Song of the Chapter: Dirty Money Bags by DEEGAN
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The further the boat traveled, the fouler the mildew smell in the air became. They rounded the bend, the motel coming fully into view. Plastic tarps covered large holes in the roof that was missing most of it's shingles. Windows were broken in and doors were left open, most likely letting in countless rodents and wildlife. The Summer Winds Motel sign laid on the ground, having fallen long ago and housing birds' nests in it's crevices.
The boat slowed, the engine only quietly humming as they neared the banks which were littered with piles of garbage. Everything from discarded toilet bowls to lost stuffed animals missing a child to hold onto them at night, was left on the grass to fade in the sunlight. Remi could only guess what kind of activities went on behind locked doors. Her brother's old friends most likely had been the type to hang out here, getting up to God knows what.
"I thought the Chateau was bad." JJ whistled from the front of the boat.
"This place is a shit-show." John B agrees as he brings the boat closer to land.
"Motel or meth lab?" Kie wonders. She sits on the edge of the boat, next to Remi.
"You be the judge." Pope responded, standing beside John B.
"Oh, meth lab, for sure. I think my brother and his friends hung out here." She mentions in a joking way, earning some glances from the group.
They all knew how Parker had run with the wrong crowd once the siblings moved to the Cut years ago. It wasn't out of the ordinary for the girl to make jokes about her brother having been sentenced to a prison on the mainland, it still hurt. They had been close after all. Still, to this day, she knew that he had covered for his friend, Barry. Her jaw clenched as she thought about him, the anger she still held reigniting for a moment before John B's voice drew her out of thought.
"Doesn't look like the kind of place someone with a Grady White stays."
"No, looks like the type of place someone with a Grady White gets killed." Pope adds.
Not wanting to fall overboard, Remi and Kiara grab the edge of the boat extra tight as John B drives right up to the land, bringing it forward enough so that it stays in place. JJ mimics radio static, cupping his hands over his mouth as he hops towards the front of the boat.
"This is your captain speaking. HMS Pogue coming in for landing." He speaks into his hands, jumping from the very front of the boat and landing on the muddy ground below. He loops the boat's rope around an old hitch stuck in the ground, keeping the HMS Pogue from drifting away into the marsh.
Humidity swims all around Remi, the girl lifting her hair from where it stuck against the back of her neck. Standing, she moves over to the small pile of their belongings, fetching the motel key from the top of Kie's cooler.
"We good?" John B asked JJ, who stood up from tying off the boat.
"Yeah, we good." The blonde squints back up, the sun shining right in his eyes. John B cuts the engines, the machine hum ceasing. The cicadas chirped all around them, hidden in the brush. When the Routledge boy looks her way, Remi tosses the keychain his way, the boy expertly catching it.
"Alright, here goes nothing." He jingles the key in his hand.
Remi begins towards the front of the boat before the legs of her jean shorts get on her nerves, the denim riding up uncomfortably. The girl lets out a groan of annoyance at the blistering heat. In that moment, she would chew out anyone that said global warming was fake.
"I swear to God, these shorts won't stop going up my ass." She vulgarly complains, moving in a way that resembles an Irish jig.
"Then take them off." JJ shrugs, commenting casually. It wasn't unusual for the group to throw out flirting remarks, they knew it was all in good fun. That didn't stop Remi from scoffing as she made her way to the front of the boat. JJ poked fun at Remi most often and it didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the Pogues who had grown used to it.
"Do you always think about me naked or-?" She asks rhetorically, not expecting an answer as the boy helps her down, holding her arm to ease her fall. The overgrown grass poked at her legs, itching her skin. She tried not to think about the bugs most likely crawling around her.
"What? They all do!" JJ threw his hand out, motioning to their other friends on the boat as if was already a common understanding.
"Seriously?" She looks up at them, squinting slightly in the sunlight.
"Sometimes." John B shrugs.
"Uh huh." Pope nods, slightly embarrassed.
"Once or twice." Kie confirms truthfully, pursing her lips.
"Really Pope? I expected this from them, but you? I'm ashamed." She shakes her head, holding her hand over her heart then leaning on the boat next to JJ dramatically.
