chapter sixteen
"c'mere, princess"
"WHO ELSE THINKS TODAY WAS like, forty hours long?"
Lynn stretched her arms out over her head as the three kids entered the Chateau, letting out a dramatic yawn — which was only half true. After cleaning up the mess at The Wreck, Kie and Pope separated from the group to go home, leaving the three, practically orphans, to go home together.
"More like fifty," John B complained with just a slice of annoyance, but mostly sarcasm, but then a smile etched on his lips as he continued. "But you guys, tonight was a good relief."
John B tugged on both JJ and Lynn by wrapping his arms around their shoulders, and forcing them into a giant side hug. The group laughed as he did so, not fighting against it, but enjoying it. It truly was a relief, from everything.
"Damn right it was," JJ beamed, his eyes glancing to the beautiful smile that stretching on Lynn's face as she teasingly shoved John B off her. "It was a good night, y'all."
"We need more like it," Lynn agreed, his head bobbing as she nodded alongside the two boys. "Seriously, it just seems like we've been so worried or stressed about things lately. I think we deserve a little break once in awhile."
"That statement," John B commented, releasing from now just JJ's side hug as he pointed a single index finger towards Lynn. "Is completely accurate."
Lynn collapsed dramatically on the pull-out couch they were too lazy to spring back this morning, and practically let out a moan at how amazing the usually uncomfortable bed felt. Her back was aching, her feet were tired, she just wanted to sleep for a full twenty-four hours.
"You, Evelynn Bardot, are a weirdo."
"I love you, too, John Booker Routledge!" Lynn exclaimed, flashing the boy with a broad, bright smile as he started walking down the hallway to his room, right in the middle of the bathroom and then Big John's.
"Goodnight, you two," John B replied, shaking his head at his best friends sarcastic and funny response.
"Goodnight," both JJ and Lynn stated at the time, ultimately narrowing their eyes at each other suspiciously, before bursting into laughter with each other.
The two took the time to switch into more suitable clothes for bed, where JJ was wearing a white tank top with black sweats, and Lynn had on a pair of dark grey shorts that were just a few inches after her butt, and then a dark navy blue tee she had stolen from JJ awhile ago. It could perhaps even be longer than her shorts, and that was how she loved sleeping.
JJ climbed into bed after switching off the light for the both of them, and covered his now shirtless body with the soft blanket — why he had changed into a new shirt only to shed it two minutes afterward? Lynn would never know. She was already laying her head on her pillow, with the same blanket JJ was using on top of her body. She nibbled on her lip, just thinking about how hot the boy's body was, and the same butterflies from earlier reappeared in her stomach.
"Hey, JJ?"
JJ stopped in his movement of getting underneath the blanket, and gazed down to where he could just faintly see Lynn's outlined face in the shadows.
"Yeah, princess?" JJ questioned, withholding himself from just grasping her cheek lightly with his palm.
"Earlier...when you were talking your way out of the salvage yard," Lynn started, not necessarily knowing how to bring up the subject, and her eyes narrowly avoided JJ's. "You weren't making it up, were you?"
The air became so thick with tension that Lynn swore she could cut straight through it with a butter knife. She swallowed harshly, just waiting for JJ to at least answer her, but when he didn't mumble a word, she felt like she only made things more awkward between them.
"No, I wasn't," JJ muttered, and Lynn could hardly even hear his voice from how unusually small it was — which was weird coming from him.
Lynn could confirm that her heart had been officially broken into two, hearing the soft yet sadness filled tone of JJ as he finally admitted to the abuse of his father. He had hated keeping it a secret, but feared what his friends would think of him if they found out — just as Lynn was secretly feeling herself.
"J," Lynn whispered, trying to keep her voice straight so it wouldn't crack. She felt tears brim up up in her eyes, but quickly pushed them back down, knowing she couldn't show them. "I'm so sorry...I-I didn't even know, and I'm supposed to be your best friend."
"Eve?"
Lynn stopped her rambling, and shifted her eyes from staring off at the bed to JJ, and she now wished the lights were on so she could see those breathtaking eyes of his.
"I kept it a secret because I didn't know what your reaction would be..." JJ stated, and he suddenly found the courage to move his hand onto Lynn's soft cheek, and the girl closed her eyes while taking in the amazing feeling of JJ's touch on hers. "I didn't want you to think I was weak, or something like that. Like, I'm some victim."
Lynn had never felt a more better moment to tell JJ that she goes through the exact same thing he struggles with. And she was trying her absolute best to convince herself to just throw the words out, to finally just admit what she has to deal with.
"JJ, I..."
I know what you're going through.
"I...um."
I deal with the same thing with my father.
"I know you're not weak," Lynn stated, and she was mentally pinching herself at the fact she couldn't even admit to her best friend what she goes through. "JJ Maybank, you are just about the strongest person I have ever met, and I wish I had that type of strength. Your father has absolutely no fucking idea on what an amazing person he's missing out on."
I'm such a coward bitch.
Just faintly, Lynn could see the smile etched out on JJ's face. She didn't know it, but that was exactly what the blonde boy needed to hear.
