𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐍𝐄𝐖, ʲʲ ᵐᵃʸᵇᵃⁿᵏ

xxxiv. rock bottom

Chapter Thirty-Four: Rock Bottom

AVA SAT CLOSE to JJ, their legs resting in the water of the hot tub. His arm was slung around her shoulders, a cold beer in his other hand, that he set on his leg. A sigh left the tired girl's mouth, she had spent most of the night making sure JJ stayed asleep, wanting him to get the rest he needed. "Hey." He whispered, she looked up at him. "You good?" Ava nodded, looking back at the water when JJ lifted her chin. "Talk to me."

"I'm fine, stop it." Ava moved his hand away, she could tell he didn't believe her, but at that moment she wasn't the one he needed to be concerned about. She sighed, her eyes meeting his. "I- I just don't want you to go back to that house, JJ. Please, J, I know, he's your dad and it's your home but-"

JJ laughed painfully, a broken smile on his face, he set his beer down, bringing his hand up to her cheek. "You're my home, Ava. When I'm with you, that's when I feel at my best, when I'm with you, shit's better, I'm okay, like actually okay, no bullshit, ya' know?"

Ava kissed him. "You sure got a way with words, Maybank." They grinned at each other, kissing again.

"Get a room." Kie said as she and Pope walked out of The Chateau.

"Jealous, are ya'?" Ava arched an eyebrow toward the two, a smirk on her face. Kie shook her head, Pope walking over to the winch, Kie getting in the bucket. "Wait! Me too!" Ava ran over to the equipment and got in next to Kie.

Pope lifted them in the air. "How's that feel?"

Ava looked down. "Imagine it just snapped right now."

Kie's eyes widened. "Imagine me slapping the shit out of you right now."

Ava laughed and shook her head before giving Pope a thumbs up. "I think it's pretty sturdy, not like we're pulling it all up at once, right?"

Pope nodded. "Right, which is why both of you are in there with those weight plates. John B plus gold equals heavy as fuck."

"There's like four plates in here?" Ava observered.

"That each weigh twenty five pounds, that's total of a hundred."

Ava rolled her eyes. "I know basic math, Pope."

"You sure?"

JJ leaned back on his hands. "John B pullin' a Houdini, huh?"

"Maybe he ran away from the Island with Sarah again." Ava laughed when Kie hit her. "Come on, I thought you two made out, I mean made up, yeah yeah, that's what I meant."

"I got my scholarship interview tomorrow morning, we gotta get this done." Pope shook his head, lowering the girls to the ground when John B came from the side of the house.

"There's the ghost!"

"Speak of the devil." JJ got up to greet John B. "Dude, I set up the entire winch to pull up the gold." He told him.

"No he did not, I did that!" John B ignored the two as continued to storm passed his friends and into his home.

"Hey, John B.." Kie called.