For a moment, Pope feigns shame, shaking his head and looking down to his feet. Deciding that they should get on with checking out the motel room, John B makes a move to get off the boat before Pope moves to get his attention with a light smack on the shoulder.
"Hey."
"Yeah?" John B turns to Pope.
"Don't let him do anything stupid. And don't let him bring her into doing anything stupid." He points at JJ, then to Remi. Remi glances to the boy standing beside her, rocking back and forth in his boots. He almost looks slightly offended for a moment but then he opens his mouth.
"Oh, we will." He nods, glancing from Remi to John B. Her head nods slightly, the girl knowing that it was bound to happen.
What could she say? As long as nobody got hurt, trouble was always fun.
"I'm not making any promises." John B said, leaving Pope to sigh.
"Yeah, I know." He sat down in the Captain's chair with a huff.
The redhead's fingers messed with the bracelets tied around her wrist, watching as Kiara stared right at John B. For a moment, no words passed between the two. They looked like they were off in their own little world.
"Uh, be careful." Kie rests her hand on John B's shoulder as if she was passing off good energy straight into him. From where she stood, Remi could practically see the smile forming on John B's face. "I mean it." Kie tilted her head, sincerity in her words.
"Yeah." John B chuckles like a little boy, seeing the girl in a new light.
Remi's mouth was open ever so slightly in confusion at the exchange she had just witnessed. A dragonfly sped past her head as she glanced to the boy beside her. JJ looked back with his brows creased, just as much confusion written across his face.
"Let's go." John B claps his hand against JJ's back as he drops to the ground.
Locking eyes with Kiara, Remi points her fingers, shaking them at John B as the boy walks away. Her lips mouth the words 'What was that?', bringing a small blush to Kiara's cheeks. Pushing off of the boat, Remi offers a final salute to Kie and Pope before following after the boys. They walk under the cover of tall palm trees, fallen palm fronds crunching under their footfall. Not many vehicles at all were parked in the small gravel lot. An excessive amount of gnats buzzed around their heads, something they had grown used to living in the south. Discarded mattresses were leaned up against the chain-link fence, clearly being the source of the nasty smell of mildew that permeated all around the motel.
"What's with all these mattresses out here?" John B wondered out loud, leading the way on the run-down path.
"After a hurricane, they have to ditch them because they're moldy." JJ explained as they neared the narrow staircase.
"They probably look like Pollock paintings under a blacklight." Remi scrunches her nose at the thought. Her grandmother would probably hate the thought of her there.
Her old, beat up Vans slap against the steps as she walks up to the second level of the motel, the metal creaking under their weight. Now on the slightly wider walkway, she moves to John B's side, JJ walking on his other. She couldn't help but let her mind drift to the small exchange between her two friends moments before.
"Just be so careful John B." JJ mimics Kie's soft voice, rubbing his hands over the boy's shoulders and face.
"God, you're so weird." John B shoves his friend off of him, the two boys nearly pushing Remi into the brick exterior of the building.
It was something she was used to, having mostly guy-friends-- playing rough, that is. Hell, even Kie had body slammed her into the water a few times, not that she hadn't returned the favor. And with an older brother, the Elliot girl was a thousand times tougher than she looked.
"No, JB, dude. What was that all about?" Remi smacks the back of her hand against the brunette's chest with a curious smile on her face.
"I don't know, maybe she wants us to be careful." He held his arms out as if it needed no explination.
"Um, no. She told you to be careful." Remi pointed her finger at her friend. Kie's face was imprinted within her memory. Her expression had been soft, like she was looking at something that would slip away. It was how she looked at Pope-- which brings up another interesting point that Remi noted mentally. She'd ask Kie about it later.
"Since she heard you being threatened with exile, she's just been like- Oh! be so careful, John B! Just give me that John D already." JJ went back to impersonating a high-pitched and much too lustful woman's voice, bringing an amused smile to Remi's face.
"Get off." John B drove his elbow against JJ's arms.
"No, she looked at you like she looks at pictures of Gosling." Remi bounced slightly at the thought of her two friends together, her hands shaking John B's forearm.
Her eyes scanned the numbered plaques beside the doors, looking out for two-two-nine, the number printed on the keychain. It was still up ahead and most likely towards the end of the walkway. She hoped to God that it would be empty when they got there.
