Catching Sunshine | JJ Maybank

5 // The Heist

"This is the north drain. It should've gotten washed into the gully."

I glanced over at JJ as he spoke; whatever verbal ass-whooping Kiara gave him last night must have done the trick because he had barely looked my way the entire afternoon. And in the spirit of taking Pope's advice, I had pretty much done the same. "So if it got flushed out from this drain, it would've been pushed out to, like-"

"Somewhere in this trash," Pope finished for him, gesturing around at our feet.

"Correct."

It was still sweltering outside despite the September breeze on the air and the stench of wet, rotting garbage was hard to miss. My nose crinkled the sight and smell. Kiara sighed, "Oh my god, people who use plastic should be shot."

"A tad over-dramatic," I acquiesced, "but I agree with the sentiment."

"Okay personally, I love plastic. Use it everyday. Love the stuff," JJ chimed in.

"Well hopefully you recycle it and don't let it flush into the ocean."

I smiled as JJ clicked his tongue. "I thought you'd say something like that, so-" Pope interrupted, holding a roll of black bags, "-trash bags."

My brow quirked in thinly-veiled interest and I looked Kie's way. She simply smiled and avoided eye contact. "Did you just, proactively protect the environment?"

"Maybe."

It was like watching a fuse go off with those two; the match had been lit months ago and now I sat with bated breath as the flame inched closer and closer to the bomb. Inevitably, it would go off. Now if that would end up a good thing or a bad thing was anyone's guess but it mildly interesting nonetheless.

For a moment, it was just them exchanging some sort of silent conversation with gazes and flirty smiles before JJ cut in sarcastically, "You want me to leave you two alone or what's going on?"

The roll of trash bags went flying as Pope chucked them at his face while elbowing me in the side when I immediately started giggling. "Just pick up the trash," he ordered, fighting to keep his face passive.

An hour passed and while we were several-trash-bags-richer, the murder weapon had thus far remained stubbornly elusive. "Well that was fun," JJ groaned, tossing the last bag onto the bank with a grunt.

I wiped the perspiration gathering on my brow before placing my hands on my hips and letting my head fall backwards, praying to whoever might listen to let the sun dip behind some clouds if only for a little bit. "If it's not in the trash, the it's gotta be somewhere in the storm drain," Pope guessed, peering through the rusted bars that led into the sewage network.

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

My upper lip curled in reluctant disgust as Pope swore. "Of course it is," Kie deadpanned.

JJ reached around into his bag. "Good thing I brought the crow."

"So are we gonna do, like, rock paper scissors?" Kie asked. The boys dismissed her with a short, "No."

"Or alphabetically?"

"Nah."

Kie and I exchanged a look as they purposefully avoided her suggestions, muttering between themselves as they pried the grate loose. "Maybe oldest goes or..." I added, knowing damn well I was the one of the youngest.

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