"Layla, you're ridiculous." Kie said as she watched the girl take off the shirt she wore, riding the shorts as she stood in her baiting suit. Layla pulled a water bottle and a bar of soup from her bag.
"Kie, we just swam in disgusting, dirty ass water." Layla explained, wetting the soup as she scrubbed her body, "Disgusting."
"This is how I know you're a virgo moon." Kie rolled her eyes at her.
"Good thing I brought the crow." JJ announced as he walked toward his bag, standing before the drain.
"So, are we gonna do, like, rock, paper, scissors?" Kie asked with a raise of her eyebrows, "Alphabetically?"
"I don't care, but i'm not going in there at all." Layla shook her head, "That is disgusting."
"Not even to clear John B's name and get your kook princess back?" Pope asked as he looked her way, batting his eyes.
"Not when I know one of you can do it." Layla made her point, "I'd do it if I had to."
"Spoken like a Gryffindor." JJ mocked a british accent, "But it's gonna have to be you or Kie. In the sewer, there's this worm that you get when you're down there. It gets in your blood, and then it has to come out your pecker. So, that would be a hard pass for me."
"That's gonna be a no for me." Pope agreed.
"Well i'm not going, sorry, Kie." Layla shook her head, pouring the water bottle on her to wash off the soap.
"No. I get it. I get it. You guys are scared." the Carrera girl joked.
"Yes." Layla nodded.
"No, i'm not scared." JJ defended himself.
"It's the pecker thing!" Pope tried as well.
"It's kinda cute." Kie nodded as she headed for the drain, "You don't have to be scared. I'll do it."
"Okay, just, you know, be carful." Pope said as he eyed her. JJ and Layla shared a look.
"I'll be so carful." Kie mocked as she ducked down and walked through the drain, "Just casually being the only reason Laylas girlfriend gets to come back and see her."
"Kie, I owe you." Layla called back, "I miss being a little spoon."
"I knew you were the little spoon, I just knew it." JJ rolled his eyes, "You just pretend to be big spoon."
"I big spoon you and John B." Layla pointed out, "Not Kie and Pope though because they have moms."
"Cold, Layla, so cold." JJ said in disbelief as he placed a hand on his heart.
"Kiara, you find anything yet?" Pope called through the drain.
"Yeah, Kie, do you see the gun?" JJ added in.
"Nothing." she called back.
"Kie, you're a Scorpio, you can totally do this." Layla called to her with a minor cheer, "I believe in you."
"You aren't helping!" Kie called back.
"It's probably at the bottom of the catch basin." Pope spoke to Kie, leaning closer to the drain.
"Just dive in, you'll be fine." Layla called, making Pope look back at her in questioning, "Or not, never mind."
"All right, bro. I see you vibing with Kie, okay?" JJ nodded as he looked at Pope with a minor smirk, "Give me the details. Are we talking first base, second base, third base?"
"Home run?" Layla teased.
"Try not even in the same ballpark." Pope huffed in disbelief.
"What do you mean by that?" JJ asked in disbelief.
"It's like we're not playing the same game." Pope shrugged.
"Aw, Pope." Layla explained as she put a arm around him, "You want lady advice?"
"From the two of you? Absolutely not." Pope shook his head, brushing her arm off of him.
"Cmon, Layla and I know about the ladies, okay?" JJ said, slapping his arm as he pulled Layla to his side.
"The other night- she was all over me. But she was wasted so it doesn't really count." Pope spoke as he stared at the two of them.
"Right, right, people do questionable things when wasted." Layla nodded her head in agreement.
"I tried to be edgy, out-there Pope, and she didn't like that. So I tried to be straitolaced Pope. She didn't like that." Pope listed on with a crazy expression.
"Pope, you never change who you really are for anyone." Layla shook her head as she put her hands up, "Not even for someone super hot, that intimidates the hell outta you."
"Pope, think. I know you can do that, all right?" JJ spoke as he grabbed his arms, "Like, light some candles. Put on some Otis Redding."
"Be casual, know what to say to get her to blush." Layla went on as she nodded, "But you gotta make it seem like a normal conversation. You come on real strong and it's gonna dry her up."
"Or play guitar." JJ suggested.
"I don't play guitar." Pope shook his head.
"You just have to pretend, even if you suck at it, she'll know you at least tried." Layla snapped her fingers, pulling up the neon green strap of the new clothes she put on, chunking her old ones into the water, "Honestly though. Kie is a whole different story, you know? I mean, she either is super big on the No Pogue on Pogue macking or shes just not into any us. I mean, we have all tried unlocking that door, man."
"Guys, I think I found something!" Kie called from the inside.
"Is it the gun?" Pope called back.
"Oh! Oh! Oh my god!" Kie panicked from the inside, "You guys, there's something dead in here!"
"Yo, Kie, swim back, woman!" Layla called toward her, "I'll pull you out."
"Like a person?" Pope asked, only getting a shriek in return.
"What if Ward put Gavin in the sewer, dude?" JJ asked as he put his hands on his head.
"Like some Georgie type of shit." Layla agreed with a nod.