"Yeah, when are you gonna swoop on that, man?" JJ agreed with her, also noticing something between their two friends.
"Bro, you know the rule. No pogue on pogue macking." Remi side-stepped around a lamp pole leaned beside a door, having nearly tripped over the object. She looked up, connecting eyes with JJ as the boy glanced over at her. He looked away first, leaving her to wonder if there was something on her face. Her fingers slid across her cheeks lightly as John B continued talking, having not caught his friends' dancing eyes. "Besides, you're the one who's always hitting on her."
"Dude, of course I'm hitting on her. She's a super-hot, rich, hippie chick slumming with us. Why? I can't figure it out either, but who cares, bro. I know that door's locked because I've tried it. Have you?" He explains to John B, urging him to make a move on their friend.
"You need help. Not like a little bit of help, you need a lot of help."
"Look, despite being one of the pioneers of the 'no pogue on pogue macking' rule, I think you should make a move. See how she responds." Remi shrugs, speaking truthfully. If Kie wasn't going to make a move on Pope, why not John B? After all, what better guy for her best friend, than another best friend.
She felt that they were more mature than the they were at the conception of that rule, when it had been necessary for her and Kie to make sure the boys knew that silly little night-time accidents could tear the group apart. It had all been so new and felt so safe that they didn't want to ruin anything just when it had gotten good.
But again, they were older now. They had all had boyfriends and girlfriends here and there through the years, all learning lessons from the relationships. She knew John B and Kie already had a strong friendship as it is, the rule wasn't as necessary as it had been.
"Sure but look at him." John B pushed the focus on JJ out of embarrassment. "It's like every girl who has a heartbeat, you're like 'uhh'." He feigned a dazed expression on his face, jutting out his pelvis as he walked.
"That's just JJ. Oh, room two-two-nine." Remi waved him off, stopping in her tracks as they reached the room.
She had been friends with JJ long enough to know that he blindly chased any girl who walked past him. At least he was always respectful, so what really was the harm? How was it different than her going off with tourists at a party, boys who she knew little about other than the fact that they would be gone within a week? Not that she did anything too invasive often, but still.
And besides, promiscuity was all a subjective social construct that had no real meaning at all. Everyone has a different opinion so to Remi- it didn't really matter at all.
After all, it was a miracle that the Maybank boy turned out to be someone who respected women, given the lack of parenting he had grown up with.
"I mean- What, is that a big deal?" He muttered, looking around to make sure nobody was there to see the three go into the motel room.
"This is it." John B nodded at the girl, stepping back as JJ began rapping his knuckles against the door.
"Housekeeping." His voice came out shockingly high-pitched, catching Remi off guard. She exhaled sharply in place of a laugh before he knocked once more when there was no answer. Crouching slightly, she looked into the window that was clouded slightly from years of cigarette smoke in the room. She stood back up, not noticing any movement from what she could see.
"Should we try it?" John B questioned, aligning the key with the doorknob. Remi nodded.
"Yeah, no one's home." Remi flicked her hair over her shoulders, ready to see what was in the room.
"No persona aqui. No power, no security cameras, nobody's gonna know." He reasoned.
John B pulled out his flashlight from his pocket and Remi cursed the small pockets that were sewn into women's clothes. What if she wanted to carry a flashlight too? He twisted the key, pushing the door open at an gruelingly slow pace. When he didn't immediately step in, Remi's interest was perked. She hadn't seen anything interesting through the window. Digging into her back pocket, she pulled out her cell phone, figuring that this was an acceptable enough situation to use up some of the battery with the flashlight. She could always charge it at work, anyways. The kooks always had the high end backup generators to power the northside.
"Huh." He gazed in the dark motel room, the only light being from his flashlight.
"What?" Remi pushed against him, eager to see what was inside. When he stepped to the side, she stood still.
Two twin beds, a few lamps, a small television, a door most likely leading to the bathroom and bags belonging to whoever had rented the room.
It was just a dismal motel room.
"Oh." She breathed out, let down.
The walls where a plain color, the art was boring and there were mysterious stains on the floor,.
"What is it?" JJ wondered.
