▶️ Llegaste Tú - CNCO, Prince Royace

T H E B O N E Y A R D
B A T T L E

There was word going around the island that a dead body was found near the marsh. We decided to go see if the rumors were true. Standing a few feet away from the group of people showing Miss Lana her dead husband's body, the crew stared sorrowfully. It turns out, Scooter, her husband, had died during the hurricane.

"It's Scooter Grubbs. He was out during the storm." One of our classmates, Kaci, informed us. She took out her phone and tried showing it to John B. "Check this pic I got. Dead body. Insane."

John B stared at the phone with a blank face. When Kaci realized he wasn't interested, she started to show the rest of the Pogues the picture. They all leaned toward her in curiosity. I flinched away when the phone neared my face. Great. Now I'm going to have nightmares of a dead Scooter Grubbs.

"Did you really take a picture of Scooter Grubbs' dead body? That's so disrespectful." I looked at her in disgust.

"Holy shit."

"What kind of boat did he have?" JJ spoke from beside me, leaning his weight against a post with one arm.

"Somehow, that dirtbag cooped a brand new Grady White." Kaci informed us. My attention fully turned towards the girl. "Everyone's looking out for it."

I exchanged a nervous look with Kie and Pope. The Grady White we found was the one Scooter has taken out during the storm. In my peripheral vision, I saw the coast guard wheeling Scooter Grubbs toward the ambulance.

🌊

After the news, we went to the Château. We were on John B's porch, thinking over the death of Scooter Grubbs and the Grady White. I sat on the chair, anxiously picking at my nails. The baby blue nail polish I had was now chipped off.

"Okay." Pope rushed through the porch door. He glanced at all of us nervously as he went to take a seat near Kie. "So um...we didn't see anything. We don't know anything. We need to have total and complete amnesia."

"Actually, Pope's right for once." JJ noted, standing up from his chair. Pope looked at him in shock. "See, I agree with you sometimes. Deny, deny, deny."

"Guys, we can't keep that money." Kie shook her head.

"I'm not exactly saying we should..." I trailed off, gnawing on my bottom lip. Now that Papi lost his job, our main income, we're going to need another way to bring money in. Especially with Lucas' condition. "But, if they aren't exactly looking for it or know that it's missing, we're fine...right?"

"Yes." JJ raised a brow and pointed at me.

"No." Kie quickly denied.

"Okay. Not all of us can afford unlimited data plans, Kiara." JJ told her.

"We have to pass that off to Lana Grubbs." Kie looked at me for help. "Otherwise it's bad karma."

"She's right. Lana's husband just died. Funerals aren't exactly cheap." I sighed in defeat, any hope of getting extra money to help my family diminishing.

"Bad karma to be implied in a felony, too." Pope added. "We gotta go dark."

"If it means to keep the money, then I agree." JJ quickly inputted, stopping to lean against the porch door.

"'Kay." I nodded slowly. Everyone turned to look at me with mild shock. "Let's just go ahead and go to Mexíco. They won't search for us there. And we have the cash to give us a head start."

"I like that plan. That's a solid plan right there." JJ snapped his fingers and pointed at me with a grin.

"I don't agree." John B finally spoke up, patting JJ's shoulder.

"Buzzkill." I muttered under my breath.

John B gave me a look as he started to walk toward us. I held up my hands in defense and gave him a shrug.

"What? Why?" JJ asked.

"Just think about it. This is Scooter Grubbs we're talking about. Same dude that's buying individual cigarettes at the Porthole. Shit, one time I saw this dude begging for change in the Save-A-Lot parking lot because he needed gas." John B ranted. I bit my lip and lowered my eyes to look at the ground. He was right. "We're talking about a dirtbag marina rat who's never had more than forty bucks in his pockets, and all of a sudden he's got a Grady White? Just sayin'."

"So you agree with JJ and I then." I smirked.

"I didn't exactly say that." John B shook his head.

"You're not denying it." JJ grinned, walking over to me to give me a high five.

"I'm denying it right now." John B smacked my hand away before I could slap JJ's hand.

"Someone's upset!" I sang out.

