CHAPTER FIFTEEN

TRAITOR — OLIVIA RODRIGO
Brown guilty eyes and little white lies
Yeah, I played dumb but I always knew

THE FIVE TEENS sailed to Rixon's Cove with adrenaline still racing through their veins and the sense of disbelief of how they left the party hanging in the air.

There was a small inkling of regret budding in Stella's chest as she recalled her mother's displeasure over the situation. She knew that other adults would whisper about her mother's lack of proper parenting or say that she was getting lost in the wrong crowd, but that small amount of regret paled in comparison to the excitement she was feeling right now.

The HMS Pogue hit the shore of the sheltered bay just as JJ finished filling them in on what happened after he was arrested.

"That's a lot of money, J," Stella fret once he told them about his restitution. "Let me talk to my mom, maybe—"

"No." JJ shook his head, already knowing what she was going say, and helped her off the boat.

She gave him a look. "You know she loves you."

"After making a scene and embarrassing her in front of all those Kooks? I don't think so."

"It was cute," Stella defended with a frown.

"I was asking you to be my girlfriend," JJ deadpanned. "Of course you thought it was cute."

"And as your girlfriend and longtime best friend who happens to have the resources to help you, I also think that—"

"You aren't giving me any money, Stel."

"I wouldn't be giving it," she wagered, watching as the others started a fire to sit around. "Consider it a loan. If John B's lead checks out then you'll have no problem paying it back. I'm not going to let you—"

"Stella-Anne." JJ's tone was stern and left no room for further argument. He leaned forward so his face was closer to hers and nearly smirked at how quiet she got. "My answer's no. Now help me take this suit off."

"Alright, grumpy."

Despite Stella's claims about how good he looked in a suit, JJ changed back into his regular attire and joined the others while they waited for John B to share his latest breakthrough.

"Hey, guys," Pope said as he sat down on a fallen log. "My dad's already gonna kill me, so what's this mandatory meeting about?"

John B looked to JJ, shooting him finger guns, and the blond shrugged. "Might as well tell him, man, before we're gaffed."

Stella's eyes widened and she glanced up at her boyfriend from where she sat under his arm. "I'm sorry, did you just say gaffed? Like impaled? With a hook?"

John B rubbed his hands together, ignoring Stella's concern. "You guys ready for this?"

Kie looked at him in excitement. "Yeah."

"Not if it's gonna get us gaffed."

John B shot Stella a look that heavily resembled that of a teacher scolding a child for speaking out of turn. "Stella," he firmly reprimanded.

She threw her hands up in surrender when she saw that everyone was looking at her the same way. "What? Why are you all looking at me like that?" she exclaimed. Her hands dropped to her lap with a huff. "Fine. I'm sorry I value your lives and don't want you to get hooked like a fish."

John B nodded at her with his eyes locked on JJ. Seconds later, the blond pulled her onto his lap and placed a kiss behind her ear, causing her mood to shift immediately.

John B shook his head at the small smile on her face then turned to the others. "So, the gold never went down with the Royal Merchant," he revealed with a knowing grin.

Pope let out a loud groan and covered his face. "Oh, my god. Here we go again with this."

"Alright, wait." JJ raised a hand. "Hear him out."

John B continued, "It's been here the whole time. It's on the island."

"Are you serious?" Kie questioned.

Pope folded his hands and brought them to his mouth before letting them drop. "I'd like to voice my skepticism."

Stella nodded. "As would I."

"I'm sure you two would," John B said, standing up like he was about to give a lecture. "But can I please present you with my evidence, your highnesses?"

"Proceed," Pope granted with the wave of his hand.

"Alright. So, in my backpack, I have a letter from Denmark Tanny."

Stella looked up at him. "And who is that?"

"Denmark Tanny was a slave that survived the Royal Merchant wreck. Check this out." John B dug through his backpack and pulled out a sheet of paper, unfolding it before passing it to Kie. "Okay, slaves weren't mentioned as crew members on the ship, but my dad, he found the complete manifest. That was his big discovery. So Tanny used the gold from the Merchant to buy his freedom."

Kie handed the manifest to Stella, who analyzed it with a careful eye. Like John B said, Denmark Tanny was listed as one of the passengers. Stella then passed it to JJ, who then passed it to Pope.

"After that, he bought his farm. Drumroll, please, because that farm is..."

Stella and Kie shared a look before slapping their knees to mimic a drumroll.

