BROKEN DREAMS CLUB
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THE GROUP OF POGUES WERE NOW IN THE BACK OF THE TWINKIE, AS JOHN B WAS DRIVING THEM TOWARDS THE SALVAGE YARD. They had made a plan to steal a drone at JJ's dad's job, well before he got fired. Kiara was going to be the direction while the others would steal the drone.
"Pope, we're not stealing the drone. We're borrowing it." John B said, attempting to chill out his friend. Pope was very anxious about anything that was illegal, because of his scholarship. But if they wanted to find the gold they had to get their hands dirty.
"Humans are the only animal that can't tell fantasy from reality." Pope suddenly said.
"Did you come up with that?" asked John B oblivious.
"It's from Albert Bernstein," Hope replied.
Pope nodded. "Yep, Albert Bernstein came up with it, but it applies to this whole treasure-hunting thing."
"Oh," mumbled John B.
"Nerds," JJ commented.
"So, which is it? Fantasy or reality?" Pope asked his friends, ignoring JJ.
"Why are you so weird, Pope?" JJ asked while he was rolling a blunt.
"He's not weird." Hope defended her cousin.
"It's fantasy, but possible reality," Kiara announced.
"Reality." both John B and Hope answered at the same time.
"Virtual reality," JJ muttered. Pope snatched the joint that was in JJ's mouth and threw it off by the window of the van. "Keep the signal clear," Pope told his friend.
"You know what your problem is?" JJ asked. "You need to relax, man. You're always so tense!"
"I'm not too tense," Pope muttered.
After that, they arrived at their destination. John B stopped the van to let Kiara to get out and do her part of the plan. "Hey, don't worry. You got this" John B told her with a reassuring smile.
"It's not me that I'm worried about," Kiara said before leaving them.
"Got it," muttered John B.
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"How's it going with Kiara?" JJ asked John B, while they were hiding.
"It's not awkward, weird, or anything." John B answered sarcastically.
JJ snorts. "Honestly, I did not think you were gonna actually listen to me."
"What?" asked John B turning to JJ.
"I was 100 percent sure she was into you. Pope would agree, Hope too."
"Ehh..." mumbled Pope, he didn't agree at all with JJ.
"So, like, Kie, she, like, definitely gave you the Heisman?" JJ insisted.
"Oh, no question. Yup" John B replied.
JJ nodded. "Gotcha," he said chuckling.
"Maybe she's just into somebody else," Pope suggested, making JJ and John B turn to the boy giving him an odd look.
"Maybe she's into girls," said Hope, making the boy's eyes widen.
"Go! Go, go, go, go." then JJ said, realizing it was their cue to go do their part of the plan now that Kiara was distracting Bobby, the guard.
The group of friends followed JJ running until they reached their destination, which was a building. JJ tried to unlock the lock but it didn't work.
"Do you have the right numbers?" Pope asked.
"All right, so I might have the wrong numbers," JJ said apologetically as he scraped his neck.
"Ah, damn it, JJ!" Pope complained.
"Seriously JJ?" Hope asked. She went towards the door and grabbed the padlock, breaking it with her bare hands "I have to do everything myself" Hope muttered. Suddenly a dog came towards them barking loudly.
"That's a cougar. Never mind," said John B as he ran as fastly from there, without seconds thoughts about his friends.
"Hi! No, stay there! Good boy" said JJ trying to appease the dog. No, you're okay! Pope, run!"
"Back off! Back off! Back off!" Pope repeated as he tried to get the dog away from him using a branch.
"Sh, sh" Hope tried to calm down the dog. She showed him her werewolf eyes, scaring the dog, making him shrink in fear. "Hey, I'm not going to hurt you"
Hope had calmed down the dog however, JJ didn't see that and was showing a red cloth to the barking dog. "I got a toy, boy!" this made the dog bark again, now running towards JJ aggressively. "Wait, no. I was just kidding. Shit! Okay, sit!"
"JJ!" Hope yelled as she ran after the blonde boy who was now chased by the dog. JJ grabbed her hand as they both ran say from the animal. JJ jumped on one of the boats there and Hope followed him.
"This was a bad idea," mumbled JJ as they were hiding. "A very bad one"
"No kidding," Hope mumbled.
"What's that, huh? What's that, Tebow?" Hope and JJ could hear a man say to the dog that chased them. "What you got, huh? What you got?" The dog kept growling in their way "Whoever's up there better come on out! I mean it. Don't make me go up there and get your ass!"
"Wait, Bobby!" shouted JJ as he stands up, his hands on the air. Hope did the same. "Don't shoot. It's me, JJ."
The dog continues barking at them.
"Luke's kid? What are you doin'? Who is this?"
JJ puts his hand on Hope's shoulders. "That's my girl. I swear, okay? We didn't want to, okay?"
Bobby yelled at his dog. "Tebow, quiet!"
"My dad made me." JJ lied.
"Don't you lie," warned him, Bobby.
