Denial || An OBX Story

Chapter Twenty-Three

Maddie knew the house wasn't far. It was worth the trip to save her the trouble of dealing with Heyward later on. In the window of the house, she could slightly see her reflection. Her lip was busted but thankfully not swollen. Maddie must've bitten it when she fell, but the injury wasn't looking to hard to hide. She rinsed the food off with the house's hose and left the food on the front porch before walking back down to the boat.

She saw the silhouettes of JJ and Pope in the boat and she was relieved to see they weren't jumping Topper and Rafe. She sped walked to the end of the dock before approaching the hull.

JJ was quick to stand up. She knew almost immediately that Pope had told JJ, now she was just praying that he didn't tell him about her being shoved. "Maddie." JJ stops her in the doorway and immediately examines her face. She hid her bottom lip inside her mouth nervously, knowing there wasn't a way out of him finding out. "Did they hurt you?" He asks, his eyes betraying his worry but also his anger. Still, JJ's jaw was clenched and he was holding her wrists and rubbing her hands with his thumbs. He wasn't trying to calm her. He was trying to keep himself calm.

Maddie shakes her head. Still hiding the split lip between her teeth.

He tilts his head. His disbelief radiating off of him. "Don't lie to me." Madeline rolls her eyes before hesitantly letting her lip fall from between her teeth. His grip on her arms strengthened and somehow his eyes looked a little darker than they did before. After a quick glance at Pope, his eyes fall to hers again and an exhale could be heard escaping his lips. He hated being able to read her expression so easily. She didn't want to be cared for. She didn't want to be protected. Maddie still had up her cold expression and her promising eyes never faded. "Let's go."

She was going to ask where, but Pope hit the throttle and made the boat move forward. Maddie knew better than to try and get answers out of them, so she tended to her injury with a first aid kit. When she was finished, she sat next to JJ and leaned into him. He took it as an okay to wrap his arm around her shoulders and hold her closer to him. Maddie was so thankful that he always knew what to do when she needed help, even if she'd never admit it. He'd never judge her for needing someone to lean on every once and a while. JJ knew she was the support beam of the group. Maddie was the one everyone else would lean on when they needed it. Sometimes the constant flirting would get annoying, but it was their thing. She'd never be willing to lose him over something as silly as that, and he secretly knew that.
He knew her better than she thought he did, at least to an extent. Maddie had plenty to hide.

But still, JJ didn't force Maddie to talk about anything. Not the attack, not where she'd gone the other night, not one word unless she started to talk first. And she liked the feeling. Sometimes she did feel guilty. Not just with JJ, but with anyone. She felt guilty when she'd go to one of her friends to talk about something. Wasting their time, thinking they probably didn't care. It wasn't true though. All of the Pogues knew Maddie hated opening up to people. So for the extremely rare times she'd soften up, they'd listen to her for hours if that was what it took. Still, most of the time the most she would need is a hug, and then she'd move on as if nothing had ever happened.

Pope eventually brought the boat to a stop. Pope and JJ walk to the edge of the boat, eventually followed by Maddie. She immediately noticed what they were staring at and it made her stomach drop. Pope was the first to speak up. "2020 Malibu, 24-MXC. World's finest wake setter. Number one in quality, luxury, and performance."

"This is war, Pope." JJ adds to the end of Pope's statement. "They hit us. We hit them."

Maddie steps in front of both of them, making both boy's attentions fall to her. "You're not sinking his boat, Pope. JJ, you're being a bad influence." Pope doesn't share even a word with her. He removes his hat and then his shirt. JJ pulls on a paisley patterned gator mask and then puts on his dark aviator sunglasses that he most likely stole. "Pope, JJ, stop." Pope bumps her shoulder as he jumps off the boat, making her take a step back. "What makes you think this is a good idea, JJ?"

JJ shakes his head. He probably rolled his eyes too, but his sunglasses covered his eyes. "It'll be fine."

