JJ was with Pope, helping him work on a motor for his dad, another side hustle she was juggling. The one useful thing her dad had taught her was mechanics, and she found solace in fixing things. It kept her hands busy and her mind occupied. Pope wasn't particularly helpful, but she enjoyed his company as she worked. He'd often ramble about random facts or focus on his homework while she tinkered away.

Today, though, JJ hardly listened to Pope. Her mind was distant, preoccupied with thoughts of the previous night. She had been consumed with worry for John B when Pope drove away, but when he texted that he was fine, her own hurt and insecurities resurfaced. Unable to face him, she chose to stay away. When Pope started up the Twinkie to head back to the chateau, she abruptly jumped out. Pope assumed she stayed home, unaware of Luke Maybank's abuse, but JJ wasn't naive. She had no intention of risking another night as her father's punching bag.

After the Twinkie drove away, JJ found herself grabbing her board and heading to the beach. She surfed for hours, finding solace in the rhythm of the waves and the feel of the water beneath her. In the ocean, her mind was clear, focused solely on her board and the movements of the surf. She felt a sense of peace wash over her.

As dusk settled in, she reluctantly paddled back to shore. Exhausted, she laid down on the sand to catch her breath, intending to rest for just a moment. However, the weariness of her body and mind overtook her, and she drifted into sleep.

When she next opened her eyes, the light of dawn was beginning to break over the horizon.

JJ sat up abruptly as she realized she had fallen asleep on the beach. She had intended to walk back to the chateau to check on John B. Despite feeling hurt, she still cared deeply for him and knew he would be worried about her. She reached for her phone in her backpack, only to discover it was dead.

"Shit," she muttered under her breath.

Knowing she had to get to work soon, she sneaked into her house, quickly changed clothes, high-tailed it to the chateau to grab her bike knowing John b would have left for work already, and drove over to Pope's place.

Which is where she was now and had been for the last few hours, with Pope rambling behind her. The chill in the air prompted Pope to start a small fire to keep them warm. Taking a break, JJ lit up a cigarette, exhaling deeply as she tried to unwind.

Her relief was palpable when she spotted John B pulling up in the Twinkie. Despite his disheveled appearance, he looked alright, though he seemed to have just come from a marathon through the wilderness. JJ realized she probably didn't look much better with sand still in her hair. John B waved for them to get in.

Deciding she'd done enough for the day, JJ glanced over at Pope. "Let's ride."

"This better be good," Pope muttered as they climbed into the Twinkie, JJ taking the front seat.

The drive to The Wreck to pick up Kie was filled with tense silence. Neither John B nor JJ knew how to address the lingering tension between them. Pope, sensing the discomfort, quickly volunteered to fetch Kie as soon as they arrived at their destination.

Silence hung heavy in the air.

Finally, John B broke the silence. "I'm sorry," he mumbled quietly.

JJ turned her head to look at him, surprised by his admission. She nodded, silently accepting his apology. Deep down, she knew she could never stay upset with him for long. Her anger had already begun to fade; she had just been stubborn.

"Why did you really make me stay behind?" JJ questioned, her tone cutting through any pretense of accepting John B's earlier explanation about her unpredictability. Initially, she had believed it, but now she knew there had to be another reason.

John B hesitated, his gaze shifting uneasily. Finally, in a quiet voice, he admitted, "I couldn't… We didn't know what we were walking into, and I couldn't put you in danger again."

Silence settled between them as JJ processed John B's admission. She felt a mix of anger and warmth at his concern for her safety. Finally, she spoke firmly, "It's my choice, John B. We're a team. We do things together, okay? Don't pull that shit ever again."

She watched his expression soften, a smile tugging at his lips. "I swear it," he replied earnestly.

Their moment was abruptly interrupted by Pope stepping out of The Wreck and leaning against the railing, facing them. "She said she's not coming."

"What the hell?" JJ thought, perplexed.

"Why not?" JJ called up to Pope, then turned back to John B with a furrowed brow. "What did you do to her, John B?"

"Shit," John B groaned, deepening JJ's confusion. "Hang on. I'll deal with it."

He hastily left the Twinkie and headed into The Wreck, while Pope climbed into the back seat beside JJ.

"What's going on?" JJ wondered aloud.

John B spotted Kie and began walking toward her. "Hey, uh, what-what are you doing?"

He felt a pang of guilt, hoping it wasn't about his earlier rejection. Deep down, though, he suspected it had more to do with her skepticism about his theories and not wanting to indulge them for his sake. He knew he would have to convince her otherwise.

"What does it look like?" Kie asked casually as she fingered spackle into a wall.

"Look, spackling can wait. We're about to make history," John B urged, trying to convince her. He desperately needed the support of all his best friends, and that included getting Kie on board. He had always thought of her as the little sister he never had.

"Are you concocting again?" Kie interrupted as she climbed down from her step stool and walked past him around the corner.

He hurried to catch up with her. "Yes, yes, I'm concocting. I'm concocting more than I've ever concocted in my life. Look, I know you're just being a good friend and I know you're not trying to enable me in my delusion, but-"

"Dude," Kie muttered, clearly exasperated.

"And I know your dad doesn't want you to see me, but please," he continued, finally catching up enough to grab her shoulders and turn her to face him. "Look, you're one of my best friends and I need you right now," he pleaded. "I'm sorry about yesterday. I was acting weird, and I feel awkward about it. But listen, I need you. I'm begging you. I just want to talk for-"

"Oh my god! Shut up!" Kie interrupted his rambling, feeling exasperated. Jesus, he was annoying, she thought.

"What?" John B muttered, waiting for her response.

"I get it!" Kie said, then affectionately kissed John B on the cheek. "Friends?"

"Friends, yeah," John B confirmed with a sense of victory.

Kie walked past him and he followed, making their way to the Twinkie. John B felt a sense of completeness having all his friends with him. As he glanced over at JJ sitting in the passenger seat, he couldn't help but grin.

She gave him a questioning look. "What?"

"Nothing," he shrugged, trying to hide his amusement.

She rolled her eyes affectionately. "You're weird."

John B noticed a smile tugging at her lips, which made him chuckle quietly to himself. He turned his attention back to the road, realizing he still hadn't told them where they were going.

JJ decided she wanted to smoke a joint while they drove, so she asked Kie to switch places with her. Once settled in the back seat, she pulled out her blunt and took a big hit from it. Almost immediately, she felt its effects—perhaps intensified because she realized she hadn't eaten anything substantial since the two granola bars for breakfast the day before.

She was accustomed to going hungry, but the weed on an empty stomach made her feel a bit shaky.

"You mind if I just relax on this one? It's been a long couple of days and a lot of weird stuff's gone down. I'm just gonna lay low," JJ said, feeling Pope's judgmental stare as she took another hit. She held the blunt towards him. "Oh, did you want a hit of this?"

"I keep the signal clear," Pope replied firmly.

"Dude, okay. Do you understand that your problem is that you don't get creative? If you don't get creative, then-"

"Look, I know I was wrong about the lighthouse, alright, and wrong about everything else going on. But I was- I was right about one thing. Okay? My dad is trying to tell me something," John B admitted earnestly.

They each fell silent at that, each trying to determine what could be going through John B's mind right now. What had he figured out?