Her feet shuffled as the boy used his body to push her further into the room, like she had with John B. His skin was warm as he pressed against her, his muscular chest deflating as he took in the run-down room as well.
"Check the bag. See if there's a name on there somewhere." John B muttered, getting down to business. JJ obliged, sifting through the belongings of the mystery person who's boat sank-- hopefully with them not in it.
"A jacket. No name though. It's a nice jacket." JJ muttered.
"He's definitely over 50, he's got New Balances." John B gathered, holding up the shoes.
"Smells like old people and cigarettes in here." Remi scrunched her nose, moving past the boys and shining her phone's flashlight in front of her as she walked. Her joints cracked as she bent down, getting onto her hands and knees to check under the beds for anything of interest. Met with only empty space, she stood back up, trying to not think about how dirty the floor probably is. She wiped the hand that she pressed to the floor against her shorts.
"Nothing but dust under there." She spoke quietly. Slowly, she gazed around the room, looking for anything that would jump out as she walked to the small bathroom. Creaky hinges sounded off as she opened the door further, running her light over the sink, counter and the shelves over the toilet. Her fingers riffled through the small toiletry bag that was on a shelf and shocker-- only toiletries were there.
In the main room, she heard the boys discussing fishing areas and fiddling with papers. Her attention moved to the shower and she pushed the curtain aside, stepping in the discolored tub to look closer at what shampoo the person used.
You could tell a lot about a person by what shampoo they used.
"Standard. Tissues for when you get lonely." She heard JJ say, realizing he was coming to look in the bathroom. Her mind being clouded by mischief, Remi pulled the shower curtain shut. She fumbled with her phone, turning off the light and quieting her breathing as she heard the boy enter the small room. Being so close to the curtain, she noticed an old smell wafting off of the fabric. Tilting her head, Remi stared at the ceiling, waiting for the best time to catch him off guard.
"Ooh!" JJ exclaimed, Remi hearing him messing around with the mystery person's belongings. Silently, she peered around the curtain, JJ still oblivious to her being a mere foot from him.
"What is it?" John B perked up out outside the bathroom.
"A really awesome Dopp kit you won't let me steal." He referred to the toiletry bag.
"Yeah, 'cause we're not stealing shit." John B grunted crouching down to inspect a safe that Remi had passed up.
She watched as JJ pocketed a travel-size deodorant, craning his neck to make sure John B didn't notice. Assuming this would be the best time to act since he had clearly gone against what John B said and would be on the defense, Remi took a quiet breath in. She swung the shower curtain aside in a fast motion, startling JJ who stepped back until his backside hit the wall.
"Holy shit!" He breathed out a shaky breath. He held his hands over his chest, his heart pumping blood, pounding in fear. The beam of light from his phone illuminated Remi fully now. She smiled maniacally, pleased that her plan had worked.
"Saw that!" She pointed at his pocket, making a move to reach in and pull the stolen deodorant out herself.
"No. Finders keepers." The boy mumbled the childish saying, catching her hands in his own before they could dig into his pocket. An unfamiliar warmth spread in his chest at the close proximity of the girl, catching him off guard once again but unintentionally this time.
She tried to pull her hands out of his iron grip, but to no avail. His skin felt rough against her's, his palms and fingers calloused from years of working the jobs that the rich kooks wouldn't dare. She noticed that he was careful not to hold her too tight and yet, she couldn't move her hands to grab that deodorant.
Just as quickly as the two could get into argumentative battles, forged in the fires of anger and annoyance, they could just as easily find themselves in silly, unimportant fights, laughing the whole time.
"Stealing is wrong." She struggled, still laughing through her words.
"Guys! We don't wanna be here all day." John B reprimanded like a parent, snapping the two out of their lighthearted fight. Their laughter died down quickly, both wondering if the other would start up again. JJ dropped Remi from his hold, taking a step back with his hands out in a truce. Remi watched with a smile on her face as the boy pulled the deodorant out of the pocket in his shorts, placing it on the shelf as if it were a temperamental bomb about to explode.
The smile on her face twitched, growing ever so slightly, yet still caught by JJ. The two called off their fight without words, the boy moving first out of the bathroom. Remi followed, noticing the locked safe that John B was crouched in front of.
