"Pope," John B tried to reason with him whilst simultaneously focusing on the road, "We're not technically stealing the drone."
"Yeah," Brie agreed, leaning her back against JJ's chest as she sat between his legs. "We're just borrowing it."
"Humans are the only animal who can't tell fantasy from reality," Pope countered.
JJ scoffed. Trust Pope to get philosophical on them as always.
"What?" John B asked, "You just come up with that?"
"Actually Albert Bernstein came up with it," Brie corrected him, holding up her finger. "Although I think the moral is pretty irrelevant here."
JJ smirked, mildly impressed. He loved that she was so smart. She was always fast to catch onto Pope's nerdy comments and took the time to explain things to JJ without making him feel completely useless, which he appreciated.
"It applies to this whole treasure hunting thing," Pope argued, "So which is it? Fantasy or reality?"
"Reality," Brie said defensively, sitting up to face him. "We have so much evidence on the whereabouts of the Royal Merchant that it would be catastrophically stupid not to search for the gold."
"Exactly," JJ agreed, snaking his arm further around Brie's shoulders and bringing her back down, "Why are you being so weird, Pope?"
"Its a fantasy, but possible reality," Kiara added. "We can't just ignore all of the evidence."
"Reality," John B agreed with them.
"Virtual reality," JJ corrected. Pope only sighed at them, clearly outnumbered in his argument.
Brie and Kiara shared an excited smile and JJ decided that they had earned a celebratory joint. As began rolling one, Brie gave him a flirtatious wink, making his stomach flip.
JJ returned with wink with a smirk as he licked the paper and smoothed it down. Brie's smile faltered a little and he chuckled lowly. He loved that he could get that sort of reaction from her.
He raised the blunt to his mouth and held it between his lips as he sparked the lighter. Before he could even light it, Pope snatched the joint from him.
"Keep the signal clear," Pope warned him.
Brie grabbed the blunt back from Pope's hand and then took the lighter from JJ, sparking the end. She took a deep breath and blew the smoke out at Pope's face, making him cough.
He scowled at her, but JJ knew that it was almost impossible for any of them to stay mad at Brie for long. Especially Pope. No matter what facts he came out with, he could never win an argument against Brie. She always won.
"You keep the signal clear," she told him, "We'll get high enough to do the dangerous tasks that no one else wants to do."
JJ grinned mischievously. This girl knew exactly what his style was.
"Okay, no one's doing anything dangerous," Kiara reminded her as she jumped out of the van.
"You're damn right, baby," JJ pointed a finger gun at Brie whilst taking a hit for himself, "You know what your problem is, Pope?"
"You," Pope snapped.
"No," JJ huffed, "It's that you need to relax, man. You're always so tense! Here take a hit of this. It's the good stuff."
"I'm not too tense," Pope defended, turning away from JJ's offer.
"You kind of are," Brie smirked as she took a last breath of the joint before handing it back to JJ and climbing out after Kiara.
"Go get 'em, princess," JJ told her, a wide smile across his face.
"Oh, always," she grinned.
"You got this!" John B cheered, "Don't worry about it."
"Its not us that I'm worried about," Kiara smirked, backing away towards her car with Brie in tow, "I've got master flirter over here and you've got an uptight nerd and a stoner."
"Hey!" JJ protested. Pope just rolled his eyes in annoyance.
Brie laughed as she saluted them and winked. "Good luck, boys."
JJ snuck around the side of the junkyard with Pope and John B and crouched behind a big piece of timber, watching as Brie approached the security box calmly. Kiara stood by the jeep and glanced back at the boys, clearly letting Brie take the lead on this mission.
He could see Brie waving to the guard, drawing him away from his post. JJ rolled his eyes as she began playing with her hair and tilting her head, obviously flirting with the man.
That kind of pissed him off. He didnt know why. Maybe it was because JJ knew the guy, or that he was probably twice her age. The whole plan revolved around Brie flirting with the guard so that they could grab the drone, but seeing her hitting on another dude in front of his face...he didnt like that at all.
