JJ and a Routledge

Her Fish in the Ocean

"You sure he got everything?" Kiara asks John B. We were on the dock, JJ, John B, Kie, and I. We were all depressing over our gold loss. Pope was at his interview, which some people here seemed to be mad about. Personally, I don't blame him for wanting to get out of The Cut, others would dissagree. 

"Every bar." John B confirms, he was laying on the floor. "The whole enchilada." John B pulls on his cast, sliding it off. "Look, it's not like I expected a happy ending or some shit." John B throws his cast next to him. 

"John B-" Kiara begins, gesturing to the cast he cast aside. See what I did there? 

"What, Kie?" He doesn't even look up at her. "It's a hairline fracture. Who cares?" 

"You should care," I tell him. "Your arms gonna be messed up for life." He holds it up, to prove me wrong. Sometimes I just wanna punch him in the face. 

"It's fine. See?" I roll my eyes at my brother, which he does right back. 

"Guys!" I turn around to see Pope running down the dock. "Guys!" He says again as he slows to a stop. "Oh, oh, oh, God. I ran all the way here." He pants. 

"You all right?" John B glances at him. 

"How was the interview, Pope?" JJ asks him, a strong hint of annoyance tied into his words. 

"Don't ask." He grunts. "JB." He takes a couple more breaths. "Look, I'm sorry, dude. About everything." 

"It's fine." John B whispers, yeah it was not fine. 

"But-- But I don't have a lot of time, and-- and I have information that is tactically relevant." We all listen to him now. "So, before I had my interview, my dad said he was going down to the private airstrip to cut palms, for Cameron's plane. Because it was too heavy, it needed a longer landing strip to take off. So, I'm there sitting in my interview, thinking to myself, 'Hm. Why would Cameron need a longer airstrip to take off?'" Suddenly John B sits up. "'What could be so heavy to weigh it down?'" 

JJ turns toward us. "Gold." Suddenly, everyone's faces lit up, we have another chance. 

"That's right." John B agrees. 

"Exactly." Pope gasps. "Guys, this is our chance, but it leaves tonight, and we have to go." 

Kiara jumps up. "Guys, we can't give up now." 

"What's the plan, big man?" JJ asks JB. 

"We're gonna steal that shit back." John B smirks. We all exchange a glance of triumph before sprinting down the dock. Yeah, we don't really plan much, we're Pogues, why would we? 

"We go in there, guns a-blazin', make Ward Cameron beg for mercy," JJ tells us as we head to the private airstrip. "Abscound with as much gold as possible, and vamonos, we get the hell out of there."

"Send that shit right down the Intracoastal" John B smirks. 

"Wait for the weather." I pipe in. 

"Exit to Cuba." Pope finishes. 

"Cuba?" JJ chuckles. "No, man, Xcalak, Jewel of the Yucatan. Lobsters so thick, mangoes, and no word for money." We all smile at him, sounds like a plan. All we have to do is actually get ahold of the gold. 

"Let's do this shit," I smirk. 

We soon pull up to the fence, with the airstrip on the other side. Everyone jumps out quickly, rushing to it. "What's the plan?" Kiara asks. "Broad strokes." 

"I don't think we got that far." John B replies. We all look past the fence as Pope looks in his binoculars. As usually, we're dumb as fuck. 

"They're loading up the gold." He tells us. John B grabs the binoculars from him. Then a car pulls up next to the plane. 

"It's Ward," JB confirms. A second later, John B takes the binoculars away from his eyes. He looks angry, maybe shocked? 

"What?" I ask him, trying to squint at get a glimpse of why he got stiff all the sudden. 

"It's Sarah." He whispers. 

"She's with him?" Pope asks, shocked. 

John B looks back in the binoculars. "Wait a minute." He mutters. "He's hurting her." 

"What?" I say in disbelief. 

"What?" JJ says as well. 

"They're fighting." He tells us. "Holy shit." He mumbles, handing me the binoculars. As I'm watching, I notice the engine started. 

"Wait, so she- What?  I had no-" JJ fumbles over his words. 

I then notice John B backed away from the fence, he was back in the Twinkie. "Hey, what are you doing?" Pope asks him. 

"John B. Where are you going?" Kiara asks, suddenly he starts the engine. He starts moving forward as we run toward him. 

"John B!" I scream. "Don't be a ducking idiot!" 

"Don't be a hero, dude!" JJ yells, right before the Twinkie clashes with metal, somehow making me fall backward. JJ helps me up, and then we're after him. "What are you doing?" JJ yells as he sprints after JB, as if John B could hear him. 

"John B!" I cry out. 

"What are you doing, man?" JJ comes to a stop. 

We're all standing there, watching the scene unfold, until we hear sirens. 

"Guys, I can't get arrested," Pope tells us. I nod my head in agreement, there's nothing we can do. 

"I'm on probation," JJ adds. 

"Look, we're no good if we're all in jail." I agree. We turn back around, running off. 

I wasn't one hundred percent sure where we were, but I was sure that the gold was flying over our heads. "And there goes the gold." JJ grunts. "Shit!" He kicks an old chair. 

"Fuck!" Pope was the one really raging, throwing things against the wall. To add to Pope's rage, he found a baseball bat. We just watched him go off, in shock. 

"Pope!" Kiara finally calls out, all a sudden I feel super dizzy, I put my hand on JJ's chest. 

"You okay, Coral?" He grabs my shoulders, I couldn't keep my eyes open much longer, I knew I was in safe hands atleast. 

"I-- I--" Everything goes black. 

I figured out why I don't like sleeping. Every time I do I think of her. Or who she used to be. This time, I was 6. We were playing dolls in the apartment we owned at the time. We were playing family. "Mommy?" I asked her. 

"Yes, sweets?" She smiles. 

"Why don't we have a daddy?" I watched her smile fade. 

"Because we're fine just the two of us. Daddy is with your brother." She rubs my back. 

"Why aren't we with them?" I tilt my head. 

"Because it's too hot where they live." I laughed at that. "Listen, I love you Cor, and I always will. You will always be my special fish in the ocean." 

"Okay, mommy, I need you to cook the dinner for the dollies," I tell her. 

"All right Cor, I'm on it."