Strawberry Sunscreen - JJ Maybank - Outer Banks

Chapter 20 - Midsummers || Part 1

It was a pure coincidence that John B had run into Elizabeth on her walk home from working for Heyward. The man himself had been extremely stressed today considering his boy had almost been arrested in his own shop a few days prior. John B and Elizabeth walked around the chateau towards the front door until they both felt a hand cover their mouths. John B grunted as he was wrestled down to the ground whilst Elizabeth fell with them. "It's me, JJ. Stop, stop, stop, stop." Said JJ, who ended up on the bottom of the scrum.

"Fuck," muttered John B. "What are you doing?"

"You almost gave me a heart attack," Elizabeth stated, holding her hand over her heart.

"Shut up," stated JJ, pulling Elizabeth and John B over to the canoes where he pointed towards a car that was watching the entrance of the chateau. "See that? They're watching us, okay?"

"Who?" Elizabeth and John B both asked, confused.

"I don't know. Let's go. Sneak around to the dock," stated JJ. The group hid in the trees as they ran towards the back of the house, where the HMS Pogue would be. The three laid low as they walked through the marsh in an attempt to stay hidden

"Wait, wait, wait, wait. You got the keys to the Pogue?" JJ asked John B and he nodded. JJ and John B climbed up to the boat, ducking down. JJ held out his hand to help Elizabeth jump onto the back of the boat. The three of them quickly boated away from whoever had been watching them.

"What happened to your face?" Elizabeth asked the boy, who stared at her with what seemed to be fear.

"It's from the other night, remember? The kooks—" JJ trailed off.

"JJ, I cleaned every scar and that one was not there. What happened? Who did this?" Elizabeth asked the boy.

"Okay, okay. My dad got pissed, alright?" JJ explained, seeming angry.

"Your dad hit you?" Elizabeth asked and JJ nodded back. Elizabeth sighed, realizing that the rumors Rafe had spread were true. "You should--"

"Do something? Go to the cops?" JJ finished and Elizabeth shrugged. "Can't. Not unless I want CPS to drag me out of the Outer Banks and into a foster family. I'd rather keep this arrangement." Elizabeth nodded, swinging her feet.

"I'm sorry," she stated. JJ smiled back at her, nodding sympathetically

"It's not your fault," He said, beginning to laugh. "I mean, first I almost get strangled to death by Kooks, and now I'm on the hook for 30 grand," JJ began. "We should just dip."

"Okay, where do you wanna go? Hm?" John B asked.

"Yucatan," stated JJ.

"Yucatan," John B repeated, scoffing.

"No, I'm dead serious right now. Surf all day, and then we can just live off lobsters we catch with our bare hands," exclaimed JJ.

"Drink all day, party all night," included Elizabeth.

"What she said," stated JJ, pointing at her.

"You just wanna leave 'cause you got your ass beat?" John B asked. "You didn't see the photos. Think about it. They're willing to kill for the gold, then it's gotta be out there!"

"Have you lost your mind?" JJ yelled. "One hundred years, man. One hundred years, people have been tryin' to find this Royal Merchant, and no one succeeded. And you think you are gonna be the one that actually finds it?" JJ stared John B's down, whose face began to harden. "When will you get it in your thick skull?" JJ continued, "If you keep goin' down this road, you're gonna end up just like your dad!"