P4L | Outer Banks | JJ Maybank

The Cross

As the trio pulled up outside the sinking Twinkie, they were immediately bombarded with questions.

"Where the hell were you guys?" Pope called out.

The trio exited the truck and began to unload the winch, glancing at each other nervously.

"Paternal complications," Kie answered for them.

"Luke was at the Chateau," JJ explained.

"Oh great," Pope sassed. "While you were having family time with your pops, John B got bit by a gator!"

Cory immediately stopped what she was doing, turning back to look at the boy. She suddenly noticed the blood that was littered across the top of the Twinkie in between the three Pogues.

"Wait, for real?" JJ asked, stepping up next to her.

"Does it look like we're joking?" Sarah sassed.

"Okay, what the hell happened?" Kiara stepped forward.

"What happened?" John B repeated. "I got bit by a gator!"

"I don't know why I'm being yelled at because I put my ass on the line!" Kiara immediately snapped back.

Immediately the other three Pogues lit up, yelling back and forth with each other.

Cory stepped forward, placing a hand on Kie's shoulder.

"We got here as fast as we could!" Cory argued alongside the others.

The arguing was only stopped when JJ finally spoke up, yelling a loud 'shut up!' across the clearing.

"Seriously, guys," JJ sighed. "I can't take it anymore, alright? Everyone just cut it out for a second."

Uncomfortable silence settled over the Pogues.

"Look," JJ said, smiling slightly. "I just helped my dad leave this island for good. Like, he's not ever coming back. He's straight up like the Spanish, just 'bon voyage'."

The Pogues all glanced at each other with their brows furrowed.

"That's not the right language," Sarah muttered.

"All we got," JJ continued. "And I know for a fact all I got is you guys, okay? You're it." JJ glanced over at Cory at the end of the sentence, a soft smile overtaking his face. "And I've come too close to losing you, all of you." He turned to Kie next. "I mean, shit, like you almost drowned! Pope, you were kidnapped. Sarah, you've been shot. Cory, you've been like... basically all of the above. And John B, you were almost dinner for a freaking gator, bro. So this blaming each other is some kook-ass bullshit, alright? We don't do that. Okay? We're Pogues." JJ looked down for a moment, thinking. "Sorry, that was a lot right now... I didn't mean to..."

John B and Pope exchanged a glance, slowly beginning to grin. They slowly lifted their hands up, beginning to clap for JJ. Not long after, all three of the girls were joining in, grins on their own faces.

"Well done," Pope said.

"I gotta be honest," John B spoke up. "That was the best freaking speech you have ever given. Also, you should think about a like Rosetta-stone because your Spanish and French are flip-flopped."

JJ lifted his middle fingers to the boys.

"We should bon voyage out of here," Sarah said.

JJ turned to the truck to get the winch out, briefly reaching over to ruffle Cory's hair as he went.

"What have I said about the hair?" she cried out.

Not long after, they had managed to pull the Twinkie out of the water, and were pulling up to the church.