chapter 12.
the phantom.

୨୧

Maxine was growing increasingly worried. it was the following day, and the group had yet to hear from john b. their only source of hope was the sounds of the police sirens that informed the friends john b had yet to be caught; the helicopters were a new addition, however. "who the hell is that?" jj asks, standing on the back steps to the wreck.

"no effing way." max breathes, shading her eyes from the hot summer sun with her hand, "jb's got the sbi lookin' for him!"

"come on," kie shakes her head, heading up the steps and into her family's restaurant, "we gotta get stuff for john b and sarah."

with pope off dealing with repercussions from his dad regarding walking out of his scholarship interview, jj, kie, and max were left to gather supplies for their two fugitive friends. "you sure that's gonna be enough food for them?" max quips from the wrecks kitchen, "you know john b's stomach is a bottomless pit."

"i mean, for a couple of weeks, and that's all they need." jj gathers up the stock full plastic bags and the trio heads outside, setting their haul into the back of kiara's car.

"where have you been?" anna carrera approaches the group.

"uh, i'm fine." kie points to the restaurant, "i slept here."

"we were up half the night, scared to death, lookin' for you." anna says, "were you even gonna tell us?"

"well, i'm telling you right now."

"all right, what the hell are you three up to?" mrs. carrera steps forward.

"i'm sorry, miss anna, we gotta go." max pipes up.

"no, i'm sorry, absolutely not." the woman argues.

making her way over to the drivers side, kiara apologizes, "i'm sorry." jj climbs into the passenger seat while maxine slides into the back.

"have you heard what's going on out there?" anna persists, stepping in front of her daughter.

"mom, i'll explain later." kiara opens the car door.

"honey, have you seen the storm coming in? this is not safe for you to do!" although now was not the time for good parenting, both jj and maxine couldn't help but feel a bit jealous of kiara as they hear anna stress herself sick over the thought of her daughter not being safe. of course, jj had no idea the youngest pogue felt the same, but it comforted max as she knew of the blonde boys similar family troubles.

"i'm sorry, mom." kie tells anna as she gets into the drivers seat, "i have to go!"

mrs. carrera leans through the open door, "these cops are armed, kiara, you're gonna get yourself shot. i am not letting you do this!"

kie shuts the car door and turns the vehicle on. "mom, john b needs me!" she shouts through the open window.

"kiara! you need to stay here."

"look, i understand. i'll be careful!" the teen rolls up the window, her voice breaking.

"kiara! open this door, right now." anna bangs against the window. "stop it right now."

"i'm sorry! i'm sorry!" kie tearfully apologizes, pressing on the gas.

"right now, kiara! this is not safe! stop! stop! kiara!" anna shouts frantically as the car peels off down the dirt road.

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"This better be worth it." max mutters as the trio drives to the maybank residence. "home sweet home." jj states sarcastically as they park in the driveway.

"do you want us to come?" kiara asks the boy. "cause we'll come."

jj shakes his head. "no. this will only take a second." he steps out and jogs up the porch steps, returning just a few moments later. he gets back into the front passenger seat and slams the door shut.

"how'd it go?" max breaks the short silence. "still alive?" kiara shoots the girl a look, but jj only holds up the keys to his fathers boat, smiling.

they head off to get the phantom for john b. "it'll be fine. it'll be fine with the phantom." the blonde boy senses kiara's nerves as she speeds down the road, "she'll get outta here quick."

sirens blare from ahead, "woah, woah, woah!" maxine warns as four cop cars speed past the teens. "they're still lookin'. that's a good sign, right?"

"right." kie agrees.

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"There she be. hey girl." jj greets as he slides open the door to the phantoms storage unit.

"how do you know it's a girl?" maxine quips, "you check or somethin'?"