"Dude, let's just go to Mexico. We'll live guilt free there. No felonies," JJ glanced at Pope, "bad karma can't reach us there-"

"That's not how it works." Kie furrowed her brows and shook her head.

"And you don't have to deal with the DCS." JJ finished, patting John B's shoulder.

"I'm going fishing. I can't with this right now." Pope shot up from his seat to go grab the fishing gear.

"Actually, fishing sounds good right now." I nodded in agreement.

"To fish!" JJ pumped his fist into the air as he deepened his voice to resemble a Viking.

Kie rolled her eyes and pushed herself off the bench. John B chuckled, following after Pope to get the fishing poles. I fought a smile, standing to my feet.

"What?" JJ looked at them in confusion.

"You need help, my friend." Kie walked past him and toward the pier.

"I don't need help."

"Come on you goof." I wrapped an arm around JJ's shoulder.

Twenty minutes later, we're at the pier. Kie was chilling a little behind us on the wooden table we used to cut up the fish. Pope and JJ were fishing. I was currently baiting a minnow onto my hook. Then, there was John B. He was sitting on the wooden railing overlooking the water.

"Alright, so think about it, Pope." John B started, coming back to the topic about Scooter Grubbs. I let out a groan and cast my line out into the water. "How does a marina rat get a Grady White?"

"Prostitution." Pope inhaled sharply, annoyed with John B.

"Square groupers, bro. Okay, flying under the radar, no aerial surveillance. They don't do that stuff during a hurricane." John B started to list. He counted them off with his fingers. John B twisted his body to point at JJ. "What does that mean? JJ?"

"They were straight smugglin'." JJ replied.

"Smugglin'." John B repeated. He looked at Kie and pointed at her. "And I guarantee there's a serious amount of contraband in that wreck."

"Hell yeah." JJ agreed.

"Or he could have already stashed it somewhere else." I shrugged.

"Hey." John B gave me a stern look and turned his finger towards me. "No negative talk."

"Just sayin'. It's a possibility." I held a hand up.

"Oh!" JJ's fishing pole started to bend. He quickly started to reel. "Fish on!"

"Damn it." I dug into my pocket.

"Gimme." John B smugly held out his hand. I hand him my five dollar bill. He let out a giggle of sorts, pocketing the money. "You suck at bets, Nina."

"You really do." Kie laughed at me.

"Maybe you should stop." Pope gave me a sympathetic smile, patting my shoulder.

"And maybe," JJ grunted as he tugged at his fishing pole, "you should stop betting on yourself? That's a one in five chance of you winning."

"Are you doubting my fishing skills, Maybanks?" I quirked a brow.

JJ just sent me a grin. With a scoff, I flicked him off. Everyone else just laughed at us. Kie and Pope wiggled their brows at me. I rolled my eyes at the two of them. JJ finally brought his fish, a drum, up. He let out a cheer and waved the fishing line to show off his catch.

"You're going to unhook it." I warned him.

"You're just jealous!" JJ sang out the last word.

He unhooked the drum and placed it in the bucket. JJ grabbed a minnow and hooked it. There was a tug from my end of the fishing line. A smirk grew on my lips. Another tug.

"Pay it up!" I called out, quickly reeling in the fish.

"Shit." JJ groaned out.

"Crap man," John B whined as he dug out the five bucks he just won, "Pope, you were supposed to be the next one."

"Hey, all your marina rat talk is scaring my fish away. You're bringing bad mojo. Go scare off JJ's or Nina's fish." Pope shooed John B away from him.

🌊

About an hour later, we finished fishing. Pope, JJ, and I caught a total of seven fish. Turned out, John B was bad mojo. Pope caught three fish after John B came to ruin my fishing. I gave up after getting my hook stuck in the oyster bed patch. So to waste time, I ended up gutting the fish and filleting them to cook for later.

Now, we were all in John B's room. Pope was sitting on the bed. Kie and John B was on the other window sill. I was sitting on the table in the corner with one leg dangling off and the other brought close to my chest. My arm was lazily draped on top of my knee.

