XXXII. THIS IS RUINING YOU
"this is the north drain," jj said as the kids walked towards the marsh. "it should've gotten washed into the gully. so, if it got flushed out from this drain, it would've been pushed out to, like. . ."
"somewhere in this trash," pope answered.
"correct," jj nodded.
"that's the smartest thing i've ever heard you say," holly said with a laugh. the younger valentine had rejoined the group to keep an eye on her sister after the stitches incident.
"oh my god," kie sighed. "people who use plastic should be shot."
"okay, personally, i love plastic," jj interrupted. "use it every day. love the stuff."
"hopefully, you recycle it and don't let it flush into the ocean," kie snapped.
"i thought you'd say something like that," pope said. briar looked at her sister and rolled her eyes. "so. . . trash bags."
"did you just proactively protect the environment?" kie said, blushing.
"maybe," pope said awkwardly.
"you want me to leave you two alone, or what's going on?" jj said, sort of mumbling.
"seriously," briar clapped her hands and stepped into the water with the boys. "to work, please."
pope threw the trash bags at her and jj. "watch it," briar laughed. "wouldn't want trash bags in the ocean."
"just pick up the trash," pope snapped.
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"well, that was fun," jj huffed as he tossed another trash bag to briar.
"if it's not in the trash, then it's gotta be in the storm drain," pope concluded.
"it's in. . . it's in the drain," jj panted.
"this is a death trap," briar sighed before stepping back down to join her friends in the water. "i guarantee it."
"calm down," holly gave her sister a shove.
as hard as the pogues tried to ignore it, briar's eyebrow drew their attention back. the stitches were thin, well done for a midnight urgent care, but it was the bandage. briar had put a dora the explorer band-aid over her stitches to prevent them from getting gunk on them. and the bruising. the whole area around her eye was purple and yellow and despite her smile, you could tell when her eyes widened that it hurt her.
"damn it," pope snapped.
"of course it is," kie sighed.
"good thing i brought the crow," jj reached for his bag.
"so, are we gonna do, like, rock, paper scissors?" kie said slowly.
"no," jj interrupted.
"or alphabetically?" kie continued.
"nah. on three, pope," the boys used the crow bar to pull open the storm drain cover. "one, two, three."
"or, like, the oldest goes?" kie kept her ideas going.
"in the sewer, there's this worm that you get when you're down there," jj began. "it gets into your blood, and then it has to come out your pecker. so, uh. . . that would be a hard pass for me."
"that's gonna be a no for me," pope agreed.
"i'm a no for obvious reasons," briar shrugged and pointed to her growing bump where pear resided.
"no, i get it," kie said carefully. "you boys are scared."
"i'm not scared," jj scoffed.
"it's kind of cute," kie smiled and laughed.
"it's a pecker thing," pope defended.
"i'm not scared," jj repeated.
"you should've just led with that," kie said, stepping closer to the drain. "you don't have to be scared. i'll do it."
"okay, just, you know, be careful," pope said.
"i'll be so careful," kie said sarcastically.
"i deserve that," pope nodded.
"just. . . uh, holler if you need anything, okay?" jj yelled as kie crawled into the drain. "we'll, uh. . . we'll holler back."
"very helpful," kie's voice echoed from the drain. "thank you.
a few moments passed. "kiara, you find anything yet?" pope hollered to the carrera girl.
"yeah, kie, do you see the gun?" jj asked.
"nothing," she yelled back.
"it's probably at the bottom of the catch basin," pope informed her.
"can you shut the fuck up?" holly snapped. pope turned to the valentine with wide eyes. "kie, be so careful. kie, i'm not scared. i just proactively protected the environment! kie, this. kie, that."
"well, i like her, so, uh. . ." pope stammered.
"yeah?" holly asked, feigning sympathy. "well, fuck you, so do i! that's my fucking girl, heyward. and i don't care if i have to throw you into the marsh, i'm gonna get her back. and by the way, you bringing trash bags is cute, but i started using a menstrual cup because of her. so, um. . . fuck you."
"cheers," jj laughed.
"damn, holls," briar chuckled. "didn't know you had it in you."
"you good, kie?" holly called into the drain pipe.
"guys, i think i found something," she called back.
"wait, you got it?" jj called back in shock.
"is it the gun?" pope asked.
"holly! holly! oh my god!" kie screamed. "you guys, there's something dead in here!"
"what?" briar screamed.
"like a person?" pope asked, brows knitted together. kie let out another loud scream.
"oh my god!" kie cried again. "there's something dead. i repeat. . . there is something dead in here!"
"like a person?" pope repeated.
"kie, are you okay? yes or no?" holly yelled down the pipe.
"kie, don't touch it," jj warned. "that's how you get worms."
"did you find the gun?" pope asked again.
"is it mr. gavin?" briar said in horror. jj thought it was silly but she'd met gavin a few times and he was always mr. gavin.
"what is it?" jj yelled again. "is it gavin?"
"don't touch it!" briar warned. "worms! like jj said."
"kie, is it a gun?" jj asked again. "do you see the gun, kie? do you see anything? anything at all?"
"kiara, are you good?" briar yelled. "forget the gun, are you okay?"
"ew, ew, ew," kie screamed. "get me out of here!"
"crawl back if you're uncomfortable!" holly suggested. "forget it."
"don't forget it," jj snapped. "kie, you're good. do you see the gun?"
