Tidal Wave. | obx szn 1

Dead Calm.

TW: ADDICTION & SUICIDAL THOUGHTS MENTIONED.

IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW MAY BE STRUGGLING, PLEASE REACH OUT. HELP IS AVAILBLE. ADDICTION IS REAL. SUICIDE IS REAL. YOUR STORY IS VALID.

www.pleaselive.org/hotlines/

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"You guys are being painfully quiet." John B laughs.

Pope forces a chuckle. Aurora leans her head against the nearly broken window and closes her eyes. She hates lying—especially to her friends. She tries to remind herself that she's not lying. She's just... withholding the truth, right?

They pick up JJ, Kie, then Sarah. The whole team is necessary for this plan to work out. JJ is the most important, of course. He's the one who negotiates with the pawn shop owner.

"I still don't get why I'm the one doing this." JJ says as he climbs out of the Twinkie.

"You're the best liar." Aurora says.

"She's right." John B agrees.

The pogues stand outside the pawn shop. "This place looks shitty as hell. You really think we can trust 'em?" Kiara asks.

"You can't trust anyone around here." JJ answers. He leads the way into the shop, and the rest of the pogues follow.

While walking into the pawn shop, Aurora immediately notices the vinyls in the back corner. She practically runs to them. Pope smiles and follows her. John B and Sarah pretend to be incredibly interested in the postcards, while watching JJ's every move. Kiara tries on sunglasses.

"Ma'am, this is real gold!" JJ argues. He makes an emphasis on the word 'real'.

The old woman holds the partly melted gold bar in her hand. "Why is it melted like this then?" She asks.

The truth is, John B had let JJ convince him that they could melt the gold down so the wheat symbol would disappear from it.

"It's my mother's jewelry. She passed recently, and," JJ takes off his baseball cap, "my father and I are very poor. We need the money."

The woman doesn't believe one word of JJ's fake sob-story. She runs all sorts of tests on the gold, which proves its real. She takes the gold into the back room. She must be asking her boss about it.

"Alright, so, I can't give you the amount of money you're looking for, but, there's a warehouse that has the money. I can give you the address and send you out there." The woman explains as she comes back.

"Perfect!" JJ exclaims.

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Aurora listens to the other pogues debate whether this is legit or not. She wouldn't know. She's only been on certain parts of the island. JJ knows the obx like the back of his hand, but even he seems confused.

"I seriously don't think there's a warehouse out here." Pope says matter-of-factly.

Aurora gets a horrible feeling about this. The woman didn't seem too sure on what she was talking about.

Police sirens whoop behind them.

"JB, cops." Aurora says.

John B sighs. He pulls over and reaches into his pocket for his driver's license.

The officer walks up to the Twinkie window.