"That was a person! Jesus Christ!" Pope shouted in utter disbelief.
"That was evasive driving technique right there, y'all." JJ proudly grinned after a moment of silence in which his three passengers attempted to catch their breaths.
"Where we going?" Pope questioned, watching JJ steady his hands against the steering wheels to prepare to make another sharp turn in an alleyway.
"Hang on, I'm gonna lose him!" JJ didn't waste any time to turn the truck into the alley, sending the three bodies flying against one another as the engine loudly hissed in the process.
Suddenly the pain in Jaylene's abdomen returned, a loud groan erupting from her lips as they were forced to make their way out of the truck to continue their getaway on foot. The thought didn't sound pleasant, but she didn't have the time to process it because as the other three hurriedly grabbed their belongings from the vehicle, the car following behind them approached.
"Go, go, go!" JJ shoved her forward before she could process the disarray occurring around her.
She was grateful that the injury on her leg from where she'd scraped it against the broken glass had healed for the most part because the wave of pain that consumed her as she ran for her life made her feel like she was being shot all over again. And it was all going perfectly fine until Kiara mentioned him having a gun, the simple mention of the deadly weapon threatening the ptsd to take over. Luckily, JJ pushed her to keep running, making sure she didn't stray away from the present.
"Get to the alleyway. Come on!" JJ urged the three, leading the way with Jaylene forcing herself to keep up with him despite wanting to collapse on the pavement.
They ran for what felt like forever, turning corners like maniacs and nearly taking out a mailman in the process until they neared a narrow alleyway. JJ continued to lead the way until they reached the other side that let them back to the road, the soles of their footwear sliding against the sidewalk when they came to an abrupt stop at the familiar face standing right in front of them.
Chocolate-colored irises met one another, hearts slamming violently against their cages with time having frozen momentarily in that instant. Rain clouds suddenly disappeared, the end of the storm approaching and hope peeked through, intoxicating their blood supply entirely. A heavyweight levitated from their chests, tarnishing in that very moment as though it'd never been blocking their air supply in the first place. The water was no longer trapped between their lungs, feet violently slamming against the ferocious waves that threatened to leave them submerged beneath the surface and deprive them of their lives.
They were onboard the lifeboat, life-vests hugging them tightly as they took control.
The world continued to spin on its axis, their gaped mouths closing upon realizing that though time felt like it'd frozen, it was indeed moving forward and Renfield was nearing them with the passing seconds.
"Get in! Get in! Get in!" John B urged the four towards the tourist cart, unable to properly take in the moment due to the ongoing circumstances.
Kiara and Jaylene hopped onto the cart while Pope and JJ pushed it from behind to give them a head start from Renfield who was chasing after them. They all chaotically shouted over one another, and at some point, JJ found his way onto the cart while Pope continued to push from behind while John B pedaled. Everything appeared to be working out at first until Pope stumbled and rolled back, his body slamming against the blacktop.
He wasted no time to get back on his feet, grabbing a hold of his backpack from the ground and chasing after the tourist cart where Jaylene held out her hand for him to grab, assisting him onto the slow-moving source of transportation.
"Pedal, John B!"
Jaylene gasped when she felt a hand reach for the back of the seat where she and Kiara were sitting, turning her head to see Renfield gripping the backrest. She went to plant that punch on his face that she wished she would've been able to upon arriving at the Limbrey household, but JJ beat her to it, the action sending the man to the ground which allowed them to make their grand getaway completely unscathed.
They simultaneously cheered at the victory, the adrenaline rush allowing them to feel like they were levitating.
"See you later, alligator!" JJ mocked the man on the ground.
"See you later, asshole!" Pope added.
They continued to tease him even after they were away from earshot and nearing the water where the familiar baby blue boat came into view.
After the boat was filled with gas, they all hopped onboard and watched the structures shrink in size the further they strayed away from the mainland and towards the direction that led them closer to the Outer Banks.
When they were situated and seemingly out of harm's way, Jaylene unexpectedly wrapped her arms around the chestnut-haired boy, his body stumbling back in surprise at her strength despite the fact that she had a healing gunshot wound.
He embraced her entire body once the shock left his system, his face nuzzling into the crook of her neck as though he couldn't believe that she was really there, back in his arms like he'd wished all those sleepless nights in Nassau when he didn't know whether she'd made it out of surgery or not. The warmth from her body against his set him ablaze, the flame that'd been blown out ignited again. The calm after the storm approached as he held her tightly, unable to locate the strength to let her go, afraid that they'd be separated again. Afraid that he'd lose her. His everything.
Together they were one. They were infinite.
Like two pieces of a puzzle, their bodies molded together, sharp corners of the exterior serving as protection from any and everything that threatened to drive them apart.
"I thought I'd never see you again," Jaylene whispered after a while, her hand tangled in his messy hair with her chin resting on his shoulder.
John B would've loved if they could've stayed in that position for eternity, but the reminder of the events that had led them to separate in the first place forced him to pull away from her momentarily in order to create a gap between them so that he could look at her, like really look at her.
