Against the world 2

Chapter 3

Kie showed up at the Chateau bright and early to get JJ and I out of bed and ready for the first day of school. I had been dreading this day all summer but even more so when John B disappeared. Now I am just the girl who lost her family, everywhere I go I get either a sympathetic smile or a hateful comment from someone who thinks John B is a murder and that I was his accomplice. 

Once she woke us up being as noisy as she possibly could, we stopped to pick up Pope before heading to school. We pulled up to school just as the first bell rang and Kie had to practically drag us out of her car. 

"If I black out, just don't remind me" JJ said as he took a sip of his flask full of whatever alcohol he poured in there today before passing it to me knowing I wouldn't want to be sober for the day either. 

"That's not funny JJ, can you two just be sober for one day?" Kie said shaking her head at us. 

JJ put his arm around my shoulder as we walked through the yard, we heard multiple people whisper that they didn't think we would show up and other rumours about us being arrested and having something to do with Peterkin's death and JJ just kept whispering in my ear to ignore them.

I stopped walking when I saw the memorial for John B that the students had put together, there was a rock that someone wrote RIP John B and half a surfboard with his name and photos scattered and flowers at the base of the rock. JJ clenched his jaw looking at it and pulled me closer knowing I would hate seeing this as much as he does. 

"I feel like people are staring at us" Kie said while looking around and without a doubt, everyone was staring at us. 

"Guys, I can't be late" Pope went to run away from the group before Kie stopped him and told him we need to stick together before looping her arm through Popes and grabbing JJ's free hand while JJ's other hand stayed securely on me but dropped from my shoulder to my waist. 

We made it to third period which is the first class of the day that all four of us are in together. JJ sat behind me while Kie sat next to me and Pope sat in the front row like always. Mr Sunn, our history teacher, and was going on about slaves and the Roman Empire, I wasn't paying any attention and JJ and I were passing a little piece of paper to each other with little drawings and notes. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket the same time I heard someone else's phone ding in the classroom. 

"Who's phone was that? Nobody?" Our teacher asked the class, looking around to see which student would be getting detention.

I looked around the room to see who else's phone went off and noticed Pope slide his phone into his pocket and Kie look down at hers. 

"Did you get that message too?" I asked Kie, confused why all of our phones went off at the same time. She nodded and looked at Pope asking the same question to which he replied he got it also. I looked down at my phone and all it said was 'Incoming text - Unknown number' JJ and I slid out from behind out desks and knelt between Kie and Pope as we all unlocked our phones and opened the same photo of the two faces we never thought we would see again. Sarah and John B. 

We all looked at each other in complete and utter shock, none of us knowing what to do or what this photo meant. They were smiling and happy which meant they weren't dead or hurt so where are they? I got up and ran out of the room without a second thought, needing to know more. I heard JJ right behind me following me out of the room as Pope being Pope asks the teacher if he can be excused to help us in the bathroom.

I was leaning against the lockers outside the classroom just staring at this photo when I felt JJ pull me into his chest, while the others came out of the room.

Once the others came out of the room, we all ran down the hallway to get outside so we could talk about this photo and what it means. As we are running down the hall JJ was too distracted and didn't see the janitor and completely tripped over his mop and bucket, falling to the ground. I couldn't help but laugh at him as he stood up and kept running.

"Is this even possible? I mean Shoupe said that they didn't make it. He said that" Kie said as we headed outside to the courtyard where two other kids were sitting at one of the tables. I noticed JJ rubbing his hand on his chest again just like he did at work after the argument with Kelce. I looked at him as if to ask if he was okay and he nodded and kissed my forehead. 

"Okay, but I think we're overreacting, because we can't rule out the possibility that this could all be some kind of weird, cruel hoax" Pope said trying to calm us all down.

"It isn't a hoax Pope, I told everyone from the start that they didn't die. I knew it. This is them" I said as I sat down on the blue table with Kie while JJ walked around anxiously and Pope leant against the wall opposite us. 

"Sav and I both thought he was still alive, what if this is actually him?" JJ said with a panicked voice.

"I'm just going to ask" Kie said picking up her phone and typing a message 'WTF is this you???'

We all waited for the response as we saw the little dots appear to show that the unknown number was typing. The dots would appear then vanish and waiting for the response was the longest 30 seconds of my life. 

'Is JJ there?' - Unknown 

'Im here Bree' - JJ

'Did you pimp my shortboard' - Unknown

I put my face into my hands and started crying because I knew that this was my brother, I knew it when I saw the photo and with him mentioning the short board it just confirmed it. The short board is a running joke between John B and JJ as JJ always mentions how much money we could get if we sold it, but John B refuses to sell it every time. It was the best way to confirm it was actually him because only we would understand that joke.

JJ came over and hugged me tightly while I cried, he picked me up off the table and spun me around before putting me down and putting his forehead on mine and whispering "He's safe Sav" before fist pumping and yelling out "Yeah!"

Kie, Pope and I all hugged each other as another message came through.

'Laying super low in Nassau' - Unknown

"Nassau? How the hell did they get to the Bahamas?" I asked, confused as the plan was never to go to the Bahamas. 

"Can't kill a pouge, dude" JJ said laughing

'Can you clear my name? I wanna come home' - Unknown

'Already on it' - Sav

'Knew you would be. Be in touch. P4L' - Unknown

"P4L baby!" I hear JJ yell loudly as we all jumped up and gathered in a group hug, so happy that it has finally been confirmed that they are alive and safe and now we just have to clear his name and get them home.