𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐃𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒, 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬

ELEVEN| the warrant

"I think you have the wrong kid, Shoupe—" Eden tried to argue, but knew there was no point.  Her word against—who she only assumed to be—Topper's warrant and his family? He obviously had the upper hand, and Shoupe would obviously side with them.

"Out of my way, Eden." Shoupe pushed past her to get to the Heyward boy, taking a hold of his wrists one at a time to handcuff them together.  He was really going through with this.

Heyward's brows furrowed as he watched the scene unfold, "Shoupe, what'd he do?"

"Take a look at the warrant."

"You're arresting him?" Kie exclaimed.

"You're just arresting my boy?" Heyward's voice slightly rose in anger.

The commotion continued, but the deputy didn't answer anymore questions as he led the handcuffed boy outside to his cruiser.  Eden couldn't believe this was really happening.  Was Pope seriously getting charged? Was he getting put in a jail cell for something the Kooks started, for sinking a boat that Topper could easily buy again?

"How much did they pay you, man?" JJ called out, clearly as pissed as everyone else was—or more, if that was possible.  He had been a part of the boat sinking too, and was just as guilty.  It wasn't fair that Pope was going to jail for it, not when he had a college scholarship inches away from him.

The five who'd been inside the shop surrounded Shoupe and Pope, spitting out their thoughts and opinions on the situation.  Heyward was holding JJ back—who'd tried to come up on the deputy—Kie was ranting to the officer, holding on to Eden's hand, who stayed silent, trying to figure out a way to get Pope out of the situation.

Maybe she could find a way to involve her mother or father....surely Shoupe would listen to them, right? Though, Isla would never help a Pogue, especially not Heyward's son, who meant less than a penny to her.  But maybe her father, if she pleaded enough, could try and—

The sound of JJ's voice caused her thoughts to fall quiet, as well as all the other commotion that had surrounded the area.

"It wasn't him!"

Eden's head snapped in the direction of the blonde, his jaw clenched, lips pulled into a thin line. "It was me."

The Bexley's mouth fell agape. What was he doing?  They may have always joked of the Maybank being the first of them to enter a jail cell, but never did they expect it to truly occur—no matter how dumb the shit JJ did was.  

"He tried to talk me out of it," JJ walked up towards the deputy and his friend, "but I was mad because he'd just been beaten up.  I was so sick of those assholes from Figure Eight that I just lost my shit."

He turned to Pope, eyes searching through his friends,  silently pleading that he went along with it and didn't try to fight.  JJ was doing this for Pope's sake; he didn't care what happened to him.  Pogues backed up Pogues, and he wasn't going to leave his friend—who had much more to lose than himself—to lose everything he'd worked so hard for.  "I can't let you take the blame for somethin' I did. You've got too much to lose."

Pope understood the memo, and stared at his friend with disbelief, "JJ, what are you doing?"

"I'm tellin' the truth.  For once in my goddamn life, I'm gonna tell the truth.  I took his old man's boat, too."

Heyward sent a look, "What the hell?"

"JJ, come on—"

JJ was sure of his decision, "Just shut up, Pope! Just shut up." He turned to look at the deputy, "He's a good kid. You know where I'm from."