SWEET NICOTINE | pope heyward

08, the island room

"We think we know why she wanted it," Pope told him.

"Well, I'm waiting. Enlighten me" Heyward leaned back on his desk. His eyes trained on AJ as she shared a look with Pope, trying to read the boy.

"There's this myth of a magic shroud, think she wants it to heal her," AJ told Pope's dad, filling him in on what they know.

"we're still trying to figure it out," Pope added and Heyward nodded. His eyes landed back on AJ and this time she didn't miss the way his eyes held something behind them. As if it were recognition. She wanted to ask about it but Pope was saying goodbye to his dad and she was following him out.

"you okay, you look lost in that head of yours," Pope asked as the two were met with the cool outside air.

"yeah, I'm fine. Just, tired. We should get the food and head back"

The corner store was somehow colder and AJ shivered lightly. The pair split by the front, both browsing the aisles. The girl found herself, maybe even subconsciously, looking over the shelves, her eyes wandering till they found the boy she came in with.

When she finally refocused herself on the task at hand she was in the beer aisle. She reached down, grabbing two cases to replenish the stock at the house. There could quite literally never be enough beer for that house, AJ knew that already.

As she held the cases in her arms a sickening thought washed into her mind. AJ knew them already. She knew just what kind of beer JJ Maybank liked to drink. She knew exactly what rolling papers Kiara Carrera urged the boys to use, the most environmentally safe ones she could find. She knew that Pope Heyward, no matter how much he didn't show it, was scared for his dad. And that the boy needed this cross to be found more than he'd ever admit. And AJ knew that John B Routledge was an actual idiot.

She took a deep breath in. AJ liked to deal with facts. She liked closed endings and shut cases. She found comfort with finalities. And there was no way she could predict how this one would go down. She had none of the facts. She was lost and in an unfamiliar place.

Her heart was in her throat, bursting out with how fast it beat. AJ couldn't take a deep breath in, her shallow fast paced pants barely escaping. Her head felt on fire and detached from her body all at once. It was terrifying.

AJ heard someone call her name, too out of it to respond or look up. She could see the person come into her vision and arms were soon placed on her shoulders.

"AJ?" Pope's voice was filled with concern and he quickly took the cases of beer from her hands, resting them on the floor next to the pair. He didn't give a shit about the beer, moving his attention back to the girl.

"Hey, it's okay. It's gonna be okay" His words of assurance barely met AJ's ears, the girl clouded. "AJ, shhh, it's gonna be okay" She didn't register the fact that the boy was brushing her hair from her face with his fingers. She didn't register the soft skin cupped against her cheek as he tried to bring her back to earth.

When AJ's body began wracking from the sobs Pope pulled her closer, her face resting on his shoulder. His shirt was soon soaked from the tears spilling down the teenage girl's face.

He rubbed circles on her back, unsure what else to do for her as she panicked. Her breaths were rapid, nothing to them. It was concerning but Pope had never seen anyone have a panic attack before.

He held the girl close to him and even though he didn't do anything more, her breathing started to settle. Her body was shaking less, returning to more of a normal state. Pope continued to try to soothe her, at least one of the things he was currently doing was helping the girl so he didn't move a muscle differently.