Hurricane- JJ Maybank (Outer Banks)

11.

"Where the hell were you?" I heard John B yell out at us as we sat in his living room, cleaning up after what the men had done to his home.

"We had to go so golden boy didn't get caught!" JJ screamed back, throwing whatever he had in his hands in the floor.

"Hey! I tried to wait." Pope explained himself.

"No you didn't. Don't lie." I said, throwing whatever was ripped and non salvageable outside in the yard.

John B was having a fire outside, throwing everything into it. He was having a whole fit and I couldn't blame him after everything. I put my hand on JJ's back to show him I was there, but he just sighed.

"Don't beat yourselves up. Don't blame each other. We did what we had to do. It's not anyone's faults."

No one replied to me but John B called out for us to get in the car so we all followed without saying a word.

-

"She's not coming." Pope said.

"What? Why? What'd you do?" JJ looks to John B.

"Shit. I've got this."

He goes inside, shutting the door behind him.

"20 bucks he finally hit it." JJ holds up a 20.

"You're gross."

"Cmon. We'd all hit if we could right?"

Pope just leans back in his seat.

"Don't lie."

"How about we stop talking dirty about our own friends for once?" He finally replied.

"Damn, what a buzzkill." JJ looks to me.

"What?"

"Nothing, cupcake. What's on your mind?"

"You just sexualize anything with a heartbeat, don't you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about. That's all you ever do. The nicknames, the banter, the dirty talk. You think it's a personality trait but it's kinda disgusting. It makes me feel like I'm just an object, or a girl you wanna mark off on your checklist."

"Rach, that's not what I was trying to do. I just like to joke around. Popes a buzzkill, but you aren't."

"Think again."

"I'm sorry, please forgive me." He says, holding up a joint as Kie walks out the car.

"You can't just expect me to forgive you in exchange for weed."

"I sure am gonna try though. You want a hit of this?"

"No. I'm keeping my signal clear." Pope declines the joint.

"You wanna know what your problem is? You don't get creative." He starts rambling to Pope as John B explains to us about his dad and the lighthouse again.

JJ hits the joint again and throws the butt out the window.

"Where exactly are we going? It's dark." I ask, looking into the front seat where Kie and John B sat.

"A cemetery?" JJ says with fear in his tone.

"Red field isn't a place, it's a person. It's my great grandmother, Olivia Redfield."

"Spooky."

"Help me with the door." John B looks back to us.

We all try to help him crack open the door with our flashlights on our heads. I push back when I hear a snake come out from the grave.