𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐲

XI. Lighthouse.

IN THE van, John B spoke up, "I mean, it's obvious, right?" He looked to Kie then back at the road. "A family heirloom. What better place to hide a message?" He explains as JJ looked over at Jake who just glanced around, shrugging. "He had to know it was gonna get back to me, right?" John B looks at Kie again.

"Yeah. It's possible."

"It could also be possible that you're concocting wild theories to help, you know," he paused, "Pope?" John B says but Pope carries on, "deal with your sad feels." He finishes and Jake looks at him right away as Kie also sends him a look. "Bro, you know how I process my sad feels. Dank nugs and the stickiest of ickies, that's how I do it." JJ says as John B spoke up, "I'm not concocting, okay? My dad's trying to give me a message." He looks around.

"If it helps you believe, JB." Jake says and John B glanced at him through the rear view mirror. "Look, I-I don't need a therapy session, okay? Look, I'm not trippin' out." He looks back at the road and Jake slowly nods, glancing down. "It's okay to trip, bro, but--" "Look, my--my dad is missing, okay?" John B turns to look at them before turning back around.

"Missing."

JJ glanced at Pope then Jake who just pursed his lips, looking at John B. "You don't know what it's like to have the person closest to you vanish and then have no idea what happened." He said and Jake took a deep breath in, looking away. "Just wake up every morning wondering." He added and Jake glanced up.

"It's been almost a year." Kie says and John B just glanced at her. "Hey, he could have been kidnapped. That's definitely a possibility." JJ says, looking at Pope. "Yeah, could be in a Soviet sub getting interrogated by the KGB somewhere." The boy says.

"Totally... or like, Atlantis." Jake says, shrugging. "Jake." Kie looks at him, before looking at John B. "Look, what do you think the message is?" He asked as the driver stares straight ahead. "Redfield." He said right when they pass the sign. "Redfield Lighthouse. That's my dad's favourite place." He says as the sign said it was closed due to the hurricane.

When the van was parked, the five teens jumped out as Jake looks at John B. "This better be it. I'm missing work for this." He says and the boy nods. "It is..." He says as they all stand together before the lighthouse. "Right. Here's what's gonna happen, you're gonna post up and look out for bogeys, okay?" John B tells JJ who glanced at the others.

"Wait... why me?" He asked, gesturing to himself. "Because you're not coming." Pope tells him. "Why?" JJ says, loudly and sounding offended. "Look, JJ, there are independent and there are dependent variables. And you're an independent variable. We don't know what you'll do." He says and Jake just sighed as they yell at one another. "Oh, my God! I'll stand on look out with you." Jake grabs his shoulder.

"Okay, good..." John B nods, glancing around at them. "If we get split up, we meet back at JJ's house." He says and Pope nods. "I'll stay with them, I have a merit scholarship essay to work on." He says as he pointed to the van. "Great..." Kie says before she walks over to the fence, jumping over with John B.

It's quiet amongst the three boys for a while until JJ nudged Jake. "Hey, how's Evie doing?" He asked as he kicks a hacky sack back and forth. "Uh, she's good... yeah, good." Jake nods as he sighs, leaning against a tree nearby. "That's nice... got any adorable photos of her recently?" He asked and Jake grabs his phone. "Hm, look at her trying a lemon. My mom sent it to me while watching her." He says, chuckling as he shows the boy the photo.

"She's adorable," JJ laughed when she saw the scrunched up face on Evie's face. "I don't know... I'm scared I'll be a screw up like my dad." He says, staring down at his phone. "Nah. You're a good guy unlike that dude." He says and Jake chuckles, rolling his eyes.

"Still... I worry at times."

As Pope and JJ were tossing the hacky sack back and forth to one another, sirens blare in the distance. "Oh, shit!" Pope says as they run towards the van, hopping in. JJ got into the driver's side with Pope in the passenger seat as Jake jumps into the back before they drove off right when Kie and John B came out.

"I knew it was just a wild goose chase... I shouldn't have missed work." Jake sighs, leaning back as he looks out the window. "Just drive me home, dude." He looks over at JJ who nods. "Yeah, okay... Sorry I dragged you out, it's just, you know, John B..." He said and Jake just nods, glancing away. "No, I know."

At his house, Jake took a long shower then went to the livingroom where his mom was folding laundry. "Are you sure it was fine for you to take care of her all day?" He asked as he picked up Evie who hugs him right away. "Of course, always," his mom nodded.

"Thanks... I can go put her down for her nap." He says and she smiles as he walks over to the kitchen, making her a bottle quickly before heading to his room where he laid down Evie and gave her a bottle. He sighed before laying down onto the bed next to her crib, grabbing his phone which he then uses to play some games on, laying onto his side.

During Evie's nap, he ended up somehow falling asleep too. "Jake!" Someone's shaking him and he opened his eyes to see Olivia. "Liv." He whispered and she smiled widely before leaning down, touching his face gently. "Jake..." She whispered to him in a delicate voice then she began smiling all weirdly.

"I-I miss you." He whispered, sitting up and she giggled quietly. "I know, silly... that's why I'm back." She's caressing his cheek and he held her waist so gently, pulling her closer. "Why did you leave?" He whispered and she looked up at him, the weird grin is back.

"Because I never loved you."

 

 

  

  

  

 

  

   

  

  

  

  

 

 

  

A.N.
john b: you don't know what it's like
jake: [war flashbacks of liv leaving him]