John B had his guitar in hand. He would play random chords sporadically. JJ came back from storing the fish in the ice chest, waving something in front of Pope's face. Pope snatched the wad of cash from JJ's hand. The later sitting himself down in the window sill.

"For the record, if that is a smuggling ship," Pope brought the topic back up again, "with illegal contraband on the inside of it...it probably belongs to someone else."

"Minor details." Kie simply shrugged.

"They could come looking for it." Pope waved the cash in his hand. "Taking it would be catastrophically stupid."

"You know what else is stupid?" I grinned, leaning towards Pope. He furrowed his brows and looked at me. "Having your fingerprints all over that cash. Evidence."

"Holy shit." Pope immediately dropped the cash onto the bed as if it burned him.

"Right." JJ flashed me a grin and he picked the money back up. He fanned our the cash in front of Pope. "Well, stupid things have good outcomes all the time."

"Eh, debatable." I leaned back against the wall.

"All we need to do is figure out a way to get into the cargo hold of that wreck. Until then, we just lay low. Just act normal." JJ sat back down on the window sill.

"Right." Pope drawled out. "And how exactly do we do that?"

"Kegger?" Kie suggested.

🌊

We ended up agreeing on throwing a kegger. I never question how John B and JJ got a hold of a kegger and I don't plan on asking today. The less I know, the better.  We set up on the isolated beach, the boneyard, where the teenagers of the island typically throw keggers. No parents. No cops. It's a fun time.

Word of the party quickly spread. By sundown, teens from all parts of the island were here. Cheers and laughter echoed in the air. I heard JJ's familiar laugh. Following it, I saw him high five a female tourist. My lips twisted into a frown.

"You know," John B handed me a red solo cup filled with beer, "if you keep staring at him like that, you are going to make your crush on him even more obvious."

"I don't have a crush on him." I muttered, taking a gulp from my cup.

"Right." John B sent me an all knowing smirk.

"Hey...why exactly did you enforce the no Pogue on Pogue macking? Was it because of the drunk kiss between JJ and I?" In annoyance, I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear that had been smacking me in the face.

John B stood silently beside me. He pressed his lips together and stared at the tide. I looked up at him in expectancy. With a sigh, he took a swig of his beer.

"Look, you're basically a little sister to me, okay? And seeing you kiss JJ while intoxicated...I don't know." John B wet his lips. He glanced at me nervously. "All I thought about what how you two can end up hurting each other if you took it further, ya know? Then I thought about how most friendships that have...ya know that, ended up being ruined. I didn't want that for you or any of us."

"Oh."

"Are you mad?" John B asked in a soft voice.

"No." I quickly shook my head and looked at him with a small smile. "You're just looking out for us. I get what you're saying."

"You sure?" John B pressed.

"Positive." I chuckled out.

"You're not just saying that so you won't hurt my feelings?" John B raised a brow.

"I'm not. Truly. Now go on," I playfully punched his shoulder causing him to laugh, "I know you want to wander around the party. Go have fun."

"Okay." John B grinned mischievously. His eyes kept fleeting over my shoulder. "Just don't do anything stupid."

"How can I? You're taking all of it with you." I pushed him away.

John B scoffed. He walked backwards, flicking me off in the process. I replied by sticking out my tongue. An arm draped around my shoulder. I jumped and turned to see JJ taking a sip from his cup.

"You know what would be great right now?" JJ asked me.

"Food?" I smirked.

"Do you have the spicy goods, Nina?" JJ squinted his eyes at me.

"Maybe." I drawled out, swaying on my heels.

"Dude!"

"Just the candy though. They're easier to carry in my pockets." I dug my hand into one of my short pockets. I brought out some lollipops and held them out. "Bon appetite."

"If Kie wasn't staring at us, I would so kiss the hell out of you right now." JJ slurred, plucking a lollipop from my hand.

"You're drunk." I rolled my eyes.

I felt my cheeks heat up. Quickly, I ducked my head to put the candy back into my pockets. I glanced at Kie who gave me a smug smile.

