The next morning Jo had to wake up super early for her shift at the country club.
She was told that she was getting a slight promotion.
She rushed through the employee entrance and made her way to her boss's office.
"Come in."
She heard softly as she knocked on the door.
She opened the door slowly and made her way inside.
"Miss Mills. Due to the hurricane it has put a lot of people out and most of the employees here have to go on leave. It was a toss up between you and your mother for who would get this opportunity. You seem to the more reliable out of the two of you. This hotel and club needs someone who can manage the books and get the other departments back up and running for Midsummers. Would you be up to the challenge?" her boss asked her.
"Yes ma'am I can do it." Jo said confidently.
"Alright then. Everything you need is right here. Let's make this the best Midsummers there ever has been."
Jo quickly grabbed everything that was needed and rushed out of the office.
After she got everything organized she started walking through the lobby to go towards the restaurant part of the club.
"Joanna?"
She looked up from her paperwork to see who called her name.
Her eyes widened and her face paled when she seen who was standing right in front of her.
"Rafe?"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
She quickly cleared her throat and tried to look unaffected as her ex boyfriend walked towards her.
"What are you doing here?" she asked him quickly.
"I thought you were staying at Chapel Hill for the summer."
He stepped closer to her until she could smell the mint from his breath.
"I just came back today. My dad wanted me back to help out. I missed you." he whispered in her ear as his fingers trailed down her arm slowly.
She stepped back away from him.
"You made your choice-"
He cut her off as he grabbed her hands and pulled her to him.
"Let me buy you lunch please." he suggested.
"I have a lot of work to do. I have to get this place ready for Midsummers."
She played out the excuse.
His grip on her hand grew tighter causing her to wince slightly.
"Rose is on the committee so it won't be a problem."
He told her as he dragged out outside to the patio to grab a table.
"Fine. Just lunch." she told him as she sat down across from him.
She gave him a glance over.
She could tell there was something different about him.
He was more fidgety and looked like he didn't want to sit still.
The reason why they brought up was because of the drugs and by the way he was looking he was still doing them.
"So what was with that pogue friend of yours putting a gun to Top's head?" Rafe finally asked as the waiter put down two drinks.
Jo rolled her eyes.
"It was a misunderstanding that's all. How did you find out about it anyway?" she asked him.
"Top told me. That's your family and you're just letting your little friends walk all over them." Rafe lectured.
"You weren't even there. You don't know what really happened. Top isn't even hurt from what happened. He was the one that was drowning John B. If this is how this lunch is gonna be then I'm just gonna go back to work."
Jo went to stand up but Rafe was quicker and grabbed her arm.
"I'm sorry. I'll quit talking about it. I just wanna see you." Jo caved and sat back down.
"How's classes been for you?" he asked her.
"Well since you left I have to find a new study partner." she joked.
"Yea I'm taking this writing class that you would love to be in. Maybe once school starts back up I can sneak you in for a lecture or something." he told her.
She smiled softly.
This was the Rafe that she missed.
The Rafe that thought about what she liked and cared about her.
"I would actually like that." She told him.
Her fingers were playing with his and she felt the butterflies in her stomach that she used to get when they were together.
"I really did miss you JoJo." Rafe whispered in a low raspy voice.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next thing she knew she was upstairs in a room shoved against the door as Rafe was kissing her just like he used to.
Rafe ran his hands up and down her body as he slowly took her blazer off her shoulders leaving her in a lacy camisole.
"Oh man I missed this." hu mumbled as his lips trailed down her neck.
Jo moaned as she ripped his shirt off of him.
"Jump."
He grabbed the back of her legs as Jo jumped and wrapped her legs around his waist.
He turned and made it to the bed and threw her down on it.
He climbed on top of her as her legs wrapped around his waist.
His lips trailed down her neck to her chest as his hands lifted the camisole leaving her in her bra.
"I'm gonna make you feel so good baby. You won't remember that I ever fucked up."
Jo moaned at his words as she unbuckled his pants and slid her hand inside them to grab his hard dick.
He groaned against her chest as he quickly unzipped her pants and shoved them down her legs.
"Rafe please." she moaned.
"What do you want? Tell me what you want baby. I'll make you feel good." Rafe whispered as he slid his finger inside her heat.
Jo let out a gasp at the sensation.
"Oh god you're still so tight."