"Tannyhill Plantation."

"Tannyhill?" Kie repeated with her eyes wide, shocked that the gold had been hiding right under their noses. "Like down Stella's street Tannyhill?"

John B nodded. "Yeah. So, after that, he used his money to free even more slaves, and then he sold a shit-ton of rice, which pisses off all the white planters, and then they decide to lynch him. So on the day they were coming to get him, he writes a letter to his son as a farewell, and in the last line of that letter, he leaves a coded message about where to find the gold."

"Where?" Kie whispered with a smile.

Stella leaned into JJ and in a low voice whispered, "John B is really good at telling stories."

JJ nodded in response as the boy continued.

"Harvest the wheat in parcel nine, near the water. Except there's no wheat. You see, wheat is code for gold. Look." He presented a copy of Tanny's message and a picture of British gold. On the letter, there was a small scribble of wheat that resembled the wheat symboled imprinted on the gold. "The gold is in parcel nine, near the water."

"Holy shit, we're gonna be millionaires," Kie breathed in disbelief.

"Multimillionaires," John B corrected with a wide smile. "All we need is an original survey map of the property, and we've found the gold."

"Okay, so this might have a small chance of being actually true," Pope said with skepticism.

"Yeah..." Stella drawled. "I don't want to be a downer, but what if Denmark's son already got all the gold? How would we know if it's even there still?"

"We know because I am a genius," John B stated, patting himself on the back. JJ gently moved Stella off his lap and walked over to John B with a big grin on his face. He gave him a big hug, lifting him off his feet. "Hey, whoa! Hello! Fire! You're near the fire. You're gonna burn."

"I'm so proud of you right now," JJ said, cupping John B's face.

John B placed a hand on his cheek. "Thank you. That's really sweet of you."

"Okay, so, guys," Pope said, catching their attention. "What's the plan?"

John B pointed to the boy. "Good question. Sarah Cameron's coming tonight. She'll bring an original survey map—"

The sound of Sarah Cameron's name caused both Kie and Stella to let out sounds of protest.

"Wait a second, slick," Stella said, putting her hands up to stop John B from talking. "Who's bringing the map?"

"Sarah?" Kie questioned at the same time. "Why... Why Sarah?"

JJ removed his hat and glanced over at his girlfriend and friend. "This is gonna be good."

Stella's eyebrows furrowed at his words and she turned to John B, giving him the stern look she and Kie had long since perfected.

John B placed a hand on his hip and the girls could see the gears in his head turning to find a good explanation. "Sarah, um, she— she got me into the archives in Chapel Hill yesterday, and that's where I got the letter."

"You were in Chapel Hill with Sarah Cameron?" Kie questioned, her face scrunched up in disbelief.

Stella squeezed her eyes shut when her mind wandered to a place she really didn't want it to go. "John B, please don't tell me you were doing what I think you were doing."

"What do you... What do you think I was doing?"

Her eyes opened. "Macking on Sarah Cameron."

"He was," JJ confirmed quickly, stirring the pot.

"Of all the girls, John B..."

After seeing how distressed she was, JJ came around the log Stella was sitting on and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Of all the girls, you just had to mack on—"

"I wasn't macking!" John B protested.

JJ shook his head, his hair falling into his face. "You were totally macking Sarah Cameron."

"Why?" Stella questioned, running her hands over her face before looking up at him. "Why would you ever mack on her when you know how Kie and I feel about her?"

"I wasn't macking on her, okay?" John B repeated firmly. "I was using her for access."

JJ leaned over Stella's head so he was closer to Pope. "There was access, alright."

Kie was staring at John B with betrayal in her eyes. "Did you tell her about the treasure?"

John B hesitated and turned his gaze away from them. "I was trying to get into the archives," he defended weakly.

"Is that a yes?" shouted the two girls.

"I— I left out key details!"

"Yo, what?" Kie exclaimed, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "You let a Kook in on our secret? What about Pogue Life? What about the T-shirt company, bro?"

"I was just using her for information!"

Stella scoffed. "Yeah, right." Even as a child, John B had never been a good liar.

Kie rolled her eyes at his words. "Why don't I believe you?"

"I'm trying to make us filthy rich here," John B asserted. "Okay, so we can pay off a boat or— or, uh... send Pope to autopsy school to study dead bodies. Or Stella to medical school to save lives. Look you guys know me. Do I look like the type of person to fall for Sarah Cameron?"