The guards name was Bobby. He used to look after JJ sometimes when his dad used to work here. Used to let him have half of his sandwich and let him sit with him every time JJ showed up to work with his dad with a new set of bruises.
Bobby knew what was going on, but he never admitted it. After all, he could hardly report it. All that would do was send JJ into the foster system; a system that was less than kind to broke kids coming from abusive homes.
Bobby smiled at Brie as she lay her hand on his arm, making JJ grit his teeth. He then grabbed what looked like a toolbox from behind the security shed, showing Brie that he was willing to help. She gave them a thumbs up behind her back. She'd got him.
"Hey," JJ asked, suddenly remembering the conversation he and Brie had with John B on the way to Ms Lana's house. "How's it going with Kiara?"
"Honestly," John B sighed, "Not weird or awkward or anything."
JJ couldnt help but chuckle. "I did not think that you would actually listen to me and make a move on her. In my defence, I was almost one hundred percent sure that she was into you. Even Brie agreed that she thought you and Kie had a thing."
"Of course you asked Brie about it," Pope scoffed.
JJ's pulse quickened. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"He means," John B hissed, "That there's clearly something going on with you and her."
"Me and Brie..." JJ huffed in frustration. "Look, its complicated. And I don't see why you would have an issue with it seeing as you made a move on Kiara!"
"So you admit that there's something going on?" Pope asked, raising his eyebrows.
They both stared at him in shock. Despite their suspicions, they hadn't expected JJ to actually admit anything. JJ mentally cursed himself. Fucking dumbass.
"No," JJ sighed in frustration, "There's nothing going on. I mean, even if there was, why would it be such a big deal? You were more than happy to move in on Kiara, so why could I not make a move with Brie?"
"Dude," Pope whispered, eyes wide, "She's got you totally whipped."
JJ scoffed. "She hasn't got me whipped."
"Oh, no," John B said with a small nod. "She totally has. But we've got to remember the rule, even more now. I ignored it and it almost ruined my friendship with Kie. We dont want the Pogues torn apart right when we're about to find the Royal Merchant."
"Bro, she's not got me whipped!" JJ defended, "I'm just saying-"
Pope and John B both gave him the same look that said: shut up. JJ was wise enough to keep his mouth closed after that. He should have just kept his mouth shut to begin with.
Fuck. He had really killed it there. He was pretty sure that he just ruined any chances of him and Brie ever having a chance of being together. He didn't even know if that's what Brie wanted, but it was definitely what he wanted. And he hated the fact that one stupid rule was stopping them.
Brie had led Bobby over to the Jeep, where Kiara had plastered on her biggest and dumbest fake smile. She had already taken the air out of one of the back tires as a decoy for them to get the drone.
Bobby crouched down, beginning to get to work on repairing their flat tyre. JJ knew that Bobby was good with cars. He worked quick. They could have to hurry.
"Okay let's go," John B whispered.
They scrambled away and down the side of the metal fence, running as fast as they could without making to much noise. The quicker they got in and out, the better.
They followed after JJ as he ran towards the container where the drone was being stored. He took the piece of paper from his pocket that had the combination his dad had written down from when he worked here and began to put the numbers in. He yanked the lock, but it didnt budge. Oh shit.
"You sure you got the right numbers?" Pope asked, nervously.
"Okay," JJ sighed, stepping back in defeat, "So I might have the wrong numbers."
"Ah, damn it!" Pope cursed, loudly. Too loud.
They all spun around at the shrill bark of a dog. Not just any dog, but the guard dog who was trained to attack any trespassers.
"Oh, shit," JJ muttered, attempting to calm or even distract the dog, "Hey. Hey!
"Let's go!" John B hissed, running in the opposite direction. Pope stayed frozen beside JJ, unable to take his eyes off of the dog.
"Hey, no," JJ hushed, his heart thumping against his ribs. "Shh! Good boy. Good- Ah, fuck!"
The dog only barked louder. This wasn't working. JJ jogged a little further into the scrap yard and pulled a red bandana from his pocket. Probably a stupid idea, but it was all he had.
