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"WERE YOU EVER GOING TO TELL ME?" Marty asks, practically choking on her iced tea. JJ and Pope look at each other, they have to tell John B asap.
"Martha, it wasn't really an issue," Lola continues, shifting uncomfortably with the presence in the room. She takes a short sip from her coffee mug. "I didn't expect you to befriend John B, or JJ, for that matter."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Marty questions, putting down her drink and raising her eyebrow with attitude. From the corner of her eye, she sees Pope shift his eyes from being embarrassed. JJ doesn't turn away, he's proud of his status —not where he is from—but he wouldn't change it for the world.
"Nothing's wrong, honey. It's just that, it's always been you, Nicki, and Sarah." She quickly licks her bottom lip, a tell-tale sign to anyone who knows her, she's lying. Lying about something. Marty scoffs knowingly but doesn't say anything. She'll discuss it later.
"So is John B my cousin, or something?" Marty says, shifting her stance once more, beyond irritated.
Mrs. Holland nods as if it was obvious about her connection to the young boy. "Yes, Johnathan Booker is your second cousin once removed."
"Don't say his full name like you really give a damn," Marty sasses, shaking her head towards the woman she couldn't even recognize. Why did she lie? Why didn't she care?
Lola shifts her eyes to the two boys staying quiet on her kitchen barstools; how they barely touched their ice tea due to growing tension in the air. She looks back to her daughter, a spitting image of younger herself, still so stubborn. "Martha Jane, I really don't appreciate that tone of yours," she reprimands, crossing her arms.
"Oh, drop the parenting act," Marty scoffs. "You knew about his father's disappearance the whole time, didn't you? And- and you didn't even bother to"—
—"That's right. I didn't bother. Don't get me wrong, I feel for the kid, I really do, but Big John and I weren't close."
"God! Why is everyone saying that?!" Martha laughs in astonishment, her head tilting back to hide the tears in her eyes. "Weren't? As if he's gone? Why doesn't anyone have any faith around here?"
"Marty, it's been almost nine months. The probability of"— Pope talks up, finally allowing his voice to come through the bitter tension.
—"But, he's your best friend"—
"Pope's right, darling," Lola responds sympathetically, her voice soft as it was before. "You must end this little fantasy of his and, apparently, yours."
"You've always told me that family is hard to come by and now that I actually have family," she flutters her eyes to the blond boy she's grown so attached to, "it's like I don't even know you." She shakes her head at her mother, backing away from the combative mood, telling the two boys to come along. "Thanks for answering my question, Ma, I'll see you later."
➵ ➵ ➵
JJ ENDED UP DROPPING OFF John B's beat-up Volkswagen van back at his place, causing the trio to walk to JJ's house. It was a short walk, seemingly as the childhood friends lived not far from each other, no longer than two minutes away.
Pope quickly ran to the outside wall, spotting an unfinished generator just waiting to be fixed by the hands of the genius. JJ saunters over to the sun-kissed area and sits down on a ripped lawn chair. His thighs become a warm and welcoming seat for Marty, who automatically sits down.
He smiles at the brunette, relishing how she felt so comfortable around him. It is refreshing for him to see.
"Do you have a pod or something I can hit?" She says in his ear, once she takes a few moments of peace to lay her head on his shoulder.
He hums in response, his fingers tapping her knees, before shuffling around to swipe a mango-flavored Juul pod from a secret pouch of his chair. He holds it up to her lips, watching her intently as her rosy mouth wraps around the vape, her eyes rolling into the back of her head in satisfaction. Her face flushing and her eyes becoming red from the smoke she releases into the air.
Damn.
She licks her lips savoring the fruit flavor that is forever embedded in her breath and on her skin. "Thanks, I really needed that," she grins, laying back down on the blond boy's chest and shoulder. Her face dipping to the shadowy confinements of the nape of his tan neck, hiding from the beaming sun above.
"No problem, baby," he whispers, feeling her slow breaths fanning across his neck.
➵ ➵ ➵
BEEP BEEP BEEP
The sound of a car horn startles Martha awake, she only fell asleep for five minutes, but she felt so displaced due to the loud noise.
"Let's go!" JJ says, nudging her to move from his lap and towards the awaiting person in the dingy car. "Let's ride," he says, patting a grinning Pope on the back and pulling Martha by the hand.
"This better be good," Pope says, a little disappointed due to the fact that he is being torn away from his lover, Miss Generator.
"So, we visited Marty's mom," Pope states once he is seated on the passenger side. Martha and JJ do not tear away from each other as they cuddle together on the loveseat in the back.
"And?" John B asks, waiting to know more details as he drives in the middle of the road.
"And, JJ was right. She's a total milf, kinda scary though if I'm honest."
"Pope!" Marty shouts as JJ snickers into his hands.
"What?! It's factual information that is important for discussion."
Martha sighs sarcastically, "what he meant to say, that.. that you and I are, indeed, related."
Forcefully, the speeding van comes to a screeching stop. The vehicle practically almost tips over from the impact, launching the two teens in the back to be thrown across the shaggy floor carpet.
"Jesus Christ, John B, are you tryin' to kill us?!" J yells to the front as he slowly sits up from the ground.
John B didn't answer. He just stared off into the distance of the darkening road. The van stalling in the middle of the grand and abandoned highway.
"This is why I didn't want to tell him until after he stopped driving!" Pope retorts back at JJ, starting a bickering match between the friends.
"You did not discuss that plan!"
"Well, if only you could have a little common sense!"
"Oh, I'm sorry. Yeah, use your common sense to get us outta here because we are in the middle of the fucking highway!"
Meanwhile, Marty crawled back up to push the car shift into park, and flicker on the hazard light switch. She winces as she taps John B on the shoulder, feeling her wrist might be sprained from the fall. If only the back had seatbelts.
"Johnny? Are you okay? I know it's a lot to take in, but I'm here for you."
Nothing. Just tears forming and slowly falling.
Oh, maybe that's a good sign? It's emotion at least.
A few seconds pass but the silence from the driver feels like a never-ending saga. The quietness quickly settling on the rest of the passengers, Marty bites her lip, cursing at herself for causing this dramatic mood change. She continues to softly rub John B's shoulder in comfort as JJ wraps his arms around her waist in order to keep her warm and secure. Pope just watches in concern.
Finally, John B blinks out of his fuzzy state, uttering a doubt that makes everyone's heart sink to the bottom of the ocean.
