Midsummers 5.02
He wishes he could be with her right now. She would be able to make everything better, just by talking to him, like she did this morning. She would be able to stop him from believing every word his father is saying.
As the truck starts to slowly pull away from the police station, JJ's breaths are shallow and uneven. It is nowhere near the first time he has been beaten this bad, but it is the first time where he has had no escape. In the house, he was always able to slip away, if even for a second. He could take a few steps back and allow himself a second to breath before another attack started but stuck in the truck, he couldn't. He had nowhere to go and he had to take it. Every single punch destined for him, landed.
Thankfully, while he was being brutally attacked, there was a silver lining. One so small not even his father was able to take it away from him. Through the side mirror, between punches, he saw Casey. He saw her walking toward the truck and he was able to deter her. One word stopped her from bringing JJ's true fear to reality. Although that one word caused more pain for him, he was able to save her from his father.
But now, that means he is alone again, barely conscious, as his father drives through town pretending nothing is wrong. Pretending that he didn't attack his own son in the middle of the day, surrounded by people. Pretending that the window is not currently splattered with JJ's blood. Pretending like nothing is wrong.
It doesn't take long until the two are back on the Cut. But even then, knowing they are going back home, JJ does not move. He stays slouched against the door, fearing that one wrong move will send his father off the rails again. The only problem, as he sits there, cringing at the metallic taste in his mouth, he can't help but fall into a dark place. This is his fault. He deserves this. This is his punishment for being a good friend. He knew the second he was placed in the back of the Kildare County SUV, this was going to be the outcome and he welcomed it. So, he needs to take it. Every punch, every hit, every awful thing his father sends his way. This is what he deserves.
As JJ continues to fall deeper and deeper into his self-isolating and crushing thoughts, Luke speeds up and barrels down the road, going faster than everyone else. The man is beyond pissed. He is now on the hook for thirty thousand dollars. Thirty thousand dollars in restitution because his ungrateful son thought sinking a Kook's boat was worth it. He doesn't care what the reason is, he just knows his son is an idiot and doesn't think before doing anything.
After driving, at unsafe speeds, JJ and Luke finally pull up to their house. As he puts the truck in park and takes the keys out of the ignition, Luke looks over at his son, who has still not moved. He's not happy that he has to parent like this, but JJ gives him no other choice. He has to be forceful, which unfortunately means he has to beat it in to get it across. Luke takes a deep breath as he opens the door, feeling the anger starting to build again. He notices the way JJ tenses as the door creaks but he doesn't care. Fear is the best way to get him to listen. So, to add to that mind set, he slams the door as he gets out and walks away.
JJ waits to move until he watches his father disappear through the front door, and even then, he barely moves. He groans as he pushes himself up and slowly pulls the visor down. He doesn't want to flip the small mirror open, but he needs to take a look at his face. He needs to know the damage. He takes a painfully deep breath in and slowly opens the mirror. He is not surprised that his lip busted open again, but he is taken back at the cuts on his cheek and on his eyebrow, all three bright red with small lines of blood traveling down his face.
Again, all of this is predictable. He has taken his father's right hook to the face multiple times in the last few years, but even if it is a norm for him, it still hurts to hell when it happens. It always looks worse hours later, so of course, he's going to have to answer some questions if he goes to the Château, but none he's never answered before. The only thing he does not want to do, besides getting out of the truck and going into the house, is to see Casey. Now, or later today. He can already picture the look on her face when she sees him, and the tears forming in her eyes. He does not want to cause her that sadness.
Before he loses himself for a second time in the last hour, JJ manages to open the door and slowly slide out of the truck. He quickly wipes his blood off of the window with his forearm as he steadies himself and gently closes the door. It takes everything in his power to make it around the house. He knows better than to follow behind his father. If he walks through the front door right now, he knows his father will be standing there, waiting for him, ready to attack again. So, instead of being stupid, and walking right into another ambush, JJ slowly makes his way around the house and through the backdoor.
As soon as the door starts to creak, Luke's head shoots up from the messy table in the middle of the house and stares down his son. JJ doesn't move as soon as they lock eyes. He's immediately filled with fear, waiting for his father to say or do anything, but the man simply looks down at the pills he bought a few days ago and starts organizing them.
JJ takes this as his opportunity to slip into the hallway as his father downs two Xanax, inevitably escaping another argument. Right as he dips into his bedroom, and closes the door behind himself, the entire house is engulfed by rock music coming from the living room.
At first, it doesn't bother JJ, but as he wipes the blood from his face, his head starts to pound. He manages to keep it controlled for the moment because of the pain his old shirt, that he is using as a towel, is causing. But of course, like everything else that has happened in the last few days, it gets under his skin and becomes too much for him to handle. Hoping to keep the anger and frustration he is feeling down, he pacing around the room, with his hands covering his ears.
As if Luke knows JJ is getting pissed, yelling echoes through the house, somehow managing to travel over the music. "How you gonna get that money back, huh?!" Even though he knows it is not meant to be a rhetorical question, JJ doesn't answer. He knows better than to provoke his father more than he already has. He knows to keep his mouth shut, but Luke is now getting high, meaning the verbal abuse is only going to get worse. "By sittin' around doin' nothin'?!"
Oxygen slowly starts to become harder and harder for JJ to inhale until his breathing is heavy. He hates how his father talks to him. He hates everything about the man but there is nothing he can do. He is trapped. The only way out is through the hallway, leading right toward the man. He could climb out of the window, but there is no point. He has no idea where any of his friends are, considering Pope is probably being yelled at, Kiara is bound to be at her parent's house on Figure Eight, Casey is definitely not at the Château, and John B is still missing, so his only escape is lost to the wind. He has nowhere to go, so he has no choice but to deal with this.