"Punching shit at random. That will definitely work." Sarcasm was laced within JJ's words, but Remi's attention was stuck on the locked safe.
She crouched beside John B before the boy stood up, looking around for any set of numbers that could be the magical combination they need. Her dainty fingers pressed against the rubber buttons, typing out the numbers corresponding with her birthday. In her other hand, she pointed her phone's light at the keypad.
October tenth, two-thousand-three.
101003.
Fail.
She knew the statistics were against her in using a set of numbers that related to her, but it couldn't hurt to try. She entered her brother's birthday, her grandmother's, her dog Sadie's. All fails.
"Wait a second, wait a second, wait a second-" John B muttered behind her as JJ discussed points on a map, with nobody listening. "Here, try this." He held out a paper to her as he crouched right beside her. Remi grabbed it, reciting the numbers quietly as she punched the code in.
"Six, one, six, six, six." Her lips pursed as she punched in the pound symbol, entering the numbers. "Six, six, six. The devil's number." Her voice was low, and comically ominous. Her high spirit nearly deflated until a beep sounded from the machine. She was quick to twist the small knob, her heart skipping a beat as it spun fully, allowing her to open the door. Opening the door fully, she and John B glanced to one another, shock filling the space between them. When Remi saw what was inside the compartment, she nearly shit her pants-- figuratively, of course.
"Holy shit." She breathed out, her eyes stuck on the piles of money and a single handgun laid on top. The girl leaned forward, examining the weapon. From everything she read in an Army Ranger book, it looked like a Sig Sauer handgun. As for the exact model-- she had no idea.
John B's shoulder rubbed against her's as he chuckled at the sight before him, warmth radiating off of him. The girl couldn't do anything but stare into the open safe. Never before had she seen so much cash in one place. The green color seemed so vibrant, illuminated in the light from her phone and John B's flashlight.
Like a magnet, her hand was drawn to pick up a stack. As soon as her fingers rubbed against the smooth and soft paper of the countless one-hundred dollar bills, an elated breath left her lips. She watched in awe as the bills fanned air into her face as she ran her thumb against the edges.
"Uh, JJ?" John B spoke as if he couldn't believe what was in front of him and he definitely wasn't alone. The blonde boy hummed in response, looking away from the map he was still examining. "You're gonna wanna see this."
Remi's lips formed a bright smile as she held up the stack of money, fanning the bills out for the boy to see. She dramatically used the money to fan herself, the slight air current making the face-framing hairs float back. His jaw dropped at the sight, immediately abandoning the map he was previously preoccupied with and heading over to his two friends. Remi scooted further into John B's side slightly as JJ plopped down beside her, all three teens squished together in front of the safe full of money.
"Woah." JJ dragged out the word excitedly. Rather than grabbing a stack of money, his hand jutted out and went for the handgun. Still clutching the stack of money in her hand, Remi got to her feet, stepping back as the blonde waved the weapon around like it was a toy.
Remi had been around guns enough to know that JJ was not handling it with the proper care. Of course it wouldn't magically go off just sitting in the safe, but in JJ's hands as he messed around with it, that was another story.
"Dude!" She scolded in a harsh whisper, looking at him like he was crazy.
"You grabbed the gun!" John B exclaimed in disbelief, stepping towards the boy.
"This is a SIG Sauer!" JJ held it up for them to see.
"Yes, now put it back, idiot!" Remi urged.
Not knowing whether to wrestle the gun from her friend or to hide under a bed for cover, she stood still as John B moved closer to JJ, getting in his face and telling him to put it back as well. The gun glinted in the beams of light pointed at JJ and his own flashlight that he shone onto it.
"This is a fucking spendy gatt man, just- Bam! Bam! Bam!" Remi stepped back, watching as JJ waved the gun all around once again, pretending to shoot at nothing in particular.
"Is the safety on at least?" She all but shouted. The boy glanced to the small switch on the side of the gun, his eyes widened a moment before his thumb flipped the switch.
"Yeah, totally." He pushed out a laugh to seem convincing, avoiding her eye contact in fear of seeing her scowl.
"Dude! Oh my God." She whined, shaking her hands in the air at his obliviousness, the stack of money she still held flapping.
