𝑻𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 | 𝑱𝑱 𝑴𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒂𝒏𝒌

[13] Dear Bird | The Forbidden Zone I | Tease

My shirt was ruined, that much was evident. My nose stopped bleeding once Pope took over, angling my head down instead of titling it up. But, the damage done to my clothing was already irreversible. Luckily, I still had my overnight bag I left at John B's. When we got there, I went straight to the bathroom, doing the best I could to wash all the blood off of my face. I changed into a black sports bra, deeming that good enough for John B's house.

I walked into the kitchen to see JJ making a sandwich with moldy bread. My face twisted in disgust as I watched him slap peanut butter and jam on the slices.

"That bread had mold on it three days ago," Pope said as he walked by, his eyes judging JJ in the same way I was.

"I'll just pull of the bad parts," JJ replied. "Plus, mold is good for you. It's just a natural organism— Winslow, you have no shirt on."

I rolled my eyes, "It's a sports bra. Not very different than a bikini top."

"But it's close to a bra," JJ replied, drawing out the letters of the last word, his eyes now shifted from his sandwich to my chest. I covered my chest with my arms, glaring at him as I walked to the dining table where John B was sitting with a couple lights.

I sat next to John B, waiting for him to open the package. JJ strolled up in, a pop in one hand and his disgusting sandwich in the other. I watched with a smirk on my face as he took a bite, immediately gagging and spitting it out as John B tore open the package.

"That was really gross," I muttered, turning my attention to John B and the package. We watched with anticipation as John B opened the sealed plastic, the first thing he pulled out being a map with coordinates and drawings.

Pope pointed his finger to a specific marking on the map. "X marks the spot."

John B ran his fingers over the map, looking at the longitude and latitude. He gave up on the map, returning to the package. He pulled out a tape recorder, his eyes puzzled as he inspected it.

"What's that?" JJ asked, mirroring the same expression as John B.

"Tape recorder," I answered him, my playful eyes meeting his confused ones. "Idiot."

John B pressed play. Shuffling started it off, then a deep voice spoke, rumbling within the recorder. "Dear Bird–"

"Who's Bird?" JJ asked, again, cutting the tape off. I sighed, "It doesn't take a genius to figure out it's John B."

JJ turned to me with a pointed finger, his eyes blazing with irritation. "You've been talking shit all day–"

"Can you guys not. For once? Just this once?" Pope asked, trying to hush us so that everyone else could listen to the tapes. I nodded, backing down from my spat with JJ, but he still glared. Clearly his intelligence is a soft spot. I'll remember that.

"I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so. And you doubted your old man. I suspect at this moment you're filled with guilt and self-loathing over our last fight, but don't kill yourself just yet, kid. I didn't expect to find the Merchant either."

We looked between one another, all thinking about John B's dad's last sentence. Does that mean he found the Royal Merchant? Was he in some tropical place waiting for John B to find him, and then live out the rest of their days sipping piña coladas by the sun? I twisted a piece of hair as I tuned back into the recording.

"You were probably right to call me out. Wasn't exactly father of the decade. What can I say, kid? I could smell the barn. And hopefully we're listenin' to this in our brand new sugar-shack in Costa Rica, livin' off passive investments and pulling on permits. If not, and you found this for less than optimal reasons, well, that's what the map is for. There she is, the wreck of the Merchant. If somethin' happens to me, finish what I started. Go for the gold, kid. I love you, Bird, even if I didn't always act like it. I'll see you on the other side."