CHAPTER SEVEN
( ! package for bird ! )

MARLEY STARED DOWN at the package in front of her. She had found a FedEx package with "for bird" written on it. The girl quickly shined a light on it, heading back towards the opening and sticking it out for someone to take it. She felt someone grab it as Pope spoke, "That's not gold." Marley looked through the opening and handed JJ her light, pulling herself out through the opening and landing on the ground.

JJ handed the girl her light back as John B continued to stare at the package, "Holy shit. This is from my dad." Everyone but JJ was standing by John B while JJ was busy lighting a joint; Kie and Marley looked at each other, smiling.

But that was before JJ spoke up, "Code red. Code red. Square groupers! Square groupers!" Everyone else turned before Kie and JJ ushered them to run the other way as JJ spoke again, "It's the guys who robbed your house." Marley felt her heart rate increase as she began to freak out. The group hid behind a big wall, and the boys had difficulty turning their lights off. Marley quickly turned hers off as she watched Pope turn JJ's headlight off.

"John B, your light!" Kie snapped, as John B had yet to turn his off. Kie sighed, "Do you think it's them?" JJ nodded. "Homies got a gun." Kie stood up at that, "Screw this." She began running towards the van, and the group followed behind quickly. They all hopped the fence, everyone making it over except for Pope, who got stuck. "Guys, I'm stuck!" Pope freaked, and JJ grabbed the gun, "No. Pope, don't move, okay?" Marley grabbed JJ's arms and pulled the gun from his hands, "Don't even think about it." Kie pulled Pope off the fence, his pants coming off of him.

"Nice! Come on, dude. It's a little tootsie roll," JJ laughed, making the girls laugh as they all ran towards the van. The girls and Pope quickly got in the back, with JJ sitting up front and John B driving. Pope quickly grabbed his junk as Kie shut the door, and the group was off.

THE GROUP GOT back to John B's to look inside the package. JJ decided making a peanut butter sandwich with moldy bread would be a good idea, and Marley gave him a grossed-out look. Pope frowned at the boy, "That bread had mold on it three days ago."

"I'll just pull off the bad parts," JJ shrugged, making Marley scrunch her nose up, grossed out. "JJ, please do not put that in your mouth." JJ looked over at the girl. "Mold is good for you. It's just a natural organism." Marley turned away, shaking her head. It was his funeral.

"JJ," Kie stated, trying to get the boy's attention so he would join the rest of the group in the package opening. "Yup, yup, yup. Hot damn! Let's do it!" JJ cheered. Marley watched JJ closely, amused, as JJ took a bite of his sandwich before quickly spitting it out as he gagged. When he returned, Marley was shocked to see him still with said sandwich, picking the mold off.

John B had opened up what was in the package, showing that it was a map. "Holy shit," spoke the boy as he looked at what his father had left for him. "Oh. X marks the spot," Pope stated as he pointed towards the x on the map. John B moved his finger across the map and then up, "Longitude, latitude," he then felt the package again, "Wait, there's somethin' else in there."

He pulled out a tape recorder, and JJ looked at it confused, "What's that?" Kie looked at the boy like he was an idiot, "It's a tape recorder, dumbass." John B pressed play, and his father's voice began to speak. "Dear bird." JJ quickly cut the message off as he questioned, "Who's Bird?"

"That's what my dad called me." John B explained. Marley raised her eyebrows. "Well, shit."

"I hate to say, "I told you so," but I told you so. And you doubted your old man. I suspect, at this moment, you're filled with guilt and self-loathing over our last fight, but don't kill yourself just yet, kid. I didn't expect to find the merchant either," All the teens look at each other, shocked, "You were probably right to call me out. Wasn't exactly father of the decade. What can I say, kid? I could smell the barn. And hopefully, we're listenin' to this in our brand new sugar shack down in Costa Rica, livin' off passive investments and pulling on permits. If not, and you find this for less than optimal reasons, well, that's what the map is for. There she is, the wreck of the Merchant. If somethin' happens to me, finish what I started. Go for the gold, kid. I love you, bird, even if I didn't always act like it. I'll see you on the other side." Big John's voice spoke before the recording ended. Marley frowned, looking over to John B.

The recorder began to static, and John B stared at it. Marley put her hand on his shoulder in comfort before he stood up and left the room in tears.

"Holy shit, he did it! Big John–– he found the Merchant––" JJ spoke excitedly before Kie cut him off, "Can you... Can you please?" JJ noticed John B had left and nodded, "Sorry." Marley walked over to John B and set her hand on his shoulder before giving the boy the best hug she could. Kie soon joined in the support, wrapping her arms around both the boy and Marley as he held onto the doorframe for support.

After John B calmed down, the group headed out onto the dock, and Kie began to play the ukulele as they all sat silently. JJ was the first one to break the silence when he asked, "How much was it again?" Without looking at the boy, John B responded, "Four hundred mil."

Kie stopped playing, and JJ sighed, "All right, let's talk the split. 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? Protection? Not cheap, okay?" Marley scoffed, "JJ, all you did was defend us from a loud chicken." Pope nodded in agreement, "Yeah, and you haven't trained. You've done zero training."

