"Mr.Sunn, can I borrow Pope for a minute?" a well dressed man questioned as he walked into the class room. Lila was busy drawing flowers in her hand, looking up at the sudden voice.

"We're in the middle of a test." their teacher said back. Lila gave Pope a odd look as be returned it.

"I'm from the Vanderhorst Foundation." the man spoke up as he held a small letter in his hand.

"Mr.Hayward, it's for you." Mr.Sunn said as he turned and looked at Pope. Lila slapped his arm from behind him so he'd go.

"Back go work, Miss Griffin." Mr Sunn said after Pope stood.

Lila pretended to work, looking at JJ behind her and Kie besides her with questionable eyes.

In no time, Pope was hurrying back in and clutching a letter. He sat down infront of Lila quickly as she slapped his shoulder, "Is it a love letter? You gotta secret admirer?"

Pope held it up, the stamp on the back having the same wheat simple the gold had on it.

"Is that the wheat symbol?" Kie questioned

"Yeah." Pope said back with a nod.

"What the f-" JJ began loudly, eyes snapped his eyes, "fu- fu- Fudge."

"Smell it. Does it smell like gold?" Lila followed Pope into the library quickly.

"It's just a stamp." he shook his head.

"But are you sure?" the blonde asked as he pushed the envelope into her face, "Just paper."

"Is this a game of tag?" JJ asked in disbelief.

"I don't know." Kie said back as they were close behind the pair.

"Am I gonna have to beat you with your protector? What's going on?" JJ asked Pope as he grabbed his shoulder and turned him around quickly.

"Seriously, Pope, you are driving me insane." Kie said at the boys lack of explanation.

"Okay, so that guy was from the scholarship committee. Take a look at this." Pope finally spoke as they stopped at one of the back tables in the library. JJ took the letter, "Read it."

"Out loud." Kie encouraged.

"I can't read cursive." JJ said in embarrassment as Kie yanked it. Lila patted his back in encouragement.

"Dear Mr.Hayward, I am reaching out because I have material evidence that can exonerate John B. Routledge. It is of viral importance that you come and meet with me in person at my office at 27 King Street, Charleston at 8:00 p.m. sharp tonight."

"Sounds like a booty call." Lila whispered.

"You know a lot about those?" JJ asked her.

"Please come alone. Regards, C. Limbrey." Kie read the letter as she pulled a confused expression.

"Charleston?" JJ looked Popes way.

"It's like a eight hour drive plus the ferry." Pope said back with an insane look, "How are we gonna get there tonight?"

"We'd have to leave right now." JJ said bask.

"Dads gonna kick me out. He already did for a hour after JJ was all up in my space yesterday." Lila said as she nodded toward the blonde.

"He's bluffing." Pope shook his head, "My mom isn't gonna let him kick you out."

"I have a free period." Kie spoke up.

"Material evidence. What does that even mean?" JJ read from the paper in a low voice.

"JJ?" Lila asked as he hummed, "I like it when you whisper. You should send me ASAM."

"You want me to send you video of me whispering?" the blonde boy look with way with a raise of one of his eyebrows.

"Guys. It means he can clear John B." Kie cut the pair off quickly.

"Oh, shit. Then we're going to Charleston." JJ spoke loudly, getting shhed quickly.

"I gotta tell my mom." Kie huffed, "Look, if we get it this time, we are not giving it to Shoupe."

"No duh." JJ said back.

"When Popes dad kicks me out, my moms are gonna be livid." Lila said honestly with a nod.

"Have you even talked to them?" Kie asked her with a odd look.

"Oh, yeah. They said as long as I stay the absolutely fuck away from figure eight then I can stay until this semester is over." Lila nodded her head, "They wanted to get rid of me anyways."

"Aw, why?" JJ teased her.

"I'm not sure, but I think whoever this Limbrey person is, they might be related to the captain of the Royal Merchant." Pope said as he brought the article up on the computer before them.

"So, these." Pope said as he looked at the templets of the psych wards.

"Don't give me a hard time, Pope. I'm on the same team as you are here, just in a differnt aspect." Lila said back, taking the tamplets and putting them in her bag.

"You really think somethings wrong? Mentally?" Pope asked, leaning on the door of the truck to look in at Lila.

"Yes. I mean, taking drug and living with Ward definitely doesn't help but sometimes, things just snapped too fast." Lila explained as she looked at Pope, "It was so split. Like- he was a whole new person so fast. That's not normal. If something is wrong, I want him to get the help he needs because clearly no one else cares enough to."

"The courts really do that? Send them to mental hospitals if they have something wrong with them?" Pope asked, never hearing of it ever happening in real life.

"Sometimes, if you have enough evidence and people backing you." Happened to my cousin. He's has a bipolar disorder really bad and he had a bad episode and hurt a few people. He was checked into a hospital for a really long time and they got him on some good meds, and he did his time there." Lila explained as she looked up at Pope with a guilty expression, "Sorry, I shouldn't talk about this with you."

"No, it's okay." he slide into the car, "You don't want Rafe to go to jail."

Lila hesitated, "I know what happens in jail, Pope."

He wanted to ask but was scared how she'd react.

"I did ten months. Was supposed to be a year but good behavior." Lila informed the boy as he stared at her, "It was a car accident, two people died, they were in my car. I didn't have my headlights on and a car came outta no where. Didn't see us because it was so dark."

Pope blinked, because he hasn't expected it, "Lila-"

"I know I did bad and selfish things and it haunts me always, Pope. But don't hate me for it, please. I told you because I want you to trust me fully." Lila spoke, a beg in her tone and she gripped Popes hands.

He gave a squeeze, "I don't hate you. I'm so sorry, Lila. Were you close? To the ones that died?"

