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Assistant: Title: Snow On The Beach
        Author: AWriter159 AWriter159 
        Chapter: 4/49 
        Summary: Eighteen year old Audrey Routledge had everything going for her...until she didn't. With her dad lost at sea, suddenly the weight of the world is on Audrey's shoulders as she battles keeping her brother out of the system and the police out of her house--all while trying to hold down a full time job. As the bills pile up and hard decisions need to be made, Audrey's not sure life could get any harder. Enter Hurricane Agatha. With the hurricane comes clean ups, sleepless nights, stolen kisses, and a deadly treasure hunt they might not come back from.
        Contents: Chapter 4: IV
    

    


      
        
          
          (See the end of the chapter for  notes.)
          
      
  

  
  
    
    IV.After taking what felt like several long minutes to steady her hands and calm her nerves, Audrey climbed into the Volkswagen and started the dinosaur up. The “Twinkie” as they’d affectionately called her, was older than Audrey probably knew—a gift from their dad sometime between the time Audrey turned sixteen and John B got his permit at fifteen and a half. They weren’t sure where it came from—Big John wasn’t the type to keep cars very long, preferring to sell them for cash or scraps when he needed it and buy another when he could. But the old bus had managed to stay in their care for almost two years now and between JJ’s tinkering and John B’s Hail Mary’s, the old girl still ran. Audrey hated it. She hated the way the steering wheel cover John B bought last summer felt as she gripped it, the microfiber nearly making her skin crawl. She hated the beaded backrest that her brother said massaged his back—she’d never found it comforting and it always managed to snag on her bikini bottoms if she sat up front. Audrey recalled many arguments between them after she’d slung the beaded chair accent out of the bus and onto the ground. “Those cost me like ten bucks! Each!”“I’ll give you ten dollars to  throw them away!”But now as she sat in the bus, her eyes drifting to the haphazard rear-view mirror, the only thought she had was that she wished her brother would wake up. The realistic part of her knew he was ok—he was breathing and Pope was monitoring his pulse and oxygen for any signs of change and if he so much as inhaled the wrong way she knew Kiara would raise a fuss. But the anxious part of her—the new side that often won in times like these—told her he wouldn’t wake up. That she would never see him again.What a thought. Audrey physically shook her head, wanting to send the thought as far away as possible as she felt fresh tears fill her eyes. Could she survive without him? Audrey wasn’t so sure and she didn’t care to dwell more on the thought, instead turning her attention towards JJ as he slipped his hand over her leg, squeezing her knee comfortingly. The tears that filled his own eyes mirrored hers and she sent him a small smile, inhaling deeply as he nodded to her. Unspoken words passing between them. She’d known JJ for years now, having met him when she was five after Big John dumped both her and John B off at Hollis Crain’s for an afternoon. The snotty bleach blonde kid was loud and wild—running up and down the stairs of Hollis’ small beach cottage, making airplane noises as he and John B played “fighter pilots.”  Looking back, Audrey realized Hollis was sick then and struggling with the chemotherapy, but as a six year old she hadn’t thought anything of Hollis’ change in appearance. While Hollis only babysat the Routledge kids a handful of times over the next year or so, she did regularly watch JJ until she passed a few years later, who they’d see when they went over. Audrey wasn’t sure when they became closer friends, probably around the time school started and they met Pope, the weird boy who never wanted to play fighter pilots and much preferred to read the story books. Pope was a school friend until middle school, if Audrey remembered correctly, she didn’t often see him around. But JJ she spent countless hours with. She wasn’t sure when she first caught on that JJ’s homelife was different from hers, but she was sure her dad had to have had some idea early on. There wouldn’t be any other reason why JJ often spent the night at their house on school nights, why he’d be included on school shopping trips, and why Big John would usually take him to school.Audrey did remember the first time she realized that parents could hit their kids. A memory that was burned into her brain. It was the summer before her freshman year of high school and JJ had been staying at his