─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───

The Alvarez sisters had ended up staying the night at the Camerons. The four girls relocated to the boat, as Sarah insisted they would get a better night's sleep under the AC. Soleil was forced to wake up by the sound of metal banging. She rubbed her eyes together, clearing her foggy vision enough to see John B standing inside the boat with them.

Her eyes grew wide at the sight of her friend and she glanced over to Sarah. "You're not Wheezie." Sarah pointed out. John B nervously chuckled at her observation. "Correct. Yeah." He nodded.

The girl sighed, her heart pounding as John B had taken her by surprise. "I'm sorry—" He started. "What are you doing?" Sarah groaned. "Are you here for Soleil?" She asked.

The girl wasn't too sure what lies John B was going to make up, so she spoke for him. "Can't be, I've never seen this guy before in my life." She shrugged, her voice going up an octave.

Sarah gave her a look, "Seriously?" She questioned. "I saw you two together at the kegger and I know you're all friends."

Sunny sighed, pretending to have been caught. "Fine... you're right. He's my boyfriend." John B was taken aback by her claim, "What? No, I'm not." He shook his head.

"You say that like it's a bad thing." She scoffed, crossing her arms. John B just disregarded her, his gaze returning to Sarah. "Look... I'm just dropping off some scuba gear. What are—what are you guys doing... here?"

"It's our boat." Sarah stated the obvious. "It's also the only place with air conditioning."

"Right."

Sunny nodded in agreement, "You weren't wrong about getting a good night's sleep down here." She stated as she stretched her arms out.

"I know." She smiled before turning to John B. "So, did you, um... top up the tanks?" Sarah asked.

"Uh... No. No, power's down, so the compressors were off." John B explained before clearing his throat. Sarah raised her eyebrow at him, "So, you're sneaking onto our boat at 5:00 a.m with empty tanks?" She challenged, "I'll make sure to tell Ward."

Soleil cringed at her words, sitting up straighter. John B gave her a look of desperation, silently pleading for her help. She just shrugged, unsure of what to do. "Okay. Okay." John B nodded, placing the empty tanks down. "Cool. Cool. Just drop these off."

"Yeah, yeah, the middle of the room is fine." Sarah remarked. "Yeah, this is pretty much what he told me to do." John B lied.

"Bye." Sarah stated as he began to leave. But the boy spun on his heel, turning back to face the girls. "Actually, you know, what... what exactly were you gonna tell your dad?" He questioned, hiding his fear with a chuckle.

"Nothing much. Just that you poached our scuba gear." Sarah stated. Soleil sighed, "I think poached is definitely overdramatising the situation." She commented.

"Oh yeah?" Sarah challenged, looking over to the girl. "How would you describe it?" Sunny shrugged at her question, "Fried, scrambled... boiled?"

"You're just naming the ways you can make eggs." Sarah sighed. "You started it with poached." Sunny shot back.

"Okay, fuck. I borrowed it for a few hours." John B confessed, their argument making him crumble under pressure. The two girls looked up at him as he continued. "Okay? And then I brought it back intact and unharmed."

"Minus air." Sarah pointed out, causing him to stress even more. "Look, please don't tell him. Okay? He'll fire me." The boy pleaded.

"What are you gonna do? Pull a gun on me?" Sarah challenged, making Soleil's jaw drop. John B sighed. "Okay, I didn't know JJ would do that."

"That's convenient to believe." Sarah rolled her eyes. "Maybe you should get better friends." She advised.

"Well, maybe you should get a better boyfriend." He snapped back. At this point, Sunny's head was moving back and forth between them, as if she was watching a tennis match.

"Like one who doesn't poach?" Sarah questioned.

"I mean... he did try to drown John B." Sunny reminded her, her voice softer. "John B threw the first punch—" Sarah started, ready to defend her boyfriend.

"Look, please, just don't tell him." John B begged. "Okay?"

"Relax. I'm not gonna tell him anything. Your secret's safe with me, John B." Sarah reassured him. The boy smiled at her words, and this didn't go unnoticed by Sunny. "Okay, you can leave now." The girl ordered, getting more comfortable.

"Right. Yeah. Uh... I'll leave... I'll leave that right there." John B said, stepping out of the room.

"Bye."

Soleil jumped to her feet. "You know, I'm gonna go with him." She announced. "Thank you for having me. Tell Winny and Wheezie I said bye... wherever they are."

"Yeah, sure." Sarah nodded, "See ya."

"Bye!" Sunny waved, seizing her shoes and running after her friend. Wynter and her new friend, Wheezie Cameron, were watching as she exited the boat. They had heard the whole interaction. Wynter glanced at Wheezie, confused as to why they were hiding, but the girl just shushed her.