Jo pushed Rafe's pants down showing her just how hard he was.
"I need you please." Jo begged trying to get closer to him.
He smirked down at her before he placed his lips on hers for a searing kiss.
He lined himself up with her and slid slowly inside.
Jo arched her back as Rafe started to slide in and out of her.
"Oh god baby you're so tight. I missed being inside you."
Jo felt how full she felt when he was inside her.
"I missed you too. I'm glad you're home."
She wrapped her arm around his neck and pulled him down to claim his lips with hers as he continued to pump in and out of her.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After they finished Rafe pulled the sheets up over them and laid down on the bed.
Rafe had his arm around her as she was playing with his fingers.
"I missed this. Just laying here with you. I see the side of you that you don't let others see."
She paused as she thought about her feelings and decided to let him in and break down her walls.
She has only over done that with one other person but she couldn't think about him when she's laying in bed with his worst enemy.
"You also see me. You don't care about my weight or that I live on the cut with my mom. You really see me for who I am."
She turned in his arms so she was facing him.
"If you wanna try us again. I would really like that."
She waited for his response.
"I have thought about nothing but you the whole time I've been away. I want to start over."
He leaned down and kissed her.
She kissed him back as he pulled her on top of him.
They didn't realize what they were doing and knocked the lamp on the floor.
Jo pulled away from him to check the mess they just made.
She wrapped the sheet around her and jumped up to pick up the glass from the lamp.
"Oh man look at this mess. The hotel is gonna be pis-"
She trailed off as her eyes landed on the clear white baggy that had a white substance in it.
"What the hell is this?" she stood up angrily.
Rafe stared wide eyed caught off guard.
"That isn't- that's not-"
Jo threw the baggie onto the bed.
"I knew it. I knew this was too good to be true." She quickly gathered up her clothes.
"Joanna just calm down. That's not even mine."
Rafe tried but Jo cut him off.
"I call bullshit. I knew the second I seen you, you were still using. But I pushed it aside because I missed you."
She wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Jo please. I can stop whenever. It's not gonna be like last time."
He begged before pushing his arms out and stopped her from opening the door.
"You're not leaving. Not like this." Rafe angrily tried to stop her from leaving.
She pushed him back harshly.
"You never change! You care more about drugs and your image then you do me. I'm not gonna do this with you again. I'm done."
She quickly went through the door before he could stop her.
She ran down the hall and made her way back to the lobby.
She stopped before she got to the lobby to catch her breath.
She couldn't believe she let Rafe fool her into bed again.
She got fooled because she thought no one else would want her.
Her thoughts went to JJ and what he would think if he found out she slept with Rafe again.
He had made her promise him that she would never sleep with him again and she went and broke that promise.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After her shift was over she managed to avoid Rafe and Kie and Pope picked her up after she was done.
They headed to the Château where they were met by JJ freaking out as he started to explain their morning.
Jo could tell that he was freaked out and that made her slightly scared.
"And we were right outside like this."
He showed them how they were crouched down.
"And all we hear is just Bam! Bam! Bam!" Knocking paint off the wall, G. From the inside."
JJ continued to dramatically explain what happened.
Jo glanced at John B and noticed how he was calmer but still had a look in his eyes that JJ wasn't exaggerating.
"And I'm just looking at him like- Wait hold on look at this shit."
He stomped closer to his other three friends who looked confused as he shook his hair out in front of them.
"Look at that."
He grabbed Jo's hand and ran it through his hair.
"Eww you need to wash your hair." Jo pulled her hand away.
"That's dandruff, disgusting." Kie gave him a look of disgust.
"Ok thank you." Pope sarcastically commented brushing off whatever fell out of JJ's hair off of him.
"Look at all of that you guys. That's paint. At that point, I was just like- I was waiting for death." Jo rolled her eyes.
"Don't be so dramatic." She gave him a look.
"Ok so you saw the guys who shot at us?" Pope asked JJ.
"Yeah." he answered.
"Did you get a good description of them? What did they look like?" Pope asked.
"Anything you can think of can be helpful." Jo coaxed softly knowing how JJ's mind set works.
"Yea anything that we can use for a police report."
Pope grabbed a pen and paper waiting to write it down.
"Burly." JJ said after a couple seconds of thinking.
Pope and Jo shared a look as they tried to be patient with JJ.
