Dismissed (1) - JJ Maybank

THE LUCKY COMPASS PT IV.

"Do you mind if I just relax on this one?" JJ asked the group, Aria still sitting on his lap, Pope opposite the two while Kie and John B in the front. "It's been a long day, and a lot of weird stuff's gone down."

"How come the excuse didn't work for me." Aria groaned still mad that she had to come.

"Because baby. You play a vital role in our group and we wouldn't be able to do this without you." JJ cleared his throat. "Anyway, I'm just gonna lay low. Oh, did you want a hit of this," JJ held out the blunt in his hands passing it to Pope.

"I keep the signal clear." Aria always liked how Pope was very responsible, he never drank, never smoked, always told his parents where he was going and it was one of the most admirable this about him. Obviously not to JJ.

"Dude, okay. Do you understand that your problem is that you don't get creative? If you got creative, then-" JJ was going to insult the boy but John B cut him off first. "Look, I- I know I was wrong about the lighthouse, all right? And pretty much wrong about everything else going on. But I-I was right about one thing. Okay? My dad is trying to tell me something."

All the Pogues shared worried looks while John B kept driving them to an unknown destination. "Come on, hey. Hey, come one." John B said to Kiara who was slowly falling behind the rest of the group.

"I'm coming. This place is scary. John B what are we doing?" Kie said looking around at the headstones that surrounded them. "Yeah, JB why are we at a graveyard?" Aria continued.

"Shut up. Ok so, you know how you're trying to remember a song and you can't remember who sings it?" John B ignored the girls.

"Yeah," Kiara said confused.

"I'm too sober for this shit," Aria said under her breath and only JJ heard it from the proximity. JJ laced his arm around JJ's shoulders and pulled her tight to his side. "We can share a joint later tonight if you want?" JJ asked Aria who just nodded.

"So, Redfield. this whole time, I thought it was a place, right? But it's not a place. It's a person." John B said leading the group through the graveyard and shone his lantern up against a name 'Olivia Redfield'.

"Voi-effing-là"

"See, my great-great-grandmother, Olivia Redfield. That was her maiden name. Help me with the door. Come on." John B informed the group as he went to start pushing the door to open it. Pope and Aria went to help him. (I didn't want her to sit around and wait for the guys to do all the heavy lifting, not wanting to stereotype them or her.)

"Are you pushing?" Pope said strained. "Yeah, I'm pushing" John B answered.

"Hold on. Here, I got it." JJ came in between John B and Aria to help to push the door. "Come on. This door is like 700 pounds. It's not gonna budge."

"We didn't come this far to get this far, all right?" JJ spoke just as they heard a hissing sound coming from right next to Pope and Aria. "Whoa!"

"A snake!" JJ yelled pulling Aria behind his back.

"No shit sherlock!" Aria muttered. 

"That's a moccasin, all right. Ye olde Dr. Cottonmouth. Death in tall grass." JJ started barking at the snake that was slithering away from the group.

"JJ! Shut up. Shut up!" Aria chuckled as they all tried to get the manic in front of her to be quiet.

"You're gonna wake the fricken dead, man."

"Dude, they're afraid of dogs. Everyone knows that." JJ tried to explain his actions. "Wait, wait, hold on, hold on. If there's one, there probably dozens."

"What?"

"Oh my God. Can you stop? You're scaring me, bro." Kiara murmured as JJ began barking again.

"JJ you really know nothing. Snakes are solitary animals." Aria muttered moving away from behind the boy and to his side.

"Stop barking at the snakes." John B pulled the blonde back.

"Look, John-" Pope started.

"Just making sure it's clear," JJ said cutting off Pope.

"Shut up. God. John, look. We're not gonna get in there, all right? It's not budging. We should probably just go." Pope said as Aria looked at the door and saw a little hole she could probably fit through.

"Please? Can we actually go? I don't like it here" Kiara said scared.

"Hey, guys. I can fit through the hole."

"What? No, no, no, no. You think you're gonna fit through the hole?"

"You actually think I'm going to let you try and get through the hole," JJ said sternly.

"Okay, first off. John B, rude, yes I can fit through the hole-"

"But you're not going to. We're leaving there's nothing here." JJ cut off the girl.

"Second of all. JJ you are the one that carried me out of my father's house. So, you made me come. Kiara is too afraid to do it and the rest of you are too big. I can do this."

"No." JJ and John B said in sync.

"Look, this is about you dad. JB, and honestly, I really don't believe in it, but you deserve to know the truth. And JJ I will be fine, I don't understand why you get so mad over these things, but I can do this." Pope and John B went to pull the vines away from the door.

"You got it?" Aria asked.

"Yeah, we got it. Give her a boost JJ." Pope hummed.

"Baby, are you sure? You don't have to do this." JJ whispered in her ear.

"I will be fine, I promise." She brought JJ into a hug and tightly wrapped her arms around his neck, his hands fell to her waist pulling her in close.

"Alright, I'm gonna boost you, I've seen it in movies several times. Ready?" JJ got into the best position to help her up to the hole.

"Remind me what we're looking for," Aria spoke nervously.

"You'll know when you see it." John B sighed back.

"That's-that's just great thank you for the help," Aria sighed sarcastically. "Hold my flashlight, please?" She handed her flashlight to Kiara.

"All right, so put your hands right there, Your foot- yeah all right, on three, one, tw- Okay, never mind. Just forget about three." JJ cut himself off as Aria pulled herself through the little hole.

"I got it. Oh. Okay, flashlight?" Aria asked once she was stable on the ground.

"Yup, here." Kie passed her the flashlight.

"You alive? You got, like, a heartbeat and everything?" John B asked.

"I fucking hope so." Aria breathed out looking at her surroundings.

"That's good. That's good."

"Uh... I need some more light." Aria looked around and jumped slightly when she saw the dead skin of the snake, that hopefully, was far away now.

"Yeah, yeah, here. Yeah, I gotcha." John B answered pushing the lantern through the hole for her. Aria saw something when she turned that caught her eye. It was something that wasn't meant to be there. Someone had placed it there.

"Did you find something? Is there gold?" JJ asked

"Oh my, God."

Author's note. 

Hiiiiii, ok so I'm sorry this is a shorter chapter but anyway. I just wanted to thank you all for a hundred reads and I'm sorry I read over some of my chapters and they didn't make sense or had a weird auto-correct thing. I hope you like the story and JJ and Aria have fought a bit recently and that's because she doesn't want to let anyone in. Everything about her life comes out pretty soon, but do you guys want a slow-burn with her and JJ or what?