"THATS NOT GOLD." CAME THE VOICE of Pope disappointingly as Kiara passed along a large envelope to the other side. Messy scribbles in black sharpie labeled the anticlimactic find, reading: For Bird.

  "Holy shit." John B muttered, looking down at the words with widened eyes. It was almost unnoticeable the way his demeanor shifted. His hands tightening around the envelope, eyes glistening with unshed tears, his mouth turning downward in a soft frown. "This is from my dad."

  Sierra, who was too busy smoking the newly lit blunt, suddenly turned around. "What?" Confusion laced her voice, stepping back to see the sight for herself. Truthfully, she stopped paying attention after Pope's declaration that it wasn't gold. JJ snatched back his blunt from her mouth before she could fully leave his side, grumbling something under his breath.

  "For Bird, it says it right here." The Routledge boy explained, showing her the clear writing that was his proof. "Only one person ever called me that."

  "No shit." Sierra chuckled, a comforting surprise that made her smile. Kiara seemed to also feel the joy as well, her own doubts finally shut down after her discovery.

  She almost said something before JJ butted in, his feet already stepping back before he could finish his sentence. "Code red. Code red. Square groupers! Square groupers!"

  Before anything, JJ tightly grabbed Sierra's wrist, pulling her along even if she didn't fully comprehend what he said. Nonetheless, she saw the beaming lights of an approaching vehicles, and so she ran. The group followed, hiding behind the other side of the tomb, where they were invisible from the eye. Well, that was except for the flash lights still illuminated in their hands. JJ tried his best to put out his blunt, John B thought it was a bright idea to shove his lantern up his thin shirt, and the rest had already turned theirs off.

  "Do you think it's them." Kiara asked, relying only on what JJ saw as he peered out. Sierra leaned forward, her chest pressed against his back in her best attempts to peek over his shoulder.

  "Homie's got a gun." JJ whisper-yelled, turning back and nearly knocking into Sierra. The girl leaned back against the wall, sucking in a deep breath, the only thing she could do is turn her head towards the others, hoping for a quick plan.

  A plan did come, and quick, maybe not the smartest, but it was quick. "Screw this." Kiara muttered, pushing herself off the wall and sprinting across the graveyard to the fence. It was a tall, stone fence that she surprisingly overcame in a swift movement.

  Behind came Sierra, then JJ, and finally John B. But there was a Pogue missing, his hushed shouts catching the attention of Kiara before she could climb into the van.

  "Guys." Pope breathed, going still as the fence prodded into his shorts, sticking through and threatening to completely rip the material. ""Guys! I'm stuck, I'm stuck!"

  "Pope come on man!" JJ yelled frustratingly, pulling his gun from his pocket as Kiara and John B made their best efforts to free him. He aimed the firearm up, closing one eye in concentration. "Pope, don't move, okay?"

  "No, absolutely not!" Sierra interjected, pushing his arms down before he could even think about brushing the trigger. John B joined in, pushing the blonde away and towards the van.

  It left the Carrera girl by herself, giving up on finding a better solution as approaching vehicle neared. She opted on tugging at Pope legs, "You're gonna rip me, you're gonna rip me!"

"You're fine, come on!" Kiara gave a finally pull at his shirt, forcing him down as a loud rip came from his ruined shorts. They rushed into the van, all taking a look at a newly exposed Pope in his boxers. The boy covered himself, shamefully looking down and sprinting to the open door.

  "It's a little tootsie roll." JJ commented with a teasing smile they all jumped in to the van, laughing uncontrollably.

—

  "Y'KNOW, THAT BREAD HAD MOLD ON IT three days ago, it's probably been feasted on by cockroaches too." Sierra told the blonde, scrunching her nose in disgust at the sight of the spotted hues of blue scattered on the bread slice. He was doing his best to subdue his hunger by making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with moldy bread he found sitting in a cabinet. The Ray girl could only watch from her spot atop of the counter, legs swinging off the edge as she did her best convince him to just throw the thing away.

  "I'll just pull of the bad parts." JJ responded, shrugging carelessly and smearing peanut butter on the bread. "Plus, mold is good for you. It's just a natural organism."

  "Oh, yeah?" Sierra smiled, raising a curious brow. "And where'd you learn that Einstein?"

  "Mrs. Garica's biology class, duh." The boy responded, slapping together the two sides. "I learned a thing or two before she kicked me out of her honors class."

  "I still wonder how you got in."

  "I'm pretty sure it was a mix up, never in a million years would I be caught in an honors biology class willingly."

