NINE BOYS ARE STUPID

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The sun had fallen and Helena had mostly tuned out the conversation as she sat next to JJ, letting their legs tangle together as they sat facing each other in the backseat of the van. John B was talking about something to do with a lighthouse, but she wasn't really paying attention as she scrolled through the dozens of texts her sister and friends had sent her.

"I was right about something, though," she heard John B say as the van began to slow down to a stop, "My dad is trying to tell me something."

They hopped out and JJ handed Helena a flashlight, helping her out of the van. She held onto him tightly even though she was having no trouble on the uneven terrain of wherever they had stopped. Perhaps in the dark, she just wanted someone familiar to hold onto. It wasn't like she was scared of the dark or anything weird like that, she just... wanted to hold onto JJ. There was nothing wrong with that, right? Right.

"Hey, come on," John B muttered behind her as he helped Kie out of the van.

"I'm coming," she reassured as she hopped out, "Jeez, this place is scary. John B, what are we doing?"

"Shut up," John B shushed and Helena scoffed.

"Dude, you dragged us here, you could at least tell us what the plan is," the girl chastised, hearing JJ chuckle beside her.

John B just sighed as he began to explain, "You know how when you're trying to remember a song and you can't remember who sings it? So, Redfield. This whole time we thought it was a place, right?"

Wrong. Helena had absolutely no idea what John B was talking about, but she wasn't going to say anything. She really was only here as JJ's plus one, but she didn't mind not understanding a little bit she was just glad to be away from Hailey. Her sister was driving her insane lately and this weird adventure might be a nice little break from that. Not to mention, she got to spend time with JJ. Not that she would admit that out loud.

"But it's not a place," the boy continued as they trudged on through what looked like a cemetery. John B held up his lantern (Who the hell just casually has a lantern?) to illuminate the name on a mausoleum which read "Redfield." "It's a person."

"Voi-effing-la," JJ muttered as he looked up at it.

"JJ, what does all of this mean?" Helena asked in a whisper, only intending for the blond to hear it, but apparently, she wasn't quiet enough.

"John B thinks his dad is trying to help him find some shipwreck," Pope explained, "And he's dragging all of us along with it."

"You came voluntarily," John B reminded them. "See, my great-grandmother Olivia Redfield. That was her maiden name. Guys, help me with the door, come on."

"All right," Pope muttered as the three boys attempted to shove open the stone door. Helena backed up, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire should anything go wrong. It was odd to think of all the things that could possibly lead to her standing in a cemetery in the middle of the night with her ex-boyfriend and his three best friends. Her life on the Outer Banks had never been abnormal, so this was certainly a nice little bright spot on the wave of mundanity she usually experienced. She also just loved pissing off her sister, so that helped.

After a moment of the boys pushing, she heard Pope say, "This door is like 700 pounds, it's not gonna budge."

"We didn't come this far to get this far, all right?" JJ reassured as they continued in their attempt.

It was then that Kie nudged her and pointed her flashlight to a small movement under the wiry branches that covered the broken door. Helena gasped once she realized it was a snake poking its head through.

"A snake!" JJ exclaimed as all three boys backed up. Helena noticed how JJ grabbed onto her to pull her back even though she wasn't in the way of the snake anyway. She still thought it was sweet -- an indirect way of him showing her he cared. Wait, no, she didn't want JJ to care about her. They were not supposed to care about each other, right? Right. Still, she appreciated the sentiment. "That's a moccasin, all right! Ye olde Dr. Cottonmouth!"

"Are you high?" was all Helena could think to ask at that moment as she looked at the boy in awe. Of course, he would know the different types of snakes. Who knows those things?

"No!" JJ scoffed and then proceeded to... bark at the snake. Maybe being broken up wasn't such a bad idea. She was just glad none of her friends were seeing this, they would think he was crazier than they already did.

Kie seemed just as unimpressed as Helena was, "JJ! Shut up! Shut up! Jesus, what is that gonna do?"

"They're scared of dogs," he spoke innocently as if this was common knowledge. It was not.

"You're gonna wake the dead, man," Pope chastised as he pushed the boy back gently.

"Everyone knows that!" JJ reasoned, but Helena just shook her head. After that, John B began to walk back towards the structure. "Woah, hey, hold on."

John B stopped, looking back at the boy, "What?"

Grabbing onto John B's shoulder to pull him back, JJ said, "If there's one, there's probably dozens."

Helena shivered at the thought, she hated snakes. Pretty much anything that crawls, slithers, or bites, she does not fuck with. Understandably so, she thinks.

"What?" Pope muttered.

"All around!" the blond reiterated, shining his flashlight around as if for emphasis.

"Stop, you're scaring me," Kie sighed.

"I don't fuck with this, why did I come here?" Helena groaned, but Kie reached out and squeezed her wrist reassuringly. It did bring a smile to her face when JJ continued with his ridiculous barking.

John B pushed him away from the door, saying, "Dude, stop barking at the snakes."

"Look, John--" Pope started.

"Just making sure it's clear!" JJ reasoned.

Helena laughed to herself, muttering to Kie, "Boys are so stupid."

"Tell me about it," the girl responded.

"Shut up, John, look," Pope continued where he had been interrupted, "We're not gonna get in there, all right? It's not budging. We should probably just get going."

"I second that!" Helena exclaimed with a tight smile, hugging her arms close to herself as the night air was sending a chill down her spine. She looked over to Kie for backup, but the girl was focused on something else as she shined her flashlight on the mausoleum.

The girl interrupted the conversation as she said, "I can get through."

"What?" John B muttered, looking at the girl with a curious expression.

Pope immediately shook his head, "No, no, no, you're not getting in through there. You think you're gonna fit through that hole? I don't even think Helena could and you've got like three inches on her."

"You couldn't get me through there even if my life was at stake," Helena shook her head immediately, not even wanting to entertain the idea.

Kie just rolled her eyes, "Look, John B, this is about your dad. And honestly, I really don't believe in it, but you deserve to know the truth. I'll do it."

"You're a better woman than I," Helena mumbled more to herself than anyone else.

She watched from a safe distance as the boys propped Kie up and were able to get her through that small opening. Helena shivered as she imagined being inside the mausoleum. Maybe she was just prissy, but she was pretty sure it was just gross.

"You alive?" John B asked once she was inside, "You got like a -- a heartbeat and everything?"

"So far," the girl's voice came from inside and Helena breathed a sigh of relief. "Uh, I need some more light."

John B passed her the lantern and they all watched and waited for her to say something. However, she was silent for longer than any of them would have liked. Helena chewed on her fake nails (she knew they wouldn't budge) as they waited.

"Did you find something?" JJ asked after a moment, but they didn't get a response right away.

"Oh, my God."

ending it on a cliffhanger for the drama of it all even though we all already know what kie finds it's for the DRAMA