"I'm gonna tell you right now..." Luke pauses as he downs a beer. "You are a worthless piece of shit!"
Finally, the control he thinks he has breaks and JJ can't hold his tongue anymore. He can't keep himself from yelling back and marches to the door, slamming his fist against the wall next to it. "Shut up!"
Luke hears JJ yelling, but through the music, and the buzzing in his head, he can't make it out. Thankfully, it doesn't turn the verbal abuse into another physical attack, and he stays planted at the table, but he continues to shout, this time cutting deeper than before. "Your mamma knew!"
"Shut up!" JJ yells again as he slams his fist against the wall one more time. The pain immediately erupts in his wrist and he turns his anger away from the door and into his room. He rips the blankets off of his bed and chucks them across the room as he begins to pace again. His breathing is still increasing and his heartbeat feels as if it is about to burst out of his chest, causing him to grab at his shirt. "Shut up." He breathes out. It is nowhere near loud enough for his father to hear. Hell, even if someone is right next to him, they would not be able to make it out, but he needs to say it. His emotions are continuing to rise and it makes the anger he is feeling turn to tears building in his eyes.
"You tell me where you're gonna get thirty grand now!" Luke's voice travels into the room again. JJ hisses as a tear escapes his eye, travels down his cheek, and crosses over his wound. He does not want to cry right now, but he can't control it. He can't stop himself from absolutely losing it. He is beyond overwhelmed. It is barely the afternoon and it feels as if he has been through weeks of torment and he can't stop it. He can't get any control over how he feels, what is being said to him, and what he can do. He is lost to the crushing anger. And using the surge of uncontrollable frustration, he walks over to his nightstand and kicks it, splitting the wood in one of the legs. "Get your ass in here!"
For at least an hour, Luke's voice travels over the music and makes its way into JJ's room. Non-stop abusive and verbally damaging comments about how awful JJ is. How he is never doing the right thing, he is never going to amount to anything more than a piece of shit stoner from the south side, and how his friends, his true family, are terrible and are constantly dragging him down.
Somehow, even though the constant reminders from his father are still coming through the door, JJ manages to block it out when his eyes land on Casey's bag mid-pace. He stops in his tracks and slowly picks it up. He wishes he could be with her right now. She would be able to make everything better, just by talking to him, like she did this morning. She would be able to stop him from believing every word his father is saying.
Unfortunately, she is not there and she won't be, so he has to do it alone. But, even though he has to take all of the abuse, he doesn't let it consume him anymore and he focuses on the bag. He sits on the edge of the bed and slowly opens the zipper. It doesn't take a genius to know it will help distract him from what is going on. He's not looking through her stuff to find something, or to snoop, but to see what she packed. What would the infamous Cassandra Routledge pack as a go bag? As he slowly pulls out a few shirts and shorts, he can't help but smile. Everything in the bag, other than the shirt he left in Big John's room and her bra and underwear, are John B's. Of course she would only pack clothes that are not hers. Hell, half of the time she is wearing something that doesn't belong to her.
Once the bag is empty of the clothes, something small catches his attention at the bottom. He reaches inside the bag and pulls out a small, crumbled up picture of him, John B, Casey, and Pope out on the dock. He can feel a small pain in his chest, knowing this picture was taken during Kaira's Kook year but he pushes past it. He can't handle adding anymore emotions to what he is feeling, so he focuses on the huge smiles on all of their faces. Especially Casey's, who is sitting on Pope's shoulders as he and John B stand on either side of the two with surfboards in hand, ready to jump into the water.
He misses days like this. The days where nothing crazy was happening. Big John was still on the island, at least for another month or two, and they had nothing to worry about. Not a single thing could take away their happiness. But now, no matter what they do, someone is struggling. Someone is going through hell.
As he studies the picture, hoping for the excitement and joy to return to the room, it finally clicks that Casey most likely did not mean to pack this. Yes, of course she would have a picture of her friends but without Kiara? Hell no. Also, she would never let the picture get destroyed like this, meaning it was in the bag and because of the chaos of DCS and the cop ambushing her and John B, she filled the bag without looking inside.
Again, the smile on his face grows as he fixes the corner of the picture and flattens it out with his leg. He knows Casey would be pissed at herself for ruining this picture, so he tries his hardest to make it look as new as ever. It doesn't work, and small crease lines stay in the photo, but it is a lot better than before. But, as he continues to look at it, admiring how happy they all are, he finally realizes the music is no longer blasting and his father is not yelling down the hall at him.
For a moment, it surprises him that he was able to completely block out his father and lose himself in the bag and picture. Nothing has ever been able to distract him like this. He doesn't know if it's been five minutes or an hour since they got home, but he doesn't care. The anger and frustration took a back burner for at least a few minutes, which is all he can ask for.
But, he doesn't let the small relief take over. He knows better than to let his guard down. He quickly puts all of Casey's clothes back in her bag and places it on the floor, while putting the picture in his dresser for safe keeping. Out of cautiousness, JJ rummages through his backpack before opening the door. He grabs out the gun and swings the bag over his shoulder. It takes him a moment to build up the confidence to turn the handle, but once he does, he slowly creaks it open and listens for a moment. Still, he doesn't hear anything, unfortunately not giving him any sort of indication if his father is still home or not.
He slowly, and quietly, makes his way down the hallway and into the living room. He immediately stops when he enters the room and sees a snoring Luke passed out on the couch. He can feel himself start to tense at the mere sight of his father, but he pushes past it and lets the anger he has been feeling take over. This man has made his life a living hell. He has tormented and tortured him for years and he is sick of it. He is done being the punching bag.
