LXIX. nobody's promised tomorrow

By the time Dylan had searched through the multiple crates inside the train car, Sarah appeared in front of the open door. "How's it looking?" She panned, placing her hands on the cold metal.

"We're still looking," she told her.

"Okay, uh, help me in."

Dylan stepped forward and held out her hand. Sarah latched onto her and she jerked her inside. Topper drove the truck to the car. "It's good. That's good right there," Pope directed.

"How the hell would we know which one it is?" Sarah wondered and eyed the crates around her.

She held Pope's flashlight in her hand. A name appeared in front of her eyes and she squinted them. "Hey, guys," she called out to the others. "This one says Cameron."

"Cameron Development," Pope read the name on the crate and began to smile. "This is it. This is the cross. This is it!"

Topper got out of the truck. "Hey, what are we doing here?"

"We'll put this in your truck bed."

"No, no, no. That's gonna scratch the paint."

"You have the money to repair it," Dylan stated bluntly.

"Dylan," Sarah scolded. "It's fine. It's fine. Just help us spot it?"

"Shouldn't we try to look inside first to make sure?"

"We don't got time for that, girlie." Cleo answered and she hopped inside the train cart with them.

Topper opened the truck bed. Cleo and Dylan got behind the cart and started to push. "That's good. That's good," she repeated as the crate started to slide.

All of a sudden, the train horn blew. "Shit. That can't be good," said Pope.

Dylan groaned. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me!"

"Quick!"

"Hurry up, let's go!"

The girls pushed harder in the back while Sarah and Pope slid the front to Topper so he cooks grab a hold of it. "Wait. It's stuck. Go back!" She heard Topper say.

"Don't mess up the cross!" Pope yelled at him.

"Don't mess up the cross? Don't mess up the truck!"

"Nobody gives a shit about the truck, Topper!" Dylan snapped and grunted again when she pushed the crate.

"Careful, guys!" Cleo warned them.

"Which way do you want it to go?"

"Guys, we have to be quiet."

"Stop!" Somebody shouted. Dylan realized it was Jimmy.

"Shit, we gotta go!" She yelled and grabbed Cleo's arm.

They all scrambled out of the train cart and climbed into Topper's truck, the man still yelling at them to stop. Dylan climbed in the truck bed with Pope. "Go, go, go!" She yelled at the driver.

"Punch it, Chewie!"

"Sarah, how the hell can you live like this? You come from a good family?" She hears Topper lecture Sarah.

"I'm going to kill him, Pope. I swear to god—"

"You can do it later. We don't have time right now!"

Topper pressed harder on the gas and honked the horn at the officer, who jumped out of the way when he didn't come to a stop.

"Sorry, Jimmy!" Dylan yelled at the man. She got a bad feeling in her stomach. "Maybe we shouldn't mention this part to the folks either."

They got away from the train. Topper turned the truck on the highway, going over the bridge. Dylan saw JJ and Kiara on his motorcycle following behind them. "P, there's JJ and Kie!"

Police sirens blared and a cop car appeared behind the two of them, red and blue light shining. JJ gunned it and switched to the other line, trying to catch up next to them. "What the hell is he going?"

"What are you doing?" Pope yelled at him once they were now next to the truck bed.

"Top, keep going straight!" JJ yelled at Topper and quickly looked over his shoulder and edged closer to the truck. "Get ready to jump," he told Kiara.

"What?" She exclaimed.

"What?" Pope yelled after her.

"J, she can't. She'll get hurt!" Dylan shouted at the boy.

"There's not another option, DJ!" JJ yelled back.

"Have you lost your mind?"

"Probably! Get ready to jump."

Dylan's eyes widened. Pope quickly looked at her. "He's crazy." She observed. The cop car was getting closer. The sirens overstimulated her, her heart racing rapidly. JJ was right, they needed to act fast. "Kie, it's okay, we'll be here to catch you!" She yelled at her friend.

Pope stretched out his arm. "Come on, I've got you!" He yelled to her.

Kiara looked hesitant, of course, because there was a chance she could die. JJ got close enough to the truck for her to jump. Shaking, she stood up and climbed her way up the seat, her hands pressed firmly on JJ's shoulders, and when the time was right, she grabbed Pope's arm and leaped into the bed of the truck; landing on top of the crate.

"Holy shit, are you okay?" Dylan asked her, releasing an anxiety induced breath.

"I'm fine." She answered, her eyes immediately going back to JJ.

