𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐃𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒, 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬

FIFTY-SEVEN| don't drive high

POPE sped through the streets to get back to Freedman's church.

For some reason, while leaving Ricky's, Pope had ended up in the drivers seat. Whether it be because he was so excited he needed to let his adrenaline out in the form of pressing the gas pedal, or the Pogues didn't want to tell the overly excited boy no, it had happened.

And here, Eden sat in the back of the truck, trying to figure out why? She's reminded of the time where Pope was forced to drive a wanted John B. away from public eye, recklessly hitting someone's bumper multiple times and driving straight through a mail box as the boy speeds down roads, trees and the night sky blurring together.

"Uh, Pope, " Sarah pipes up, cautiously—Eden wasn't the only one who noticed his constant increase in speed since they started driving. "You're driving pretty fast." 

The Heyward ignores her words, letting out an obnoxious whoop as he continues to speed. Adrenaline was the only thing running through his system, causing his mind to react as if he was on Cloud 9; an all time high, which he had yet to crash from. 

JJ voices his agreement from the back of the truck, "Pope, last to judge and all, but I think you should slow down just a little—"

"That would definitely delay our arrival to the cross." the Heyward spills in a single breath, JJ refraining from commenting again as he closed his mouth. "We gotta get there." 

"Why did we let him drive again?" Eden hums from the middle seat in the back, brows raised as she listened for an answer. "Given he's acting like he's drank a whole back of my RedBulls right now." 

Pope tilts his head towards Kiara—who sat passenger—informing casually, "Because I said I'd rip her ears off." 

Sarah repeats his words, "Because he said he'd rip our ears off." 

"You did say you would rip my ears off." Kiara confirms with a nod, lips thin.

Pope leans towards her to say, "I was joking about that, by the way."

"That's a really funny joke." the Carrera girl smiles with thin lips, no humor in her expression.  She grips onto the handle bar on the drivers seat cautiously. 

"Hey, how ya feeling, buddy?" John B. cooed from the back, "How ya doing?"

"Uh, fantastic." Pope scoffs, eyes darting between the road and his friends, not seeming to be caring too much about what lay ahead of him. "I don't know what JJ's cousin gave me but I am—" he moves his hand forward to mimic his words, "—moving!"

Kiara deadpans, "We couldn't tell."

"Let's focus on moving the car at a slower pace, and you can let out every single drop of energy when we get out of the car, 'kay?" Eden tries to use a soft and almost motherly tone on the boy, hoping it gets through to him. He could let out his adrenaline zoomies when he was on solid ground, not in a moving vehicle with five other teens. "I'll race you when we get to the church."

John B. used the same tone, as if he were speaking to a child, "Okay, well, um, you're going really fast right now—"

Pope reared his head back, a grin on his face, "Yeah, really fast!"

As he did so, the truck began to swerve back and forth, causing all of the teens to yell at him to put his hands on the wheel and eyes on the road. The truck swerves between the two lanes of the road before falling once more in the center, the Pogues sighing in relief as they steadied.