Electric Love 𓇽 JJ Maybank

1.03.1

The Forbidden Zone

𓇽

I reached into the crack of the wall and pulled out a mailer. I stared down in shock. I had actually found something, not really believing John b stories.

I held it out until John b threw the hole and climbed out with JJ help. I winced and put back on the sling.

"That's not gold." Pope said.

"Holy shit." John b muttered looking down at the mailer. "This is from my dad."

JJ lighter flickered. "Code red. Code red. Square groupers! Square groupers." He said running behind the stone.

"Go." Kie muttered

"It's the Guys who robbed your house."

"Lights." I said turning off my flashlight.

JJ put out the blunt on the stone while I turned off his head light. "John b!" I hissed at him not turning it off but sticking it under his shirt.

"Turn your light off man."

Jj looked over the age at the guys. "You think it's them?" I asked.

"Homies got a gun." He said.

"Hell no I am not getting shot again." I muttered standing up and taking off running towards the van. I quickly took off my sling and stopped grabbing a hold of the brick walk. "This is gonna hurt." I muttered before swinging myself over.

"Guys! Guys! I'm stuck." Pope said

"Pope, come on!" I huffed holding on to my arm that was stinging.

Kie ran up to him and tried to help get him unstuck while JJ pulled out his gun clicking the safety off. "No. Pope, don't move okay?"

"JJ Maybanks put the damn gun away." I growled at him, slapping the gun down. I grabbed it, clicked it on safety and shoved it in my pocket. "You've most gun privileges."

Kie pulled pope down, ripping his pants off in the process and I couldn't help but laugh. "Sorry sorry." I said to pope who was obviously annoyed.

"Nice! Come on dude."

"It's a little tootsie roll."

"Come on!"

I swung the door open and got in.

"Get in!"

"Stupid."

Kie shut the door to the van and John B drove off before the men could get us.

𓇽

"JJ that bread had mold on it three days ago, open the new one." I told JJ who was smothering peanut butter on a piece of bread.

"I'll just pull off the bad parts. Plus mold is good for you. It's a natural organism." He said, making me roll my eyes and walk to where John b was.

"Jj come on."

"Yep! Hot damn. let's do it." JJ took a bite of his sandwich and gagged, making me giggle.

"Holy shit." John b muttered looking at the map he had pulled out of the mailer.

"Ooo a pirates map." I said looking at it. "X marks the spot." I said pointing at the x on the paper.

"Longitude, latitude." John b said, running his finger over the map. "Wait there's somethin else in there." He reaches his hand in and pulls out a tape recorder.

"What's that?" JJ asked.

"It's a tape recorder, dumbass." I said.

John b pressed play and it started speaking. "Dear bird.."

"Who's bird?" JJ asked.

"That's what my dad called me."

"...I hate to say "I told you so." But I told you so. And you doubted your old man. I suspect at this moment, you're filled with guilt and self- loathing over our last fight, but don't kill your self just yet kid. I didn't expect to find the merchant either." Big John's voice rang through the air and I looked at JJ baffled at the words 'find the merchant.'

"You were right to call me out. Wasn't exactly the father of the decade. What can I say kid? I could smell the barn. And hopefully we're listenin to this in our brand new sugar shack down in Costa Rica living off passive investments and pulling on permits. If not and you didn't do this for less optimal reasons, well that's what the map is for. There she is, the wreck of the merchant. If something happens to me, finish what I started. Go for the gold kid. I love you bird even if I didn't always act like it. I'll see you on the other side." John b clicked the tape recorder off and sat it down standing up.

"Holy shot he did it! Big John— he found the Merchant-"

"JJ. Not right now." I said glaring at the boy, tears in my own eyes as I motioned to John B who had just been confirmed of his fathers death and sobbing.

"Sorry."

𓇽

Kie softly played her ukulele as the soft air from the marsh blew on us. I laid my head on JJ's shoulder staring out into the water.

"How much was it again?" He asked

"400 million." I said almost a whisper like if I said too loud the reality would vanish to a dream.

"Alright, let's talk about the split. Now before we say evenly may I remind you that I am the only one that can properly defend us from those groupers who were after us. Protection? Not cheap, okay?" JJ said, waving his gun around.

"JJ when they were after us you didn't even have the gun. If anyone should get more it's John because his dads the one that found it." I said, rolling my eyes.

"And you haven't trained. You've done zero training." Pope said.

"YouTube bro! That's at least a five percent bump right there. Any objections?" I raised my hand and jj pushed it back down. "Didn't think so. I don't hear any."

Kie rolled her eyes and looked at pope. "What are you gonna do with your 80 mil pope?"

"Pay for college in advance. And also textbooks. Those are expensive." He said. Kie almost found her eyebrows at him, I let out a small laugh.

"What about you Kie?" Jj asked

"Yeah what does a socialist do when she's rich?" Pope said.

Kie chuckled lightly and smiled. "I just wanna make a double album. About OBX, the pogues. You know the way to catch a fire is about Kingston. Record it at Marley studio, Peter tosh producing." Kie said smiling.

"Peter tosh is dead."

"Peter tosh is dead. I know that. The spirit of Peter Tosh will never die." She said, raising her beer.

"Actually I know what I'm going to do. I'm gonna get a big ass house on figure eight and go full kook." JJ said.

"You're gonna go full kook?" Pope asked.

"Yup. Gonna get a marble statue of myself and then I'm gonna get a koi pond. Put a bunch of those fish—'' I laughed a little and so did everyone else.

"I'm never visiting." Kie jokes.

"What about you Addie?" JJ asked, taking my hand in his.

I hummed in response. "Nothing."

"Nothing?"

I shook my head. "It would take 122 million to 489 million a year to hire enough boats to clean the great pacific garbage patch and I'd like to save the money. Invest some of it to double, triple it, whatever. I just wanna do something that's important so until then, nothing."

"Hey, you can live with me until then." JJ said.

I laughed and nodded. "Only if I can get a statue too. JB? What about you?"

"To going full kook."

I held up my beer and smiled.

"To going full kook."

𓇽