𝗺𝗶𝗱𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 || 𝗺𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗸

- wheat in the water -

"He got arrested, Bird." She says quietly, chewing at her lip.

He internally face palms, hating himself for not being there with her. He looked over at Pope who was stressing out in the corner of his room, before sitting down with his little sister.

"It'll be fine. He's JJ, he'll always be fine." He says, wrapping his arm around his sister.

"I thought you were fucking dead.." She says sadly, laying her head on her brothers shoulder.

"Don't disappear like that again." She says firmly.

"I won't- I'm sorry Emi." He says, playing with her hair.

////////////////////////////

"You two sure you wanted me to take y'all to school?" The man in the front of the truck the two Routledges were sat in asked.

"Uh, yeah. This is it." John B laughs, hopping out the back, attempting to give his little sister a hand who just playfully rolls her eyes at him and jumps out.

She wasn't going to be babied. Not anymore.

"Whatever you say..." The man sighs, looking at the two. Melia shrugging a backpack onto her shoulder.

"Thanks, homie." JB dabs him up, grinning as the two walk into the school. Melia runs her non-burnt hand through her blonde curly locks.

"Who even was that?" She asks, furrowing her eyebrows. Her hand now resting on the strap of her backpack.

"Oh, just some guy, y'know?" John B smiles mischievously at her.

Was the guy a drug dealer? Probably.
Did Melia give two fucks? Nah.

After strolling through the school, they find their way to the desired class. John B slowly opening the door and peeking in.

"Hell has frozen over.." The man by the window muttered, looking at the brunette boy in disbelief.

"I guess it has, uh... I couldn't stop thinking about your class, Mr. Sunn." John B says, signalling for his sister to follow him in. She smiles awkwardly at the man, he's never taught her but he's caught her bunking and smoking multiple times.

"You two must need money." The man sighs, glancing between the two routledges.

"How much could you spare?" Melia asks, winking at the man. JB slaps her on the arm, stifling a laugh.

"Sorry, she's just kidding." He says, biting his lip to try contain his laugh.

The two of them walk closer to the man, Melia shrugging her backpack off and onto a desk, which she hops up and sits on.

"Actually, we were going through some of our father's stuff, and, we found... this letter?" John B explains.

Melia shifts and pulls it out the back pocket of her dirty cargo's, passing the piece of paper over to her brother.

"I think it's from a local landowner." She shrugs.

"We were wondering if you could translate it. Uhm, it's in Gullah, and I remember that from our local history unit." John B says, leaning onto the counter Mr. Sunn was sat behind.