𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘺 ~ 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬 , 𝐣𝐣 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-One:
The T-Shirt Company
.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Fallon hummed as she looked up at the stars through the tree's clearing. The gentle breeze blew her hair behind her. "God, I love it out here."

The crackling fire that John B had lit provided a warm glow over the group. Fallon sighed in content, raising her hands to accept the heat that it provided. JJ could barely keep his eyes from wandering over Fallon's figure, allowing his mind to drift. A stray piece of hair fell in front of her face, and as Fallon tucked it behind her ear, she turned her head and locked eyes with JJ. He couldn't help the butterflies that erupted in his stomach when she smiled coyly at him. As cheesy as he knew it sounded, he found a smile forming on his face as his eyes drifted down to her glossed lips. Watching her turn her attention to Pope as he began to speak, JJ couldn't help the hint of sadness that hit him as the moment disappeared, becoming a part of the past within seconds.

"Hey guys, so, like. my dad's already gonna kill me." Pope started, anxiously pacing back and forth before sitting on the log beside Fallon. "So, what's this mandatory meeting about?" 

John B and JJ shared a look, having a silent conversation with their eyes as Kie, Pope, and Fallon waited impatiently. JJ sighed, nodding to himself and John B. "Might as well tell them, man, before we're gaffed."

"You ready for this?" John B asked with raised eyebrows. 

"Yeah." Kie nodded and Fallon hummed, anxiously fidgeting with the pink fabric of her dress as she waited for him to continue. 

"So, the gold never went down with the Royal Merchant." John B started, causing Pope and Kie to share a look and roll their eyes in sync.

"Oh, my God." Pope groaned, rolling his eyes. "Here we go again with this!" 

"No, all right, wait.. Hear him out, all right?" JJ insisted. Fallon huffed overdramatically as she nodded. 

"It's been here the whole time." John B's hand dropped into his lap.

"Here?" Fallon rose her eyebrows, waving her hand to gesture for him to continue.

"It's on the island." John B's lips curved into a satisfied smile at his friends' reactions.

"Pause." Fallon blinked, "What?"

"Are you serious?" Kie's eyes brightened as she laughed joyfully in disbelief, "Oh. my God!"

Pope sighed, looking over at Fallon in shock that she was buying this. He leaned on his knees, folding his hands together as he shot John B a look. "I'd like to voice my skepticism."

"I'm sure you would, Pope," John B sighed as he stood from the log. "but can I please present you with my evidence, sir?" 

Pope sighed, shaking his head in disbelief as he let his head drop. Ultimately, he decided to humor John B. He rose his head to meet John B's eyes, motioning for him to continue. "Proceed."

"All right, so.. in my backpack," John B shifted through the items in his backpack as he spoke. "I have a letter from Denmark Tanny."

"Who the hell's that?" 

"Denmark Tanny was a slave that survived the Royal Merchant wreck," John B began to explain as he opened the folded paper. "Check this out, here you go."

Fallon's eyes trailed from John B to Kie as she took the letter from his hands. "Okay, so, slaves weren't mentioned as crew members on the ship, but my dad, he found the complete manifest. That was his big discovery. So Tanny used the gold from the Merchant to buy his freedom."