I was down at Kildare's Sheriff County the next morning with Dad. We were to patrol around the OBX for the morning, to see if anything popped up about Hurricane Agatha or Ms. Lana's still missing husband, Scooter Grubs. I still hadn't told Dad what had happened at the bonfire last night, with the gun being pulled out. I knew that if he knew, he wouldn't be very happy.

We started work early, around 6 AM, and I helped him with paperwork for a few hours in his office, before we would head out for the day.

The problem was, I couldn't exactly concentrate. The stacked papers and files just seemed to get higher and higher by the minute, and the words kept blurring together. I could feel myself starting to daydream a little, and my mind started to wonder towards the subject of JJ Maybanks.

I wondered if he showered often. Did Pogue boys shower? JJ sure looked like he didn't, but in a good way. In a sexy way. The grime on his face added to the sort of relaxed, casual I-don't-give-a-fuck-look. He looked hot, and he knew it. We all knew it.

He didn't seem to ever shave, and I expected JJ to shave as he was a sixteen year old boy. But the only thing that ever grew in was peach fuzz, which I found oddly adorable.

John B could grow a beard, I pondered. I knew Sarah was into beards.

Sometimes I got so mad at him for making me think this way. Why couldn't he just drive off a cliff and be removed from Earth? It would be better if I never had to see him again. It would be better if he just never came back.

Who was I kidding, it would be horrible if I never saw him again!

I wanted him everyday, to myself. I was selfish. There, I'd said it. I selfishly wanted JJ all to myself, just so I could run my fingertips from his shoulder down his flexed bicep, all the way to his fingertips. I could touch the pad of my fingers to the rough calluses of his fingers. I wanted my hand to fit in his palm, to fit perfectly, like we were always meant to do that.

I thought about him, pictured him, cried over him, and still, I had only spoken merely a few words to him. Which, the whole time, we had been yelling at each other. And still, I wasted all my energy and thoughts over this boy, this precious, beautiful, boy, just so that he could be an asshole to me?

I stood up, sending papers flying to the floor.

"Mercedes?" Dad asked, concerned about the sudden movement.

"I've got to go," I ran out of the building.

"Mercedes! You can't just run off!" Dad yelled after me, but I was already hopping into a Deputy's Sheriff vehicle, keying in, and I stepped on the gas pedal and zoomed off.

I was going to be in so much trouble, I knew it. I had just run off on a shift with my Dad, he was already mad at me for skipping to go to the bonfire. And, I had just stolen one of Kildare's Sheriff cars, speeding off to god knew where.

Actually, I was on a mission. I had decided, enough with JJ. I was sick of thinking about him. I wanted this torture over, I wanted this whole thing over. I was tired of thinking about him, I was annoyed that he had managed to overcome my own defenses, that he was able to slither inside and stick to me like glue, forcing my every waking hour to think about him. To think about JJ.

What had I ever done to him? Nothing. Exactly. And it was his own fault that I was spending so much time drooling over him, not mine. I had done my job, all these years. I had done my part, kept quiet, I was a good kid. So what I had done to deserve this?!

I had no idea where JJ lived on Figure Eight. But I did know where his best friend, John B lived. Dad and I had driven over once to talk with John B, when his dad had died at sea and we were to do an investigation.

I turned the wheel, and drove into John B's heavily overgrown front yard. I clicked off the engine, and the car went silent. I stepped slowly out of the car, listening hard. Something wasn't right.

The sound of yelling, and furniture being thrown came from within the house.

"Where are you, John B?" I heard a deep male voice yell, and the sound of glass shattering followed.

"We know you have the compass!" Another male voice threatened, and something else broke.

I pulled my gun from my back pocket as I crept forward and onto the porch. I was still in my Deputy uniform, and though I looked young, I knew I could pass for a real cop.

"The hell is going on here?!" I yelled, kicked open the door, and walked straight in with my gun pointed at the two men. They stood frozen, staring at me as I stormed inside. "You two are under arrest for destruction of property, underage abuse and—"

Before I could finish, they bolted.

I shot after them a couple of times, just to be sure they wouldn't return, but I missed. The sound of tires screeching indicated that they had left.

I pocketed my gun, wiped my hands on the side of my pants, and walked through the house. "John B? Are you here?"

A door creaked open, and the Pogues spilled out.

"Are they gone?" Pope said fearfully.