He started to slow down on the bike. "No, no, no. What's he doing?" She raised her voice, her eyes widening when she saw him stop dead in the middle of the road. "No. JJ, no!"

"Hey, it's okay." Pope said and grabbed her hand. "It's gonna be okay."

"He's trying to get killed," said Kiara, looking terrified.

Dylan felt like she could vomit. She held her stomach and watched the scene in front of her. JJ started his bike back up and he drove in the direction of the police car. He threw a rock at the windshield. Dylan gasped. "Dude!"

"He did it. They're chasing him!" Pope yelled loud enough for the others in the truck to hear.

They started yelling at Topper to stop the truck, to which the boy disregarded of course. Dylan banged on the back glass. "Stop the truck, Topper!" She shouted.

Eventually they coerced him into stopping but he was still hesitant to turn the truck around. Sarah continued to try and assure him from inside the truck. Dylan groaned, becoming fed up. "Topper, your grandfather is literally a judge. My father is a lawyer. You're a rich white guy who lives on Figure Right. You are not going to jail. Turn the fucking truck around!"

That seemed to do the trick. Topper turned the truck around and took the road that led under the overpass. Dylan looked up, seeing JJ driving on the overpass and a car was headed his way. Her eyes widened out of her head when she saw a car driving his way and he wasn't swerving. "Guys, there a car — there's a car!" She yelled with a crack in her voice.

When she watched the bike crash over the rail, Dylan suddenly couldn't breathe. All the breath got hitched in her throat, blocking her airway, and she went completely numb. "N-No," she choked out, her hand shakily covering her mouth.

They all jumped out of the car, staring at the crash scene in front of them with wide eyes. Kiara squatted down and held her head, feeling about the same as she did. She couldn't breathe. She felt faint.

The one thing Dylan never worried about experiencing was drowning. Swimming was second nature to her, she understood the water in ways other people didn't. But this felt like drowning to her. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't think, she couldn't stay afloat. It was the most horrible feeling she ever felt.

"JJ!" She managed to scream but it was a broken scream. She saw the rubble on the ground, smelt burning rubble, looked up at the destroyed railing. A massive wave of emotion hit her in her face and she fell to her knees. "Oh, my god. Oh, my god."

She felt this pain when she thought John B was dead, when she read her letter to his tree, when she laid in bed for days unable to process anything, when she heard people saying his name like he was a horrible person. She lived in a constant rainstorm, her sunshine never coming back out until she discovered that John B was alive.

But JJ was her sunshine. Now. . .Dylan started to cry. The pavement burned her knees, tiny rocks caving into her skin, and she pressed her forearms against the pavement, almost in a front fetal position.

"M-Maybe he's on the bridge," Pope heaved, trying to convince himself. He blinked multiple times, thinking maybe he was dreaming. Then he looked behind him, seeing his girlfriend curling into herself, a crying mess. "DJ. . ."

"I wish I could say I did that on purpose, but, that was the gnarliest power slide I've ever done."

At the voice, Dylan lifted her head and gasped shortly. JJ stood there, alive, out of breath and panting. Pope was the first person to run up and hug him, tears in his eyes. Sarah pushed him by the shoulders before pulling him into a hug. Kiara slowly stood back up, staring at him as if he was a mythical creature, something she knew but still couldn't figure out. "Don't ever do that again," she said breathlessly.

JJ stared back in guilt.

Dylan finally felt strong enough to get back on her feet. As she inched toward him, she thought she was would break down into tears again, but instead she shoved him, which shocked him. "D—"

"Really? It was that easy for you to do that?" She yelled in his face, tears streaking hers. "You would've done that to me? To John B? You would've just left us like that?"

His eyes softened into guilt. "I'm sorry,"

"Sorry." She repeated with a sad laugh. "You selfish bitch. If you ever do that again–" she pointed a finger in his face and slowly, she fell back into tears. "Don't ever do that again."

The pair hugged each other tightly. Dylan's cries muffled against his shoulder blade.

They gathered back in the truck upon being noticed by the police. They somehow all piled in the backseat, leaving the crate in the truck bed unsupervised. "Shit, they definitely called it in." Topper panicked.

"You're not the only white guy on the island who drives a Dodge Ram. You're fine," Dylan assured in a snappy manner.

"Topper, turn here. Turn here!" JJ exclaimed, reaching forward and putting his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Don't – Don't touch the driver, man!" Topper objected.

"Topper, just turn around – AHH!"

Sarah slapped his hand. "Stop. He said don't touch the driver!"