"We're not stealing anything!" John B gritted his teeth at the blonde.
"Just take a pic of me. Right here." He says, not listening as usual.
"You want me to take a picture of you?" John B responded rhetorically.
"Yeah, dude, like-" JJ fumbled with the gun and his flashlight, moving both to one hand and using the other to fish his phone out of his pocket. Remi caught it with one hand after he tossed it over, not making a move to actually turn it on.
"Make our own incriminating evidence? Is that what you're talking about?" John B questioned, finally speaking some sense into the boy.
"Yeah there's no way tha-" Remi began but cut herself off when she heard something out of place. A small tapping noise emanated from somewhere behind JJ. "Did you hear that?" Her brows furrowed as she glanced around at the boys, only John B nodded while clearly listening out for the noise to repeat. In the momentary silence, an object struck the window, resounding in a tapping noise.
"Wait, what was that?" John B stepped to the window, spreading the blinds, yellowed with age, to peer through before ducking his head under them entirely.
"What?" Remi worried, watching the boy's back before he shot out from the blinds, moving quickly to the other window. "What?" She repeated.
JJ was now beside her, equally confused at what John B was looking for. Her stomach twisted in anticipation. She watched as John B's expression changed, the little light shining from the parted blinds shone onto his tanned and freckled skin.
"Cops." The words left his lips, the only thing heard in the silence of suspense.
Immediately after he spoke, a sudden knock sounded from the motel door, heavy knuckles rapping on the other side. Adrenaline immediately pumped through her veins, her feet shuffling as she spun around for any place to hide-- any exit. Her eyes landed on the window, John B already having the same idea and moving to open it. Remembering the wad of cash in her hands, she turned to the safe, about to put the money back but JJ shoved the door closed with his foot, shoving the gun in his pocket at the same time. Her eyes widened, the stack feeling heavy, like it was weighing her down in place.
It was too late to punch in the code.
She just stole someone else's money.
It felt like her blood ran cold at the realization. Even though it was an accident beyond her control, it went against her morals.
"Kildare County Sheriff's Department!" A man's voice called from the other side of the door. Remi's need to not get arrested outweighed her guilt, her feet moving towards the window that John B had just crawled through.
Pursing her lips, Remi stuffed the wad of cash in her back pocket along with her phone. Though she wasn't happy about it, she couldn't leave it in the room and outside of the now locked safe. The cops would then most definitely know somebody messing around was there. The fact that the cops were there meant that the room must have been a crime scene and she sure as hell didn't want to give them a reason to dust for prints, knowing that they'd be led right to her and the boys.
God, why didn't they think to use gloves?
"Go." JJ whispered, holding the blinds aside as she moved to crouch on the nightstand. She slid through the opening, standing up on the top of a very narrow awning. To her right, John B waved her on to move as far away from the window as possible.
"Oh, God." She breathed shakily, immediately anxious at the fact that she was two stories above the ground.
The very, very hard ground.
And while Remi fully enjoyed the rush she got from running from the cops, she wasn't a fan of heights. Spinning to face the white brick wall rather than the tall height that she imagined falling from, her fingers gripped the incredibly small space between the bricks. She swallowed her fear and sidestepped, the bottoms of her Van's scraping against the shingles until she reached the very edge. She moved to hold onto the drainage pipe for dear life, climbing vines poking her bare legs.
Quietly, JJ slid the window shut after climbing out. Remi focused on calming herself as the boy shuffled to her side, her anxiety spiking as his elbow bumped her's. She was already standing on the very edge in order to make room for the boy. It wasn't like she could step over anymore if she wanted to not live out one of her biggest fears. Noticing movement in the corner of her eye, she looked past JJ's shoulder and head to see Pope waving his hands to get their attention.
"What are you doing?" He whispered, mouthing the words so they could understand. Behind him, sitting in the Captain's chair, Kie held out her arms in a questioning gesture. In response, John B and JJ held their fingers to their lips, signalling for them to stay quiet, the later shaking slightly with silent laughter. Only he could find a situation like this amusing. Remi shook her head, leaning her forehead against the bricks and squeezing her eyes shut for a second to focus on staying calm.
