it a few tentative swings before reaching a hand out to Slater. "Come on, Cambry. You know you want to."
She took his hand and hopped up next to him, steadying herself by grabbing onto his waist as he swung them back and forth. Memories of riding JJ's bike for the first time flashed through her mind, sending the same rollercoaster-esque feeling through her stomach. It seemed like a lifetime ago.
"Where is John B?" Pope wondered aloud, checking his watch. "I've got my scholarship interview tomorrow, but I'd at least like to go over the details of the gold removal with him before I leave."
The crunch of twigs echoed from behind the chicken shack, and John B appeared, looking worse for wear. His clothes were more rumpled than usual, and he had a stony expression on his face.
"Speak of the devil," JJ said, hopping off of the swing before helping Slater down as well.
"How was fishing?" Slater asked, a teasing grin on her face. The smile quickly disappeared as she registered the look of anger John B was wearing.
"Dude, I set up the entire winch to pull up the gold and everything," JJ said as John B silently marched for the chateau.
"No he did not," Pope scoffed. "I did that."
"Hey, John B?" Kiara called out as John B disappeared into the house.
"What's that all about?" Pope asked as the pogues quickly scrambled after them.
They found John B frantically digging through cabinet after cabinet, hastily discarding the things that were in his way.
"You alright man?" Pope asked. "What's up?"
John B remained silent as his friends probed him with questions, until finally he reached between the cushions of the couch, pulling out JJ's stolen pistol.
"Hey, what's going on, man?" JJ asked, reaching for John B's unbroken arm. "What do you need the gun for?" When the blond moved to stop John B, the Routledge boy pushed him to the couch.
"Hey, chill!" Kiara exclaimed. "What are you doing?"
"What are you, JJ?" Pope asked.
The pogues clamored outside and down the steps, but John B was already seated on JJ's bike, revving the engine. Slater noticed the gun was wedged haphazardly in the waistband of his shorts.
Her heart lurched. She wasn't used to such erratic behavior from John B. He was going to get himself hurt. Or worse.
"John B, what the hell?" Kiara yelled, running for the bike.
"Ward knows about the gold!" John B said, tears filling his brown eyes as he turned towards his friends. "And he killed my dad."
Slater stopped abruptly, causing Pope to run into the back of her. John B tore down the driveway before anyone could ask for more explanation.
"And he killed my dad."
Goosebumps prickled on the back of Slater's neck, and she felt her legs wobble beneath her. Ward Cameron killed John B's father? Ward Cameron, king kook, Grand Knight of the Rhododendron, had killed Big John Routledge?
Slater knew Ward was an asshole, but was he really a murderer?
She thought of her father, the way Ward was so eager to get Victor Shoupe in his good graces. Vic was brainwashed, just like the rest of the island.
"Did he just say what I think he said?" Pope uttered, finally breaking the silence.
"Ward Cameron killed Big John?" JJ collapsed onto the porch steps, holding his head in his hands. Slater knew that Big John had been more a father figure to JJ than Luke ever was. She sat beside him, linking her arm through his.
"Where is he going?" Pope asked.
"Wherever it is, it can't be good," Kiara said, pacing back and forth in the driveway.
"He took the gun," JJ muttered, shaking his hand. "We have to find him."
"We have to stop him," Kiara added, nodding her head. "Before he does something he regrets."
"We should check the Camerons," Slater suggested. "If he's out for vengeance, that's the first place he'll go."
"And if by some miracle he's not out for vengeance..." Pope sighed. "Tannyhill is where he lives now."
"Let's take the boat," JJ suggested, and they quickly scampered down the dock to the SS Pogue. They puttered through the marsh, turning off their lights as they approached the Camerons' dock, stopping just far enough away to prevent being seen, but close enough to see the house by use of Pope's binoculars.
"Maybe we should just go up and ask if he's there," Kiara suggested, glancing nervously at the house. "Play dumb."
"Play dumb?" JJ questioned, shaking his head with a short.
"It's pretty late," Pope sighed.
"Look, I've never seen John B act like that. We should honestly be going to the cops," Kiara suggested.
"The cops, Kie?" JJ echoed. "What are we going to tell them? We're worried about our friend because he's on a rampage because Ward Cameron killed Big John?"
"They'll never believe that," Slater said, agreeing with JJ. "The cops are a bad idea."
"Oh, now you agree with JJ?" Kiara said, shaking her head. "Slater, I thought you'd be with me on this."
"Kie, we can't trust the cops," Slater said.
"Are you just saying that because you're mad at your dad?" The Carrera girl asked.
Slater's mouth fell open and she gaped at Kiara. "What? No, I'm saying that because Ward Cameron is so up all of their asses that there's no way a couple of kids from the Cut are going to convince them that he's a murderer, especially when there is zero proof."
"Hey, I see Ward," Pope interrupted, his binoculars focused on the mansion. "Doesn't look dead to me," he said, passing the lenses to Kiara. "Let's go home."
"What?" Kiara and JJ exclaimed in unison.
