"Hey, you can't let this one interaction with her bring you down. I know it must be a huge shock that she's . . . well, alive, but maybe she had a good reason for doing what she did." John B tried to console her when he noticed where all her attention had gone but she gently shrugged his hand away, not needing the pity that he was offering.
Admittedly, disregarding the passive aggressiveness she'd decided to use with her mother, Jaylene knew that deep down, she had only acted that way because of the response she received after their small reunion. A part of her did want to know why Marleen was acting like she didn't know who she was while the other part was just the slightest bit relieved that she wouldn't have to be forced into a confrontation regarding the past.
"When I found out she was alive, I remember feeling absolutely betrayed, but that quickly turned into anger and then into contentment because I was so convinced that I would never see her again. And I now realize how ironic that is considering that she's standing less than a hundred feet away from me." Jaylene began to express her emotions through the use of words, struggling a bit to properly piece her sentences together in a way that made sense. Typically, she hated talking about her feelings but right now she had nothing to lose . . . and she didn't want a lack of communication to create a rift between her and John B. "I seriously think that life has it out for me."
John B was surprised to hear that it wasn't the fact that Marleen was alive that was bothering her, but the fact that the woman was actually in her presence after all these years. "You knew that she faked her death?" He quirked an eyebrow upwards, trying hard to retain this information that was being shared with him.
Jaylene nodded, letting go of the blanket so that it could hang off of her shoulders. She fiddled with her shaky fingers, thinking back to the very day in which Mark and Florence Harrington unraveled the secrets that they'd kept hidden. "I found out the day before you decided to strand me on Heyward's boat with Sarah and Kiara." A genuine laugh spilled from her lips. Oh, the things she would do to be able to go back to a time where no one had been framed for murder.
"That was like three weeks ago." John B pointed out, his eyes widening when he realized that she'd known for quite some time now. Time that she spent helping him and the pogues search for the gold when she was going through problems of her own. "You've known for three weeks that your mom was alive and you didn't tell me? Jaylene, we're together now. You know you can trust me with shit like that, right?"
"I know, I know. I just never found the proper time to tell you." A new force of strength appeared inside of Jaylene's body as she stood upright, her hands reaching for her temples to massage them slightly, hoping to relieve some of the stress she was feeling. "It's justโyou were so set on finding that gold and in all honesty, I didn't really feel like talking about it."
"You still should've told me." He argued.
Looking upwards at him, Jaylene shook her head. "Until you've had a parent magically rise from the dead, I don't need you telling me what I should've or shouldn't have done in that situation."
John B didn't immediately respond to that, taking the time to fully process her words. He searched through the depths of them, slightly wishing that his father would magically rise from the dead as well, but since that clearly wasn't happening, he had to give it to her. She had a point.
"That's fair." He nodded in agreement, quick to change the topic by holding the warm soup upwards to offer it to her once more.
This time, she finally gave in, allowing a spoonful of the vegetable soup to be placed into her mouth, her tastebuds immediately hating her for having put them through that awful torment. Not only was it bland to the point where it made her wanna spit it right back out but the warmth of it made her feel extremely nauseous.
Stiffened in place, Jaylene's face twisted in disgust, a mouthful of the soup resting in her mouth until she found the proper strength to swallow it. She tried her best to fake a liking for it, crumbling almost instantly. "Mmm."
Amused, John B let out a laugh, finding pleasure in watching Jaylene struggle to hide her heavy disliking for the awful tasting soup."Gross, right?"
"You knew it tasted that gross and still had the audacity to persistently offer it?" Jaylene gasped, dramatically bringing a hand to her heart as her head shook in disbelief at this treachery.
"Yeah, no offense, but your mom can't cook." John B chuckled, setting down what remained of the soup so that he wouldn't have to carry it anymore.
Jaylene tried to suppress her laughter at that, failing to do so as it rose from her throat. "No kidding. I now remember why she took my brother and me to that diner all the time." She grinned widely at that memory, that slim moment of happiness dying down instantly when she remembered that everyone back home probably thought that they had died in the storm.
The promise she'd made to Nathaniel wriggled its way into her mind, making her feel instant guilt. The reality of everything wasn't exactly something she wanted to think of right now because she knew that thinking about it was just one huge disaster waiting to unravel. She was running on adrenaline and until that wore off, she couldn't afford to revert her focus to the life she had to leave behind in order to make a run with her boyfriend. Maybe this was a decision she would end up regretting at some point, but it couldn't be now. Not yet.
Sensing the sudden sadness that had embraced Jaylene, John B moved closer to comfort her. This time, she didn't push him away. Instead, she allowed him to throw his arm over her shoulder, pulling her closer to him. "We're gonna be okay, right?" He looked down at her, brushing a few strands of hair away from her face in the process.
Despite the uncertainty, Jaylene began to nod her head. "We're gonna be okay, Johnโ"
"Don't say it." He cut her off, knowing her all too well.
Rolling her eyes slightly, Jaylene rested her head against his shoulder, heaving a quiet sigh as she shut her eyes, muttering the following words. "John with the unnecessary B."