"Meh. More like buzzed." JJ shrugged as he unwrapped the candy. He placed the Mexican lollipop in between his lips. "Besides, I told you I wanted to kiss you when we weren't drunk."

"And I'll keep telling you: in your dreams." I patted the hand he had around my shoulder.

"It's gonna happen one day. You know that, right?" JJ looked down at me.

"What do you mean?"

"It's obvious you like me." JJ smiled, pulling the lollipop away from his mouth. He twirled the stick of the candy. I opened my mouth, but he cut me off. "You're not so good at hiding your crush, Nina. You blush too easily."

"It's hot." I uttered, shying away from his touch.

"I like you, too." JJ told me.

"What?" I blinked up at him.

"I had the biggest crush on you back in 8th grade, but I thought you didn't like me." JJ took a hold of my hand.

He started to lead me away from the big crowd. Looking over my shoulder, I saw Kie perk a brow. I gave her a half hearted shrug before turning to look ahead of me.

"Where are we going?" I furrowed my brows.

"Just this log here." JJ pointed to one of the logs closest to the water.

We stopped in front of the log. Biting my lip, I sat down. Silence was defeating when JJ Maybanks doesn't talk. He sat next to me, fiddling with the lollipop stick.

"You know, that drunk kiss confused the hell out of me." JJ started.

"JJ..." I trailed off, not knowing how to explain myself.

"I wasn't sure if you liked me back or if you were just that much of a lightweight."

"I am not a lightweight." I pouted, staring at the tide rolling in.

"Liar." The corner of JJ's lips tugged into a smile.

"I can handle my alcohol, thank you very much." I muttered into my cup before taking a sip. JJ let out a chuckle. "Okay, I'm a lightweight. But that kiss..."

I bit my lip. The words of what I wanted to say were jumbling together in my mind. When I opened my mouth, nothing was coming out. JJ placed his elbows on his knees.

"What about it?" JJ looked at me.

"I was an emotional wreck that day, you know. That girl kept spreading the rumors and once the Kooks got word of it...it spread like a wildfire. Being an emotional wreck and drunk? I should have know better." I sighed out. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I raked an anxious hand through my hair. "I was confused to say the least. I wasn't sure what I was feeling at that point. I knew I had feelings for you, that's for sure. Just...didn't know what they were."

"So you kissed me?" JJ released a chuckle.

"Yeah, leave it to me to me to get extremely drunk and kiss the boy I had feelings for." I giggled, shaking my head at my stupidity.

"But...you like me now. Right?" JJ stared at me.

"Yeah." I nodded, biting at my lip. "Yeah, I do."

"Well, I admitted that I liked you since the 8th grade." JJ bumped his shoulder against mine. "When did you realize."

"The beginning of 10th grade." I breathed out a laugh.

"So after the drunk kiss?" JJ raised a brow.

"Yup!" I popped the "p". "That kiss made me realized I like like you."

"Well, I like like you, too." JJ beamed at me. He stood up, dusting sand from his shorts. "Come on, we better head back before they think we're doing something."

"Yeah." I pressed my lips tightly together to keep myself from smiling.

A couple of minutes later, the sun finally set. Someone had made a fire. Mostly everyone was sitting around it and having a good time. I nursed cup in my hand, talking to some of the tourists. They were asking for good spots to hit that would keep their minds off of having no phones.

"The beach is one of my favorite places. You can rent a surf board or..."
Yelling cut me off. I turned around to see a fight brewing near the fire. My eyes widen as I realized it was JJ and Topper. "Shit."

I quickly made my way towards them, weaving through drunk teenagers. Topper splashed beer onto JJ before I could get past the camp fire. In anger, JJ shoved the Kook. John B quickly pulled our friend away.

"You're so funny, man." JJ yelled at Topper.

"Hey, hey." John B turned JJ to face him. "Hey."

"Dirty Pogues!" Topper exclaimed.

That was the tipping point. I ran towards them, knowing how much the boys hated those two words. John B spun around and shoved Topper.

"Oh!" Sarah Cameron stumbled away, crashing into me.

"You okay?" I steadied her.

"Thanks." She gave me a quick nod.

