SWEET NICOTINE | pope heyward

01, home sweet home

"Hey, could you help me really quick?" Amelia asked, getting a better look at the boy. His hair shaggy and his face bruised.

"uh" The boy paused and she took the note from her hand, passing it to him.

"do you know how to get there? I need directions and I have no clue where I'm going" She spoke and as the boy opened the note his brows furrowed again. He looked up at the blonde girl and then at the note with confusion.

"sorry, do you not how to get there" She looked down the road to see if anyone else was on the street but the two women from the shop were gone already. Amelia looked back to the driver and his eyes were still stuck on the paper.

"directions to this address?" He asked and she felt like she was crazy.

"no shit that's what I just asked, listen if you can't help me I'll be on my way no worries"

"hop in" Without hesitation the boy spoke and that fight or flight response instinct was burning

"so you can murder me? no way, just tell me how to get there"

"Why do you need to go there, what for?"

"Listen I don't have time for this, can you just tell me how to get there?"

"Listen, I'm not telling you how to get to my house until you tell me why" His words made Amelia scoff slightly.

"Your house? you live at this address?"

"no shit, that's like what I just said" He let out, mocking her. She deadpanned the boy and he rolled his eyes. "so, are you going to tell me why you need to go there or not?"

"listen this is going to sound crazy but my mom left me this package and this note was in there."

"she just left you a note with my address on it? Have you tried asking her why?" He raised a brow.

"Unless you've got a ouija board handy, no I haven't tried asking her" Her tone mocked the boy sarcastically and she paused. "She just went on a work trip and that was that, dead, poof. but she had that in her office" Amelia pointed to the note in his hands.

"Did she leave anything else?" He asked a look of pity dancing on his features that the girl attempted to ignore as she looked down at her bag quickly.

"She left a tape, but I don't have a tape player" Amelia said and the boy nodded.

"I have one at my place, just hop in, maybe we can try to figure this all out"

"Okay." She nodded and reached for the door handle, the fight or flight instinct for some reason dying down. Though she still held tightly onto her bag as she got in.

"uh, sorry about your mom" Amelia offered him a shrug and he turned, starting to drive. "uh, my names John B, by the way"

"why the B?" Amelia asked the boy, turning her head to look at him.

"my dad's John too so," John B trailed off, his eyes going from the road to her periodically.

"ah, okay" She looked down before the boy cleared his throat. Amelia froze for a second before looking back up and she feigned sudden realization.

"oh right, sorry, A-" She paused and then smiled slightly "AJ"

"AJ?"

"Yep," She said, popping the p. "AJ"

"okay" He shook his head and Amelia turned furrowing her brows at the back of the stop sign that read 'free john b' in red spray paint.

"am I right to assume that it's for you?"