"Anybody would be the luckiest person in the world to be able to call you a son, a brother, a friend, a boyfriend," Lynn continued, and she almost mumbled the last part. "So, don't let him get to you. Don't be afraid of him, because in the end, he can't break you if you don't let him."
"Evelynn Bardot, you are single handedly the most amazing girl I know, plus, the best person to come to for advice," JJ grinned, and he leaned forward to place a kiss on her forehead, which instantly made her warm up to a smile. "Other than when it deals with fish."
"Har, har," Lynn teased, trying to be able to focus her voice enough it didn't sound like she was flustered.
"C'mere, princess," JJ hummed, snaking his arm under the girls waist, and she giggled as the boy managed to easily pull her onto his body.
They curled up together, where Lynn placed her head onto JJ's bare chest, and she could hear his heartbeat thumper. She wrapped one of her legs on top of JJ's waist, daringly. But he didn't mind it one bit, and wished that somehow she could press her body even closer than it already was. He let out a peaceful sigh, content with exactly how he was right now, and never wanted to move from his spot.
"I missed sleeping with you," JJ murmured under this breath, but when Lynn didn't reply, he glanced down to her face.
A bright smile took over his face as he saw the girl had already fallen asleep, where her eyelids were closed and she had a very graceful look on her sleepy face.
"Goodnight, princess, I love you, too."
Lynn tapped the ROV camera with a smile, and both Pope and JJ stared at the girl's body through the screen as she was swimming under water. She was wearing a red bikini, one that Kie had picked out for the girl when they went shopping a few weeks back, saying it matched her body type perfectly and she had to get it. She was thankful that her bruises had faded over the past few weeks, and she was finally able to go back to her swimming habits.
After a moment, Lynn, along with John B and Kie, were kicking their legs with strength to return back to the surface. She sucked in air to her lungs as she pushed her head above the water, and then glanced over to her best friends.
"Ugh, I wish we swam everyday," Lynn whined, mostly because she was absolutely in love with the water, ever since she was a child.
"If you wore a bikini like that every day, we would," John B retorted, earning short glares from the girls in the water with him. "What? It's true!
Lynn rolled her blue eyes at her best friend, and splashed him with a small wave. He scrunched up his face as the water covered his face, and and both girls laughed at his response.
"Don't touch that, I'm trying to work out this thing."
Lynn glanced from her friends in the water to the boys, JJ and Pope, who were messing around with the controls of the ROV. Pope had his hands on the control, and JJ was peering over the mans shoulders. His blonde hair was in a crazy mess, that was wildly attractive, and the way he was smiling happily about the ROV made Lynn want to smile herself.
"Hey," John B spoke up, gathering everyone's attention from both the wooden dock and the ones in the water. "Once we get the footage of the wreck, we'll bring it to a lawyer in town, and file a formal claim."
"It's such bullshit," JJ complained, tossing his arms up in the air aimlessly. "Why do we have to do that?"
"Yeah, it kinda sounds dumb," Lynn agreed, and she started swimming back over towards the dock, and she could hear someone doing the same behind her.
"Well, there is maritime salvage law," Pope explained, Lynn had no idea what that was, but she wasn't going to question it anyway. "You can't just go to the ocean floor and scoop up a bunch of stuff."
"I know, I know. Just lawyers aren't cheap, bro," JJ stated, moving away from the ROV controls over to place his elbows on the wooden post, leaning his body to peer into the water.
"As soon as they see the footage, they'll work for a comp."
"How do you know all of that?" Lynn glanced over her shoulder to hear Kie question John B, who was wondering the same thing.
"Right, you're like, a pro at all this," Lynn commented, and she dumped her head under water so she could push her hair back over her forehead.
"'Cause my dad said it, like, a million times," John B responded, and Lynn felt him tug a bit on her heart strings as his voice was almost sad.
Lynn climbed onto the wooden ladder connected to the dock, and pulled her small body back up from the water. All three boys stared at the girl's body as she did so, even Kie did, because Lynn's new bathing suit was wrapped perfectly around her hips and chest, flaunting off her curves.
"You know, pictures last longer," Lynn snickered after realizing everyone's eyes on her. "Effing weirdos."
Everyone quickly put their tongues back into their mouths and peeled their jaws off the floor, except JJ, whose eyes were still lingered on the girls back as she headed towards the shirt she hung on the post.
"This tether is, like, really long," Pope stated, messing around with the yellow tether connected to ROV.
"That's what—"
"That's what she said!" JJ cut off the blonde, and she shoved him with both hands, angrily the boy didn't let her finish the joke. "What? I wanted to say it first."
"But I wanted to," Lynn whined dramatically, pouting her pink lips.
"Anyway," Pope continued, staring weirdly at the two blondes bickering over the dumb joke. "In the wrong weather, this thing could get pushed around."
"Then we'll go at dead calm," JJ stated, and he pulled the blonde girl over to his body by slinging his arm over her shoulder, not even minding the fact he was now getting wet because she was still dripping.
"At slack tide?" Kie questioned, standing on the wooden ladder as she was getting back onto the dock.
"So now, we just gotta wait around for the right weather," JJ explained, and then his eyes switched from the blonde beside him to the cloudy, grey skies in the distance. "And today is not that day."