JJ's not sure where this surge of confidence is coming from but he is not going to question it. Instead, he is going to lean into it. He gently places his backpack on the table as he makes his way into the room. Once he is certain he has succeeded in being quiet enough, he walks over to the couch. He stands over his father for a moment as another tear escapes his eye. Luke is out right now because of the pills. He took just enough to make himself pass out. But that amount is also just enough to turn him into the abusive asshole that he is. The pills are the ones to blame here, but so is Luke. He does this to himself. He turns himself into this awful excuses of a father on purpose and it makes JJ feel an anger more powerful than anything he has ever felt before. He hates pills with every ounce of his body. He hates what it causes. He hates the control it has over people. He hates them more than he hates his father. But, he can't see that the pills are the issue right now. He only sees the man responsible for the gashes, and now large bruises decorating his skin, as the problem.
So, falling into the anger even more, he lifts the gun up and pulls the hammer back, aiming it at his father's head. He could do it. If he pulls the trigger right now, he will no longer have to deal with the constant abuse every time he comes home. He wouldn't have to come home and fear if his father had been on a bender. He would be able to bring Casey back, and live happily ever after.
But, the longer he hesitates, the harder it is to actually follow through and the realization slowly starts to take over. He is pointing a gun at his own father. The only family he has left and he is about to shoot him in the head. His bottom lip begins to quiver and his hand shakes as he grits his teeth. He wants to do this. He wants his life to be better but he can't. He can't pull the trigger, and the worst part, he doesn't think he will ever be able to. He can't do this. He can not willingly end his own father's life, no matter how many times he gets beat. Nothing is going to give him the strength to change it.
Out of anger, JJ storms away. He snatches his bag from the table and stashes the gun. He doesn't concern himself with being quiet anymore, and slams the door open as he walks to the backyard. He grabs the keys out of his pocket as he gets onto his motorbike and lets a single tear run down his face. He quickly wipes it away as he puts his hat on and revs the engine, aggressively wheeling into the wooded area next to the house.
As he swerves in and out of the trees, his mind starts to race. How could he think to do that? Was he really about to shoot his own father? Yes, the pills made him lose control, but even then, is his hatred for the way his life is stronger than his own flesh and blood? "Shit." He mumbles. Instead of letting his mind continue to spiral down terrifying thoughts, he ignores the small trail leading to the road, and stays in the forest, choosing to take the rougher terrain to distract himself.
As he nears the Château, he takes a deep breath in. He knows no one will be at the house, but at least it is an escape. And just in case anyone is there, he promises himself that as soon as he parks the bike, whatever he almost did is never going to leave his mouth. He is going to carry this with him until he dies. No one is going to know the thoughts racing through his mind. Not even Casey.
But, as he swerves onto the street, he notices a black car pull to the side of the road. At first, he doesn't think much of it, but he quickly realizes it's facing the Château, and no one is getting out. Actually, it looks as if the person inside is trying to hide themselves. Knowing this can only mean one thing, JJ quickly dips through the neighbor's driveway and crosses through their backyard. If someone is watching John B and Casey, they will be able to spot him easily. Especially if he basically hand delivers himself to them, driving right past and parking in front of the house.
Once he is on the corner of the Routledge property, he gets off his bike and stashes it behind a clump of trees. He carefully follows the shore line all the way to the back of the property and makes a b-line for the surf shake. He quickly peeks his head out, and lets out a sigh of relief when he realizes whoever is staking out the Château did not see him. Well, at least he believes he hasn't been spotted. There is no way to tell for sure so he sits in the shack, right under the half wall, and doesn't move. Whoever is here is not trying to be seen, meaning they are just watching so it is not a life or death situation and he won't need the gun, but he will need to stop anyone from showing themselves. The Twinkie is still out front, so hopefully if Casey or John B come home, they will either see the car, and do the same thing he did, or he will catch them in time.
As JJ sits there, waiting for his friends, his eyes land on the chicken coop and the pictures Sheriff Peterkin showed him appear in his mind. Before Luke picked him up, she pulled him into one of the interrogation rooms and layed two pictures of the Square Groupers on the table, both with deep cuts showing their literal insides. Someone brutally murdered the men and sent their bodies out into the ocean. Someone knew the Square Groupers were going after the Royal Merchant, and now, the Sheriff thinks someone is after Casey and John B.
But, although the thought of someone coming after his best friend and whatever Casey is to him should take over, his mind is stuck on the day they hide in the chicken coop. They were terrified. Well, Casey and Kiara were terrified, and he did the only thing he could possibly think of to prevent them from being found. Unfortunately, mimicking his father to a 'T'. He killed Lenny.
The sadness begins to build in his mind as he thinks fondly of the rooster. Lenny was a nuisance half of the time, but that's why JJ loved him so much. Lenny was just like him. No matter what, he was making noise and living his short life to the fullest. The best thing about the rooster was he was the sweetest animal JJ has ever met. He would let anyone come up and give him head scratches. As a small smile slowly appears on JJ's face, guilt creeps its way into his mind. Lenny is still in the coop. No one has taken care of him. No one has given him a proper burial.
Instinctively, JJ gets up. He keeps himself crouched down, just in case, and sneaks his way out of the surf shack. He grabs the shovel that is stored right outside of the structure and army crawls his way over to the large tree. He carefully uses the trunk to stand himself up and starts digging a small hole behind it. Thankfully, the tree is large enough to completely block him from being seen as he digs.
