Docking, the Pogues exit the boat yet again, wanting to try to talk to the coast guard, as well as pick up Ophelia's bike. But, when they arrive there's a commotion, different from their last visit. A dead body had been found. Chills run down Ophelia's spine at the sight, a frown etched onto her face. She watches as a woman rushes up to the stretcher the body is on, crying out for the man.
"Who's that?" John B asks as the group approaches some other familiar southsiders.
A blonde girl looks over at him, "It's Scooter Grubs, he was out during the storm," Then, she holds out her phone, "Check out this pic I got, dead body."
Ophelia gives the other blonde girl the side eye, "Don't know if I love how excited you are about this," She mumbles under her breath, looking elsewhere. The girl doesn't hear her.
"What kind of boat did he have?" Jj asks after he looks at the photo.
"Somehow that dirtbag copped a brand new Grady-White," The blonde girl explains, "Everyone's out looking for it."
When they start to wheel the body away, Ophelia feels nauseous, so she lightly nudges John B with her elbow, nodding towards the HMS. He stands, and the rest of the Pogues follow suit, heading back to their boat.
Pretty soon, the sick feeling fades, Ophelia sits on the bow, legs dangling over the edge as John B takes them to the Chateau. As soon as they're back, John B helps the blonde girl onto the dock, "Hey, do you still have that board you want me to paint?" She suddenly asks, looking at John B with hopeful eyes.
John B falls into step with her as they head up to the house, he's wheeling her bike for her, the rest of the Pogues trailing behind, "Depends, are you charging me?"
"Never," Ophelia states. She does commission work for a bit of extra pocket money. But, she usually gets business from kooks, asking her to paint their shoes and airpod cases.
"Then it's in the shed."
"And do you still have the black paint from-"
"In the house," John B responds, a smirk on his face, "I'll grab it for you."
Ophelia grins, jogging over to John B's shed. Immediately, she spots the new, white board that had been gifted to John B a few weeks ago. Tucking it under her arm, she heads back up to the porch, walking around Pope, who is pacing frantically in the yard.
Ophelia sets the board up across a chair, just as John B appears beside her, setting her black paint, a couple brushes that she's left at the Chateau over the past few months, a bowl, and a glass of water onto a small table. Kiara eyes the materials, smirking, "You never stop, do you?"
"Nope!" Ophelia says, eyeing John B, "What do you want me to do?"
"Something cool."
Ophelia furrows her brows at him, sarcastically muttering, "Specific."
John B waves his hand at her, "Whatever, I'm giving you creative freedom."
Instead of responding, Ophelia turns to her backpack, searching through it for her sketchbook, but, she can't find it, "I think I left my sketchbook on the HMS," She frowns.
Jj hops up from his seat, "Get set up, I'll go get it," He chirps, hopping down the porch steps and taunting Pope slightly as he heads down to the dock. Ophelia grabs the paint and the bowl, pouring a bunch of the black pigment into the dish, stirring it a bit with one of the brushes. When Jj returns a few moments later, Ophelia thanks him, and he just gives her a small smile in return. She flips through the pages, looking for inspiration from her concept sketches and random doodles. When she finds one she thinks is perfect, she can't contain her excited grin.
"Here she goes," John B teases, watching the girl's enthusiasm as she uses a pencil to map out some of the dimensions and details. That part is quick, just an outline. Then, she sets down the sketchbook and dips into the black paint, just as Pope explodes onto the porch.
"Okay! So, um, we didn't see anything, we don't know anything, we need to have total and complete amnesia."
Ophelia doesn't look up from the line she's painting, "Consider it forgotten," She mumbles, leaning over at an awkward posture.
"Actually," Jj says, "Pope's right for once. See, I agree with you sometimes. Deny, deny, deny."
Ophelia picks up more paint on her brush as Kiara speaks, "Guys, we can't keep that money."
"Okay, not all of us can afford unlimited data plans, Kiara," Jj fires back.
"We have to pass that off to Lana Grubbs, otherwise it's bad karma."
Ophelia looks up briefly to see Pope nod, "Bad karma to be implicated in a felony, too. We gotta go dark."