"One of them. Yeah." Lila said with a sad smile, she avoided telling Pope it had been her twin brother, "We were really close. And I miss him, a lot."

Pope gave a sad look.

"I think you'd have liked him a lot." Lila said with a nod, a faint smile on her face. Pope leaned over and hugged her. Lila hugged back in relief that he hadn't hated her, and he knew the truth.

"Woah, circle jerk, yeah?" JJ asked as he jumped out of the back of the truck and looked at them, "I feel really left out and a little turned on."

"JJ, stop." Pope said as the blonde climbed in, "Go easy on the truck. Dad already killed me and brought me back to life for scratching up the boat."

"And now you're just gonna take it to your cousin Jeff's house." JJ confirmed from the other side of Lila, "Just gonna get it fixed."

"Crash overnight." The pair said on sync.

"I think i'm rubbing off on you, Pope." JJ confirmed with a nod of his head, "Lying to your old man, stealing his truck, convincing him to let a super hot babe stay in your attic. Kinda sounds familiar."

"You don't even have a attic, JJ." Lila pointed out.

"No, but I do have a bedroom and a window." he said back with a point of his finger, "Open for you at any time."

"JJ." Pope scolded him, "I'd say we have about eighteen hours before he absolutely loses his shit and calls Lacey and Grace. So as long as we get it back before then, I think we're good."

Yelling came from Kies house as she came jogging down the steps, her parents following close behind.

"I really don't mind that Kie's parents don't like me." Lila shook her head as she leaned out the window, "I don't like them either!"

"Look at your life right now! Look at your life!" Her father shouted her way as JJ climbed out and let her crawl in.

"It's good to see y'all, Mr and Mrs Carrera." JJ gave a minor wave their way.

"I second." Lila nodded as she waved.

"Hi, uh, ma'am, sir. I...I promise to have her back at a reasonable hour and safe." Pope stuttered out the window as JJ crawled back in the truck with the three.

"Kiara, listen to me. You wanna go, then you can go. But if you don't come back at the proper time, then don't come back at all!" Kie's mom shouted at her. Lila gave a look of disbelief as she tries to get out the window before JJ put his hand over her mouth and pulled her back in quickly.

"Can I trust you?" JJ asked as he looked at Lila, "If you yell, it's going right back over."

Lila nodded as JJ let her mouth go.

"This shit would be so much easier without parents." Kie said what they'd all been thinking. Pope started the car as Lila caught Anne's gaze, seeing the nasty look.

Lila groaned as she hung out the window, "You'd think she'd treat your only kid a little b-"

Lila was cut off by JJ's hand back on her mouth, pulling her into the truck, "Saw that one coming."

"My parents are so paranoid of me being a Pogue, like it's the worst thing that could ever happen." Kie said as the four sat in the back of Hayward's truck, the ferry taking them to Charleston, "What do your parents think?"

"I don't really know why my moms don't want me here, honestly. They like you guys and never had a problem when we'd hang out. They just wants me away from Figure Eight, that's all I know." Lila said back, handing JJ the weed back after taking a long inhale, "I think you and your parents are both on completely different mind fields and neither of you are really grasping what the other is saying. That being said, i'll start a riot and kidnap them if they send you away."

"Hey, I heard they got good weed at boarding school, though." JJ pointed out as he took his own inhale of the small joint.

"I'm not going to boarding school." Kie said back in disbelief, "They're gonna have to go through Lila, kidnap me, tie me up, and throw me in a van."

"Your mom would do it." Lila said honestly as Kie laughed.

"Well, I say... we just crumble some herbs right now." JJ said, climbing off the hood of the truck and handing Kie the joint as she took a hit of it.

"Hey, Kie, have you tried to hit John B back on the number yet?" Pope spoke in questioning.

"Like, twenty million times." Kie hummed.

"That's quite a few times." JJ giggled with his back up against the truck.

"Some random lady at a hotel keeps answering." Kie shook her head as her ponytail flew behind her.

"It's probably her phone, John B definitely stole it or something." Lila confirmed as she stretched her legs out, "I am having massive growing pains right now."

"You look taller." JJ nodded, "Legs."

"Well, until we hear from them again, we gotta try and clear his name." Pope spoke up with his backwards hat.

"Thank you, Pope, we hadn't thought of that one." Lila said sarcastically with a shake of her head his way.

"Right now this letters our best shot."
Pope ignored her, holding up the golden envelope.

"Like Charlie And The Chocolate factor up in this bitch." Lila hummed as she adjusted the backward purple hat she stole from Hayward, on her head.

"Right, stay on task." JJ nodded as he sniffled, "Thats why I love ya, Pope."

Kie stood and held the join out to Pope with a questionable look, "What Pope are you gonna be today?"

Pope looked conflicted a moment, "I'm good. I'm gonna try and focus."

"Good Pope." Kie confirmed.

"Lovely choice, Poparie, lovely choice." Lila patted his back as she brought her knees up, "I bet i'll be like two extra inches by the end of the semester."

"I can't believe they're gonna make you go back, especially after all that happened at your school." Kie said in disbelief as she inhaled the joint once more, "You'll be eighteen, when?"

"February. My moms don't really hear what I've gotta say." Lila said honestly as she took the joint, "I think they think I deserve it."

"Seriously?" Kie and as Lila nodded, "Rude asses."

"Right? And throwing me in therapy after I said I didn't wanna go?" Lila scoffed in disbelief, "I know they're just trying to help but not in the right way. They act like i'm not human or something, as if I can't make my own decisions."

JJ pinched her as Lila gave a offended look, "Egh, pretty sure you've mostly human, pretty lady."

•

kylie speaks

y'all i have no clue if
it's called a joint or a blunt
so don't come for me ahah!

next chapter is wholesome