𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐃𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒, 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬

TWENTY-EIGHT| goodbye, goodbye, goodbye

EDEN and John B. had always been together.

Ever since that fateful bracelet was bought in elementary school, the two had been inseparable.  

They were always partners for assignments—unless JJ was in the class, which was only sometimes given the Maybank missed school weekly—had weekly sleepovers at the Chateau, (Isla would never let John Booker Routledge and his dirty converse on her polished floors) and practically went everywhere together; surfing, fishing, to the movies.

When John B. needed advice on girls, a shoulder to cry on when days without his dad got tough, a study buddy, or just a mother to remind him of important tasks, Eden Bexley was there.  And when Eden needed someone to calm her anxiety down, advice on what color bracelet she should make,  a place to stay, or just someone she could rant too, John Booker Routledge was there.

Simply, if you didn't see them together for more than a day, something was wrong—or maybe John B. ate the last of Eden's Baby Goldfish.

John B. was more family to Eden than her own mother and father were, and the Bexley was practically a sister to the Routledge. They'd been through thick and thin—break-ups and break downs—together, and while Eden knew things would change as they grew up, as the Pogues slowly but ultimately turned into nothing but a childhood clan they'd always have that bond.

John B. and Eden would always be John B. and Eden—at one another's side whenever they were called.

Sure, John B. and JJ were like brothers too, and Eden saw the Pogues as her true home but no one could replace what the Routledge and Bexley meant to one another.  John B. and Eden had a bond that no one else had—that they didn't share with anyone else in the OBX.

Which is why it didn't feel right for Eden to have to say goodbye to her friend in mere minutes.

After leaving Rafe coughing on the floor, Barry long gone—Eden doesn't really care where he ran off too and doubts it's the cops—the four Pogues traveled to a small dock with The Phantom where John B. would be able to drive off without being caught, (or at least get a silent head start).

John B. hadn't shown up yet, giving Eden even more time to plan out how she's going to say goodbye to her best friend for the next two months—that was the plan; John B. crosses the border to Mexico and takes refuge there, the Pogues coming to find him in around two months, giving them enough time to clear his name so he isn't thrown straight into jail when he returns home—but it's hard to find the right words.

Sure, some may say she's being dramatic for her friend being gone for only two months but to Eden....this was almost like saying goodbye forever. She'd seen the boy every day for more than a decade and now he was leaving the country for two months—or even more, depending on if this plan blows up in the Pogues' face.  Who said they were actually going to get to Mexico in months time and this wasn't just the group hoping for the best outcome.

In simple words, this is bound to be hard for Eden.

"Dude, where is he?" Kiara exclaims from the board walk, eyeing around the spot where her friend was supposed to join them.  Police sirens echoed in the distance, which gave Eden hope that they hadn't found him, and that John B. was merely running late.

Pope replied from beside the boat, "Give him a second. He'll be here."

"He's coming." JJ reassured, taking a cover off the steering wheel of the boat, "He'll be fine."