OBX - IT'S YOU AND ME, NO ONE AROUND (JJ MAYBANK) (ENGLISH)

CHAPTER 5

   I sit on the bed, rub my eyes a bit while JJ leans on the door. I feel his gaze on me, and I turn to him. He looks down before coughing. I ignore him and lay down, pulling the blanket over me, turning my back to him. He lies down too, and I close my eyes; he sighs.
"Good night, Tess," he says.
"Good night," I whisper.
I can't sleep right know. My thoughts are full, and one shitty thing stands out: Why Ward wasn't at my mom's funeral?

  I wake up, stand up and get out of the Château. I see Kiara and Sarah talking in the Twinkie. I joins them as they discuss Pope's plan to retrieve the gold of the Royal Merchant stuck in Miss Crain's well. JJ approaches us with the only gold bars that John B found.
"We'll never succeed in selling this thing with that giant wheat symbol on it," he says, pointing to the ear of wheat symbol.
"We can melt it," I propose.
"Good idea, Kook Princess," he replies.
"And I can burn your hair too if you keep calling me that."
He looks at me and chuckles. I smile, satisfied with myself. He grabs a blowtorch and motions for me to follow him.
We put the gold bars in a pot; JJ approaches the flame, and it starts to melt. He gives me a high five, laughing. The gold bars turn into a round piece of gold. We jump into the Twinkie and head to a gold buyer. We get out of the Twinkie, and JJ takes the gold, rubbing it.
"You guys give me the hardest job. Why do I have to sell it?" he complains.
"'Cause you're the best liar," I respond.
He looks at me and pushes my head away with his hand. I chuckle, pushing him into the store. The others and I act like customers. JJ starts his act and talks to the lady at the counter, making her believe that the gold is the result of all the jewels melted by his mother, who has Alzheimer's. Crazy as it sounds, the woman believes him and does all the tests to verify the gold's authenticity. The lady leaves for a moment and comes back, affirming that this piece of gold is worth fifty thousand dollars. JJ refuses and asks for one hundred forty thousand dollars. After a sarcastic response from the woman, he lowers his price to ninety thousand, and she finally proposes sixty thousand. JJ looks at us furtively, and we nod; he accepts it and asks for cash. She denies having that much cash on hand and directs us to a warehouse on Resurrection Drive. We head there, and we hear police sirens.
"The police, here?" Kiara asks, confused.
John B stops, and JJ hides the gold under his seat.
"Tell me you didn't bring the gun," I say to JJ.
"No, because you all avoid me too," he responds.
"How much weed you have on you?"
We start to hide everything until a gun is pointed at John B. We freeze; a masked guy with a gun orders us to get out of the Twinkie. We do it slowly, and he yells at us to lie on our stomachs on the floor. The guys run to the Twinkie and searches for something in it. John B gets up slowly and heads to the fake police car. The masked guy yells at us before going back to his car and getting attacked by John B. The pogue takes his gun, and we all get up to beat the guy. We take off his mask and discover a pogue, probably high.
"He sells coke to my dad," JJ says before taking something from the guy's pocket. "Let's go find out where this Barry lives."

We go in the Twinkie and JJ heads out to Barry's home.
"JJ, why are we here?" I sigh.
"One sec," he says, walking to a kind of caravan.
"Where are you going?"
"Justice calls me!"
I sigh and look at my friends when John B open the Twinkie door.
"I'll go talk to him," he says.
We wait a few minutes, and JJ comes back with a bag full of cash.
"Five thousand to each of us, kinda cool, huh?" he chuckles.
"It's not the moment to hold up a house, JJ."
"In fact, he held us up first, so..."
"Can you think one sec? If you do that, you bring us into your shit," I say.
"I will not give this money back. So if you're not happy, you can leave, Kook Princess," he replies.
"Fuck off, JJ. What you're doing could get us into a bad situation. Did you think about what Barry will do if he wants revenge?"
"Yeah, I will kick his ass."
"Oh yeah, you're a tough guy now?" John B says. 
"Do what you want. But I'm keeping this money, and I'm gonna bring the gold. Are you coming?" JJ replies.
We stay outside; I lean on the Twinkie, and JJ sighs. He gets out of the Twinkie and looks at us.
"What?" he asks.
"We can't stand your shit anymore?" I reply.
"My shits?! I saved your life, and I take the blame for Pope when he drowned Topper's boat. You know how much I owe them?"
"I didn't ask you to do that! And I said that I would pay it back!" Pope responds.
"That's what I'm doing; I'm paying back right now, all alone. You know what? I'll do that, all alone.
"JJ!" Pope yells.
"Let him go," I say.
I sigh before running a hand over my face and sitting in the Twinkie.