"Burly?" Pope asked trying to be patient.
"You know like-" Kie cut him off.
"That's not very helpful." Jo gave her a small glare.
"Okay. Well. No, like the type of guy at my dad's garage. I mean you guys know he made cargo hides for drug smugglers." JJ explained.
"Yes we know!" All three spoke at once.
"I can tell you guys with full confidence, these boys, these killers-"
He stopped talking to take a hit of his juul.
"They are square groupers." He locked eyes with Jo and she saw the panic in his eyes.
He was truly scared of these men.
She finally had to look away from him as she got a feeling in the pit of her stomach.
She hated seeing JJ so upset.
"Square groupers? Like Narco square groupers? Like Pablo Escobar square groupers?" Pope asked.
JJ nodded his head as he took another hit of his juul.
"Yea man." he answered keeping his eyes on the ground.
"You guys not everything is a kingpin movie." Kiara commented and Jo nodded her head in agreement.
"Alright then what did this square grouper look like?" Pope asked losing patience with his friend.
"You weren't there bro!" JJ yelled out in defense.
" Apparently, you don't know what to look for!" Pope shouted back at him.
"Dude! I wasn't taking little mental polaroids the entire time! I was under duress Ok!" JJ shouted out and was on the verge of a panic attack.
Jo quickly stood up and wrapped her arms around him.
She ran her hands down his back and shoulders that she knew he liked to calm him down.
He calmed down slightly and got his breathing under control as everyone watched him.
His one arm wrapped around Jo's waist as he looked at everyone.
"But I can tell you by the way Mrs. Lana was screaming that these guys are serious, serious hombres, man. Its a serious vibe right now. Which I'm not liking very much."
Jo pushed JJ back against the wall and ran her hands down his chest to calm him down.
She was used to him having these panic attacks when his dad was around.
They zoned out the rest of the conversation as JJ focused on the feeling of her hands on him.
"Its okay. You're right here in front of me. You're alright. You're alive. Just focus on the sound of my voice." She whispered softly to him not realizing the full effect she had on him.
They snapped back to the group when John B walked past them.
"My dad's office. He always kept the office locked because he was worried about his competitors stealing his Royal Merchant research. We used to laugh at him like he was gonna find it."
The teens all followed behind John B through the house as they came to a stop in front of the one room in the house that no one has ever went in.
JJ kept his hand in Jo's hand not wanting to let go of the contact that kept him calm.
"But now that he's gone, I've just kinda- I just left it as he kept it."
They watched as John B unlocked the office door and they slowly walked in behind him.
"I've slept over here like 600 times and not once have I seen this door opened." Pope commented as they looked around.
"Same." Jo breathed out as she let go of JJ's hand.
John B grabbed a board and placed on the desk in front of them.
"Alright here look. This is the original owner right here." He pointed to a picture of a man.
There was a piece of paper that had his name and dates written on it.
"Ok Robert Q. Routledge 1880 to 1920." Jo read out loud.
"I see it. There's the lucky compass right there." Kie pointed out.
"Actually- he was shot right after he bought it." John B informed his friends.
Jo's eyes widened slightly.
"Then the compass was shipped back to Henry." John B pointed to another picture of a man.
"He was killed in a crop dusting accident when he had the compass."
Pope and Jo shared a look of disbelief.
She felt J's hand slowly sliding back into hers.
Their hands were under the table so their friends didn't notice.
"After he died, the compass was given to Stephen. Stephen had the compass with him when he died in Vietnam." He continued to explain some of the history to his friends.
"Let me guess, he died in action right?" JJ retorted sarcastically.
Jo elbowed him in the side lightly.
"Uh actually he was killed by a banana truck. I-in country." John B informed everyone.
"Are you serious right now? Why gets killed by a banana truck?" Jo commented and it was JJ's turn to elbow her lightly.
She gave him a fake glare as John B continued.
"Anyways, after that Stephen passed the compass to my dad." John B finished explaining.
"Hmm sounds to me like there is a recurring theme happening here with the compass." JJ responded first.
Jo had to bite back a laugh.
"Yeah man you have a death compass." Pope agreed.
"I do not." John B argued.
"Look I agree with thing 1 and thing 2 here. You definently have a death compass. Listen to what you just told us! It all ended in death." Jo exclaimed.
