𝐂𝐑𝐔𝐄𝐋 𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐑! [𝐉𝐉 𝐌𝐀𝐘𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐊]

chapter nine.

CRUEL SUMMER!
chapter nine.

( some nights you dance with tears in your eyes. )

                        After the ambulance left with John B last night, there wasn't much else that we could do. Sarah went with him to the hospital and Pope took Kiara home in the van. And, as I had assumed, that left JJ with me.

He claimed otherwise, but I could tell that he was utterly exhausted. It's understandable, all things considered, but he still tried to argue. Regardless, I was proved right the moment that he stepped into my room; he kicked off his shoes and tore off his shirt before slumping onto bed, almost immediately passing out.

He lays beside me now, his hair tousled and mussed as he takes up the left side of the bed entirely. My hand absentmindedly cards through the unkempt locks, doing him a favor as I comb through it and gets the tangled knots to come undone. He doesn't show any sign of waking. If anything, he only seems to be further lulled from my fingers in his hair, snoring softly and nuzzling against my touch every so often. It feels sort of nice, waking up to this again.

Sarah has been bombarding my phone with text messages since six in the morning. She's kept me updated on John B, who miraculously has only sustained minor injuries. It's astounding, especially if you consider the intrepid height of the fall that he took. They'll be keeping him another night for observation, to be safe.

The most interesting detail, however, was Sarah revealing that Ward has offered to be John B's guardian for the time being, in order to keep child protective services from taking him into custody. Though it's an indisputably good deed on Ward's behalf, I can't help but find it so inexplicably strange, for that reason in particular. It isn't very much like Ward Cameron, king of the Kooks, to do things solely out of the goodness of his heart—

God. I sound like JJ.

The realization makes me gaze down at his sleeping figure. His cheek is smushed against his pillow, hugging it tight to his chest. His blonde eyelashes almost shimmer beneath the sunlight that pierces through the window. His lips are pouted slightly as his quiet snores puff past them. The scab on his bottom lip looks almost completely scarred now, a deep shade of red with hints of purple bruising surrounding it. Though it's gotten smaller, I know it must still hurt, much like the rest of his injuries. But I imagine the one on his lip must be especially sensitive.

Beneath my touch, he stirs momentarily. My hand calmly pulls away, despite the distant uncertainty that registers way in the back of my mind. I look away from him, glancing towards the black jacket that hangs on the back of the chair at my desk. While I'm not sure if JJ plans to spend his time here today, my personal agenda remains the same. I'm finding where the gold is hidden.

And while I do believe that staying another night at the hospital is what's in John B's best interest - I simply cannot wait another second to solve this godforsaken treasure hunt.

JJ begins to wake as I get up from the bed, ambling over to my desk. I take the map out from the pocket of my jacket before sitting down to unfold it.

By finding the location today and getting that out of the way, we'll be able to go scope it out closely tomorrow. I've already wasted enough time as it is, considering that we've somehow slept well into the afternoon. And if JJ decides to spend his day here after all, which sincerely, I highly doubt he won't, I assume his presence will only make it all that more strenuous to focus.

Because the coast has shifted since this map was documented, the best way to start would be to look for any distinctive landmarks that haven't changed since then. Immediately, the historic old forts amongst the island come to mind. They've been around for centuries, and most are still around in present day.