Opening her eyes, she glanced to John B on the other side of the window from her and JJ. The boy inched closer to the glass, peering into the motel room. Leaning her head out to try to get a better view of her friend's face to gauge the situation inside the room, she didn't notice the shingle her foot was on, had begun shifting.
She watched as John B gazed through the window, his eyes widening as JJ craned his neck to see as well.
"What the fu-" He trailed off, looking to John B astounded before turning his head to Remi. "They're stealing the money." His voice was a whisper as he filled her in. She leaned back against the wall, her balance being thrown off ever so slightly.
A sinking feeling gripped onto her with a steel grip as her foot slipped off the edge of the awning, her body nearly falling with it as her grip from the drainage pipe faltered. One of her worst fears was literally crystallizing all around her. Her hands jutted out, reaching for JJ's arm out of reflex, the boy scrambling to pull her back on to the ledge. She gripped onto his upper arm and shirt, her knuckles nearly going white before the boy stabilized her in front of him. Their bodies were pressed together given the small space, the two facing each other as his arm surrounded her.
"Holy shit, oh fuck. I think I almost peed myself." She huffed in a whisper, leaning her head against the bricks. Panic still coursed through her bloodstream, her breaths heavy and her eyes still closed in fear. She didn't know how her near-fall didn't make more noise, but she was thankful either way.
"This is nice." JJ spoke quietly, his smirking face only inches away from her's when she opened her eyes. His eyebrows quirked in a suggestive manner, enjoying the close proximity.
"Shut up." She shut her eyes, hoping time would miraculous pass faster. Her panic was subsiding. Though Remi would never admit it, she did feel safer with the Maybank boy.
Letting out a breath of frustration, Remi shifted her leg. The gun in JJ's pocket had been jabbing against her hip since she had begun standing in front of him. Why in the hell didn't he put it away before shutting the safe? "JJ, why didn't you put the gun in the safe? It's poking me." She groans, still in a whisper to not alert the cops. Opening her eyes, she notices that JJ looks like he's about to pop a vein his face slightly redder than usual.
"The gun's in my back pocket." He choked out, the realization hitting Remi.
It was not the gun.
"Dude!" Remi harshly whispered, her face twisting in disgust. She smacked the back of her hand against the boy's chest-- lightly enough so he wouldn't fall. "Well stop it, make it go back down." She urged.
"It doesn't work like that."
"You guys!" John B muttered, his voice quiet, yet harsh. Remi was utterly shocked that all of their whispers and her nearly falling two stories to her death hadn't gotten the cops' attention. Unfortunately, she had spoke too soon.
"Don't worry it's in my po-" He began, thinking John B had been referring to the handgun. JJ's hands dipped into his back pocket, meaning to show the weapon to his friend but instead he fumbled it in his grip. The gun clattered as it fell to the ground, surely being heard by the cops.
"Shit, JJ." Remi grumbled, pressing against the wall as much as humanly possible. JJ shifted his weight, pressing his body right beside her's, flush against the wall in an effort to not be seen from the window's view. He was on the very edge of the awning, like she had been before. He moved his arms from around her, keeping one out to hold her shoulder, grounding her against the wall.
Remi turned her head, facing John B who hugged to the bricks, grimacing. Her entire body flinched, her muscles tightening as she heard the blinds being snapped open. Her eyes connected with John B's, his finger moving ever so slowly to his lips, signalling for her and JJ to stay quiet. She steadied her breathing, inhaling and exhaling through her mouth so it was quieter.
She spotted Kie and Pope in the boat, both trying to look inconspicuous. They carried on a conversation that she couldn't make out and assumed it was just a show for the cop staring out the window. She was sure her heart would beat out of her chest in anticipation. That officer must have been looking right past the three of them.
"Alright, let's go." She overheard, her anxiety slowly slipping away.
Remi Elliot let out a sigh.
Somehow, they had gone unseen.
___
A/N: I hope everyone enjoyed the longer chapter! I didn't want to break these scenes up because I actually like the way my own writing flowed for once. Who liked the JJ/Remi bathroom scene? Cute, no?
And thank you for over 200 reads! I hope everyone is enjoying Remi's story so far. Don't be scared to comment! They're really motivating and I love reading them.
<3