"You need to get rid of it." JJ suggested as Pope also spoke up.
"Its cursed and has made its way back to you."
Jo shook her head as she felt a tension headache forming.
"You guys are giving me a headache. I need some Tylenol." She mumbled before she turned to walk out of the room and headed to the bathroom to find the pills.
She looked in the mirror and looked at the small hickeys that lined her neck from Rafe.
She quickly moved her hair so that they were hidden.
She didn't want JJ to find them and question her about it.
Its a surprise he didn't already see them.
She quickly swallowed the pills and walked back to the office to see her friends looking out the window.
"What are we looking at?" she asked.
"There is someone outside." John B informed her.
"Guys is that them?" Kie asked sounding scared.
Jo's eyes widened when she realized what was going in.
"Are you serious? Those are the guys who shot at us and attacked Mrs. Lana!"
Jo felt herself tense up but she tried to remain calm and not freak out.
"John B I told you man-"
JJ started to lose it as John B pushed him back against the door.
"JJ. Hey, look at me." John B got JJ to look at him.
"Where's the gun?" he asked him.
"Gun? I uh- I can't-" JJ closed his eyes to think but his mind was flooded with terror.
"Now you don't have the gun? The one time we need the gun!" Kie let out a small sob.
Jo quickly pulled her into a side hug.
"Take a deep breath we're gonna figure this out."
She turned to face JJ.
"JJ think babe think. Where did you have it last?" Jo tried to help as she talked to him in a calmer voice.
"It was in my backpack, and then-" John B cut him off.
"Its on the porch."
The same time JJ answered.
"On the porch."
JJ moved away from the door and quickly opened it.
Jo's heart started to race as JJ left the room.
"John Routledge! Come out here boy!"
Jo jumped as they heard the voices of the men sounding like they were already by the porch.
"JJ!"
Jo let out a small sob as he ran back into the room.
"Where's the gun?" John B asked him.
"They're already on the front porch guys."
JJ locked eyes with Jo and all he wanted to do was pull her into his arms, but he pushed that thought back.
"Get out here!"
"Routledge!"
"Where you at boy?"
The group heard the men throw stuff around.
"We gotta get out of here!" Jo looked around quickly.
"The window guys! We can get out the window!"
JJ and Pope rushed over and tried to open the window but it was no use. It wouldn't budge.
"Hurry guys." Kie looked like she was about to lose it any minute.
"What's happening? What's taking so long?" Kie had tears flowing down her face.
"The window is painted shut Ok!" JJ harshly whispered not realizing how mean he sounded.
"Quit being mean you ass." Jo handed him a envelope opener.
He gave her a glare as he started to chip the paint away from the window.
"Routledge!"
"Where the hell is that compass?"
They continued to hear the men trash the whole house.
"Check the back room!"
Jo helped Pope finally lift the window open so they could all climb out.
"We got it!"
They heard the doorknob turn and a bang on the door.
"You better not be in there!"
John B moved away from the door as it started to split open.
A shot fired out and Jo let out a gasp.
JJ clasped his hand over her mouth and pushed her towards the window.
Once she was outside she helped Kie out and they ran to the chicken coop.
The others followed and huddled together.
JJ pulled Jo closer to him as she nuzzled her face into his chest trying to disappear.
They watched as the men carried boxes of Big John's research out of he house and into the truck.
The rooster kept making a bunch of noise and clucking at them.
"Do something Pope. Shut him up!" JJ demanded as he pulled Jo closer to him.
"What do you want me to do?" he asked back harshly.
"Pet it or talk to it. I don't know!" Kie let out another sob.
The rooster making noise attracted the men's attention as he started to slowly walk toward the coop.
JJ moved away from Jo and grabbed the rooster and slammed it down on the ground.
Everyone heard the snap and it go limp in JJ's hands.
Jo closed her eyes and clasped her hand over her mouth to stop from sobbing.
They waited until the truck was gone until they slowly got out of the coop.
JJ moved himself away from everyone and stormed into the house.
John B and Jo shared a look before she nodded and walked toward the house.
She walked into the house and found JJ leaning against the sink splashing his face with water.
She crept up behind him and placed a hand on his back.
"It wasn't your fault." she told him knowing what he was thinking.
"I just killed it with my bare hands." She hated how broken he sounded.
She turned him around and grabbed his hands.