JJ scratched the back of his neck. "Uh..."

Pope looked up, wondering if the question was rhetorical or not. "Do you want us to answer that, or—"

"You're exactly the type, yes," Stella stated in the most blunt tone she could muster.

"Look, you don't know her yet," Kie started. She gestured to the space between her and Stella. "We do! You can't trust her."

"Her brother did hit me in the back with a golf club," Pope shrugged.

"And beat all of us up at one point," Stella added for good measure. "Her boyfriend also tried drowning you in the ocean if you don't remember."

"Rafe and Sarah are different human beings," John B dismissed. "And Topper's not—"

"You're defending her a lot for someone you're only using for information," Stella stated, pointing at him while she stood up. She hadn't even noticed JJ's hands slip from her shoulders. "You've known her like, what, five seconds?"

JJ placed his hands on her again and gently pushed her back down to sit on the log. "What did she do to you guys, exactly?" he asked, his eyes switching back and forth between Kie and Stella. He didn't know the specifics, but not for a lack of asking. Whenever he questioned Stella about it, she called Sarah a traitor and moved on.

Kie started talking with her hands, visibly growing more frustrated by the second. "She's like a— like a spitting cobra. First, she blinds you, and then—"

"This is a bad analogy," Pope interrupted.

"Listen to me!" Kie practically begged, "Whatever we get, she's gonna try to take."

Stella looked up at John B through the fire before her, studying him carefully with a cold stare full of betrayal.

John B was there for the aftermath of her falling out with Sarah. He saw the dullness in her eyes after she cried on his shoulder and the fake smile she wore for weeks afterwards. He knew how much having another girl friend meant to her after spending the majority of her childhood with him and JJ. He knew how heartbroken she was that they were no longer friends. He knew about the anxiety she felt walking around the island, scared that she'd bump into her.

From the disloyalty and the lies to the sadness and anger.

He knew.

And despite all the pain he watched Sarah Cameron put her though, and no matter how much he tried to deny it, John B fell for her.

Stella could tell by the twinkle in his eyes and the way his voice squeaked when he lied. And it hurt, because she honestly believed that he valued her more than that.

"Listen, John B," Stella started, her voice had an edge to it that was as sharp as a knife, "I know that Sarah probably seems all fun and sweet now, but give it a few weeks. Because once the thought of commitment sets in, you'll understand exactly why Kie and I feel the way we do."

No one said anything for a while after that. Some of them didn't know what to say. Others had too much that they didn't know where to start. The one thing they could agree on was that a small wedge was being driven between them and it was only a matter of time that they'd have to pick sides.

AN HOUR LATER, the Twinkie pulled up to Hawk's Nest State Park and came to a stop just outside the entrance.

John B hopped out of the driver's seat and watched as his four friends started to leave the van. "Yo, uh..." He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "So I think I'm gonna do this one on my own tonight."

Stella's brows furrowed in annoyance. The group had started this together and all of a sudden, John B wants to go off on his own just because Sarah's involved? "Unbelievable," she muttered.

"Really?" JJ stared at the boy, thinking the same thing as his girlfriend.

John B looked between the pair before his gaze flickered over to Pope and Kie. He frowned when he saw that they were looking at him the same way. "What?"

"Nothing." JJ shrugged, pulling a joint from his pocket and lighting it. Thunder rolled above them and he glanced over at Stella, noticing her small flinch.

John B sighed as he looked at his friends. "I don't want to spook Sarah with the peanut gallery."

Stella moved from her seat and sat next to JJ on the ground, tilting her head to the side as she questioned him. "Why do you care about what she thinks of us if you're only using her to get the map?"

"I just don't understand why we're involving her at all," Kie snapped, leaning forward in her seat.

"Kie, we're not involving her, okay?" John B assured. "It's— It's just, uh, like a... a business meeting thing."

Stella let out a small huff. "If that's what you want to call hooking up with her while we wait here in the dark, then yeah, let's call it a business thing."

He sighed. "Look, we need the map. Once we get what we need, we cut her loose, alright?"

"I'll believe it when I see it," Stella huffed.

Kie's eyebrows knit together and she shrugged her shoulders. "Promise me nothing's happening between you two."

John B had to suppress the urge to roll his eyes. "Nothing is happening, Kie."

"I'm being serious," she pressed.

"Okay!"

"This isn't about you and this isn't about us. This is about her. Dude, she's gonna get inside your head. Just promise me nothing's happening between you guys."