________________
THE FOLLOWING DAYS onboard the ship ticked by slower than expected due to the various stops that were made at multiple ports where cargo was either loaded or discharged onto or from the large watercraft that drifted across the ocean. What should've been an eight-hour ride to Nassau turned into an exhausting three-day trip that had caused Jaylene one too many headaches that made her feel even more nauseous. It seemed that no matter how many times she had traveled in her life, whether it be by plane, car, ferry, or ship, the exhaustion from it would never be something she would grow used to. She felt weak and tired for the most part, so she spent those three days lying on the mattress in one of the rest areas. Occasionally, she would let the sunlight hit her from the deck, but aside from that, she found comfort in the isolated space that was hers and John B's until they arrived to the Caribbean island.
Since Jaylene had spent most of her time lying comfortably inside of the lonesome area that Terrance had provided them with, avoiding Marleen had been quite the easy task. The only time she ever saw the woman was whenever she had to walk the slim pathway that led to the bathroom which just so happened to be located near the small dining space on the ship. What really helped out a lot was that they seemed to have had some unwritten agreement that they'd avoid one another no matter what.
Don't get her wrong, of course, she wanted answers directly from her mother, but not like this. Not when this encounter had only occurred out of sheer luck.
Maybe under entirely different circumstances, she might've actually been the slightest bit thrilled to come face to face with the woman that everyone on The Cut always spoke so fondly of, the same woman that raised her for the first few years of her life until everything went completely sideways, forcing Marleen to make the toughest decision of her life . . . to leave her old life behind, that including her two kids.
"Hey, are you awake?" John B whispered quietly, the rhythmic movement of his chest going up and down coming to a sudden end as he spoke.
Jaylene pushed her head off of his chest, moving it towards the pillow instead while his hand remained wrapped around her waist. After taking in a deep breath, she shook her head, mumbling into the pillow. "No."
Quirking his eyebrows up at his lack of amusement, John B sighed, peeking his head over to get a good look at Jaylene who still had her eyes shut. Nonetheless, despite her not wanting to start a conversation, he continued to speak. "You wanna know something?"
Taking in the silence for a few minutes while he waited for her response, Jaylene smiled to herself, shaking her head again. "Nope."
John B frowned, parting his lips. "Do you remember when I was on the run?"
Jaylene paused, a frown of her own tugging at her lips. Without warning, she turned her body, coming face to face with him so that he could get a good look at the dumbfounded expression she was wearing. "You're asking me if I remember when you were on the run?" She repeated his question, wondering just how serious he was right now. When he nodded in response, she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, quickly re-opening with her finger hovering near her head. "John B, I don't know how many brain cells you have up here, but you're still on the run."
"When we were still on the island." He corrected himself.
"See, that's different." Jaylene pursed her lips.
John B jokingly rolled his eyes at her. "You kooks and your need to always be right."
"Mmm, I like when men are capable of admitting they're wrong. It makes my heart flutter." She quipped, overlapping her hands to rest her head against them.
All John B did was look at her, unamused at her strange sense of humor. "When I was on the run on Kildare Island, Jason tried to turn me in."
"Jason?" Jaylene questioned, unsure if she'd heard that correctly.
"Yeah. Remember him?" He stupidly asked.
"Of course I remember Jason. I did date him, after all." Jaylene squinted at him, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "What I wanna know is why my current boyfriend is talking to me about my ex-boyfriend." She proceeded to speak, overall confused with his reason for starting this conversation. "Is this some weird thing that pogues do? Talk about exes?"
"No. Why would we do that?" John B almost looked offended at that, his face twisted in disbelief.
"That's what I'm trying to figure out." Jaylene couldn't hold back anymore, her eyes rolling. "But what do you mean he tried to turn you in?"
"Well, when Kelce trapped me in his houseโ"
"Kelce had you trapped in his house?" Jaylene propped her head up, surprised at this information that was being shared with her.
"Did I not tell you this?" He queried in confusion.
The Rosewood girl shook her head. "No, John, you and I haven't exactly had the time to gossip since Ward Cameron decided to frame you for murder."
"Wellโ" John B began to say, quickly being cut off by Jaylene who held a finger up, warning him to stop talking.
Pulling herself up from the bed, she let out a tired groan. "Hold that thought, I think someone's coming."
And she turned out to be right because seconds later, Terrance knocked on the door, waiting a few seconds to hear a response back to let him know that it was okay to walk in until he pulled that same door open, welcoming himself into the room.
"Morning, lovebirds. We're coming into port. You two best not be onboard without a passport, if you know what I'm saying." Terrance warned the two teenagers, glancing back and forth at Jaylene and John B to make sure they understood what he was getting at.
"Got it." John B nodded his head, standing from the bed to get his shoes on and collect his backpack from the ground.
While he was doing that, Jaylene was looking out the small, round window that granted them a small view of the incoming island. She let out a sigh of relief, slipping her own shoes onto her feet before turning to look at Terrance. "Is there somewhere we can go?" She questioned.
Nodding in response, Terrance gestured towards the thick, metal door nearby. "You guys can go on my bridge."
"Through here?" John B looked over at him as he pulled open the door that led to a small flight of stairs.