It doesn't take him long to make the hole big enough for Lenny. He is slightly out of breath, since his energy is still low from being beaten, but he pushes past it and lays on the ground again. He slowly makes his way past the surf shack and to the chicken coup. Every once and a while, he lifts his head to make sure the person hasn't seen him, and from the silhouette still focused on the house, he is almost positive he is fine.
He manages to slide halfway into the chicken coop, and of course, the remaining chickens go crazy. He knows if he tries to shush them, they will just get even wilder, so instead, he quickly grabs Lenny, and pushes himself out of the coup again. He doesn't waste any time, once he is out, to army crawl back to the tree. This time it is a little harder, since he is carrying a bird, but he manages to get across the yard once again, and places Lenny into the hole.
Once he is standing behind the tree, he pushes the loose dirt back and covers Lenny until the ground is even. He can feel his emotions picking up again but he does not want to cry. He is done crying today. He is strong and he will get through the shit his father has done to him, and the sadness he now feels from the rooster. It is just a damn bird, for fucks sakes, not one of the Pogues.
He rests the shovel against the tree and rummages through his pocket for a moment. He double checks that nothing has changed as he pulls his pocket knife out and once he is certain all is still well, he starts carving into the trunk of the tree.
Right as he finishes the letter, 'L', movement to his right catches his attention. At first, he thinks it's whoever is staking out the Château, but when he turns around, reading himself to attack, he notices it's John B, walking straight for the house.
JJ quickly runs around the surf shack, realizing John B has yet to notice him or the car parked in front of the house. Knowing yelling for his friend is not going to do anything, other than bring attention to both of them, JJ darts toward John B. Before he walks out into the open, JJ grabs hold of his head and places his hand over his mouth.
John B immediately panics at the unknown hands touching him and ducks into the person behind him. He quickly wraps his arms around JJ's torso and tackles him. Although he is not prepared for the retaliation, and is now currently on the ground, JJ does not let go. "Wait. Wait! Wait!" He pleads as John B unknowingly pushes his best friend to the ground. As soon as John B raises his hand, like he is about to throw a punch, JJ gets louder. "It's me, JJ! Stop, stop, stop, John B." Finally, hearing his best friend's voice, and now being able to see his face, John B pauses, giving JJ just enough time to take a deep breath and whisper. "Fuck."
"What are you doing, bro?!" John B yells as he pushes JJ again, this time with a quarter of his strength.
"Shut up!" JJ quickly says and gets to his feet. He once again covers John B's mouth and pushes him back until the boy is against the surf shack. Now that John B knows it's JJ, he lets his friend manhandle him, knowing there has to be a reason he is acting like this.
Thankfully, JJ places his hand on the back of John B's neck so his head doesn't bounce off of the wood, but it is loud and clear they need to be quiet. He doesn't have to say a single word for the anxiety to come through. John B has no idea what's going on, but he follows along and nods his head. JJ, secretly proud of himself for stopping John B from being seen, roughly grabs his friend's shirt and yanks him behind the canoes next to the surf shack. "See that?" JJ whispers and points to the black car still on the street. John B finally notices it but JJ pulls his attention away from the unknown person by pointing at the house. "They're watching us, okay?"
"Who?" John B asks quietly, finally putting the pieces together. Someone is watching their every move. The only problem, other than not knowing who it is, is he has no idea if the person is watching the Pogues as a group, or just him and Casey, which immediately fills him with fear. He hasn't seen or heard from his sister in over twenty four hours, the longest he has ever been without having some sort of communication with her, and now someone is stalking them. "Wait, where's Andy? Is she inside?!"
"No." JJ quickly responds. "She's not here. She hasn't been home since yesterday morning." John B immediately tilts his head at JJ saying his sister has not been home since they were taken by DCS. He knows he told her to chill at his house for a few hours, but he also told her to go home later that night. So does that mean she stayed with him all night? Has his fear of something happening between them come true? Before he has a chance to question JJ about it, the boy has a different thought. "I don't know who they are." He turns around and realizes the HMS Pogue is still tied to the dock. "Let's go." He mumbles and pushes John B toward the marsh. "Sneak around to the dock."
The two quickly make their way back through the neighbor's yard, cautious to not be seen. "Gotta go around this way." JJ directs as they near the water. They discreetly get in and slowly make their way through the marshy plants. "Wait. Wait. Wait." JJ says and stops walking, realizing there is possibly a missing part to his plan. "You got the keys to The Pogue?"
"Yeah." John B whispers back, relinquishing any concern from JJ's mind. As they continue to walk, they end up climbing a sandbar on the corner of the property, but before it reveals them to the car, it dips down again, and they are in neck deep water. John B holds his backpack above the water as he swims, but JJ holds his bag on top of his head, as if it will hide him even better.
It doesn't take the two long before they are on the other side of the boat. JJ uses the rope from the anchor to pull himself over the side while John B manages to use all of his upper body strength and hoist himself over the front. Making sure to keep themselves out of view of the car, the two lay across the boat and untie it from the dock. "Yo, hurry up." John B whispers once the front is untied and he gets the anchor up. JJ struggles for a moment, having to undo it multiple times, while also keeping himself down. John B is lucky, the dock mainly blocks him from being seen, but JJ is right in the open. He can literally see the car across the yard. "Come on. Come on."
Finally, JJ manages to get the boat untied and he pushes against the dock. The Pogue starts to drift into the marsh but before it can get too far, JJ jumps up and grabs the keys from John B. He quickly puts the keys in the ignition and starts the boat, sending them down the calm water. The two finally take a breath of relief once they are a few houses down, knowing they made it out without being seen. They don't drive for long though, and quickly pull up to one of the hangout spots on the break to talk. It's nothing special, but a bunch of large piles of stone from what they can only guess was an old house years ago.