"cause she just is, pigtails." jj pulls off the boats cover, "a nineteen eighty three formula four oh two S-R-one. the phantom."

he clicks his tongue, glancing back over at the girls. "the first boat to make the run to bermuda in under sixteen hours, guys." he touches a hand to the vessel, "forty years old! forty, and still the fastest thing that kildares ever seen."

maxine shrugs, "debatable."

"yeah, its kind of a junker." kie agrees.

jj spins around. "really? she's right there, guys. she can hear you."

"woah. he's officially lost it." max whispers to the girl beside her. kie snorts.

"let's just put it this way," jj continues, "we would not be smokin' weed right now if she never existed, okay?"

"i don't understand that logic." max furrows her eyebrows. kiara shrugs, "i just hope it runs."

"oh, no, she'll run all right. she's faster than any of the cutters the boys in blue got." jj insists.

"uh, guys?" maxine hears the sounds of a motorcycle approaching, "we got company."

"it's just pope." kiara jogs to the other side of the boat to meet the boy, "finally!"

rafe steps out of the shadows. "hey, there. what's goin' on? jj? max? how you guys doin'?" he pats the side of the boat.

barry whistles, stepping into the shed from its other side. "well, well..."

maxine steps forward, "why don't you two little boyfriends just step off and mind your own damn business for once?"

"you might wanna rethink that, little girl." barry cocks his gun and aim it at the young girls forehead. he addresses the trio at once, specifically jj, "see, don't think i forgot about me and yous on the side of the road."

"oh, c'mon, you started that bullshit in the first place!" max retorts, "why are you even here? look around, we don't know where john b is."

"i'm here because i want my mother fuckin' money!"

"yeah, well, don't we all, barry." maxine rolls her eyes, not at all phased by the gun aimed at her temple.

"don't be thinkin' i'm against beating on little girls."

"oh, i wouldn't doubt it. you seem like the type."

barry lunges at maxine, only to be swiftly intercepted by jj. barry grabs the back of the blondes neck, shoving him down. "jj! jj!" kiara shouts, running to help her friend. barry uses one hand to easily shove her to the ground.

"kie! jj!" maxine darts forward; rafe snatches her from behind, placing her on the other side of the room and blocking her path to her friend. "it's not you we want, max, alright? where's john b?"

"i don't know!" maxine insists, sharply slapping the older boy across the face. "what are you, deaf? i just told you he isn't here!"

"i really wish you didn't do that." rafe takes a menacing step closer.

"i know what you did." maxine tells him, her voice never faltering.

the boy plays dumb, "what? what did i do?"

"you murdered peterkin!" max yells, gathering barry's attention briefly before he goes back to kicking jj and demanding money.

rafe lunges at the girl, tightly wrapping a hand around her neck. "don't you ever say those fucking words again. understand?"

max claws at his hand, gasping for air. "rafe!"

"do you understand? where's john b!"

"i don't know!" max squeaks out assertively, "i don't know!"

suddenly kiara leaps off of the phantom, clinging onto rafes back for dear life. "leave her alone, you sick bastard!" she repeatedly punches the older boy until he drops max.

rafe spins around, lunging towards kiara. just as he gets his hands on her upper arms, pope comes up from behind and whacks him with a metal pipe. "don't touch her!"

rafe swings, knocking the pipe from popes hands. he throws a punch that is swiftly dodged by the other boy. pope grabs the collar of the kooks shirt and repeatedly punches him in the face.

"rafe!" barry calls out to his friend, reaching for his gun. as he takes a step forward, jj grabs his ankle and trips him, sending the gun flying. "kie! kick it!" the brunette does so, kicking the weapon out of the reach of both barry and rafe. jj lunges for barry, picking him up off the ground and slamming him into the phantom. pope continues going at rafe, repeatedly punching him in the stomach and face.

maxine begins getting anxious with the excessive violence, fidgeting with the ends of her braids and biting at her nails. "pope," she calls out, voice wavering. "okay, pope. pope..." if he hears her, he doesn't show it.

"pope!" kiara shouts, noticing the concerning look on her younger friends face, "pope, that's good! stop!"

