restricted ~ JJ Maybank

1.41

John B stopped the van in front a local pawn shop, hoping JJ and I could pull of a lie that good that we could get enough money for the gold.

I suddenly got very nervous when the door slid open and JJ held his hand out. I grabbed it with a sigh, scared to screw shit up.

"Hell of a job melting it down, Dr. Frankenstein." JJ told Kie who climbed out of the van behind us.

"Like you could've done any better." Kie argued, putting her hands on her hips.

"I could have done much better, I took a welding class." JJ confidently said, while we all knew it wasn't true.

"When?!" Kie asked, getting annoyed with the blonde.

"Whoa, whoa. Hey." John B said, stepping forwards and pushing the two apart. "Chill out, okay?"

"Easy for you to say. You're not the one that has to pawn this piece of shit off." JJ whined, holding up the gold.

I pushed his hand down, knowing waving around a block of gold might not be the best idea. "Lucky for you, you don't have to do it alone."

"How did we get this job anyway?" JJ complained as he pulled his backpack over his shoulder.

"Cause you're the best liars." Pope commented as we walked in. The place was stacked with junk, some seemed to have some value, but most of it looked like it had been there for a while.

The place smelled exactly like a hot summer day, the air was hot and thick, making it impossible not to sweat.

"Afternoon, ma'am." JJ's voice broke me out of my thought, taking me back to the lie. JJ was supposed to be my brother and we were pawning off melted down jewelry.

"Afternoon." The woman behind the counter said, though she looked rather sceptical.

"Me and my sister here see you buy gold." JJ said, nodding his head briefly towards me. Sister? All right...

"That's what the sign say, don't it?" The woman nonchalantly said, making me roll my eyes as I grabbed the gold from JJ's hands.

"Good, cause that's what we got." I said, sliding the piece of gold across the counter.

"I sure hope you buy a lot of it." JJ said, proudly smiling at the woman, who raised her eyebrows at the chunk of gold. "How about them gold apples?"

"That ain't real." The woman started laughing like we were stupid, and in her eyes, we most certainly look like it.

"That ain't real?" JJ said.

"You sure?" I added, crossing my arms over my chest as I cocked my head to the side.

"It can't be." The woman continued laughing.

"Feel how heavy it is." JJ suggested. The woman picked up the gold, visibly struggling since she didn't expect the weight. "Let's get some light on that."

The woman did exactly that, but she still looked sceptical. "Spray painted tungsten." The woman said. I shook my hand, putting my hand on the counter.

"Spray painted tungsten?" JJ repeated. "Really? Okay. Why don't you see how, uh, soft it is?" He suggested.

"You mind?" The woman asked when she grabbed a hammer.

"No, go for it!" JJ granted.

She hit the block of gold a few times, noticing the small dent it made in the gold.

"Would you look at that?" JJ smiled.

"Hold your horses." The woman said. "We ain't got to the acid test yet."