Alone Together • JJ Maybank

Sixteen.

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The soothing sound of the water softly lapping up at the dock was calming after such a crazy day. The two lanterns hanging from the small wooden roof surrounded us in a small circle of light, as if we were sitting in our own little bubble surrounded by nothing else but darkness.

My head rested on Kiara's shoulder as she quietly plucked the strings of her ukulele. Each chord feeling like it was playing away the stress of the day from my mind.

"How much was it again?" I opened my eyes, not realizing they were even closed as JJ's voice broke the silence. He was sitting on the wooden fence opposite me and Kie, his blonde hair flopping in his face as he tossed something into the water.

"Four hundred mil." Pope stated. Silence swamped us all again as we all truly processed the scale of Big John's discovery. I lifted by head up as I sat up straight, exhaling deeply at the thought of possibly finding the gold.

"All right, let's talk the split." JJ's voice seemed lighter as he spoke after a few moments. "Now, before we say 'evenly', may I remind you that I am the only one that can properly defend us from those groupers who were after us." He eventually looked up towards the rest of us, his eyes locking on mine as I smirked at his words. "Protection? Not cheap, OK?"

I couldn't hold in my quiet chuckle when Pope instantly shot down the idea. "You have done zero training."

"YouTube, bro. That's at least a five percent bump right there. Any objections?" He gazed over at me and Kie again as he ignored Pope's protests. Kiara raised her hand as I began to speak.

"Well if you're playing that game, how much extra do I get for already getting shot? I should get compensation for taking a bullet for you guys, right?" I smiled playfully at JJ as his lips curl at the corners, trying desperately not to smile at my words.

"It was just a graze. Nice try, Miller." His eyes narrowed at me.

"What are you gonna do with your share, Pope?" Kiara asked, ignoring JJ and I. I shuffled in my spot on the ground, reaching for the blanket beside me and pulling it over my shoulders to keep off the chill.

Pope thought for a moment. "Pay for college in advance. And also, textbooks. Those are expensive." I smiled at the thought of Pope going to college. I have never met anyone more determined to give himself a better life, and he truly deserved it.

"What about you, Kie?" JJ asked.

"Yeah, what does a socialist do when she's rich?" I rolled my eyes at Pope's words. I don't think the boys really knew how much their teasing bothered her, but I could tell. Her parents may be rich but she's not a stereotypical Kook. She wants to make her own way in the world, do something meaningful. And that's exactly what she explains, more or less. I nudged her shoulder at her words causing her to look at me, smiling at my encouragement.

"What would you do?" Kie asked me.

My smile faltered as I glanced down to the ground. I hadn't really thought about it. We never had much money when I was growing up, but we made do. And that was enough for me. But then I thought about mom, and what she would have done with the money. I looked up, realizing they were all looking at me, waiting for me to speak.

"Back in my old town, whenever our power would shut off, mom and I would grab blankets and snacks and drive to the rich part of town. We would park up outside their eight bedroom houses and just watch their lives. Making up stories about the women spending their days going to Pilates and drinking mimosas while their husbands worked long hours in investments or banking or some shit." I found myself getting lost in my past memories, having not let myself think much about it for so long now. It felt like another lifetime ago.