"Pope, run!" He shouted.
Pope's arms flailed over his head as the dog growled and barked at him, getting dangerously close with it's teeth bared. Any second now and Pope was going to become a human chew toy.
"Hey!" JJ yelled at the dog as he waved the bandana in the air, "I got a toy, boy."
The dog instantly turned around and began racing towards him, growling loudly. He really didn't think that one through.
"Wait no, I was just kidding," he shouted, turning and sprinting in the other direction, "Shit!"
He used all of the energy he could muster to keep running, but his legs soon ached and the dog was closing in behind him. He needed somewhere to hide where the dog couldn't reach him, and fast.
He quickly scanned the scrapyard and spotted an old boat with a wooden ladder leant up against the side. There was no way the dog could chase him up there.
JJ threw himself onto the ladder, which shook dangerously under his weight, and pulled himself up as fast as his body would allow him. He launched himself onto the deck, ducking below the rail so that he was hidden from the sight of anyone on the ground.
It was another stupid idea. Now he was trapped up here and that dog wasn't going away anytime soon. Whatever he decided to do now, he still got caught and they still didn't get the drone. The mission had failed miserably.
Brie and Kiara did a good job with distracting the guard, but Bobby had definitely heard the barking, and there was no way that he could ignore it. Brie and Kiara couldn't flirt their way out of this one. It was only a matter of time before-
"Hey, who is that?" JJ heard a gruff voice. Bobby. "What you got there, boy?"
JJ cursed, heart pounding against his ribs. He stayed silent. He was completely and totally fucked. Bobby knew who he was, and who his father was. JJ was going to get himself landed in a cell for trespassing and earn another beating from his dad.
"Whoever is up there better come on out!" Bobby yelled, "I mean it! Dont make me go up there and get your ass!"
A few seconds passed. JJ knew that if he didnt come down now with a good excuse, he would get himself arrested, or even shot. He didn't really want any of those outcomes.
"Wait!" JJ shouted, standing up slowly with his hands raised, "Bobby...Don't shoot. It's me, JJ. Luke's kid."
"What the hell are you doing up there, boy?" Bobby demanded, a look of shock over his face
"I swear I didn't want to, okay?" JJ deliberately added a tremble to his voice, mustering tears into his eyes. Being a great liar really pays off sometimes. "My dad made me."
"Dont you lie," Bobby warned, pointing a finger at him.
He was all too familiar with JJ's antics, but JJ knew that he was fall for this one. I mean, how couldnt he? He had seen the bruises before. He had seen what his dad could be like.
"I swear," JJ cried, arms still raised for effect, "He told me that Captain Leo kept his cutting torch after he got fired. He said if I didnt get it for him then he was...that he was going to hit me again."
He let a few tears drop to really seal the deal. He felt a little guilty lying about something like this, but he had no choice.
"Son of a bitch," Bobby cursed under his breath.
"I'm sorry," JJ said pathetically as he cried. He had him now. He totally believed him.
"Come on down," Bobby sighed, "I almost killed you."
"I know," JJ sniffed.
JJ climbed down the ladder slowly, unable to make eye contact with the tall, muscular man that loomed over him as guilt filled him.
"I'm guessing that was your girl?" Bobby huffed, still slightly pissed off. "She's full of shit, just like you. Had me believing every word she said."
"Yeah," JJ didnt want to argue it, "I asked her to help me. I'm sorry about that."
"You keep hold of that one," Bobby sighed, shaking his head, "She put Oscar winners to shame. Sly little minx knew exactly how to play me. I shouldn't have fallen for it."
"Yeah," JJ almost smiled, still feeling that slight twinge of protectiveness. "She's good like that."
"Now get out of here," Bobby told him, "Before I have to call Captain Leo."
"Okay, I'll just come up with something," JJ told him, "Tell my dad that I couldnt find it."
"Alright," Bobby said, quietly, stepping back to let him past.