home fairly regularly that summer. She remembered Big John mentioning that Luke Maybank had done some sort of program or something to Pope’s dad and that he hoped things would get better “for the kid.”Spoiler alert: it hadn’t. John B and Big John had gone down to the docks to grab some fish for dinner when JJ wandered over to the house, at first Audrey hadn’t seen anything out of the ordinary but when he turned to look at her with a split lip and forming black eye, she knew something was wrong. He hadn’t said anything and Audrey didn’t ask, she only allowed him to slip into the hammock with her, his forehead searching for her shoulder as she held him. Her friendship with JJ up until that point had been similar to one of a sibling or perhaps close cousin, but that night things definitely changed. Their relationship split from the one she and John B had together with JJ and instead she and JJ built their own. He wouldn’t go into detail about anything that happened between him and his dad for a few more years, but he would seek out her comfort.“Your cuddles are better than John B’s.”“God, I sure hope so.”Audrey wasn’t sure when they’d moved from friendship into flirting, sometime over the course of the years they’d grown closer and more comfortable with one another, and Audrey would be lying if she said she hadn’t wondered what it might be like to be JJ Maybank's, but she’d always turned him down. He’d asked before, when they were high, if she saw him in a different way but she always turned him down and he didn’t bring it up again. Things were better this way. Right?“Are we going to move?”Audrey was slammed back into the present as Kiara’s question cut through her memories, her eyes flickering over to the girl in the back, “yeah, sorry.”The Volkswagen started up and Audrey shifted it out of park, her hands moved automatically and despite driving the Twinkie the least out of them all, she was grateful that Big John had taught her how to drive a stick. The bus moved forward and Audrey just released a sigh of relief as she eased to a stop sign, glad that her muscle memory kicked in because her mental memory was totally sh@t at the moment—only for the old girl to lurch and groan back at her as she released the clutch too early, the Volkswagen stalling unhappily. “Sh@t.”“It’s fine,” JJ motioned for her step on the brake as Kiara sighed unhappily in the back seat. JJ shifted her into first gear as Audrey attempted to restart the car, her foot shifting between the clutch and brake as the Twinkie took a little coaxing before starting up again. Audrey wasn’t sure how they made it to the Heyward’s, but she was sure it took twice as long as it should have. Pope assured them that John B was fine throughout the drive, that his breathing hadn’t changed any and that his pulse seemed to be perfectly normal. “He probably just had too much to drink.”“Or a panic attack,” Kiara lifted a hand to Pope as he waved to them all, “I know I almost did when JJ put the gun to Topper’s head. What the  hell  were you even thinking?”“I was thinking I didn’t really want a dead friend, Kiara.”“Un-f@ck@ng-believable, JJ.”“P@ss off, Kie.”“Alright,” Audrey lifted a hand to stop what she was sure was about to become an intelligent argument of who could use the F-word more, but she really couldn’t handle the back and forth while she attempted to get them home without stalling. Again. Turns out, she couldn’t. Audrey stalled twice more along the way and while she knew Kiara wasn’t usually a backseat driver or in this much of a mood, Audrey didn’t exactly appreciate the sighs of frustration and the soft, “here we go again,” each time she did so. A few months ago she may have shut Kiara’s frustration down with a few verbal jabs, but now she just let it go. If they were to get into an argument she was almost sure JJ would happily join in and then they’d really be nowhere. Eventually Audrey did get the Volkswagen home, sighing happily to herself as she shifted the car and turned it off. John B still rested in Kiara’s lap and Audrey was hoping JJ would be able to maneuver him into the house by himself. Audrey and JJ exited the car and Audrey opened the sliding door as JJ ducked down to grab his friend. “I hope you’re proud of yourself, JJ.”“He’s alive, isn’t he?” JJ shot back, refusing to look at her as he moved John B’s arms around, “you’re welcome, by the way.”“I can’t believe you brought the gun,” Kiara hissed back, “how  stupid  can you be?”“Hey, hey,” Audrey shook her head no, “let’s not do this again guys, please?”Audrey was slowly reaching her limit on hearing the same argument repeatedly. “I’m not the one who held his head underwater, Kie,” JJ grunted back, “that was  your  people.”