Outer Banks Series Rewrite - A JJ Maybank x reader story

Chapter Five: Midsummers

Warnings: swearing, mentions of abuse, some Sarah Cameron slander

I knew shit was bad when I saw John B and JJ sneaking out to the HMS Pogue through the water instead of coming into the house. A quick glance out the window revealed Deputy Shoupe parked next to the van, watching the house.

The grass swished around my ankles, quietly swaying as I made my way towards the Pogue, staying low to the ground. I haul myself over the side, letting JJ grab my wrists to help me.

"Shit, J..." I whisper, cupping his cheeks to inspect his beat-up face. "Your dad do this to you?"

"Who else would it have been?" JJ mutters, slightly leaning his head into my touch. "First, I almost get strangled to death by Kooks, and now I'm on the hook for 30 grand. We should get Kie and Pope and just dip."

"Where would we go?" John B snorts, untying the boat from the dock.

"Yucatan," JJ says like it's obvious.

"Yucatan?" I raise an eyebrow, taking the keys from John B to start the engine.

"I'm dead serious right now." JJ sighs. "Surf all day, and then we can just live off lobsters we catch with our bare hands."

"You just wanna leave cause you got your ass beat?" John B teases, pushing off from the dock.

"That's for me to know and you to find out." JJ huffs.

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How does one describe Midsummers? There are so many ways and none of them are exactly appropriate. My best stab at describing Midsummers is a gathering of the island's richest families, celebrating how rich they are while the rest of the island struggles to keep their lights on and put food on the table.

So how exactly did I, Y/N Routledge, end up dressed like a waitress? Two answers and they both start with J.

"Can you two slow down?" I huff. "Heels and sand don't mix, dimwits."

"Go over the plan again." JJ looks at John B, fixing his bowtie.

"I need you to get this to Sarah." JB hands me a note.

"Ooh, can we read it?" JJ grins, his black eye shining in the faint lights from the party.

"No, you can't read it." John B sighs.

"Who's Vlad?" I tilt my head, opening the note.

"God, do you two ever listen?" John B groans, lunging forward to try and take the note.

I dodge him, closing the note. "Hold up. Are you mackin' Sarah Cameron?"

"Would you shut up?" John B hisses.

"You're macking Sarah Cameron!" I shriek. "I knew it!"

"I'm doing it for everyone, all right?" JB sighs softly. "Just get that note to her and meet back here."

"Aye aye, Vlad." I salute him, laughing.

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"So, my dad's already gonna kill me. What's this mandatory meeting about?" Pope sighs, poking at the fire with a stick.

"Might as well tell him." I lean back against the log, picking leaves off of Kie's dress. "Before we're gaffed."

"The gold never went down with the Royal Merchant." John B smiles.

"Not this again." Pope groans.

"It's been here the whole time." JJ pipes up. "It's on the island."

John B pulls out the letter from his backpack, passing it around the group.

"Where did you get all this?" Kie asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Sarah Cameron. She's coming tonight with the plat map."

"Hold on." Kie frowns. "Sarah? Why Sarah?"

John B shifts his weight, looking at her.

"This is gonna be good," JJ whispers to Pope.

"She got me into the archives in Chapel Hill and that's where I got the letter." John B mumbles, sounding like a kid who got caught doing something they shouldn't.

"You were in Chapel Hill with Sarah Cameron?" Kie murmurs.

"He was macking on her," I mutter.

"I wasn't macking!" John B huffs. "I was using her for access."

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Okay, John B isn't well known for his ideas. Going to the Hawk's Nest during a thunderstorm probably makes the top 20 of his worst ideas. Going to Hawk's Nest period is always a horrible idea.

The driver's side door bangs open as John B slams his leg into it. "You guys stay here."

"Really?" Kie and I say in unison.

"I don't want to spook Sarah with the peanut gallery." He sighs, leaning on the open side door of the van.

"I just don't really understand why we're involving her at all." I huff as Kie nods in agreement.

"We're not involving her, okay?" John B frowns. "This is just like... a business meeting..."

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Once again, John B is known for many things. Having brilliant ideas is really not one of them. I think that's why he keeps me around, I have all the good ideas.

Sitting in the van in the pitch black, JJ and I move into the front seat while Pope mutters to himself, and Kie tugs the flowers out of her hair.

"Guys," Pope's head shoots up, looking towards the Hawk's Nest. "Isn't that Topper's car?"

"Shit, John B is still up there," I mutter, shoving the door open. "We need to go help him."

Another thing about John B. That boy has no balance whatsoever. Pair that with a rickety structure, overly emotional Sarah Cameron, and Topper... bad news.

We reach the base of the Nest, watching in shock as John B crashes through the railing, falling towards the ground.