"You had to do what you had to do to save us. That doesnt make you him J."
He finally looked her in the eyes.
She linked their fingers together and she felt sparks shoot up through her whole body.
She never felt like that- not even with Rafe.
"You're not gonna become him from what just happened."
She don't know why she did it but she leaned forward and kissed him softly on the cheek.
She lingered for a second before she pulled away
She cleared her throat and gave him a small smile.
"Come on. They're all waiting for us."
He let go of her fingers and gave her a small smile.
"I'll be out in a minute." He gave her a small nod.
"Alright." She turned and walked back outside.
JJ watched her walk away and he could finally catch his breath.
Every time she was around him he always forgot to breathe.
He didn't want to admit to himself that he had feelings for her.
Why would a girl like her who was smart and had a great job that could take her somewhere in life want anything to do with him who was going nowhere and had a deadbeat dad?
He brushed those thoughts away and walked outside to face his friends.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Once they got in the van John B started driving.
Jo sat in the passenger seat as JJ, Pope and Kie sat in the back.
"I mean its obvious right? A family heirloom. What better place to hide a message? He had to know it was gonna get back to me right?" John B looked at Jo when he started talking.
"Yea its possible." Kie said after a minute.
Jo sighed and looked at John B.
"It is very possible. I just don't want you to get your hopes up over this. There could be a million explanations why he wrote that in the compass."
Jo didn't want to start a fight but she wanted him to think realistically about this.
"It could also be possible that you're concocting wild theories to help you know deal with your sad feels." John B shook his head as Kie gave him a look that said shut up.
"Bro you know I process my sad feels. Dank nugs and the stickiest of ickies. That's how I do it." JJ glanced at Jo who sent him a small smirk.
"I'm not concocting okay. My dad is trying to give me a message." John B argued.
"If it helps you believe John B." Kie started.
John B turned his head as he was driving to look at everyone.
"Look, I don't need a group therapy session okay. I'm not trippin out." John B defended himself.
"Its Okay to trip bro-" John B cut him off.
"My dad is missing!" He turned to glance at JJ who was behind him.
"You don't know what its like to have the person closest to you vanish and have no idea what happened. Just wake up every morning and wonder."
John B glanced at Jo who was silent and didn't voice her opinion against him.
She placed her hand on his and didn't notice the glare that JJ was shooting at the pair's connected hands.
"I understand. But its almost been a year. I hope that we find something that proves he's still alive. There isn't anything I would want more. I just don't want you to get your hopes up." She squeezed his hand slightly.
He glanced in her direction with a small smile.
"Hey, he could have been kidnapped. That's definitely a possibility." JJ commented trying to lighten the mood.
"Yeah could be in a Soviet sub getting interrogated by the KGB somewhere." Pope played along.
"Absolutely or Atlantis." Jo turned and gave him a weird look.
"You act like Atlantis isn't real." Jo joked.
"Guys, Look what you think the message is?" Kie shut the joking down and turned serious.
"Redfield." John B answered as they passed the Redfield Lighthouse State Park sign.
"Redfield Lighthouse. This is my dad's favorite place."
They pulled up in front of the lighthouse and got out of the van.
Jo shaded her eyes as she looked up at the lighthouse.
"Ok here is what is gonna happen. You're gonna post up and look out for bogeys okay?" John B said to JJ.
"Wait Why me?" he asked getting offended.
"Because you're not coming." Pope told him.
"Why?" Jo asked standing beside JJ.
"Because there are independent and dependent variables. You're independent. We don't know what you'll do." Pope told him causing JJ to start yelling.
"Shut up! Just shut up man!"
Jo pushed him back from Pope slightly.
"Listen for a second!" John B stopped their arguing and got their attention.
"Pope, you stand look out with JJ Okay? Kie and Jo come up to the lighthouse with me. If we get split up, we meet back at JJ's house." John B stated.
Jo glanced at JJ who was already staring at her before she turned and followed Kie and John B toward the lighthouse.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
They got to the steps and Jo groaned at the view of all the steps.
"Remind me to start working out more. These steps are gonna kill me." she joked.
"Come on guys. Its not that far up." John B started walking up with stairs and Kie and Jo followed behind him.
They slowly walked up the spiral staircase until they came to a metal door.
John B knocked and they waited.
No one answered and Jo sighed.
