𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐲

eighty-three: Provisions.

    

     THE WALK to Kiara's is quiet, JJ and Kai are side by side as Kiara was walking on the other side of Kai. "You're being awfully quiet..." JJ says and Kai glanced at him. "Me? Oh... I-I'm just thinking..." He looked down.

"Thinking about what?" Kie asked suddenly, glancing over at the boy who just shrugs, grabbing onto the straps of his backpack. "Just... what we'll do when we find the cross. I'm also really happy for Pope... finding out all of these new things about his family history, you know?" He said and Kie smiles, grabbing his arm and pulling him close. "Yeah..." She said and when they got closer to her place.

When they near Kiara's place, they made sure to be sneaky to not be seen. "He's not in there. We're good." JJ whispers when he checks the truck as Kai goes to the gate, opening it up for Kiara. "Are you sure about this?" He whispers with his hand to her wrist and she just sighs. "No... not really, but I have to do it anyway." She says and Kai stops her again.

"It'll be fine..." He says but it sounds more like he's trying to convince himself than her. She just nodded and headed on in. JJ and Kai simply wait for Kie, standing there crouched by the fence gate. "I hope she's doing okay..." Kai whispers and JJ just reached over, grabbing Kai's hand. When Kie gets back, Kai opens the gate and she tossed the keys to him.

Kai hands them to JJ before he goes around to the passenger seat and Kie got into the backseat. They drive off and head straight to the Chateau. "This'll only take a sec. I think it's in the surf shack." JJ tells the two and Kai moves to the driver's seat as JJ hopped out. "Be right back." He rushed off, jumping and literally tripping over nothing. Kai giggled softly.

"He is such a dork." Kie laughed as she switched to the passenger seat, looking at Kai who's watching his boyfriend scramble up to his feet and shout he's okay to them. "He really is..." Kai sighed and looked at Kie. "Makes me wonder how a dork swept me off my feet." He says and Kiara just slowly grins widely.

"Because you two seem meant to be... Whenever there's trouble, JJ is always right by your side, making sure you're safe and protected. Even when you guys just got into a fight or argument or whatever... I think you guys can get through anything. And I mean anything, Kai." She chuckled softly and he smiles, glancing down. "I'm scared sometimes that... he'll fall apart, or I will. Like it's only a matter of time, or something." He shrugs slightly.

"Well, even if that happens, you guys got each other, right?" She says, reaching over and patting his shoulder. He just smiles, looking over at her. "Yeah..." He said and then looked over to the surf shack with furrowed brows.

"Where is he?" He whispered and Kie reached to honk the horn a couple of times. "JJ!" She shouts and Kai looks out the window. "JJ! Hurry it up!" He shouted and then JJ appeared in sight, with his dad. "What the fuck? No. JJ, what is he doing?" Kai says right away but JJ just ignores him, putting the stuff into the back of the truck as Luke got into the backseat.

JJ goes to Kai's open window, "listen, guys. I need to get into the marina at the Island Club. There's a boat there that he can take. She got the sticker on the truck. Twenty minutes, that's all I need." He says and Kai sighs, immediately looking over at Kiara.

"The Twinkie's sinking. It's gonna be a submarine in 20 minutes!" Kie exclaimed at him and JJ looks at her. "I know, Kie." He says and Kai looks at his boyfriend. "Leave him and we can come back!" He says and JJ hits the truck. "The cops are after him! If I do this now, maybe I'll never have to do it again..." He says and Kai looks ahead of himself, sighing.

"Just get in, J... I don't wanna argue." He whispered and JJ did so, hopping into the backseat with his father. "You've gotta be kidding me..." Kie whispered, scoffing as Kai then drove off. While driving, Kai kept glancing back at JJ and Luke in the backseat.

"Hey, pill up to Home Food here. I'm gonna need provisions." The older Maybank says and Kai bites back the remark of wondering why he should listen to Luke Maybank. "Just do it, Kai..." JJ said and Kai just rolled his eyes, doing as told. He parked the car. "Crackers and baked beans and tuna, alright? And some salt and pepper." Luke tells JJ who hopped out. "I'm going with him..." Kie got out as well.

"Five day's worth."

"I know."

Kai just stared straight ahead, acting as if Luke Maybank didn't even exist. But then the man began tapping his knuckles everywhere and Kai looked back at him right away. "You're really annoying..." He says and Luke looks at him. "Yeah?" He says and Kai nods before looking ahead again, sighing loudly.

"I've never met anyone before that I wanted to punch as bad as I wanna punch you, Mr. Maybank..." He says and Luke laughs, patting his chair. "Come on... no way to talk to your boyfriend's father. You are still together, right?" He says and Kai just rolls his eyes. "Why does that matter to you? You're a terrible father anyway..." He tells the man.

"And JJ deserves better. He's so kind-hearted, he cares so much. Even enough to help scum like you..." He crossed his arms and Luke scoffs. "He's a thief, is what he is." He says and Kai just gets even more furious. "He didn't exactly have the best role model, did he?" The dark haired boy retorts back to the man.

"You're so lucky you're just a kid."

"Yeah, but it was fine when it was to JJ?" Kai immediately looked back at the man and glared at him. "The one thing I don't understand about all of this is... how he can help you. After all you've fucking done." He said angrily and Luke just glared at the teenage boy.

Kie suddenly gets into the passenger seat as JJ hands the beer to his dad, putting the other stuff into the far back before getting into the back with him. "Finally..." Kai whispered and JJ looked at his boyfriend with a worried look.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" But his tone sounds bitter and he looks annoyed as he drove making Kie glance over at him, also worried considering he looked like he was just gonna burst out of rage any moment now.

AUTHORS NOTE
john b having to wrestle a gator was the wildest part of season 2 in all honesty 💀