"I dealt with them," I said smoothly.

"Was that gunshots?!" JJ shoved me ruffly. "Are fucking crazy? This is John B's house, not your little training session with the other Sheriffs."

"I'm sorry, but were you not the one who full on shot a gun up in the air last night?" I raised my brows.

"What are you doing here," JJ scowled.

"Listen, thanks again, and everything, but um, we're all good now, so ..." John B not so subtly encouraged me to leave.

I then realized something. This was my chance, my only chance, and I'd probably never get an opportunity to see JJ ever in my life again. I suddenly got a thrill running through my body. I was going to take this, selfishly maybe, but I didn't care. For once in my life I was going to do something for me, not for my Dad, not for the others, just for me.

I wanted in. I wanted desperately to know the Pogue life, or really, I wanted to know the JJ life. I wanted everything he had, and I wanted him.

"You have five seconds to confess what this whole deal is about or I'm calling my Dad. It's either you tell me or I go ahead and send every free cop to hunt you all down" I threatened, holding up my phone.

"You're going to tell lil' Daddy about this? Oh no ... poor you," JJ mocked me.

"JJ," Kiara muttered.

"They were yelling about some compass," I ignored JJ and turned my full attention to John B.

"Well, uh, you know ..." He fidgeted, obviously he didn't want to say.

"Spill. Now," I thundered.

"We found this compass." John B explained slowly.

Think it's an anagram—" Pope explained.

"—This message, a hidden one anyway—" John B said, overlapping Pope.

"John B, have you lost your mind?!" JJ yelled. "She's a Kook, and not even that! Her Dad's Sheriff Shoupe!"

"A hidden message from who?" I ignored JJ.

"From my dad," John B said. "It says just one thing—Redfield."

"Redfield Lighthouse?" I guessed.

"Yeah—hey! Yeah, that could be it!" John B got all excited, hopped in the Twinkie, and turned the engine on. "What?! Are you all coming or what? This could be it—my Dad could be alive!"

"John B ..." Kiara said hesitantly.

"Let's go!" John B said, almost aggressively now.

"Before we head off and figure out this great mystery—could I change?" I requested, gesturing to my uniform from that morning.

"No," JJ said.

"Excuse me?"

"You're not coming," he said. "Who said you could just waltz in here and join us?"

"John B literally just said—"

"Come on!" John B said from the Twinkie.

"So I'm just going to head inside and change ..." I slowly started to walk inside when JJ stopped.

"No. If you're coming, you change out here."

"What?" I stopped walking.

"JJ ..." Kiara said.

"You heard me. You wanna come with us to Redfield? Strip. In front of us. Or you too chicken?" JJ challenged.

I stared at him. "Fine."

"What?" He said, shocked. He didn't believe that I would actually do it.

I threw my shirt off over my head, so I was just standing in a bra and pants. "I said, fine."

"JJ!" Kiara said. They weren't sick like he was.

"Ohmigod," Pope averted his eyes. John B was just busy with the Twinkie, something about 'She wouldn't start up'.

I stripped my pants too, so I was just standing in my bra and underwear. I hated JJ even more for making me do this. "Pass me my clothes."

"No," JJ was enjoying this. "Go get it yourself."

"Oh for fucks sake," Kiara passed me my change of clothes from my car.

I quickly pulled on the new outfit, "Okay, let's go." I pretended to smooth back my hair, like I wasn't affected or anything, or that I always changed in front of random groups of teenagers.

I was humiliated. JJ had striped me to my bear, forcing me to put myself in the lowest position I could in front of the Pogues. He knew what he was doing. He was setting the bar. I was now known as the girl who was seen almost naked, in only my bra and underwear. Pope, Kiara, even John B had seen me at my lowest point.

I hated him for doing that. I had come here for resolution, and in fact, gotten the opposite.

"Let's go!" John B almost screamed at us from the Twinkie. "My dad could be alive!"

We all got in the Twinkie, but I made sure to 'accidentally' kick JJ on the way into the car. He blatantly ignored me and merely smiled.

He smiled, in a way that said to me, I've seen you in your underwear. I've seen you striped bear, and I've seen you at your lowest point. You, Mercedes Shoupe, do not scare me.

Yeah well, you, JJ Maybanks, are an absolute jerk. And I still don't understand why I like you.

