Nothing is hidden under the sunlight // JJ

Chapter 37

"I need to know everything. And by everything I mean EVERYTHING!"

The Pogues turned surprised to see from where that voice was coming. But their surprise did not stop once they answered their first question. Quite the opposite it grew bigger. At first how had Sophie found them. And then, why would she all of a sudden ask them something like that. They did not even knew her.

"I'm pretty sure that introducing comes first." Kiara said rolling her eyes. Well she knew who she was but either way that wasn't polite.

"Kiara I don't want to be polite. I just want to know some things. Either way, you know me already." Her eyes focusing on JJ who was laughing at the girls' interaction.

"Well then greetings come first. Sorry Sophie but whatever you say I'll always find something to reply."

Sophie looked at Kiara. Why was she acting like that. She wasn't stealing something from her. She just wanted some answers. She wasn't there to steal neither her friends not her boyfriend -who as it seems was Pope.

"Look I don't want to cause any trouble, just get over it. I want to learn some things!"

Kiara exchanged a glance with JJ. The boy pretended cutting his throat making her understand that Sophie wasn't going to back off. He knew her for only a short period of time but most of the times he had seen her she had something on her mind and he knew that she wasn't going to surrender just like that.

"Fine... What do you want to know?"

Pope was observing the scene without making any sound. He was probably thinking of something. After some minutes he decided to speak "Sophie, let's go somewhere else. We can't talk about this here." And he was right. Who knew who could come out of nowhere where they were sitting. This coast wasn't private, or hidden. Oh and let's just not forget that the majority of kooks used to go there snorkeling and scuba diving.

"Okay, any good place for talking?" She didn't care where she would learn about the past. But she wanted to learn as fast as she could and she was willing to go wherever they would take her in order to open up about last summer.

JJ jumped up from where he was sitting and moved towards her. He stood in front of her some centimetres before their bodies touch and looked at her straight into her eyes with a smirk playing on his lips. Unexpectedly for Sophie who was hoping for something else he turned her around making her turn her back at him. "Let's go to John B's" he said at his friends placing his hands on Sophie's shoulders.

After a while they were sitting on their friend's balcony. Sophie was sitting on the wooden fence with JJ opposite her and his eyes on her while Pope and Kiara were sitting on the chairs.

"Sooo?" Sophie said impatiently. She generally wasn't a patient person. The fact that she kept waiting for this moment ever since she had come here was surprising even for herself.

"What do you know so far?" That question came from Pope, who as it seems was going to be the only one who wanted to answer her questions. And maybe Pope was the only one here who seemed like a logical person. Probably the first logical person around her age here. Well Kiara could be too but since she was to harsh on her ever since she saw her she didn't know. And JJ was something else. He didn't seem logical but he was.

"I know about the Royal Merchant and about the treasure, and how Ward, Big John and Scooter got involved, but this is where my knowledge stops. I also know that you went for search too and that you found it."

Pope and JJ looked at eachother and started whispering like they were on a conference room, or they were talking about a top secret.

"Man, she doesn't know anything. She's not going to handle it."

"JJ she deserves to know, it's about her family. And it's her call after all..."

"You can't tell her dude! She's already going through a lot."

"Like what? Well no, don't tell me. You know what? I'm telling her wether you like it or not. She deserves to know the truth." Pope said without second thought and looked straight to the girls sitting on the fence.

Before he could start talking JJ spoke "Hey, are you sure?" On one hand he knew that he shouldn't get attached on the other hand he was too protective over her and treating her like a child that was slowly learning about the ugliness of the world they were living.

"JJ, I need to know. Maybe I'm not ready and I might never be. But I need to know what happened..." The boy let out a deep sigh and lifted his hands in surrender. At least he had tried.

"So you know about Ward murdering the two thieves, Big John, and attempting to kill John B." Kiara said without thinking about it. The girls reaction made her regret the moment she had opened her mouth.

"What?" Sophie asked probably herself. She had head them but it took her some time to process it. Ward hadn't killed Scooter, well he led him to death but he could go any other day for searching. And Big John it was an accident. But now the things changed... Not only he had killed to people -it didn't matter if they were thieves or not, but he had also attempted to take the life of an innocent adolescent.

"Look, you're not ready for th- Just listen to me please!" JJ moved next to her and trying to convince her against learning about it now. As she tried to speak he closed her mouth with his palm for once again. The same feeling going through both of them. Even though this time he wasn't trying to apologize he was trying to keep her from getting hurt. Their eyes locked "You're going through a lot lately. Pope and Kie don't know about it and that's why they want to let you know. But Sophie, hear me out, you're not ready for this."

She lowered her glance trying to escape JJ's intimidating one. The boy followed her eyes not letting the eye contact break. He released her mouth from his palm letting her speak. "I need to know... I'll be hurt... But I need to know..."