Chapter Fifteen 

We arrived at Barry's trailer house. I snorted out how disgusting this place looks.

"Welcome to Crackhead Wasteland." Sarah and I spoke in sync, causing our eyes to widen and look over at each other. We do our small handshake, clapping hands before snapping our fingers.

"That was creepy," Kie admitted.

"I don't know about this, man," Pope spoke, unsure. JJ had come to a stop in the van. "Dude, why are we at Barry's?"

"This'll only take a second." JJ exited the door and there was a dog barking in the distance. Pope slides open the van door.

"Where are you going?" John B asked.

"Yo soy justicia." JJ spoke as he climbed inside Barry's trailer.

"Did you glean anything from that?" Pope asked.

"You know somebody should probably—" Kie cuts herself off when John B exits the passenger seat.

"Yeah, I got it." John B had said.

"He said something about justice." I looked at Pope. "Whatever that means."

"You speak JJ?" Pope raised an eyebrow.

"Of course, I speak JJ." I shrugged. "It's not that hard to translate, to be honest." John B enters the trailer home, too.

I run a hand through my hair.

JJ and John B come back outside. "All right, so," JJ began. "We're looking about 5 grand each for reperations for putting us through that bullshit." The four of us in the van had exited and walked over to JJ and John B. "Sorry about that, y'all."

I frowned. We're stealing from a drug dealer, now? "So that's what we're doing now?" Kie asked. "We're robbing drug dealers?"

"This Barry guy's gonna find out." Sarah had pointed out. "And he's gonne come after us."

"Yes, he will." Pope said, looking at JJ. "This is not the time to start willin' out."

"How'd you guys like having a gun pulled on you?" JJ spat.

John B got close to JJ. "Relax."

"He had it right at you, bro." JJ had told him.

"Look." John B snapped. "We've gotta go get the gold, okay? Just give me that shit." John B takes the 25K. "We're putting it back." JJ pins John B to the van. "Do you feel like a tough guy, huh? What are you gonna do when he comes after us?"

"We punch him in the throat." JJ threatens.

"Yeah, good fuckin' idea, JJ." John B sarcastically says.

"I'm not putting it back." JJ shakes his head. JJ gets into the van. We all remain outside, frowning at JJ. "You guys getting in or what?" JJ stares at us and his eyes landed on me, I could see them glinting. None of us get in. JJ gets back out of the van and puts his hands on his hips. "What?"

"We're sick of your shit." John B had told him and my heart wrenches.

"Oh, my shit?" JJ spat.

"Yeah, yeah. Your shit." John B nods.

"Yes. You're pulling guns on people shit." Kie had spoken up.

"You acting like a maniac—"

"Pope, I took the fall for you man!" Wait, what? "Do you know how much money I owe because you of?" JJ had spat at Pope.

I frowned and looked at Kie. Didn't I take the fall for Pope? What is JJ talking about? Kie gave me a look saying she'll explain later.

"I'm gonna pay you back, and I didn't ask either of you to do that!" Pope glanced between me and JJ.

"I just did!" JJ clenched his jaw tightly. "Pay it back. Right here, right now, by myself." He looked at us. "You know what? That's exactly what I'm gonna do." He takes the money. "Go off by myself."

He walks the opposite direction to us. "JJ—" I tried to call out, but the others tell me no.

"Let him go off by himself." Kie cuts me off. "He needs to cool down."

"Just let him go." Sarah had said and guilt consumes me. He needs me.

I turned to Kie. "Okay, what was that about? I took the fall for Pope."

Pope and Kie looked at each other. "The reason why you got out so early was that JJ went to Peterkin and confessed that it was him. I thought you knew that by now." Kie had explained.

I shake my head, looking back at JJ to see that he was completely gone.

Oh, JJ.

✫✫✫

"Look, he'll come around, all right?" John B speaks as we all sit around at The Wreck. I bite my lower lip nervously. I need to see JJ, but I don't know where to find him. "He's doing a JJ thing."

"You think he'll go home?" Kie asked.

"There's about a zero per cent chance that JJ goes home." Pope answered.

John B looks towards Sarah. "You okay?" John B asked her.

Sarah nodded. "Yeah. Are you?"

"I mean, I'm in one piece, so..." John B shrugged. Sarah gave him a soft smile.

Pope sighed. "Okay. It's too dangerous to pawn this thing off piecemeal. So our best bet is to go down there and get the rest of it. Bring it all up at once. Put it in—in safe or a vault or something. I—I don't know. Just until we can find someone who won't rip us off. I can figure that out tonight, get it done, and we can be out there tomorrow morning."

"All right, let's do it." John B agreed.

"Easy."

"Yeah, let's go." John B nods.

"What about that thing with our Dad?" Sarah asked.

John B winces. "Shit."

"What thing?" I asked.

John B looked over at me. "I have to go fishing with Ward."

I rolled my eyes at John B. "You can't get 500 mil cause you're go gonna go kill fish?"