"I don't think anyone is here. Maybe we should just go." Jo suggested.
John B nodded and before they could turn and walk away the door opened revealing a scruffy looking man.
"The lighthouse is closed kids. Go home." He closed the door on them.
"We aren't here about the lighthouse. We're here about the Royal Merchant." John B shouted through the door.
The man finally opened the door back up.
"Then you kids came to the right place." he told them.
They followed the man outside onto the overlook.
The railing was rusted and the floor looked like it was falling apart.
"Watch your step here. I know more about the Royal Merchant then anyone else in Kildare County."
Jo followed behind John B as he stepped out onto the overlook.
Jo felt unsteady and focused on not stepping through the holes.
She looked out and admired the view of the beach and the ocean.
John B grabbed her hand to steady her and she grabbed onto Kie's hand so neither one of them would fall.
"Now the Merchant disappeared in the graveyard of the Atlantic in 1829." the man explained.
"With the 400 million in gold." Jo whispered out.
"That's correct young lady. You kids are very interested in the Merchant huh?" the man looked at the teens.
"Yea something like that." John B answered stepping in front of the girls.
"Then follow me. I wanna show you something." He started walking so they followed him.
"I've been working 30 years up here. The view never changed until 2 days ago. The Point is almost gone. One more storm like that and it'll take out the lighthouse. I'll go with her."
He looked at the teens before he continued.
"The trick to knowing where the Merchant is- is knowing whether she was on the north end or the south end of the eye of the storm."
They followed and Jo watched her step so she wouldn't fall.
She was becoming nervous about the condition of the lighthouse the longer they stood up there.
"Most experts believe that she was on the south end. Now if she was on the south end, the bands from the hurricane would have pushed her back out to sea. But I don't believe that for a second." He paused to make sure they were paying attention to him.
"I think she was on the north end of the eye. Which means the bands would have pushed her-" John B cut him off.
"Closer to shore." he finished the man's thought.
"That's right. Now by my calculations, the Royal Merchant is about 10 miles that way." The man pointed out in the direction of the ocean on the north side of the island.
John B turned and glanced at Jo and Kie.
Jo could tell that John B was buying into what this guy was saying.
She could see the wheels turning behind his eyes.
"Come on follow me."
The man led them back through the door and showed them his work he had done on the Royal Merchant.
He pointed to spot on the map.
"This is where the Point used to be. My calculations say the Merchant is right about there down about 1,000 feet." he showed them.
John B looked closer at the map.
"That's what my dad used to say." he spoke softly.
"I knew your dad. He was a smart man." the man told John B.
"Yea- I know this is weird alright. Do you know anything about this?" John B held up the compass.
The man's facial expression changed as he recognized the compass.
"Look- it says Redfield on the back. This is my dad's handwriting. I don't know why I'm here, but I feel like I'm supposed to be here." John B started to get excited.
Jo noticed the way the man's attitude changed that he knew something that he didn't want to tell them.
"Do you have anything to give me?"
The guy turned and opened a hatch to the top.
"Wait a minute- Look I know this is weird-"
John B followed him up to the top and Kie followed him, but Jo stayed where she was at as she looked at the map closer.
A couple minutes later John B and Kie went rushing down the steps.
"Its time to go! He called the cops!"
John B grabbed Jo's hand as they rushed down the flights of spiral steps.
"What the hell did you do John B?" she asked him as they rushed.
"This dumbass assaulted him!" Kiara answered for him.
They made it down the steps just as the van took off.
"Are you guys fucking kidding me?" Jo asked out of breath.
"We need to split up. Jo you go that way. Kie and I will go this way."
John B pointed in two different directions.
Kie and Jo did their pogue handshake and the teens ran in different directions.
Jo cut through the woods and the cop car drove right past her.
Jo ducked down and ran toward the beach.
She walked along the shoreline as she headed to her house.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jo grabbed some money and headed to the Wreck to get something to eat.
When she got there Kie was there working.
"Hey chick. What happened?" she asked when she noticed Kie's mood.
"John B and I got arrested." Kie told her as she placed a cup down in front of her.
"Oh my god! Are you alright?" she asked her friend.
"Yea. My dad isn't too happy with me right now."
She bit her lip as she debated on telling Jo what also happened.
"Something else happened to." she finally said.
