Storm Chaser // JJ Maybank

32

JJ, Kie, Pope, and I are in the surf shack at the Chateau. JJ is waxing his board. Kie is plucking on a ukulele as she watches.

"That's a lot of wax on your board. Put too much wax, it's gonna be slippery," Pope tells JJ.

"Are you telling me how to wax my board?" JJ questions.

"No, I was just saying that's a lot of wax," Pope says.

"No, no, no you're telling me how to wax my board. You kidding?" JJ remarks.

"That's a colossal waste of wax," Pope tells him.

"Guys, really?" I ask.

I hear a car honking.

"Did you hear that?" JJ asks.

The car honks again and I hear the engine sputter. John B steps out of the still busted Twinkie.

"Are you serious?" Kie asks.

"Am I that high?" I joke.

"Hold on. Am I dreaming?" JJ remarks.

"No!" Pope shouts.

"Guess who's out of the clink, boy!" John B tells us.

"No freaking way, man!" Pope states.

I laugh as I pull John B in for a hug followed by everybody else.

Pope laughs. "Bro!"

"My boy's out of the can!" JJ says with a laugh.

"Come on!" I say.

"We missed you," Kie tells him.

"I missed you guys too," John B tells us.

"How'd you do it? You bust out?" JJ asks.

"Uh, they dropped the charges," John B tells us.

"They dropped the charges," Pope repeats.

"That's phenomenal!" Kie tells him.

"Finally something goes our way," I state.

"You're telling me I did all that work for nothing?" JJ asks.

"Oh, the most elaborate escape plan of all time?" Pope remarks.

"Foolproof," I taunt.

"Yeah, it was, actually," JJ insists.

John B looks around. "Wait, where's Sarah?" None of us say anything. "No, no, no. Where... where... where's Sarah?"

"She went to go meet Wheezie last night," Kie tells him.

"She didn't come back," I state.

We stand out on the dock. John B is worried about Sarah. I can tell.

"So, Sarah just dips and doesn't call?" John B asks.

"Yeah, man. She just left her bag. Didn't tell anybody," Pope explains.

"Okay, dude, I... I... I really think Ward got to her. I mean, the dude tried to have me killed in jail," John B tells us.

I look at him shocked. "What?"

"Yeah. He sent somebody to the prison who yoked me up and almost killed me," John B explains.

"You serious?" Kie asks.

"Yes," John B tells her.

"Do we know who this dude was?" JJ asks.

"No, I have no idea," John B states. "Dude, I just swear to God, one day I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch."