Sink or Swim || Outer Banks || JJ Maybank

Chapter 19

"Hey," John B stepped out onto the porch with a beer in his hand as he glanced at the yard before leaning against one of the support beams.

Madison nodded in greeting, "Hey."

The two enjoyed the silence that the morning brought with it. Sarah had gone home that night and JJ was still asleep in Madison's bed. It was the first time in a while it was just the siblings. Just as the youngest Routledge was about to ask what he had planned for the day he spoke up.

"That because of what Peyton said?" He asked, pointing to the very visible hickey on the side of her neck that she didn't bother to hide, at least at home. "I don't get why you two feel like you have to mark each other."

Madison rolled her eyes, "We don't mark each other we just have really good se-"

"Stop! Jesus Christ," John B immediately cut her off, his hand out in her direction for emphasis, as he shook his head trying to erase that image from his mind. "But really, is that because of what happened yesterday on the boat?"

Hope he doesn't leave you like your dad did.

He watched as her face fell and she started to pick at her frayed shorts. "How do you know about that?"

"Sarah and Kie." He at least had the decency to look guilty but he knew that anything having to do with their dad was a trigger for her and she had just started acting like herself again so he couldn't help but worry.

"Great to know that what is said during girls day stays between us," she muttered under her breath, making a mental note to confront the two teens later in the day because they were out of line repeating anything that was said yesterday.

John B pushed off the beam and took a seat next to her, trying to catch her line of sight as she kept her head down. "You okay?"

"Kind of getting tired of people asking me if I'm okay all the time," she gave him half of a laugh.

"Wasn't really an answer."

She took the beer from his hand and took the last sip out of it. "I don't know what you want me to say, JB."

In a perfect world, he wanted her to come to him with all her problems so he could fix them and be the big brother he was supposed to be but she was so damn set on figuring shit out on her own that it drove him insane. It was like the second she became old enough to help with their dad's research she didn't need him anymore.

"I want you to be honest with me, whatever it is, even if it's something you think I don't want to hear. I feel like you don't talk to me anymore," he answered truthfully.

He was right, she didn't really talk to him as of late, not like she used to, but it was before all this stuff with their dad. It was almost like it brought out their true colors and just as they handled his disappearance they handled his death just as differently. "I'm just tired of fighting."

"Yeah, well, we've always done that," he nudged her arm with his elbow, a small smile playing on his lips. It wasn't the conversation he wanted to have but they were talking so he was going to take what he could get. He wanted her to feel better not get pulled further into her intrusive thoughts. "Remember that time you cut holes in all of my shirts?"

Madison smirked, her eyes lighting up for the first time since he came out onto the porch. "You told me I was adopted."

"And what did you tell me?" He urged her to continue, reminiscing about the past when they were younger and would tease each other endlessly.

"That you were a mistake."

"Still a little hurt about that," he held his hand to his chest as if in pain. "Seriously though Mads I worry about you."