John B's eyebrows raised. "I promise."

Stella pursed her lips before letting out a humourless laugh. "Everybody, pray for John B," she said, looking at her friends with a fake smile. "He's not dead, he's just a shit liar. God, no wonder JJ and I are so good at lying, it's to make up for your dumb ass."

JJ laughed and offered the joint to Stella. "Yeah, man, that was really believable."

Pope nodded. "A hundred percent believable."

John B turned away and placed a hand on the door. "Anyways, um... I'm gonna take care of business."

"You're gonna take care of it so well," JJ sarcastically drawled, nodding his head.

Pope turned looked at John B over his shoulder as he left. "We'll just sit here... in the hot-ass car."

"While it starts to storm," Stella muttered, leaning over JJ to look up at the lightning in the sky. She shuddered when another roll of thunder sounded through the air, causing JJ to pull her closer.

Once John B disappeared into the park, Pope turned to the two girls. "Kiara, Stella-Anne—"

"Wow, full names, huh?"

The boy merely rolled his eyes. "Holding onto your grudge is like drinking poison and thinking Sarah will die."

"That was a good analogy," she praised. "I'm still holding onto my grudge though."

Minutes passed and the lightning started to get more frequent. Thunder rolled above them and Stella was finding it hard to keep her mind off of it.

"Hey, did you guys know that dogs love us back?" she randomly asked, trying to distract herself from the storm.

"Really?" JJ's eyebrows raised in intrigue.

Stella nodded. "I read an article that stated dogs get the same rush of oxytocin that we get when they look at us."

"If you were a dog," JJ started, "what dog would you be?"

Stella thought for a moment. "I don't know, maybe a poodle or something."

From her seat across the van, Kie let out a laugh. "A poodle?"

"What's wrong with poodles? They have great fur, I have great hair, it fits. What about you guys?"

"I don't know," JJ gave it a moment of thought, "maybe a pitbull?"

"Bad rep, but actually a softie? I can see it." There was another clap of thunder and she turned to Pope. "What about you, P?"

Pope never got to answer because Kie interrupted the conversation.

"Wait, do you guys hear that?" she asked, sitting up in her seat.

The other three shook their heads.

"Please, somebody help!"

They all shared a look before moving to get out of the van. They followed Sarah's screaming all the way to the Hawk's Nest, their hearts stopping at the sight before them.

Stella had seen many gruesome sights during her shifts at the hospital, but nothing could've prepared her for seeing John B's unconscious body lying at the bottom of the Nest with Sarah crouching over him.

"Sarah!" Pope screamed. "What happened?"

The four of them halted, nearly toppling over each other.

Sarah looked up with tears in her eyes before settling her gaze on Stella. The fact that Stella was first aid certified and the daughter of a trauma specialist came to the forefront of her mind and she instantly started begging for help.

"Stella, you need to do something. I don't know what to do," she cried. "He needs help, Topper shoved him!"

"Off the Nest?" JJ looked around the dark woods. "Where the hell is he?"

"Stella, please." Sarah cradled John B's head in her hands, rocking him back and forth. "Please help."

Stella shook herself out of her shocked state before dropping to her knees beside John B. Everything her mother had ever told her about falls and all of her first aid training rushed through her mind. She shouted for her friends to get help, and in the same breath, told Sarah to put John B's head down.

The girl hadn't heard her, and if she did, she was too emotional to care. In fact, she was inconsolable, sobbing as if this whole situation was her fault.

Maybe it was, but Stella didn't care about anything as much as she cared about John B right now.

"Sarah," she snapped. The girl continued to cry, pleading for John B not to leave her. "Sarah!"

Sarah peered up at her through her wet lashes.

"You need to listen to me," Stella ordered in a firm tone. "You need to put John B's head down. We don't know if he broke anything in his spine and you rocking him back and forth like that could make it worse."

Sarah nodded, remembering once again that Stella was their best chance at keeping him alive until an ambulance came, and as carefully as she could, she set John B's head down.

Stella's hands trembled as adrenaline coursed through her body. She checked for bleeding and fluid coming from the ears—everything she was taught to check for—but she knew John B need actual help and that just wasn't her.

The moments between then and now felt like an eternity, but the instant flashing lights illuminated the trees around them, she let out a sigh of relief.

RAE SPEAKS !
traitor but from the perspective of a friend betraying a friend LOL