Once docked, JJ slowly makes his way to the furthest rock formation, finally being able to catch his breath, while John B throws his bag to ground and climbs on top of the tallest pile. The two sit in silence for a few minutes before JJ can't handle it anymore and he has to tell John B what has been going on. "First, Casey and I almost get strangled to death by Kooks. Then I get arrested and Pererkin tells me the Square Groupers are dead. And now I'm on the hook for thirty grand, which you can probably tell by my face, my dad is not happy about. We should just get Case and dip."
John B furrows his eyebrows at the mention of Casey getting hurt. Of course she had to get herself involved in something, and he can only guess it was either with Rafe or Topper. JJ doesn't have to say who the specific Kooks are. He can see the anger in his eyes and on his face, and only Rafe has ever made him this angry before. "Okay, where do you wanna go? Hm?" He sarcastically asks, choosing not to acknowledge the comment about Casey. He knows the second he brings it up and gets pissed she got hurt, JJ is going to get defensive and he knows they are already bound to get into an argument.
"Yucatan." JJ says confidently. He is done with the constant running and fighting. He just wants everything to go back to normal and if that means they have to leave the Outer Banks, he'll do it. After the day he has had, he is officially over everything.
"Yucatan?" John B mumbles sarcastically. Of course JJ just wants to run away. He loves his best friend, but JJ never stands up and fights for something. Other than physical fights. He will voluntarily throw himself into a fight, but treasure hunt? Hell no. But, John B knows the gold is real and after the day he's had, they now have a chance. They can actually find it. That's if JJ is in on it. Without him, the plan does not work.
JJ, not knowing John B has figured something out, drops any sort of sarcasm or joking manner. "No, I'm dead serious right now. Surf all day and we can just live off lobsters we catch with our bare hands."
"You just wanna leave 'cause you got your ass beat?" John B spits out.
The sudden switch from being annoyed to rude catches JJ off guard. He's not sure if John B is referring to his father beating him as getting his ass beat or if he is talking about the fight with the Kooks, but it doesn't matter. It comes out shitty and he is taking it at face value. John B is not getting it. This hunt for the gold is sending them down a dangerous path with terrible outcomes. And now, he knows that the Square Groupers, who were doing the exact same thing as they were, are now dead. Their 'competition' is dead, and they could be next. "You didn't see the photos."
"Think about it. They're willing to kill for the gold." John B says as he jumps down. He doesn't care about what happened to the Square Groupers. He really doesn't. He now has a plan building in his mind and there is no stopping it. No one is going to get between him and the gold. "Then it's gotta be out there, JJ!"
"Oh my god." JJ breathes out as snatches his hat off. "Have you lost your mind!" He yells, his voice cracking from how loud he is shouting. If telling him the adults, who are bigger and stronger than them, have been killed trying to find the gold isn't getting through, he has to turn to the only thing he has left. Finally explain to John B how he actually feels about the hunt. "One hundred years, man! One hundred years, people have been trying to find this Royal Merchant, and no one succeeded. And you think you are gonna be the one that actually finds it?" He rhetorically asks as he aggressively pokes John B in the chest.
John B, still not ready to give up hope, even if JJ doesn't believe in it, sarcastically shakes his head, pissed. All he wants is for JJ to trust him. To trust that he has a plan that will work this time, but all JJ sees is the outcomes. The abuse he, and the rest of the Pogues, have been dealing with and he is sick of it.
Seeing that John B is not changing his mind, JJ speaks without thinking and uses the one thing he promised himself months ago he would never use in an argument. "When are you gonna get it in your thick skull, if you keep going down this road, you're gonna end up just like your dad!"
"I can't give up, JJ!" John B yells as he shoves the boy. He can't believe his best friend, the one person he has always had on his side, just insinuated that his father is dead. After everything they have gone through, and the fact that he knows JJ sees Big John as a father, he can't help but feel the pain in his chest that his friend is seemingly turning his back on him.
As JJ catches himself from falling backwards, his face drops. He didn't mean to say what he said, but it came out. And even though he hates himself for saying that about Big John, it is coming from a place of fear. He does not want to see his best friend killed. He does not want to see Casey killed because of this stupid hunt. He just wants to be done with it and go back to worrying about the Kooks. But even though there is immediate regret plastered across his expression, John B ignores it and gets in his face. "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!" John B's voice softens as he continues, hating that he has to relive that day. "And then I told him he was a shit father. And you know how the rest of the story goes."
JJ doesn't say anything for a moment and watches as John B takes a few steps away to calm himself down. He knows how that day went. He and Casey have talked about it a few times, but it still doesn't make it okay for John B to put himself, and Casey, in danger because of something their father was searching for. Before the compass, the gold and the Royal Merchant weren't even on the twins' radar. "Bro, that wasn't your fault." He finally says, this time softly.
"It doesn't matter whose fault it is, JJ!" John B yells as he walks back. This time he doesn't get in JJ's face but he locks eyes with him, showing the boy he is done with this back and forth. He knows what he believes, and he is going to find the gold, whatever it takes. "Do you not understand that?! I can't give up on the hunt, man. I don't care who's out there, who's gonna try to kill us. Do you understand that?! You know that!"
"What about Case?" JJ says quietly. He doesn't mean for it to come out but it does. It should be no surprise to him, or anyone else for that matter, but Casey is always on his mind, so he is going to worry about her. Especially when the hunt has resulted in her getting shot and stabbed.
"What?!" John B yells. Even though he is less than a foot away, he genuinely did not hear what JJ said. His head is pounding and all he can think about is getting JJ on board.
