✧*̥˚ITS ALWAYS YOU! *̥˚✧ J.M 2

066

CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX
the chosen one...

THE CRATE HIT THE surface of the ship with a thump, the group attempting to keep quiet as they got jerked around.

Aria's heart raced as she heard the footsteps echoing from around the crate, them getting further and further by the seconds passed.

They all glanced at each other silently, barely anyone moving a muscle in fear of getting caught.

JJ wiped his palm over his forehead, his body overheating as he sat, "Nice work, John B. You know
these things lock from the outside, right?"

"Okay, I was just trying to get us on the boat, JJ." John B sent him a harsh glare, "I wasn't thinking that far ahead."

"We're stuck in here like rats. It's hot." JJ complained loudly.

Pope panted as he looked up at the frantic blonde boy, "Okay, JJ, you're not helping."

"You don't have a lot of room to talk right now. You said you had a plan, but what happened to thinking ahead?" JJ sneered with his back against one of the many sealed up boxes.

"I find you're lack of self-knowledge disturbing." Pope fired back.

JJ laughed, turning to come face to face with his friend, his patience thinning quickly, "Last I checked, you literally shot an oil container with the gat. Remember that?"

"Oh my God! Shut up. Shut up!" Aria snapped, making both boys shut their mouths as they glanced at her, she stood up, shrugging off the white cardigan, "Pull it together."

"Let's try to find a way out of here." Kie added, flickering her eyes between the friends.

They all scattered to different parts of the crate, Aria stepping over netted up boxes, she furrowed her brows.

"Hey, Pope, how do you kill a snake?" JJ blurted.

Pope fought the urge to roll his eyes, "You go for the head."

JJ hummed in approval, removing his hat and coat, "Exactly. But the head, in this instance, is the bridge. To take the bridge, we need maximum firepower. And I happen to know that there's an armory on this ship in case of pirate attacks."

"Pirate attacks?" Aria mumbled, shaking her head in disbelief.

"If we take that; I'm not just talking pistols...I'm talking knives." JJ began to rant.

Aria passed him, interrupting him as she placed a strong grip on his bare shoulder, "Killing everybody here is not a plan."

"Ah, we lost her." JJ frowned slightly before continuing, "I'm serious. If we get to the armory, I'm talking AKs, pistols, knives, double-barrels-"

"JJ!" John B yelled, cutting the boy off.

JJ glanced at him with confusion, "What?"

"We gotta get out of here. We can't do anything if we're still stuck in here." John B boomed, his voice stern as he spoke.

"If I get enough pressure, I can Spartan kick that thing open." JJ replied with confidence, a small smile on his pink lips.

The boys began to bicker back and forth, shutting each other's ideas down as they claimed theirs was better.

Aria lifted the colorful boxes off the other, a light shining down on her face as she cleared a small pathway, a tiny window at the top of the crate.

"Guys." She called out, "Guys!"

They walked over, looking at the hole in awe.

"Can fit through that, yeah?" She looked at the brunette boy beside her, he nodded with a smile.

"Hell yeah, Nice one, Ari." John B applauded.

JJ flicked open a pocket size knife, "What was that about a Swiss Army knife not coming in handy?"

He walked up the grate, unscrewing it quickly as he chewed on the inside of his cheek in concentration, "Okay, we raid the armory, get weapons, roll back here, and plot the next move. The armory is on the third deck, aft, near the laundry room. Let's roll."

"Hold up. I don't think we should all go out there." Aria advised, making the boy furrow his brows.

"Why?" JJ asked, his expression hardening as he stood on the stack of boxes.

John B joined their conversation, backing the dark haired girl up, "I think you should stay here. I have Sarah that I'm gonna go after. And Pope has the cross."

"What about back up?" JJ pondered, darting his eyes between the determined friends.

"We'll bring Aria then. She's got a good eye." Pope gestured to her, making her widen her eyes slightly.

"Also, if you go out there, there's 100% probability
that you're gonna do something stupid." John B added.

JJ pinched his brows together in disagreement, "Okay, first of all, I think the correct terminology is "ballsy." That is it."

"Okay, get down here." Pope reached for him, attempting to help him down as his hand was only rejected and shooed away.

"No. Get off!" JJ spat, climbing down the boxes fully by himself, "I'm a field player."

John B shushed him, keeping his voice low, " If we go out there, and we get in a bind, we need somebody to look out for us. That's what we need."

"Okay. I get it. I get it. I get it. I'll be on the B team."

"I never said "B team."" John B shook his head, scoffing lowly under his breathe.

Kie tilted her head to the side in amusement, "Sorry. Are you calling me "B team"?"

"Hey, JJ--" Pope attempted to chime in, he was bluntly ignored as the blonde began to bicker with the girl beside him.

"Didn't mean to offend you." JJ sneered, growing annoyed with his surrounding friends.

Pope shushed the two, "Hang back. Hold down the fort."

"Great. Looking forward to it. Mh-hm." JJ replied sarcastically, clearly still bothered that he hadn't been chosen by the Pogue.

"I'll babysit."

JJ didn't seem to drop the topic, even as the two boys started to exit, "You guys have fun. It's your funeral, your game. I'll be in here, on the bench...chilling.""

"Hey." The girl stopped the three, darting her soft eyes between them, "Don't get shot."

authors note <3

jj i love u but it's giving me
very much pick me vibes