While Jaylene tried her best to hide the discomfort, he could tell she was hurting and drained from the fact that she had to become an athlete back there in order to get away from the psychotic man chasing after them. Her condition had drastically improved since the last he saw her, but she was still recovering; the outlining of the bandage beneath the flared yoga pants was proof of that. She looked mentally and physically exhausted, the small eye bags beneath her eyes serving as a sign that she required a good night's rest to allow her body to heal from the trauma it'd endured.
Once Jaylene realized where he was looking, she brought her hands to his face, cupping both sides so that he could lock eyes with her. "Hey, this isn't your fault, alright? You weren't the psycho who aimed a gun in my direction and pulled the trigger." She rubbed her thumb across the start of his jawline, the scruff poking at the dermis on her finger.
"I justโWhen I saw the blood, shit, Jay, there was so much blood." John B remembered, flashes of his bloodied hands beneath the faucet coming back to him after he left the hospital and headed back to Terrance's as Marleen had instructed him to do. He felt that despite how viciously he scrubbed his palms together with soap, the blood wouldn't stop creeping out from the crevices. "I thought I was gonna lose you."
"But you didn't." Jaylene brought her hands to his shoulders, swallowing thickly at the sight of her dried blood on his mustard-colored shirt. She remembered small fragments of the car ride to the hospital before she lost consciousness, the guilt of it all rushing through her body. "I mean, you should know by now that death does not want the Rosewoods, John with the unnecessary B." She grinned widely to help brighten the mood.
He playfully rolled his eyes at the extended version of his name that she constantly used to poke fun at him. "God, I've never been so relieved to hear you call me that." A giant grin spread over his lips, his hand cupping her jaw with his thumb tracing over the soft flesh of her lips.
Jaylene felt the goosebumps form on her skin at his tender touch, allowing him to tilt her chin upward. She doesn't give him the chance to make another move, her hand reaching to cup the back of his neck to gently pull him down towards her in order to press her lips against his.
It almost felt foreign, her mouth against his, lips tenderly gliding against one another with electricity traveling through their bodies. The magnetic pull that drew them together was evident to both of them at that moment, undoubtable as they passionately melted against the kiss, their surroundings unimportant as if they were back on the deck at Figure Eight as Midsummers took place in the background. They felt indestructible together, shatterproof from the series of events that threatened to break them away from one another. The future ahead felt inconsequential, all that mattered was that they were together for now.
"Get a room!" JJ gagging in the background forced the two apart.
The Rosewood girl extended her hand out, holding out her middle finger towards him with her lips still interlocked with the Routledge boys'. When she did decide to pull away on her own terms, eyes twinkling with elation toppling over the anxiety once present, she smiled brightly.
"Way to ruin the moment, dude." John B scoffed, throwing his arm over Jaylene's shoulder as the two teens turned to face the other three.
"He's just mad I was right about Limbrey." Jaylene clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth.
"Who's Limbrey?" John B gave them all a confused look.
"Some overly mysterious, untrustworthy woman . . ." Pope butted in before JJ could say anything in response to Jaylene's claim. "Trust me, bro, you do not want to know."
"Wait, so can we all agree that Jaylene was right? That she wasn't overreacting back there?" Jaylene quirked a brow up at the three who had brushed off her disapproval towards the overly wealthy family.
"You were right," Kiara admitted, unable to deny the hard truth. "God, I thought that was gonna be another Crain situation back there." She shuddered at the thought.
Jaylene chuckled, remembering the night when they snuck onto the property. "Bitch was crazy."
"Dude, I've never seen you two run faster than you did that night." Kiara turned towards JJ and Pope, practically laughing in their faces at the memory.
"I'd say today was a close second." Jaylene moved away from John B to sit beside Kiara, far too drained to remain standing. "Thanks for that, by the way. Nothing I loved more than running for my life while healing from getting shot at."
"Anytime." JJ winked, pushing his body forward towards John B to throw an arm over his best friend's shoulder. "We can thank John B here for that. We wouldn't have been in Charleston if it wasn't for him."
John B shot his friend a confused look in response. "Sorry, how is that my fault?"
That quickly led Pope to begin telling the story from the very start when he received a letter with the wheat symbol impressed on it. He made sure to emphasize how their primary goal was to use this mission as an attempt to clear John B's name and how Renfield was Rafe-level psychotic.
Once that was clear, John B went on to explain that once he'd left the hospital in Nassau, he went back to Terrance's house as Marleen had instructed him to do so; sparing the fact that she was alive, of course. He then mentioned that he laid low in the Bahamas for a couple of days due to the authorities searching for him and how Cleo finally helped him make his getaway on the Cameron boat about two days ago. Oh, and not to mention the fact that the gold was no longer in his possession and how their heist had been a total failure in the end.
"I got shot for nothing?!" Was all Jaylene could say after he had finished informing them of his whereabouts plus what had happened with the gold.
"On the plus side, you're gonna have a gnarly scar." JJ grinned widely in an effort to make her feel better about the situation.
While she rolled her eyes at his stupid comment, she couldn't help but crack a smile afterward. The five continued to catch up for the remainder of the trip back home, discussing the different ways in which they could attempt to clear John B's name upon arriving on the island.
