high tide (J.M)

hot and mysterious

"So what do you want to know?"

It was silent for a moment.

JJ took this moment to look at Arlo, really look at her. She was pretty, and obviously somewhat smart, but the girl had a nasty purple bruise of her left forearm.

"My dad, did he ever mention anything about the royal merchant?"

"Are you kidding, your dad never shut up about it. He'd check out books even if there was only a sentence about it." She laughed thinking back to her distant memories of Big John at the library

"Did my dad ever mention finding something big or moving out of Outer Banks?" John chewed his lip.

Arlo opened her mouth then closed it.

"What?" Kiara asked softly.

"Your dad would mumble to himself sometimes while reading or writing down stuff. One day I caught him writing down a list. The list was like a plan. Find the gold, melt it down, cash in slowly, fill accounts, leave outer Banks. You were always written in your dad's plan, it was either buy you a house or get you a bank account or take you with him. But the last time, he didn't." Arlo said.

It was the truth but she hated saying it because it sounded sad in a way.

"So you.. so you think my dad just left me behind?" John b stuttered sadly.

"No, I think he was making instructions. I don't know if they were for you or him or someone else. But I don't think your dad abandoned you John. He kept a photo of you in his wallet and he would look at it all the time. John B, you were his favorite thing to talk about." Arlo admitted.

John B was silent. He was just trying to process it all. New information was always so overwhelming for him, and this was especially so considering it was about his dad.

"So you knew something was going on, and you never said anything?" He sounded upset.

"I gave the police several statements. They all said the same thing, that your dad might've had a plan but that's not what made him go missing."

Pope and JJ had been mindlessly wandering around the garage while the conversation had been going on. There was a knock amist the silence followed by the sound of a door opening.

"Arlo?"

The girl turned to look at the door way to see her mother holding a package.

She watched as her mother set it down and closed the door. A look of confusion took over the girls face but only for a moment.

"Do you think my dad is alive?"

John b wanted her to say yes, and he wanted her to mean it. He needed someone to believe, just one person who truly believed. It felt like everyone had given up on his dad except for him.

Kiara, JJ and Pope froze.

"It's not my job to burden you with false hope nor negative guidance. But whether or not your dad is alive, you deserve the truth and I'm willing to help you find it."

"Something just feels off about his disappearance." John said running his hand through his hair.

"Nothing ever feels right when someone vanishes John B. Trust me, I'd know." The girl nodded.

"Yo so are you just super introverted or just really unlikable because I've never seen you hang out with literally anyone?" JJ asked.

"JJ!" Kiara scolded.

"Listen, I help when you need and you don't ask questions." Her voice was monotone, suddenly rid of any emotion.

"Is that it John B?"

"Uh yeah, that's it." The boy mumbled.

"See ya around Arlo." Kiara smiled softly as the group walked out of the garage.

They all stayed silent until getting in the car.

"Well that was weird." Pope murmured.

"I think she's definitely got some big secret, or she's just hot and mysterious." JJ shrugged.

"Shut up JJ." Kiara said, dramatically rolling her eyes at the boy.

"She knew that something was up with my dad and she didn't tell me." John said looking into his rearview mirror.

"I don't blame her, she probably didn't know what to say or how to say it." Kiara shrugged, defending Arlo, a girl she barely knew.

"At least we know she's not a stalker."

"Eh, we don't know that for sure yet man." JJ laughed.

And with that, John b dropped Kiara and Pope off at their homes before he and JJ returned to his own.