„meeting you was like listening to a song for the first time and knowing it would be my favourite."
-JJ x fem oc : John b's sister
-Outer Banks story line / season 1
"I mean it's obvious, right?" says John b, who is driving the bus. We sit in the back, Kiara in the passenger seat, I close to JJ. Pope holds the compass in front of his face and stares at it. "A family heirloom. What better place to hide a message? He had to know it was gonna get back to me, right?"
"yeah, it's possible" Kie shrugs.
Pope looks critically over to my brother. "It could also be possible that you're concocting wild theories to help..... you know, deal with your sad feels"
"What—" I look over at him. He always has to say something like this, and he's right, but it doesn't really help.
"Bro, you know how I process my sad feels. Dank nuts and the stickiest of ickies, that's how I do it" JJ explains, giving me a smirk.
John b looks back with conviction. "I'm not concocting, okay? My dad's trying to give me a message."
"If it helps you believe, John b" Kiara says carefully.
"Look, I— I don't need a therapy session, okay? I'm not trippin' out"
"It's okay to trip, bro, but—" JJ tries to reassure him.
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"Look—" interrupts John b."My dad is missing, okay?... Missing. You don't know what it's like to have the person closest to you vanish. And then have no idea what happened"
The sentence hit me just as hard as my brother. I hate to think about my dad. Like, literally, I hate it. Because all I can think about is how he left us and then he vanished. I actually don't really wanna know what happened. Because if I knew, it would probably just tear me up more.
"Just wake up every morning wondering" his voice breaks a little and I get a little teary eyed. Whereupon JJ gives me a smile and lifts my head up.
I love JJ's way of showing that you matter to him. He doesn't like to show his feelings, but still he is always there.
"It's been almost a year" Kiara looks at John b.
JJ tries to lighten the mood. „Hey, he could have been kidnapped. That's definitely a possibility"
"Yeah, could be in a Soviet sub getting interrogated by the KGB somewhere" Pope adds.
"Absolutely. Uh... or Atlantis"
"JJ" says Kiara, turning back to the boy at the wheel. "Look, what do you think the message is?"
"Redfield" says John b and looks back to me.
„Redfield lighthouse" I mumble in response. „That's our dad's favourite place"
--——————-
We stand in front of the lighthouse. John b turns to face JJ. "Right, here's what's gonna happen. You're gonna post up and look out for bogeys, okay?"
"Wait... why me?" asks JJ, confused.
Pope sighs."Because you're not coming"
"Why?" asks JJ again.
"Look JJ, there are independent and dependent variables. And you're an independent" Pope explains when JJ interrupts him.
"Shut up"
"We don't know what you'll do" Pope shrugs.
"shut up Pope, just shut up!" the blonde boy yells.
"guys, listen to me for a second! Just listen to me!" John b turns to Pope. "Pope, you stand look out with JJ, okay? If we get split up, we meet back at JJ's house".
"Great" agrees Kiara.
"Wait, what about me?" I ask, my brow furrowing.
"You stay down here" JJ says, as if it's a given.
"Wha— why? I can come up too"
"Hell no, Mia, you're not going up there" says JJ, raising an eyebrow. Right, because I'm little Mia. He's just always so overprotective over me. I sigh and leave to sit on the bus.
"I'm gonna work on my merit scholarship essay, and I'm trying to keep felonies to a minimum" Pope explains.
JJ kicks a small ball up with his feet over and over. "Alright, would you just shut up already?"
———————
I sit on the floor of the bus, my feet dangling out. I have headphones in and I'm listening to music, vibing to it. I just love to listen to music with headphones. Just to be closed from the world for a moment. I sing lightly to it without realizing it. I think I just sing always and everywhere.
When then, I notice someone taking one headphone out of my ear.
I turn to the right and see JJ. "I love your voice" he says with a smile, and I blush a little.
"Thank you... have— have you been listening to me the whole time?" I ask nervously. That's weird.
"Yeah... could listen to it all day. What I would give to hear that voice next to me in bed in the morning when I wake up" JJ looks up at the sky, dreaming, as I give him a light tap on the shoulder.
"Shut up" I laugh.
"Oh, shit" mumbles Pope as a police car pulls up.
„Police, now?" I say as we rush into the bus.
"Guys, go, go, go!" Pope calls to us on the bus. He jumps in and we drive off.
-———————
We're sitting in the bus again. We picked up Kie and John b, after driving away from the cops.
"You mind if I just relax on this one?" Says JJ, holding up a joint. "It's been a long day, and a lot of weird stuff's gone down. I'm just gonna lay low" JJ looks over at Pope. "Oh, did you want a hit of this?"
"I keep the signal clear" Pope pushes JJ's hand away with his.
"As you should, too, JJ" I mumble and the blonde gives me a confused look.
JJ turns to Pope again. "Dude, okay. Do you understand that your problem is that you don't get creative? If you got creative then-"
"Look, I— I know I was wrong about the lighthouse, all right?" Interrupts John b. "And, and pretty much wrong about everything else going on. But I— I was right about one thing. Okay? My dad's trying to tell me something." He looks back.
I raise my eyebrows and look at the others. "I think he's right"
