Chasing Sunshine | JJ Maybank

49 // The Phantom

"Dude where is he?"

"Give him a second, he'll be here," Pope answered Kiara's anxious question and JJ chimed in from the deck.

"He's coming, he'll be fine."

I was about to suggest that maybe a couple of us should go looking for him if he didn't show within the next five minutes but the chirping of police sirens had us all whirling around at the Kildare County sheriff's department vehicle rolling slowly up to us. Kie called out in warning, "JJ..."

"Hey, yeah-get back on the boat!" he instructed the rest of us, hands already moving in pattern to get the motor running. I swore under my breath, already swinging one leg over the guardrail while Pope deftly worked to let our tether loose from the dock but JJ stopped him hesitantly, "Wait, no way..."

Looking up towards the sound of a car door shutting, I nearly laughed at loud as my jaw dropped open, pulling myself back fully onto the dock and staring incredulously as John B shouldered his backpack and walked towards us casually. "No effin' way," Pope breathed with a mild degree of suprise.

"I'm sorry?" Kie laughed and JJ walked out from behind the wheel to join me on land, scoffing with a wide smile as he went.

"You've gotta be kidding me."

"Shoupe let me take it for a spin," John B joked once he walked up to us and I couldn't help the increasingly impressed chuckle that accompanied my thankful grin.

"Okay, that's believable," Kie giggled, exhaling with relief and extending her arms to pull him into a tight, grateful embrace, "I'll buy that for now."

Despite his easy-going explanation, I took note of the way he clung onto Kiara with vigor, closing his eyes tight and squeezing once before letting her go. I suspected, as it was for all of us (and probably more so), the past tweny-four hours had taken a harder toll that he would ever admit to. But he only looked around Kie to me, smirking a little when he said, "What, no hug? I'm wounded Meg, really."

"You're late," I observed, already moving towards him with arms raised and appreciative tears welling at the corners of my eyes. I tried to keep the wobble from my voice as I tugged him close but my emotions were already stretched thin from past events and fluctuating wildly despite how hard I might try to resist it. "Don't fucking scare me like that."

"My bad," he chuckled lightly and I pulled away to quickly swipe away one persistent tear before punching him jovially on the shoulder. He just grinned at the predictable gesture, a relic of how our friendship operated before our lives took a tumble into chaos, and rubbed at the spot lightly.

"It wasn't easy bro, but I got the Phantom for you and she runs like she was made yesterday," JJ annouced, gesturing proudly behind himself and tossing the keys to John B with one hand, "You ready to go?"

John B's small smile faded a little when he took a quick scan of our surroundings, turning to us before asking, "Where's Sarah?"

"She's not with you?" Kie replied and John B's tone grew increasingly concerned.

"No, we got separated in the swamp," John B said quickly, "She said she'd meet me here."

"No, we haven't seen her man," Pope said, shaking his head.

"Okay, well, I'm not leaving without her."

"John B look at me," JJ said quickly, jumping down to face him and instructing urgently, "I know you feel bad for leaving but there's no time, man. You've got plenty of gas, plenty of food. Once you get around that point, it's a straight shot across the sound to Dismal Swamp, okay? Once you get there, lay low all right? Hang out for a couple weeks and then go overland, cross the border at Brownsville, you got that? Brownsville."