"Mr. Sunn, can I borrow Pope for a minute?" A random dude says as I look up.
"We're in the middle of a test."
"I'm from the Vanderhorst Foundation." The man says.
"Mr. Heyward, it's for you." Mr.Sunn says
They go out into the hall as I give JJ and confused look. Pope soon comes rushing in akd shows us the letter.
"Is that the wheat symbol?" Kie asks.
"What the f-- fu... fu... fudge?" JJ says out loud.
"Great going." I whisper to him once everyone is focused back on the test laughing at him.
•
"Is this a game of tag?" JJ questions as we walk into the library.
"I don't know." I say to him.
"Am I gonna have to beat you with your protractor? What's going on?" JJ says rather loudly as I apologize to the librarian. "Seriously, Pope, you are driving me insane." JJ says not whispering.
"Okay, so that guy was from the scholarship committee. Take a look at this. Read it." Pope says handing JJ the letter.
"Out loud." Kie says.
"I can't read cursive." He says as he hands it to me.
"I can't read cursive either." I say handing the letter to Kie.
She rolls her eyes and starts reading. "Dear Mr. Heyward, I am reaching out because I have material evidence that can exonerate John B. Routledge. It is of vital importance that you come and meet with me in person at my offices at King Street, Charleston at 8p.m. sharp tonight. Please come alone.Regards, C. Limbrey."
"Charleston?" JJ questions.
"It's like an eight-hour drive plus the ferry. How will we get there tonight?" Pope asks.
"We'd have to leave right now." JJ says.
"I have a free period." Kie says.
"Material evidence"? What does
that even mean, "material evidence"?" JJ asks himself confused.
"It means he can clear John B." Kie says.
"Oh, shit, then we're going to Charleston." I say.
"I gotta tell my mom." Kie says.
"It's okay, I gotta tell Barry." I add.
"Look, if we get it this time, we are not giving it to Shoupe." Kie tells JJ and I.
"Yeah. No duh." JJ says.
"I'm not sure, but I think whoever this Limbrey person is, they might be related to the captain of the Royal Merchant." Pope says as I look at JJ to see him just as surprised as me.
•
We're parked outside Kies house as she's talking to her parents.
"This is not gonna go well." I tell the boys.
"How'd you get this rig? I know your old man didn't let you have it." JJ asks Pope.
"I undid the intake valves on the carburetor. Made it start pinging."
"And now you're just gonna take it to your cousin Jeff's house. Just gonna get it fixed. Crash overnight." JJ adds.
"Crash overnight." Pope repeats.
"I think I'm rubbing off on you, Pope. Lying to your old man, stealing his truck. Kinda sounds familiar." JJ says as I slap his arm. "All right, that's a sore subject. My bad."
"I'd say we have about hours before he absolutely loses his shit. So as long as we get it back before then, I think we're good." Pope says.
"It's good to see y'all, Mr. and Mrs. Carrera." JJ says waving to them as him and I get out of the car so she can get in.
"Hi, uh, ma'am, sir. I... I promise to have her back at a reasonable hour and safe." Pope adds.
"What are you doing?" She asks him. JJ gets in as I get in and shut the door.
"Y'all have a good day." I say.
"This shit would be so much easier without parents." Kie says as JJ and I look at eachother.
"Now to my house." I say.
•
I get out of the car and see Barry run out. He picks me up off the ground and hugs me.
"God! I thought he killed you in that sewer!" Barry say's finally putting me on the ground.
"What?" Pope asks him.
"Rafe. He flushed out the sewer with you in it! I told him not to and I tried to stop him but, there's no stopping him."
"Holy shit." JJ says.
"Uhm." I grab Barry's hand and take him inside. "Could I please go to Charleston? It's my only chance to clear John B's name."
"Tell JJ about the cutting?" He asks me.
"Yea, he's not upset or anything." I tell him.
"Yea, yea you can go."
"Thank you!" I say as I hug him. I grab my bag and walk outside.
"Be careful!" He yells as I get in the car.
"Let's go!" I say with a smile. We start to drive away and just as we're about to get out of the trailer park we see a lady in the road.
"What the fuck?" Kie says.
"It's druggie waistland. Just, let me help them." I say as I get out of the car. "These people know me."
I slowly walk up to the lady. "Eve!" JJ yells not liking this. The lady looks up at me.
"Mom?!"
"Eve?" She asks. Her face is covered with blood and cuts. She goes up to touch me but I quickly step back.
"What the fuck happened?!" I yell as I hear JJ get out of the car.
"Honey, you gotta get the fuck outta here." She tells me obviously high.
"You're high. God I should have known you would be high." I laugh in disbelief.
"Sure you wanna say those things in front of youre boyfriend? Luke's kid right?" She asks me. "How long y'all been together now? A week?"
"No." I say annoyed.
"A month?"
"Around 4 months not ma'am." JJ answers.
"4? Wow. You're not pregnant right?"
"Okay mom, there's no time for chatting. I need you to get off the road." I tell her, I begin to walk away but I stop when I hear her words.
"I'm trying to be a better mom. And Johnathan in the Bahamas and all that."
"What?" I ask her.
"Yea he's with Ward and his kid."
I look at JJ worried. "Just get off the road." I say.
