𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐲

XVII. A Trippy Mosaic.

BACK AT Poguelandia, Jake walks into his bedroom to find JJ was there, getting changed out of his clothes and into a new outfit. "Hey," he said and walked over, hugging the blond from behind. "Hey." The Maybank gently touched his arm. "I missed you." The Lennox murmured quietly and JJ smiles big.

"It's only been like a day," he says as Kie walks into the room, fresh out of the shower. "Yeah, but Jake always needs you by his side, Maybank." She said, tossing her clothes into the laundry basket by the closet. "I always need both of you by my side." Jake said, turning to look at her and she just smiles, rolling her eyes. "Yeah. I mean, you have two sides for a reason, right?" She said and JJ laughs.

"Just glad you're in one piece, Jayj." Kie now says as she walks over to her boyfriends, the three now all holding hands. Jake rubs the back of their hands, staring down and JJ nudged him. "What's on your mind?" He says quietly and he just sighs. "The scroll... should we go over it with the others?" He asked now.

In the surf shack, JJ lays out the map now, lights a joint and stood across John B with Jake next to him, who he hands the joint to first. "Thanks Jay," the Lennox muttered and took a hit from it, as the five teens all look at the scroll now. "Okay, so obviously, it's a map of sorts, right?" John B asked JJ now. "Yeah, but it looks like a trippy mosaic." The Maybank says.

"It's so weird. It's all scrambled." Kie spoke up. "What are we supposed to do with this?" Sarah asked now as Jake hands over the joint to JJ who takes it gently, taking a hit. "Decode it. That's what we're supposed to do." He said as Sarah tilts her head to the side, eyes squinted. "But... how?" Kie asked. "With the code breaker? That's how." He simply says, meaning the joint which he now offers to John B who takes it from his hands. "Alright, everything's coming into focus now." He added.

John B hands over the joint to Sarah next. "You've just got to let your eyes go out of focus for it to be in focus." JJ says and Jake nods in agreement. "I think we're mind melding." John B adds. "We got a mountain range." JJ says. "What are you doing?" Kie asks Sarah so Jake looks at two girls to his right, seeing the Routledge girl pass over the joint, "oh. Oh. Shit. Sorry." She apologized.

"Shh." She shushed her as Jake glanced between the two, when a loud noise from outside cuts off John B and JJ, so the whole group's attention is caught. "What is that?" The Maybank asked, before he and Jake to his left turn to look at the doors, as the noises outside continue. "I knew we shouldn't have come back here." Jake said worriedly as JJ walks away, grabbing an oar now.

Kie sets something down to cover the map as JJ and John B slowly approach the door, the curly haired boy opening it up and looking outside, holding a bat. "Nothing on your side?" JJ asks. "Nah. Nothing. That's so weird. It kinda sounded like maybe it was--" the group all jump and gasp at the sound of the door opening on the other side. "Oh, sorry. I'm sorry." It was Groff. "Jesus." Kie whispers out. "JJ. You made it." He looks at the blond boy now.

"Oh, my God."

"I, uh, I'm sorry to bother you here. I swam... I swam all the way in." Chandler then coughs. "What are you doing here?" JJ asked the man. "I had nowhere else to go, son." Groff says and Jake glances at JJ right away, who just looked over at John B. He sets down the oar, walking over to Groff so he can help him, putting the man's arm around his shoulders.

The group now all sit together, looking at Groff seated at the table. "So you're JJ's real dad?" Jake spoke up first, his arms crossed as he's standing between JJ and Kie. The Groff man sighs, "I don't deserve the title, but yes, I am JJ's biological father." He looked up, "I could have done better by him, I know that." He says as the girls, Jake and John B glanced at the Maybank boy now. "I look forward to telling you all about it." Chandler added on.