They parked the Twinkie at the chateau and all piled into the HMS Pogue, determined to keep the fun going and hopefully catch some fish. John B took the helm of the boat, guiding them to their spot, where he set up the fishing net. JJ sat at the front of the boat, her legs dangling off, while Pope and Kie settled nearby.

For a brief moment, they enjoyed each other's company in quiet serenity. Then, JJ's face lit up with a mischievous grin as she threw herself into a tackle at John B, who laughed and attempted to evade her. Before long, all four of them were dog-piled at the front of the boat, laughter echoing across the water.

After a minute of laughter and play, they untangled themselves. JJ retrieved her stash and lit up a blunt, while Pope pulled out a book—a familiar sight that made her smile fondly. Kie reached for her cell phone to check in with her parents, and John B headed to inspect the fish net.

Moments later, a pile of fish was dumped onto the deck of the boat, evidence of their successful outing.

"Nice haul, JB! Look at that!" JJ grinned widely at John B, and they shared an excited smile, knowing they would eat well for the next few days.

"Ugh, John B!" Kie scowled as a fish touched her foot.

John B chuckled and turned to the steering wheel, ready to drive them back to the chateau. JJ finished her blunt and joined John B at the helm. Meanwhile, Pope and Kie exchanged a secret glance that went unnoticed.

"Hey there, sailor," JJ teased, winking at John B with a low voice. "I'm going to need you to back up," she said, quoting in her best impression, "I am the captain now."

John B glanced over and grinned, his hands steady on the wheel. "And if I don't?" he replied with a smirk.

"Well then I'd have to kill you, and your face is pretty" JJ said jokingly.

"Is that right?" John B raised an eyebrow skeptically.

JJ grinned wickedly. "Pretty ugly!"

John B stopped the boat and quickly grabbed JJ before she could escape, tickling her sides and causing her to squeal with laughter.

"Stop!" she managed to laugh between giggles.

"Take it back and say you're sorry!" John B ordered playfully, trying to suppress his own grin while his eyes sparkled with amusement.

JJ caved. "Fine! I take it back!" She laughed, her sides hurting from the intense tickling.

John B still had her trapped, his fingers poised to tickle again. "And…?"

"And I'm sorry," JJ admitted with a grin.

"That's what I thought," he smirked teasingly, holding onto her a moment longer. Then, he repositioned them so they faced the steering wheel once more and started the boat back up. JJ found herself comfortably nestled against her best friend's chest as he guided them back to the chateau, feeling content and at ease.

No more words were exchanged. JJ slipped into a blissful haze as her high kicked in, and before she knew it, they had arrived back at the chateau. Kie and Pope bid their goodbyes, promising to meet at the keg party later, while John B and JJ unloaded the fish from the boat.

As the sun set, they decided to head over to the keg party.

They found Kie passionately engaged in a discussion with a group of people about global warming and the environment, brushing off any attempts to change the subject.

Meanwhile, Pope stood awkwardly with a girl, and they overheard him mention he wanted to be a coroner, which made them cringe sympathetically. Poor Pope was hopeless at flirting.

JJ and John B grabbed drinks before JJ wandered off to smoke a blunt with some classmates she recognized. John B found himself deep in conversation with a girl with dark hair.

JJ watched from across the fire, a tinge of something stirring in her chest, but she shook it off and took a hit from the blunt. They were just friends, after all. John B could talk to any girl he wanted. Besides, the Pogues had a rule: No Pogue-on-Pogue macking. Sometimes JJ hated that rule, but she valued John B's friendship too much to act on any nagging feelings or urges she might have around him.

They had fallen into a habit of often sleeping in the same bed, especially after the night the police came to officialize Big John's death. JJ told herself that much closeness was bound to stir up feelings. Despite this, she believed John B deserved someone better than her. She saw herself as toxic and didn't want to hold him back. Everyone knew her life's trajectory, and she didn't want to drag John B into it.

Despite these doubts, John B was the most important person in her life, and she couldn't imagine walking away from him. So, they remained friends—more like family, really.

John B talked to the brunette, his mind more preoccupied with thoughts of his next excuse for DCS, who had been pestering him even more since school ended. She seemed like a nice girl, but he was disinterested and lost in thought. After 30 minutes, she noticed his lack of attention and walked away with a huff to talk to another boy.

Deciding he wasn't in the mood for the party, John B informed his friends he was heading out. He returned to the chateau, where it didn't take long for him to drift off into sleep.

JJ stumbled in a bit later, trying to keep quiet as she dragged a dark-haired guy behind her. He had his hands on her waist as she led him into the spare bedroom.

