Adore You ☼ JJ Maybank

29

[ FUCK THE POLICE! ]

the four teens were hiding under a shed when they heard a plane flying overhead.

"and there goes the gold." maya said.

"shit!" jj shouted, kicking a chair and breaking it.

"oh—"

"fuck!" pope yelled, throwing something.

"pope." kei said.

"goddamn it!" pope yelled, hitting something with a baseball bat. "shit! fuck!"

kei and maya stood there with their mouths slightly open, never seeing pope that angry before as he continued to scream and break things.

"pope!" kei shouted. "pope... pope."

the boy sat down on an old wicker couch, breathing heavily.

"yeah, dude. i was wondering when this was gonna happen." jj walked over to him, holding out a vape. "here you go, cheif."

"is that mine?" maya whispered, her hands flying up to feel for hers in her bra... which wasn't there.

"a little weed never hurt no one." jj said.

"jj." kei said, maya hitting his arm.

"relax." jj says.

"you know he doesn't smoke." maya said right before pope took the vape from jj.

"well, maybe not until today."

"pope." kei said as jj sat down beside him.

"pope, what is that gonna help?" maya asked.

"you're a stoner, my. calm down." jj said, causing maya to pull her lips in a tight line for a few seconds before leaning against the pole

"pope." kei said.

"i lost my scholarship. i walked out in the middle of the interview." pope said. "every—it's gone. it's not gonna happen."

"you did that for us?" kei asked.

"no, not for us." pope said, standing up. "for nothing."

"i'm here for you, pope." jj said, "welcome to my world, man."

"jj." kei said.

"what, kei? he's right." jj said. "it doesn't matter anymore."

"you don't have to do that." kei said as pope brought the vape to his lips.

"what do you care?" pope said after her blew out smoke.

"dude!" jj said, once they turned around and saw john b.

"oh, my god!"

"john b!"

"is this yours?" jj asked, holding up john b's bloody hand.

"whose blood is that?" maya asked.

"john b, are you okay?"

"shit." they all dunked down to hide from a police car that drove past.

☀︎

"john b, what are we doing at the station?" jj asked.

"somebody's gotta tell them what happened."

pope started coughing, having hit the blunt a little too fast.

"easy there, chief. damn." jj said, then raised up to pat john b on the shoulder. "alright, i'm just gonna be real with you right now. you might end up in the lion's den, but you don't go there on purpose. it's fundamental, just like my old man always told me, you should never ever trust cops, no matter what the circumstance is."

"your old man's an abusive liar." kei said.

"i agree with jj." pope says. "fuck the police."

"you goin' to the dark side now?" kei asked.

"when's the last time the police ever helped us?" pope said.

"peterkin looked out for me, alright?" john b said. "tried to, at least. they need to know.