JJ, Kie, and Pope sat in a circle on the beach, laughing at a story Kie was telling about one of her father's employees at The Wreck. Despite the laughter, JJ kept glancing worriedly at John B, who sat a few feet away, facing away from them. She knew he was concerned about DCS coming out the next day, and to be honest, she shared his worry.

John B stood up and walked over to the refreshment tents where vendors were selling to tourists. He caught a glimpse of a TV showing Tropical Storm Agatha escalating to Hurricane Agatha, and a wave of relief washed over him. With the storm intensifying, DCS wouldn't be able to make their visit.

He called DCS to inform them they would need to reschedule, making an effort not to sound too pleased about it over the phone.

When John B returned to the group to share the good news, he found that JJ was already gone.

He looked at Kie and Pope, questioning.

"She said she had to go home for some reason," Kie shrugged. If only she knew why that sentence made John B tense up, but she didn't press further. "I gotta head home too before the storm." With that, she left as well.

John B, filled with pent-up energy, had a sudden idea. "Let's grab our boards, man. The waves are looking great!"

Pope eyed him for a moment, as if questioning whether it was a good idea, but he agreed nonetheless.

They loaded into the Twinkie and retrieved their surfboards from their respective houses.

Pope sneaked into his house quietly, careful not to alert his parents to his plans. There was no way they'd let him out if they knew what he was up to. When they returned to the beach, it was pouring rain under dark grey skies, and there was nobody else crazy enough to still be out there.

"It's double overhead out there, man!" John B exclaimed excitedly to Pope.

"Double overhead?" Pope said, starting to second-guess going out there. "Those aren't surfable waves, bro." Thunder rumbled overhead.

John B laughed, feeling reckless. "Says who?" He slapped Pope's chest and quickened his pace toward the water. "Whoo!"

John B's feet hit the water as he paddled out. Glancing back, he saw Pope on the beach, looking worried. He thought Pope might be on the phone, but shrugged it off. Paddling further, John B began to surf the waves. He fell several times as the crashing waves engulfed him. Sitting up on his board, he considered heading back in when he spotted something. A Grady White, but then it vanished, and he couldn't locate it again. Deciding it was best to head back, he turned toward the beach and paddled back to shore.

Pope shook his head at John B, but there was awe on his face too. John B knew he had been reckless, but he felt better for it and didn't regret his decision. After dropping Pope off at his house, he headed back to the chateau.

The house was quiet when he arrived. A pang of worry struck him when he remembered JJ had gone home, but he tried not to dwell on it. He grabbed a towel from the bathroom to dry his hair and stripped out of his swim trunks.

After drying his hair, John B walked into his dark room and pulled on some boxers from his dresser. As he turned around, he noticed a lump on his bed with blonde hair splayed out on the pillow. Relief washed over him knowing his friend was safe. He approached slowly and laid down next to her. Startled, JJ shot up and backed into the corner, fear evident on her face. John B cringed at himself for startling her but moved closer with his hands visible in front of him.

"You're okay, JJ. It's just me, John B. You're okay."

He could see JJ's face illuminated by the moonlight streaming through the window. There didn't appear to be any bruises on her face, but as his eyes scanned down, he noticed her neck was black and blue, as if someone had strangled her. Tears welled up in John B's eyes, and fear gripped his heart at the thought that one day Luke might actually kill her.

JJ suddenly realized it was him, and a strangled sob escaped her. John B moved closer, but she angrily pushed him away.

He looked at her, hurt and confused by her reaction. "How could you be so reckless, John B? Surfing the surge? Really?! You could've—" Another sob cut her off, and she bit her lip, struggling to hold onto her anger and suppress her tears. Her throat felt raw, her voice strained.

"So that's who Pope was on the phone with," John B muttered, feeling a twinge of irritation. But then guilt washed over him. He hadn't considered how his actions could affect others. Yet, somehow, he empathized with her feelings—it mirrored his own whenever she left for home. Whenever she threw herself into unwinnable fights, embarked on half-baked plans, or wandered off with random guys at parties.

"You want to lecture me on being reckless?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. She looked ready to argue, but the truth in his words silenced her, and she swallowed her retort.

"I can't lose you, John B," she whispered, tears still in her eyes.

"Never," he replied softly. He gently guided her away from the corner, and she complied, allowing them to lie down again. John B was cautious, unsure of the extent of her injuries. Apart from her neck, she seemed okay. She lay on her back, her face turned towards him as he lay on his side.

His finger grazed her neck gently, and she saw fear and concern reflected in his eyes. He touched his forehead to hers and whispered, "I can't lose you either, JJ."

JJ felt her heart race as his words enveloped her, and she whispered back the same assurance, "Never."

The air crackled with electricity, their faces so close that JJ could feel his breath brushing against her lips.

BOOM

Thunder rumbled, startling JJ. The fleeting moment evaporated. John B pulled JJ close to his chest, and she buried her face against him, finding comfort in his scent and the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. It lulled her to sleep eventually.

It took John B longer, but soon he, too, succumbed to sleep.

John B woke up first and headed for a shower, only to find that the power was out with no cell service either. He returned to the room and gently nudged JJ.