"Yeah," Ophelia chirps, stepping back to analyze her dimensions slightly, "I'd like to keep my criminal record as clean as possible."
Deeming it as perfect as it's gonna get, Ophelia's steady hand traces out another thin line as Jj says, "If that means we get to keep the money, then I agree."
"I don't agree," John B mumbles, his eyes looking at Jj as he clap's a hand on the boy's shoulder, moving across the porch.
"What?" Jj asks, not quite believing his friend, "Why?"
"Just think about it," John B starts, quickly, "This is Scooter Grubbs we're talking about, right? The same guy that's been buying individual cigarettes at the porthole. Shit, one time I saw this dude begging for change in the Save-A-Lot parking lot because he needed gas. We're talking about a dirtbag marina rat who's never had more than forty bucks in his pocket and all of a sudden he has a Grady White? Just sayin'."
Jj grumbles at this heading off the porch, mumbling about fishing. The rest of the Pogues follow, and when Pope looks at Ophelia expectantly, she waves him off, focusing on the surfboard in front of her. Don't get her wrong, Ophelia loves her friends more than anything. They're her life. But, she also loves doing things by herself. She values solitude. So, she has no problem being on the porch by alone while her friends head out to the dock.
As she paints, her vision comes to life. She's putting a detailed octopus onto John B's board, a few bubbles here and there, but she mainly focuses on getting the shape right, occasionally looking to her sketch for help. When she's done with that, Ophelia switches out her brush for a smaller one, meant for finer details, which, would be almost the rest of the design. Ophelia pauses, stretching out her spine, which is starting to ache slightly, before she gets back to work.
She's done all the tentacle's suction cups by the time her friends make their way back up to the Chateau. Kiara makes a comment about how quickly the girl works as she passes, and Ophelia barely gives her a mumbled reply, too engrossed in her work. Ophelia hears the Pogues puttering around inside and as she adjusts her glasses, Jj comes outside and hands the girl a snack, which she gratefully takes.
Time goes by slowly, and Ophelia is in the zone. Her progress is quick, at the age of sixteen, she's efficient and quick, her precise strokes are meaningful and exact. So, when she finishes up after just a couple of hours, she couldn't be more proud. When the Pogues come out onto the porch Ophelia holds her hands out, "Nobody move, nobody breathe, nobody even look at it, until I put the sealant on it!"
John B steps forward, admiring the board with an awestruck gaze, "Ophelia are you serious? This is sick."
Jj, Pope and Kiara surround the board, all praising Ophelia for her work. The blonde grins, cleaning off the brush she had been using in her glass of water.
Then, John B says, "We're going to pick up a keg."
Ophelia groans, "Another keg?"
Jj smirks, "Lia, we've been over this, it's beer."
She glares at him, looking at John B, "Didn't we just have a party?"
Kiara answers for him, "We're laying low."
"Yeah," John B nods, "And this one's different."
"How is it different?" Ophelia asks.
"It's in the boneyard."
When Ophelia doesn't respond, John B opens his mouth to say more, but Ophelia holds up her hand, "Don't bother Van Goghing me. I'm tired of it, let's just get it over with."
"That's my girl," John B proudly states, slinging his arm around the blonde and walking her away from the Chateau and out to the volkswagen.
--
At the last kegger, at least Ophelia was stoned. At first, before people showed up, the blonde was having fun. Her and her friends were just fooling around, having a few drinks and goofing off. But then, the kooks found the party, followed by a massive group of tourons. Now, Ophelia sits by a bonfire that was started, drink in hand, watching her friends have a good time. The night sky had taken over the OBX, and Ophelia could see Pope and Kiara talking to a group of people, Jj with a pretty blonde girl, and John B talking to a few southsiders. Ophelia almost feels bad for sitting alone, wallowing in her own socially awkward self pity. At parties, she can't help but feel a bit lost. She just doesn't know where she belongs in the crowd.
Taking a long sip of her beer, Ophelia watches the flames flicker in front of her, toes buried in the sand. On the log next adjacent to her, two strangers make out, making Ophelia feel bad for staying. She wishes she brought something to doodle on, then at least she'd be able to keep her hands busy.
