In Between // OBX (K.C)

28

"Have you talked to your Uncles?" Kiara asked looking over at Brenna, her hand on her ankle.

"Not yet, they think I'm currently getting ice from Heyward's," Brenna explained.

"So uh this gold we got," JJ started to chance the subject.

"Sarah's bringing a blow torch so once she gets here we're good to go," John B explained.

The five of them hung out for a bit before Sarah made her way to the house, supplies in hand.

The three girls sat in the van while the boys talked about how to melt the gold.

"That's 50 feet down, and they're using a 100-foot rope," Kiara explained the plan, while Brenna held the paper with the terrible drawing on it, "So I guess this little wagon will go straight to the gold room"

"Who drew this shit?" Brenna laughed sitting on the floor of the van. Sarah also laughing at the terrible drawing.

Kiara and Sarah on either side of her, as they all looked at a chicken scratch drawing of a pulley system.

"Who do you think?" Kiara giggled, looking down at the brunette, the two holding each others gaze for a second.

"100% Pope," Sarah smiled.

"We can't pawn this if there's a giant wheat symbol on it," JJ said tossing down the three gold bars they had acquired on the floor of the van.

Brenna picked up one of pieces of gold, running her finger over the pressed in symbol.

"It's gonna work," Kiara said holding up a blow torch.

"I don't think I like you holding that thing," Brenna joked, looking at the torch.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't hurt you," Kiara smiled, "Him, maybe," she looked up at JJ, who held up his hands in defense.

Brenna stood smiling beside a just as smiley Kiara while they melted down the gold. Sarah and John B watched from a far, Pope beside Kiara and JJ on the other side of Brenna.

A while later the whole crew piled into the van and headed towards the pawn shop.

"Hell of a job melting it down, Dr. Frankenstein," JJ teased Kiara as they all got out of the van.

"Like you could've done better," Kiara rolled her eyes.

"I could have," JJ said proudly, "I took a welding class"

"You, in a class, yeah no," Brenna pointed at the boy confused, he nodded.

"Why do I have to pawn it off? How did I get this job anyway?" JJ asked, the melted gold still in his hand.

"'Cause you're the best liar," Pope shrugged as they all followed JJ into the pawn shop.

Kiara took Brenna's hand in hers pulling her towards the CDs, the others all spreading out around the store as JJ went to the front desk.

"Afternoon, ma'am," JJ said to the women behind the counter.

Brenna rested her head on Kiara's shoulder, her arm woven around her waist, as she watched JJ.

"That ain't real," the women scoffed when JJ set down the large hunk of gold on the counter.

"That ain't real?" JJ questioned.

"It can't be," the women shook her head.

"Feel how heavy it is," JJ suggested, leaning on the counter.

The women picked it up as JJ looked over at his friends, a proud smile on his face.

Kiara chuckled quietly at the blonde, before pretending to look at the stuff around the store again.

"Ooh! The acid test," JJ cheered, "My favorite, guys," he looked around at his friends.

"Well, it ain't plated, and it ain't painted," The women sighed after doing the said acid test.

"Ma'am, I'm telling ya, this is as real as the day is long," JJ shrugged.

"What the fuck," Brenna mumbled, giggling at his word choice. Kiara took the girls hands in hers leading her towards another section of stuff.

"It looks like somebody tried to melt it down," the women observed.

Brenna stopped running her hand over a red ukulele that sat on the shelf to listen to JJ, curious how he'd cover this up.

"My mom," he said, sadness in his tone, "She had all this jewelry laying around the house, and she thought it was best to melt it down"

He almost sounded like he was going to cry, "To "consolidate" it"

"He's really good at this," Brenna whispered to Kiara who nodded.

"The best"

"Okay, to be honest, ma'am," JJ continued his story, "It's really hard to see my mom fall apart with Alzheimer's."

Kiara shook her head at the boys story.

"Give me a minute," the women said to JJ as she came from around the counter and headed to the back of the store.

"Take your time, ma'am," JJ nodded.

"You know how to play?" Kiara asked quietly, while Brenna still eyed the bright red ukulele.

"My mom taught me," Brenna nodded.

Kiara kissed her cheek quick before sliding behind her to look at something that caught her eye.

"I talked to my boss," the women announced when she came back.

Brenna zoned out for a minute, thinking about her mom sitting on the balcony of their small apartment back in Texas, she remembered her mom playing the ukulele and singing her to sleep, or when she'd come home from school her mom would be casually playing on the couch.

Brenna started to wonder who had thought her, she remembered seeing a ukulele in her grandparents house, did her grandmother play? Is that how her mom learned? Her mind was wondering until someone called her name.

"Ren! C'mon," John B called, all of her friends were now exiting the store while she still stood in one of the aisles.

"Sorry," she shook her head walking towards the door.

"You good?" he asked quietly when she slipped passed him and out the door.

"Yeah," she nodded going towards the van.