𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 // 𝑱𝑱 𝑴𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒂𝒏𝒌 \\

Chapter Twenty Four

"Welcome to crackhead wasteland." Sarah whispered once JJ stopped the twinkie. "I don't know about this, man." Pope sighed. John B sat in the front with JJ, repeatedly hitting his head with his fist. John B knew this was stupid, but he also knew where they were. "Dude, why are we at Barry's?" John B asked JJ. "This'll only take a second." JJ said, getting out of the twinkie. "Where are you going?" John B called to JJ. Sarah opened the back door. She got out and moved so the other pogues could too.

"Yo soy justicia." JJ walked inside the house. "Did you glean anything from that?" Pope asked. "You know, somebody should probably-"

"Yeah, I got it." John B answered Kiara as he got out of the twinkie and followed JJ. The other pogues waited outside. "This is so fucking stupid. Barry knows who we are." Sarah groaned, her fingers running through her hair. "Dumbass." Kiara whispered under her breath. "He didn't kill one of us, and he didn't get the gold. There's no point to this." Valerie sat on the floor of the twinkie. "I know." Sarah whispered, nodding in agreement.

"Alright, so we're looking at five grand each for reparations of putting us through that bullshit." JJ said as he walked out, John B trailing behind. Valerie stood up and walked over to him with the rest of the pogues. "Sorry about that, y'all." JJ added. "So that's what we're doing now? We're robbing drug dealers?" Kiara looked at JJ with anger in her eyes.

"This Barry guy is gonna find out. And he's gonna come after us." Sarah said.

"Yes, he will. This is not the time to start wilin' out." Pope agreed. "Well, how do you guys like having a gun pulled on you?" JJ argued. "Relax, alright?" John B got in JJ's face.

"He had it right here on you, bro." JJ held his fingers close to John B's face. "Look. We gotta go get the gold, okay? Just give me that shit. We're putting it back." John B tried to grab the bag from JJ's hand. JJ pushed John B up against the side of the twinkie. "You feel like a tough guy? Huh?" John B looked at JJ, unfazed. He knew JJ wouldn't purposely do anything to hurt his friends. "What are you gonna do when he comes after us?" John B asked JJ.

"We punch in the throat." JJ responded. Kiara furrowed her brows, her lips were pressed together as her chin raised. She clearly disagreed. "Yeah, good fucking idea, JJ." John B said.

"I'm not putting it back." JJ grabbed the bag and walked into the back of the twinkie. He sat down, waiting for the rest of the pogues to sit down too. No one moved. "You guys getting in or what?" JJ shouted to them. Valerie didn't want to look JJ in the eyes, so she opted to look at the ground. JJ looked up to see no one moved. He breathed loudly and hopped out of the twinkie. "What?" JJ asked, his hands on his hips.

"We're sick of you're shit." John B replied. "Oh, my shit?" JJ scoffed. "Yeah." John B nodded. "Yes. Your 'pulling guns on people' shit." Kiara spoke up. "You acting like a freaking maniac." Pope said to him. JJ snapped. "Pope! I took the fall for you, man! You know how much money I owe because of you?"

"I'm gonna pay you back and I didn't even ask you to do that!"

"I just did! Pay it back. Right here, right now, by myself. You know what? That's exactly what I'm gonna do. Go alone. Go off by myself." JJ grabbed the bag and started to walk away. "JJ-" Valerie started to say, but John B put his hand on her shoulder. "Val..." John B gently pulled her back. "Just let him go." Kiara huffed. Pope slammed the top of the twinkie. "We should get out of here." John B whispered after a while. The pogues nodded, getting back in the twinkie and headed to the wreck. The pogues found a table in the back, sitting in silence.

"Look, he'll come around alright? He's doing a JJ thing." John B broke the silence. "You think he'll go back home?" Valerie asked quietly. She didn't even stand up for JJ. That was all she could think about. She just stood there. JJ did do a bad thing, but she was his girlfriend. Shouldn't that mean she should have defended him? Regardless the answer, that's all she could think about.