On Top//Topper Thornton

twenty five

We wait until it gets light out to head to the sewer runoff to find the gun.

"This is the north drain. It should have gotten washed into the gulley," JJ tells us. "So if it got flushed out from this drain it would've been pushed out to, like..." JJ gestures around him to a whole lot of garbage on the water.

"Somewhere in this trash," Pope states.

"Correct," JJ tells him.

Kie sighs. "Oh my god. People who use plastic should be shot."

Topper, Pope, and JJ start to wade through the garbage as Kie and I watch. The three of them can handle it. No need for me to get all covered in who knows what.

"Okay personally, I love plastic. Use it every day. Love the stuff," JJ tells her.

"Yeah well hopefully you recycle it and don't let it flush into the ocean," Kie states.

"I thought you'd say something like that so..." Pope holds up black garbage bags. "Garbage bags."

"Did you just proactively protect the environment?" Kie asks with a smile.

"Maybe," Pope tells her.

"We can give you two some privacy if you'd like to be alone or whatever," I tease.

Pope tosses the garbage bags at JJ. "Just pick up the trash."

The boys dig through the trash but they can't find the gun.

"Well that was fun," JJ remarks.

"If it's not in the trash then it's gotta be in the storm drain," Pope reasons.

"It's in... it's in the drain," JJ says.

"Damn it," Pope says.

"Of course it is," Kie remarks.

"Good thing I brought the crow," JJ says.

"So, are we gonna do like rock paper scissors?" Kie asks.

"No," JJ states.

"Or alphabetically?" I offer.

"Nah," JJ tells me. "On three, Pope. One, two, three."

JJ and Topper pry the grate off the end of the drainage pipe.

"Or like oldest goes?" Kie asks.

"In the swerve, there's this worm that you get when you're down there," JJ says. "It gets into your blood, and then it has to come out your pecker. So uh... that would be a hard pass for me."

"That's gonna be a no for me," Pope agrees.

Topper shakes his head. "Yeah. I'm not going in there."

I look at Kie before sighing. "Why not crawl through a sewer? I climbed into that crypt in the graveyard." I shrug my shoulders. "No, I get it. I get it. You guys are scared."

"No. I'm not scared," JJ tells me.

"It's kind of cute," I tease.

"It's the pecker thing," Pope says.

"I'm not scared," Topper insists.

"You should have just led with that. You don't have to be sacred. I'll do it," I tell them.

"Just be careful, Ashlynn," Topper tells me.

"I'll be so careful," I tell him.

"I deserve that," Topper says.

I start to crawl into the drainage pipe.

"Just uh holler if you need anything," JJ tells me. "We'll uh... we'll holler back."