"You do realized I threatened Rafe before I left, right? The second they see this, I'm screwed." She argues back. But he denied it, saying there wasn't any proof to back him up. "Why are you sinking Topper's boat anyways? Rafe is the one that beat the shit out of Pope."

"Yeah, but who shoved you, Maddie?" JJ stops. He was talking with his hands which usually meant he was upset. "He's not gonna hurt you and then get away with it."

If only he knew. If only JJ knew that she went home all the time. If only he knew that she was wearing makeup all the time. If only JJ knew that every time she stepped foot into her house, there was a high chance of her getting the shit beaten out of her before she got the chance to leave.

JJ noticed she had no response. She walked away from him and put down the ladder for Pope who was swimming back to them. He barely even made it on the first step before he held the plug up to his friends, making JJ smile proudly. "Wow, you did it. I am so proud of you right now. Holy crap."

Maddie looked down at Pope before moving back into the hull, pulling a zip up sweatshirt over her shoulders and sitting in the captain's seat.

She heard JJ throw the plug away. The boys came scurrying back into the small room and JJ leaned over Maddie to start up the boat and he left her to drive them home.

She didn't say a single word to them and they could tell she was far from happy with them. She pulled into the dock and made them tie up. Maddie walked away without them, making them jog to catch up to her. They were quiet behind her. She could feel their eyes staring at her as the boys waited for her to say just a word to them.

But, Maddie led them to the chateau. She went into her room and put on one of her many bikinis, walking out to JJ and Pope. JJ was holding her board and Pope couldn't bare to make even the slightest bit of eye contact with her. She forced a smile as she took her board from JJ, mumbling a quiet, "Thanks." Pope and JJ both turned to walk away but she stopped them and made them both look at her with shared confusion. "Not a word to them about today."

A smirk crawled onto the boys faces as they ran out of the house and to the beach, quickly spotting John B and Kiara who were bobbing out in the ocean. "Hey! Save some waves for us!" JJ yells out to them as the three teens run into the waves that were crashing on the shore.

"Hey, where you been?" Kiara smiles back.

They spent a few hours hitting the waves. They'd see who could do the better tricks, who could ride the fastest wave, and who could stay on their board the longest. Other times they'd just chill, riding a wave every once and a while just for fun.

After a fun night and a fun walk home. They all showered and put on new clothes, making their way out to the hammocks. Maddie took her seat next to John B and across from Pope. On the other hammock sat JJ and Kiara. "You really think it's out there? Like, no bullshit?" Pope asks.

"My father thought it was." John B responds quietly as he plays with the bracelets that were tied around his wrists.

"Do you?" Maddie asks him, talking a hit of her vape before blowing the smoke into the dark night air.

She could feel John B shift around in his spot next to her. "After hearing his voice on that tape... I think I do." He says as the sound of nature follows after he becomes quiet again.

"Only one way to find out." Pope adds making him and John B do the Pogue handshake.

Now Kiara was speaking up after being quiet for a good while. Her silhouette could be seen across the way by the sibling like friends. "Look, we're gonna find it, you know? Even JJ believes."

"Oh, my God, JJ, do you really believe?" John B asks sarcastically as he gasps with a cheeky smile. The joke could be heard in his voice which made Maddie and Pope smile.

"Totally." JJ deadpans in response. He was biting at his nails and wasn't really paying any real attention to the conversation. "Wait, are we talking about four mil?" He asks.

"Four hundred mil." Pope and Kiara both say at the same time. "Jinx."

JJ turns over and makes himself comfortable in the hammock. "I'm gonna dream about shipwrecks. Good night, Bird!" JJ chirps.

"Goodnight, bird shit!" John B smiles back. He noticed Maddie next to him with her eyes struggling to stay open. He picked up on her off mood while they were surfing, but eventually figured to let the girl go. He knew better than to try and get answers out of the stubborn teen. So, he just wraps his arm around her shoulders and lets her curl up into him.