Terrance nodded once more, urging them to hurry it up. "Mhm. Come on. Y'all need to hustle."
Jaylene followed behind John B, climbing up the narrow steps carefully before he held his hand out towards her, pulling her up until they reached the top of the bridge where everything ahead of them could be seen.
"Hey, I really appreciate you, captain." John B nodded at the man who stood below the stairs, overall grateful for all he had done for them these past few days.
"Yeah, thanks." Jaylene gave him a coy smile.
"Stay put and don't come out." Was the last thing Terrance said before shutting the door behind him, leaving the two alone once again.
Until the sound of footsteps could no longer be heard, the two absorbed the silence between them, the sound of the small waves crashing against one another emitting through the air. It wasn't until John B took in his surroundings that he spoke, his body leaned up against the wooden surface by one of the large windows.
"Wow." He admired the scenery that his vision took in, awed at how breathtaking the island was compared to the one he'd spent his whole life on. "So this is what foreign countries are like? I've never been to one."
"Not all of them." Jaylene placed her hand on his back, smiling to herself at his excitement to be somewhere that wasn't home for the first time in his life. It reminded her of a child in a candy shop. "Welcome to Nassau, John B. Beautiful, isn't it?"
"Hell yeah, it is." He nodded his head in agreement, finding it hard to believe that any of this was actually real.
Jaylene set her hand on top of his, overlapping their pointer fingers together so that she could guide his hand up to the thick glass. Squinting her eyes, she pointed to the Cameron home across the ocean. "That's the Cameron household." She informed him, watching his eyes grow wide open in astonishment. "And that right there is the Rosewood family vacation home."
As if the Rosewood home back in the Outer Banks wasn't already jaw-dropping enough, this one just happened to be on a whole other level of breathtaking. The three-story vacation home stood out the most from all the luxurious mansions that lined the clear waters. It had vibrant, cherry-colored roof tiles that could blind you from miles away, a tawny coat of paint on the exterior walls of the home, balconies made from cream-colored stone pillars, a wide pool to take a dive in, and to top it all off, it consisted of a total of ten bedrooms, each one of them with their own distinguishable designs.
"Holy super kook." John B's mouth gaped open, his eyes glimmering at the obvious wealth that his girlfriend's family possessed. "We should crash there for a few nights." He dumbly suggested like it was even an option after everything they'd gone through.
At this point, Jaylene had accepted that her boyfriend was just filled with some of the stupidest ideas in existence, and the only way to get him to understand that was through her passive-aggressiveness, so that's what she did. "Isn't that just one of the smartest ideas you've ever had? When do you think I should call my dad to tell him that we're alive? Before or after the security system lets him know that someone's in the house?"
John B tore his gaze away from the window, looking over at Jaylene instead. "That was a bit harsh." He pointed a finger at her. "Maybe we can search around the Cameron house? The gold is probably there."
"John B, you are a fugitive in a foreign country and I'm supposed to be dead," Jaylene spoke calmly, trying to get him to understand the seriousness of this situation. "We can't go around making a single mistake, you hear me?"
"Yeah." He mumbled.
Jaylene glanced at him, feeling as if he wasn't taking her seriously. "You have to promise me that you won't go off and do something stupid."
"Yeah, alright." John B spoke in the same tone as before.
"John," Jaylene spoke sternly, letting him know that she wasn't messing around.
Steadying his posture, John B placed both of his hands on the sides of her face, rubbing small circles around her cheekbones to help calm her from the stressed state she was currently in. "I promise, Jay." He assured her, feeling her hands wrap around his wrists as their foreheads touched. "You have nothing to worry about, alright? I won't go off and do something stupid."
Instead of saying anything else, Jaylene chose to believe him. She decided to take in this moment of tranquility, mentally preparing herself for whatever adventure they were about to get thrown into once this ship docked at the nearby port. A part of her wanted to believe that it wouldn't be anything too extreme, but with the tendency to easily merge her way into trouble, that was unlikely. Nonetheless, she shook away all those thoughts, her grasp around John B's wrists loosening as he placed a small kiss on top of her head as they pulled away from one another due to the sudden noise that forced them to pull apart.
Confused, Jaylene glanced at the Routledge boy who stood beside her to confirm that they'd both heard that knock at the door. They remained silent until it came again, followed by a familiar voice this time.
"Jaylene!" Marleen whisper shouted from the other side of the door, her voice shaky which indicated that something was wrong.
Furrowing her brows, Jaylene carefully walked down the steps. When she tried to open the door, she discovered that it was locked, her eyes widening. In order to avoid panic, she kept her composure, trying her best to keep a calm tone as she spoke. "How do you know my name? I thought you didn't know me!"
Since Jaylene couldn't see her, Marleen intensely rolled her eyes at her daughter. She could admit she deserved that, but boy did she wish that Jaylene wouldn't have gotten her attitude. "I am your mother, okay? And I said what I did to keep you safe." She kept her voice low, looking around to make sure she hadn't been followed. "I will answer any questions you have, but not now, Jaylene."
Jaylene let out a sigh, pressing her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "What do you want?"
"You have to go. When this ship docks,
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