handcuffs look good on you

"what was your thought process with using your head?"

I raise my eyebrow at JJ as he asks Pope the question, even Kiara laughs at it. we were at Heyward's helping out for the day, but JJ and I kept getting distracted with goofing off. this felt like a good day.

"hey Pope, there's someone here to see you." Heyward announces as he walks towards us. he jerks his thumb behind himself, and we all watch as Shoupe comes in, looking like he means business.

"fuck." I mutter under my breath.

"evening officer." Pope says, seemingly very chill. I was proud of him, even though I knew it wasn't real.

"I have an arrest warrant for felony destruction of property. Hands where I can see 'em." as soon as the words leave Shoupe's mouth, everyone's jaw drops. Kiara lifts her hands and backs away while handcuffs go around Pope's wrists.

"how much did they pay you?"

"Shoupe, what'd he do?"

"c'mon man, this is bull."

my ears were ringing as we all follow Shoupe out of the store, Pope now obviously freaking out. I stood frozen once we got outside. everyone else was yelling and trying to stop it from happening.

until JJ exclaims, "it wasn't him!" I had never wanted to shake the daylight out of him more than I did in that moment. "it was me."

"JJ, don't." I warn, silently begging him to shut his mouth. when my hand brushes up against his, he walks forward.

"he tried to talk me out of it, but I was mad because he'd just been beaten up. I was so sick of those assholes from figure eight that I lost my shit." JJ continues as he gets closer to Shoupe and Pope. "I can't let you take the blame for somethin' I did."

all I could do was watch, but Kiara took my hand because she knew how I was feeling. we were helpless.

"you've got too much to lose." JJ tells Pope, and I now realize why JJ is doing this.

"JJ, what are you doing?" Pope finally questions. he could deny all he wanted, but JJ was doing this for our friend, like always. to protect him.

"I'm telling the truth. for once in my goddamn life, I'm gonna tell the truth." JJ replies as he looks directly at Shoupe. "I took his old man's boat too."

"what the hell?" Heyward snaps.

"JJ, come on-"

"just shut up, Pope! just shut up." when JJ turns to Shoupe, I want to grab him and pull him out of this. pull him away from Shoupe. "he's a good kid. you know where I'm from. this was all me."

"that the whole truth?"

"that's the whole truth-"

"I know what you think dammit, I'm asking Pope!" Shoupe exclaims, causing me to flinch slightly. everyone looks at Pope, and while I'm silently urging him to be smart, I know what he's going to do.

"yeah that about covers it." Pope says quietly.

my heart drops into my stomach and Kiara squeezes my hand when Shoupe begins to put the handcuffs on JJ. before he can be put into the car I rush forward to wrap my arms around him. "I'll be okay, darlin'." JJ whispers into my hair, not able to hug me back.

"handcuffs look good on you." I try to joke, but while it makes JJ laugh it only leaves a bad taste in my mouth. when I pull away, Shoupe gives me a firm nod before nudging JJ into the seat.

————

the next morning, I decide to head over to John B's to devise a plan on how to fix what happened with JJ. I had barely slept the whole night, and had been on and off the phone with Sarah trying to explain what happened.

I'm lost in thought when I begin to pull up to John B's place when I see the boy himself. I want to chuckle at his light pep in his step before I ride up next to him. "howdy there, good sir." I say with a smile, which he quickly returns. "fine day out innit?"

"well yes, it really is a fine day out." he replies as he mimics my exaggerated southern drawl. I hop of my bike and walk beside him while we get closer to the house.

suddenly, someone's hand cover's John B's mouth and pulls him back. by the time I turn around and make sense of it, John B already has the person underneath him. "it's me, JJ. stop, stop, stop."

"JJ, what the hell?" I gasp as he struggles to breathe. John B pulls away with a confused look on his face.

"what are you doing?" John B starts to question before JJ covers his mouth again. the blond reaches over and grabs my wrist, pulling me down to the ground. he then points us both in the directions of a random car sitting hidden close to the house.

"you see that? they're watching us, okay?" JJ explains quietly, and I continue to stare at the car to see what I can make out. the windows were too tinted for me to tell if it was someone sketchy or the cops. "let's sneak around to the dock. we gotta go this way."

the three of us head to the water to avoid the car. I thanked God that today I wore good shoes for the water, but the idea of trudging through it didn't sound pleasing. as soon as we wade in I scrunch my nose at the feeling of being fully clothed in water.

"take my hand, Lyvia." JJ whispers as he reaches for me. I happily place my hand in his and follow close behind. "wait, wait, wait, wait. John B, you got the keys to the pogue?"

"yeah."

we continue through the marsh, JJ keeps hold of my hand until we have to swim. if we weren't in this situation, I'd laugh at how the boys' have their backpacks on their heads. finally, we reach the pogue. the boys climb in first before JJ turns to help me up as well.

as soon as the boat is moving I let out a big sigh of relief.

until my brain registers JJ's face. "what the fuck, JJ?" I exclaim, making him make eye contact with me. he had fresh cuts and bruises that I knew weren't from the fight with the kooks. "what happened?"

