BABYDOLL // JJ Outer Banks

twenty-five

"do you have to go?" jj whined as the brunette slipped out of his bedroom window.

hannah giggled. "yes, jay. i told kie i'd go with her to midsummers. i promise i'll see you later." she stood on her tip-toes to press a quick kiss to jj's pouting lips. "i'll be sure to look hot as fuck to make it worth your while."

"you're always hot as fuck," jj mumbled against her lips.

"okay, i love you, but i really gotta go now," hannah said as she backed away from the window. "au revoir!"

jj chucked and shut his window. he couldn't believe it— she loved him. for years they'd been stuck in this painful waltz, dancing dangerously between the boarder of friendship and relationship, just close enough to feel the effects of both, but jumping back when they got too close. and now, she was his. he slowly brought his hand up to touch his lips, a wide grin spreading across his face as he remembered hers had been on them not long ago.

"fuck," jj smiled as he ran a hand through his hair, "i'm never washing my face again." jj let his mind begin to wander back to the events of the day. the feeling of her fingertips dancing across his skin, the taste of her lips, like strawberries and mint-gum, the way she held him while he cried into her shirt. jj shot up, suddenly remembering the conversation he'd had with sheriff peterkin before his dad picked him up from the police station. "shit," jj muttered, stumbling around his room as he gathered his stuff and prepared to leave.

slowly creeping down the hallway, jj froze at the scene before him: luke passed out on the old sofa, beer bottles scattered around him. jj felt his breathing get heavier, and anger beginning to flow to every part of his body. placing his bag down, jj stalked towards his father's sleeping form, a single tear escaping from the corner of his eye as he felt the thirst for vengeance envelope him. a soft click echoed through the room when jj flicked the safety off and pointed the gun directly at luke's forehead. jj felt his chin begin to quiver and his hand tremble. do it! pull the trigger! jj tightened his grip on the gun, trying to bring himself to do it, but he couldn't. no matter how much luke hurt him— no matter how much he broke him— he was still his dad.

...

the chateau had just come into view when john b felt a hand clamp over his mouth. he immediately jerked his arm back to elbow the unknown person in the gut, earning a low grunt from both of them. taking advantage of their moment of weakness, john b threw the figure onto the ground and attempted to restrain them when he realized it was jj who had jumped him.

"it's me, jj. stop, stop, stop, stop."

jj finally looked up to recognize his friend. "fuck."

"what are you doing?"

jj quickly covered his mouth again and slammed his body into the side of the shed. once he had the boy's attention, jj dragged him behind the hood of an old truck and pointed at the sleek black car hiding in the trees. "see that?" jj asked. "they're watching us, okay?"

"who?"

jj hesitated for a moment. "i don't know. let's go. sneak around to the dock," jj said as he made his way over to the edge of the water. "gotta go this way."

the two boys waded through the murky water with their backpacks resting atop their heads.

"wait, wait, wait, wait," jj halted, "you got the keys to the pogue?"

john b nodded. "yeah."

jj let out a sigh of relief as the two continued their trek to the boat. once they were close enough, the two flung themselves on board and swiftly drove away from the dock.

...

"first, i almost get strangled to death by kooks, and now i'm on the hook for 30 grand?" jj scoffed. "we should just dip."

john b rolled his eyes. "okay, where do you wanna go? hm?"

jj thought it over. "yucatan," he said, as if it were obvious.

"yucatan," john b laughed in disbelief.

"no, i'm dead serious right now," jj stated. "surf all day, and then we can just live off lobsters we catch with our bare hands."

"hannah's allergic to lobsters."

"i'll catch her fish," jj shrugged.

john b shook his head. "you just wanna leave 'cause you got your ass beat?"

"you didn't see the photos," jj whimpered.

"think about it!" john b exclaimed as he made his way over to the blonde. "they're willing to kill for the gold, then it's gotta be out there!"

jj ripped his hat off. "have you lost your mind?" he yelled. "one hundred years, man. one hundred years, people have been trying to find this royal merchant, and no one succeeded. and you think you are gonna be the one that actually finds it?" john b looked away. "when will you get it in your thick skull? if you keep going down this road, you're gonna end up just like your dad!"

"i can't give up, jj!" john b said, angrily shoving him away. "the last time i saw that dude, we got in an argument, and then he took all of our rent money and dipped for this royal merchant," johnn b paused. "and then i told him he was a shit father, and you know how the rest of the story goes."

"bro, that wasn't your fault."

"it doesn't matter whose fault it is, jj! do you not understand that?" john b said, his voice practically pleading for jj to understand where he was coming from. "i can't give up on the hunt, man. i don't care who's out there, who's gonna try to kill us. do you understand that?" jj's gaze fell to the floor. "you know that."

jj stared at his shoes. his mind was screaming at him to follow john b, what did he have to lose? if they succeeded, they'd get the money and be able to live better lives, but if they didn't, what would happen. a smaller part of him wanted to turn around and sit in his room, waiting for hannah to come back, so he could get her insight, she was always really good at giving advice. sheriff peterkin's words rung clearly in his head. "what's gonna happen when you aren't there to save her?" it was a risk he was going to have to take.

"look, i've got a plan. you coming or what?" john b turned to see jj hadn't moved from his spot. "four hundred million, jj. how much do you owe in restitution?"

...

"this is disgusting." kie stared at her reflection in the mirror.

"tell me about it," hannah grimaced as she tugged on the light blue material of her dress.

"i look like a bourgeoisie pig."

"hey," hannah gave her a pointed look, "a hot bourgeoisie pig."

kie huffed. "my mom keeps telling me i should be happy because she had to grovel for like twelve years to get us in here, so that i would 'get to experience the same things she did.'"

"sounds like your mom."

"i mean, people not three miles from here have no power, no running water, and here i am going to midsummers. that's so tone deaf."

hannah nodded along, allowing the girl to finish her speech. "yeah, it's kinda bullshit, but, let's be real, no one really cares about people from the cut," hannah shrugged. "that's just life."

kie solemnly shook her head. "i guess."

"cool," hannah clapped her hands together, "now we can back to the task at hand, how thick do i look in this dress?"