Lost

six | Scooter Grubs

"What are you guys doing?!" Pope mouthed to us, waving his arms around.
JJ let out a quiet laughed as John B put his finger up to his lips, telling them to shush.
All I couldn't focus on anything but JJs arm around my torso keeping me next to him. My heart rate was through the roof and i'm sure JJ could tell but he probably just thought it was because we almost got caught by the cops.
John B glanced back through the window, watching the cops do whatever they were doing. JJ followed his lead and made a face as he watched something happen on the inside.

I got curious and leaned over, peaking through the window. Shoupe was handing Deputy Plumb a stack of cash. Saying something about everybody needing to dip their beak or something. I don't know. I wasn't very good at reading lips.

I leaned away from the window. I was tempted to just rest my head against JJs chest and close my eyes until we could go back inside but I didn't. That would've been weird.
"What the fuck..." I heard JJ mutter as he leaned away from the window.
I was now mainly facing JJ so I made sure to look anywhere but his face. If I made eye contact with him I would fold immediately. No doubt.

"Do you believe—" The gun that JJ kept in his pocket suddenly fell out and bounced off of the platform we were standing on causing a loud bang.
I almost jumped off the platform with the gun it scared me so much but JJ rapped both his arms around me keeping me even closer to him. I threw everything that I was thinking of out the window and hid my face against his chest, squeezing my eyes shut.
I could feel JJ moving us closer to the edge, farther away from the window.

I heard the blinds go up and I froze—I was terrified. I could not go to jail. I would actually die. I would be disowned. Or I wouldn't be disowned and my mother would just ground me for the rest of my life and then scream at me about it every chance she got.

I kept my eyes squeezed shut until I could hear a slight muffle of Shoupes voice.
"Alright, let's go. No ones here"
I could feel JJs body relax. His muscles became less tense and he let out a sigh of relief.
We could hear the door slam shut as the police officers walked out of the room. John B shuffled his way over to the window and budged it back open.

I heard the shuffles and the slight groans from John B as he hopped through the window—back into the room.
Then I felt JJs hand on the back of my head, sliding down and playing with my hair for a moment. Butterflies shot through me.
"Alright, come on, Hales. You go first" JJ spoke to me softly.
I nodded my head as I slowly moved away from JJ and to the window.
John B had his arms out on the other side of the window ready to help me through it.

I put both of my hands on the sides of the window then swung one of the legs over the side of it. Then the other. Then I grabbed onto John Bs arms and he helped me back down into the room.
JJ then did the same just without John Bs help.
We checked to make sure the police had left then unlocked the door and walked out—locking it back up behind us.

Once we made it to the Pogue Pope and Kiara immediately had a million questions. I didn't really speak. All I could think about was JJ.
His touch and his voice.
Oh my god I was going crazy.

"Well, that was fun," JJ chuckled, "you could've warned us a little sooner"
"We would've, except, Pope was on the math team." Kie complained.
"You were on the math team?" JJ smirked.
"The cops took everything like it was a crime scene." John B stated randomly.
"Did you guys find anything?" Pope inquired.

"Did we find anything?" JJ repeated as he sat up. "No, I don't think so—Oh, yeah, we did" JJ pulled out a wad of cash from his pocket and the gun he was so happy about having.
"What the hell?!" Pope gasped as he immediately stood up.
"Dude, what?!" Kiara asked.
"Dude, chill. Come on" JJ said in a pathetic attempt at calming Pope down—who looked like he was on the verge of a hernia.
"Why would you take that from a crime scene?!"
"It's better than the cops having it, bro"
"Are you serious?" I heard Kie mutter to John B.

"I'm gonna lose my merit scholarship" Pope declared, throwing his arms up in the air.
"Hey, hey, hey. Sh, sh, sh, sh, sh" JJ hushed him like he was a scared dog—putting the gun up to Popes lips. "At least you have us, right?"
He rolled his eyes, pushing away from JJ. "I'm living the nightmare"

•~•~•

"Scooter?! Scooter?!" I heard a lady call out.
I looked over to see the woman that was at the Cameron's earlier that day.
She seemed frantic. Running towards some cop people.
That's when I saw it. The body.
"Scooter—oh, god!"
They stopped the gurney that the man was lying on and the woman ran over to him. She was sobbing.
She stared at the man on the gurney for a while, just brushing his face.

"Who's that?" John B asked the random blonde sitting next to us.
"It's Scooter Grubs, he was out during the storm," she explained. "Check out this pic I got"
The blondie showed her phone to John B—me and Kie leaned in to see the photo too.
It was the man's dead body before they got in on a gurney. Terrifying.
"Dead body..." The girl said with an accent. She showed the photo to JJ and Pope a moment later.

"What kind of boat did he have?" JJ suddenly asked.
"Somehow that dirtbag copped a brand new Grady-White" She replied, looking over at him. "Everyone's out looking for it."
I looked up to JJ narrowing my eyebrows, he was doing the same.
No way it was the same boat we found. No way.
I looked over at Scooters body, they were rolling him away on the Gurney over to the ambulance.
It was all freaking me out.

•~•~•

Pope rushed into the sunroom in a panic, flinging the door opened and letting it fall shut behind him. "Okay—so, um, we didn't see anything, we don't know anything." He walked over to the couch that Kie was sitting down on and sat down next to her. "We need to have total and complete amnesia."
"Actually," JJ spoke as he pointed at Pope. "Popes right—for once. See...I agree with you some," JJ stood up from the chair he was sitting in and started walking over to another spot in the room. "Deny, deny, deny."

"Guys we can't keep that money," Kiara said, breaking.
"okay...." JJ muttered, "Not all of can afford unlimited dates plans Kiara."
She shrugged, shaking her head, "We have to pass that money off to Lana Grubs or other wise it's bad karma"
I pointed at Kie, agreeing with her.
"Bad karma to be implicated in a felony too" Pope added. "We gotta go dark."

"If that means we get to keep the money, then I agree." JJ nodded, walking over and standing next to John B.
"I don't agree" John B spoke, patting JJ on the shoulder.
"What—why?" JJ asked.
John B started pacing as he spoke, "Just...think about it. This is Scooter Grubs we're talking about, right?"
I slowly nodded my head as John B started his rant about Scooter Grubs.
"Same dude who's buying individual cigarettes at the port hole. Shit—one time I saw this dude begging for change in the save a lot parking lot because he needed gas. We're talking about a dirtbag marina rat who's never had more than 40 bucks in his pocket and all of a sudden he's got a grady white?"
I looked over at Kie and she looked sorta concerned for John Bs well being.
John B shrugged, "i'm just saying."