Hell or High Water | JJ Maybank [2]

sixteen

"THE TIDE ROSE little faster than I thought it would," JJ mused as the group of friends stared at the water that now completely concealed the road. "Just a little bit," John B chorused.

Jo groaned as she shifted so she was between the two front seats, frowning at the excessive amount of water that blocked their path. "How deep is that?" She queried.

"John B, how high are the spark plugs?" JJ asked slowly. Jo watched as the boy stuck his head out the window to look, reporting that they were just above the taillight.

"So that's what... three feet?" Pope asked. "That's three feet," JJ confirmed solemnly.

"There's no way that's three feet of water," Kie stated incredulously. "Then what's the problem?" John B asked with a shrug.

"There's not a problem," JJ said, pursing his lips. "No, we're good. We're good. She'll make it."

"That doesn't sound very promising," Jo muttered.

The tension still lingered in the air between both arguing couples. John B and Sarah were barely acknowledging each other and the same went for JJ and Jo. Well, JJ was trying to get her to talk to him, but she was giving him the cold shoulder. He had been attempting to get her alone so he could finally force her to talk, but then Sarah showed up and took everyone to the island room that ended up being at Tannyhill. One thing led to another and after discovering Cecelia Tanny's grave, here they were.

"Ladies and gentlemen, fasten your seatbelts and hold onto something, we're going into hyperdrive," John B murmured nervously.

"Oh, god," Jo whispered. Pope and the girls in the back grabbed onto anything they could find as John B floored it through the water. The van shook as he pressed harder on the gas until eventually he lost control and they skidded off the road, further into the water. Jo yelped as she was flung forward and her hand landed on JJ's shoulder. Her breath hitched as he glanced at her. She retracted her hand as if she had just been burned and quickly looked away.

"Okay, we may have miscalculated," Pope breathed heavily. "Yeah, no shit," Jo groaned.

Everyone slowly ambled out of the van and looked around, frowns adorning their faces as they waded through the shin-deep water. "Maybe we can walk from here," Pope suggested.

"And leave the Twinkie?" John B asked incredulously. "We can't just leave her," Jo protested. "She'll drown."

"So then what are we supposed to do?" Sarah asked skeptically. "Not stay here," JJ replied without missing a beat.

"Nice to see where your loyalties lie," Jo deadpanned, folding her arms over her chest.

"Oh, my loyalties?" JJ retorted, sending a glare at the brunette girl.

"Yeah, who else's?" Jo snapped back. "I'm not the one who went and slept with someone else!"

"I can take my dad's truck," Kie said loudly, trying to break up the brewing argument between the not-so-happy couple.