𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 / 𝐣𝐣 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐙𝐨𝐧𝐞 | 𝟎𝟏

𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐰 moments of waiting, Kiara hands a white FedEx package to John B through the hole in the stone door. He pulls the lantern out of through the hole and hands it back to me. I take it before leaning over my brother's arm to see the package in his hands.

"That's not gold." Pope sighs when he sees it, turning around and pacing.

I can hear Kie grunting as she pulls herself back through the hole, but when my eyes read what's written on the FedEx package, everything is static in my head until John B speaks.

"Holy shit," he says, his eyes widening as a small smile begins to lift his lips. "This is from our dad." He looks back at me, and I begin to mimic the expression on his face.

Kiara's eyes light up as she looks from John B to me, and a simile smile forms on her face.

I can hear JJ—his back turned to us—click his lighter on as Pope walks over to us before I see smoke start to rise from in front of him.

In the distance, I hear the sound of something crunching the ground below it, getting closer and closer to us. It sounds like a vehicle, and a second later, I begin to see the lights from headlights shiner brighter as they grow closer.

"Code red. Code red," JJ says as he takes a step backward towards us. "Square groupers! Square groupers!" He turns around and runs toward us as we all look up at him.

"Go," Kie says as she turns and grabs Pope's arm, pulling him with her to the side of the stone building. John B turns on his heel and runs with them, crouching down as Kie sits on the ground.

"It's the guys who robbed your house," JJ says to me as he lifts his hand to my elbow and tugs me towards him. He wraps his hand around my waist and pulls me over to the others and out of sight of whoever's just arrived.

"Light!" Kie reminds us as she turns her flashlight off. John B pulls his shirt over his lantern and Pope turns off his flashlight.

"Light. Turn your light off, JJ!" I say to him as he snuffs his join out against the stone wall. His hand is still around my waist as he pushes me up against the wall, and I lift my hand to the flashlight around his head to turn it off myself.

"John B? Your light!" Kiara says, not satisfied with how he's chosen to hide his light. She's right, though. His shirt is thin and the light from his lantern can still be seen.

"I see something!" I hear someone yell from beyond the building. I feel JJ's hand tighten around my waist as he pulls me even closer to him.

"Do you think it's them?" I ask JJ, looking up at him as he peeks around the corner of the wall.

"Homie's got a gun," he says, pulling his head back from beyond the wall.

"Screw this," Kie says, turning her flashlight back on and running towards the tall gate at the end of the dirt path.

John B and Pope run after her, their lights shining every which way off of the trees as they run.

I look up at JJ—who's staring at the three of them—before he looks down at me. His expression is determined before he breaks into a jog, pulling me with him.

"Come on," he tells me before he glances back at me to make sure I'm keeping up. My feet hit against the dirt ground, making the leaves and twigs snap and crunch.

I can hear men's voices yelling behind us, but I don't look back. I don't dare do it.

As we slow to a stop in front of the gate, Kiara and John B are jumping down to the other side and Pope is pulling himself up to the top.