✧*̥˚ITS ALWAYS YOU! *̥˚✧ J.M 2

062

CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
all for nothing at all.

WITH THE MUSIC BLARING loudly in the background, Pope's foot staying planted on the gas as he sped.

Aria gripped the dashboard as the car flew down the road, her eyes wide as she turned to the boy beside her, "Slow down, Pope."

"Pope, last to judge, but I think you should slow down a little." JJ commented from the back seat, digging the heels of his feet into the flooring of the truck.

Pope glanced at the boy, completely taking his eyes off the road, "That would definitely delay our arrival to the cross. We gotta get there."

"Why did we let him drive again?" Aria cocked a brow, flickering her eyes to the smushed group in the backseat.

"I said I'd rip your ears off." Pope chuckled to himself, barely keeping the wheel straight as the tires swerved back and forth to each lane, "I was joking about that, by the way."

Aria nodded, clicking her tongue as she stared out of the windshield of her deceased fathers truck, "That's a really funny joke."

"Hey, how ya feeling, buddy? How ya doing?" John B scooted to the edge of his seat, holding the sides of the drivers seat.

"Uh, fantastic. I don't know what JJ's cousin gave me, but I am moving!" Pope belted excitedly.

Aria cringed as the passing trees were flying past them, the speed monitor ticking up to the hundreds, "Okay, well, um, you're going really fast right now."

"Yeah, really fast!" JJ added.

"I don't know if you noticed, but there's these giant oak trees all along the road. They're like six inches off the road." Aria estimated, attempting to alert the boys of his surroundings.

Pope hummed, the car in front of him seeming to be driving to slow for his liking, with his foot still smushed against the gas, he zipped the wheel to the right.

"Whoa, whoa! You don't need to pass." The group yelled out in sync, the tires screeching loudly against the street.

"What an asshole, right?" Pope scoffed, glancing back at the startled friends.

Arias heart thumped in her chest, her head turning in the boys direction, "We're not gonna get to the cross if we're dead, Pope!"

"We're not gonna die. It's our divine right to get that cross." Pope flickered his eyes to the dark haired girl, completely zoning out as he focused on her.

"Pope! Look at the road!" Kie yelled loudly.

This made him snap his head over towards the road, the tailgate of the truck bouncing off an oak tree, the friends screaming frantically in the back as Pope attempted to regain control.

"Pope!"

The car slammed into another tree, the glass windows shattering as they held their hands over their heads, the airbags puffing out.

"Is everyone okay?" John B coughed, slowly lifting his head.

"I think so." Sarah replied weakly, her hands still placed on her head as her body had still been reacting.

JJ groaned as he ached in every spot, "never better."

Aria wrapped her hand around the door handle, throwing it open as she stumbled out, her eyes widened as she looked at the truck she'd taken, "My dad's truck! No!"

"Ari, one word. Totaled." JJ placed a hand on her shoulder as she groaned in annoyance.

"My moms gonna kill me for real this time." Aria panted.

JJ shined his flashlight over the windshield, every crack visible, surprisingly not completely shattered, "yeah, well, wasn't she already gonna do that anyway?"

"Okay. Helpful. Thank you." She shrugged his hand off her shoulder, rolling her eyes at the sarcastic boy beside her.

"We're gonna have to walk the rest of the way." Pope confined in himself, barely recognizing the hole he'd just dug for the group, especially the Campbell girl.

Sarah turned to him, glaring at him harshly as she felt for her best friend, "dude."

"I'm going to get my cross." Pope barked, pushing past John B as he stood in the way.

"Hey, just relax for a second." JB gripped his arms, attempting to calm down the impatient boy.

Pope had his mind set, and there was no stopping him now, "get off me."

"No. I'm trying to help."

The two boys continued to bicker on the side of the road, Pope stumbling down the road, holding his aching arm, constantly shrugging off his friends weight.

A large truck in the distance caught their eyes, John B forcefully shoving Pope slightly down the hill to avoid the boy getting run over.

He locked eyes with the man sat in the passenger seat, his heart immediately dropping to his ass as he recognized Renfiled, him saluting the boy tauntingly as Rafe smirked.

The teens just stared completely dumbfounded as they watched the truck drive off into the distance, without thinking they all ran back to the church, praying to see the cross lying on the floor.

Pope slowly walked into the church, heading towards the alter as the pillows were scattered around, no sign of Denmark's beloved cross.

"It's gone." Aria mumbled, her eyes scanning over the rundown building.

JJ grunted, kicking the blue cushion across the room in agony, "damn it! I knew I didn't hide it well enough."

The group stood there, whispering to themselves as they attempted to think of anyway possible solution, each one having a dead end.

Pope stood at the alter, looking up with glistening eyes, completely silent in thought.

"All right, here's what we're gonna do. We'll grab some kerosene tanks from the Chat, then we...we go to my dad's shop and grab some dynamite. And then we drive down to Charleston and show this lady who she's messing with!" JJ suggested, glancing between all of the friends.

Aria shook her head as she stood by the doors, "that's not gonna help, JJ."

"Well, what is, Aria?" JJ spat back, shouting daggers at his ex-girlfriend.

"I'm thinking, okay?" John B blurted, "we can't just blow shit up, JJ."

The blonde turned to look at the boy in the distance, forming his lips into a flat line, sorrow filling his face, "Pope, I'm sorry."

authors note

hi baes! getting close to the ending. a warning
that these last few chapters are gonna be immense
tear jerkers.