Unfortunately, because John B is still fuming, JJ takes it as he is mad for bringing Casey into the conversation and it pisses him off beyond comprehension. "What about Casey?!" He says louder. "What about her?! You're not worried about who's coming after us, but what about your own sister?! What happens if she gets hurt again!? Or worse?! Who are you gonna blame?! This is not just you, you do understand that, right?! You're putting her in the middle of all of this without even talking to her about it!"
John B takes a step back at the unexpected outburst. He knows JJ cares about his sister, but because of everything he is already thinking, he hates that now they are talking about her. More specifically, he hates that JJ is the one to bring her up. "She'll be fine. She wants to find it just as much as I do."
"She'll be fine?!" JJ yells, his voice cracking again. "How do you know she'll be fine?! You haven't seen her! You haven't seen what she's been through in the last twenty four hours! While you've been off doing god knows what, she's been going through hell. She's been non-stop fighting and worryin' about you every five minutes!"
John B doesn't say anything at first. He just sits in the moment. He knows his sister worries about him, and he knew it was bothering her that he wasn't reaching out but he couldn't. The power lines are still down, so he had no way of getting in touch with her. But the thing that bothers him the most about what JJ is saying is, he's talking like he has been with her the entire time. Yes, they are best friends, but they are never that close, not unless he is with them. "How do you know that?"
"How do I know what, John B?" JJ spits out.
"How do you know she was worrying about me so much? Was she with you?"
"Yes!" JJ yells, not picking up what John B is hinting at. It should immediately click in his mind but instead of changing the subject, or twisting the story, he says what exactly happened. "She's been glued to my side since you told her to crash at my house. She's been terrified to leave because of DCS and the fuckin' Kooks! Rafe and Topper are now after her and if she's alone, and they find out, all hell will break loose. You don't know what she has been through, man! You don't know what they've done! But I do, and I'm making sure she doesn't get fuckin' hurt again! I'm making sure she's not alone! She stayed at my place last night for fucks sakes! So don't tell me she'll be alright, because she's not!"
John B furrows his eyebrows as a chill runs through his body. What have the Kooks done to her? What does JJ know that he doesn't? But, instead of being a decent person and asking that, he focuses on the fact that she and JJ are way too close. He should be happy that his sister was safe while he was away but he's not. He was hoping JJ was saying they were simply hanging out all day and she went to Kiara's at night, but now, he knows the truth. Casey stayed at JJ's, which only means one thing in his mind. "What is going on between you two?"
The anger and frustration in JJ immediately dissipates as the question leaves John B's mouth. It finally clicks that John B is putting the pieces together. The only problem, he spilled too much. He said Casey was at his house last night. And if it was Pope saying it, John B wouldn't think twice, but because it is him, and John B has already warned him multiple times to not do anything, he knows he is in too far. But, to hopefully save both of them from getting yelled at, and John B hating them, he tries to dig himself out of the hole. "Nothin'. Nothin's going on. I'm just worried about her."
"JJ, don't lie to me." John B says assertively. He is done playing this game with the two of them. He knows something is going on, and he needs to know. "I'm so fucking serious right now."
JJ can feel his heart rate pick up. He doesn't want to say anything without talking to Casey first, but he feels like he has no other choice. "Nothing." He mumbles, sticking to his rule of Deny, Deny, Deny.
"I know something is happening!" John B yells as he pushes JJ back again. "I told you not to do anything with Andy! That's why there's the fuckin' rule in the first place! For you! And her! I've seen it in both of your eyes! I've seen the way you've been looking at her and now she's doing it too! That's my fuckin' sister, JJ! I fuckin' told you she was off limits! What about that do you not understand?! The one person on the entire island you couldn't have and you went behind my fuckin' back to do it!"
"Fuck you!" JJ yells back. He knows John B is not purposely pushing him, and the anger and tension are taking over, but it doesn't change the fact that he is getting physical. "You don't get to tell me who's off limits! You are not my father! So stop fuckin' pushin' me away!" John B's face falters for a moment. He's not meaning to come off like that, but he knows that's what he's doing. Thankfully for him, JJ doesn't hang onto the similarities between him and his father, and his focus is back on Casey. "I don't know what's going on between us, okay!? But something's there! I don't know what to tell you! Yes, we have done some things but that shouldn't fuckin' matter to you! You haven't been here! You haven't been paying attention, but I have! I've been here, John B, when you haven't! So you can be pissed off all you want, but I don't think that's gonna change anything! I'm sorry we didn't tell you, but this is exactly why! She knew you were going to act like this!"
John B doesn't say anything for a moment, letting everything sink in. He hates that JJ has a point. He hasn't been here. Yes, he has been concerned with how Casey has acted, and of course when she got shot and stabbed, but he has not been paying attention to her emotionally. He has let the hunt take over, and it has clouded what he already knows. He needs to be there for her. He needs to take some responsibility and acknowledge that he has let the hunt become his only priority. However, even though he knows what he needs to do, he refuses to let it take over. He does not want to deal with this right now. Once he has the group together, and he brings them all into the loop, then he will focus on her. Right now, he needs to stick to the plan. "Whatever." He huffs, choosing to ignore the problem at hand. He turns around and grabs his bag from the ground as he walks toward the boat. He's done having this conversation. Yes, he has not been there for Casey like he should have been, but it doesn't change the fact that she and JJ are now a 'thing'. Whatever that means. "I don't wanna talk about this right now." He finally says as he throws his bag into the boat. He slowly turns around and pushes the hair out of his face. "So I've got a plan to get the gold. You comin' or what?" He waits for an answer, but of course, JJ doesn't say anything. He simply stands there and stares angrily at his best friend. "Four hundred million, JJ. How much do you owe in restitution?"
