Alone Together • JJ Maybank

Twenty Three.

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Slowly browsing around the typical tourist souvenirs at Hayward's store the next day, I noticed how Pope was still massively on edge after the fight the previous night. JJ and Pope still hadn't told us the reason, brushing it off as your usual Kook vs. Pogue clash, but Kiara and I could tell there was more to it.

"Don't let it get in your head, bro. There was three of them and two of us." JJ had clearly noticed Pope's mood too. I walked over to him, placing a tacky novelty fisherman's bucket hat on his head with a laugh. "That's some typical Kook shit, right there." He carried on talking to Pope as he smirked at my playfulness, pulling it from his head immediately and throwing it back at me. I caught it, scoffing with fake offense that he didn't like it.

Kiara agreed with JJ's words as she helped out by serving a customer. "What was your thought process, using your head?" JJ directed at Pope again, as he was still clearly anxious.

"I kind of wish I'd seen that." I voiced as Kiara nodded and hummed in agreement with me.

"I don't know man. I just kind of acted off instinct, alright? I was a cornered animal."

"Hey, Pope!" Heyward caught all of our attention as he walked through the front entrance. "Someone here to see you." I placed the hat back on the rack, not thinking much of his words until I heard a silence fall over the room. Looking up again, I saw Deputy Shoupe walking towards Pope.

"Evening, Officer." Pope's voice was shaky.

"I have an arrest warrant for felony destruction of property." The man announced. My head shot towards Pope, convinced I had heard the Officer wrong. Heyward and Kiara muttered words of shock under their breath as I watched Pope turn to look at JJ beside me. I could tell JJ had frozen at the words too as the Officer carried on. "Keep your hands on the counter where I can see 'em."

I turned to look at JJ, as Pope still looked at him. He was mouthing something to him, but I couldn't make out what.

"Whoa, Shoupe, what'd he do?" Heyward asked still sounding flustered at the situation.

"You're arresting him?" I moved quickly towards Kiara, grabbing her arm as she began to move towards the situation. Her voice was panicked and shaky as she questioned the Officer. The commotion in the room was escalating as Kiara, Heyward and Shoupe were all talking over each other. With my arm still grasped around Kie's trying to keep her back from making the situation even worse, I turned to look back at JJ.

"Do you know what this is about?" He looked at me with a pained expression, but didn't answer, just gulping as he looked back to watch Shoupe putting handcuffs on Pope's wrists. "JJ?" I tried to get his attention again, but he didn't look back. Dropping my grip on Kiara I listened helplessly at Shoupe reeling off Pope's rights.

"How much did they pay you, man?" JJ stepped forward, yelling at the Officer as if finally processing the situation. JJ started chasing after them as Pope was being led out the door, all of us following. Shoupe pushed JJ back as he got too close, pushing him into a rack of novelty OBX shirts.

I grabbed him, a little too harshly, but the adrenaline from the situation was racing through me. "What aren't you telling us?" I growled under my breath as the others were nearly out the door, not wanting them to hear. I could still hear Heyward and Kiara yelling desperately.

JJ paused for a moment, looking straight into my eyes and it was as if I could literally see the panic rushing through them. "You can tell me." My voice was almost a whisper. JJ's eyes flicked down to my lips for a small second before returning to my eyes. I could see the internal battle he was struggling with on his face, but I couldn't work out what it was about.