𝐋𝐔𝐃𝐈𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐒. ᵒᵘᵗᵉʳ ᵇᵃⁿᵏˢ ¹

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 26.

━ 𝗳𝘂𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝗷𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳.

    𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐈 𝐆𝐎𝐓 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 home, Caroline and Daryl were sitting on the futon sofa.

I was still trying to process everything that had happened back on the boat with the Merchant. The very first time John B mentioned the shipwreck stuff and the fact that his dad had been trying to find it for decades, I thought it was a lost cause— a figment of grief and imagination. I figured so, when we had gone to the lighthouse— the way John B persisted about the situation, how we'd ran from the cops, and how he'd been freaking out— I was sure that the whole treasure hunt was simply a way for him to cope with his father's disappearance.

But when I looked at that screen of the monitor, and saw the real-life wreck of The Royal Merchant, the most famous shipwreck of all time that I'd read about on the Ferry, it made sense for a minute. Only a minute. Until the drone inched closer and showed that the gold was—in fact— not even there, and that minute was history. I wasn't upset that there wasn't any gold, because it wasn't my issue, and I wasn't as involved into the project as they were. But I felt myself growing emotional.

I had guessed that I was upset because of John B. We hadn't even known each other for more than a week, but seeing the way his expression changed when he talked about his dad, and understanding the profuse determination to finish his father's life project, I began to comprehend just how important the whole thing was to him. After we'd heard his dad's voice on the tape, and John B took comfort in my arms, I realized how much the Royal Merchant treasure hunt held a place in his life. He missed his dad, and finding the gold was what his father wanted. And we were failing so far.

I didn't mind sitting next to John B on the boat ride back to the docks. My hand was on his knee the whole time, and I even took a chance and leant my head on his shoulder, for extra comfort. He didn't shrug or push me away. He only seemed a little but upset when I asked the others for a ride home. I would have liked to spend the rest of the day with them, but I figured it wasn't a good time for a simple hang out.

    We had successfully made it back to the docks at Town Hall, where they had parked the van earlier, and we walked over to the vehicle in silence . John B was holding my hand the entire way.

    Jj drove the van all the way back to my grandparents house, and it felt odd sitting in the passnger seat next to someone else, while John B sat in the back. No one talked the whole way home. After saying goodbye, I then thought about Pope, as he glanced to me through the window, thinking about the bruise on his forehead, and the fact that he had gotten jumped by Sarah's boyfriend and brother. I didn't quite know how to feel about my place in it.

    When I walked into the house, the sun now hidden under the chunks of grey clouds, Caroline looked up from her book. It was Sunday, the middle of the day, and they were both casually sitting on the sofa, Daryl listening to the radio station beside her. Her face lit up with a bright smile when she saw me, instantly lighting up the room, and she immediately placed her book down on the couch and stood up.

    "Hey, bug," she grinned with a happy tone of voice, as she pulled me in for a quick hug. "How was your day?"

    I was only slightly taken back, "You guys don't mind that I actually stayed the night," I said, speaking lightly and with a hint of confusion, while shifting gazes between her and Daryl.

    He slowly stood up from the couch, rubbing a hand over his mouth, "Well it's better than biking home in the dark," he said, as if trying to make himself feel better about the fact that I stayed over at a boy's house. A boy my age, that they both know has no parent or guardian living with him. My parents would be so disappointed, even enraged, if they heard about this.