"Look, I have to go." John B told us.

"Blow it off." Pope told him. "It's 500 million in Gold!"

"Make something up!" Kie had continued.

"Look, I—I have to, okay?" John B told us. "He... He saved me, all right? And if it weren't for Ward, I'd be in foster care. So, I have to go. Plus, it'll be better to do it at night. Right?"

"Fine, fine," Pope says. "Go fishing."

"And at least JJ will probably have washed up by then."

✫✫✫

"So, we gotta be done before my scholarship interview in the morning." Pope had informed us as I arrived at John B's house in Pope's car, with Kie and Pope with me. Pope driving and Kie sat in the passenger. I was in the back.

"Okay, well, we gotta focus." Kie told him.

"I know. It's gonna be fine." Pope reassured us as Pope put his youte to a stop. "We got John B and JJ inside the well, and me up top. And you, Sarah, and Stormy will be outside transporting."

We exited my Jeep and I nodded understandably. "Yeah, we got this." Kie had nodded.

"Cool." Pope responded. "Uh, I got a winch. That tin can hold over like... 200, 300 pounds."

"Thanks." Kie had said as she puts down the trailer.

"Uh, what for?" Pope questioned Kie.

"Stranding us." Kie continued. "You know, making us make up."

"Yeah." I chimed in. "It was a pretty good idea."

"What makes you think that was me?" Pope smiled.

String lights switch on around us. "What the hell?" I muttered.

"Who the hell is that?" Kie growled. We walked towards the lawn of John B's house. I noticed that it was JJ sitting in a hot tub, below the massive tree. He holds a bottle of champagne, string lights joining along the branches. A disco ball hangs above him and he peels off his sunglasses.

"What did you do, JJ?" Pope gapes at this.

"I got a jet going straight in my butt right now." JJ had smirked. "Y'all should get in immediately, you hear me? Espically you, Hollywood! Salud!" He skulsl some of the champagne.

"JJ, how much did this cost?" I asked carefully.

"Uh..." JJ thinks for a moment. "Well, the generator, the petrol, and oh, hey, express delivery... Pretty much all of it, yeah."

Pope's eyes widen. "All of it?"

"Yeah, all of it." JJ nods his head.

"You spent all the money in one day?" I questioned, in disbelief.

"Yeah, burned a hole right through my pocket," JJ smirked to himself. "But I mean, like, come on, guys. Like, look at this! Finest in jet-based massage therapy, that's what they told me." I frowned. "Hollywood, what? Can't a man have a little luxury in his life and spoil his lady, too? Come on, all this scrimpin' and scrapin'... I mean, like... guys, we—you only live once, right? Enough of this emotional shit." JJ continued. "Get in the cat's ass. Come on."

"In what?" Kie asked, taken back.

"In the Cat's Ass." JJ repeated, smiling proudly. "That's what I named her. Oh, hey, yo, I almost forgot." Lights shine off the disco ball. "Yeah, that's right, I know. Disco mode. That's right, baby!"

"Are you kidding me?" Pope questioned. "You could have paid for restitution!"

"Or literally given it to any charity!" Kie added.

"You could have helped us buy supplies to get the rest of the gold out of the well!" Pope shouted and I noticed how distressed JJ look.

"Guys, guys, yelling at him won't make it any better." I had snapped at Kie and Pope.

"Okay, well, you know what?" JJ had snapped. "I didn't do that." JJ had stood up and I was taken back at how many cuts and bruises were all over his body. "I got a hot tub! For my friends. For my girlfriend. I got a hot tub for my friends. You know what? No. You know what? Screw friends. I got a hot tub for my family!"

"JJ." I whimpered. My eyes couldn't peel away from the bruises on his body. Who the hell would do this?

"JJ what happened—" Kie was cut off.

"I got this for you." JJ lets out a cry. "Guys, look what I did for you! All right? Look at this! Look at this!"

"JJ!" I sobbed, my hand covering my mouth.

"No, you stop being so emotional," JJ told me. "It's fine, okay? It's fine because I love you and nothing else in the world matters." Tears sting in my eyes. He drunkenly confessed his love for me. "I mean, it's sweet, right? Everything—"

I had hopped into the hot tub and pulled JJ into a hug. My sweet JJ. The both of us sobbing against each other, JJ pulling me into a tight hug.

"I just couldn't do it." JJ confessed to me, burying his head into my shoulder, sobbing heavily. "I can't take him anymore! I was gonna kill him."

I rubbed his arm gently, shushing him. "It's okay, JJ. It's gonna be okay. I'm here for you." I whispered sweet things like that and I kissed the side of his head.

Pope and Kie had climbed in as well, joining thelittle group hug.

"I just wanna do the right thing." JJ sobbed, causing me to cry into him aswell. I didn't know JJ was getting beat at home.

"I know, love," I told him gently. "I know."

A/N

IM NOT CRYING YOU ARE