"Hey," Looking up, Ophelia sees Jj approaching her. He gestures to the empty log she's sitting on, "This seat taken?" He slurs his words slightly, and Ophelia smiles at his drunken state.
"Be my guest," She invites, watching him as he plops down next to her. They're silent for a second before Ophelia speaks again, "Why'd you leave that girl you were talking to?" Ophelia asks, "She's pretty."
"Who?" Jj responds scanning the beach until his eyes land on the touron, "Oh, her? She was alright. Not really my type though," Jj nudges Ophelia's arm with his, "I'd rather hang out with you anyways."
Ophelia tries to hide her blush by pushing up her glasses, but she knows he sees it by his knowing smirk, "You're sweet, Jj," She says, looking down at the sand, "But you don't have to keep me company. Go chase the pretty girls."
Jj scoffs looking at Ophelia with his baby blues that she doesn't think she could paint-match, even with her best effort, "Why would I do that? There's a pretty girl right here that needs my attention." He says things like this all the time to Kiara, Ophelia tells herself, unable to stop the smile on her face, he doesn't mean it. Jj stands to his feet, extending a hand to Ophelia, "Come on."
Ophelia furrows her brows, looking up at the blond, puzzled, "What?"
"Come on," Jj urges, "Do you trust me, Lia?"
"Not at all."
Jj chuckles, "That's probably for the best."
Nonetheless, Ophelia takes his hand, letting him pull her from her seat. Jj's hand doesn't leave hers as they get refills on their red solo cups. He holds her hand as he drags her from group to group, introducing her as, 'Ophelia, a crazy good painter,' and honestly, the blonde loves it. They spend the next hour like this, hand in hand, making jokes about the rich kids, and returning to the keg for more beer. Ophelia feels like she's out of her own body, watching herself have fun, laughing, with the friend that's never been just a friend, content at heart. She's convinced she belongs next to Jj in the crowd.
Returning to the keg, Jj fills his cup, and when he fills an extra, Ophelia looks at him with a raised brow. They're both pretty drunk by now, but Ophelia is still the more sensible of the two blondes. Then, Jj walks the few feet to John B, holding out the cup, teasingly offering it to his best friend before a couple walking past them catches his attention, "Sarah!" Ophelia sees the infamous kook princess, walking with Topper, her boyfriend, "Sarah, can I interest you in a tasty Milwaukee beverage?"
Ophelia nods at Topper, "Hi Top," She mutters, earning the same response. Topper's mother works at the same hospital as Medicine Dad, and the pair had hung out briefly at a few events, but they aren't friends.
"Oh come on," Jj says when Sarah denies, and Ophelia knows he's just trying to antagonize the other blonde girl at this point, "Is it not fancy enough for you?"
"Hey, hey, hey," Topper says, taking a step closer to the Pogues and stumbling over his words slightly, "You know what? I'll take it," Topper reaches out for the beer, "Thank you man, I appreciate it."
Jj smirks, glancing over at Ophelia before looking back to Topper, "That's nice, suggesting that, Topper. But I didn't ask you. If you said pretty please, maybe, but you didn't."
"Oh? Pretty please?" Topper repeats, his eyebrows raised and his chest puffed out. Ophelia can't help but roll her eyes at the action. Why are boys so stupid? She asks herself. Ophelia looks over at John B to see him holding the same bored expression her. She looks back towards the confrontation just in time to see Topper smack the cup out of Jj's hands. Sending the beer flying. Jj gives the kook a hard shove.
"Jj!" Ophelia shouts, grabbing the boy's bicep and pulling him away from the kook, ignoring the drops of beer that had landed on the lenses of her glasses.
"Hey, you're so funny, man!" Jj calls, looking over Ophelia.
"Jj, calm down," Ophelia hisses, her hands on the boy's chest, keeping him away from Topper. She can hear John B beside her, telling the blond the same thing. Jj looks down at her, his blue eyes meeting her green ones, and she can feel him take a deep breath, trying to do as she says.
