Carson Keller used to think her biggest problem was their rivalry against the Kooks, but that was until buried secrets rose to the surface. Now her biggest problems included a dangerous treasure hunt and a hot-headed teenage boy.
✰ season 1-3 ✰
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THE HONEST TRUTH was that Carson truly wouldn't have wanted to be stuck on the island with anyone else. She knew that they were all kind of screwed when it came to missing school, but it's not like education was ever her strong suit. She liked to think of it more as gaining valuable life experience than anything else. If she were to go to college, it sure would make one hell of a college essay after all.
"John B, your turn. Truth or dare?" Sarah said. They all sat around on the beach in a circle as they messed around, trying to do whatever they could think of to pass the time.
"Alright, alright. Truth," he said. Sarah tossed him the woven hat that they created and he happily placed it on top of his head.
"If you could do it all again, what would you do different?" she asked.
"Uh, get the gold out before Ward did," JJ chimed in.
"Maybe hide the cross a little better," Pope added.
"Not yell 'murderer' at Ward, maybe," Kiara said.
"Not find out that Ward was my dad," Carson said. She glanced over at Sarah and shrugged. "No offense."
"None taken," Sarah said. She knew that Carson didn't say it to mean that she didn't want to know they were half-sisters, but Ward wasn't exactly their favorite person after all that had happened.
"Uh, steal a couple bottles of rum before we jumped off the boat?" John B finally answered.
"Yeah, why didn't you do that, actually?" JJ asked.
"I don't know, maybe 'cause I was in a fight to the death?" he said.
"I would look both ways before crossing the street," Cleo said.
"Yeah, my bad," John B said as they all laughed. "My bad."
"Your turn, chief."
"Alright, Car, truth or dare," he said, leaning over to drop the hat onto her head.
"Dare, duh," she said. He pretended to think for a moment before a smile grew on his face. "Okay, maybe truth. I don't know if I trust you."
"Too late for that one," John B said. "I dare you to give JJ a lap dance." The rest of them burst into laughter, including JJ who now wore an delighted smile as he began to sit up straight.
"Have I ever mentioned how good of a friend you are, John B?" JJ joked. Carson sighed before pushing herself to her feet.
"Pope, give me a beat," she said. Pope did as she said, and the others began clapping along. Carson walked over to JJ and started by taking the woven hat off of her head and placing it on his. The rest of the group began cheering as she slowly peeled off her tank top so she was just in her sports bra, and she threw it so that it hit John B in the face. She wished she had a camera at that moment because the excited look on JJ's face was too amusing. She hovered over his lap and when his hands moved to grab her waist she pushed them down. "Can look but you can't touch."
"Hell yeah!" Cleo cheered her on. Carson laughed then leaned over and pressed her lips against JJ's before pushing him onto his back so that he was laying in the sand. She then stood up and made her way back over to her seat next to John B, snatching her shirt out of his hands.
"Don't expect me to do that again, Maybank," she said as he continued laying on his back in the sand, clearly still in a daze from the moments before.
"And that is what a man in love looks like, ladies and gentlemen," Pope joked.
"Alright, JJ, you're up. Truth or dare?" Carson asked.
"I mean, do you even need to ask?" he said. She smiled and shifted her eyes towards the cliff to indicate what her dare was going to be. Clearly, the others caught on to what she was thinking.
"Big jump. Nobody's done it yet," Kiara said. If there was anyone that was going to do it, it was going to be him. That was pretty obvious by the way he didn't hesitate in jumping up and immediately making his way up to the top. It was probably stupid because if he did get hurt then there was basically nothing they could do for him, but they weren't really considering that. They all stood and cheered as he stood on the top of the cliff, high above the water.
"He's not gonna do it," Cleo commented.
"Oh, I won't, huh?" JJ called down.
"There's not much JJ won't do," Carson told her.
"It's highly dangerous, uh, zero reward? Yeah, he's doing it," Pope agreed. JJ took a step back before launching himself over the edge of the cliff and did a front flip into the water. Carson let out a loud laugh as she ran to meet him midway in the water, throwing her arms around his neck once she got close enough, which made them fall back into the water.
"I actually thought I was gonna die," JJ admitted to the others as they walked out of the ocean and back up onto the beach.
✰
"You're insane. You know that, right?" Carson whispered as her and JJ laid face-to-face on their sides while the others slept nearby. JJ let out a quiet laugh.
"It's one of my many charms," he joked. His smile slowly changed into a look of apprehension as he stared at her, which didn't go unnoticed.
"What's wrong?" she asked. He opened his mouth to talk but then shut it again, clearly hesitant to say what it was that was on his mind. "Hey, come on, you know you can say whatever to me." She reached her hand over and gently brushed back a piece of his blond hair that fell onto his face.
"If we could stay on this island, would you?" he finally questioned. She let out a sigh. It was clear that JJ was much happier being away from the Cut. He had no responsibilities here and no one to let down. No one was there to judge him or stick him the box that they labeled him as a delinquent who was just like his father. He felt free. She could understand why he wanted to stay.
"We can't stay here forever, J," she said honestly.
"I know, but would you?" he said. "If we could." What he was really asking was something different though. What he wanted to know is if she would ever leave him. That was something she had an answer for.
"I'd go wherever you were," Carson said. Her words seemed to relieve his anxiety as he subtly let out the breath that he hadn't even realized he had been holding in. Instead of saying anything back, he just pulled her into his chest and wrapped his arms around her until they fell asleep.