"you guys owe me for life!" kie screamed.
"what if ward put gavin in the sewer, dude?" jj asked, fingers on his temples.
"hold on," pope paused. jj continued to mumble to himself. "do you hear that?"
"yeah," holly leaned down. "what is it?"
"what?" jj asked.
"shush," briar pushed jj. "what is that?"
"listen," pope instructed and all the pogues stepped to the drain.
"guys?" kie screamed. "guys, the water!"
"shit," pope whispered. "kiara, get out of there now!
"i don't have time!" kie said in a panic. "guys!"
"kie! kie!" the pogues all stood at the grate and screamed. their friend was stuck.
all of the sudden, water rushed out from the grate. "oh, shit!" briar gasped as she slipped back into the grass, trying to get away.
"maybe there's a manhole!" jj yelled. "go, go, go. go!"
"kiara!" jj yelled as they ran up the street.
"we're coming, kie!" holly screamed as she ran ahead of the group. "kie, baby, we're coming!"
"help! i'm over here!" the pogues heard kie screaming from a manhole.
"kiara!" pope tried to catch up to holly. he couldn't, she was a cross country runner.
"kie! kie!" holly kneeled down in front of the manhole. "kie, baby, i'm here."
"holl," kie panted. "holly, please."
"the water is coming up!" kie exclaimed as the other three teens made it to the manhole.
"kie, oh my god!" briar panted.
"pull! pull it!" kie begged. pope, jj, holly, and briar all yanked as hard as they could.
"getting close!" jj groaned. "pull! pull!"
"hurry! hurry!" kie cried as the water reached her neck. "guys. holly! please! please!"
"we'll get you out of there," pope assured. "i promise."
briar moved her hands back and jj pulled out his swiss army knife.
"jj! pope!" kie cried as the water climbed higher. "briar! holl!"
"shit!" pope yelled as jj's knife broke off. the boys grunted as the group went back to pulling on the manhole cover.
"come on!" jj groaned as water ran over their hands.
"come on! come on, please!" holly begged as her hands tore from pulling so hard.
and finally, after lots of grunting from the boys, the manhole cover came up with the water. kie threw herself onto the street, gasping and coughing.
"kiara," pope panted as the carrera girl shifted to her knees. "are you okay? i thought we lost you."
kie rectend loudly. pope threw his arms tightly around the girl. "pope, get off me. pope, get off me!"
"kie, you good?" jj asked, breathing heavy.
"never better," the girl offered a thumbs up.
"this wasn't what we were looking for, right?" kie pulled the gun from her waistband.
the pogues burst out laughing as kie continued to cough.
"holy shit," jj grabbed the gun in a towel. "oh my god."
"kie, i fucking love you," briar squealed and hugged jj.
"we're gonna get that son of a bitch, man!" jj cheered and laughed.
"let's get this to shoupe," pope said as kie stood up.
"let's go," briar said.
"hey, are you okay?" holly went to kie's side as they walked towards briar's car. the carrera just nodded and gave holly valentine one of the tightest hugs she'd ever received.
"thank you, holl," kie sighed. "for everything."
"any day of the week," holly smiled and kissed kie's forehead.
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the pogues sat in shoupe's office with wide smiles on their faces. pope plopped the gun onto shoupe's desk.
"so y'all are telling me this is the firearm rafe cameron killed peterkin with?" shoupe confirmed.
"that's exactly what we're telling you," jj nodded.
"and the exact same firearm that ward just used to kill gavin," pope added.
"and where's that corpse again?" shoupe said, obviously annoyed.
"probably hidden," briar snapped. "like a good murderer."
"didn't you look?" kie snapped.
"i checked the hospital. i went by his house. he was out," shoupe shrugged.
"he was out?" kie raised her voice. holly's gentle hand on her's calmed her a bit.
"no shit!" jj yelled. "'cause he's dead!"
"listen to yourself," kie began again. "it makes perfect sense."
"just because he's not in his damn home does not mean he was a victim of a homicide," shoupe stressed.
"what are you talking about?" kie cried.
"this must be a joke," briar yelled. "you must be fucking joking."
"she's right," jj threw his hat off. "you've gotta be kidding."
"are you at least gonna send it in for ballistics and shit, or are you just gonna sit on your ass?" kie snapped.
"he'll sit there and wax that mustache," jj chuckled soullessly. "is that even real?"
"shut up, jj!" pope warned.
"oh, i'm sorry," jj feigned innocence. "did i hurt his feelings?"
"shut up!" holly yelled.
shoupe walked over and opened his door. "get out. i got work to do."
"are you serious?" jj yelled.
"y'all are smelling up my damn office," shoupe said, holding the door wide open.
"did ward bribe you?" kie said with tears in her eyes. "this doesn't make any sense." she was the first to walk out, holly close behind.
"hey, shoupe," holly said. "fuck you."
"you ain't gonna do shit," jj mumbled on his way out.
"out!" shoupe yelled after him.
"we brought you the murder weapon," pope said quietly to shoupe. "there's no logical reason for you not to send it in."
"go with your friends," shoupe said to him. "and you."
he pointed to briar, who was sitting on the edge of his desk with silent tears rolling down her face.
"you were a damn good kid," he shook his head. "this is ruining you."
"no, it's not," briar shook her head and stood up. "you are."
SADIE SPEAKS!
word count: 1936
loved the chap