𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐲

thirty-three: Guilty.

   

     THE next day, after Pope and Kie finished up, making the pulley system Pope drew out and everything, they tested it out as JJ and Kai sat on the ledge of the hot tub with only their legs in the water. "You feeling better?" Kai asked, rubbing JJ's back and the blond just nodded.

Kai smiled as he rubs the back of JJ's neck now. "John B pullin' a Houdini." JJ said, carching the other's attention. "Yeah, where is he? I got my scholarship interview tomorrow. We gotta get this done!" Pope said as he lowered Kie down, just as John B walked right by them.

"Speak of the devil." JJ says, looking behind Kai. "Hey!" He shouts and John B ignored them. "Dude, I set up the entire winch to pull up the gold and everything." JJ says, taking all the credit from Pope. "No, he did not. I did that."

Kai looked at JJ with a warning look. "Hey John B." Kie said as he and Pope come over and John B heads straight into the Château. "Okay, that's it?" JJ says, obviously not understanding John B might just be upset about something. "Uh... what's that all about?" Pope asked JJ and Kai.

"I was gonna ask you the same question." JJ said as Kai climbed out of the hot tub, heading inside with the other three following behind. They walk in to see John B looking through some things, the items clattering. "You alright, JB? What... um, what's up?" Kai asked, standing behind him as Pope, Kie and JJ stand together near the door.

"What are you looking for?" Kie asked when the boy opens the doors to a glass cabinet before shutting them quickly. "Bro, what's going on, man?" JJ asked as John B went over to the couch and then he reached into the pillows before taking out the gun. "John B, what do you need the gun for?" JJ said as he walked over their friend.

"No." Kie said as JJ grabs John B's arms. "Talk to us!" The blond said but the other just shoved him to the side onto the couch. "John B, chill!" Kie said as Kai went over to help JJ up and Pope tried to block John B's way. "What are you doing?" Kie said. "What are you, JJ now?" Pope said and John B shoved and pushed him to the side as well.

"Shit... are you okay?" Kie asked Pope who just stared towards the way John B went. "John B, what the hell are you doing?" Kie headed after the boy with the other three boys following behind her quickly in concern. "John B, what the hell?" Kie said when she saw him get onto JJ's bike and they all run down the steps. "Ward knows about the gold. He killed my dad." John B said as he looked over at his four friends rushing over.

They stood there and then he was off, they try to stop him, "John B!" Kie shouts as they run to stop him but he had driven off so it was no use.

After waiting around for a while, hoping John B would come to his senses and come back, he doesn't, so the group of four head out onto the Pogue, off to the Cameron residence. "What now? We just go up to the front door and ask, hey, have you seen John B?" JJ asked the other three.

"Look, he lifes at Tannyhill now. It's plausible." Kie told the two. "Look, we can play dumb." She added after and Kai looks at her. "Play dumb?" JJ said as he looked over. "It's pretty late." Pope says as he looks at Kie. "Look, I've never seen John B like that. We should honestly be going to the cops." Kie said as he looked at Kai and JJ.

"The cops? Yeah, and say what? We're worried about friend because he's going off on a rampage cause Ward Cameron killed Big John?" Kai said and JJ nods as he pointed to his boyfriend. "They're not gonna believe us." The blond says. "Hey, I see Ward." Pope says and Kie walks over to him, "let me see." He hands her the binoculars.

"Doesn't look dead to me. Let's go home." Pope says and Kie turns to her. "What?" She says, confused. "Uh... okay. Obciously, Mr. Cameron is fine, and even if John B was here, he isn't now, okay? Plus, I have the biggest, most important moment of my life in six hours." He explains.

"Yeah, well, our friend is in trouble."

"I'm in trouble. Guys, I haven't been home in three days. My dad's probably put all my shit on the street by now." Pope says as he looks down. "Okay, so that's it?" Kie says as he stared at the boy and Kai looked towards JJ. "In a time of need, you're just gonna bail? You're just gonna walk away?" Kie said and JJ sighs, adjusting his cap.

"Okay, yo, guys, can we not do this right now?" He asked making Kie look at him. "Hey, I have a scholarship interview in the morning." Pope says, catching the girl's attention again. "I can't—" "okay, well, what about John B?" She asked, cutting him off right away. "Why is it always about John B?" Pope suddenly asked the girl.

Kai looked at JJ in the eyes, both of them taken back before looking over at the pair. "It's not always about John B. You're so stupid. It would be any of you guys in this situation." Kie said, gesturing to the other two then over to Pope. "Oh, bullshit!" Pope exclaimed in response. "Guys—" "this is about friendship." Kie said and didn't listen to JJ.

"Bring it down." Kai said, looking at the pair. "Look, this is about Pogues for life." Kie said as she looked over at him. "What about forensic pathology, huh?" Pope says, looking at her again. "Forensic pathology?" Kie says, confused.

"It's my life. Everything I've worked for."

"That's your priority?"

"Would you stop with the moral high ground bullshit?" Pope said as he got up in the girl's face. "Pope..." Kai said. "Pope, come on, man." JJ said. "No." Pope shakes his head. "Excuse me?" Kie said, her face scrunched up in confusion. "No. No. She has no room to talk." Pope pointed at the pair sitting side by side before looking at Kie.

"Where were you when Big John went missing? You weren't there. You weren't there for John B. You weren't there for any of us. Remember your Kook year?" Pope says to the girl.

"Pope, come on..." Kai sighed. "Yeah. You forgot about us." Pope says when Kie finally looks at him. "Now you feel guilty." He added and she shoves him, "give me a break." She says. "Hey!" Pope says. "Is that what you need? You need a break? Move!" Kie kept shoving him and JJ rushed over. "Hey! Yo, yo, yo, cut it out, alright? If I'm the one mediating, we've hit rock bottom." JJ says to the pair. "I'm going to have to agree with JJ on that one." Kai says as he nods. "Bow, now." JJ tells Pope.

Pope did so, as Kie sat down and Kai went over to her, sitting beside her. "Pope, I'll drop you off." JJ tells the boy as Kie leans against Kai, her tears falling. As they head off, Kai puts his arm around Kie and rubbed her back gently.

authors note i lowkey forgot about kie and kai's friendship. oops ✌🏼😗 i love them tho, had to write kai comforting her 🥺