"Then go faster!" Cleo yelled.

"You guys are a nightmare. Do you argue about absolutely everything?" Topper lectured them.

Dylan glared at the back of his head. "I'm about to be a nightmare if you don't step on the damn gas!" She yelled at him.

"Put the pedal to the metal, boy!"

"Maybe put it a little bit. You're going 65!"

"All right, all right. Screw it," Topper gave up and stomped on the gas.

"Thank you!" Dylan exasperated and fell back, her body weight going on Pope's arm.

As they encouraged his need for speed, Topper hit a bump on the road and it shook the truck, causing the cross to fall out the back. "Shit!" He cursed and quickly stopped, tires screeching on the pavement.

"Stop! Stop! We lost the cross!" Pope exclaimed and opened the car door.

Dylan climbed out after him and ran to the back of the truck. She watched Pope shove the lid off the container and she stopped abruptly, seeing that the cross wasn't inside, only three large containers. "What. . ."

"What the hell?" Said Kiara.

"Shit. It's fake. It's a freaking fake." Pope observed and dropped to his knees.

Dylan touches her forehead. "I might actually throw up," she let out and walked toward the railing over the overpass.

"Of course we did. Of course we stole a fake."

"Pope, I'm so sorry," Sarah said with teary eyes.

Dylan covered her mouth with both hands. She began pacing back and forth, the realization settling like a crashing wave. It was the same story over and over and over again. It would always slip through their fingers, and they were putting their lives in danger because of it.

They heard the sirens again. Topper inches toward the truck. "Y'all hear that? Okay, I can't be here. My grandfather's a judge—"

Dylan dropped her hands and scoffed. "Would you please shut the fuck up? You are the least of our worries right now." She snapped at him.

"Dog, would you relax? They're not gonna think some dude in flip flops is part of an armed robbery," JJ also spat.

"Oh yeah? With the crate sitting right next to my truck?"

"Then go! Please go! The only reason you're here is cause you do anything Sarah asks of you."

"DJ," Sarah said in shock.

"No, don't look at me like that. I'm sick of this shit!" She continued to snap. "Let's go before we all end up in jail."

"Pope, we gotta go," Kiara said to Pope, the boy still kneeling by the crate.

But he didn't listen. The sirens were getting louder, meaning they were closer. Dylan jogged up to Pope and put her hands on his shoulders, leaning her mouth by his ear. "Baby, come on. We gotta go. I promise we'll figure something out but we won't be able to from jail. Come on, sweetheart." She encouraged while reaching for his hand, pulling him up to his feet. "Come on, baby." She tugged him towards the truck. "We'll find it, baby. Come on."

They climbed inside the truck again, emotions and adrenaline high. Dylan kissed Pope's temple and she grabbed his hand again. "I'm sorry, baby. I'm sorry."

By the time they got back to the Outer Banks, it was morning. Dylan was tired, she was sad, she was angry for Pope. She just wanted it all to be over but she knew no matter what, she would keep fighting for him, for his family, because she loved him. Love was worth sacrifice. Dylan just wasn't sure how much more she would be sacrificing.

She texted her dad that they were back and forth meet them at the Chateau, unknown to her that John B was back once she saw the Twinkie. "Holy shit, they're back," she voiced.

"That means—" JJ started to say then paused. He turned to her, their smiles stretching in unison.

The last time Dylan saw Big John Routledge, she was fifteen years old. It was before him and John B's fight, before his disappearance, and she had slept over at the Chateau. They had breakfast together, the three of them. They went fighting. John B pushed her off the boat. Big John scolded him for it but then pushed his son in. He was like her second father, much like Logan was to John B. They were a family. She loved him so much.

When she saw him exit the Chateau, alive and well, Dylan couldn't contain her emotions. "Oh, my god." She slipped out and covered her mouth.

JJ jumped on his back, excited and eager like a spider monkey. "Ah, there's JJ!" Big John exclaimed and spun the boy around.

"DJ," John B said and quickly walked up to her, the best friends embracing.

"Oh, I've missed you so much," she whimpered and pressed her hand to the back of his head. "Are you okay? Has everything been okay?"

"Everything's good, D. I promise. . .he misses you." He whispered to her.

Dylan broke apart from him and she gently moved past him, breaking out into a big, tearful smile. Big John pointed at her. "Is that you, Celeste?" He asked and a big ole smile.