I gave her a small smile. Sarah made her way to her boyfriend. I rolled my eyes as she comforted him. Pope and Kie started to make their way toward us.

"John B." Pope got in between John B and Topper. "We're supposed to be incognito, remember?"

"Babe, babe, babe." Sarah tried to pull Topper back.

I turned to see what the commotion was. Topper took a stride toward John B and swung. John B stumbled to the ground. The crowd gasped. JJ took a step forward. I quickly grabbed a hold of his arm and tried to keep him away from the fight.

"JJ. JJ, no." I grunted, using all my strength to keep him still.

"I got it." Pope came to help me, giving me a nod.

I stepped away. Topper kicked John B's stomach. A cry slipped past my lips, my hand covering my mouth. JJ took a step forward, clenching his jaw. Pope wrapped his arms around the blonde. Kie stood next to me, biting her lip in worry.

"Topper, chill!" Sarah called out.

"Hey, John B," Topper kicked him again, "don't make me drown you like your old man, alright?"

The crowd started to chant. My heart raced as I took in Topper's words. He had kicked John B into the water. The small waves were crashing against his body. John B slowly stood up. With anger in his eyes, he tackled Topper.

"Give it to him!" Someone called out from beside me.

"Shut up!" I sent him a glare. The boy quickly shut his mouth. John B and Topper were exchanging blows. The chants of the crowd only fueling the fire between them.

"John B, let it go, man!" Pope tried to talk him out of it.

"Stop, you guys!" Kie yelled.

"Stop!" I cried out. They made their way into the water. Shoving. Punching. "Guys! That's enough!"

They were going in circles from the shore to the water. My heart was beating against my chest. The crowd made a barrier around the fight. The only way out was to the water. Topper and John B we're circling each other.

"Come on John B!" Pope tried to make our friend stop.

I wrapped an arm around my stomach. The nerves were making me feel sick. Gnawing at my bottom lip, I dusted my hand and placed it against my chin. John B threw a punch to Topper's face.

"That's what I'm talking about!" JJ told his friend.

"Don't encourage this." I looked at him with wide eyes, shaking my head.

"Come on." John B shouted at Topper. "Come on!"

"John B, stop!" I begged.

My voice was drowned out by all of the yells.

"Yeah, you wanna go?" Topper clocked John B.

My friend stumbled. He took a step back into the water. John B swiped the wet hair falling into his eyes.

"Stop! John B!" Kie demanded.

Topper swung. John B ducked, wrapping his arm around Topper's waist. He picked him up and threw Topper into the water.

"Topper!" Sarah covered her mouth in worry.

"Come on, Topper!" John B bellowed. "Let's go! Come on!"

Topper ran at John B. They continued to throw blows at one another. The crowd was still chanting.

"Come on, man!" Topper taunted.

John B ran at him. Topper lowered himself into a squat, squaring his shoulder for impact. He shoved his shoulder into John B's torso. The brunette flipped over Topper's body and splashed into the water. Topper grabbed a hold of John B's head and shoved his face into the water.

"Topper!"

The crowd's chants were making me even more nauseous. They were witnessing someone trying to drown another person and their cheering for it. I could hear John B gasping and choking on the water. Tears started to pool in my eyes.

"That's enough!" I took a step towards them. JJ slipped an arm around my waist, pulling me back. I started to squirm under his hold. "No, let go of me! We need to stop them. JJ!"

"You're not going to get in between them. Are you crazy?" JJ shook his head at me.

"Topper, stop. No!"

"He's drowning him!" I cried out, tears streaming down my face.

My head ended up knocking into JJ's chin. He let out a groan, taking a step back to clutch the sore spot. I ignored the throb at the back of my head and ran towards Topper. The Kook brought John B's head above water before forcing it back under the waves.

"Nina!" Kie cried out in shock.

"What the hell is your problem!?" I roughly shoved Topper away from John B. Topper clenched his jaw as he regained his balance. I bent down to help John B up. He gasped in air, sputtering out salt water. "You okay?"

"Topper!" Sarah yelled out. I turned around to see Topper storming my way. "Topper, don't!"

