One Stupid Thing

2:6:59

The six of us split off from there. Pope returned to the garage to continue waxing the surfboards followed by Kie, Sarah and John B climbed into the hammock to catch up, and JJ and I escaped the awkwardness by heading inside.

"What do you think they're talking about out there?" I ponder. I take a seat at the small, round dining room table and look out the window at the couple.

"'Oh, John B, I've missed you so much! Sarah, I've missed you too, baby! Come here and kiss me!'" JJ jokes, pitching his voice up or down depending on who he was speaking for.

"JJ, I'm being serious here," I say to him, but I can't help but crack a smile at his impressions.

"I am too." He walks over and takes a seat next to me. "They'll be alright. It's John B and Sarah. They're not going to let someone like Topper Thornton get between them." I feel my breath hitch when he says Topper's name. "Stella. What's up? You've been off ever since Sarah came back."

"I have?" I respond blindly.

"Yes, you have."

"Oh... I-I'm fine. Really," I lie.

"You sure?" JJ asks me.

"Yeah, yeah. All good."

"Okay, well," JJ stands up and grabs a beer from the fridge. "JB's home. That's reason enough to celebrate, starting with a good ol' shotgun."

I laugh. "Okay."

"John B," JJ starts, heading out onto the porch to meet his friend. "You wanna shotgun one in the name of freedom?" John B walks straight past him and into the house without a word. I watch as JJ looks over at me through the window and I shrug back. "Sarah, you wanna—"

"No!" Sarah cuts him off as she stomps away. JJ shrugs and pops open the beer. It sprays in his face, but he downs it anyways. Suddenly, JJ's phone, laying on the table beside me, starts ringing. I pick it up and it's a number I don't recognize. I pick up the phone and bring it out to him.

"JJ, someone's calling you," I say to him. He meets me halfway on the porch and takes the phone from my hand.

"Hello?" he answers. I watch as his eyes grow wide. "Thank you, Guffy. We're on our way." JJ takes off towards the garage and I follow him without question.

"What was that all about?" I ask him.

"It's Heyward," he says quickly. "Pope! Pope!" he calls. When we reach the garage, Kiara and Pope are hugging and it seems serious. I clear my throat awkwardly. "Just got a call from Guffy. Something happened to your pops."

"What?" Pope mutters. He breaks away from JJ and they run towards the Twinkie. I follow closely behind with Kiara on my heels.

"John B! Sarah! Come on!" Kiara calls to them. They appear from the woodwork and we all pile into the van.

—

Heyward was in worse shape than I had expected. As soon as Pope saw his father a fire lit within him. He's angry, and he wants vengeance on whoever did this to his dad. Sarah got to work on patching him up as soon as she could, and to our relief, Heyward didn't object.

"Let me know if I'm hurting you, okay?" she says to him as she goes to apply a large bandage to a cut on his forehead.

"You're doing just fine," Heyward groans.

"Okay."

"Thank you, darlin'. Thank you." Heyward winces, but expresses his gratitude.

"Pop, what happened?" Pope asks his father, approaching him.

"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 in my chest and he asked me about that... that... that key from that... that drawing you showed me," he explains. Sarah walks around and sits beside Kie, which conveniently enough happens to be on the opposite side of the porch from where John B sits. "And in case you're wondering, I ain't tell him nothing. Now did you track it down?"

Pope pulls the key from his back pocket and hands it to his father. "I found it in Mee-maw's old apartment above the pharmacy just like you said it was." He takes a seat beside his father at the wooden table.

"Shit, boy, you should've gave this to me. I wouldn't have had to take a beating. What's the big deal? It ain't worth anything. Why they want it so bad?" Heyward looks around at us questionably.

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

"None of it makes any sense," Kiara adds.

"Well, don't ya'll just sit here whining about it. Figure it out!" Heyward exclaims.

"No. I'm just gonna give the key to that lady. It's not worth—" Pope begins.

"No, no, no. Did I raise you to back down from a fight, boy?"

Pope shakes his head slightly. "No, sir."

"Well, all right. Now, I... I didn't think about it before. I admit that. But now..." Heyward points to his blood-stained forehead. "Now? I'm interested. Well, did they say why they wanted it?"

"Something about an old cross," Pope tells him. "I think it might be some kind of lost treasure.

"You know who you should talk to? Your great-grandmother, Mee-maw."

"Mee-maw? Pops—"

"She lives at Shady Grove now, boy. Just talk to her. Even if she doesn't remember nothin', she'll still be downright happy that you came to see her."

"Thank you, Mr. Heyward," I say to him before Pope can protest the idea again. "Come on, guys." Just as we are about to leave, Mr. Heyward stops us.

"Hey, son."

"Yeah, Pops?"

"Whatever happens with that key, don't let anything stop you kids from discovering it."

"Yes, sir. I love you, Dad." Pope kneels down to give his father a light hug.

"I love you too, Pope. Even if I don't show it as well as I could."

Seeing Pope and his father interact like this is so bittersweet to me. Just seeing how much they care for each other unconditionally. I envy that for my own father and I. If only he hadn't turned out to be so selfish and greedy. It's my father's own desire for power that destroyed him.

——
Happy New Year everyone!

I am trying to work on season three but with the holidays and winter break coming to an end I'm finding it hard to make time to write. Don't fret, I can assure you it is coming, slowly but surely. All I'm asking is that you are patient with me as we near the end of this season. I can't guarantee that season three will be beginning to be published instantly following the season two finale.