THE PRINCE'S QUEEN | J.MAYBANK

[18]

"What now? We just go up to the front door and ask, 'Hey, have you see John B?'" JJ asked with his nerves rising. The soft wind blew a few loose strands of his hair back, and he sighed.

"Look, he lives at Tannyhill now. It's plausible. Look, we can play dumb," Kiara added, her face contouring in her own worry.

"Play dumb?" JJ cringed.

"It's pretty late," Pope commented.

"Look, I've never seen John B like that. We should honestly be going to the cops," Kiara said, changing her tone to slight disapproval at our decision to park the HMS Pogue at Tannyhill's dock.

"The cops -- Yeah, and say what, Kie?" JJ barked. "We're worried about our friend because he's on a rampage because Ward Cameron killed Big John? Like, they're not gonna believe us!"

"Hey, I see Ward," Pope said, looking through a pair of binoculars.

"Let me see," Kiara snatched the binoculars from Pope's hands.

"Doesn't look dead to me. Let's go home," Pope raced over to the driver's seat.

"Wait."

"What?"

"Uh . . . . okay. Obviously, Mr. Cameron is fine, and even if John B was here, he isn't now, okay? Plus, I have the biggest, most important moment of my life in six hours," Pope argued; Kiara looked baffled.

"Yeah, well, our friend is in trouble."

"I'm in trouble. Guys, I haven't been home in three days. My dad's probably put all my shit on the street by now," Pope looked down, ashamed of himself. I adjusted awkwardly in my spot in the back of the boat.

"Okay, so that's it? In a time of need, you're just gonna bail? You're just gonna walk away?" Kiara raised her voice. 

JJ licked his lips and messed with his hat while saying, "okay, yo, guys, can we not do this right now?" The blonde boy took a seat next to me and kept his eyes on my solemn face.

"Hey, I have a scholarship interview in the morning. I can't --" 

"Okay, well, what about John B?"

"Why is it always about John B?" Pope groaned, his tone harsh. Kiara stepped back, and JJ sighed again.

"It's not always about John B. You're so stupid. It would be any of you in this situation."

"Oh, bullshit!"

"Guys --" JJ tried to cut in, looking away from me.

"This is about friendship."

"Bring it down," JJ's nerves spiked again at how loud they were being.

"Look, this is about Pogues for life," Kiara cried.

"What about forensic pathology, huh? It's my life. Everything I've worked for."

"That's your priority?"

"Stop the moral high ground bullshit!"

"Pope, come on," JJ begged, his face growing disgusted at his best friends' behavior.

"Pope's right," I spoke up, and everyone looked my way. Kiara's eyes filled with rage but she didn't look surprised. Pope and JJ were both extremely confused.

"Excuse me?" Kiara spat.

"Pope's right. We might as well just leave it be because there is no chance of winning this battle. Ward has hundreds of plans then more plans to back up those plans. It's no use. Nothing good will happen if we interfere. The only thing that will happen is we go down along with John B," I said, my voice an octave quieter than the others.