"Who do you think you are, you filthy Pogue!" Topper pushed my shoulder.

I lost my balance, not expecting Topper to shove me. Cold water wrapped around my body. My mouth opened in shock.

"Dude!"

"You dirty Pogues, thinking you're better than everyone else." Topper kicked water at my face.

"I think you're confusing us with yourself." I spat out the water, aiming for his face.

Topper furiously wiped at his cheek. A smirk graced my lips. Germaphobe much? His jaw ticked, the veins on his forehead popping. He kicked more water at me before rushing back to John B. Before John B could he defend himself, water was sprayed in his eyes. Topper took that as an opportunity to push his head under water once again.

"Topper!"

My mouth dropped when I saw a gun pressed against the back of his head. There was a small click. The safety was off. Topper froze, holding his hands up. John B pulled his head up from the water. He coughed, gasping in air.

"Yeah, you know what that is." JJ breathed out. "You're move, broski."

"JJ..." I slowly stood up. The crowd of cheering people suddenly turned into a crowd of screaming people. They're started to back away from the water. "JJ, put the gun away, okay?"

"Come on, chill dude!"

"JJ!"

"Chill!"

"He was drowning John B and he pushed you. You could've been next." JJ shook his head, a wild fearful gleam in his eyes.

"JJ! Put the gun down!" Sarah orderd.

"Did you say something, princess?" JJ called over his shoulder.

"We're okay." I held eye contact with him as I walked over. His eyes drifted toward a shaking Topper. "Hey, look at me. Just let him go. It's over, okay? John B and I are okay."

"Ugh, speak for yourself." John B groaned out. He spat into the water. I flashed him a glare. "But I'm okay. Just gonna be bruised. But definitely breathin' all right."

"Come on JJ. He ain't worth it." I gently wrapped my hand around his wrist.

"We're good. We're good." Topper quickly nodded. "I'll leave."

JJ pulled away the gun. Topper fell forward in relief, catching himself with his hands. He stumbled away from us.

"Kie! Can you check your psycho friend please?" Sarah yelled.

"Okay, everyone, listen up!" JJ stepped towards the shore. He raised the gun into the air. People scrambled away. "Get the hell off our side of the island!"

More screams littered the air. Gun shots were fired. Topper and Sarah quickly fled the scene. Kie stormed towards JJ.

"Stupid!" Kie shoved him.

"You idiot!" Pope got in between them. "Why would you do that?"

"It's not worth it!" Kie threw her hands in despair.

"Guys!" I tried to get them to stop fighting.

"I'm saving his life, okay!" JJ pointed towards John B.

They continued to yell at each other. I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling a headache forming. Looking back, I saw John B kneeling in the water. He was just staring at the waves. I walked over to him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"You okay?"

"Hmm?" John B slowly looked up at me. "Yeah I'm okay. Thanks...for stopping Topper."

"I wasn't going to let you die. C'mon." I have him a soft smile.

We made our way back to our friends. They stopped their screaming match. Kie sighed in relief and pulled John B into a hug.

"I'm glad you're okay."

"How you feelin', man?" Pope placed a hand on John B's shoulder.

"Alive." John B gave JJ a nod of appreciation.

"I-you scared the hell out of me, man." JJ's voice shook. "I panicked."

"We know. I know. Thank you." John B brought JJ into a side hug.

JJ sighed in relief. His body released the tension that built. A smile grew upon my lips.

"Group hug!" I called out, wrapping my arms around JJ and John B.

Kie let out a whoop. She jumped into the hug. Pope let out a laugh and wrapped his arms around us.

"We should probably leave this place. They probably already notified the cops." My voice was muffled against JJ's shoulder.

"Yeah, we should probably get the hell out of here."

I didn't realize how long the fight was 😂

tbh the drowning scene terrified me. I will admit, the first time I saw it I did have some flashbacks about a seeing someone I know drowning a few years back. But thank God that they are okay now so I'm doing okay now.

Favorite Summer memory?

Mine is going to this small island for a family reunion. We fished, went to the beach and camped. No technology besides essentials were allowed and it was a blast