duchess → outer banks

EPISODE X.

[concocting]

Duchess didn't know how the hell John B convinced them to keep digging for what the clue on the compass meant. But, here they all were, in John B's van, heading to the Redfield Lighthouse. Maybe they haven't come down from their adrenaline highs. Maybe they were all just adrenaline junkies.

"I mean it's obvious, right," John B said from the driver's seat, "A family heirloom. What better place to hide a message? He had to know it was gonna get back to me, right?"

From the passenger seat, Kie agreed," Yea it's possible."

From the back of the van, however, Pope, JJ, and Duchess all made eyes at each other, an unspoken agreement on the fact that John B may be concoting this narrative because of his refusal to believe his father is gone. "It could also be possible that you're concocting wild theories to help, you know, deal with your sad feels."

"Yeah," Duchess agreed," Like when my dad was arrested, I began brewing all kinds of theories to prove his innocence to myself."

"Pope, Duchess," John B said simply. Kie shot both of them a look.

"Bro you know how I process my sad feels," JJ said, "Dank nugs and the stickiest of ickies, that's how I do it."

"I just listen to sad music and cry in the dark," Duchess stated.

"I'm not concocting, okay," John B said, annoyed. "My dad's trying to give me a message."

"If it helps you believe John B," Kie said.

"Look, I don't need a therapy session, okay? I'm not tripping out."

"It's okay to trip, bro," said JJ.

John B turned his head to look at his friend. "My dad is missing, okay? Missing." Pope, Duchess, and JJ shot each other the same looks from before. "You don't know why it's like to have the person closest to you vanish and then have no idea what happened. Just wake up every morning wondering."

Duchess felt for her friend. She really did. Her own dad was gone, but at least she knew where he was and why he was there. It was different for John B. His dad got lost at sea, and the body was never found. She didn't blame him for having hope, even if it wasn't realistic.

"It's been almost a year," Kie pointed out.

"Hey he could have been kidnapped," JJ suggested, "That's definitely a possibility."

"Yeah, could be in a Soviet sub getting interrogated by the KGB somewhere," Pope added.

"Maybe he's mine hunting with the US Navy," Duchess offered.

Absolutely, or Atlantis," said JJ. Duchess elbowed him in the ribs. He smacked her arm away.

"JJ," Kie said, shutting him up before he said something else stupid. "Look, what do you think the message is?"