Topper spits, "Dirty Pogues," And John B whips around, immediately lurching after the boy. Ophelia keeps her hold on Jj, not wanting him to get involved in the fight too. As Topper throws the first punch, Ophelia comes to a terrible realization:
They've drawn the attention of the party.
Topper kicks John B, who is still recovering from his punch, into the surf, "Hey John B!" He calls, "Don't make me drown you like your old man, alright?"
Ophelia feels tears prick her eyes at the mention of Big John, the man had partially raised her, and she misses him. Topper had no right to say that. Ophelia goes to move towards John B, but Jj holds her back, and when she gives him a confused glance, he shakes his head at her. It's not over yet.
John be gets to his feet, grabbing Topper and pulling him down into the water roughly. Ophelia shouts out in protest, wanting it to end. She glares at Jj when the blond encourages John B.
The two boys wrestle, each of them throwing punches and hard hits. Ophelia's heart is racing a mile a minute, knowing there isn't really anything she can do to help her friend. The crowd chanting 'fight' repetitively behind her definitely doesn't help either. John B throws Topper into the water again, "Come on, Topper!" The boy screams, "Let's go! Come on!"
More punches, and Ophelia whimpers, hands flying up to cover her mouth. John B gets flipped by Topper. Ophelia gasps as the kook holds her friend's face into the water, not letting him up for air. It goes on way too long to be part of a fist fight.
"Oh my god," Ophelia says, panicked, she rapidly hits Jj's arm, "Oh my god! Jj, help him!"
Without hesitation, Jj listens to the blonde girl. She watches as he rushes up to Topper, and pulls out a gun, holding it against the kook's head. Ophelia falls silent, her mouth agape as Jj lets out a maniacal laugh, "Yeah, you know what that is. Your move, broski."
"Jj!" Ophelia screams once she comes to her senses, her voice mixing in with Sarah, Pope, and Kiara's, "Jj, let him go!" At the sight of the pistol, everyone at the party disperses, scared shouts filling the air.
"Put the gun down!" Sarah yells.
Jj doesn't look at her, "Did you say something, princess?!"
Topper holds his hands up, slowly backing away from John B, who lifts his head from the water. Ophelia rushes towards him, not caring about her shorts getting wet as she hoists her best friend up to a sitting position, bearing his weight for him as she crouches beside him, "Jj, put the gun away!" Ophelia shouts.
"Kie!" Sarah calls, "Can you check your psycho friend please!?"
"Hey!" Ophelia fires back, grunting slightly as she holds up John B, who is gripping onto the blonde and trying to keep himself upright as he regains his breath, "How about you keep your crazy boyfriend on a leash next time, huh?!" Sarah glares at Ophelia, who has never been one to yell. But, she figures the alcohol in her system and the sight of her best friend almost dying has stirred up some bravery.
Jj takes a few steps onto the beach raising the gun into the air, "Okay, everyone listen up! Get the hell off our side of the island!" Then, Jj fires it twice, and Ophelia flinches for both of the loud sounds. Ophelia takes a breath, about to yell at the blond boy when John B's dazed expression gets her attention.
"John B?" Ophelia mumbles, her green eyes searching her friend's face. Then, his eyes close, and John B falls backwards, and since he's a lot heavier than the blonde he's holding onto, Ophelia goes down with him. Ophelia coughs up salt water as she sits back up, lugging John B with her. She gets to her feet, hands hooked under John B's arms as she drags him towards dry sand, "Hey!" She shouts, yet again, getting the attention of Jj, Pope, and Kiara, the two Pogues yelling at Jj for his reckless behaviour, "A little help, please?"
Pope and Jj both rush forward, helping bring John B's unconscious body onto the sand. Jj takes in Ophelia's soaked appearance, "Lia, are you okay?"
"Save it," Ophelia snaps, taking off her glasses and trying to shake the moisture off of them, "That was stupid and you know it."
Jj doesn't say anything, but Ophelia sees his Adam's apple bob as he swallows with guilt. He reaches out and takes Ophelia's glasses from her, drying off the lenses and the frames with his shirt before handing them back, "M'sorry."