"He told me Captain Leo kept his cutting torch." JJ starts breathing shakily. "You know, after he got fired. He said if I didn't get it for him, he was gonna...he was gonna hit me again."
"So I told him we could sneak in and get it back ourselves, I didn't want JJ to get hurt," Hope said her voice shaking. "I'm sorry, we didn't want to cause trouble," she continued.
The man scoffs. "Son of a bitch!"
"I'm sorry." JJ sobs.
"Come on down. I almost killed you both."
JJ sniffles. "I know."
Hope plays along. "It was scary."
Tebow growls and barks at Hope and JJ. Bobby yells at him. "Here! Come on. Come on."
"I'll just come up with somethin'. Tell him I couldn't find it." JJ informed Bobby.
"Mm-hm. All right."
"Sorry," said JJ again, before they left.
"You're girl?" Hope scoffed at JJ. The boy just shrugged his shoulders a smirk on his face. "JJ...does your dad, does he really hits you?" Hope then asked softly the blonde boy.
JJ chuckled nervously. "Nah, of course not. I had to find some lie ya know."
Hope knew he was lying, she could hear his heartbeat. But she didn't say anything knowing the boy didn't want to talk about it. Hope was furious, she wanted to kill his dad for hurting JJ. She took his hand in hers as they went back towards the twinkie.
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After John B successfully stole the drone, Kiara proposed to the group of friends to eat at the Wreck. "Stealing drones makes you hungry," Kiara announced as she got out of the car.
"What I would do to a beer and shrimp and grits right now," JJ said dreamily, as they walked into the restaurant.
"Hey, Dad," Kiara said, "How'd we do?"
"Didn't turn it over once." Kiara's father answered.
"It's probably just bad luck because of the storm," Kiara replied as she hugged her father.
"Yeah, I'll be sure to tell the banks that."
The rest of the group walked across a corner of the restaurant, as the father and daughter talked.
"What is he saying?" John B asked Hope.
"He doesn't like you, called you greedy pelicans" Hope told them making the boys grimace. They knew Kiara's parents were not fond of their daughter handing it out with them.
"Where are you going?" asked Pope, as she saw Hope walking towards Kiara and her father.
"To pay our lunch " Hope answered the boys. "I'll be your sugar mommy until we get your precious gold. After that, you pay for your own lunch!" Hope warned the boys.
"I'll be the one who buys you lunch when we get the gold Hopey, at some fancy restaurant," JJ told her with a wink.
"Hello.." Hope said.
"Hope?" asked Kiara.
"I wanted to pay for my lunch and the boys too," the tribrid said pointing in their direction. The boys waved awkwardly at them.
"No, Hope it's okay. It's free for my friends, right Dad?" Kiara asked.
"And who are you? I've never seen you around." Kiara's father asked curiously.
"I'm Hope, I'm new here."
"She's my new friend," Kiara told her father.
"Are you here for the summer or are you moving out here permanently?" Kiara's father inquired, looking at the girl curiously.
Kiara rolled her eyes, knowing exactly why her father was asking her this question. "Yes, she's going to the Kook academy, Dad. Happy I made a kook friend? You know her aunts let her hang out with us without complaints, unlike you and mom."
Kiara's dad sighed. "Look. Well, I... I got... I gotta throw it out. Might as well take it."
"Thank you!" Kiara said happily.
"You're welcome."
"What's that?" Kiara asked as she saw Hope put a bill in their tip jar, on the counter of the restaurant.
"A tip?" Hope answered.
"A one hundred dollar tip?" asked incredulously Kiara's father.
"Do you need more?" Hope asked. "That's how much my dad used to give to his therapist slash bartender"
"No, no, it's good Hope." Kiara's father answered.
Kiara snorted. "Your father had a therapist, what a cliche. Rich people."
"Kiara" scolded her father. He turned to Hope. "Nice meeting you, Hope. I'll bring the food out" Kiara's father said before leaving the two girls alone.
"Even fell in love with her," Hope told her, not offended by Kiara. Her father was kinda a snob anyway when it came to money. And she had heard worse about him, like how he was a murderer, a monster.
"You're Dad cheated on your mom with his therapist? That's even more cliche" Kiara said. "Sorry." then said the girl with wide eyes realizing it might be insensitive, especially considering Hope's parents are, you know, dead.
"My parents were never together. I was the result of a one-night stand. My mom fell in love with my uncle Elijah" Hope sighed. "I know it's weird."
"Well that's less cliche," Kiara told the tribrid. "Got sit down with boys, I'll bring the food."
"You can sit on a table," Hope told the boys as she came back "Kiara's bringing the food in a few minutes"
The boys were happy by the news as they sat down at one of the tables. Kiara came back not long after, bringing numerous plates. The Pogues ate the food while talking about the treasure hunt, making jokes, well mostly JJ, and dancing. Hope liked it here, with the Pogues, and the treasure hunt, she liked it a lot.