All That Glitters

The Whole Truth

The next morning, Pope brought JJ with him to work at Heyward's. Mostly to keep an eye on him. Kie came too because she didn't wanna leave them alone to do some more stupid shit.

JJ wore some bags under his eyes and a healing split lip. Most of Pope's injuries were easy to hide. So Heyward didn't ask any questions.

JJ kept fiddling with the finger his ring used to be on. It scared him to be without it. It was even worse since he knew he'd probably lost it for good. And he felt bad. All of Popes hard work. Gone. The remnants of his own grandpa's wedding ring. Gone. He hadn't even been able to protect Pope like he promised so that was eating away at him.

So, he took a deep breath, and a long drag of his vape to help him drown out the distant ache that now flooded his bones, and walked inside.

Pope looked in worse shape than he was.

"Don't let it get to your head, bro. It was three against the two of us. You couldn't have known Rafe was gonna pull some shit like that. Typical Kook shit right there."

Kie was behind the register. "Hell yeah."

"What was your thought process, using your head?" JJ continued.

"I don't know man. I just kinda acted off instinct. Alright? I was a cornered animal." Pope hung his head. "I wish I would've thought to do more."

"You did plenty, dude. I was there. So was Kie. She agrees. Right?"

"I mean, you probably could've easily flipped Topper off of you if you'd just gotten on the ground and used his body weight. But other than that yeah. We got JJ out in time. That's all that really matters in the end, yeah?"

"So touching." JJ held his hand over his heart and mimicked a falling tear. "Yo, have any of you heard from John B?"

They didn't get a chance to answer.

"Hey, Pope, someone here to see you." Heyward called from the other side of the store. Pope's head shot up and JJ stiffened. Shoupe strutted out from behind Heyward.

"Evening, officer." Pope cleared his throat.

"I have an arrest warrant for felony destruction of property." Shoupe stepped towards Pope. Pope turned to look at JJ who mouthed for him to not do anything stupid. "Keep your hands where I can see them."

"Hey, hey! Shoupe what'd he do?" Heyward shouted.

"Read the warrant, Heyward." Shoupe got behind Pope and began cuffing him.

Kie stepped forward. "You're arresting him?"

"You're just arresting my boy?"

JJ took a deep breath. Fanning his fingers around his heart. He could feel it bubbling up inside again when he saw Shoupe take Pope's hands and start pushing him out. Kie glanced over to plead with him. But she saw him hunched over fighting for air.

"Be careful!" She shouted before whispering into JJ's ear. "Hey, breathe. JJ, breathe. He's fine. Shoupe's not gonna hurt him."

"Kie?" JJ peered up at her. "Shut up." He took some more deep breaths and followed Shoupe and Pope out of Heyward's. "How much did they pay you, Shoupe?" He called out.

Pope's eyes were distant. He'd already gone through this scenario a million times in his head. That didn't make it easier.

JJ shoved the other officer that Shoupe came in with when he tried to separate him from Pope's line of vision. Kie pulled him by his shirt to her. She held her hand on his racing heart. "JJ, we're gonna help him, right?"

"Yeah. Yeah we are." He stepped forward. "It wasn't him!" He shouted. His voice sounded so distant to him.

"JJ! What are you doing?" Kie said.

"It was me, Shoupe!" JJ walked forward. Inhaling enough air to put his heart at ease. "He tried to talk me out of it, but I was mad cause he'd just gotten beaten up. I was so sick of those assholes from Figure Eight that I lost my shit." He looked Pope right in the eye. "I can't let you take the blame for somethin' I did. You've got too much to lose."

"JJ, what are you doing?" Pope's eyes scanned his.

"I'm telling the truth. For once in my goddamn life, I'm gonna tell the truth." JJ smirked. "I took his old man's boat, too."

Heyward clenched his fists. "What the hell?"

"JJ, come on." Pope urged him. Begging him with his eyes.

"Just shut up, Pope!" But JJ had made up his mind already. "Just shut up." He focused back on Shoupe. "He's a good kid. You know where I'm from."

"Yeah."

"This was all me."

"That's the whole truth?" Shoupe asked Pope.

"Whole truth. Swear to god." JJ jumped in.

"I know what you think. I was asking Pope."

Pope stood for a second. He watched JJ's jaw clench and his eyes begin to water. Do it. Say it. Let me take it. Pope drew in a breath and spoke against his wishes. "Yeah that about covers it." Pope bit his lip as JJ's curled into a smile.

Kie stood in the background with her mouth covered. She wanted to scream that that wasn't what she meant by helping Pope. She wanted to smack JJ for thinking that was okay.

When she caught a glimpse of him in the back of the cruiser, all she wanted to do was give him a hug. Tell him that he was a dumb idiot to take the fall like that. Instead she watched him ride away. In her heart she hoped he would be okay.

Pope smacked his hat down furiously as the cruiser pulled further and further away. "Damn it!"

Heyward called after him wondering what the hell just happened.