𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 // 𝑱𝑱 𝑴𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒂𝒏𝒌 \\

Chapter Nine

The five pogues were now sitting in the twinkie. John B driving, Kiara in the passenger seat, and JJ, Valerie, and Pope in the back. "I mean, it's obvious, right? A family heirloom. What better place to hide a message?" John B started the conversation. Pope sat in the back, looking at John B's compass. "He had to know it was gonna get back to me, right?" John B continued. "Yeah. It's possible." Kiara nodded. "It could also be possible that you're concocting wild theories to help, you know, deal with your sad feels." Pope said. "Pope?" John B stared straight ahead, not wanting to deal with what Pope had to say. Kiara turned around and scolded Pope. "Bro, you know how I process my sad feels. Dank nugs and the stickiest of ickies, that's how I do it." JJ explained, yet no one paid attention to him besides, Valerie who gave him a smile.

"I'm not concocting, okay? My dad's trying to give me a message." John B's voice filled the car. "If it helps you believe, John B." Kiara looked at the boy with sympathy. "Look, I-I don't need a therapy session, okay? I'm not trippin' out."

"It's okay to trip, bro, but-"

"Look, my-- my dad is missing, okay?" John B interrupted JJ and turned around to look at the blonde. "Missing." John B repeated. JJ sniffed and sighed. Valerie decided to stay quiet. "You don't know what it's like to have the person closest to you vanish and then have no idea what happened." Everyone looked to the ground feeling sympathy for John B as he finally explained how it felt to lose his father. "Just wake up every morning wondering." John B's voice sounded hurt. "It's been almost a year." Kiara whispered. "Hey, he could have been kidnapped. That's definitely a possibility." JJ said. "Yeah, could be in a Soviet sub getting interrogated by the KGB somewhere." Pope sarcastically agreed with JJ. "Absolutely. Uh... or Atlantis." JJ continued. "JJ.' Valerie sighed as she looked at the boy signaling for him to stop. "Look, what do you think the message is?" Valerie asked John B. "Redfield. Redfield lighthouse." John B responded. Valerie looked out the window to see the sign saying it was closed due to the hurricane. John B would still find his way in somehow. "That's my dad's favorite place."

John B stopped the car in front of the lighthouse. John B and Kiara got out from the front while JJ opened the van door letting himself, Valerie, and Pope out. "Right, this is what's going to happen. You're gonna post up and look out for bogeys, okay?" John B told JJ. "Wait... why me?" JJ asked. "Because you're not coming." Pope answered. "Why?"

"Look, JJ, there are independent and dependent variables and you're an independent variable. We don't know what you'll do." Pope explained. "Shut up, shut up!" JJ pointed as Pope angrily. Valerie grabbed his wrist and put it down. "Just listen to me for a second. Just listen. Pope, Valerie, you stand look out with JJ. Okay? If we split up, we meet back at JJ's house." John B said. "Great." Kiara smiled. John B and Kiara made their way inside the lighthouse. "I'm gonna work on my merit scholarship essay, and I'm trying to keep felonies down to a minimum." Pope explained. "Alright, will you just shut up already?" JJ complained. Pope rolled his eyes and sat in the van, closing the door halfway. Valerie sat on a large rock as she watched JJ. JJ turned to her and started to walk over to her. He took a seat next to her. "How does everything going on... feel?" JJ awkwardly asked. Valerie laughed.

"Scary, I guess. I mean why did those two men want the compass so much? John B has a right to have it. It's in his family." Valerie looked to the blonde boy beside her. He nodded as he looked to the ground. "Hey, I'm sorry about what happened at the boneyard." JJ looked at the girl. "You already apologized for that." She laughed. "No. I know, but I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about when... you know like before John B called us over. I was just drunk." JJ chuckled. So he was just drunk. "It's, uh... It's fine. No need to be sorry. Did you, uh... did you." Valerie looked ahead. "Did I what?" JJ asked the girl as he turned to look at the ground. "Regret it?" She blurted out. Valerie turned her head away from the boy and squeezed her eyes shut. "Well, I don't know. No pogue on pogue macking, right?" JJ laughed to brighten the mood, but Valerie didn't laugh. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right." Valerie nodded. "I'm gonna go in the van." Valerie stood up. "Val, wait. Val!" JJ called, but the girl didn't turn around. She opened the passenger door and took a seat looking forward. He did regret it. He didn't actually like Valerie.