¥showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks¥
In which Jackie Routledge and her group of friends from the south side of Outer Banks try to have the summer of their lives, but end up it being filled with mystery, tragedy, risks, adventure...
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{The Truth}
I wake up the next morning with JJ's arm around me, my head resting on his chest. "Morning, beautiful," he groans, planting a soft kiss on my lips. "Morning," I whisper, my voice still heavy with sleep. "We should probably get up. Kie and Pope are coming over, and John B should be back from his fishing trip with Ward in about an hour," I say, sitting up. But JJ quickly grabs me and pulls me back down.
"Ten more minutes," he whines, burying his face in my hair and pulling me closer. I laugh softly. "No, come on, sleepyhead," I tease, gently removing his hand and getting out of bed before he can pull me back down again. "My girlfriend just had to be an early bird," he mutters, and I roll my eyes before grabbing my towel and heading to the bathroom.
Two hours later, Kie and Pope arrived, and we've all been waiting outside the Chateau for John B to come back. "Where's John B?" Pope asks as he sits next to me and JJ on the edge of the hot tub. "He's out fishing with Ward Cameron, but he should've been home by now," I explain. Pope gives me a questioning look, but before I can say anything more, JJ chuckles. "Speak of the devil," he says, and I turn just in time to see my brother walking toward the house. But something about his expression is off.
"Dude, I set up the entire winch and pulled up the gold and everything," JJ lies. Pope glares at him, but I let out a sigh and follow my brother inside.
"Hey, Johnny! What's up?" I ask, but he ignores me and walks straight into the house. We exchange confused glances before following him inside.
"You all right, man?" Pope asks as John B starts frantically searching through the drawers and cupboards. "John B, what's going on? You're scaring me!" I ask, but he doesn't respond. "Bro, what's going on?" JJ presses, but John B walks over to the couch, tosses the cushions off, and grabs a gun. We all freeze in shock.
"John B, what do you need the gun for?" JJ demands, stepping closer. "Talk to us!" he yells, but John B shoves him back.
"John B, chill!" I shout, but he brushes past me and shoves Pope out of the way, heading for the door. We quickly follow after him.
"John B, what the hell are you doing?" Kie calls as my brother hops onto JJ's bike and starts the engine. "John Booker Routledge!" I shout as he turns around to face me, his eyes full of tears.
"Ward knows about the gold," he says, and my heart sinks. JJ steps closer to me, placing a hand on my shoulder, but my mind is spinning.
"Okay, but why do you need the gun?" I ask, my voice trembling.
"Ward killed our dad," he says, his words crashing into me like a tidal wave. I freeze, my world shattering around me. Ward killed our father. The man who became our legal guardian killed him.
I try to speak, but no words come out. My knees buckle beneath me, and I collapse to the ground. "No, no, no!" I scream, my chest heaving as I feel JJ's arms wrap around me. I bury my face in his chest, crying uncontrollably.
After Kie and Pope left to go find John B, JJ stayed with me. He wouldn't leave me alone in this state. We sat together on the couch, his arms around me, offering comfort as I tried to distract myself by cleaning around the house. But eventually, I couldn't hide my emotions anymore. I grabbed the dishes and shoved them in the sink with more force than necessary.
"Jackie..." JJ whispers.
"Go!" I snap, my voice thick with emotion. He steps closer, gently turning me around to face him. My eyes are red and swollen, and my whole body is shaking.
"Please, leave. I just need to be alone," I whisper, staring at the floor. But JJ pulls me into his arms anyway.
"No, I can't—" He begins to protest, but I cut him off with a soft kiss on his lips.
"I love you, JJ, but I need some time alone. John B will be back soon, and I just want to be here when he does," I explain. JJ sighs, pulling away from the hug.
"Okay, but call me if you need me. I love you, Jackie," he says, pressing a kiss to my forehead. I nod.
"I will. I love you too." I whisper as he heads out of the Chateau.
I decide to sit out on the dock, letting my legs dangle over the water as I take a hit from JJ's blunt. A tear slips down my cheek as I release a heavy sigh. I don't have to look back to know who's behind me—my brother.
"Hey..." he sniffles, sitting down beside me. He pulls me into a tight hug, and we silently cry together, our emotions too raw to speak. We cry until we physically can't anymore, until every ounce of grief has drained from us.
"I made this..." John B says, holding out a small boat made of driftwood. In the middle of the boat is a photo of our father, with a candle propped up inside. "Do you want to do it?" he asks, handing me his lighter. I nod, taking the boat and placing a gentle kiss on our father's picture before lighting the candle.
"I miss you," John B sobs, and I say the words with him. "Goodbye, Dad." We watch the boat drift away into the water, leaning into each other as we silently mourn. I stroke my brother's hair, trying to offer some comfort as we both cry.
We never got to say goodbye to our dad. No farewell words, just... gone. But now, at least we have closure.
The next day, John B and I wake up on the dock. He's up in a flash, panic written all over his face. "Shit! We need to go!" he says, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the van. He starts the engine, and we drive all the way to the Crain house. John B jumps out the moment we arrive.
"Stay here. I'll be back in a minute," he says. I nod, trying to calm my nerves as I wait in the van.
After a few minutes, he runs back to the van and slams his hand on the bonnet in frustration. He hops into the van and slams the door shut.
"Fuck!" he screams, his hands gripping the steering wheel.
"What? What's wrong?" I ask, my heart racing.
"Ward took the gold," John B says through gritted teeth, and my heart drops. "He took everything," he mutters, his face twisted in rage and helplessness.
"What? No!" I gasp, the tears already falling. "He can't do this! He can't just take everything from us!" I shout, the frustration and anger bubbling to the surface.
John B pulls me into a tight hug, stroking my hair to try and calm me, but it doesn't help. How could I calm down? Ward took everything from us—our father, our gold, everything. I'm filled with rage, and I want nothing more than to see Ward suffer. He can't get away with this. To Be Continued...