"Obviously Mr. Cameron is fine, and even if John B was here, he isn't now," Pope said, standing behind the wheel. "Plus, I have the biggest, most important moment of my life in six hours."
"Our friend is in trouble," Kiara snapped angrily.
"I'm in trouble!"
"Okay, so that's it? In a time of need, you're just going to bail? You're just going to walk away?" Kiara argued.
Slater watched as JJ paced back and forth on the boat, running a hand through his hair. She knew arguing was a trigger for him, though he'd never admit it. He didn't talk much about his home life, especially before his mom left. She could tell by the tenseness of his shoulders and the quickness of his breaths that Kiara and Pope were stressing him out.
"Guys," Slater interrupted, for JJ's sake more than anything else. "Not now, okay?"
"I have a scholarship interview in the morning," Pope said, ignoring her.
"What about John B?" Kiara said, her voice even louder.
"Why is it always about John B?" Pope countered.
They continued to bicker as JJ and Slater watched helplessly, listening to their voices get louder and louder. It was only a matter of time before the noise carried across the lawn to Tannyhill, or across the water to another boat.
"Would you stop with the moral high ground bullshit?" Pope exclaimed. "Where were you when Big John went missing? You weren't there for John B. You weren't there for any of us."
Slater knew Kiara had spent some time with the kooks, but she'd always assumed Kie was still hanging around the pogues when she went to private school. Based on what Pope just said, that didn't seem to be the case.
"Remember your kook year? You forgot about us."
Kiara shoved Pope, causing JJ to jump to his feet.
"Okay, that's enough!" JJ yelled, his hands shaking as he pushed his friends apart. "If I'm the one mediating, we've hit rock bottom. Bow out, now. Pope, I'll drop you off," he said, taking the wheel of the boat.
Slater hadn't been around the pogues for very long. She knew they had their little moments, their stupid arguments over silly things, but she'd never seen a fight like this. Maybe she was naive to think that the pogues were without fault. She knew individually, they all had their flaws, but together, they put on such a strong, unified front that she didn't think there was anything that could tear them apart.
Her heart felt for Pope, as she knew how important the scholarship was for him. It was his way off the island. In his eyes, it was probably the only way off the island.
But her heart also felt for John B. She remembered the time, not too long ago, when they'd ridden back to the chateau, just the two of them. They'd talked about Slater's dead father, and she could tell then that John B would do anything to bring his father back, and she'd barely known the boy.
Now that John B knew his father was dead, at the hands of Ward, she wondered just how far the boy would go. There was nothing scarier than someone with nothing to lose.
After searching for John B into the early hours of the following morning, just as the sun was beginning to rise far east over the Atlantic, JJ, Slater, and Kiara ended up docking back at John B's, with intentions of crashing at the chateau. Kiara was still tense after her argument with Pope, and Slater was a bit upset about the way Kie had thrown Slater's fight with her parents at her, just because she hadn't agreed with Kie's idea.
Kiara wordlessly took the pull-out couch, sliding under the covers of a blanket without so much as a "good night" for Slater or JJ.
Slater followed JJ to John B's room. That morning, it'd been exciting to share a room with JJ, even a room that didn't belong to either of them. Their night together had been exhilarating, and she'd been looking forward to a repeat. That was the furthest thing from her mind, however, as she stripped out of her sweaty sundress and into an oversized t-shirt for bed.
Even JJ was silent as she pulled the dress over her head. That's how she knew how upset he was.
She trudged to the bathroom to take out her contacts, if they weren't already dried into her eyeballs, before returning to the room. JJ was seated on the edge of the bed in his boxers, his head in his hands. She sat next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder.
"When did being sixteen become so hard?" he said in a quiet voice. "We... we shouldn't have to be dealing with this. John B shouldn't ..." his voice caught and he fell silent, burying his face into his hands.
"It's not fair," Slater agreed, taking one of his hands in hers.
"Nothing is fair, not on this damned island," JJ muttered.
"The gold, J," Slater murmured, pressing a kiss to the side of his head. "It's going to be your way out." After a moment, she added, "It's going to be our way out."
A flicker of a smile crossed his face and he squeezed her hand. "Is that how it's going to be, Cambry? You and me, against the world?"
She smiled. "If you'll have me."
"Don't you have bigger things in mind? College or something?"
Slater shrugged. "I don't know. I don't know what I want." Her eyes drifted to JJ's. "Aside from you, of course."
"Well, that you can have, gold or no gold," he said, grinning. "I promise." He leaned forward, pressing a kiss to her lips.
"I also want sleep," Slater muttered, pulling away from the boy and collapsing against the blankets. "Can I have that?"
JJ fell beside her, whispering something as he did, though Slater didn't hear him. She was already fast asleep.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ author's note ✫・゜・。.
and here we are, the stressful part of season one. this part of the season always gives me anxiety, even though i've watched it numerous times and i know exactly what happens.
i had to sneak a lil cute jjxslater moment in at the end, even though this part of the book is more so about john b and the gold.
hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thank you so much for reading!
xx,
madi