─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───

"I don't think I've ever third wheeled so hard." Sunny chuckled, sitting down on the deck of John B's boat. "What are you talking about?" He questioned.

"You and Sarah. That was some pretty hardcore flirting." She stated. John B scoffed. "No, it wasn't. The only person flirting was you... with me. I mean, what was that? You seriously crack under pressure, you know that?"

"I'm well aware. So... is this us breaking up?" Sunny questioned. John B laughed at her words, "Soleil Alvarez, you never fail to make me laugh. Did I tell you how glad I am that you guys moved here?" He asked.

"You have now." Sunny said. "Also, I'm taking your bed since you ruined my lovely sleep."

"What were you dreaming about that made it so lovely?"

"Well, Pope and I used to always talk about how unicorns were real. And I was thinking about that before I went to sleep. So, in my dream we were all unicorns... and we all ate rainbows and shit out butterflies."

"That's... beautiful, Sunny!" John B nodded. "So, you were thinking of Pope, huh?" He started.

"Unicorns." She corrected him.

"Right, but you said Pope." John B said.

"Pope and Unicorns," Sunny concluded. John B sighed, "Pope and Unicorns, he'll love that." He muttered.

Once they arrived at the chateau, Sunny used one of the unopened, unused toothbrushes she found in the bathroom drawer and scrubbed her teeth. Next, she wished John B goodnight and made her way to his bed. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep after her head hit his pillow.

A few hours passed and JJ arrived at the Chateau. He forcefully woke up John B and decided the girl was his next target. His plan was simple. Squirt some shaving cream into her hand, tickle her nose and watch as she covered her face in the foam.

"JJ, it's not gonna work." John B muttered, only to be silenced by the blond.

What JJ didn't realise was that Sunny had woken up from the sound of the foam leaving the bottle and that she had used that same prank on her family members. So once he tickled her nose, she slightly peeled her eye open and slammed her hand onto his cheek. John B burst out into laughter as JJ groaned with irritation.

"What's that, JB? One-Nil?" She questioned, sitting up and rubbing the remaining foam onto his face. John B nodded, "One-Nil, baby!"

"Sunny, you're the worst." The blond boy muttered, making his way to the bathroom.

∙ ~εïз~ ∙

"I'm just saying, I don't understand why you don't at least try with Kiara. She clearly likes you." JJ told his friend. "She's like, "Oh, John B."

The three were in John B's MiniBus, on their way to Scooter Grubbs's house. "Is that what she does?" The brunette challenged. JJ groaned at his incompetence. "She's sketching about you diving, then she kissed you."

"You and Kie kissed?!" Sunny exclaimed from the back seat. She leaned forward through the driver's and passenger's seats to be more involved in the conversation. "Where was I?"

"You were there, Sunshine—"

"She kissed me on the cheek." John B reminded them. "It's not like we were makin' out."

"Low-hanging fruit, bro." JJ shrugged. "Don't pretend you don't notice. I see it in your eyes. You're like, "I kinda like that, and you start blushing."

"Oh, JB." Sunny chuckled. "That is so cute." She beamed.

"I blush?"

"Yeah."

"Really?"

"Yeah." The boy nodded, reaching for the compass they had found. John B quickly grabbed his arm, not wanting the boy to damage the artefact. "Hey, don't-" He started.

JJ jerked his arm away, bringing the compass closer to his face. "I was just looking at it. I gotta admit, your father's compass in Scooter's boat, that's freaky."

"Yeah. That's why we're going to talk to Ms. Lana, figure this whole thing out." John B explained. JJ scoffed, "I'm sure she would just love to talk to us. It's not like her husband just drowned or anything."

"We gotta be real compassionate when we see her, alright?" Sunny spoke up. "I'm talkin to you, Jay."

"Sunshine, when have I ever not been compassionate?" JJ questioned. "I'm the most compassionate person you know."

John B scoffed. "Do you even know what compassion is?" He asked. JJ rolled his eyes, placing the compass back on the dashboard. "Of course I do. I'll be the nicest version of myself." JJ smiled.

"Guys... compass is in the word 'compassion'." Sunny stated. JJ gasped, pretending to be shocked. "Your intelligence amazes me everyday, Sunny."

"Yeah, her lack of." John B joked, making JJ snicker. The girl rolled her eyes, leaning back in her seat. "Here I am. Stuck with two assholes." She sighed.

"Hey, you chose to come here." John B reminded her. Sunny nodded, "After I saved your ass with Sarah." She reminded him.

John B laughed, "Saved? She didn't buy a word of what you were saying." He uttered.

