Gold Digger// JJ Maybank- OBX

forty two

THE NEXT day, Scarlett found herself sitting under John B's shed with the other Pogues. Scarlett was curled up in an old chair as she attempted to read more of her book. Recently, she'd gone through her mother's small collection of books and was slowly making her way through them. Her current read was 'Little Women' as she knew it had been her mother's favourite. Kiara was sat in another chair quite close to where Scarlett was, her fingers gently strumming the strings of her ukulele. Pope was going through some of the random junk piled up on the other side of the shed while JJ waxed his surfboard. Scarlett smiled softy as she glanced up from her book. The morning felt almost normal with the Pogues hanging out like they used to, just without John B.

"That's a lot of wax on your board." Pope commented towards JJ, not glancing up from whatever it was he was doing. "Put too much wax, it's gonna be slippery."

JJ paused his actions, standing up straighter as he processed Pope's words. "Are you telling me how to wax my board?" He asked, looking over his shoulder at the boy.

Pope shook his head. "Just saying that's a lot of wax."

"J, he's just trying to make sure you don't have an accident the next time you go surfing." Scarlett spoke, looking back down at the pages of her book.

JJ looked from Pope and over to his girlfriend, his eyebrows furrowed. "I know how to wax my board, Scar. Hell, I spent most of this morning waxing yours."

The blonde girl shook her head. "JJ, we're not telling you how to wax your board. We know you know how to do it. We just don't want you making it too slippery and causing yourself to have an accident."

"When have I ever had an accident while surfing?" JJ asked her, tilting his head to the side. "I'm the best surfer here!"

Scarlett sighed. "Just use a little less wax, J."

Pope nodded. "That's a colossal waste of wax. And you already used half of it this morning on Lottie's board." He shrugged his shoulders at the blonde boy.

Kiara stopped strumming her ukulele and looked round at them. "Guys, really?" She questioned, tired of the argument.

The sound of a car horn sounded, grabbing their attention. Scarlett placed her bookmark in the book, closing the cover. It was clear to her that she wasn't going to get much reading done that day. "Did you hear that?" JJ asked the group, referring to the car horn. They looked up as the sound continued- alongside the noise of an engine sputtering- to see the Twinkie rolling to a stop just across the grass from the shed.

"Holy shit!" Scarlett breathed out, standing up. She placed her book down on the chair, not taking her eyes off John B. "You guys are seeing him too, right? Or am I still high as fuck?" She asked the others.

"Are you serious?" Kiara exclaimed, also rising from her seat.

JJ looked back and forth between his friends, not believing his eyes. "Hold on. Am I dreaming?"

"No!" Pope yelled, the boy also in disbelief.

"Guess who's out of the clink, boy!" John B yelled excitedly, jumping out the van.

"No freaking way, man!" Pope cried, the Pogues making their way over to their friend.

Scarlett ran over to him, wrapping her arms around her friend. "Oh my God, oh my God. You're actually back!" She squealed.

John B wrapped his arms around her smaller frame, spinning her around in excitement. "Hell yeah, I am!" He put her down, but kept one arm around her as the rest of the Pogues crowded around them in a hug.

"My boy's out of the can!" JJ laughed, throwing his arms around his friends.

"We missed you." Kiara told the boy, her voice muffled from the group hug.