smooth seas//john b

nineteen

We head to the Wreck trying to regroup. I sit down at one of the tables next to John B.

"Look, he'll come around, all right? It's..." John B trails off.

"He's doing a JJ thing," I state.

"You think he'll go home?" Kie asks.

"There's about a zero percent chance that JJ goes home," Pope states.

John B looks at me. "You okay?"

I nod my head. "Yeah. Are you?"

"I mean, I'm in one piece, so..." John B trials off.

Pope sighs. "Okay. It's too dangerous to pawn this thing off piecemeal. So our best bet is to go down there and get the rest of it. Bring it all up at once. Put it in... in a safe or a vault or something. I... I don't know. Just until we can find someone who won't rip us off. I can figure it out tonight, get it done, and we can be out there early as tomorrow morning," Pope explains.

"All right, let's do it," John B agrees,

"Easy," Pope assures.

"Let's go," John B states.

"What about that thing with my dad?" I ask.

"Shit," John B says.

"What thing?" Pope asks.

"I have to go fishing with Ward," John B explains.

"You can't get 400 mil 'cause you're gonna go kill fish?" Kie asks.

"Look, I have to go," John B states.

"Blow it off. It's 400 million in gold!" Pope shouts.

"Make something up!" Kie tells him.

"Look, I... I have to, okay? He... he saved me, all right? If it weren't for Ward, I'd be in foster care. So... I have to go. Plus, it'll be better to do it at night. Right?" John B offers.

Pope thinks for a moment. "Fine. Fine, go fishing."

"And at least JJ will probably have washed up by then," Kie adds.

John B and I drive around in his van for a while. I don't want to go home yet and I don't think John B minds keeping me entertained.

"Welcome back to the Pogue life," John B tells me.

I laugh. "I've missed it. The Kook life wasn't for me."

John B chuckles. "So no more country club parties?"

I smile mischievously. "Only the ones with free alcohol." John B shakes his head. "I'm just glad to be back with you and the crew.

"But mostly me," John B states.

I chuckle. "But mostly you." I hear a horn honking behind us. I turn and see a motorbike. "Oh, shit. That's Rafe."

Rafe pulls up alongside the van. "Hey, pull that piece of shit over!"

John B doesn't listen. Rafe pulls his motorbike in front of the van and John B slams on the brakes.

John B goes to get out of the car but I stop him. "Shit. No, no, no, no. John B."

"What?" John B asks.

"Let me handle him," I tell him. I get out of the car and walk towards Rafe. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"There she is! Little Miss Perfect!" Rafe yells.

"Hello? Are you high?" I drag him away from the van.

"What? Oh, no," Rafe says.

"Damn it. We could have run you over," I tell him.

Rafe takes his helmet off. "I just heard about your little home invasion."