MARLBORO NIGHTS [JJ MAYBANK]

hacky sack

"I MEAN ITS OBVIOUS, RIGHT?"

The group was once again packed into the van, on their way to some undetermined location with John B conspiring as he drove. "A family heirloom- what better place to hide a secret message? He had to know it was gonna get back to me, right?"

JJ, who sat on the bench next to Karolina, gave her an apprehensive look. The van was silent for a moment, silently wondering who was going to be the one to crush John B's spirit. Kie spoke first, "Yeah, it's possible."

"It could also be possible that you're concocting wild theories to help... you know. Deal with your sad feels," Pope interjected, realizing no one else was going to point out what they were already thinking. Kie turned to look at him, frowning heavily. He just shrugged.

"Bro, you know how I process my sad feels," JJ added, as if he was advising JB to do the same, "Dank nugs and the stickiest of ickies, that's how I do it."

"Or you could just shove it deep into the recesses of your mind and deal with your trauma through dark humor," Karolina suggested, "Works for me-"

"I-I'm not concocting, okay?" John B gripped the steering wheel. "My dad's trying to give me a message." His eyes were accusing when he turned around to glare at Pope. Kiara tried to settle him, "If it helps you believe, John B..."

The boy rolled his eyes, recoiling from her soft touch on the arm. "I-I don't need a therapy session, okay? I-I'm not tripping out-"

"Its okay to trip, bro-"

"Look. My dad is missing. Okay?" He spun on JJ. The blonde held his hands up innocently, before John B settled back into his seat. "Missing."

The silence was now accompanied by tension, and Karolina stared at her shoes awkwardly. They just wanted to help him, but it was hard when John B was the most stubborn person on the planet, who knew when they were trying to pity him.

"You don't know what it's like to have the person closest to you vanish, and then have no idea what happened." His voice shook when he spoke. "T-to just wake up every morning, wondering." John B swallowed hard, sticking a hand out the window. Karolina sighed, "Its been almost a year, JB..." The boy didn't answer, staring silently at the road ahead of them.

JJ cleared his throat, sitting up. "Hey, he could've been kidnapped. That's definitely a possibility."

"Yeah, could be in a Soviet sub getting interrogated by the KGB somewhere," Pope muttered, not fully invested in the scenarios they were dreaming up to satisfy John B. Pope was always the practical one, so it was hard for him to watch John B's delusion. "Absolutely," nodded JJ, "Or, uh.... Atlantis." Karolina huffed, fighting off a smile as she shook her head.

Kiara sighed, tilting her head as she looked at John B, asking, "Look, what do you think the message is?"

John B pointed his head at the sign as they passed. "Redfield. Redfield Lighthouse, its my dad's favorite place." Karolina glanced nervously at the sign, which had a huge sticker plastered over it reading: CLOSED DUE TO HURRICANE.

Pope held the door open while JJ and Karolina hopped out of the back, slamming it shut after, and moved to join them next to Kie. The lighthouse stood tall, despite the recent storm, and so did the white picket fence surrounding it. John B spoke to JJ. "Right, you're gonna post up and look out for bogeys, okay?"

The blonde made a face. "Wait, why me?" He glanced at Pope, who replied as if it were obvious, "Because you're not coming."

"But why?"