𝐒𝐓𝐘𝐋𝐄 || 𝐉𝐉 𝐌𝐀𝐘𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐊

𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐕𝐄

AVERY STREET leaned back in the Twinkie, one leg tucked under her and the other stretched out, her foot resting against the base of the seat in front of her. The warm night air carried the faint hum of the van's engine and the occasional bump of gravel beneath the tires. She wore a cropped white tank top, the hem teasing at her toned stomach, and low-rise shorts that showed just enough to catch JJ's attention whenever he glanced over. Her dark hair fell loosely over her shoulders, framing her sharp features, and her black Converse tapped idly against the seat. She absently spun her flashlight in one hand, her nails clicking against the metal as her eyes flicked toward JJ.

He was sitting beside her, his arm draped casually along the back of the seat, close enough that his fingers grazed her hair when she leaned forward. JJ's gray t-shirt clung to him just enough to hint at the muscles he wasn't shy about showing off, and his signature red bandana was tied around his messy blonde hair. He shifted closer to her, that familiar smirk playing on his lips.

"You mind if I just take it easy on this one?" JJ asked, pulling a joint from his pocket and holding it up between his fingers. "Long day. Weird vibes. I'm just gonna chill." He turned toward Avery, tilting the joint toward her. "You want in, or are you still pretending to be above this?"

Avery arched an eyebrow, letting the flashlight roll to a stop in her lap. Without a word, she plucked the joint from his hand and leaned forward to grab the lighter from his other pocket. Her hand lingered there just long enough to make JJ raise an eyebrow.

"You were gonna take forever to offer it, anyway," Avery said, lighting the joint and taking a slow drag. She exhaled lazily, passing it back to him as she leaned into her seat. "Don't act like I've never carried the team before, Maybank."

JJ laughed, taking the joint and settling back beside her. "Carried? When was the last time you carried anything?"

"Last time you chickened out because of a crab," Avery said without missing a beat, smirking as she nudged his leg with her foot.

"Okay, that's slander," JJ shot back, pointing the joint at her like it was evidence. "That crab came out of nowhere."

"You screamed," she said simply, her smirk widening as Pope, sitting on her other side, chuckled under his breath.

"Guys," Pope muttered without looking up from his notebook, "can you maybe not do this the entire ride? Some of us are trying to, I don't know, have a future."

JJ grinned, leaning over Avery to get a better look at Pope. "You know what your problem is, man? No imagination. You gotta get creative."

Avery pushed JJ back into his seat, shaking her head. "Don't drag me into your motivational speeches."

"Too late," JJ quipped, his smirk softening just slightly as he glanced at her again.

From the front seat, Kie twisted around to glare at them. "Can you guys please stop flirting for five seconds? We're almost there."

"We're not flirting," Avery said, raising her flashlight and shining it into Kie's eyes.

"Yeah, this is just how we communicate," JJ added, grinning as Kie swatted the beam away.

"Focus," John B said from the driver's seat, his voice sharp with impatience. His grip on the wheel tightened as the dirt path narrowed. "I know I was wrong about the lighthouse, okay? And wrong about everything else. But I was right about one thing. My dad is trying to tell me something."

"This place better be worth it," Kie muttered, turning back around and pulling her jacket tighter. "It's creepy as hell."

"It's worth it," John B said firmly. "You know how you're trying to remember a song but can't remember who sings it?"