Like a little kid, she ran to him. "Oh, my gosh!" She squealed and jumped into his arms, wrapping hers tightly around his neck. She felt him lift her up. "I can't believe you're alive."

"I'm alive, my girl." He told her and spun her around, making her laugh. Big John sat her down and he held her face in his large hands. "Look at you. You're just as beautiful as ever."

Dylan smiled even more, the tears in her eyes continuing to fall.

The sound of a car pulling in caught their attention. She looked over her shoulder, all of them seeing Logan's black Cadillac. Her heart began to race and she looked back at Big John, seeing him stare at the car.

Logan stepped out of the vehicle. "You kids okay? I got Dylan's text—" he cut himself off when he saw all of them standing together, staring at him, then he saw Big John behind his daughter. Logan blinked multiple times.

Dylan stepped aside and stood by John B, the pair smiling at each other and she wrapped her arm around his.

Logan thought he was seeing a ghost the closer he got. His jaw was dropped, phone still raised, and his words were stuck in his throat. "John?" He spoke his name. He blinked again, thinking he was just seeing things, but he stood there, alive and looking the same as he did the last time he saw him. His best friend was in front of him. "Is that you?"

Big John sniffled. He lifted his arms. "Hey, Logan." He said with a small laugh.

The group of friends watched intensely. Dylan's other hand was placed over her heart, feeling every emotion her dad was feeling and her eyes filled with tears again, knowing the significance of the situation.

Then, Logan walked forward again and the men hugged each other. "Holy shit," he released and stared at a tree ahead of him.

Big John laughed and clapped his hand on the man's back. "You haven't aged a day, Logan."

"As opposed to you, old fucker."

They laughed out loud and started to wrestle, much like Big John and JJ moments before. Dylan began to laugh. "Okay, don't break each other."

Big John put him in a headlock, Logan elbowing his gut, and the men continued to laugh. She hadn't seen that look on her dad's face in so long, his eyes shining again like they used to, or she hadn't heard specific laugh in a long time. He'd been heartbroken for so long now.

Seeing John B, Logan finally stood up. "John B, son,"

"Hey, dad." John B laughed and walked into his open arms.

Dylan felt overwhelmed by the amount of emotions and she pressed her hands to her face, not knowing whether to smile or cry. She caught Pope's eyes and he winked at her, making her decision to smile easier.

Logan called Ainsley and Braxton, telling them he had great news and to come to the Chateau but he didn't specify. It was another emotional roller coaster when the mother and son saw Big John, the missing piece rod their family, again. Ainsley broke down into tears like she did. "I can't believe you're alive," she cried into the man's shoulder.

"It's good to see you again, Ainsley." Big John had told her. He picked Braxton up and threw him into the air. "Oh, my god. Look at you! You've grown twelve feet, kid! What are you eating?"

It was a family reunion in a sense. They brought out beers and the radio. They laughed and told stories, crying up old memories, enjoying each other's space. It was healing. A piece of her father had been missing and he finally got that piece back. He was happy.

When he saw Pope kiss Dylan on the cheek, Big John almost had a heart attack. "You're telling me after all these years, Pope Heyward finally got the courage to ask out Dylan Jennings?" He had yelled.

It made them laugh. "Well, actually, someone atas high when he confessed his love," Dylan directed, giving Pope the side eye. "Sorry, mom and dad."

Logan just held up his hands. "I really don't need the details."

"But it was her that finally kissed me—"

"Reallyyy don't want the details, son."

"Yeah, so, um. . .we went to the archives in Charleston, and. . ." John B explained the story to all of them. "It was. . .it was a dead end. A dry hole. So. . ."

"Well, at least we know we're not the only ones with shitty luck," Dylan voiced and drank her beer.

"Celeste," her mom scolded.

"Sorry."

"No, she's right, actually. That's the gold, the cross, and now El Dorado. We're three-for-three guys. The streak continues." Pope rambled and threw his empty beer can.

They fell into silence. Dylan brushed his hair back slightly, signing in disappointment. Logan watched each of their disappointed faces, then he turned to Big John. "Well, I think we need some cheering up about now," he said and stood up, all of them turning to him. "What do y'all say? How about a cook out?"

John B's eyes lit up. "With your famous steaks?"

"Of course with my famous steaks. Who do you think I am."

The bunch rejoiced. John B stood up and Logan wrapped his arm around his shoulder, pulling him into a head lock like he had with his father. He ruffled his hair. "Go to the store with me to get stuff?"

The boy smiled. "You got it, boss."

the reunion I've been waiting for 😭