When Wrong becomes Right

Chapter 16

I know the way I feel about JJ is wrong. I mean, no pogue on pogue macking. John B, and Kie would kill me if we broke that rule. I think at least. 

It's wrong and I have to keep telling myself that.

"Hey guys, so like my dad's already gonna kill me, so what's this mandatory meeting about?" Pope asked us. 

"Might as well tell them, man, before we get gaffed," JJ said from his spot next to me. 
"Before we get what now?" I asked, looking over at him. 

"You ready for this?" JB asked in a hushed voice. "Yeah," Kie said.

"So the gold never went down with the Royal Merchant"

"Oh my god, here we go again with this," Pope said, frustrated with John B's determination. JJ's arm went across my shoulder, as I leaned my head down on his. "Hear him out okay?" JJ said to the boy. 

"It's been here the whole time. It's on the island." John B dramatically said. "Are you serious? Oh my god." Kie said with a big smile. "I'd like to voice my skepticism," Pope said, none of us surprised.

"I'm sure you would Pope, but can I please provide you with my evidence, sir?" JB asked, getting up from his seat next to Kie. "Proceed," Pope said

"All right, so in my backpack, I have a letter from Denmark Tanny."

"Who the hell is that?" I asked, from my half-asleep state.

"Denmark Tanny was a slave who survived the Royal Merchant wreck. Check this out." He said, handing a piece of paper to Kie. "Okay, slaves weren't mentioned as crew members on the ship, but my dad found the complete manifest. That was his big discovery. So Tanny used the gold from the merchant to buy his freedom. After that, he bought his farm. Drum roll please, that farm is, Tanny Hill plantation." 

"Tannyhill?" Kie questioned. "Yeah, so after that he used his money to free even more slaves and then he sold a shit ton of rice which pisses off the white planters, and then, they decide to lynch him. So on the day they were coming to get him, he writes a letter to his son as a farewell and in the last line of that letter, he leaves a coded message about where to find the gold."

"Where?" Kie asked.

"Harvest the wheat in parcel nine, near the water, except, there's no wheat. You see wheat is code for gold, check this out. The gold is in parcel nine, near the water. All we need is an original survey map of the property and we've found the gold." JJ got up, forcing me to wake up completely from my half-asleep state. 

"So this might have a small chance of being actually true," Pope admitted.

"So what's the plan?" Pope asked. "Good question, so Sarah Cameron's coming tonight. She's gonna bring an original survey map-" I snapped my head up. "Hold on. Sarah, why why Sarah?" Kie asked. "Yeah why-" I started to say.

"This is gonna be good," JJ said, from his place over by John B.

"Sarah she, she got me in to the archives, in Chapel Hill yesterday and that's where I got the letter." John B said, hoping his best friends wouldn't get too mad.

"You were in Chapel hill with Sarah Cameron?" Kie asked, pissed off at him. He knows she hates her. They have like major beef, meaning I don't like her either.

"Yeah um-"

"He was macking on her" JJ said, catching my attention. 

"You were macking on her?" I questioned

"I wasn't macking."

"You were totally macking Sarah Cameron," JJ argued with the boy

"I wasn't macking on her, I was using her for access,"

"There was access alright," JJ said, making me almost laugh.

"Did you tell her about the treasure?" Kie asked him.

"I was just trying to get into the archives," John B tried to reason, knowing he was already in too deep of shit.

"Is that a yes?" I asked.

"I left out key details!"

"Yo what? You let a kook in on our secret! What about Pogue life?  What about the T-shirt company bro?" Kie yelled at him.

I started zoning out of the argument, twisting myself around on the log and looking out into the woods.

JJ came up next to me and wrapped his arm back around my shoulders, as my head went back onto his shoulder.

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We pulled up to the Hawks nest, JB getting out of the car. 

"Yo uh, I think I'm gonna do this one by myself."

"Really?" JJ asked. "Fine with me, I can take a nap," I said, popping the P.

"I don't want to spook Sarah with the peanut gallery"

"I just don't understand why we're involving her at all," Kie said, still really frustrated with JB. "Here we go again," I muttered.

"Kie we're not involving her okay? It's just, uh a business meeting." John B reiterated, JJ pretending to deep throat his blunt, making me and Pope laugh.

"Look once we get what we need we cut her loose alright? Plus we need the map." 

"Promise me nothing's happening between you two."

"Nothing is happening Kie."

"I'm being serious. This isn't about you, and this isn't about us. This is about her. Dude, she's gonna get inside your head. Just promise me nothings happening between you guys."

"I promise." John B said.