Ophelia puts her glasses back on, letting out an exasperated sigh, "Let's just get him back to the Chateau."
So, that's what they do. Kiara and Ophelia carry everyone's stuff, and Jj and Pope carry John B. When they get there, the boys plop John B onto his bed while Kiara grabs a dry shirt from John B's closet. Ophelia stays with her friend, doing some basic first aid checks Medicine Dad had taught her. She checks his airways, his breathing, and his circulation. Not seeing any major cuts on his face to clean, Ophelia deems him okay. Then, she takes the button-up shirt from Kiara, and strips the boy of his soaked t-shirt, putting him in the new garment. Once he's settled, Ophelia puts a light blanket on him, heading out to the porch where her friends are sitting, Kiara following behind.
"He's fine," Ophelia states, moving down into the yard where her bike is, tightening her backpack straps on her shoulders.
She grabs the bicycle, which she painted a pastel pink last summer, "Ophelia, wait!" Jj calls, chasing after the girl.
"I don't really want to talk to you right now," Ophelia states, barely looking up at the boy as she tries to wheel the bike around him.
"Ophelia-"
"The gun, Jj, are you serious? You could have thrown a punch or-or something!"
Jj pauses, "Are you telling me to get into fights right now? I thought you hate when I do that."
"I do," Ophelia hisses, "But that's better than pulling a gun on someone!" Ophelia takes a deep breath, trying to calm her sudden anger at the boy, "Okay. Sorry. You saved him, I'm happy about that, I am. Just-" Ophelia looks up at the boy, her green eyes meeting his, "Don't be stupid about it next time, okay? Think," Jj nods, a guilty look on his face, "Are you staying here tonight?"
"Uh," Jj starts, reaching up and scratching the back of his neck, "I don't know if John B wants me to."
"Okay, well you're not going-"
"I wasn't going to," Jj interrupts, "I promise."
"Good," Ophelia nods, "Uh, here, take my bike," Ophelia holds out the handle bars, and Jj gives her a confused expression, "I'll get Pope to drive me home. He's taking Kie that way anyways. You can stay at my house, but you'll have to climb up-"
"-Up to the balcony on the lattice," Jj finishes, "I know, Lia. I've done it before."
"Right, sorry," Ophelia gestures to the driveway, "You, uh, you better get going. It might take you a while."
Jj gives Ophelia a smile, "Thanks, Lia," He says, getting onto the bike and pedaling away. She has to admit, the sight of the rowdy blond boy on her pink bicycle is kind of funny.
--
Pope drops Ophelia off first, and the blonde girl thanks him before heading into her home, carefully closing the door so she doesn't wake up her dads. Ophelia leaves her shoes by the door, carefully padding up the stairs and down the hall to her bedroom. When she gets there, Jj still hasn't arrived. So, the blonde girl heads into her closet, which is way bigger than she needs, grabbing an old t shirt, some underwear, and a pair of sleep shorts. Ophelia tests out her lightswitch, and when it flicks on, she knows the generator had kicked in. She becomes suddenly aware of the AC as well, grateful for her Dads who provide her with so much.
As quickly as she can, she showers, rinsing the salt water from her hair and off of her body. No matter how hard she tries, she can't get to sleep if she knows she's still covered with the salt, sunscreen, and dirt from the day. When she's finished, Ophelia changes and brushes through her long hair, leaving it down to air-dry through the night. She also brushes her teeth and rinses with mouthwash before finally exiting the ensuite bathroom and heading back into her bedroom.
When she sees a figure on her balcony, she nearly jumps out of her skin, but remembering that it's just Jj, she calms down, taking a deep breath. She just forgot to unlock the door. Stepping forward, Ophelia flicks the lock, letting Jj into her dimly illuminated room. He sighs at the AC, "God, that feels good. You know, sometimes I forget you're a kook."
"I resent that."
"Don't worry," Jj shrugs, taking off his sweaty shirt and tossing it to the floor, "You're one of the good ones. Can I shower quick?"
Ophelia nods, trying to keep her eyes from raking up and down his toned torso, "Yeah, you're gonna smell like flowers, though."
