𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞 - JJ Maybank

Chapter 91: Zero

"I said it. I said it again and again. I said don't touch the last of our nugget. That was it," Pope scolded.

The Pogues had driven home in a thick silence and now that they'd arrived the elephant in the room had to be addressed.

They stood around the lawn, staring at their feet, glaring at one another, or in Pope's case, ranting.

"That was the last of our savings! Do you not care?" Pope continued, staring pointedly at JJ who was leaned over his bike.

JJ spun around. "Pope, you saw what happened, man! He stole it. Okay? He cheated and he stole it. That's not my fault Pope!"

The two teens were stood toe to toe with one another, the rest of the Pogues watching as they argued.

"Do you know how selfish you sound?" Pope shouted.

"I sound selfish?" JJ scoffed, "I was trying to help us!"

Grace looked over to see Sarah shaking her head in exasperation.

"You helped us," Pope mocked, "You just cost us everything! Thank you."

JJ leaned back over his bike, tired of the shouting.

"JJ, why are you making it sound like you had nothing to do with it?" Kie asked, annoyance thick in her tone.

JJ bit his lip roughly, still crouched over his bike.

"It was your choice to bet it all, J," Grace added.

"Okay, Gracie," JJ finally looked up at her, "You know me. Okay? I was gonna bet it all. That's who I am."

Grace shook her head in disbelief, but didn't comment further.

"And what were you doing?" Pope started back up again, this time going for John B. "You knew he had it and you just let him race?"

"He told me last minute, all right?" John B retorted.

"John B, look man! You were supposed to cover-"

John B cut JJ off, "I did cover!"

The three boys broke out into a screaming match, voices overlapping as the girls were left watching the chaos.

Eventually, Cleo had enough and by the looks on Kie, Grace, and Sarah's faces they did too. Cleo's voice was louder than the bickering, "Hey! Enough!"

The three boys shut up. John B ran his hands through his hair in exasperation, JJ blew an angry breath out of his lips and Pope turned to his girlfriend.

"How bad is it, Pope?" Cleo asked, wanting to get past the fighting and towards a solution.

"How bad is it?" he echoed. "We have a $13,000 property tax payment due in seven days. And we have zero working capital. There is nothing," he rambled, voice raising once again as he looked towards JJ, "And you took the last of our savings. So thank you."

After dropping this bomb, Pope stormed off to the dock, leaving the group standing around tensely. 

___________

That evening, Poguelandia was filled with an eerie silence. The usual constant hum of reggae or bustle of teenagers was missing from the house. Instead, the friends were spread about, keeping a safe distance from one another in fear of another argument.

Grace sat on her bed, strumming her guitar absentmindedly as the sound of the shower came from under the bathroom door.

JJ had retreated to go wash the dirt off of himself leaving Grace alone to stew in the stress of their financial situation.