RIVER | JJ MAYBANK

EIGHTEEN

PLANS

"How much was it again?" JJ questioned as they sat around the dock and Kie played the ukulele.

"Four hundred mil." Pope answered. River sat next to John B, he rested his head on her shoulder and held her hand.

"Alright let's talk the split. Now, before we say 'evenly', may I remind you that I am the only one that can properly defend us from those groupers who were after us." JJ held up the gun.

River smirked and made her way next to him. She wrapped her arms around his shoulder and placed a light kiss on his neck before taking the gun from his hand.

"You're the only one?" She questioned teasingly as she tossed the gun from hand to hand.

"Not my fault that you distracted me, baby girl." JJ smirked, he wished he could feel her lips on his neck again.

Fuck, even better on his lips.

"Give it back." He said placing out his hand.

"Come get it." River said placing it behind her back. She laughed childishly as JJ wrapped his arms around her and took the gun back. "No fair." She sulked.

"Protection? Not cheap okay?" JJ announces.

"You haven't trained." Pope said shaking his head. "And if River can distract you that easily then anyone can."

"It's not my fault that my girls hot." JJ smirked. River got the cliche butterfly's in her stomach and a light blush rose to her cheeks. There was no denying that JJ was both possessive and protective over River.

He wanted her to be his.

"Not your girl J." River reminded him, although she felt weak at the knees with his words.

"One day." He whispered cockily. "And that's a promise."

"You've done zero training." Pope pointed out, ignoring JJ and River's flirting.

"YouTube bro. That's at least a five percent bump right there. Any objections?" JJ gave everyone a second to object before saying, "Didn't think so." Kie places down her hand in defeat.

"Yeah." Pope nodded, trying to object.

"I don't hear any, so." JJ shrugged, tracing small patterns on River's exposed waist.

"What are you gonna do with your 100 mil, Pope?" Kie questioned the dark skinned boy. River wondered what they were all going to do with their share of just under 100 million.

River knew that she wanted to get out of here, out of Outer Banks. Although it was her home and where her friends were. She needed a new start, where no one knew her name or her past.

She wondered if the Pogues would come or stay. She'd hoped they come with her, but Kie and Pope has their families and John B and JJ had each other, she wondered if she was even needed.

"Pay for college in advance. And also, textbooks. Those are expensive." Pope nodded, of course his first thought was education.

"What about you Kie?" River questioned curiously.

"Yeah, what does a socialist do when she's rich?" Pope questioned.

Kie chuckled before saying, "Just wanna make a double album. About OBX, the Pogues. You know, the way Catch a Fire is about Kingston." She smiled widely. "Record it at Marley Studio, Peter Tosh producing."

"Peter Tosh is dead." Pope said at the same times as Kie said,

"Peter Tosh is dead. I know." She paused. "Spirit of Peter Tosh will never die." She raised her beer in the air slightly.

"Actually I know what I'll do. I'm gonna get a big ass house on Figure Eight for me and River, and go full Kook." JJ nodded proudly.

"You're gonna go full Kook?" Pope questioned, almost scoffing.

"Yup." JJ nodded. "Gonna get a marble statue of myself, and then I'm gonna get a koi pond. Put a bunch of those fish—"

"I'm never visiting." Kie shook her head with a smile.

"Get a huge kitchen for River." JJ gave her waist a light squeeze.

"I guess I'm in." River smiled, turning her head slightly to see JJ. She loved to cook, always had, it was one of her talents.

"What would you do with your money?" Kie questioned curiously, wanting to know about River's ideas for herself, not JJ's ideas for her.

"Honestly-" River paused for a minute. "I don't know." She lied.

"What are you gonna do, JB?" Pope questioned looking up to John B. He hadn't moved from his spot once yet. He just kept his eyes on the water.

"To going full Kook." John B said after a minutes silence.

"To going full Kook." They all said taking a sip of their beers.

~

T W O Y E A R S A G O

"Hey!" River smiled as she walked into John B's house. "Morning Big John." River said looking up to the man.

"Morning River, they're in Birds room." Big John announced with a warm smile.

"Thanks." River said skipping off in the direction of John B's room. River opened the door and jumped on the bed, where they were all sat.

"Riv!" Kie shouted, wrapping her arms around the girl.

"You miss me?" River questioned, River's grandpa decided he wanted to meet her. He wanted her to stay at his house for a week, on Figure 8. His only rule was that she had to get to know him.

"Of course we did baby girl." JJ said as he wrapped his arms around her waist and selfishly pulled her away from the others so he could have her all to hisself.

River's stomach flipped. Her heart started racing.

Baby girl.

That was new. It was new and she liked it. "I missed you." JJ whispered into her ear, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She laced their fingers together and smiled.

"I missed you too J." She whispered back.

"Give her back JJ." Pope demanded.

"We missed her too." John B whined.

"Never, she's mine." JJ said pulling the girl behind him. As the other three tackled him to get to her.

"I've never felt more loved." River smiled truthfully. She looked down at them all wrestling. Kie stood up and hopped over the boys to get to River. She wrapped her arms around the girls shoulders,

AS THEY LAUGHED AT THE IMMATURE BOYS.