𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐲

thirty-one: Fishing.

    

     THE group now sat in silence at the Wreck, "look, he'll come around, alright?" John B suddenly said when he noticed Kai was just bouncing one leg and staring at the top of the table they were sitting at. "It's... he's doing a JJ thing." He said and Kai glanced up at the boy across him.

"You think he'll go home?" Kie asked them. "There's about a zero percent chance that JJ goes home." Pope said and Kai sighed, crossing his arms over his stomach. John B looked at Sarah, "you okay?" He asked and she nodded, "yeah. Are you?" She asked him next and he shrugs.

"I'm one piece, so..." He says and Kai looked over at John B. "Okay." Pope says and walked to stand behind the chair Kai was sitting at. "It's too dangerous to pawn this thing off piecemeal. So our best bet is to go down there and get the rest of it. Bring it all up at once. Put it in—in a safe or a vault or something. I-I don't know, just until we can find someone who won't rip us off. I can go figure it out tonight, get it all done and we can be out there as early as tomorrow morning." Pope said.

"Alright, let's do it." John B agreed. "Easy." Pope said shortly after. "Let's go." The dark haired boy nods and Sarah looks at him. "What about that thing with my dad?" She asked. "Shit." John B said quietly as he looked away. "What thing?" Kai asked as he looked up at his best friend.

"I have to go fishing with Ward." John B says, his glance bouncing from Kai up to Pope then to Kie. "You can't get 400 mil 'cause you're gonna go kill fish?" Kie said to the boy. "Look, I have to go." John B said, looking down at his lap.

"Blow it off. It's 400 million in gold!" Pope says. "Make something up." Kie added shortly after Pope and John B looks up at them. "Look, I-I have to, okay? He... he saved me, alright? And if it weren't for Ward, I'd be in foster care. So... I have to go. Plus, it'll be better to do it at night. Right?" He says, glancing from Kie to Pope and Kai. He looked over at Sarah who glanced away.

"Fine. Fine, go fishing." Pope said as he looked back up at John B. "And at least JJ will probably have washed up by then." Kie said as he looked over at John B and that was it.

Pope parks the truck, looking to Kie and Kai. "We gotta be done before my scholarship interview in the morning." Pope said to them. "Okay, well, we gotta focus." Kie said to the boy. "It's gonna be fine." Kai reassured the pair. "Yeah. We got John B and JJ inside the well, and me and Kai up top. And you and Sarah will be outside transporting." Pope told Kie, pointing to the girl sitting in the middle as Kai then opened the passenger side door.

"Yeah, we got this." Kie said as she got out of the car as well, "cool." Pope says as he got out on his side too. They go to the back, "I got a winch." Pope told the pair. "Yeah." Kie says. "That tin can hold over like... 200, 300 pounds." Pope said before they open the back of the truck. "Thanks." Kie said to Pope suddenly making him look to her. "Uh, what for?" He says, glancing at Kai.

"Stranding us. You know, making us make up." Kie says, looking down. "What makes you think that was me?" Pope asked and Kai glanced between the pair then there were lights all around that turned on, catching the trio's attention.

"What the hell?"

"Who the hell is that?" Kie said as Kai walked away in search of however it was only to find JJ sitting in a hot tub as the blond pops open a bottle of champagne. "What did you do, JJ?" Pope asked as Kai glanced around at the champagne glasses floating around on floating flamingos. "I got a jet going straight in my butt right now." Is all the boy even said and Kai frowned.

"Ya'll should get in immediately, you hear me? Come on, Kai, hop in." JJ gestured but the three just stare at him in worry as he poured champagne into two glasses he then held up, "salud!" He takes a swing from the bottle. "How much did this cost?" Kai asked as he glanced all around. "Uh... well, with the generator, the petrol, and oh, hey, express delivery..." JJ paused.

Kai looked at the blond who chuckles. "Pretty much all of it, yeah." He says and Kai sighs. "All of it?" Pope asked the boy who nods. "Yeah, all of it." JJ nodded his head. "You spent the money all in one day?" Kai asked him next.

"Yeah, burned a hole right through my pocket. But, I mean, like, come on, guys, like, look at this! Finest in jet-based massage therapy, that's what they told me." He said and Kai sighed. "Kai, what? Can't a man have a little luxury in his life? Come on, all this scrimpin' and scrapin'... I mean, like... guys, we— you only live once, right? Enough of this emotionL shit. Get in the Cat's Ass." He says and Kai looked at Kie then over at Pope.

"Come on." JJ waves them over. "In the what?" Kie asked, confused. "In the Cat's Ass. That's what I named her." JJ says with a smile, sounding proud of himself. "Oh, hey, yo, I almost forgot." JJ said before flipping a switch, a disco ball coming out and blue lights shine bright. "Huh? Yeah, that's right, I know. Disco mode." JJ says as the lights begin to change colours. "That's right, baby!"

"Are you kidding me?"

authors note jj deserves the world... i can't