JJ hesitates to follow. He is beyond furious that he told John B what is going on between him and Casey. He always thought she was going to be the one, or Pope would slip up. He was expecting to deal with the outcome of the secret coming to light, not the initial conversation. But, even though all he wants to do is walk away, and ignore the argument they just had, he can't help but feel the need to help. He knows John B is bound to do something stupid. He is going to do something that will get him in trouble, and in normal JJ tradition, he is not one to shy away from that. Especially when it can help with the restitution hanging over his head.
So, even though he is filled with frustration, and all around anger, he starts walking toward the boat. He doesn't say anything as he passes John B and gets in, reluctantly sitting in the back. John B watches him pound his way to the end of the boat, but he ignores it and pushes The Pogue off of the shore. He quickly jumps in before the boat is too far in the water and takes his spot at the wheel. He knows JJ is pissed at him, and even though he doesn't think he has any right to be mad, he ignores it and doesn't say anything. He simply drives the boat in silence and lets his best friend calm down behind him.
Thankfully, because John B is giving him this time to decompress, by the time they start seeing houses again, JJ is no longer fuming. He is still frustrated at the conversation that happened, but he can never stay mad at John B for long. They have been through too much in their lives to hold stupid things over each other. What he is worried about is, he knows Casey is going to flip when he tells her. She made it obvious John B would find out, but because she would be the one to tell him, in the right way, not during an argument she has no idea happened.
Even though the fear of Casey being mad at him is starting to take over, JJ slowly starts to recognize the houses they are passing. He knows exactly where they are, the only problem, he has no idea why they are heading back to the Château. He waits a moment to say anything though. There has to be a reason why they are pulling up to the house, but because he is in the back, John B can't see him putting the pieces together. "JB, what are we doing?"
"I need to grab something for the plan to work." He explains and pulls The Pogue up to the dock. He doesn't give JJ a chance to argue, or even question what is going on, before he ties the boat back up and grabs his bag. "Get that." He points to the small, dinghy-like boat they have right on the shore line. "I'll be out in less than five."
"Why are we switchin' boats?" JJ questions. He has no idea what is going on, but of course, he gets no answer. Instead, John B jumps into the water and heads to the far corner of the property so he can hug the treeline and sneak into the backdoor. "Yeah, of course, just sneak across the open yard while someone's watching. What could go wrong?" JJ mumbles to himself as he climbs into the water. He places his backpack on his head again and treads over to the boat. He can't see if the car is still parked in front of the house, but just to be safe, he keeps himself down and he pulls the boat fully in.
Once the boat is floating in the water, he grabs the rope at the front and pulls it to the other side of the dock. He gets in, starts the motor, and slowly directs the boat to the edge of the property line to wait behind the trees. Thankfully, it doesn't take John B long, and before JJ knows it, he is running out of the house with a duffel bag.
As soon as John B is in the boat, JJ speeds off in the opposite direction, sending them barreling through the water. "Okay, John B, what is this plan?" He finally asks. He needs to know what is going on in John B's mind to know where to go, otherwise they are driving blindly across the marsh.
"Just head to Figure Eight. We need to get into Midsummers."
"Midsummers? And why are we trying to get into a Kook party?" JJ sarcastically questions. He waits a moment to elaborate, seeing if the boy is just thinking, but the longer he sits there, the easier it is to realize he is not going to get an answer. "John B, please tell me you're not going to send me into Midsummers. Not after I just told you we've gotten into multiple fights with the Kooks."
"Can you just drive the boat?" John B rhetorically asks as he rummages through his bag. He pulls out a small notecard and starts scribbling on it as JJ reluctantly heads toward their destination.
They don't know exactly where they are going, other than knowing the party is on Figure Eight, but since the sun is starting to set, they will be able to see the lights illuminating the sky. Of course, it pisses them off because the Château doesn't even have water and there is a party going on, but they easily find the large house hosting the party and pull the boat up to the shore, quite a ways away from it. Yes, they are going to the party, but they need to sneak it. It is very much a 'No Pogues allowed' event.
John B quickly jumps out of the boat and grabs the rope as JJ hops off the back to push it. Once the boat is secured on the land, John B grabs the two backpacks while JJ grabs the duffle bag. "Ready?"
"Can you believe this Misummers, shit, man?" John B asks as they start walking. It amazes him how the Kooks can go on with their normal lives while The Cut is still in the dark. The one side of the island that needs the most help, is left stranded like always.
"'Course I can." JJ replies. He looks at the illuminated party and feels the same frustration. This whole thing is stupid, but once again, there is nothing they can do. What, are they going to walk in there and make a big scene because they don't have power? No, because it doesn't matter. Nothing they do can change the fact that every single governmental figure in Outer Banks is biased towards the Kooks. "Happens every year. No matter how screwed up the rest of us are."
Once JJ agrees with John B, silence falls onto the two as they walk. They would kill to enjoy a night like this. The wind is barely blowing, the hot summer day is slowly calming down, and the stars are dancing in the clear sky. It would be the perfect night for a bonfire in the backyard, smoking and drinking as much as they can, but of course that is not what they are doing. Instead, they are getting closer to a Kook party and scouting the shore line, making sure no one has seen them. Once they are sure they have successfully made it to the far side of the party, JJ asks the burning question. "So, like, what's the plan exactly?"
"Okay, look, I need you to get this to Sarah." John B says, finally bringing JJ into the loop. He rummages through his pocket for a moment and pulls out the folded notecard.