"Well what? You gotta tell me now Kie. You can't leave me hanging." Jo was real curious.
"John B kissed me." She confessed in a small voice.
"John B did what?" Jo asked in a loud voice which caused attention.
Kie threw her rag at her.
"Shhh! Would you keep your voice down? My dad would kill me if he heard you!"
Kie gave her a wide eyed look.
Jo smacked her hand over her mouth.
"What the fuck happened? You need to tell me now!" Jo demanded to know the gossip.
"I'll tell you if you tell me where you got those hickeys from." Kie bargained nodding her head at Jo's neck.
Jo glared at her friend halfheartedly.
"Fine. I'll tell you but I asked you first." Jo smirked.
Kie rolled her eyes but leaned in closer to Jo to whisper to her.
"Well after we got separated, he was losing his cool and I don't know what happened but he just kissed me." Kie had a small smile on her face.
"Did you enjoy it?" Jo asked.
"I uh- I ended it after like a second. But it was for the best anyway. You know the rule. We can't be breaking it." Kie looked down at the floor as she spoke thinking about someone else.
Jo was also thinking about someone else too.
"So its your turn to spill." Kie broke the silence by elbowing Jo lightly.
"Umm, so it was Rafe." Jo spoke softly.
Kie's eyes widened in surprise.
"Are you kidding me? Why would you go back to him? He's nothing but a druggie jerk who likes to pick fights with the boys for no reason." Kie stated.
"I know. I know. I ended it though once I realized he was the same." She paused as she took a deep breath.
"He played me just so he could have sex with me. I fell for it once but I won't anymore. I'm done with him." Kie pulled her into a small hug.
"Boys suck." Kie mumbled lightly.
Jo smiled and chuckled next to her friend.
"Yea they really do."
The girls ended up splitting a plate of cheese fries before Kie went back to work.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jo decided to hang around and wait for friend to get done when Pope walked into the restaurant.
"Hey there you are. Nobody could get a hold of you. We were gonna go look for you." Pope greeted as they greeted each other with their pogue handshake.
"Yea I was just waiting around for Kie to get done. What's up?" she asked Pope.
"The other two are outside. John B discovered something. Where is Kie?" Pope asked looking around.
"She's in the back. She'll be out in a minute. Tell her I went outside."
Jo got up from her chair and walked outside to see John B and JJ sitting in the van.
JJ spotted her first and gave her a what the hell look.
"Where the hell have you been? I've been looking everywhere for you!" JJ shouted out the open window.
Jo walked over to the window and flicked him in the forehead.
"Apparently you didn't look hard enough." She joked as she leaned in the window.
"You were supposed to come to my house since we got split up. Its not my fault if you can't follow rules." he sassed back to her.
Pope came back out without Kie.
"She says she's not coming." Pope shouted to them from the door.
"Why not? What did you do to her John B?" JJ questioned.
"I'll take care of this." John B sighed as he got out of the van and headed inside the Wreck.
"You know something don't you?" JJ questioned as he pointed a finger at her.
"I may or may not know something. What's it to you?" Jo joked leaning again the van door.
"A gram of my cousin's cripple." he bargained.
She looked like she was thinking it over but she smiled.
"Fine deal."
They did their pogue handshake before she slid into the back of the van.
JJ turned and followed her in the back seat.
"Alright what did John B do?" he asked her.
"He kissed her."
JJ's eyes widened in shock.
"Why does he get to kiss Kie but I can't ki-"
JJ quickly shut up as he stared wide eyed at Jo.
He opened his mouth to say something but the van door opened and the rest of the pogues piled in.
JJ cleared his throat and threw himself in the very back of the van.
Jo didn't know what to think of JJ's little outburst.
Was he mad that he didnt get the chance to kiss Kie too?
She doesn't know why that thought bothers her so much.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As night rolled in, they continued to drive but John B wouldn't tell them where they were going.
Jo had her legs up on the seat as Pope sat across from her.
"You guys mind if I just relax on this one? Its been a long day and a lot of weird stuff has gone down." JJ laid in the back as he lit his blunt he just rolled.
"I'm just gonna lay low on this." He waved the blunt to Pope.
"Did you want a hit of this?" He asked Pope.
"I keep the signal clear." He turned down the blunt.
"Don't mind if I do."
Jo plucked the blunt out of his fingers and took a long hit.