JJ walked away slowly, so as not to raise suspicion, but couldnt help but smile to himself. He'd managed to pull it off.
When JJ made it back to the van, he saw that everyone else was already sat waiting for him. Brie was the first to noice him approaching and her face instantly broke out into a grin. She flung herself towards him and he quickly caught her in his arms.
"Oh, thank god," she sighed, letting out a small giggle that made him shiver, "I thought you'd been caught."
He chuckled and reluctantly let her go. She smiled up at him, keeping her hands placed firmly on his arms.
"Oh, I did," JJ smirked, causing everyone to stare wide-eyed, "But you know I've got a way with words. And I hear you do too, princess."
"Me?" Brie asked, furrowing her brows in confusion.
"Yeah," JJ said, with a sly grin. "Bobby told me that you're quite the actress."
Brie raised her eyebrows and smirked, clearly pleased with herself.
"That's an understatement," Kiara muttered, "You were all over the poor guy. He didnt know if you wanted help with your car or to take him into the backseat and-"
JJ unintentionally clenched and clenched his fists at the thought, possessivness taking over again. That wasn't an image he wanted in his head.
"Okay!" Brie shouted, blush creeping over cheeks. "I might have gotten a little bit carried away, but it worked, didnt it?"
"Yeah, if it wasn't for that stupid dog," Pope muttered.
"Wait, it worked?" JJ held up a finger to signal a pause, glancing over at her. "You got the drone?"
Brie bit her lip to stifle her excitement and squeezed his arm gently. It was only then that he noticed the box sat beside Pope. The box containing the drone.
"We got what we needed," John B smirked. "Let's go treasure-hunting."
By the time they pulled up at the restaurant, it was already beginning to get dark. They had to drop Brie off for a shift, and then Kiara suggested that they all go in and that she would try to bag them some free food. Brie, however, was weirdly arguing the idea.
"I just think it would be easier if you guys got the food and then headed back to John B's," she shrugged, "You know, eat it somewhere more comfortable."
JJ narrowed his eyes at her, his suspicions only growing. She was being weird. Really weird. She was definitely hiding something.
"Look, Brie," John B said softly as he turned to her. He reached over the seats and patted her hand comfortingly. "If you're scared about working again after what happened last time, then maybe it would make you feel better if we stayed and ate here? We could watch out for you."
Brie shifted uncomfortably and chewed her lip. "Its not...That's not it."
JJ frowned, watching her closely as she played with her hands nervously. Then what was it?
"Okay, you're acting weird," Kiara said, "Just tell us what's wrong."
Brie glanced up at him, their eyes connecting for a second before she them back on the floor. JJ couldnt help but stare at her, beginning to worry. What was going on with her?
"I don't have a shift tonight," she said, quietly, "I have a date."
JJ felt his heart snap, disappointment dragging his shoulders down. So now he knew why she was being so weird about them being there. She was hiding this from him.
"You, uh," he cleared his throat, trying to act subtle, "You got a date? Like a date date?"
He caught Pope and John B share a look out of the corner of his eye, but JJ ignored it. Brie nodded, cautiously.
"A date with who?" Kiara asked, sitting up straighter with interest, "And why wouldn't you tell us?"
"Someone who came in the night the squaregroupers attacked me," she said timidly, "I just...I felt like it would be weird to bring it up."
JJ knew the real reason why she didn't say anything. Because she knew that it would make things awkward between them again. And she was right. It had.
JJ tried to keep a lid on his jealousy, but he just couldn't help but feel the rage bubbling under the surface. Mostly directed at himself. The night Brie was attacked by the squaregroupers was the same night that they had argued. He'd practically driven her into the arms of someone else.
"And what's the lucky gentleman's name?" JJ asked, unable to hide the nasty tone of his sarcasm.
Brie sensed it, because she visibly shrunk down in her seat and began to fidget guiltily. He didn't take his eyes off her, intent on making sure that she knew that he wasn't going to le this go.
"Danny," she practically whispered.
"And where is Danny taking you?" JJ continued, anger rising again. "The woods so he can murder you? His basement, maybe?"
