One Stupid Thing

2:3:49

The four of us managed to hitch a ride on a ferry, one that transports cars, across the way to Charleston. Pope parked between a pair of junkers. The employees on the ferry were skeptical at first, but they turned a blind eye. They don't get paid enough to worry about four teenagers.

"My parents are so paranoid of me being a Pogue, like it's the worst thing that could ever happen," Kiara says. She sits herself down on the side of the truck bed.

"Hey, I hear they got good weed at boarding school, though," JJ tells her. I look up at him from my seat inside the truck bed and shake my head. From on top of the roof of the truck, he rolls a joint.

"I'm not going to boarding school," Kiara snaps. "They're going to have to kidnap me, tie me up, and throw me in a van."

"Well, I say..." JJ pauses to inhale. "...we just crumble some herb right now." He hands Kiara the weed and she reluctantly takes it. Then, he sits down in the bed of the truck next to me and rests an arm on the ledge behind me.

"Hey, Kie, have you tried to hit John B back on that number yet?" Pope asks her. He leans over the side of the truck and fiddles with the letter in his hands.

"Like, twenty million times."

"That'a quite a few times," JJ chuckles.

"I've tried too," I say.

"Some random lady at a hotel keeps answering," Kiara tells them and I nod.

"Well, until we hear from them again, we gotta try and clear his name. And right now, this letter's our best bet," Pope points out.

"Right. Stay on task. That's why I love you, Pope." JJ clears his throat and adjusts his hat. Kiara stands up and holds the joint in front of Pope.

"What Pope are you gonna be today?"

Pope contemplates it for a second, but pulls away. "I'm good. I'm gonna try to focus."

"Good Pope. Boring Pope," Kiara concludes before taking a seat on the other side of JJ.

"I'll take that," JJ says excitedly, grabbing the air with his hands and taking the joint from Kie. "Um, do tricks now! Roll over, boy!"

"Sit," Kie laughs.

"Sit."

"Try to catch a fish. Catch a fish."

JJ barks and makes the joint "prance" around in the air right in front of my face. I laugh and push it away.

The ferry's horn blares out as the port grows closer. It parks and we hop back into Heyward's truck. I use the letter to enter the address to Limbrey's office into my phone and we follow it through the beautiful city of Charleston.

"Guys, I've read this thing like a thousand times. It makes no sense," Kie states, rubbing her temple and looking down at the letter. "I mean the Limbrey's own, like, half of Charleston. What do the Kook kings of Charleston know about a murder on Kildare Island?"

"I'm stumped," I shrug.

"Why you specifically? That's the other creepy thing. You know?" JJ points out, looking over at Pope.

"'Please come alone.' That's hella sus," Kie reads.

"I was thinking the same thing. I think it's because..." Pope trails off, hearing a strange noise coming from his dad's truck. Suddenly, smoke billows from under the front hood. "Oh, come on!" Pope exclaims.

"What's that? Pull over. That's a lot of smoke, even for your dad's truck," Kie says. JJ erupts into a coughing fit.

"Pope, I got sensitive lungs, man!" he complains.