SERENDIPITY // JJ MAYBANK

33

"Let me know if I'm hurting you." Y/n voiced to Heyward as she cleaned the small cut on his forehead before grabbing a Band-Aid from the first aid kit. "You're doing fine. Thank you, darling." Heyward responded, letting out a small hiss when she placed the plaster on his head, patting his shoulder before leaning up against the wooden railing to the dock.

"Pop, what happened?" Pope asked, concern on everyone's faces as they waited for a response. "Oh, I should've known better. He came in just as I was about to lock up and caught me by surprise. Once he had me down,he put his knee in my chest, and he asked me about that keyfrom that drawing you showed me. Now did you track it down?" Heyward explained, eyeing Pope as he dug through his pockets.

"I found it in Mee-maw's old apartmentabove the pharmacy just like you said." Pope spoke, sitting down next to his father. "Shit, boy, you should've gave this to me.I wouldn't have had to take a beating. What's the big deal? It ain't worthanything. Why they want it so bad?" Heyward scolded with a huff.

"I don't know.First, I get this letter telling me that I need to go to Charleston, and then I meet a rich ladywho wants me to give her a key that I didn't even know was in my family. None of it makes any sense." Pope mumbled, running his fingers over his hair.

"Well, don't y'all just sit herewhining about it. Figure it out!" Heyward ordered Pope with a point of his finger.

"No. I'm just gonna give the keyto that lady. It's not worth-"

"No, no, no. Did I raise youto back down from a fight, boy? Now, I didn't think about it before.I admit that. But now? Now? I'm interested." Heyward cut Pope off with a smirk, pointing at his head and the blood on his shirt. "Well, did they say why they wanted it?"

"Something about an old cross. I think it might besome kind of lost treasure." Pope told his father before Heyward looked at him, a glimmer in his eye. 

"You know who you should talk to? Your great-grandmother, Mee-maw." Heyward smiled softly at Pope, who furrowed his brows lightly before nodding. They stayed with Heyward for a little longer before they left, driving towards the nursing home to see Pope's great-grandmother, JJ fiddling with the key in his hands as he held it up, eyeing it.

Well, according to the interwebs,it was a gift from New Spain to the Spanish king." Kie read out from her phone, JJ squinting and turning his head to look at y/n who was sat behind him. "New Spain? Is there an old Spain?" He asked her, y/n shrugging in response. 

"Shit, talk about over-gifting.Look at that thing. Looks like a person standing next to it." Kie added, passing her phone around to show everyone the drawing of a man standing next to a cross. "It was widely considered at the timeto be the most extravagant tribute ever from the provinces. It was lostoff the coast of Bermuda in 1829." Kie continued to read out.

"Did you just say Bermuda?" JJ questioned as John B huffed. "Oh no, not the triangle." John B added. "It always leads backto the triangle, dude. Like every single time something's weird, it's Bermuda." JJ chuckled, nudging John B's arm as they arrived at the nursing home, JJ hopping out of the van and opening the sliding door of the back of the van, helping y/n hop out before Pope jumped out, Kie following.

"Hey, actually, I thinkI'm gonna do this one by myself." Pope cleared his throat, glaring at Kie, JJ and y/n glancing at each other in confusion. "Are you sure?" Kie asked him, her brows furrowed. "Yeah, I can handle it.I don't really need you, so..." Pope shot at Kie who rolled her eyes in response, stepping back into the van.

"Oh, we're just allone big happy family today, aren't we?" JJ sarcastically smiled as Pope walked off. "Get back in there, mama." JJ huffed, tapping her ass as she placed one foot in the van, pausing to turn her head to look at him, her brows raised at his choice of words. "Yes, Daddy." Y/n responded, fully stepping back into the van, JJ squinting at her as he closed the door before getting back into the front seat of the van, John B driving off and pulling into the parking lot of a surf store.

"You want anything?" Y/n asked JJ as she leaned over from behind him to rest her chin on his shoulder as he pouted out his bottom lip in thought. "No, thanks though." JJ chewed on the inside of his cheek before y/n followed Kie and Sarah out of the van and into the store. Y/n walked around the store before she ended up buying a slushie, along with her other two friends, walking out of the store and eyeing the surf boards. 

"Of course I thanked Topper. He saved my life,and I've put him through so much already and you'd think thatthat is the crime of the century." Sarah muttered, taking a sip of her drink as Kie let out a chuckle. "Tell me about it.All of this crazy shit's happening, and Pope's giving me the silent treatmentfor not being in love with him." Kie sighed before they both turned to look at y/n. "And you have it easy, JJ is literally wrapped around your finger." Sarah giggled as a blush swept across y/n's cheeks. "He's not!" Y/n defended, playing with the straw in her drink

Y/n turned her head to look at the van, JJ and John B talking before JJ's head turned towards her, his brows raising. "Is that a slushie?" JJ called out, sticking his head out the window as y/n nodded at him. "Well, come here before it melts!" He grinned, his hand coming out the window as he made grabbing motions, y/n dragging her feet on the ground as she slowly walked to the van purposefully to annoy JJ. 

When she reached JJ she held the drink up for him to sip on, but he grabbed the cup, y/n dropping her jaw playfully as she got into the van, taking her seat back behind JJ as Kie and Sarah also sat down as John B drove back to the nursing home, seeing Pope walk out the building.

Y/n opened the door and closed it again once Pope entered the van, sitting down, everyone eyed Pope as he stared at the floor. "Shit just got way more personal." Pope breathed out, looking up at John B.