Brie glared at him, but he could see that she was hurt by his comments. This is exactly what he knew that she didnt want to happen.
"JJ," Kiara snapped. "Cool it!"
"No, I'm just saying," he defended, becoming more and more jealous as he went on, "She doesnt know this guy, right? So who knows what he plans to get out of tonight? Did you think about that, Brie? No, of course you didn't."
Brie opened her mouth to reply, but she decided against it and settled on picking at her fingernails, nervously. Kiara glared at JJ, putting a comforting hand on Brie's back. JJ clenched his jaw, keeping his expression stoic.
"Stop freaking her out, man," John B frowned as he cut the engine. "Let her go and have a good time. She's earned it."
Brie gave him a small smile of gratitude and opened the van door, climbing out. He almost felt bad when he saw how nervous she was, but that didn't last for long.
JJ huffed and followed after her, making Kiara, Pope and John B shout after him. He heard more slamming of doors as the others came up behind them.
He didn't want to scare her after, especially after her run in with the squaregroupers, but he was just so annoyed. There was something between the two of them, she knew that, so did he, and yet she was still going on dates with other people.
He knew that if it was the other way around, Brie would be acting exactly as he was doing now. That was why they worked so well together. They were both just as hot-headed as each other.
"Come on," JJ shouted back to the others, loud enough for Brie to take notice. She stopped in her tracks, turning around to give him a hard stare. "We can still go in and get some food, see if this Danny guy is a psychopath or not."
Brie stormed up to him, stopping with her face just inches away from his'. He held her stare easily, feeling the burning heat of anger radiating between them. She wasn't going to back down from his taunts. He didn't think that he ever expected her to.
"You're being fucking ridiculous," Brie snapped, nostrils flaring. "You're acting like a child."
"Oh, really?" JJ challenged, stepping close to her.
"Yes, really," she spat, "Just leave me the fuck alone. Stay out of my business. Got it?"
JJ clenched his jaw furiously, knowing what she was doing. She was using his own words against him. Maybe he deserved that one, but he didn't give a shit about that right now.
"Well, dont come crying to me when he treats you like shit," JJ told her, his tone slightly calmer.
"Don't bet on it," Brie sneered.
She stormed away from him and into the restaurant, the sound of the bell above the door lingering in the air ominously.
"What the fuck, JJ?" Kiara demanded as she came up behind him. "What is your deal with Brie?"
He ignored her. He didn't want to deal with any crude comments right now; he was in too much of a blind rage.
"Come on," JJ said, taking off towards the entrance to the restaurant. "Let's just see if your dad will give us any food."
In reality, he just wanted to see Brie's 'date'. Danny. Even the thought of her with someone else made his blood boil. So he wasn't prepared for what he saw when he walked in.
Brie hugged a tall boy with dark hair, kissing his cheek lightly. JJ found himself clenching his fists at his side at the sight. The boy smiled and lowered his hand from her back to her waist. JJ growled lowly under his breath.
"Hey," John B said, "Isn't that the same Danny that hangs out with Rafe Cameron sometimes?
JJ slowly began to recognise him. It was definitely the same Danny. Not only was Brie on a date with another guy, but that guy was a Kook and friends with Rafe fucking Cameron. JJ didn't think that he could hold himself back from ripping his head off.
"Brie's on a date with a Kook?" Pope muttered, "That's not good. I mean, if Danny knows Rafe, then he probably knows Topper. Not the nicest of guys to hang around with, especially when one of them tried to drown you."
Topper. JJ fumed at the mention of his name. He still couldnt believe that they hadn't murdered him yet. He almost killed Brie for gods sake. JJ swore that if he was ever able to get his hands on him...
JJ, Pope and John B stood by the door, all watching Brie and Danny, whilst they waited for Kiara to talk to her dad. Danny glanced over at them, making Pope and John B quickly advert their eyes. JJ didn't; he stared straight back.
"Dude," John B hissed, "You gotta stop staring."