"Do you hear that?" Pope questioned.
"Oh shit. Guys, the water!" Kie yelled from the inside.
Layla panicked as she grabbed the drain, "Kie, come back, i'm gonna pull you out."
"No, don't go in there." Pope pulled Layla back as she tried to crawl through.
"I'm not leaving her in there to drown." Layla said back with a look of disbelief.
"I don't have time! Guys!" Kie yelled back, clear fear in her tone.
The water suddenly flew from the drain, knocking the three back as they gripped the bars to avoid getting washed away.
"Kie!" Layla yelled, choking on the water as she pulled herself up against the water. Reaching down, she pulled Pope and JJ up as they made it to the land, "The manholes are up here! Hurry!"
The pair followed close after Layla, coming across the many man holes around the corner.
"Pope! Layla!" Kie yelled, making them pause, "I'm over here!"
"Pull! Pull it!" Kie hollered does as she stood above the drain.
"Getting close. Pull. Pull." JJ encouraged as the three grabbed the drain, yelling as they tried to pull.
"Hang on, on sync, on sync." Layla nodded quickly as she grabbed hold of it, "One, two-"
The trio pulled again, the water crashing over Kie's head. The drain came off, being moved to the side as Kie came up suddenly with loud coughs.
"Pull her out." Layla said quickly as her and Pope helped Kie out of the drain. Layla fell back on her ass with a sigh, feeling out of breath.
"Pope, get off of me!" Kie scolded him as he tried to hug her.
"Let her get her breath." Layla said as she stood up, encouraging Pope to back off.
"Kie, you good?" JJ asked as he looked down at her.
"Never better." Kie said back with a thumbs up, still coughing up the water. Layla took the bandana off her wrist, leaning down and whipping Kie's face with it, "Thanks."
"Yup." Layla nodded, letting her keep it as she stood up again.
"This wasn't what we were looking for, right?" Kie asked, pulling the gun out of her shorts with a grin.
"You almost died and still saved us." Layla said as she pumped her fist into the air, "Kie- You're my hero."
"We're gonna get this son of a bitch!" JJ laughed as he took the gun from her as Pope helped her up, "You did it, Kie. You did it."
JJ suddenly pulled the four into a tight hug together.
"I hate sewers." Layla spoke, muffled by the hug as the other three laughed.
"So y'all are telling me this is the firearm Rafe Cameron killed Peterkin with?" Shoupe asked as JJ laid the gun infront of him.
"Rafael Cameron if you wanna get specific on us." Layla said, raising her hands in defense.
"And the exact same firearm that Ward just used to kill Gavin." Pope added in quickly with her words.
"And where's that corpse again?" Shoupe asked them with a questionable look.
"Didn't you look?" Kie asked in disbelief.
"I checked the hospital. I went by his house. He was out." the sheriff shook his head.
"No shit! Cause he's dead!" JJ said quickly as he began to pace.
"Just because he's not in his damn home does not mean he was a victim of a homicide." the blonde man said in disbelief their way.
"But it's still a possibility." Layla pointed out.
"Are you at least gonna send it in for ballistics and shit, or are you just gonna sit on your ass?" Kie snapped at him, backing Layla up.
"He's just gonna sit there and wax that damn mustache! Is that even real?" JJ questioned as he threw his hat in disbelief.
"I'll wax this-" Shoupe began as he stood.
"Shut up, JJ!" Pope hollered at him.
"You better get after those brows next." Layla said as she snapped his way, getting knocked in the arm by Pope.
"Oh, i'm sorry. Did I hurt his feelings?" JJ asked in disbelief as Shoupe went to the door, pulling it open.
"Get out." he demanded them.
Kie shook her head as she looked at him, "Did Ward bribe you? This doesn't make any sense."
"Of course it does. Protecting a rich white guy." Layla said in disbelief as she shook her head at Shoupe, "So typical of a police officer, isn't it?"
"Enough." Shoupe said as the pair stared at him.
Layla shook her head as she walked out, Kie close behind and the boys followed. Layla was first to push the station doors open, not realizing who was walking toward them until Kie did.
"Layla." Raymond said as he stared at his daughter, "Baby, you came home?"
"Hey, get away from her!" JJ was quick to guard Layla quickly, "There's a restraining order on your ass!"
"Layla, drop this law suit, baby! I love you, i'm your father!" Raymond hollered as the pogues began to back up, shielding Layla from him, "You're doing the wrong thing."
"Rot in hell!" Kie hollered at him.
Pope walked quick after Layla as she turned and hurried away, "Are you okay?"
"I wanna go home." Her voice broke, pulling herself into Henry's truck they'd been driving around, "Get in."
Layla waited until she was alone that night to cry of fear and pain from seeing her father. The last memories they shared of him yelling at her from when he locked her in the church, still fresh on her mind. He terrified her more then anymore else and seeing him opened up a barley healed wound. Layla hurt, yet the only one that could bring her comfort right now was stuck in the Bahamas.
•
kylie speaks
layla protection squad
shall rise, we ride at dawn
and will bring her raymond's
head.