"Your welcome sweetheart." JJ retorted to Jo before he turned his attention back to Pope.
"Dude, do you understand that your problem is that you don't get creative. If you got creative then-"
John B cut JJ off not wanting to hear him talk about Pope not wanting to smoke.
"I know that I was wrong about the lighthouse alright. And I know that I was wrong about everything else." Jo made a face that showed she agreed with him.
She passed the blunt back to JJ who took it quickly.
"But I was right about one thing. My dad is trying to tell me something. We just gotta figure out what." He told the group as he pulled into the cemetery.
"Come on guys." John B led them through the cemetery.
Jo looked around and noticed how creepy it was at night but she was too stoned to care.
"We're coming, but this place is very scary." Kie commented.
"John B what are we doing here?" JJ asked as he kept close to Jo.
"Ok you guys know how you try to remember a song and you can't remember who sings it?" John B asked them.
"Yea man I hate then what happens. It drives me nuts." Jo commented back not really paying attention as she followed behind her friends.
"Ok so Redfield, This whole time I thought it was a place. But its not. Its a person."
He stopped in front of a crypt that had the name Redfield on it.
"Voi-effing-la."
Jo backhanded him lightly in the chest.
"You're not helping. Shut up." She scolded him.
"You are just as stoned as I am. Don't yell at me." he pouted.
"Enough you two." John B lectured his friends.
"My great great grandmother was Olivia Redfield. That was her maiden name" he informed them.
Jo shined her flashlight in the direction of the name on the crypt.
"Well what do we do now?" she asked him.
"I need help with this door." Pope stepped forward and started to help John B attempt to push the door open.
Jo turned to JJ who was just standing there watching them.
"Are you seriously not gonna help them push the door?"
She pushed him toward the others as he started to help them push.
"This door is like 600 pounds. Its not gonna budge." Pope complained.
"We didn't come this far just to get this far." Jo gave him an amused look.
"That was some philosophical bullshit man."
They heard a hissing as a snake came out from the small hole.
"Whoa! Whoa!" Pope jumped away from the hole.
"Nope. I don't do snakes. Y 'all are on your own."
Jo stepped back into JJ who held her in place.
"That's a Moccasin alright. Ye olde Dr. Cottonmouth. "
JJ pushed past Jo to get closer to the snake.
He started barking at the snake.
"JJ! Shut up! Shut up!" Kie harshly whispered trying to get him to stop.
Pope pulled him to focus.
"You're gonna wake the dead man." Nobody laughed at Pope's lame joke.
"They're afraid of dogs. Everyone knows that."
Jo found a small bench by the crypt and sat down.
She was too stoned to be dealing with JJ's bullshit.
"Hold on guys. If there is one then there is probably dozens more." JJ informed them.
"Are you kidding me right now?" Jo stood up on the bench so she wasn't touching the ground.
"Can you please stop you're scaring me." Kie smacked JJ in the shoulder.
JJ ignored her and continued to bark at the snakes.
"Can you stop barking at the snakes. Jo come get your boy. You're the only one he listens to." John B pushed JJ back towards Jo.
"Seriously? What would you guys do without me? You sit down now."
She pointed to JJ who listened and sat down on the bench.
"I was just making sure that it was clear." JJ mumbled out an excuse.
"Just shut up man." John B pushed JJ's head away.
"Look John B, we're not gonna get in there. Its not budging. We should probably just go." Pope tried to reason with the group.
Jo noticed that Kie was staring at the hole that was in the crypt.
"What are you thinking?" she asked her best friend.
"I can get through there." She stated.
"What?" Jo's voice caught the boys' attention.
"You think you're gonna fit in that hole?" John B asked unsure.
"That hole?" he asked skeptically.
"Are you calling her fat?" Jo snapped.
"No I'm not calling her fat." John B argued back.
"Look, this is about Big John." Kie stated causing the two teens to quit arguing and look at her.
"Honestly I don't really believe in it, but you deserve to know the truth. I'll do it."
They pushed the branches out of the way and John B lifted her up.
"Somebody give me the flashlight." Kie shouted out.
Jo sat back down on the bench with JJ as he lit another blunt.
"I really hope there are no more snakes in there. I am too stoned to try and save Kie right now."
She took the blunt and let the smoke fill her lungs.
She had a long day and she just wanted to forget the whole eventful day.