Storm Chaser // JJ Maybank

7

We all sit in John B's van on the way to somewhere. Pope is staring at the compass as he sits in the passenger's seat.

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

"Yeah. It's possible," Kie agrees.

"It could also be possible that you're concocting wild theories to help, you know, deal with your sad feels," Pope offers.

"Pope? Bro, you know how I process my sad feels. Dank nugs and the stickiest of ickies, that's how I do it," JJ states as he looks right at me.

I push JJ away. "Some people handle their sad feels in better ways.

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

"If it helps you believe, John B..." Kiara trails off.

"Look, I-I don't need a therapy session, okay? Look, I'm not trippin' out," John B tells us.

"It's okay to trip, bro, but..." I start.

"Look, my... my dad is missing, okay? Missing. You don't know what it's like to have the person closest to you vanish and then have no idea what happened. Just wake up every morning wondering," John B tells us.

"It's been almost a year," Kie reminds him.

"Hey, he could have been kidnapped. That's definitely a possibility," I offer.

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

"Absolutely. Uh... or Atlantis," JJ adds.

"JJ. Look, what do you think the message is?" Kie asks.

"Redfield," John B states. We pass the sign for the lighthouse. "Redfield Lighthouse. That's my dad's favorite place."

We stop in front of the lighthouse and get out of the car. John B turns to look at JJ. "Right. You're gonna post up and look out for bogeys, okay?"

"Wait... Why me?" JJ asks.

"Because you're not coming," Pope states.

"Why?" JJ asks.

"There are independent and dependent variables." Pope says. "You're independent. We don't know what you'll do."

JJ yells at him, "Shut up!"

John B interrupts them, "Listen to me for a second. Storm, you stand look out with JJ. Okay? If we get split up, we meet back at JJ's house."

"Great," Kie says.

Kie, John B, and Pope start towards the light house.

JJ smiles at me. I shake my head. "Don't give me that look."

JJ chuckles as he walks towards me. "What look?"

"You know what look," I state. JJ just keeps smiling. "I'm not having sex in John B's van."

"Come on no one has to know," JJ tells me. He keeps walking towards me till my back hits a tree.

"I have more dignity than that," I tell him. He gives me a look. "That time on the boat doesn't count."

"Come on," JJ says.

He starts to kiss my neck up to my jaw. He places his lips on mine and it's like I melt into his hands. He grabs onto my waist pulling us closer together. JJ laughs lightly.

"I know you want me," JJ teases.

Suddenly I hear sirens wailing in the distance. I push JJ off of me. "Oh, shit."