“Oh that’s real mature, JJ—”“Guys!” Audrey shook her head no, “no—no more. I can’t listen to this again. No more talking the rest of the night. Got it?”JJ settled back down, moving to scoop up John B and help him inside. JJ left her brother in Kiara’s care before he made his way back to the bus that Audrey still stood beside.“I don’t want you to have to take me home,” JJ said, approaching her, “I don’t want you to stall out by yourself—I’ll walk.”“I don’t think that’s a great idea,” Audrey said, “why don’t you just stay here?”“I don’t want to be around Kie right now.”“Then let’s take a walk,” Audrey slipped her hands into the pockets of her shorts, leaning back against the side of the Volkswagen, “I don’t want you to go home like this.”“Luke’s not home,” JJ turned his head to glance over at the house where Kiara was no doubt fussing over John B.“JJ.”JJ heaved a sigh, bowing his head for a moment before lifting his arm in the direction of the docks, letting Audrey take the lead on their walk. JJ shuffled beside her, his eyes trained firmly down on the ground as they walked, “you mad at me too?”“No,” Audrey eventually said, JJ’s head shooting up to look at her.“You’re not?”Audrey turned so quickly that JJ nearly plowed into her, her hand coming up to rest on his stomach, “I get it, JJ,” she said, “I get it.”JJ’s stomach flipped as he stared down at the gorgeous girl in front of him. “I just—he’s my family. You’re my family. Seeing  Topper ,” JJ spat the name as if it tasted bad, “hold him down like that—I just couldn’t let that go.”“I know.”“Yeah I’m drunk,” JJ rolled his eyes, “but like—I’m just  sick  of this sh@t, Audrey.”“I know.”“It’s just—” JJ swore, shaking his head as he lifted his hands to run through his hair, “it’s just one thing after another with these @ssh@l@s. They have power—they have central air, they’ve got yachts and cars and jewelry and  stuff. And what do we have? A broken window unit and—and chickens.” The corner of her lip lifted as she watched JJ lean back against the wooden railing of the dock, glaring out at the water before looking back at her, “I’m serious.”“I know.”“Kie doesn’t get it,” JJ grunted, “she gets to return to her clean bedroom on Figure 8 anytime she wants, have a nice shower, get something hot to eat—a hug from mom...” Audrey looked out at the water, thinking over JJ’s frustrated words as he huffed again, running his hands down his face. “Say something, please.”“You’re right,” Audrey said slowly, “Kie doesn’t get it.”“She went to school with these @ssh@l@s, Audrey.”“I know.”“She used to  be  one of these @ssh@l@s.”“I know.”JJ slammed his hands down on the railing, huffing as he did, “say something else, Audrey. Anything other than, ‘I know.’ I’m about to lose it.”Audrey inhaled deeply, glancing over at JJ before she slipped into the space between JJ and the railing, her hands rested on his hips and JJ stared down at her. His blue eyes were dark—a sign that he was both tipsy and angry—a side of JJ she didn’t see very often. “It’s not fair, JJ. You’re absolutely right.”“You work all the time,” JJ lowered his head, his forehead nearly resting against hers, “full-time with the Carreras and you still do sh@t odd jobs for the Kooks. Lord knows Heather's got you on speed dial. You gave up your scholarship—I just...I’m sick of this sh@t.”JJ was the only one she’d confided in about the scholarship. She hadn’t meant to spill the beans to anyone, but he’d walked in on her making the call and there wasn’t any way she could hide it. Her dreams of attending the University of North Carolina, nearly free, were long gone. She would never swim for their school, she’d never go to the olympics, and she’d never go to college. So many emotions swirled around her that Audrey found herself forgetting she needed to be the responsible one now—she could feel her grief settle hard on her chest at losing her father, losing her scholarship, and losing the future she’d imagined. Sh@t, she’d almost lost her brother tonight.Inhaling slowly, like the school counselor had taught her to, Audrey let the scent of JJ wash over her—she hadn’t been this close to a boy in awhile. Sure, she and JJ were close and oftentimes found themselves borderline touchy-feely, but not like this. This was definitely new. Audrey found herself yet again remembering when JJ’d knocked on her metaphorical door, testing it to see if she’d open it. She hadn’t—but now as she stood out on the dock under the moonlight with JJ Maybank, she couldn’t remember one single reason why. With her hands still resting on his waist, Audrey allowed herself to feel first instead of think and with a lift of her toes she pressed her lips to JJ’s. The kiss