the six teens sat still looking at the man with the shot gun, they all stared at man frozen listening to him speak.
"why don't i go ahead and see them hands in the air?" he said, "all y'all's hands up in the air now!" he yelled.
everyone put their hands up staying quiet looking at the man.
"you, out of the car! let's go!" John B followed his instructions getting out slowly and quietly. "out of the car! let's go! hurry! let them out! what are you waitin' on? what are you waitin' on? let them out!"
John B opened the door as everyone climbed out terrified while the guy kept yelling.
"there you go, pretty girl. where we go! get out of the car, let's do! hurry up!" Ace followed behind Sarah followed by the rest of the group quietly.
"we're broke-" JJ started to say.
"shut the hell up!" the man yelled.
"all right! all right! just relax!" JJ yelled.
"shut the hell up! shut up! blow your damn head off! lay down in the ditch! lay down in the ditch! on your goddamn hands and knees! down! put your face on the ground! stay here just like that! put your head down! don't let me see you look up! all right!" the man continued to yell, everyone kneeled down keeping their hands up slowly laying down putting their hands behind their heads.
Ace shut her eyes blocking him out taking deep breaths listening to JJ's voice in her head from when the two guys broke into John B's house quickly calming down feeling her anxiety rush away.
"it's a set up guys." Kiara said.
"that old bat shanked us. fuck! Goddamn it!" JJ said punching the ground.
Ace lifted her head looking over at the van and at JJ, she turned her head seeing John B stand up slowly.
"wait. no, no, no, no. John B.. no.." Sarah whimpered watching him stand up.
"John B." Pope whispered. "don't be a hero, man."
John B shushed his friends running to the other car the man was in taking the keys out of the ignition.
"all right, y'all just stay like that. unless you want your brains blown out all over this road, don't move your goddamn heads, okay?" the man pointed at the group rushing back to his car quickly.
once they saw John B come up from the back seat everyone stood up running over to the car throwing punches at the man while Pope grabbed the gold, both Sarah and Ace kicked the man slamming him with the door as everyone else kicked him.
"son of a bitch!" Ace said catching her breath. John B pulled his mask down, the crew immediately recognizing him.
"i know this piece of shit! he's a basehead!" JJ said.
"probably knows my brother." Sarah said.
"he sells coke to my dad." JJ said.
"listen, i couldn't hurt any single one of y'all-" Barry got cut off by JJ decking him with the gun.
"JJ!" Ace yelled.
"dude, chill, man." Pope grabbed him but JJ shoved him away grabbing Barry's wallet taking out his license.
"come on, let's get outta here" John B said.
"we got one last stop." JJ gripped John B's shirt shoving him back.
"hey!"
"let's go see where this son of a bitch lives." JJ walked over to the van, Ace looked at everyone following him to try and calm him down.
"JJ, you don't wanna do this just calm down." Ace caught up to him getting in the passenger seat.
JJ ignored her starting the car as everyone else piled into the van, looking at each other worriedly.
—
"welcome to crackhead wasteland." Sarah said looking Barry's house.
"i don't know about this, man." Pope said.
"dude, why are we at Barry's?" John B asked.
"this will only take a second." JJ said getting out of the van going to the door.
"where you going?" John B asked again.
"yo soy justicia." JJ walked into the house.
"did you clean anything from that?" Pope asked.
"you know somebody should probably-" Kie started to say.
"yeah, i got it. come on, Ace." John B said getting out, Ace followed behind him going inside the house seeing JJ ransacking the place.
"yeah, so what's your plan, slick?" John B asked his friend.
"well, as thou hath stealeth from us, we shall stealeth from ye." JJ replied.
"that kind of got lost in translation." John B said.
"it's Shakespeare talk, JB." Ace looked at him.
"an eye for an eye, John B." JJ said staring to walk to the rooms.
"JJ, stop." Ace grabbed his arm.
