PARADISE ON EARTH | jj maybank (DISCONTINUED)

1.05

THE FIVE WERE ALL sitting around, doing their own things just hanging out like they always did. Kie was playing the bongos, Pope was reading, JJ was throwing whatever around, and Laura was sitting on a chair, her knees pulled up to her chest while she picked at her nails. She always did that when she was anxious.

"Look, I'm callin' it off. All right?" John B said, causing everybody to look up at him, except his twin sister. "Peterkin said if we stay out of the marsh she'll help us with DCS."

"And you believed her?" JJ asked, confused.

"Yes, I believed her, JJ. So did LB." He replied, with a tone of obviousness in his voice.

"An actual cop, John B. You believed a cop." JJ replied, throwing something right after.

"All we gotta do is stay out of the marsh for a couple of days, and she'll help me out." John B starts, then throws the stick he was holding. "It doesn't help that your ass was the one shooting a gun."

"You know what I should've done? Let Topper drown your ass." JJ said, which caused Laura to snap her head up, and give him a disgusted look.

"Topper was gonna drown me?" He said, as if what he was saying was bullshit.

"Sure looked like it." JJ continued. "Have you looked in a mirror? They always win, don't they, man?" JJ continued while walking over to John B. "Kooks vs. Pogue's. They always, always win!" He finished hitting the post of the shed.

"Look! It's okay!" Kie butted in, trying to get the heated argument to stop.

"No, it's not okay! It is not! They don't want us to go down into the marsh. That means there's something valuable down there, and you know it, man. I know you do." He turned his attention towards Pope. "And I understand why you don't wanna go."

"You're the golden boy. And you got way too much to risk. And you--" JJ turned his attention towards Kiara. "I mean, you're already rich as fuck anyways. Why would you bother?"

"But you, me, and LB man. We got nothing to lose! We really don't, alright?" Laura lowered her head back down towards her hands. "And I know it didn't used to be that way for you."

"I don't wanna talk about it. I don't wanna talk about it." John B said, cutting into JJ's statement, standing up and walking past him. "Just get out of my way, bro!"

Laura watched her brother walking away, wanting to go with him, but she also wanted to stay with her friends. "John B, listen to me. I have a plan." JJ started.

"You got the key to Cameron's big boat, right?" He started, walking over to John B. "There's scuba gear inside of it. We just borrow that, and then we go down to the wreck this afternoon, and that is what's gonna save you, man."

"You don't see rich kids getting put into foster care, do you?"

They should've learned a long time ago to not listen to JJ, but because of how close the three friends were, obviously they were going to. He's full of bad ideas, like stealing from John B's rich boss. Laura thought this was a terrible idea, but they needed what they could get. But JJ was right, they had nothing to lose.

Their dad said that the island was America on steroids. Laura had no idea what he meant. The haves and have-nots like anyplace, but magnified and multiplied. The way she sees it, the game is rigged. Maybe it always has been, she thought. No parents, no money, and no one looking out for them, they had no chance.

Unless they make it on their own.

"These tanks are empty, John B. Oh- Except this one- Wait. It's a quarter full. And this one. That's enough for two of us." Laura said, sighing.