was soft and chaste, her lips pressed to his gently. Warning bells went off in her head as she did so—kissing JJ Maybank probably wasn’t her best idea, especially not after an evening of drinking and her brother almost dying, but as she stood out there in the dark, with the sounds of the water and the summer bugs, all she could think about was JJ and what he tasted like. She dropped back down to her feet after only a moment, not wanting to make JJ anymore uncomfortable than she probably already had. But instead of backing away and cracking a joke, JJ chased after her, his hands cupping her face before connecting them once again. His lips slid over hers as he backed her into the wooden railing, his tongue swiping across her lips, begging for entrance. She gave it to him with a moan, JJ tilting her head back to gain more access. She gripped his hips, her fingers digging into his sides as they made out on the dock. JJ fought her for dominance, shifting his stance to rest his feet on either side of her, doing everything he could to occupy the same space—the same air as her. Audrey wasn’t sure which one of them pulled away first, but as the need to breathe outweighed their teenage hormones, Audrey released the grip she had on his hips and instead wound her arms around his waist. JJ swore as he brought her head to rest against his chest, holding her just as tightly as she held him. They both panted, inhaling as much air as they possibly could. Audrey took a deep breath, inhaling more of JJ’s scent as he gulped in the fresh air above her. Again, she wasn’t sure how much time had passed before they spoke. “Please tell me we’re doing that again.”Audrey laughed, resting her forehead against his chest, her face heating with embarrassment, “how drunk are you?”“The only thing I’m drunk on now is you, baby,” JJ grinned, trying to shift her away so he could see her face. She pressed her forehead firmly to his chest as JJ laughed, holding her tightly, “I gotta have another one of those, Audrey. That better not have been a one time thing.”“JJ,” Audrey laughed, hiding her face as he grinned up at the stars.“I’m serious,” JJ laughed with her, “best kiss of my  life. ”“Please.”“I’m serious,” JJ pulled himself away from her after it was clear she wasn’t budging. Taking her face back into his hands he caressed her cheeks, a playful grin across his face as he lowered his voice, “let me have another.”Audrey did—closing her eyes as JJ kissed her again. She wound her arm around his neck this time, her fingers getting lost in his soft hair. JJ kept one hand on her face, the other slipping down to wrap around her waist, holding her tightly against him. Audrey would be lying if she said she hadn’t thought about what kissing JJ Maybank might feel like, but in all her daydreaming—and regular dreaming—never did she think it would be like this. JJ deepened their kiss again, his hand drifting down to slip into the back pocket of her shorts as one of hers ran along the side of his face, cupping his jaw. “JJ,” she whispered his name softly. JJ moaned her name back, equally as soft, his lips shifting from hers to her jawbone, to her ear, and then down her neck, holding her as close as he could possibly get her, “I’ve never had a kiss like this before.”“You’re ridiculous.”“M’not lying,” JJ found a tender spot just above her collarbone at the base of her neck, taking his time giving the area as much attention as he possibly could, “the way you taste is unreal.”Audrey’s cheeks heated up again, laughing breathlessly as JJ made his way back up her neck before kissing her again. This one was less frantic—less urgent as JJ dropped the speed down, his hand untangling from her hair as he ran his fingers across her neck before cupping her chin.“Why have we never done this before?” His forehead rested against hers as he kept her chin between his fingers.“No Pogue on Pogue macking, remember?”“F@ck that,” JJ nuzzled her, his nose brushing along side hers, “once you kiss a Pogue, you don't come back.”Audrey laughed, her head tilting back and out of JJ’s hand as she really laughed. Who would’ve thought she’d be standing out on the dock, laughing her head off after making out with JJ. “I’m serious,” JJ laughed with her, his hand sliding to rest on the back of her neck, “c’mere, let me have another one.”“You’re ridiculous.”“I’m addicted.” He kissed her again, grinning into this kiss as he did. Audrey pecked him, once, twice, a third time before JJ pulled her back in for a deeper, toe curling kiss. “Who’ve you been kissing?” JJ asked as they parted for air a few moments later, “that can’t just be natural talent.”“What if it is?”