MERCEDES, jj maybank

37.

ROCK BOTTOM

"Now what? We go in there and knock on the front door? 'Hey, have you seen John B'?" JJ says. The four were sat in the HMS Pogue looking for John B and they were just outside Tannyhill.

"Look, he lives at Tannyhill now...it's plausible," Kie suggests. Trinity shakes her head to herself. "We can play dumb!"

Trinity yawns, she was exhausted after spending the whole day searching around the Island for their friend.

"Play dumb?" JJ repeats, turning away from Trinity and back to Kiara

"Or you, Trin, you can go in there—"

"No, Pope, I can't—" She says firmly.

"You dated Rafe—"

"Dated!" Trinity shouts over him, JJ's jaw clenched. He always tensed up when Rafe was mentioned, especially in the context of him dating Trinity.

"Okay - yeah that's great but back to the more important subject...I've never seen John B like that. Honestly, we should be going to the cops."

"The cops?" JJ scoffs,

"Yeah and say what Kie? John B has gone all rogue on us?" Trinity looks at her and shakes her head.

"We're worried about our friend because he's going on a rampage because Ward Cameron killed Big John?" JJ sarcastically adds.

Trinity shuffles closer to JJ, watching Pope hold a pair of binoculars against his eyes that were pointed at Sarah's house. "They're not gonna believe us, Kiara!" She says and whispers something to JJ, "I still think someone should have stayed at the Chateau in case he came back."

"Hey! I see Ward!" Pope gathers everyone's attention.

"Let me see," Kie says, quickly going to Pope's end of the boat. She takes the binoculars and stares through them in silence.

"He doesn't look dead to me," Pope says a little too cheerfully, "Let's go home."

"Wait?"

"What?"

Pope stammers, "Uh, obviously, Mr Cameron's fine and even if John B was here he isn't now, okay?"

Kie looks to Trinity and JJ, visibly furious.

"Plus, I have the biggest...most important moment of my life in six hours!"

Kie disregards it, "Yeah well our friend is in trouble!"

"I'm in trouble!"

Trinity looks to JJ who is just staring down at his shoes, she sighs and puts her hand on JJ's,

"Guys, I haven't been home in three days, my Dad's probably put all my shit on the street by now,"

"Okay, so that's it?" Kie looks like she's on the verge of tears, "In a time of need you're just gonna bail? You're just gonna walk away?"

"JJ tell her something," Trinity whispers.

JJ obeys, giving one last squeeze of her hand and gets up to talk to Kiara and Pope, "Yo guys, can we not do this right now?"

Kie looks to JJ in disbelief that he isn't more stressed out about the situation.

"Hey, I have a scholarship interview in the morning. I can't just—"

"Okay, well what about John B?" Kiara shouts.

"Kie stop—" Trinity says quietly.

"I can't just stop, he's peeling at a time where John B needs us most!" Kiara bellows.