"yeah, that's great, JJ. but what happens after you rob a drug dealer, huh?" John B said.
"he knows who we are!" Ace turned him to her.
"i'm not scared of this guy." JJ scoffed moving the two away going to the bedrooms.
"JJ, don't-" Ace followed her boyfriend to the rooms who was grabbing a bag dumping out the money.
"JJ, listen to me!" she said turning him to her again, "you gotta stop this, getting this guys money is gonna make it worse, do you really want that?" she asked.
"i don't give a shit, Caroline! go back to John B, now." he yelled at her pointing at the door causing her to step back.
JJ never yelled at her before, he knows he messed up by doing so just now but he didn't care at the moment, all he wanted was to get even and get that money out of the house.
"what are you doing?" John B called out.
"getting even!" JJ said dumping some money in a bag, "all right, took care of business." he walked out of the rooms Ace behind him quietly looking at John B with tears in her eyes.
"hey, look at me. if you keep going down this road, you're gonna end up just like your dad, do-" JJ cut John B off by gripping his shirt tightly.
"you watch your mouth, man. aren't you tired of being messed with?" JJ asked.
"that's not the point, JJ." John B replied.
"cause i am." Ace walked past the two wiping her cheek going over to the crew.
"all right, so we're looking at five grand each for reparations for putting us through that bullshit. sorry about that, y'all." JJ said.
"so that's what we're doing now? we're robbing drug dealers?" Kie asked.
"this Barry guy's gonna find out. and he's gonna come after us." Sarah said.
"yes, he will. this not the time to start wilin' out." Pope said.
"how'd you guys like havin' a gun pulled on you?" JJ said.
"relax." John B whispered stepping forward to JJ.
"he had it right here on you, bro." JJ pointed at his face.
"look. we've gotta go get the gold, okay? just give me that shit. we're putting it back." John B reached for the bag when JJ slammed him up against the van causing everyone to gasp.
"do you feel like a tough guy? huh? did you like yelling in your girlfriends face when she tried to protect from all this just now? what are you gonna do when he comes for us?" John B asked.
Sarah and Kie wrapped their arms around Ace tightly trying to comfort her, she pulled them away shaking her head as they just rubbed her back instead.
"we punch them in the throat." JJ growled.
"yeah, good fuckin' idea, JJ." John B said.
"i'm not putting it back." JJ muttered stepping inside the van sitting down.
everyone stayed outside watching him quietly not wanting to say or do anything, they didn't want to get in the van with the way he was acting, nobody liked it and couldn't even recognize their friend at the moment.
"you guys getting in or what?" he asked.
everybody stayed silent watching JJ her frustrated, he stepped out of the van again looking at them. "what?"
"we're sick of your shit." John B stepped forward.
"oh, my shit?" JJ asked.
"yeah. yeah. your shit." John B replied.
"yes. your pulling guns on people shit." Ace looked at him speaking up.
"you acting like a maniac-"
"okay, Pope, i took the fall for you, man! know how much money i owe because of you?" JJ yelled.
"i'm gonna pay you back, and i didn't ask you to do that!" Pope yelled.
"i just did! pay it back. right here, right now, by myself." JJ told Pope then looked at Ace.
"and i do that shit to keep you safe, you know why? cause i love you and i don't know what'd i'd do if you got hurt!" JJ yelled, Ace felt a tear roll down her cheek quickly wiping it.
"you know what? that's exactly what i'm gonna do. go off by myself." JJ grabbed his stuff from the van walking off.
"JJ.." Ace whimpered following behind him.
"hey, wait, Ace." John B grabbed her by the shoulders pulling her into a hug.
"just let him go." Sarah said.
Ace covered her face crying quietly as John B held her tightly looking at everyone else. 'cause i love you!' JJ's voice repeated in Caroline's head, she wanted to run after him and tell him that she loved him but it was too late, he had already left to who knows where and was terrified for the blonde.