Thalassophile // JJ Maybank

Chapter 26

I hear JJ running down the dock, toward the boat Pope and I were now on. It footsteps thump loudly as he runs toward us.

"Pope! Franklin!" He calls loudly. "You guys are not gonna believe what just happened to me! Whoo! That was the best 100 bucks I've ever made! When I say count me in on all these grocery deliveries, Pope, I mean it!" JJ walks over to Pope, who now stood by the steering wheel. When neither of us say anything JJ steps closer to Pope. "What's up with you? Bro, you good?" JJ looks closer at Pope's face. "Yo, what happened to your face, dude?" JJ lifts Pope's hat up, looking closer at his head. "Jesus!"

He turns to look at me, squatting in front of me. He gently grabs my hand, stretching out my arm. His fingertips graze over the hand shaped bruise forming around my arm. He does the same to my other arm. "What happened?"

"Rafe and Topper jumped us." My voice comes out barely above a whisper. "Topper held me back while Rafe hit Pope."

"I'm gonna fucking kill them." JJ says.

"No." I whisper out.

"They said no Pogues on their side of the island." Pope speaks up.

JJ shakes his head angrily, looking up at Pope. "What are you gonna do?"

"I have an idea." Pope says. He pulls the boat away from the dock we are at, pulling onto the open water. Moments later we pull up behind Topper's house, up near his dock. "2020 Malibu, 24 MXC. The worlds finest wakesetter. Number one in quality, luxury, and performance."

"This is war, Pope." JJ says eyeing the boat tied to the dock. "They hit us, we hit them." JJ pulls a gaiter mask over his face. The pulls on a pair of sunglasses.

Pope pulls off his top. Before diving into the water.

JJ grabs the jacket he had brought, off the bench and hands it to me. "Put this on. Hood up."

I do as he says, pulling on the blond's jackets, zipping up the front. I take in a deep breath, breathing in the boys scent. A smell I had grown used to over the past few weeks. It was now a comforting smell. A mix of the boy's deodorant, salt, and the faint smell of weed.

"Thanks." I mumble.

"It looks good." JJ comments.

I have to turn away from the boy. A light blush dusts my cheekbones from his compliment. I watch as Pope pulls himself into Topper's boat. He briefly bends down before standing back up. He makes his way over to the back i of the boat and dives back off.

JJ grabs the ladder off Heyward's boat, hanging it off the edge so that Pope could climb back on. Pope climbs the ladder, pausing at the top. He holds up the plug to the other boat, smiling widely.

"Wow, you did it." JJ says proudly. He pulls off his mask and sunglasses. "I'm so proud of you right now. Holy crap."

Pope climbs into the boat. "JJ? Franklin?"

"Yeah?"

"You can't tell anybody."

"Oh. No, yeah. Totally, dude."

"No, I'm serious, dude. Not Kie, not John B. Nobody."

"Yeah, my lips are sealed." JJ reaches for the plug in Pope's hand. "Give me that. Give me that." JJ tosses the plug into the water, as far as he can. "Okay, let's get out of here."

***

In the morning we get on a boat and head out to sea. We rode on the boat for what feels like years, making our way out to the area the X covered. I stood at the wheel with JJ, watching waves splash up the side of the boat.

"All right, JJ. Pin it here." John B calls out.

"Roger that, X marks the spot." JJ pulls a lever, stopping the boat.

"All right ladies and gentlemen." John B lifts up the drone, getting ready to put it in the water. "To going full Kook."

John B drops the drone into the water. Bubbles come up into the surface as the drone disappears into the water. Kiara lowers the tether into the water

"All right, JJ, we're right over it. Ten seconds Northwest." John B looks at the screen.

"Got it! Ten seconds northwest." JJ pulls the boat northwest, slightly.

"100 feet!" Kiara calls out when as she sees the red tape on the tether.

I catch Pope flinching out of the corner of my eye. John B rushes over. "What? What, what, what, what?"

"It's nothing." Pope responds. John B groans, annoyed.

"Sorry, I thought-"

"Don't do that to me, man. Come on, bro!" JJ yells cutting him off.

"God, you scared the shit out of me." I breathe.

"My bad. I just thought I saw..." Pope's voice trails. He shakes it off, refocusing on the screen. "And to quote The Hobbit, 'Down, down to Goblin Town. Down, down, you go, my lad.'"

"Pope, cut it out." I say.

"400 feet!" Kie calls marking it with a tally on the side of the boat. Thunder rumbles in the sky. "The tide's turning."

"Hey, JJ." John B calls, getting the boy's attention.

"Yup?"

"Ten seconds easy. South - southeast."

"Copy that!"

"JJ, 20 seconds mid speed, all right? South.

"Copy that, aye, aye." JJ spins the steering wheel. "Keep the tether out of the Prop!"

"I'm trying!" Kie responds.

"JJ, keep going!" John B shouts.

Thunder rumbles again. Dark clouds have started to settle above us. I jump when a clap of thunder booms loudly, echoing through the air.

"I got you, princess." JJ says. "Eyes on me. John B, is that good?"

"We're good!"

"700 feet!" Kiara calls out.

The wind shook the boat violently, the boat rocking back in forth in the water. The water grew very choppy, thrashing us all around. Lightning lit up the whole sky.

I grab onto JJ as the he slams into the side of the boat. I pull him back toward me, stabilizing the blond.

"JJ, hold it steady! JJ, we'll turtle in the storm."

"920!"

"Crank it north by northwest! Ten seconds!" John B turns to Pope. "Pope, how are we doing?"

"Almost there."

"There's too much current!" Kie yells frantically. "We're gonna lose it!"

"South, southwest, JJ! Hard!" John B looks back at the screen in his hand. "Half speed. Steady at this bearing, JJ! What do you got, Pope? Come on, man. What do you see?"

"Nothin', a whole lot of nothin'.

"You should be right above it, brother."

"Kiara!"

"960! 970! 980!"

"I'm at the bottom! I'm at the bottom!" Pope calls out.

"Okay, steady there, JJ!" John B yells. "Steady here. Quarter speed, all right?" John B turns back to Pope. "You should be seeing something, man."

"I know, I know! Wait, wait."

I move over too look at the screen.

"Oh, good god." Pope mumbles.

"See anything?" JJ asks from behind the wheel.

John B chuckles. "It's the Royal Merchant."