  "JJ, Sierra." Kiara called, nodding down to the table as the others huddled around in anticipation.

  "Yup, yup, yup!" JJ chanted, jogging over swiftly, his arm falling on top of Sierra's shoulders. "Hot damn! Let's do it."

It only took one bite and within seconds of John B ripping open the envelope JJ began to gag. He pulled his arm away, cupping his hand to spit out the large bite he'd took. He returned in a few moments, choosing to pick away the bad parts before making the decision of biting into it again.

  John B flipped the envelope upside down and out came a folded piece of paper. He carefully unfolded it, laying it down onto the messy table. After smoothing it down he sat back, taking a brief moment to soak it in. The map was marked meticulously in same black sharpie used to label the envelope. It made John B's eyes widen, puffing out a breath. "Holy shit."

"Oh," Pope raised a finger to pint at one of the markings, "x marks the spot."

The curiously leaned in simultaneously, "Longitude...latitude." Murmured the Routledge boy, tracing his finger across thin lines that connected into the X mark. He paused, lifting the map with furrowed brows. "Wait, there's somethin' else in there."

"What's that?" JJ asked, leaning in closer to get a look at the device.

"It's a tape recorder," Kiara replied, looking at him, "dumbass."

John B clicked a button without another thought, a red light flickered on and the voice of Big John Routledge filled the quiet room. "Dear bird."

"Who's bird?"

"That's what my dad called me." John B muttered, his eyes not peeling of the device as he resumed the message.

"Before I continue, get Pirate in here, I want her to hear this too." The pre-recorded voice of Big John requested, making the group look at her before returning back to listening. "Now, hate to tell you I told you so, Bird, 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."

At the sound of the tired man's confessions John B looked up at Sierra. His eyes looked wide in shock and full of new innocence, like he hadn't grown past the age of six. They were full of the those same unshed tears, but they weren't ready to be held back any more. Sierra hitched in a breath, murmuring out a quiet. "Holy shit."

"You were probably right to call me out. Wasn't exactly Father of the Decade," The man let out a rough sigh, faint noises cutting in with his monologue. "What can I say kid I could smell the barn." Another sigh. "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 me, you two finish what I started. Go for the gold, kid. I love you, Bird, even if I didn't always act like it." A long pause came before he finished of the recording with a final message. "I'll see you on the other side."

John B stared down at the tape recorder, somehow hoping there'd be more to the message then what he was given in. Everyone could only watch in silence, each teenager having a different form of relationship with the older man but the same grief after listening. But nobody would be able to feel the utter heartbreak in John B's chest as he abruptly stood, walking away in a quiet fit of sobs. He couldn't even make it far before falling into the entrance frame of the room.

"Holy shit, he did it." JJ began quietly, looking up as the shock waves passed, "Big John—he found the Merchant, he—"

"Can you..." Kiara threw her arms up in exasperation, letting them land on top of her head, "can you please?"

"Sorry."

Sierra turned to look back at the shaking figure of John B, still leaning against the frame of the entrance. Pity weighed down her features, forcing her her lips to frown and pout at the sight. Her own eyes filled with tears, a knowing feeling ached her soul, a tortuous feeling of Deja vu. She still remembered the night where the roles were switched. She sobbed after the death of her father as the Routledge boy comforted her, and now it was up to her to be his comforter.

A role that she wasn't forced into, but one she believed that she needed to fulfill. Slowly, she walked up to him, trailing a hand up his back while the other rest on his arm. Sierra didn't have to say anything, she knew it, and so did he. Maybe at one point he needed to speak of it, but for the moment, he could cry all the tears he needed. Sierra didn't mind.

—

IT WAS NIGHTS LIKE THESE THAT strangely comforted Sierra. Peace, the chirping of crickets, Kiara strumming the strings of her ukulele, the sound of water gently moving by the force the wind. That was her peace. Especially after a heavy moment like the one that happened just an hour earlier, she desired the serenity. She also might've been a bit bias about the whole thing because she was sitting in between JJ's legs, leaning back against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. He didn't complain for a second that he was uncomfortable or dared to shift despite siting upon a wooden railing of John B's dock.

  "How much was it again?" Asked JJ, breaking the silence between the five and pausing Kiara's strums.

  "Four hundred mil." Pope responded quickly, though his tone held a sort of groggy tiredness to it. Truthfully, he didn't want to be up any longer, but in loyalty to his best friend, he remained open eyed.

  The blonde elf out a gentle sigh, "All right, let's talk about 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." He raised the gun from his pocket making Sierra scoff and sit up straight. JJ looked offended, almsot hurt even that she'd gotten up so quickly. "What? Protection? Not cheap, and okay?"

