𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞- 𝐣𝐣 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤

27.

🦋☀ 🌊 - 27

The Pogues watched the plane lift off, its engines roaring as it passed over the small shacks they had hidden under. Dust kicked up from the ground, settling on the worn wooden boards beneath their feet. None of them knew where John B had gone, but the plane taking off gave them a clear, if grim, idea of what had just happened.

Olivia's knees went weak. She sank to the floor and leaned against one of the junked dressers, her hands pressed to her face for a moment. Not only had they failed to retrieve the gold, but it was now completely out of their hands-lost to Ward Cameron, the man who always seemed one step ahead.

"Shit!" JJ kicked a nearby chair, the sound echoing harshly in the empty space.

"Fuck!" Pope screamed, grabbing a bat from the corner and swinging it wildly, the wooden floor rattling with each strike. "Damn it!"

Pope's anger was palpable, and he didn't stop. The Pogues could only watch, helpless, as he bashed everything around him-the shelves, the chairs, the few belongings they had stashed in the hideout. Dust filled the air, sticking to their skin, their clothes, their hair.

Eventually, the energy behind his outburst waned. Pope slumped onto the couch, shoulders shaking, chest heaving, and for a moment it looked like tears might come.

"Pope!" Kiara yelled, her voice breaking through the tension.

"Yeah, dude," JJ said softly as he walked over, eyes studying Pope's expression. There was no shock anymore, only a quiet kind of pride. "I was wondering when this was gonna happen."

Olivia watched as JJ approached Pope and, almost casually, held out his Juul to the boy who had never smoked before in his life. "A little weed never hurt nobody," JJ said, smirking.

"Yes, it did, J! Don't put bad ideas into his head," Olivia snapped, lightly hitting his arm.

"JJ," Kiara added firmly, "you know he doesn't smoke."

Pope hesitated, then reluctantly grabbed the Juul. JJ sat down beside him, patting the couch and motioning for Olivia to climb onto his lap. She did, leaning back against him, feeling the weight of exhaustion pressing down on her. It was in that moment she realized just how tired she was-physically, emotionally, and mentally.

"Pope, you don't have to," Kiara said softly, crouching in front of him. "What is that going to change?"

"I lost my scholarship," Pope muttered, looking up at her, the fight drained from his eyes. "I walked out in the middle of the interview."

"You did that for us," Kiara said, pointing out what she believed was the reason.

"No," Pope stood, rising to meet her gaze. "Not for us. For nothing."

JJ nodded in agreement, voice low. "He's right. It doesn't matter anymore."

Pope leaned back against the pole, inhaling deeply from the Juul. Smoke curled in front of him like a ghost, dissipating slowly. Kiara frowned, disappointed in him, and he averted his eyes, scanning the room instead. That's when the Pogues noticed something else-John B, standing silently in the corner.

"John B! Are you good?" they called, all of them rushing toward their friend.

JJ reached out, grabbing the brunette's hand, now covered in a dark crimson stain. "Is that yours?"

"Whose blood is that? John B, are you okay?" Olivia stepped closer, eyes scanning for wounds. His shirt was splattered with dark blotches, but it didn't come from him.