"he's had enough, dude!" jj agrees.

pope hits rafe one last time, sending him onto the cement floor. in a blind rage, he grabs a piece of rope and tightens it around the rich boys neck.

"pope! he's good," kiara begs. jj tries, "snap out of it, man."

maxine's heart beats so loud she's sure it's jumped into her skull. she stumbles outside, gulping down fresh air and trying not to think about the scene unfolding just behind her. she hears jj and kiara continuing to plead with their friend, "stop, dude!" "pope, that's too much! pope!" "pope! get off!"

maxine vomits into the grass outside the boat shed. she wipes at her mouth with the back of a hand, panting.

"stop, man! get off, dude!" max hears jj prying pope off of rafe, and the sickening sound of the latter boy gasping for air as he drops to the floor. maxine vomits again, coughing up the rest of her stomach contents. she walks down to the waters edge, splashing her face.

"we gotta go, we gotta go." she hears kiara, "where's max? max!" the brunette jogs out of the building and spots maxine by the water, hands on her knees as she pants. kie notices the bile at the girls feet, "jesus, max. you okay?"

maxine nods, flinching when she feels the touch of kies hand on her back; she hopes the older girl didn't notice it.

"pope let go, it's okay." kie gently assures the girl, "it's over."

"yeah, no, i know. i'm fine." maxine lies, swiping at her watery eyes.

"you threw up—"

"i know, kie. i said i'm fine, okay?" max suddenly snaps, "let's get outta here. john b should be at the dump any minute."

"okay, yeah." kiara nods, still not believing the younger girl when she says she's fine. they grab the boys and climb into kies car.

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"Dude, where is he?" kie anxiously paces the length of the dock.

"probably got nabbed." max shrugs casually.

"give him a second, he'll be here." pope assures, ignoring the younger girls comment.

jj agrees, remaining uncharacteristically optimistic, "he's coming. he'll be fine."

suddenly, a cop car approaches, sirens still blaring. "uh, jj," kie warns nervously.

"get back on the boat, get back on the boat!" the blonde urges, "untie it."

the drivers side of the car opens, revealing john b. "wait, no way." jj breathes in disbelief. "you've got to be kidding me."

"no fuckin' way." max curses.

"uh, i'm sorry?..." kiara voices her surprise.

john b hoists his backpack over his shoulders, "shoupe let me take it for a spin."

"okay, that's believable. i'll buy that for now." kie throws her arms around the boys neck, hugging him.

"it wasn't easy, bro, but i got the phantom for you," jj calls from aboard the boat, "and she runs like she was made yesterday." he tosses john b the keys, "you ready to go?"

noticing his girlfriends absence, john b pauses. "where's sarah?"

"she's not with you?" max asks.

"no, we got separated in the swamp." john b explains, "she said she was gonna meet me here."

pope shakes his head, "no, we haven't seen her man."

"okay, well, i'm not leaving without her."

"john b, look at me." jj tells his friend, "i know you feel bad for leaving, but there's no time, man. you've got plenty of gas, plenty of food. once you get around that point, it's a straight shot across the sound to dismal swamp okay?" he goes over the escape route, "once you get there, lay low, all right? hangout for a couple of weeks and then go overland. cross the border at brownsville, you got that? brownsville." noticing john b is distracted, jj grabs his face, "hey! you got that?"

"yeah, yeah." john b looks down, disappointed. "brownsville."

"all right. saddle her up, saltwater cowboy. let's do this." jj sets his hat back on top his head.

john b climbs into the phantom, "hey, i'm sorry for basically throwing us off a cliff with this whole treasure hunt thing."

"we were bound to run off a cliff at some point, right?"

"yeah, and it was hella fun." maxine chirps, "a story for the grandkids for sure."

john b chuckles tearfully, "yeah."

"but at least we did it together." jj swings his arms around kie, pope, and max's shoulders. "pogue style."

john b nods tearfully, whispering, "pogue style."

