JJ and a Routledge

Fainting

I wake up crying, I look up to see JJ looking down at me, stroking my face. I just sob into his stomach. "Hey, hey, hey. You're okay, you are okay." He soothes me. I look around to see Kiara and Pope staring. "You wanna talk about it?" He asks me. 

"No-- later," I mutter. "Where are we?" 

"Police station, John B decided to come here." JJ rolls his eyes. 

"Wait, we found him?" 

"It's a long story, I'll catch you up later," he tells me, and I just nod. Suddenly, we hear John B. 

"Kie! Start the car!" He screams. 

There was a bunch of screaming, and based on my lightheadedness while it was happening, showed me that Pope's rage is what made me faint in the first place. I dig myself deeper into JJ's shirt. Suddenly everyone goes quiet. All I hear is JJ's breathing. 

We slept in Kiara's car that night. It seemed the only time I didn't have a nightmare about my mom, was when JJ was holding me in his arms. The group must know something was happening between us by now, we just had to wait for them to bring it up. 

I wake up to JJ, rubbing my back. We were parked somewhere, by the ferry. John B's seat was fully reclined and Pope was about to hand JJ a paper. I sit up a little bit, basically in JJ's lap to get a glimpse. 

"Well... John B, uh...  this is a good framer of you." JJ sighs. 

"Okay, so... the whole island's looking for John B right now," Pope states the obvious. 

"That's a lot of money." I gesture to the price typed out on the paper. 

"Congratulations, John B. You're famous," JJ adds. 

"Okay, guys we gotta get to the HMS," Kie tells us. "We need small, no running lights---" 

"It's at the Chatuae, Kie." John B tells her.

"And, I wonder if the cops got the entire place staked out." I scoff. 

"Let me think." JJ scratches his head. "Oh, yeah, no. They definitely have that place locked down." 

"Yeah, copy that." I almost giggle. 

"Let me think, just give me a second." Pope closes his eyes. "JJ."

"What?" 

"Does your dad still have that boat?" He turns around to face us. "The cigarette boat, the Phantom.  The one he used to race." 

"Maybe." I couldn't tell if JJ-for once- was thinking that something was a bad idea, or he really didn't know. 

"You could get right up the coast, no problem." Pope continues. 

"Okay, look-" Kiara begins. 

"It's not gonna be easy, Pope." JJ jumps in. 

"The surfs running from like three to four." Kiara continues. 

"Pope, I don't know where the keys are." JJ tries to speak over her. JJ didn't want to go back home. 

"Well, find them," Pope demands. 

"I'm thinking." He grunts. Suddenly bored, or still feeling faint, I couldn't tell, I fell back asleep. 

I woke back up, no nightmare this time, I look up at JJ, whose smoking, and no one else is in the car. "Hey there." He smirks. I quickly get off of him backing away. "What's wrong?" 

"I just don't like smoking, that's all." I sigh, I hope he doesn't connect that I don't like the smell, because of my mom. I don't want him to stop doing things he enjoys because of me. It's not like he goes too crazy when he's high or drunk. 

"I'll stop, so you can come back over here." He chuckles, smushing it and then throwing it out the window. I quickly scurry closer to him. "Now, tell me why you were crying when you fainted earlier." 

"I was thinking about another memory with my mom, that's all," I mutter. "I asked her why I didn't have a dad, and she told me a little bit about JB and his dad as if Big John was my dad. She said she would always love me." I shake my head, holding in the tears. "Now. Tell me about what's gone on today." 

So JJ fills me in, and he also tells me what Kiara and Pope are doing. "JJ?" 

"What?" 

"What are we gonna do when the group asks us about what's going on? They obviously know by now." 

He shrugs, "We tell them the truth." 

"And- And what is the truth?" He knew what I wanted to happen, I could tell. I knew what I wanted, he knew what I wanted, and I bet he wanted it too. 

"The truth- the truth is that-" Our faces get closer. 

"Hmm?" I giggle. He leans in even more, our lips almost touching. 

"I really, really want to kiss you right now, but I'd rather do it when I'm not high. So I can remember every little detail." His words made me squirm.  "On a more serious note, we need to figure out why you're fainting." 

"It's noise. Every time there's too much noise it's happened." I tell him. "But only today." 

"We should get you checked out, Coral." I shake my head at him. 

"With what money?" 

"Good point." He sighs. "I just- I want to help you like how you helped me the other night." 

"JJ, I don't need anything in return for that." 

"Yes- Yes-- Yes you do. I want to- I need to help you, I need to do something." I notice the tears in his eyes. "I've never had someone care for me as much as you do." He sobs out. 

"Jay-" I pull him in for a hug, JJ finding the same place in my neck as the other night. 

We slept at the Wreck that night. JJ and I were the first up. "He's pinched for sure," JJ tells me as we hear sirens.

"No," I shake my head, "They wouldn't be patrolling if they caught him." 

"Let's hope." 

Suddenly, Kiara wakes up. "You know, we were in that car. They're probably looking for us too. Especially Coral." 

"Well, if we're gonna be outlaws, we might as well help John B." Pope shrugs. 

"So, find him before they do?" JJ suggests. Pope grabs the motorcycle keys and heads toward the door. "Pope?" 

"I'm gonna get gas for the boat." He mutters. 

"Hey, you be careful," Kiara tells him. He stops in his tracks. "Okay?" 

Pope just looks over at me and JJ. "Meet me at the dock at 3. Don't be late." We give each other confused looks and Kiara storms out after Pope. JJ and I slowly followed, not knowing what was going on at all. I could tell by the way Pope was acting that she did something to him. 

Once he's gone, we notice a helicopter flying over us. "Now who the hell is that?" I mutter as we all watch it.