"YouTube, bro!" JJ responded like it was obvious, and Marley looked at him. So, if I go on YouTube and learn karate, then I can take some of your protection share, right? Because with your logic––" JJ cut her off, shaking his head, "Absolutely not."

"That's at least a five percent bump right there. Any objections?" JJ continued, and Marley and Kie raised their hands, but he continued, "Didn't think so." Pope noticed JJ ignoring the girls because they only raised their hands, so he spoke up. "Yeah." JJ ignored him, "I don't hear any, so..." Kie turned to Pope, ignoring JJ's decision about the split, "What are you gonna do with your Eighty mil, Pope?"

"Pay for college in advance. And also textbooks. Those are expensive," Pope answered. JJ looked at Kie. " What about you, Kie?" Pope smirked. Yeah, what does a socialist do when she's rich?" Kie chuckled lightly. I just want to make a double album about OBX and the Pogues. You know, The Way Catch a Fire is about Kingston. Recorded at Marley studio, Peter Tosh producing."

"I love having a studio named after me." Marley sighed, smiling. "Peter Tosh is dead." Pope noted, and Kie nodded, "Peter Tosh is dead. I know that Pope. The spirit of Peter Tosh will never die," Kie turned to Marley, "What about you, Mar?" JJ nodded, looking at the girl. "Yeah, what does the niece to the King of the Kooks do with Eighty mil?" Marley gave JJ a deadpan look before smiling at Kie, thinking about it momentarily before responding, "Funny, JJ. I guess I'd use it to get my mom off the Cut, and I'd save some for my sister to be able to go to any college she wants. I know my dad could pay for her, but I want to do it. He'd set boundaries, but I know how clever that kid is, and I want her to do what she wants."

Pope looked at the girl, "Would you get yourself anything?" Marley thought about it briefly before smiling, "It's gonna be lame but changing their lives will be something for me. I'll be able to see them happy. But I also might buy a bright pink jeep just for the hell of it."

Marley's friends laughed at her last wish before jj spoke, "I know what I'll do. I'm gonna get a big ass house on figure eight and go full Kook." pope laughed, unconvinced, "You're gonna go full Kook?" JJ nodded, "Yup. Gonna get a marble statue of myself, and then I'm gonna get a koi pond. Put a bunch of those fish––" Kie laughed. "I'm never visiting." Pope turned, asking John B, "What are you gonna do, JB?"

He took a second before turning to his friends with a small smile, "To going full Kook!" The rest of them smiled at each other before they lifted their drinks, and all said simultaneously, "To going full Kook!" The group clicked their drinks together before they all took a sip.

IT WAS LATE when Marley made it to her dad's house on Figure Eight. He was able to buy the house just down the road from his brother so that they could all spend quality time as a family together. Marley opened the door and silently cursed to herself when she saw her father's shadow coming her way. "Marley Jeen, is that you?" Marley sighed, "Yeah, it's me, Dad." Her father came into the front room, "Where have you been? It's 3 am!"

The girl sighed as she slipped by him, "I was with my friends, Dad." Her father scoffed, "Oh, your friends? What were you doing with your friends? How often have I told you they are a bad influence?" Marley began counting her fingers before looking up. "Yeah, I don't have enough fingers to count that." Michael sighed. "That is exactly my point, Marley Jeen; these people are corrupting you." Marley turned back to her father, "You were fine with them when I was younger, and you were fine with them until you met the step-monster. How is she, by the way?"

Her father sighed, "She is fine, and would you stop calling her your step-monster? And also, I liked your friends before they became drunk teens who don't understand responsibility." Marley scoffed. "Trust me, they understand responsibility. Far more than anyone on this side of the island. They all have jobs and must figure out how to keep food on their tables, unlike here." Michael looked at her, "Don't think I don't know that your little leader was fired from his job working for your uncle's Ward? Sweetheart, he stole from your uncle."

Marley sighed, knowing she'd never win the argument, but continued anyway, "He didn't steal anything, Dad! He was borrowing it." Her dad went to respond when another voice joined the conversation, "Marley?" Marley turned around and smiled when she saw Berkley. She approached her little sister and smiled, "Hey Berk, what are you doing up?" Berkley tried to rub the tired out of her eyes as she responded, "Wheezie is over for a sleepover, and we were about to go to sleep when we heard voices downstairs."

Marley frowned. " I'm sorry, bug. I'll walk you back to your room so I can say hi to Wheezie, okay?" Berkley nodded as Marley began to walk her sister to her room. She was happy to escape the constant fighting that came with her father.

Once Marley entered the room, she smiled at her little cousin, "Hey, Wheez, how's it hanging?" Wheezie smiled at the older girl, "Hi, Marley Jeen, I'm doing pretty good." The older girl nodded before kissing her little sister on the head and Berkley walked back over to her bed. Marley waved at the girls, "Night, don't let the bed bugs bite." She smiled when she saw the two look at each other and jokingly roll their eyes before she shut the door and headed toward her own room.

Marley looked around the room. Her room at her dad's felt bigger than her house at her mom's, and she hated the difference. She wished that her parents had a better relationship so her father would actually help her mom instead of leaving her to do it all alone. Marley laid down on her bed with a sigh. In the morning, she'd be heading over to Kie's parents' restaurant to hang with Kie before the boys came and picked the girls up.

After a little, the girl fell into a peaceful sleep.