  "You haven't trained, you've done zero training."

  "YouTube, bro!" JJ argued back against Pope who only shut his eyes and sighed. "That's at least a five percent bump right there."

  "You haven't—"

  "Any objections? Didn't think so." JJ called, waiting only. A brief second and completely ignoring both Kiara and Pope's raised hands. "I don't hear any, so."

  "JJ." Sierra 'objected' "You don't even know when it's the appropriate time to even pull it out, why the hell shouldn't we object?"

  "Anytime is the appropriate time." Retaliated the Maybank boy, "Even so, you lost your opportunity to object, therefore, case closed."

  "Sierra, can't you fire one?" Pope questioned, looking to the girl curiously. "I mean, being Sheriff's daughter, and I'm telling you, big man Ray didn't fuck around when it came to your protection."

  "No shit." Sierra chuckled at the memory, "And yes, I do know how to fire a gun, thank you for asking."

  "Good thing we don't need you to fire one, right?" JJ immediately added, "You've got a taser somewhere and a untouched bottle of pepper spray, I think that's enough. Case closed, closed."

  Sierra rolled her eyes, not bothering to argue as Kiara decided to switch the subject. "What are you gonna do with your 80 mil, Pope?"

  The Heyward boy looked down in thought, he smiled before looking back up. "Pay for college in advance. And also, textbooks. Those are expensive."

  JJ snorted, shaking his head in disapproval. Clearly, there was a difference with where both of their priorities laid. He turned his head to the Carrera girl next to him. "What about you, Kie?"

"Yeah, what does a socialist do when she's rich?" Pope questioned sarcastically, titling his head slightly on a teasing manner.

  Kiara chuckled softly, shrugging up her shoulders bashfully. "Just wanna make a double album. About OBX, the Pogues." She smiled at the thought. "You know, the way Catch a Fire is about Kingston. Record it at Marley studio, Peter Tosh producing."

  "Peter gosh is dead." Pope began but both he and Kiara ended saying in unison.

  "I know that, Pope." She smiled, raising a half drunken soda can. "Spirit of Peter Tosh will never die."

  "Actually, I know what I'm gonna do." JJ added in, far too excited to share his plan to wait until someone asked. "I'm gonna get a big ass house on Figure Eight and go full kook."

  "You're gonna go full kook?" Pope raised a brow, laughing at the idea in disbelief,

  "Yup." JJ proudly replied, "I'm gonna get a marble statue of myself, and then I'm gonna get a koi pound. Put a bunch of those fish—"

  Sierra let out a breathy giggle, "You'll never catch me visiting."

  "Obviously, you can't visit if you're already living there."

  "Oh, so I'm suddenly livin' there with you?"

  "Of course." JJ smirked, his gaze softened to something Sierra could only describe as loving. He murmured, "C'mere."

  At the request, he also opened his arms, a silent plead that she'd return to her original position. And she did, complying without another thought.

  "Pirate." Pope began, "What are you doing?"

  Sierra smiled, "Well, firstly, I'd pay for my Aesthetics classes. If I'm apparently goin' full Kook with Jay then I'd might as well find a job that's just as Kook-y. A Esthetician, givin' rich people facials and getting paid a shit load of money for it."

  Pope nodded in approval, "And what else?"

  "I'd go take a trip to Disneyland."

  "Disneyland?" Pope questioned, wondering how she went from paying for her education to visiting an overpriced theme park. "You have eighty million dollars, and you decide to go to Disneyland?"

  "Yeah." Sierra laughed, shrugging. "I've always wanted to go. But, don't think I'll become one of those Disney adults, they're... gross."

  "I feel inspired." Kiara commented, smiling over at the girl. "Of course, you'll take me with you? Girls trip?"

  "Girls trip."

  Then it was back to that peaceful silence, all eyes turning to look at the one boy who hadn't spoken a word for the whole interaction. John B remained looking forward even as the silence overtook the air, looking out to the pitch black water.

  "What are you gonna do, JB?" Pope asked softly, waiting expectantly for her answer.

  Slowly, the Routledge boy turned his head, licking his lips before speaking. "To going full Kook."

  With large smiled and joyful laughter, they raised the cans together. "To going full Kook!"

NATTI SPEAKS!:
Edited on June 7, 2024

Sometimes I forget why I was so obsessed w  this show and episodes like this one make me remember. I JUST WANT TO BE A POGUE AND NOT GAF ABT LIFE !!