the 1

and i'm still a believer (but i don't know why)

(after this chapter it will get much more jiara centric I promise!!)

JJ: yo, i'm coming around to each of your docks at 11, you guys better be there

Pope was the first to reply

Pope: Come at 11:30, pops has got me on shift until 11

 Kie stared at the messages, she honestly didn't want to face either of them, she had kissed pope and then almost kissed JJ in the span of 2 days, but she needed them, they all needed each other,

 Kie: I'll be waiting

JJ smiled at his phone.

Popes dock was the first stop, he hopped on to the boat patting JJ's back "Hey man how you doin" he sat down, this is what they needed, normality, "Yeah alright, how about you" he looked at where Pope what sitting, "Haven't left the house until right now" JJ nodded and looked back up, "Hey uh, have you talked to kie" that got JJ's attention, "Uh, yeah... yeah I have, have you?" he shook his head, "Nah" JJ nodded, "So, how are you feeling about the whole kie thing, you think your playing in the same field?" JJ knew she wasn't, he just needed to know if he thought she was, for scientific purposes, Pope got up to go check if the life jackets where in the boat compartment as he said "Try not even in the same ballpark" Oh? "I mean, I like her, but I'm pretty sure if we kissed and she liked me then she wouldn't be ignoring me" JJ nodded again, "Oh, ok," "Hey uh, want a beer?" "JJ it's 11:30 in the morning" He gave him a funny look, "And how is that weird for me Pope, you've been friends with me for too long to know beer time , is all the time" Pope chuckled.

JJ let out a whistle once they saw Kiara waiting for them at the end of her dock, it was abnormally hot day, even for the obx,  "Hey boys" she said taking Popes hand to step onto the boat, "What's going on" Pope said, she sighed, "Uh, not much" she let out a half hearted smile to him, JJ was watching the whole time, he hated this, he hated it without John B and Sarah, "Hey guys" Kie and Pope looked back at him, "How's a day just chilling at the chateau sound?".

During the day they spent at the chateau, they made a memorial for John B, Kie found a box he used to keep all of his bracelets in, got some photos and one of his bandannas, not his dads, he was wearing that when he went out on the boat, they did a toast, "To John B" JJ said, raising his flask to the writing on the tree the read ' 2003-2020, John B Routledge, P4L' In a heart shape, Kie looked up to him holding the box, she said weakly "And to Sarah" Pope and JJ drank, JJ didn't look at her once, she really needed to talk to him, but in that moment, they were mourning their best friend, when she snapped back into reality she leant down to the hole they dug and placed the box in it, covering with dirt.

Pope and JJ were sitting on the couch while Kiara was in the kitchen making sandwiches for all of them, "JJ you know we have school tomorrow right?" Kie asked from the kitchen as she licked the jam of the knife she had just used, he made a weird face "Yeah, I know, and I'm offended you only asked me that and not Pope" "Sorry" she said back in a sarcastic tone, "JJ have you studied for anything, like, at all?" Pope asked him, "What do you think Pope" he sighed " Well, I guess that's what we are doing for the rest of the afternoon" "No, no one thousand percent no" It was too late, Pope had already gotten trig books out, JJ was done for.

It was 8pm now, they were all out by the fire, soaking up the last moments of 'freedom' when they all heard a ding, each of them picked up their phones, JJ quickly put down his, he felt bad for himself, no one would be texting him to come home right now, "Alright, I gotta dip" Pope said standing up, dabbing up JJ "See you later bro" "Yeah see you" Pope looked at Kie, "See you tomorrow Kie" He started to walk away, Kiara looked at Pope and then at JJ, he gave her look almost of approval, she stood up and ran to Pope, "Hey pope" he stopped, closed his eyes and turned around, "Hey, uh" Kie started, she scratched her eyebrow "Kie, don't" she kept her eyes closed, she didn't want to face him, but she did want to get this over and done with, so she opened her eyes, "I get it, if you don't like me like that, it's fine" she let out a sigh of relief, "Pope I really just, I'm sorry I mean I don't want to hurt your feelings and i-" "Kie!" he grabbed onto the sides of shoulders to get her to stop talking, "I get it, were friends, and that's first" she nodded, "Thanks pope" she brought him in for a hug, "If we weren't Pouge's we would defiantly be fighting right now" she said out of his shoulder "Yeah" he breathed out, he wanted everything to be normal, so he let it go, JJ was looking back at them, when he saw Kie pull in him for a hug he looked back at the fire, he had no idea what was about to happen.