JJ's eyebrows knitted with confusion. "Am I missing something?" He questioned.

∙ ~εïз~ ∙

"Know what this house looks like?" JJ asked, opening the car door for Sunny. He put his hand out for her, allowing the girl to gracefully climb out. "Whoever lives here smokes too much weed."

"So, you in the future?" Sunny joked, making John B smile. Before JJ could retaliate to her comment, the sound of clattering and glass smashing echoed in their ears. Sunny's eyes widened and she and JJ shared a look of terror.

"Bullshit!"

"Maybe we should come back." JJ suggested. "It's a little too soon."

"No, no, shut up. Shut up, JJ." John B silenced them.

"Tell me where it is, or I'll fuck you up. I'll sink you in the fucking..." They heard someone yell. There was a much larger crash, making the trio flinch back. JJ quickly grabbed Sunny's arm, slightly pulling her back.

"You're hurting me!" Lana Grubbs screamed.

JJ tried to make another comment, but John B was quick to silence him, "Shut up. Come on. Come on." He spoke, his voice barely audible due to the loudness in the house.

"Where the fuck is it, you bitch?"

"I don't know!"

Sunny crouched down, following behind the two boys as they approached the home.

"Is it here in this house? Is it somewhere else?"

"Please! I... I didn't..."

JJ rushed forward, pulling John B down. "You—" He started

"Shut up." John B hissed as Sunny rested her back against the wall, panting with nervousness.

"You still think we should stay?" JJ asked him.

"The compass wasn't in the boat!" One of them yelled. "Where is it, Lana?"

"I don't know!" She sobbed.

JJ glanced over to Sunny, who was growing visibly distressed. He reached over and used his hands to cup both of her ears, "Don't listen." He instructed.

"This is so fucked up." She shook her head. As JJ nodded in agreement, someone backed up into the wall they were leaning on. The force of their body made some dry paint from the walls chip off, landing in their hair.

"Is that paint?" JJ questioned, looking at the white pieces in Sunny's dark hair. "Yes, it's paint." John B quickly said.

"Let's get the hell outta here, man."

"We should just go." JJ suggested, peeling his hands off of Sunny's ears. John B got to his feet and made his way to the edge of the house. "He's got smuggler-" "Shut up." John B cut him off. "...smuggler written all over him."

The boy quickly flinched back, almost making himself visible to the two intruders. "Shut up. Shut up."

They all gradually glanced over the corner of the house, watching as the two men entered their boat to get away. "Dude, those were the guys that shot at us." Sunny stared at them, scanning their bodies and faces from afar.

"Go back. Go back. Go back." John B ordered and the two did as he said. Once the boat had driven off, the trio made their way into the house. Sunny couldn't help but feel heartache as she walked through the home. This woman had just lost her husband and now she was being attacked in her own home.

"Ms. Lana? Ms. Lana?" John B called out. They finally spotted the woman sitting on the ground of her bathroom. John B and Sunny rushed over to her, JJ trailing behind them. "Hey. Hey! Hey, are you okay? It's okay."

"Dude, she's tweaking." JJ spoke up over her cries. Sunny gently took the woman's hands in hers, giving them a reassuring squeeze. "Can you blame her?" She asked him, her voice full of concern.

"Do you need a doctor?" John B offered. "Let's call the sheriff's department."

"No, no, no. No cops, please." The woman begged. JJ winced at her words. "Mm. That's not good. Come on, guys. Let's just go."

"You shouldn't be here." She sobbed. JJ nodded at her warning, "That's enough for me. Come on."

"Wait, wait." John B shook his head. Sunny sighed, "JJ, just chill for a second."

"Chill?" He asked, "She is begging us to leave her alone."

"What do you know about these guys?" John B interrogated. Lana sniffled. "They were looking for something." She told him.

John B reached into his pocket, pulling out his Dad's compass. "Does it have anything to do with this? Do you know anything about this? This is my father's, and Scooter had it. Why?"

Scooter didn't have it, okay?" She told him. "Don't tell anyone you have it."

JJ had enough. He placed his hands under Sunny's armpits and pulled her up off of the ground, "Come on."

"Why?"

"They can't know!" She yelled, clearly getting pained. "You've gotta get out of here!" Lana ordered.

"What do you know about the compass?" John B pressed. Sunny shook her head, placing her hand on John B's shoulder, "JB, come on."

"Go! Get out!"

"We gotta go. Let's go." JJ said, dragging his two friends out of the house.

⎯ ❃ jania speaks!
no pope x sunny content this chapter :( but it is the start of her friendship with sarah and an insight into her, jj and jb's dynamic, i think they're super fun