"get out of here, please." kie speaks up.

"now." pope agrees, "we'll see you in two months, down in mexico."

john b nods and continues to further climb inside the boat. he pauses, turning back, "hey, wait a sec. tell sarah i said goodbye, okay?"

the four friends remaining on the dock nod.

"don't forget," jj reminds, "cross the border at brownsville, okay?"

"got it." john b sits behind the wheel and his friends push him off into the water, waving as he drives off away from the dock.

the remaining four pogues watch john b her further and further on the horizon until they hear sirens approaching. "shit, we've got company." before they can make a run for it, the teens are surrounded by cops. they immediately throw their hands in the air.

"hands up!" agent bratcher orders. "move, move!"

"we're too late." shoupe realizes, "he's gone. goddamnit! bratcher, have your guys stand down. let me talk to these kids." he storms up to the teens, "all right, where the hell is he? where the hell is he?" the group remains silent. angrily, deputy shoupe turns to jj, "jj, i see you're living up to your name. pope, how about you? you can do the right thing, right now! where'd he go?"

max opens her mouth, "antarctica."

"this isn't a fucking game!" shoupe narrows his eyes at the girl, "what, you find this funny?"

"i find it pretty hilarious, actually," max continues, "that you believe one man's word against literally everyone else's. you didn't even check peterkins body cam, for fucks sake! and if you did an autopsy, you'd find that the bullet entered the sheriff from behind. john b was standing in front, with sarah, so he couldn't have possibly shot her! but you baffoons have decided you hated john b from the moment you met him, so that's it, right? a homeless, orphaned, teenaged boy who has an interest in petty crime and suddenly he's a murderer! you idiots are—"

"okay, that's enough out of you, young lady." shoupe points a finger at maxine.

agent bratcher speaks into his radio, "suspect has just left station twenty six in a small boat. need marine patrol to respond."

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Maxine and the three remaining pogues arrive at the police tents after being escorted in a squad car. "follow plumb to that tent." officer shoupe directs the teens as they file out of the vehicle. "right to your left here. sit down, don't move." he points to a set of chairs. "we got a lot to talk about."

"yeah, no we don't." maxine quips.

shoupe cuts her a look, "keep an eye on these kids. don't move." he joins the agents by the com system.

after what feels like hours of waiting inside the tents, officers shoupe, thomas, and plum approach the teens who all immediately rise. "did you find them?" pope asks first.

shoupe slowly shakes his head, "no."

"they did it!" max speaks up.

"so they got away," kiara realizes, eyes still brimming with tears from the intense night.

"we, uh..." shoupe searches for the right words, "we lost them. i'm sorry."

"you lost them?" pope clarifies, "what do you mean you lost them? like, they're gone? what are you talking about?"

max grows impatient as shoupe once again pauses for the right words, "spit it out, dude!"

"they took an open boat into a tropical depression." he shakes his head solemnly.

"so they're dead?" kiara asks.

the officer shakes his head again, "we don't know."

"you drove them straight through the storm, man!" jj shouts, "are you kidding me? come here man, i'm gonna kill you!" he lunges at shoupe, latching onto his shirt, "i'm gonna kill you, you bastard!"

"jj, stop!" his friends plead. officer thomas grabs the boy from behind, pulling him away from shoupe.

pope gets right into the man's face, "he didn't kill anyone, and you know it!"

"we're still looking for him, all right?" shoupe insists.

kiara begs with pope through her tears, "pope. pope, just relax. please, stop."

max stays rooted in her spot, numb. she watches as the haywards and carreras arrive, embracing their children. she remains still even when popes father welcomes jj into their family hug. maxine watches her friends be comforted by their families, unable to help but feel widely out of place.

she stumbles out of the tent into the rain, alone, and numbly makes her way to back to the château, where she promptly grabs her bag and a few essentials before doing what she does best...
   fading

          disappearing

a gone girl.