Exhale, Outer Banks [ 1 ]

036. BONFIRE

"He deserved it, right?" JJ asks. The five are at the dock and JJ is fishing with Kie standing one one side and Cordelia sitting on his other side. Pope is standing on the ramp and John B is lying on his stomach in the boat.

"Are you joking? Of course he deserved it." Kie says.

"Sarah didn't." Cordelia says.

"Never seen anyone blow themselves up like that." Pope says.

"Cross that one off the bucket list." JJ says.

"JJ!" Kie scolds. She gives him a look as she gets on the boat and sits next to John B.

"Really, dude?" Cordelia looks up at him.

"Sucks for Sarah." JJ says.

"Are you okay?" Kie asks John B.

"It's not me I'm worried about." He answers.

+++

The pogues spent the previous night drinking and getting high. Now Kie, Pope, and Cordelia are ready for school while JJ and John B are still passed out in the living room.

Pope uses the taped together beer can stick they made last night and uses it to tap John B's cheek.

"Hey. We gotta go to school, man." Pope says. "We have a geometry test in 30 minutes." He says, trying to help John B up. Pope goes to JJ and repeatedly slaps the boy's face back and forth lightly. "Get up! JJ! Is he alive?"

"I don't know." John B mumbles.

Cordelia walks over and squishes JJ's cheeks together.

"JJ!" She screams in his face making her brother jolt awake, his face slipping out of her grip. "He's alive." She grins at Pope.

"JJ, get your shoes." Pope orders, rolling his eyes at the siblings' antics.

"Hey, Kie." Pope greets. "We're going this way." Pope drags the boys towards the door.

"Um... I will meet up with you guys later." Kie says, grimacing at their smell.

"Delia, a little help." Pope says as he continues to drag John B out.

"Yeah, yeah." Cordelia says, grabbing onto JJ's arm. "Hey, boy. We get to go for a ride." He says in a high pitched voice.

"He's not a dog." Pope mutters.

"Ooh, a ride sounds fun." JJ says.

"Yeah." Cordelia grins, gently dragging him to the door.

"I'm starving. I need some pizza." JJ says, reaching out for the leftover food on the table.

"No. Nope. Breakfast time is over. You missed it. You snooze, you lose." Cordelia says, gently pushing him out the door.

"No, no, Cordi, pretty, pwetty pwetty pwetty please." JJ pouts and giving her puppy dog eyes. The girl rolls her eyes before grabbing two pieces of pizza and shoving them into JJ's chest and he grabs them.

"Oh, yes, I love you so much." JJ says, stuffing his mouth with one of the pizza slices.

"Yeah, that's great. Go." Cordelia shoves him out the door.

"I was talking to the pizza."

"I know."

+++

JJ fell back asleep the minute he finished his pizza. He had played with Cordelia's rings while eating, ogling over the purple in one of them.

His face is currently smushed against the window as Pope enters the school parking lot. When Pope hits the brakes to park, JJ flies forward and hits the back of the passenger seat, barely even stirring awake making Cordelia giggle.