They kissed for a moment, but when he attempted to undo her pants, she froze and stopped him. She was wasted and had hoped for some release, but she couldn't go through with it knowing John B was just one room over. Her love life had been disappointing lately, and being at John B's house wasn't a valid excuse, though she avoided facing the real reasons behind her hesitation. The boy huffed in frustration but was also wasted so he passed out on the bed without a fuss and JJ sighed in relief.

Uncertain of where to sleep, because cuddling with the guy wasn't an option and she didn't want to disturb John B, She walked out to the pullout couch and found Kie sprawled across it, leaving no room for her. Pope had already claimed the other couch. With few options left, she headed to the hammock in the front yard and quickly fell asleep.

The next morning, JJ woke up first and quietly got up to brush her teeth and change into work clothes. As she entered the spare bedroom, she was reminded of the boy who was still passed out there. She moved to wake him and the boy looked blearily up at her before he smirked and grabbed her. She tried to resist but she lost her balance and fell on top of him.

She hears a throat clear from the doorway and she looked up to see John B standing there. Her eyes flew wide and she tried to get out of her position, but the boy held tight. "Yo get outta here man," the boy commanded as if it was his house.

John B turned and walked away, but JJ could see the downward turn of his lips and something in his eyes that made her feel a pang of shame, even though she knew she hadn't done anything wrong.

She quickly pushed herself off despite the boys protests and attempts to pull her back down.

"Get out," she said coldly. Anger flashed across the boy's face as he got up and marched out of the room, presumably leaving the chateau.

JJ changed and got ready for work. As she left the room, she noticed John B lying in the hammock where she had slept earlier. She felt a strong urge to talk to him, but she knew she had to hurry to avoid being late for work. She couldn't afford to lose her job right now. Briefly, she worried about John B's appointment with DCS later, but pushed the thoughts aside for the moment. Starting up her dirt bike, she headed off to work.

John B lay in the hammock, staring up at the sky as his anger slowly ebbed away. He knew he had no right to be angry at JJ, but seeing her like that had stirred irrational emotions in him. She was still in her clothes from the night before which if he thought about it didn't make sense if she had been intimate with the boy, but he wasn't really thinking about it and deep down, it bothered him, though he couldn't quite pinpoint why. He told himself it was because JJ deserved better than some guy at a keg party. Denial came naturally to him, after all. What harm was one more truth to add to his growing list?

Sighing, he finally got up and prepared for his appointment with DCS on the mainland. Everyone had left while he had been lost in thought, allowing him to get ready quickly.

John B arrived 20 minutes early, catching the DCS agent off guard. He sat down at the front of her desk as she retrieved some papers from the printer and settled across from him.

"John, it has come to our attention that you are an unemancipated minor living on your own," the DCS agent said, removing her glasses with a sigh.

"No… no," John B scoffed.

She gave him a skeptical look.

"No," he repeated, feeling a twinge of jealousy that JJ was always better at talking than him, especially at moments like this.

"John, I need honesty to help you. That's what we both want, right?" the DCS agent pressed.

Internally, John B screamed, No! I don't need help, I just want to be left alone! But aloud, he managed, "Yeah, I'm being honest," though he knew he didn't sound convincing. He was a terrible liar.

"Okay, then when is the last time you spoke to your uncle?" she asked pointedly.

He tried to appear confident as he glanced at his watch and replied, "Uh… 34 minutes ago," pursing his lips as if that settled the matter.

The DCS agent continued her questioning. "When was the last time you saw him?"

"Two hours and… 43 minutes ago?" John B blurted, the uncertainty in his voice making it sound more like a question than an answer. He mentally chided himself — who knew the exact amount of minutes without checking their phone? He felt like an idiot. Despite this, he smiled at her, attempting to convey innocence and honesty.

She continued to regard him skeptically, her hand resting on the desk between them.

"John, we're going to visit your uncle tomorrow. If he's not there, we'll gonna move forward with foster care," she stated firmly.

John felt like he'd been punched in the gut. He struggled to hide the impact her words had on him.

"I want to assure you, we're going to find you a safe and loving home," she emphasized, placing emphasis on the word "safe."

'Yeah, right,' John B thought bitterly. 'I'm already in a safe and loving home,' he wanted to retort, thinking of JJ and the Pogues. The thought of what might happen to JJ if he were taken away haunted him.

She'd have to go back to Luke full-time, and the mere thought made John B shudder.

John B left without another word, heading off to see if Ward Cameron had any work for him. He spent the next few hours helping prepare Ward Cameron's property for the newly formed Tropical Storm Agatha, trying to push thoughts of DCS out of his mind.

Afterward, he returned to the chateau to do the same for his own home. As the workday ended, he headed to the beach to meet up with the Pogues.