Jj chuckles, "I'll survive."
So, Jj heads into the ensuite, and Ophelia crawls into one side of her massive, plush bed, leaving the other side open for Jj. Her room, despite the organized chaos of her studio across the hall, is relatively simple. Her walls are a light blue, and in a few places there are random paintings on the walls. Nothing huge, just a few butterflies and some other random doodles. Her bed is a solid, black, canopy that Art dad had picked out a few years ago. But, she had taken the sheer sheets down months ago, leaving the massive frame barren. Her vanity desk (That she never uses), night stands, and her bookshelf are all black, and her duvet and sheets are white. Simple, because honestly, if her room were as messy as her studio, she'd probably go insane. Her favourite part, however, is the balcony. She can spend hours out there.
Jj emerges from the bathroom, in his shorts from before and his hair wet with a floral scent drifting off of him, making Ophelia smile slightly. But, the expression wipes off her face when he grabs one of her pillows and tosses it to the ground, "What are you doing?" Ophelia asks.
"I'm taking the floor."
"Why would you do that?" Ophelia asks, raising a brow at the boy. He stares at her blankly, "Jj, just get in the bed, please. I'd feel guilty if you slept on the floor. I did it by accident last night and it's not comfortable."
"You accidentally slept on the floor?" Jj repeats.
Ophelia nods, "Yeah, in the studio. I was working on Ophelia and I passed out."
"You should really stop doing that," Jj says, still hovering near the edge of the bed, "You overwork yourself with this stuff.."
Ophelia rolls her eyes, "Whatever, just get in bed," Jj still looks unsure, and Ophelia sighs, "Jj, it's fine. We've known each other forever, it's nothing. Plus, this bed is massive," Jj still doesn't move, Ophelia leans forward slightly, finding his eyes, "I trust you, you know that right?"
Jj nods, leaning down and picking up the pillow, putting it back in it's spot, finally sliding into the bed and getting under the covers, "You could have at least bought me dinner first, Lia," Ophelia feels her cheeks burn, and she reaches over, turning off the lamp that had been illuminating the room so he doesn't see, "Shit, this is comfy."
Ophelia laughs lightly, "Goodnight, Jj."
"Goodnight, Lia."
But, Ophelia can't seem to let her eyes close long enough to actually sleep. She's reeling through the events of the day in her mind. They found a shipwreck (which probably has contraband on it), John B and Jj hid from the cops, stole a gun, she painted a surfboard, and they threw a party, which ended badly. She can't stop thinking about Topper holding John B's head under the water.
"Jj?" Ophelia whispers, eyes on the ceiling as she lays on her back, "Are you asleep?"
There's a second of silence where Ophelia feels foolish before Jj lets out a low grumble, "Not anymore."
"Sorry," Ophelia says, "Forget it."
"No," Jj responds, turning to face the girl, "What's up? Are you okay?"
She nods, even though they're sitting in the darkness, "Yeah, yeah, um. I guess-uh- Thank you," She whispers, "For saving my friend. Tonight just scared me a bit."
"Of course," Jj responds, "He's my friend too, I wasn't gonna let anything happen."
"I know."
There's a silence that falls over the pair, it isn't long though, because Jj breaks it, "Ophelia?"
"Yeah?"
"I was thinking," Jj says, his voice hushed, "I can teach you to swim better, if you want."
Ophelia lets a small smile slip onto her face, "Okay. Thank you, Jj."
"It's stressful watching you try," Jj jokes, "I mean seriously, you're like a beer bottle in water, I'm scared you're just gonna sink."
Ophelia laughs at this, "Shut up."
"It's true!"
Ophelia shushes him, still giggling slightly, "I said shut up, you're gonna wake my Dads."
"Right, right, sorry. My bad."
Ophelia smiles, "Goodnight, Jj."
"Goodnight, Lia," And Ophelia swears, she can hear the smile in his voice as well.
---
A/N:
THANK YOU FOR READING!!! I hope you liked it
What do you think Of Ophelia so far? I love her so much.
Please vote and comment, it means the world! I appreciate you, & thank you!