"you know, my dad's got the hard right jab. it's fine." he brushes it off but my chest still aches for him. knowing JJ, he would want to talk about it in his own time, so I gently lean over and kiss one of the cuts on his cheek.

John B parks the boat down the marsh, and we hop out to sit on some rocks. "okay, vent time. we're all pretty worked up right now so let's go. do I need to grab a stick to pass around?" I suggest, causing John B and JJ to chuckle.

"Fine. I'll vent." JJ is surprisingly the one to start the conversation, so I hold his hand for reassurance. "first, I almost get strangled to death by kooks, and now I'm on the hook for thirty grand. we should just dip."

"thirty fucking grand?" I almost choke on the words as they come out.

"where do you wanna go, JJ? hm?" John B asks as he raises an eyebrow, looking slightly amused.

"Yucatan."

"Yucatan?" both John B and I repeat him as if it would make more sense.

"no, I'm dead serious right now. surf all day-"

"I'm terrible at surfing." I add quickly.

"-and then we can just live off lobsters we catch with our bare hands." JJ finishes explaining his plan, not acknowledging my input.

"you just wanna leave cause you got your ass beat?"

"you didn't see the photos. those square groupers were killed, probably for the gold." JJ says under his breath, glancing at me with sad eyes.

"how bad?" I murmur the question even though I can see the answer on his face.

"think about it. they're willing to kill for the gold, then it's gotta be out there-"

"have you lost your mind?" JJ yells at John B as he pulls off his hat, interrupting our friend's rambling. "one hundred years man. one hundred years people have been trying to find the royal merchant, and no one succeeded. and you think you are gonna be the one that actually finds it?"

"JJ, let's take a minute to calm down." my hand reaches for his to try to de-escalate the situation.

"when will you get it in your thick skull? if you keep goin' down this road, you're gonna end up just like your dad!"

John B shoves JJ, knocking him into me. "I can't give up, JJ! the last time I saw that due, we got in an argument, and then he took all our rent money and dipped for this royal merchant."

I could hear the pain in John B's voice as he gets closer to JJ. to put some distance between the two boys, I step between them slightly and just nudge JJ back.

"then I told him he was a shit father, and you know how the rest of the story goes."

"John B that wasn't your fault." I whisper to him.

"it doesn't matter whose fault it is, Olyvia! you understand that more than anyone." he was right, I did understand it. didn't make things right but I could understand. "I can't give up on the hunt. I don't care who's out there, who's gonna try to kill us. look, I've got a plan. you guys coming or what?"

as John B grabs his bag and starts to walk back to the Pogue, I glance up at JJ. our eyes met and I could tell we both were questioning the path we were following. but it was John B, and JJ would never abandon him.

"four hundred million, JJ. how much do you owe in restitution?" John B asks from the boat. "how much money has your mom wasted on drugs, Lyv?"

after one last look shared between me and JJ, we both nod and start towards the boat.

————

John B, JJ, and I all split up after making our plan. I had to go get ready for midsummers and be at the party for backup, while John B planned to sneak JJ in somehow. I wasn't sure why I couldn't deliver the little letter to Sarah myself, but I think John B deemed it too risky for me considering I could be preoccupied at any moment.

my dress was a baby blue, with stars across the skirt and on the straps. I had worn it to last years midsummers, but I doubt anyone would notice. as I'm walking up to the party I'm scanning the crowd for Sarah.

thankfully, my phone buzzes in my hand and I see a text from Sarah telling me to come into the building.

"hey, you look beautiful!" when I find her, Sarah smiles as I walk up. "that dress will forever be a winner in my book."

"thanks, I'm hoping no one says anything about it being a repeat dress. knowing everyone here I highly doubt my wishes will be granted." I joke, making us both laugh. when Ward and Rose start to walk up to usher Sarah in the right direction, I give her a supportive squeeze on her shoulder. I know she hates these events as much as I do.

"Lyv, you're here." I turn to see Rafe staring at me, his mouth slightly open as if he doesn't know what to say. "you wore the dress."

for fucks sake, he wore the matching tux from last year.

"yeah, didn't have time to go buy a new one." I lie, giving him a small smile. before I acted normal I wanted to test the waters after what happened. "you look good, Rafe."

"and you... you look beautiful." he tells me before taking a step closer. "seriously. it might be the same dress but you look prettier than last year."

"so I wasn't pretty last year?" I tease him, trying to make light of things.

"n-no that's not-"

"Rafe, I was only joking." I explain while placing a hand on his arm. he lets out a chuckle as he shakes his head. "relax, maybe try to find a drink because it seems like you're tense."

he sighs deeply, and looks towards his family. "I am very tense. you know how my dad is with these things. I'm the perfect son, I put on a smile and have my best manners." it was true, Ward had been hard on Rafe and Sarah to uphold a sort of image in front of people to make them look good.

which is why I always got confused as to how my dad and Ward were the best of friends.

by the time Rafe and Sarah disappeared to walk out with their family, I ventured out to the lawn to see if I could find Kiara. I knew she'd be even more miserable than me in this environment. maybe we could both avoid people together.

it was going to be a very long night.

————