Alone Together • JJ Maybank

Fourteen.

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Slamming my car door closed, I walked over the gravel towards Nana's house. I couldn't stop the small smile from creeping onto my lips as I thought how even after everything that had happened to me recently, I might actually be able to build a happy life here. But a loud bang coming from the Chateau snapped me out of my thoughts.

I looked over to see John B barging his way through the back door while carrying a stack of empty pizza boxes down the porch steps. With a confused look, I decided to see what he was up to since I hadn't seen him since the lighthouse.

I edged closer, taking in his scruffy appearance. His hair was messier than normal, his skin was grubby with dirt and he seemed completely downcast as he threw the boxes from his hands into a pile beside the fallen tree. 

"Spring cleaning?" I called out, alerting him of my presence. He glanced over at me, his lips in a hard line, before turning back to the pile of junk in front of him as I joined by his side. "What is all this?"

"I thought it was about time I pulled myself together." He mumbled as we both stood side by side.

"Want help?"

It didn't take long for the two of us to clean the Chateau. Even before those guys trashed it, it was in a sorry state after months of John B fending for himself without his dad. After nearly an hour though, we sat on the porch steps looking over the large pile of rubbish before us. I hadn't questioned him when I noticed he was throwing out a lot of his fathers' things, knowing this was something he probably needed to do without any judgement.

Resting my head on John B's shoulder, I couldn't help but notice how we were both dealing with the loss of a parent as if we were completely alone, even though we didn't have to. I exhaled deeply, trying to talk myself into confiding in him. "I lied to you earlier." My voice was so quiet that I wasn't sure he would even hear me. But I felt his body shuffle slightly as he turned his head to look down at me, silently urging me to continue.

Sitting up straight, I crossed my legs as I turned to face him. "About being at Tannyhill this morning." I could see the confusion flash through his eyes as he stared back at me. "Well, I didn't lie. But, like, there's a lot I left out." John B grabbed my hand as I glanced down at the ground between my legs.

"I knew there was something up. You can tell me anything Abs, you know that right?" He said, squeezing my hand a little tighter. And in that moment I knew I could. I couldn't keep all of this in my own head any more. 

I told John B everything. From how I tried to trace the car that killed mom, studying moms phone records, how his dad and my mom spoke more than we realized and how Ward Cameron's number appeared constantly in my mom's records in the past few months.

"So, I didn't actually lie about why I was there this morning. I honestly did think that maybe he would know something, anything, that might help." I looked up into his eyes as he processed my words.

"Why didn't you knock then?" He questioned.

I took a minute, knowing I'd sound crazy with my thoughts. "I saw a car on his drive. A silver Mercedes. The same model as..." I trailed off. "I know I sound stupid. It's probably just a coincidence."

"No, no you don't. OK, well maybe you sound a little bit crazy." He said causing us both to chuckle lightly. "But I understand what it's like to hold onto that one tiny piece of a puzzle. Do I need to remind you of the cursed compass?" He laughed again, nudging my side before going on to tell me how Ward was a nice guy, even if he did just fire him, and that it was probably just a coincidence.