I watch her struggle to get up. I roll my eyes and walk over to her. I grab her hand and drag her off onto the side of the road.
"I knew you cared for me." She says smiling at me. "You'll be a better mom than I ever was."
"You're right. I will be." I leave her on the side of the road and get back into the car with JJ.
"Are you sure we can just leave her there?" Kie asks me.
"She's fine." I tell her.
•
"My parents are so paranoid of me being a Pogue, like it's the worst thing that could ever happen." Kie says as we are on the bed of the truck.
"Hey, I hear they got good weed at boarding school, though." JJ states.
"I'm not going to boarding school. They're gonna have to kidnap me, tie me up, and throw me in a van." Kie tells us.
"Well, I say...we just crumble some herb right now." JJ hands her the joint.
"Hey, Kie, have you tried to hit John B back on that number yet?" Pope asks her.
"Like, twenty million times." She exaggerates.
"That's quite a few times." JJ says laughing ti himself.
"Some random lady at a hotel keeps answering."
"Well, until we hear from them again, we gotta try and clear his name. Right now, this letter's our best bet." Pope tells us.
"Right. Stay on task." JJ says nodding his head yea very aggressive. I grab his head so he stops and he just smiles at me. "That's why I love ya, Pope."
Kie stands up and offers Pope the joint. "What Pope are you gonna be today?"
"I'm good. I'm gonna try to focus." Pope answers refusing the joint.
"Good Pope. Boring Pope."
"I'll take that." JJ says laughing again.
•
"Guys, I've read this thing like a thousand times. It makes no sense." Kie says as we are now off the ferry and on the road. "I mean, the Limbreys own, like, half of Charleston. What do the Kook kings of Charleston know about a murder on Kildare Island?"
"Why you specifically? That's the other creepy thing." JJ adds.
""Please come alone." That's hella sus." Kie adds.
"I was thinking the same thing. I think it's because--" Pope starts but gets cut off by smoke coming from the truck.
"Pull over. That's a lot of smoke, even for your dad's truck." I tell him.
"Pope, I got sensitive lungs, man!" JJ says.
"Then why do you smoke?" I ask him. He just coughs and shrugs his shoulders.
"I'm pulling over." Pope says.
"Pope, just slow down!" Pope says as we start pulling over fast.
"It's gonna blow up." I say freaking out.
"No, it's not gonna blow up." JJ says looking at me. "You probably unhooked the radiator, Pope." He then looks at what came off of the car. "I haven't seen this before. You knocked the entire hubcap off!" He then starts clapping.
"You might wanna reschedule your meeting tonight, Pope." I tell him.
"Plan B? We could, um... public transportation. We could hitchhike. We could rent bikes." Kie starts listing off ideas.
"Yeah, it's the radiator." JJ says looking in the hood of the truck.
"My dad's gonna kill me." Pope says.
"Yeah, he might. He might." JJ tells him.
•
"Middle of nowhere." JJ says walking up to Kie and I as we are sat in the bed of the truck. "Dude's in heaven right now. Gotta know the calibration point before you do anything
with the intake valve, JJ. You do the--Hey. You all right?"
"My mom is so worried that I'm gonna be a Pogue that she's willing to send me to boarding school." Kie says.
"Well, I guess that's what you get for hanging out with the wrong crowd, Kie." JJ tells her.
"I mean, I'm not gonna go. It's too late anyway.
I already am who I am."
"Ain't all that bad." I tell her.
"Just look at that guy over there. He would do anything for us. That's a Pogue if I've ever seen one. Bone-deep." JJ tells her pointing at Pope. "That's just one man's opinion, though.
"I'm gonna go talk to him." Kie says as she then wiggles her eyebrows at me. I roll my eyes at her with a smile as she walks inside.
"What's wrong with you?" JJ asks me climbing into the bed of the truck to sit by me.
"Do you think I'll be a better mother than my mom ever was?" I ask him.
"Are you joking?" He says shocked. "Eve, you help me when I get in fights with my dad, you're yelling free John B, you've helped Pope with school, and I know damn well you help Kie and Sarah all the time. You're gonna be an amazing mom." He says with a smile.
"I would, wouldn't I?" I say smiling at him.
"Amazing."
"You'd be a pretty good dad to." I tell him.
"Kids already? Aren't you thinking a bit to far ahead?" He jokes with me.
"God you are so full of shit." I say laughing with him.
"Hey Eve?" He asks me.
"Hm."
"You haven't done that thing again recently. Have you?" He cautiously asks me.
"No, no I haven't." I tell him. "I promise I'm stopping." I stick out my pinky.
He connects are pinky's and then kisses me. It was a short kiss but it was filled with so much emotion. "I love you."
"I love you too."
•
We're all sleeping in the bed. I'm against the wall closest ti the truck as JJ is right next to me spooning me. Kie and Pope are separated laying a little bit away from us on the bed. I look over and see Kie kiss Pope on the cheek. I look at JJ with wide eyes as he looks equally shocked.
He then grabs my face and kisses me. "Please don't have sex in my dads truck or infront of us!" Pope says as Kie and him turn to us.
"That's is so gross." Kie says turning away. JJ and I laugh at them and go to bed.
2064 words!! This is Eve and JJs beat chapter so far!! They so cute!!