________________
IT WASN'T UNTIL THE EARLY AFTERNOON the following day that the stolen boat drifted towards the familiar land where the chateau had been built years ago. The white home, in all its glory, stood brightly despite the numerous storms that had swept through the island that summer. The bright sun reflected across the glass windows, basking in the afternoon warmth as if to give the Routledge boy a warm welcome to his childhood home.
Jaylene had tried her best to rest during the journey, but the pain that sought some sort of relief wouldn't allow her to get solid sleep that night, so she was more than thrilled to hop off the boat once it docked.
"Not exactly looking forward to a check-in at home." Kiara sucked air in through her teeth as she stood beside Jaylene near the small dock. "My parents probably already arranged my funeral."
"Yeah, my dad's probably digging the hole himself." Jaylene groaned at the thought of going back home.
"I predict unpleasantries at the Heyward household after I left the truck in Charleston." Pope made a face at the thought of informing his dad in particular about the tragedy regarding his truck.
Before the mood could grow even more depressing at the thought of confronting their parents, JJ spoke up from his spot. "No one knows we're here, right?" He asked no one in particular before turning towards the three teenagers who were already picturing the arguments bound to happen between them and their parents. "And you three aren't gonna get into any more trouble for showing up 12 hours later."
"You wanna throw a party?" Jaylene assumed before he could go any further. "JJ, that's a really stupid idea."
"Let shit hit the fan tomorrow." John B cracked a smile at the idea of living life to its fullest in the next twelve hours without worrying about what would happen once time was up.
"Stupid things have good outcomes all the time." JJ grinned in the brunette's direction, continuing along the dock to head toward the chateau before Jaylene could respond to his so-called philosophy.
Both Pope and Kiara followed in his footsteps, leaving Jaylene and John B alone. Plans for their small party were discussed as they strayed further away, the first being how they'd acquire the beer at the local liquor store between the cut and figure eight where the owner didn't care enough to ask for identification so long as a small "service fee" was given upon the transaction.
"Hey, uh, I have to go home first." Jaylene looked over at the swaying water near them, swallowing thickly at the dreadful thought. She'd love nothing more than to stay here for as long as she could, but for her own reasons, she needed to pay the Rosewood estate a visit.
"You really think that's a good idea?" John B leaned against the wooden railing beside her, his hand resting near her waist.
"Definitely not, but I owe it to my dad to let him know that I'm fine and not lying dead in an alleyway." She heavily sighed, her eyes moving toward the ground. "Plus, he knows my mom isn't dead, so now we have something to talk about that doesn't involve sending me away to boarding school."
"You told him?" John B raised his brows in surprise.
"Didn't have to. He saw her after she had me moved to St. Olive's." Jaylene wryly laughed at the scene that had unfolded in her hospital room just a couple of days ago. "I'm just gonna grab a change of clothes and I'll be back." She assured him.
John B nodded in response. "Do what you gotta do. You need a ride?" He motioned to the boat parked beside the dock.
"Probably best if you lay low for now. You know they'll do anything for an extra fifty grand." Jaylene grimaced at all the arrogant individuals who wanted his head on a spike in order to get the reward being offered if he were turned in dead or alive.
"You're gonna walk home?" John B questioned, knowing well that she didn't have any other form of transportation.
Jaylene inhaled sharply, remembering that she'd left her car in front of the Carrera household in order to join the three on their adventure to Charleston. "Tell you what . . . drop me off at the construction site and I'll be on my own from there."
The couple made their way back onto the boat after a couple of minutes and began the short journey towards the empty construction site that the three pogues once found themselves trespassing on at the start of summer before everything came crashing down. They exchanged their goodbyes before Jaylene hopped off the boat and began her short walk on foot towards the location of her vehicle while John B made his way back to the cut before anyone could spot him.
Once she'd climbed into her vehicle and started the ignition, she was off toward the place she dreaded going back to. As her vehicle smoothly glided against the road, she watched as the houses got bigger, the familiarity of it all sinking in now that she knew she couldn't disappear again as she usually did when things got bad. While she had taken in that scenery just two days ago, it was different, no longer as innocent as she once remembered it.
Jaylene shifted at the discomfort on her abdomen, gripping the steering wheel tighter at the pain circulating behind her thick skin. Personally, she felt like she'd done a spectacular job at hiding the pain still present beneath the bandage, but the truth was that she wanted nothing more than to drown herself in prescription medications in order to momentarily forget the absolute shambles that her life had fallen into over the course of a few weeks.
The nerve-wracking emotion was all the Rosewood girl could focus on during the few minutes she drove towards her own home. At least that was the case until she spotted a grey Accord in the driveway where she usually parked her own vehicle. That, of course, prompted her to raise a suspicious brow at the unfamiliar automobile as she grabbed a hold of her car remote and stepped out of the Range Rover. The sight of a familiar blonde behind the window located in the living room caused her to quicken her pace upon realizing that it was in fact Marleen.
Her nosy instincts allowed her to swallow her fear as she unlocked the door to step into the house, the shouting greeting her immediately to which she jumped in surprise. Fury radiated from Henderson's body as he turned over to glance at the front
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