"Really?" JJ sneered, "Then how about we go over and say hi?"
"JJ, dont!" Pope begged, but he was already striding over absolutely determined on embarrassing this Danny kid as much as he possibly could.
Brie spun around in shock as he approached, looking up at him with fear in her eyes. She instinctively stepped in between him and Danny, clearly begging him not to start anything.
"You must be Danny," JJ taunted sarcastically, "I've heard so much about you."
He expected Danny to back down a little, but he just straightened up and looked him dead in the eyes. JJ's confidence faltered slightly, but he quickly covered it back up.
"Funny," Danny said, "I've heard absolutely nothing about you. Who are you again?"
Brie let out a shaky breath, already anticipating what was going to happen. JJ fumed, knowing damn well that he would be throwing punches at this guy within the next two minutes.
"Is he for real?" JJ asked her.
Brie gave him a pleading look, putting a hand against his chest. That usually calmed him down, but he didn't think that anything would be able to calm him down right now.
The look she gave him almost made him want to back down. Her eyes were filled with despair, and he hated that he had made her feel like this.
But she brought this on herself. She shouldn't have tried to go on a date with a Kook behind his back. And now she was doing it in front of his face. He didnt know which was worse.
"Come on, Brie," Danny smirked in victory, "Let's get out of here, yeah?"
Brie nodded and Danny quickly grabbed her hand, pulling her into him. JJ clenched his jaw. He did that to be possessive, and it made JJ see red. Brie wasn't someone to be claimed! And even if she was...he wanted her to be his'.
"Where are we going?" Brie hushed quietly.
"Don't worry about it, sweetheart," Danny gave a sickening smile, "You'll love it."
The way he said it made JJ want to snap his neck right on the spot. It was as if he said it because knew how much it would piss him off.
Danny led Brie over to the door, practically dragging her by her hand. She glanced back over her shoulder one last time as he pulled open the door, and then they were gone.
JJ sighed and squeezed his fists in frustration. Part of him wanted to go and find a random girl and sleep with her, just to piss Brie off, but the thought of being with anyone but her right now made his stomach turn.
John B and Pope still hovered behind him, not quite knowing what to do. The didnt bother approaching him. Probably for the best; JJ was sure that he would manage to strike up some sort of fight with the amount of anger coursing through his veins.
"Sit down," Kiara snapped at them as she came over, bringing JJ away from his thoughts. "My dad is getting some food sent over."
They all pulled up a seat and sat for a while in an uncomfortable silence. They could all feel the tense atmosphere that followed Brie and JJ's argument. JJ kept his head down and frowned in thought, unable to stop his thoughts bombarding him.
He couldnt believe that she would go off with some Kook, especially after a Kook almost killed her a couple of days ago.
JJ also didn't trust Danny. The way he had been so smug and possessive made his skin crawl. Kooks were assholes; always had been and always would be. JJ had warned her not to complain when the inevitable happened. He kind of hoped that it would, so that he could be proved right.
His bet was that he was a rude, self-obsessed snob and that she would have a crappy night. As horrible as it might make him, he hoped that she hated tonight and never thought about going on a date with anyone ever again.
Well, anyone except him maybe.
When the food arrived, JJ barely even looked up. He shoveled a few fries into his mouth and chewed them slowly.
The others had began to chatter quietly, not making any effort to involve him. They didnt want to worsen his mood or have to deal with the backlash. He understood that.
They talked about the Royal Merchant and how they were going to find the gold, each of them discussing excitedly how they would spend their share.
Kiara suddenly got up and began dancing to the music that was playing from the radio. She smiled and beckoned John B and Pope over. They gladly joined her, all of them swaying in time to the beat.
JJ just watched miserably, thinking about how Brie would dance if she was here. She was always so happy and carefree, lightening everyone's mood instantly. He thought about how he would dance with her and how she would laugh, grabbing his hands and leading him to the music.
His chest ached. He prayed that she suddenly changed her mind and came running back to him so that he could hold her in his arms and dance with her.
He glanced at the door. No such luck.