OUTER BANKS SEASON 4 : JJ'S LEGACY

A LITTLE WHITE LIE

After all of them had a good 5 or 6 beers down them, everyone was exhausted from dancing so they all clambered onto the sofa bed John B had made up for everyone. He pulled it out from underneath the new, huge couch. So there they all led, in a cobweb of John B, Sarah, Kiara, JJ, Cleo and Pope.

"Well I'll tell you what, John B. This sofa bed really makes the chateau one feel like you're sleeping on the bottom of the HMS pogue when its stormy out. I mean, its got a high quality bouncy mattress and everything." JJ demonstrated as he bounced up and down slightly, led there.

"Ahh." Pope groaned, annoyed.

"JJ, stop it." Sarah complained, in her croaky voice.

"It is pretty comfy, man." Cleo agreed.

JJ stopped and sighed in comfort.

The conversation him and John B had earlier that day suddenly reentered his mind as if John B's brain waves were communicating with him and telepathically reminding him. Was this the right time to tell the truth? They were all in a really good, chilled mood. Did he want to ruin this?

"Hey umm... I need to tell y'all somethin'." JJ's mouth decided his choices for him.

"Oh yeah?" Pope asked, mocking the serious tone of voice.

"Let me guess, you barked at some snakes on your way over here?" Kiara remarked, remembering the time he was high when they went to the graveyard, following John B's crazy ideas about his father's message, and he began barking at some snakes because apparently 'they are afraid of dogs'.

"Ha. Ha. Look, I'm tryna be real with y'all right now, okay?" JJ sarcastically laughed.

"What's up?" Sarah sat up and leaned against John B, who was already preparing himself for what he knew JJ was going to say to the others.

"Earlier, at the ceremony..." JJ slowly spoke, wondering if he should tell them or back out and make a joke.

"Yeahhh?" Cleo asked.

"I...my split lip...it wasn't from me biting it. And it wasn't from Topper or Mike." JJ quickly cut Sarah off as he predicted her jumping to conclusions like she did earlier.

"It was from..." JJ looked at John B, his eyes hesitant and afraid.

John B's lips curled into a tiny smile that gave JJ the nudge he needed.

"My dad." JJ finally admitted.

Sarah frowned and looked at John B. Everyone began to sit up now and show more interest.

"Yo, wait what?" Kiara raised her voice a little.

JJ hated it when people raised their voice. It always took him back to him sat at his bedroom door, peering out of the crack from the inside, squinting at the image of his mum and dad arguing, vision blurry with tears. As soon as anyone raises their voice, he is 7 years old again, afraid, in that broken home.

"I saw him at the ceremony and I followed him around the corner because I assumed he wanted to talk." JJ explained further and then anxiously chewed on the inside of his mouth.

"Are you serious? Why would you follow him?" Sarah asked, confused about the whole situation.

"Because he's my dad, Sarah. If it was Ward and you thought you saw him from a distance, wouldn't you go see if it was him, even after everything he's done? Even if you knew he was such a bad guy?" JJ immediately regretted his words as they spilled out of his mouth.

He knew Sarah all too well. Ward was a sore subject. The blonde girl swallowed hard as if trying to swallow the harsh words he threw at her. She then blinked at him and breathed in.