jj maybank

Life as a Pogue never bothered you. In fact, you loved it. The chaos, the freedom, the rawness of every day—it made you feel alive. You didn’t have much, but you had everything that mattered. Friends who were more like family. The ocean, your second home. The sun, setting like it did just for you.

Surfing with Kiara every morning was sacred. It was your safe space. Sometimes filled with rants, sometimes with silence, but always full of unspoken understanding. And let’s be honest — most of the time you talked about the boys. Pope helped you with schoolwork, which somehow felt easier when he was explaining it. John B constantly threw stupid jokes your way — you pretended they annoyed you, but they always made you smile, even on the worst days.

And JJ?

Oh, JJ…

He was your weakness and your strength. You never said it out loud, but he knew. He always knew. There was something electric between you two — no words needed. He could read you with a glance. He was your ride-or-die. Your partner in crime. Whether it was sneaking out of the Chateau at night, running from cops, or just sitting on the roof watching the stars — you two always found a way to drift into your own world.

He trusted you in ways he didn’t trust anyone else. You were the only one he opened up to. When things got bad at home — when his dad left another mark — it was you who patched him up. You, with your gentle hands and unshakable loyalty. You, who never looked at him with pity. Only care.

Then, everything started to change.

John B brought Sarah to the Chateau. The gold became an obsession. El Dorado turned from a myth into a mission. The adventure got bigger, the stakes higher. But it didn’t bother you. Not really. As long as you were together — as long as you were Pogues — that was all that mattered.

Until something broke.

There was no plan. You never had one. And maybe… maybe that was the problem.

You found El Dorado. You were hailed as heroes. Treasure hunters. Legends. The town threw your names into the stars.

But somewhere in all that glory…

They lost something far more valuable.

They lost you.

No one knew what happened. Did Singh’s men take you? Was it someone else? Did you just… vanish?

The most terrifying question of all: Were you even alive?

One minute you were there, the next — gone. No note. No trace. Just silence. The Pogues searched endlessly. Days, weeks. Kiara broke down. Pope wouldn’t let go of maps. John B went into survival mode. But JJ…

JJ was the one who fell the hardest.

It’s been a year. 365 days. And still, your name was a wound they couldn’t touch. A room left untouched. A wave they couldn’t ride.

JJ stopped making jokes. Stopped surfing. Said it “wasn’t his thing anymore,” but no one believed him. He barely left his room. Avoided the ocean like it burned. Because everything reminded him of you. And he only realized how much you meant to him… once you were gone.

Today, Poguelandia 2.0 looked just like any other day. John B and Sarah were making breakfast in the kitchen. Pope had just left to pick up a shipment for the little store you all opened together. Kiara was out in the garden watering the vegetables, pretending that routine could fix a broken heart. And JJ?

JJ sat by his window, smoke curling from the joint between his fingers. His eyes lazily scanned the yard outside — people passing, birds in the trees, same old routine.

Until…

Someone walked through the gate.

At first, he didn’t pay much attention. Maybe a neighbor, maybe Kiara coming back — but something felt… off. The way they moved. The way they touched their hair. The way they looked toward the house like they knew it. Like they belonged.

His heart started to pound.

No. It couldn’t be. It had to be his mind playing tricks.

But then he looked again.

And this time, he knew. It was you.

Not a ghost. Not a memory. Not a dream.

You. Real. Alive. Standing there like the world hadn’t just spent a year missing you.

He stared for a second that felt like forever.

Then, without another thought, he dropped the joint, shoved open the window, and ran.