"Oh, can I read it?" JJ jokingly asks. Of course he doesn't give John B a chance to respond before he opens the small piece of paper.
"No, you can't read it."
JJ obviously ignores him and reads...
MEET ME
AT
BAG DROP
VLAD
It takes him a moment to understand what is written, but finally it clicks that Vlad is a secret name. But, what confuses him the most, other than why John B wants to meet with Sarah, is why does he have a secret name with the girl? "Whose Vlad?"
John B immediately rolls his eyes and huffs. Of course JJ would read the note. He should have known that the second he handed it over. JJ barely has any self control, so characteristically he's not going to follow along. "God, do you ever listen?"
"Hold up." JJ pauses, putting the pieces together. "You mackin' Sarah Cameron?"
"Would you--would you, just shut up?!" John B stutters, not knowing how to get out of the accusation.
"Your mackin' Sarah Cameron!" JJ continues. His best friend, 'Mr. Fuck the Kooks', is getting down and dirty with Sarah Cameron. Ward Cameron's daughter. The king of the island. Kook Princess herself, and John B has managed to get her hooked. "You've got to be fuckin' kidding me."
"All right, man. Look, I'm doing it for everybody, all right?" He quickly defends himself. He knows how JJ sees the Kooks. He doesn't blame his best friend for hating them, but he doesn't know Sarah like he does. He didn't spend the last twenty four hours with her and he didn't see how different she is from her brother. But, as soon as John B starts to feel guilty for sneaking off with Sarah, anger starts to creep in. He's not the only one that is going against what they believe in. "I don't think you have any room to talk right now."
JJ's face immediately changes from surprise to disappointment. Of course John B is throwing Casey in his face. Granted, if he was in the same position, he would do that same thing, but it still hurts. He rolls his eyes at the comment and chooses to not let what is being said affect him. But, the smug look immediately pisses John B off. "What?"
"Nothin'." JJ mumbles, letting it go. He knows they should not get into another argument. At least not until Casey knows that he accidentally spilled their secret. If he ends up getting into another yelling match, he might say something he will regret. Hell, John B might take it too far, and JJ does not want to deal with that right now. He would rather sneak in and get the mission over and done with, then finally get back to Casey, wherever she is. "Thanks for bein' a team player, bro."
JJ immediately starts rummaging through the duffle bag as they stop walking and ends up pulling out a nice white button up shirt. He takes the dirty, sweaty, ripped up t-shirt he is wearing off and puts the button up on. It is way too nice for him, but he knows John B has a plan, and if there is one thing about JJ, he's always down for a good get in and get out. "Yeah, well," John B starts as he grabs a colorful bow tie from the bag. Before he can finish his sentence, his train of thought is cut off and he reaches around JJ to put the tie around his neck. "Could you just hold still?"
"So, just give that to Sarah? Huh?" JJ asks as he buttons the top button. He studies John B's face, looking for any sign of what is really going on between them, but John B is stone cold. Not a single ounce of wavering happens. John B is set on the plan, with no chance of changing the subject.
"Yes, just give it to Sarah." He replies, struggling to make the tie look professional. "Hold still."
"Vlad. Really?" JJ continues, but once again he is ignored.
Instead, John B grabs JJ's backpack to put the extra clothes away. But, as soon as he grabs the shirt lying on the sand, he realizes the bag is too heavy to be holding the random stuff JJ has. He lets the shirt drop to the ground and reaches into the bag. His face immediately drops when he realizes JJ brought the gun. He quickly grabs it out and holds it up. "Are you kidding me?!"
"No, I'm not kidding you." JJ says seriously. He now knows better than to go anywhere without it. Even if the Square Groupers are dead, more people could be coming after them because of the hunt. And, more importantly, he knows the Kooks will attack them for no reason, so he needs some protection. Especially if he is by himself.
"If you get caught with this in a pinch, you're going to jail!" John B practically yells. He is trying to keep his voice down, just in case there are some stragglers from Midsummers, but it blows his mind that JJ still thought bringing the gun was a good idea.
JJ takes off his hat out of frustration. He doesn't want to admit that John B is right, but he is right. He is out on bail right now. If he gets caught, he is going to be in extreme legal trouble. He is on the hook for a felony. So a felon with a gun? That is not something he wants on his record. He huffs as he fidgets with the tie, pulling it a little from his neck. "Fine, but if I get ambushed, it's on you." John B rolls his eyes at his response and puts the gun back.
While John B secretly relishes in the fact that he won the small argument about the gun, JJ grabs black pants and a pair of shoes from the bag. He quickly takes his cargo shorts off and changes into the pants. Finally, after putting the shoes on, it hits him that these are not John B's. The shoes are too big for him and the clothes are too nice. Meaning, they have to be Big John's. His heart hurts a little, knowing he is wearing a possibly dead man's clothes, but it quickly leaves his mind when John B holds a black vest out for him. "Good luck."
"Shut up." JJ sarcastically laughs as he takes the last piece of clothing and puts it on. Once he has the two small buttons secured, he holds his arms out for John B to inspect the outfit. As John B does, he realizes the white shirt is untucked and if they want to slide past security, JJ needs to look as professional as possible. So, without saying anything, he closes the distance between them, and tucks the shirt into the pants. The quick thinking, and all around touchiness, catches JJ off guard, but he lets John B do what he needs to.
Once John B is done, he takes a step back and examines the outfit once again. It's not perfect, but it will do. Finally, thinking JJ will pass, he looks up and nods his head. JJ returns the nod and doesn't waste anymore time, knowing they need to get this done. He stashes the note in his pocket as he walks toward the party and as he passes John B, he pats him on the shoulder and smiles. "See you on the other side, Captain."