“Then I’m a believer.”Audrey laughed, her hands resting flat on his chest as JJ hovered over her, “you’re not so bad yourself.”“The highest compliment,” JJ laughed, wrapping his arms around her to hug her close, “I tell you your kiss is life changing, comparing it to seeing Jesus, and all I get is...” JJ raised his voice an octave to mimic Audrey’s, “...not the worst, JJ!”Audrey laughed as JJ held her tighter, “that’s not what I said!”“May as well have! I’m having a religious experience over here and it’s just a random Tuesday for you!”Audrey laughed. Resting her chin on his collarbone, she grinned up at him, “you’re a great kisser, JJ.”“Stop—you’ll make me blush.”Audrey laughed again as JJ gently swayed them back and forth, their laughter dying down as they enjoyed the atmosphere. Listening to his heartbeat, Audrey had just closed her eyes when she felt JJ slip his hand into her hair, massaging the back of her head. “In all seriousness,” JJ broke the silence, “we  are  doing that again if I have anything to say about it.”“Mmm, that’ll be a good morning for JB,” Audrey said softly, “good morning, bro, your best friend is a  great  kisser. 10 out of 10.”“We don’t gotta tell him.”“You don’t think they’ll all know?” Audrey tilted her head up to look at him. “How would they know? You gonna jump me on the Pogue tomorrow?”“No,” Audrey laughed, “of course not.”“Then how would they know? I mean...not that I'm opposed to that idea...” JJ tilted her head up, kissing her lips softly as she scoffed. “But really, I'm serious. Pope’s as clueless as a kid about this stuff. Kiara’s too busy eye-f@ck@ng your brother, and John B’s too wrapped up in what happened in the marsh.”“Kiara is not!”“Is too!” JJ laughed, “you just don’t want to admit it. Why else would she be all—” JJ stroked the side of her face, his voice changing into a breathy moan as he imitated Kiara, “— be careful John B every five f@ck@ng seconds?”“You’re ridiculous.”“I’m  right  ,” JJ grinned down at her, “and you  know  it.”Audrey nipped his thumb as he brushed it alongside her bottom lip. “Easy,” JJ grinned back at her, “I might like that.”“I bet you like a lot of things.”“I like you,” JJ continued to run his thumb across her jawbone, “I like you  a lot .”“You’re a flirt.”“Yeah,” JJ agreed, “but I got feelings too.”“JJ,” Audrey rested her hand on his wrist, shifting so her back rested more comfortably against the railing, “you’re not—”“How about you stop telling me what I’m not,” JJ searched her eyes, “and let me tell you what I am.”Audrey melted into his next kiss, JJ’s hand caging her further into the railing as he deepened it, exploring every possible inch of her mouth with his tongue. Her stomach erupted into butterflies as JJ dropped his hand to her hip, his fingers sliding under her tank-top before slipping across her stomach. He found her bellybutton a moment later, his fingers gently running over the teardrop she had dangling over her navel. Audrey let him play, liking the feel of his fingers on her stomach as he traced her piercing. It wasn’t until she tilted her head back for air, JJ’s lips attaching onto her ear that she gasped. “I love this,” he whispered, his teeth grazing the shell of her ear, “I remember when you got it—I don’t think I had a dry dream for a week.”Audrey sipped her hand into his hair, pulling him closer as his hand dropped back down to her waist, his fingers slipping into the band of her shorts playfully. “JJ,” her hand fumbled for his, her fingers lacing with his own.“I can’t keep my hands to myself,” JJ whispered into her ear, squeezing her hand, “I’ve wanted you a long time.”“JJ.”His thumb traced the button of her shorts as his lips slid back to hers, he kissed her softly, tugging her bottom lip as he did, “Let’s go back to mine, I’ll—”“I’ve never had s@x.”JJ froze, frowning down at her as he searched her face, “you—what?”“I’ve never had s@x,” she repeated, releasing his hand as she pulled her other off his chest. At the confused look on his face, she continued, “I’m a virgin.”JJ took a half a step back to look at her fully. “How?”“How what?”“How are you—” he motioned towards her, “how are you a virgin?”Audrey cocked her head to the side as she looked back at him, her own eyebrows frowning, “what do you mean?”“I—” JJ ran a hand across his mouth, his eyes searching her face as he did, “I can’t believe you’ve not—the way you kiss…”“Are those things mutually exclusive?”“No, no,” JJ shook his head, “no—I just…wow.”“Wow?”“Not wow, no,” JJ took a step towards her, “sh@t I am not saying the right things.”Audrey lifted a hand to rest along the side of his face, “you wanna try again?”JJ cleared his throat, glancing around them to make sure Kiara hadn’t suddenly found her way down to the dock to yell at him again. “I just assumed you lost it to some touron like the rest of us.” “It wasn’t like I didn’t have the opportunity,” Audrey glanced down at her feet, “I just—I just didn’t want a hookup, you know?”  “I don’t, no.” Audrey laughed, “so it doesn’t matter that you’ve never seen them again? That you’ll never see them again?” “Not really, no.” Audrey nodded, a part of her scolded herself. Of course JJ wouldn’t understand. He’d slept his way around the island all last summer and hasn’t been shy about bringing girls back to the Chateau, and yet she still felt ridiculous as she stood there, expecting him to understand. What was she thinking, kissing JJ Maybank? This was her brother’s best friend…her friend. Had she royally screwed everything up now?“I—never cared about the tourons,” JJ broke through her thoughts, “I assume they never cared about me. I’m not exactly the “take me home to mom” type and none of them bothered to contact me again.” “I see.” “So, no, I haven’t thought much after just hooking up.” Audrey nodded, feeling absolutely ridiculous as she stood there with him. Of course JJ wasn’t looking for anything serious. He was seventeen—all he cared about was having a good time, all the time. Wasn’t that what he and John B declared for the summer? JJ didn’t care for the way Audrey’s face looked and while he tried to wrack his brain for any idea on what to say, he ended up stepping back into her space, tilting her chin up with his knuckle. “I’d like to clarify that I felt that way about the tourons,  not  you.” “What?” “I got  lots  of feelings for you,” JJ grinned, “a lot of  new feelings for you.”“It’s fine, JJ.” “It’s not,” JJ’s voice returned to its serious tone, “it’s not fine. I like you, I liked you  before we macked and I’ll like you after—but if you don’t want any part of this, I get it.” “You wanna be my boyfriend?” “Mmm,” JJ made a face, “how about we don’t label it?” “I see—so we’re just messing around?” “Don’t like that label either,” JJ shook his head as he slipped his arm around her, “how about “we’re getting to know each other?” Hmm? Think of it as a test drive.”“I know you.” “You know  most  of me. But not all.” “JJ.” “We’re getting to know each other, and only each other.” Audrey stared up at him, searching his eyes. “And then what?” “What do you mean?” “What happens after I  know  you?” “Well, I suspect we’ll both be satisfie—ow,” JJ rubbed his side where she pinched him, “alright, I’m kidding. Look—” he laced his fingers through hers and held her hands, “I like you—I got feelings for you—and I don’t want anyone to know about it until  we— ” he motioned between the two of them “figure out what we want.” “What we want?” “Yeah,” JJ nodded, “like  I  want more kissing.” “Yes, you've made that clear...” “—and I don’t want anyone else kissing you.” Audrey shook her head at him, “so we’re…exclusively kissing each other.” “Exactly.” “You’re a piece of work, JJ.” “Yeah well,” JJ kissed her forehead, “you already knew that.” Audrey allowed herself to rest her head against JJ’s chest, her arms locking around his waist as she rested her wrists against the small of his back. JJ wound his own arms around her, hugging her closer as they stood together in the cool night air. She wasn’t sure what they were doing—what was going to become of this, and while part of her brain was screaming at her to put a stop to it right now, the other part of her begged her to just be a teenager again.“When’d you change your mind?”“Hmm?”“I've knocked on your door before, Audrey.”Audrey inhaled the smell of JJ as she thought over her answer, she could feel his fingers lifting to play with the ends of her hair, her soft waves falling over her shoulders before resting against her upper back, “I’ve felt the shift for a while now.”“The shift?”“Yeah,” Audrey nodded slowly, “I mean—you’ve always been flirty and you’re right. You have knocked on my door before. But there was just a—a shift in our banter the last few months. It didn’t feel as friendly as it does with the others.” JJ didn’t say anything for a bit, instead just taking the time to hug Audrey closer, his chin lowering to rest on the top of her head as he spun her dark hair around his finger, thinking over her words. “Sometimes,” Audrey swallowed thickly as she felt tears pr@ck the corners of her eyes, “sometimes it feels like you’re the only one in my corner, JJ.”“The last several months have been hard,” JJ eventually said, “I can see it on your face when you don’t think anyone’s looking.”