XXI. HE'LL GET OVER IT
"welcome to crackhead wasteland," sarah said, obviously disgusted as the twinkie pulled into barry's trailer park.
"i don't know about this man," pope rubbed his head.
jj pulled to a stop. john b rubbed his own face, clearly annoyed.
"dude, why're we at barry's?" the teen dad asked.
"this'll only take a second," jj hopped out of the twinkie.
"where're you going?" john b groaned.
"yo soy justicia," jj hollered back in spanish.
"did you glean anything from that?" pope asked honestly.
"you know somebody should probably. . ." kie suggested.
"yeah, i got it," john b got out of the twinkie.
jj walked out to see all the pogues standing around outside. sarah and briar stood close together, they'd never been out here before.
"all right, so we're looking at five grand each for reparations for putting us through that bullshit. sorry about that, y'all," jj hummed.
"so that's what we're doing now?" kie asked. "we're robbing drug dealers?"
"this barry guy's gonna find out," sarah insisted. "and he's gonna come after us."
"yes, he will," pope agreed. "this is not the time to start wilding out."
"how'd you guys like having a gun pulled on you?" jj snapped. "how'd you like having a gun pointed at your baby?" he pointed right between briar's eyes and the blonde stumbled back against john b.
"watch it," john b stepped up. "relax."
"he had it right here on you, bro," he pointed between john b's eyes.
"look," john b slapped jj's hand away. "we've gotta go get the gold, okay? just give me that shit. we're putting it back." he grabbed the bag from jj's hands.
the blonde was quick to slam john b against the side of the twinkie.
"do you feel like a tough guy, huh?" john b breathed on jj. "what are you gonna do when he comes for us?"
"we punch him in the throat," jj spit.
"yeah," john b scoffed. "good fucking idea, jj."
"i'm not putting it back," the blonde shrugged. he hopped into the back of the twinkie. the group looked on, all the girls clearly uncomfortable.
"you guys getting in or what?" jj hollered. "what?" he climbed out and started at the remaining pogues.
"we're sick of your shit," john b stepped closer.
"oh, my shit?" jj barked a laugh.
"yeah. yeah," john b nodded. "your shit."
"yes," kie agreed. "your pulling guns on people shit."
"you acting like a fricking maniac," pope began.
"okay, pope, i took the fall for you, man!" jj shouted. "know how much money i owe because of you?"
"i'm gonna pay you back," pope yelled. "and i didn't even ask you to do that!"
"i just did!" jj yelled. "pay it back. right here, right now, by myself. you know what? that's exactly what i'm gonna do. go off by myself."
briar shifted into sarah's side, rubbing her cousin's arm.
"jj!" pope tried to stop him.
"hey, wait, man," john b placed a hand on pope's shoulder.
"just let him go," sarah urged.
"he'll get over it," holly shrugged.
🃏
"look he'll come around, man," john b sighed as pope paced the wreck. "he's doing a jj thing."
"you think he'll go home?" kie asked, holly curled up next to her.
"there's about a zero percent chance that jj goes home," pope deduced.
"you okay?" john b looked at sarah across the table.
the blonde girl nodded quickly. "yeah. are you?"
"i mean, we're in one piece, so. . ." john b shrugged.
"okay," pope sighed deeply. "it's too dangerous to pawn this thing off piecemeal. so our best bet is to go down there and get the rest of it. bring it all up at once. put it in a safe or a vault or something. i don't know. just until we can find someone who won't rip us off. i can figure it out tonight, get it done, and we can be out there tomorrow morning."
"all right, let's do it," john b agreed quickly.
"i'm all in," briar shrugged. "nothing to lose."
"what about that thing with my dad?" sarah asked quietly.
"shit," john b sighed.
"what's uncle ward making you do?" briar groaned.
"he might drown him for defiling his precious niece," holly chuckled. kie shoved her with a laugh.
"what thing?" pope asked.
"i have to go fishing with ward," john b admitted.
"he is gonna drown you," holly shook her head.
"you can't get 400 mil because you're gonna go kill fish?" kie asked in shock.
"look, i have to go," john b explained.
"blow it off!" pope raised his voice. "it's 400 million in gold!"
"make something up!" kie suggested.
"look, i have to, okay?" john b defended. "it's briar's uncle. and sarah's dad. he saved me, all right? if it weren't for ward, i'd be in foster care. so i have to go. plus, it'll be better to do it at night. right?"
"fine," pope groaned. "fine, go fishing."
"at least jj will probably have washed up by then," kie sighed.
🃏
"do you ever wish we were more exciting?" briar asked from where she lay curled next to john b in her bed.
the couple had come back to valentine house and was now laying in briar's blue sheets, curled up skin-to-skin.
"well," john b sighed. "when i was driving sarah back to tannyhill we got into a tussle with topper and rafe."
"a tussle?" briar laughed. "what about?"
"well, turns out that was rafe's dealer we robbed," he groaned. "and topper thinks i'm hooking up with sarah for some reason even though he knows you're pregnant and is the reason the whole island knows."
"he thinks what?" briar chuckled.
"yeah," john b laughed. "sarah slipped in the hawk's nest that night and i caught her with my hand and then topper walked up. he's so annoying."
"i'm topper. hand contact means affair. beep-beep-beep," briar did a robotic topper impression.
"oh, wow, spot on," john b laughed and pulled briar in for a kiss.
the girl hummed against her boyfriends lips and shifted so she was laying on top of him.
"i miss you," briar breathed against john b's slightly chapped lips.
"are you serious?" he muttered as he moved his kisses down her neck. "i miss you, beautiful."
briar sighed loudly as john b sucked a mark onto her neck. she let out a little squeak when his hands began to feel her chest.
"pear makes my boobs sore," she whispered as he sucked another bruise into her skin. "just so you know."
"i'll be gentle, beautiful," he whispered as he unsnapped the green bikini top she wore.
"i know," she whispered but was cut off with her own noises. "you always are."
SADIE SPEAKS!
word count: 1129
👀