smooth seas//john b

fifty four

I need to talk to John B about what happened with Topper. Even if John B won't tell me the truth about whatever him and his dad are doing, I'm gonna tell him about this.

"MC, I... I'm... I'm sorry. For the way I talked to you at the Chateau, for lying about El Dorado, for not being there for you when you needed me," John B tells me.

"It's fine. I'm sure your dad probably didn't want you to say anything," I tell him.

"No, no. Hey. I messed up," John B tells me. "I missed you, Val."

I smile widely. "Missed you too, Vlad."

John B leans in to kiss me but I stop him.

"Wait. I have to tell you something," I say.

"What is it?" John B asks.

"Okay, before we go anywhere, before we do anything, I have something I need to tell you," I tell him.

John B nods. "Okay."

I take a deep breath. "I went to the Mase with Topper and Kelce and a few other kids from school."

"Okay," John B says.

"And... and Topper kissed me," I confess.

"Topper kissed you?" John B asks.

"Yes. And I pushed him away," I tell him. "And made him take me back here. I didn't... I don't want you to think... He wanted things to go back to the way they were. Like I was never gone. Like you and I never happened. He wanted to pretend that I was still the girl he met when we were fourteen."

"Maisie," John B says. "You didn't kiss him."

"No," I assure.

"Then I'm not mad at you," John B tells me. "Till death do us part?"

I nod my head. "Till death do us part."

John B kisses me. "Now we've gotta go save my dad."

JJ and I get in the Twinkie with John B. This thing must be on its ninth life.

"Walk me through it one more time," JJ tells John B.

"Okay, right there," John B says as he points to the map of South America. "That's where they're taking him. That's the site of the idol."

"You literally just pointed to South America. Like the whole continent," I tell him. "You understand that, right?"

John B nods. "Yep."

"That's all you know?" JJ asks. "He's somewhere in South America?"

"That's why we're going to the professor's house," John B explains. "Look, he was at the site."

"Okay," JJ says. "So happy we have the map, then."

"Wait. Whoa, whoa!" I tell John B. "We're going to a house now with a dead body in it?"

JJ shakes his head. "That's where we're going?"

"Yeah," John B says a little too calmly.

"And if the cops show up, you know what that makes us look like?" JJ asks.

"Yes," John B tells him.

"Okay, just making sure," JJ says.

"Can we please just be quick?" I ask. "In and out? I don't need to be hanging around with the dead."

We stop out front of the house. John B goes in first. This place gives me the creeps. I mean someone just died here. Like yesterday.

"His body's gone," John B tells us. He stands in front of a kitchen table. "Sowell was right here."