THE POGUE CODE ❤︎ JJ MAYBANK

Chapter Eight

Leaving the country club, they returned to the chateau to think of a way they can take the drone from the salvage yard. Kiara and Mackenzie sat together on the couch on the screened-in porch. Mackenzie was making a new bracelet while they discussed ideas. JJ, however, wasn't contributing to the discussion, too focused on watching Mackenzie move the strings to form patterns in the bracelet.

"What about tricking the security guard?" Mackenzie suggested, not looking up from her strings as she spoke, "that's actually really smart. How could we do that?" John B wonders, "maybe like... one of us asks him to help us with something while the rest of us sneak in and get the drone." Kiara thinks aloud. "Yeah, that could totally work. I can get the numbers for the lock from my dad, he's got all that shit lying around." JJ says.

"Perfect, so JJ will get the numbers and then we'll take the drone and find the wreck." John B nods his head, happy with the plan they have made. "Hey Zie can you make me another bracelet?" Kiara asks her friend, who smiled while finishing off the one she was working on. "You want this one?" Mackenzie offered.

The bracelet was made of different shades of blue in the pattern of waves. There was a royal blue with a sky and baby blue and a soft cornflower blue shade. "Ooh, that looks so cool!" the dark-haired girl beamed, letting the other tie it onto her wrist. "Can you make me one Zie?" JJ wonders, fiddling with the one on his left wrist she had already made. "What colours?"

JJ searched through her collection of coloured strings, picking out a deep Egyptian blue, a bright cadmium red, and a nice baby pink. Now looking at JJ, you wouldn't picture him choosing a pink colour, but he liked the look of those three colours together. So Mackenzie got to work cutting the strings and tieing them together, deciding on a Chinese Ladder pattern.

"Alright JJ you head over to your house, get the numbers and meet us back here. Then we'll go to the salvage yard and get the drone, drop it in the water and bam, we've got the gold." John B explains, "we can take my dad's boat to find it." Pope adds.

The blonde nodded, hopping on his bike and heading back to his own home on the south side. Mackenzie watched him leave while tucking her lower lip between her teeth. All she could sense from him was tension. As if something between them was off.

Not that everything between them was perfect, they're best friends who are fooling around together. Mackenzie has a crush on him, she's had a crush since the eighth grade. Although she's utterly unaware of JJ's feelings toward her.

She had no idea how his heart raced when she smiled. How he couldn't help but just watch as she surfed a wave, or how he would just admire her concentration when making a bracelet. She had no idea how JJ loved to be around her. That the reason he never took that bracelet off was because she made it. It meant something to him because it was made by her.

JJ had gotten back to the chateau almost half an hour after he had left. When he got back, they all piled into John B's van and began the drive to the salvage yard. Kiara started a conversation with Mackenzie about their favourite tv shows to watch.

That of course got Mackenzie on a rant about how Shameless was the best one to watch. Another thing JJ adores about her, how she can talk for hours about shows and movies she loves.

"Okay but what about Shadowhunters? Adventure, romance, supernatural, humour, representation." Kiara said, which Mackenzie agreed with, "I do love that show. Alec is by far the best. He's so badass and relatable." the redhead expressed. "Ugh, but then there's Teen Wolf. You know, that show would have completely flopped if it wasn't for Dylan O'Brien and I stand by that fact." Mackenzie stated. "You're literally obsessed." Kiara chuckled.

"Am I the only one concerned about the fact that we're stealing this drone?" Pope sighed, shaking his head as his arms were crossed over his chest. "Pope we're not stealing the drone okay? We're just borrowing it." John B says to the dark-skinned boy. "Humans are the only animal who can't tell fantasy from reality."