JONES → JJ MAYBANK [hiatus]

020. i wasn't macking her

𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞 𝗔𝗧 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝗕'𝗦 she had changed into a pair of spandex shorts left behind from Kie and a blue t-shirt JJ had been a little too excited to offer. Maybe it was the heat of the moment, but Mackenzie hadn't exactly let her future set in. 

She know for certain that her father wasn't lying about kicking her out, she was just grateful that John B had offered her his couch in the meanwhile. Mackenzie knew that in the near future, John B's own problems would catch up and result in her being homeless. She'd cross that bridge when it happened, but she would never crawl back to her parents.

"Hey, guys, so like, my dads already gonna kill me. So what's this mandatory meeting about?" Pope questioned as JJ poked the fire everyone was sitting around. 

John B fired finger guns at JJ, allowing him to explain. "Might as well tell him, man, before we're gaffed." 

"You ready for this?" John B questioned looking at Pope and Kie. JJ had very briefly explained what was happening to Mackenzie on the way over. 

"Yeah." Kie said impatiently. 

Mackenzie nodded, ready to hear more about the history John B and JJ were about to unload. She nuzzled her body more into JJ to get his warmth as he tugged a blanket around her shoulders.

"So, the gold never went down the with Royal Merchant." John B stated, he paused and waited for their reactions.

"Oh my God. Here we go again with this." Pope let out a frustrated sigh. He was sick of hearing about the Royal Merchant. 

"No. Alright, wait. Hear him out, alright?" JJ looked over to Pope.

"It's been here the whole time." John B said. He took a brief pause. "It's on the island."

"Are you serious?" Kie questioned in belief. She was torn about allowing the conversation to continue, interested in hearing about it but not wanting to allow her friend to continue down a path that only lead to frustration and disappointment.

"I'd like to voice my skepticism," Pope said pointing to John B.

"I'm sure you would Pope, but can I please present you with my evidence, sir?" John B stood up with a smile.

"Proceed," Pope said dismissively. 

"Alright, so, in my backpack, I have a letter from Denmark Tanny." John B said holding up the letter.

"Who the hell's that?" Kie questioned looking up to John B. 

"Denmark Tanny was a slave that "survived the Royal Merchant wreck. Check this out." John B unfolded the letter.

"What?"

"Here you go." John B handed the letter to Kie. "Okay. Slaves weren't mentioned as crew members on the ship, but my dad found the complete manifest. That was his big discovery." He paused. "So, Tanny used the gold from the Merchant to buy his freedom."

Kie handed JJ, who already read it, and handed it off to Pope. He was to focus on the way the girl sat between his legs and played with the rings on his fingers to realize she hadn't gotten a good chance to re-read it.

"After that, he bought his farm. Drumroll please, because that farm is..." The four of them began to slap their knees with excited smiles on their faces. "Tannehill Plantation."

"Tannyhill?" Kie questioned.

"Yeah, so, after that, he used his money to free even more slaves, and then he sold a shit ton of rice, which pissed off all the white planters, and then, they decided to lynch him." Nobody said a word, so John B continued. "So on the day they were coming to get him, he writes a letter to his son as a farewell, and in the last time of that letter, he "leaves a coded message about where to find the gold."