"Hey, JJ, wake up," he said softly, careful not to startle her as he had the night before. The bruises on her neck had darkened, and John B suppressed the anger that always surged in his heart whenever he saw the damage Luke Maybank inflicted on his best friend.

"I have polio, bro. I can't walk," she groaned into her pillow. He shook his head, then left the room to assess the damage outside.

Exiting through the front door, John B immediately noticed a tree uprooted, mud and foliage strewn everywhere. The chicken coop managed to withstand the storm, but a few shingles were missing from the roof.

He groaned and muttered to himself about the mess Hurricane Agatha had caused.

JJ finally made her way outside. "Agatha did some work, huh?" she whistled.

"Yeah, she did," John B replied, walking over to start clearing foliage from the HMS Pogue.

JJ walked closer, asking, "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that storm surge pushed all the crabs out on the marsh maze. All those drum are gonna chase the crab," he said optimistically.

"What about the DCS? Wasn't that today?" JJ remembered.

"Nah, they're not getting on a ferry," John B said happily. "Come on, think about it. It's God telling us to fish!" He gestured towards the ocean with a stray branch.

JJ smiled wide, and together they pushed the HMS Pogue out onto the water. Their first stop was to pick up Kie and Pope.

As they sailed, they made snarky comments and waved hello to other people checking on their boats on the way to Pope's place.

"Sure hope Guffy's boat didn't sink. He doesn't have insurance," JJ commented.

"Yeah," John B agreed, spotting one of his old teachers on a nearby dock. "Hi Miss Amy! You guys get through it?"

"Still here!" she called back cheerfully.

"Her husband totally looked at me," JJ said cockily after they had passed.

"I saw it," John B acknowledged. Not wanting to dwell on it, he quickly added, "Dude, look at this place."

Trash was strewn everywhere, a sight that would definitely not please Kie.

JJ whistled. "Agatha, what'd you do?"

"She's a crazy lady," John B agreed.

"We'll be cleaning this all summer," JJ complained.

"That's what I'm afraid of," John B sighed.

Just then, Pope came into view, and John B steered the boat towards the dock where Pope was busy spraying it down.

"Well, look who we have here," John B said loudly enough for Pope to hear. He then cupped one hand to his mouth, as if speaking into a radio. Mimicking static, he said, "We have a safety meeting. Attendance mandatory." He mimicked another burst of static for effect.

"I can't. My pops got me on lockdown," Pope explained, sounding disappointed.

"Come on, man," JJ persisted, echoing John B's fake radio transmission and static. "Your dad's a pussy. Over."

"Oh, I heard that, you little bastard," Mr. Heyward's voice suddenly interjected as he walked over with a broom in hand, his expression stern.

"We need your son!" John B quickly announced, trying to smooth over JJ's poorly timed insult.

"Yeah, island rules. Day after a hurricane's a free day," JJ quipped smartly, spreading her arms as if stating the obvious.

"Who the hell made that up?" Mr. Hayward exclaimed, clearly exasperated.

"Uh... Pentagon, I think. We have security clearance. I have a card," JJ replied confidently, hand poised near her pocket.

"I'll do it tomorrow," Pope intervened.

"You think I'm stupid?" Mr. Hayward retorted pointedly.

"I promise I'll do it tomorrow," Pope insisted.

"No, no, hell no. You're doing it right now," Mr. Heyward demanded firmly.

Pope looked torn, so John B whispered loudly, "Get in the boat," as if Mr. Heyward couldn't hear.

"Make a run for it," JJ egged him on.

Pope put down the hose and moved to get in the boat.

"Boy, if you get in that boat—" Mr. Heyward started, but Pope was already aboard. "Bring your ass back here!"

John B was already maneuvering the boat away, quickly putting distance between them and Mr. Heyward.

"I promise I'll do it tomorrow, Dad," Pope repeated as John B and JJ cheered.

"You get back here, you're gonna clean shrimp, you're gonna clean fish—" Mr. Heyward yelled after them.

"Love you, pops!" Pope waved from the boat.

"You'll clean your dirty-ass room!" Mr. Heyward continued his tirade.

"We'll bring him back in one piece, I promise!" John B shouted back.

"And I don't like your friends!" Mr. Heyward finished, giving up as the HMS Pogue sailed out of hearing range.

Soon, they pulled up to another dock where Kie was already waiting with a cooler.

"Oh, top of the morning to ya!" JJ greeted her cheerfully.

"Good morning," Kie replied in kind. John B and Pope both offered their greetings as well.

"What ya got? You got some juice boxes?" Pope asked, attempting an awkward accent.

"You know, just some yogurt and carrot sticks," Kie replied with a grin.

"What about my kind of juice boxes?" JJ asked hopefully.

"Yeah," Kie smiled as she climbed into the boat and opened the cooler. JJ grinned and both she and Kie grabbed a beer from inside.

"Salud," Kie cheered.

"Skoal," JJ cheered back, and their bottles clinked before they took a long swig from their beers.

John B pressed the gas, and they continued on to the marsh maze, excited for what the day might bring.