“I feel like I’m drowning,” Audrey confessed, feeling herself open up more to JJ, “and I know JB doesn’t want us to sign the certificate—but we have to move on. Dad’s gone, he’s never coming back.” She paused to look up at him, his eyes flickering down to look at her curiously, “do you—do you think he’s still alive?”JJ tucked some hair behind her ear, his thumb running across her ear and down her jawbone before resting on her chin, tilting her head up between his thumb and index finger, “I think your dad loved you very much,” he said softly, “and I think if he were still alive, he’d be doing everything he could to get back to you. Big John wouldn’t have left you to suffer like this.”Audrey nodded, her eyes lifting as tears filled her eyes, feeling for the first time in a long time compassion from another person rather than pity. JJ shushed her softly, catching a tear from the corner of her eye, “I didn’t mean to make you cry.”“I just,” Audrey could feel the thickness in her throat again, “I just feel so alone. All the time.”“I’m here,” JJ caught another tear, brushing them away from her face as he did, “I’m always here for you.”“I feel like we’re always losing,” Audrey closed her eyes to keep the tears from falling, “and nothing ever gets better.”“It’ll get better,” JJ brought her towards him, kissing her lips softly, “I promise—we’ll sell what we find in the cargo hold and fix our problems. I promise.”Audrey wasn’t so sure, but she appreciated JJ’s outlook and lost herself in another series of kisses with the handsome boy. They made out under the stars for a while longer, pausing here and there to share soft whispers and gentle touches. It wasn’t until Audrey let out a soft yawn into JJ’s chest that he suggested they head inside. “I thought you didn’t want to be around Kiara.”“It’s been like—two hours,” JJ tucked his arm around her neck as they walked back down the dock, Audrey’s arm losing wrapping around his narrow waist, “she’s probably passed out on the pull out by now.”“Where’re you going to sleep?”“Are you offering?”“JJ!”He laughed, pulling her tighter against him, “I’m kidding, I’m kidding,” he pressed his lips to her temple, “I’ll crash on the porch or something.”The two grew closer to the Chateau and just before they reached the steps, JJ stopped long enough to pull Audrey back into his arms, his hands slipping into the back pockets of her denim shorts as he brought his lips down to hers, kissing her again. Audrey sighed, her hand lifting to rest against his neck as she deepend JJ’s kiss, sending them both right back into that passionate spiral. It wasn’t until JJ tugged her even closer, their chests resting against one another that she parted, “we should go inside.”JJ nodded, kissing her again. Before they could get carried away…again, Audrey pulled away, squeezing his hand as she walked up the steps first, JJ following behind. Stretching as they entered, JJ looked around to see Kiara was missing from the living area. Glancing down the hallway, his eyebrows rose curiously, “do you think they’re…?”“No way,” Audrey shook her head, turning to make her way down the hallway with JJ following her closely, “there’s no way she’d do that.”“I don’t think we’re talking about the same Kiara.”Audrey shot him a look and he grinned at her as she made her way up to John B’s cracked door. Pushing the door softly, she poked her head in to see John B passed out on the bed, his head at the foot of the bed, snoring softly. Beside him Kiara was also asleep, her head at the top of the bed. Audrey closed the door slowly and quietly, not wanting to wake either of them up. Turning, she led JJ back towards her room, leaning against her door. JJ rested his hands on the door frame on either side of her, grinning down at her. “You still in?”“Yeah,” Audrey nodded, her hand lifting to rest on his chest. Tugging on his shirt she pulled him down for a wonderful good night kiss—their tongues meeting gently as JJ returned her slow kiss, “this won’t—ruin anything, right?”“That’s the exciting part isn’t it?” Audrey rolled her eyes before pressing against his chest to push him away. “Good night, JJ.”“Mmm,” JJ kissed her again, his hand lifting to pull her closer, “good night, Audrey.”They kissed for another handful of minutes before Audrey pulled away and stroked the side of his face, “sleep well.”“Night, baby.”
  
  

    
      
        
        
          Finally getting into the non-scripted areas of the story, we'll talk more on that later when we get back to the treasure hunt.Hope you're all enjoying it so far!'
User: Summarize the chapter based on the content provided, ensuring to follow the set format and emphasize key aspects within the specified length.
User: Summarize the chapter based on the content provided, ensuring to follow the set format and emphasize key aspects within the specified length.
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