"You know, Josephine, if you don't wanna be here, you can just leave." Topped had to speak to the only pogue on the beach that evening, the majority of their parents forcing them to participate into picking up trash. Joey had been making annoyed remarks to herself the entire thirty minutes she'd been here, all about germs and diseases she was gonna get, Topper clearly becoming sick of it.

"You know, Topper, if you want to be irrelevant, you could just try to become instagram famous again." Joey mocked him, brining back the humiliation freshman year memory that everyone, but her, seemed to let go.

"Hey, how's your psycho boyfriend doing?" Topper mocked, taking a step closer as he dropped the trash in his hand, "Get all that water out of his lungs?"

"How would I know?" Joey lied with an eye roll before she began to mock him, "How are you though? Looked like you were ready to piss yourself with that gun to your head."

"Oh, right. I guess I forgot that people are suppose to be completely cool with a gun to their head." Topper crossed his arms with a sarcastic head nod, "I'm sure you're use to it by now though, aren't you? I wouldn't know what life was like on The Cut."

"Yet, somehow, you wouldn't know what privileged life on Figure Eights is either." Joey faked a laugh, slapping his arm, "Silly me to accuse a Kook knows anything more then how to hit a golf ball. Which, if I remember correctly, you can't do that either."

Topper laughed unamusingly.

"So I guess the real question is, what are you useful for, Topper?" Joey mocked yet again in a fake tone of curiosity, "You know, aside from throwing one good punch, attempting murder, and all that good stuff."

Topper nodded, looking off before meeting her eye again, "Try not to forget who you are, and what you don't have. What are you good at, Josephine? You know, aside from being nothing but negative?"

Joey grinned, picking the trash he dropped up, "Knowing the difference between class and trash."

She passed him, shoulders bumping rather hard.

Topper wasn't necessarily wrong, Joey did sorta hate everything. She didn't always, truly, she didn't. As a child, she was happy, she believed everything happened for a reason back then, that the world was filled with goodness and she'd have some beautiful life somehow. When her mom died, that went away. How could her mom dying happen for a reason? How could she be left an orphan be for a reason? How was there goodness when things like this happen?

Joey had a sliver of happiness and positivity back last summer, when she met John B. But, like all the good, that was gone too. She suspected that's why she got so attached so fast, why their breakup lingered on her for so long because he'd opened up that happy door before it slammed back in her face. Now, if there was anything that truly did make Joey happy, it was Moonys Flower Shop, a small shack filled with a bunch of different flower patters for funerals, weddings, dates, proposals, anything.

Joey got the job last summer, just a little something for her to pay for small wants she'd want during the summer. Mr.Moony was a busy, older man. The shop was his husbands before he passed, he couldn't bring himself to let the bank take it or to sale it. He never could find anyone to work it, that was until Joey came along and took the low pay job.

Mr.Moony was a busy man, he rarely was at the shop, leaving it to Joey. He'd taken her under his wing, trusted her fully. Joey liked the shop, she had a good eye for colors and a good nose for which scents smelt best together. Working alone in 800 square feet, filled with different types of flowers all to herself was rather comforting to Joey. Not much made her happy, but her job did, the place made her happy. Nothing could ruin her time here, nothing.

That was until John B walked in that evening.

"We're closed." she lied, crossing her arms and looking his way.

John B cracked her a half smile, "The sign said open."

"Must have forgotten to take it down." Joey hummed, circling the counter again after placing a bouquet of black roses near the window, "What the hell do you want, John B?"

"I know i'm the last person you wanna see." he spoke quickly.

Lie, it was a huge lie. If there was anyone in the world she wanted to see, it was him. She'd left early yesterday morning before he woke up, leaving the thing of pain killers and a glass of water by his head. She hadn't seen him since and began to worry, yet here he was, looking rough but healthy at least, "Wow, you're actually right about something for a change."

"Do you remember all the stuff my dad use to say about the Royal Merchant?" John B asked quickly, nodding his head in hopes of showing he wasn't here to fight with her. Joey sighed, shrugged slightly and pretending she'd been busy doing anything else, "Jo, this is important. Please."

Her eyes met his, a huff left her lips, "Yeah, sure. Why?"

"Did he tell you anything? Like, anything you never told me after." John B tried to get it out of her as much as possible but it was clear he'd only been confusing her in the process, "Maybe about some coordinates?"

Joey crossed her arms with a questionable look, "Why are you asking, dick head?"

"Joey." John B huffed, waving his hands slightly, "I know you're playing the mean ass ex girlfriend right now to prove a point but please just work with me."

"To prove a point, right." Joey rolled her eyes in disbelief before she shrugged, "He said once that if he ever found the Royal Merchant that he'd have to track the coordinates on the Earth website, to make sure it wasn't off the deep end."

John B blinked, "The Earth website. Right, the one-"

"Oh my god, if you're gonna stay in here you have to buy something. I get paid on what I make, not by the hour:" Joey huffed, cutting him short. John B grabbed a small bouquet of Marigolds and laid them in front of her, "Ten bucks."

"Te-The sign says five." John B said in disbelief as he looked at the small sign before the Marigold, a small chalk board with Joeys hand writing on it.

"Five for normal people, ten for dickheads like." she gave a sarcastic smile as he pulled his wallet out, "But the Earth website that overcast the entire world. You can type in coordinates, addresses, street names, it'll bring you right down to them."

"And you're sure my dad was gonna use that once he located it?" John B repeated himself.

"Oh my god, I just said yes." Joey said in disbelief with a roll of her eyes, "He specifically told me he had to make sure it wasn't off the deep end. If it was, there wasn't a big chance he could get to it."

John B sighed in relief as a large grin spread across his face, watching as she circled the counter again to grab a box of sunflowers, "Joey, I know you hate me-"

"Correct again." Joey hummed, laying the box on the counter.

"I know you hate me but I could seriously just-" John B began, his voice raising in excitement, body shaking in joy and relief. Joey gave him a crazy look as he leaned over, kissing her on the cheek harshly, "You're my hero, I owe you, I appreciate you, I adore you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"John B!" Joey yelled at him in disbelief as he began hurrying toward the door, "Why do you need to know? Hey!"

"Meet us at The Wreck when you get off, i'll explain everything!" John B called, throwing the door open quickly as the bell rung above it.

"You forgot your flower!" Joey yelled, holding up the Marigolds.

"Keep em!" he yelled back, taking off in a sprint down the street. Joey sighed, shaking her head as she tried to prevent a smile from forming across her face. Failing miserably.

•

kylie speaks

love my baby who hates
everything.

do y'all wanna see more
flashbacks of when john b
and joey were together to
really understand why she is
so angry and heartbroken after
the breakup or would that take
up too much space in the main
plot??