As we started down the road, all crammed in the Twinkie, John B kept going on and on about how his dad was alive, and how he was pretty much getting his hopes up over that little compass.

My phone started ringing, so I took it out from my back pocket of my jeans. Dad, it read as the called ID. I pressed ignore, turned my phone on silent, and tucked it back into my pocket.

"Daddy's calling?" JJ had seen.

"Shut up," I snapped.

"He's probably worried—oh no, let me guess, you're in trouble," he baby-voiced.

"I said shut up!" I stood up from my seat and tried to shove him out of his own.

"Whoa!" Pope tried to tug me down.

"Don't touch me!" JJ stood up, and we both tried to punch each other but the Pogues held us back.

"Stop acting like fucking four year olds," Kiara said. "God."

"Sorry," I muttered.

"Should be," JJ said smugly.

Asshole.

We arrived at Redfield's Lighthouse, and John B parked the Twinkie in the parking lot just a couple feet away. We all hopped out onto the burning pavement.

"Right—You're gonna post up and look out for bogeys, okay?" John B told JJ.

"Why me?!" JJ complained.

"Because you've been a bitch all day," I snapped back.

"Look, JJ, there are independent and dependent variables," Pope said, "and your independant."

"Shut up, Pope!" JJ said.

"Listen to me!" John B broke it up. "Pope, you stay out here with JJ."

"Guess I'll head with Kiara and John B," I said. Take that, JJ.

"So I have to stay out here, while she gets to go?!" JJ cried.

"Pretty much," I said.

"No! This is so unfair! She fucking stays," JJ said.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but JJ is right. You two watch over her," Kiara ordered Pope and JJ.

"What?" I looked at her.

"You heard me, Sheriff girl. You stay." Kiara said, and she and John B disappeared into the lighthouse.

Message received. It seemed like Kiara held a lot of power over these boys, and right now, I was still the Sheriff's daughter to these Pogues. I was still a threat to them.

"I'm going to work on my merit scholarship essay," Pope started to pace around. "I'm trying to keep felonies to a minimum."

"Good luck with that," I snickered.

"Would you just shut up already?!" JJ said loudly.

"Cut the crap, JJ!" I shoved him angrily. "Why're you being such an ass to me? What the hell have I ever done to you, huh?"

"You're the Sheriff's daughter," he spat the words out like they were something from the bottom of his shoe.

"Guys!" Pope stepped between JJ and I, as we both were staring daggers at each other.

"I think I'll take a walk," I shoved away from the two Pogues, and walked a bit off into the distance.

I could still hear them talking, and JJ said "I don't understand how you're all so cool with this! Like why am I the only one who's mad that she's tagging along?!"

Their conversation continued as I slowly walked to the Twinkie in the parking lot. It seemed like Pope was mutual about the whole thing, whereas JJ was full on pissed about it.

I was starting to see why everyone thought JJ would end up in jail. He was a bitch, I thought bitterly. An absolute bitch to everyone. Well, that was wrong. To his friends, he had a cute, friendly, playful side. He was happier with them, I noticed. But towards me, towards everyone else, he put on this stupid mask that made him an absolute jerk.

Suddenly, the sound of cop's sirens broke the air. I looked up and saw a few Deputy cars heading in the direction of the lighthouse. I sprang up, and ran back to Pope and JJ who were panicking.

"You called the cops!" JJ accused.

"What?! No I didn't," I insisted.

"No time!" Pope was already running to the Twinkie. He hopped in and JJ followed him, starting up the car. I started to jump in, but JJ quickly turned the wheel so that I was cut off. They started to peel off, with Pope screaming the whole time, the cops closing in.

"Hey! Let me in!" I ran after the Twinkie that was quickly starting to speed up.

"You called the cops! You're a liar!" JJ yelled back at me.

I would not let JJ leave me behind. I would not be that kind of girl, I decided. I ran as fast as my legs could take me, pumping my arms, and caught hold of the door handle while the Twinkie was still running.

"Are you crazy?!" Pope yelled at me.

"Maybe!" I shouted, pulled the door open, and dove inside the still moving Twinkie.

"What the—" JJ looked over his shoulder when he spotted me inside the Twinkie.

"Just go! Cops are after us!" Pope shouted, "We'll deal with her later!"

JJ stepped on the gas, and we left the lighthouse, Kiara, John B, and the cops in the dust.