JJ and a Routledge

Fights. Lots of them.

"Aww, our babies are having their first real fight. Marriage is tough." JJ and I were sitting on the back porch watching John B and Sarah have an argument on the hammock. I joked about it, but I hope it wasn't too serious. 

"Hmm." JJ just barely hums a response making me look over at him. I follow his gaze to the surf shake, where Kie and Pope were looking... intimate. As I was about to say something he storms off.  He walks outside to ask the rest of the gang to shot gun with him and then gets a call on his phone. I just lean against the side of the house, watching everyone. 

I eventually zoned out but not for long, JJ literally jumped over chairs and ran to the surf shake. "Pope! Pope! Just got a call from Guffy. Something happened to you pops." JJ takes off for the Twinkie and I immediately stand up straight. Pope and Kie run out after him. 

"John B, Sarah Cor! Come on let's go!" I barely even thought of the nickname. I just wanted to make sure Heyward was okay. That Pope would be okay. The ride was quiet, JJ said that's all the information he had on what happened and Pope was freaking out, I couldn't tell if he was mad or scared. 

We got there and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, which was good. Sarah and I bandaged him up and made sure no cuts had an infection. "Let me know if this is hurting you," I mumble to Heyward as I place the last bandaid on his forehead. 

"You both are doing just fine." Heyward still grimaces after the Bandaid was fully on but didn't say a word. "Thank you, darlings." I give him a small pat on the shoulder before walking a little farther away, toward the rest of the gang. 

Pope then rushes up to his dad, we all agreed that we would make sure Heyward was okay before questioning the fuck out of him, so now, Pope was exploding with questions. "Pop, what happened?" 

"Oh, I should've known better. He came in just as I was about to lock up. Caught me by surprise. Once he had me down, he put his knee on my chest, and he asked me about that... that... that key from that.... that drawing you showed me. And in case your wondering, I ain't tell him nothing. " We all tensed at the mention of the key. I was snuggled up next to Sarah, due to the breeze and my crop top and short denim shorts. JJ was standing right next to us and Kie was on the other side of Sarah. John B was keeping his distance from her, for obvious reasons. "Now... did you track it down?" Heyward asks. Suddenly JJ throws me his hoodie, and nods his head. I smiled in response and tug it on. 

Pope nods, very lightly, and digs into his back pocket he pulls out the small gold key, holding it out towards his dad. Heyward slowly grabs it out of Pope's hands and looks at it in shock. "I found it in Mee-maw's old apartment above the pharmacy, just like you said," Pope exclaims. He sits down next to Heyward now, who is still in disbelief. 

"Shit, boy. You should've given this to me. I wouldn't have to have taken a beating. What's the big deal? It ain't worth anything, why they want it?" Pope looks a little guilty about not giving the key to his dad but the moment quickly passed. 

"I don't know," Pope mutters. "First, I got this letter telling me that I need to go to Charleston. And then I meet this rich lady who wants me to give her a key that I didn't even know was in my family."

Kiara shakes her head, "None of this makes any sense." I just realized JJ had moved back towards John B, in the corner. He was staring at Kiara a certain way, and I couldn't place what it meant but it didn't make me feel good inside. But, he gave me his hoodie, so we were good right? 

"Well, don't y'all just sit here whining about it!" Heyward turns toward us girls. "Figure it out!" He reprimands. 

"No." Pope argues back, "I'm just gonna give the key to that lady. It's not worth-" Heyward puts a hand in his son's face and shakes his head. 

"No, no, no. Did I raise you to back down from a fight boy?" I smile at that, Heyward is such a good father figure, for all of us, really. Pope just shakes his head. 

"No, sir." 

"Well, alright." Heyward nods, and his voice got soft. "Now, I... I didn't think about it before. I admit that. But now... Now?" Heyward points at the bandage I placed on his head, which crumpled when he raised his eyebrows. "I'm interested." He says this barely above a  whisper and looks back over at Sarah, Kie, and me again. "Well, did they say why they wanted it?" Heyward turns his attention back to his son. 

"Something about... an old cross." Pope had to think about it for a second. "I think it might be some kind of lost treasure." 

Realization flashes across Heyward's face. "You know who you should talk to?" He holds the key back out to Pope. "Your great grandmother, Mee-maw."