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''We gotta do something about Terrance. And then we have to get the hell out of here, all right? Road trip.''

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THE NEXT MORNING, the beach was as warm as ever, sunlight glinting off the ocean waves like scattered jewels. I squinted against the brightness, the salty breeze tugging strands of hair loose from my braid. 

John B and I walked side by side as we scanned the shore, looking for any sign of Pope or Cleo. They were nowhere to be seen.

''Maybe they're further down,'' I suggested, shielding my eyes with my hand.

Before John B could respond, my gaze caught Rafe Cameron in the distance. He was standing with his usual crew of Kooks, the picture of smugness as he gestured animatedly about something. For a split second, I smiled slightly—an instinct I couldn't explain—but as quickly as it appeared, I turned away.

John B noticed, tugging on my arm to steer me away. ''Come on, Mavie. Let's not give him the satisfaction.''

We regrouped outside the house with Kiara, JJ, and Sarah. Kie frowned, her hands planted firmly on her hips. ''Just every time, like, every single time we see them, something goes wrong.''

JJ shrugged, leaning lazily against the Twinkie as if he hadn't a care in the world. ''Kie, Kie, they're Kooks, okay? What do you expect?''

Sarah glanced at John B. ''Are you sure you don't wanna try following someone? Just to be safe?''

Before he could answer, the sight of Pope stepping out of the house caught everyone's attention. 

''Hey.'' Kie called out, her tone softening.

''Yo,'' JJ added casually.

''Hi,'' Sarah greeted, but her smile fell once she looked down.

Pope's hands were covered in blood.

''What is that?'' Kie hurried over, her eyes widening. ''Is that blood?''

I stepped forward without thinking, grabbing Pope's wrists to examine them. The metallic smell of dried blood hit me like a wave. ''Pope,'' I pressed. ''Pope, what happened? Where's Cleo?''

JJ was at his side in an instant, gripping his shoulders. ''Dude, talk to us.''

Pope hesitated, looking down as if the ground might swallow him whole. ''She's... she's inside.''

The moment the words left his mouth, I let go of his hands and ran inside. The others followed.

''Cleo!'' Sarah's voice rang out.

The sight of her sitting in the living room brought a fleeting moment of relief, but that relief was short-lived. My eyes trailed to the floor where Terrance's lifeless body lay.

''Cleo?'' JJ approached her slowly, his voice softer now. ''Cleo? Hey.''

Her head lifted, her expression guarded and distant.

Before anyone could say more, the low rumble of an engine reached our ears. I looked out the window just in time to see Shoupe's car pulling into the driveway.

''Oh, shit,'' JJ cursed under his breath, bolting for the porch to warn John B and Pope.

''Why is he just sitting there?'' Kie whispered, pacing nervously.

''Guys...'' Sarah mumbled, her voice trembling.

''Oh, my God,'' I muttered under my breath, my hands clenching into fists.

''Okay, okay.'' John B stepped back inside. ''We need a plan.''

Kie threw up her hands. ''We have a dead body in our living room. What are we gonna do?''

''Shit, Pope,'' JJ muttered as he continued to pace.

''We need to tell the truth,'' Kie insisted. ''Someone broke into our house! We didn't do anything wrong.''

I placed a hand on Cleo's shoulder, feeling the tension radiating from her. ''We always did, Kie. And where did that lead us?''

Kie turned sharply, her eyes flashing. ''We did nothing wrong.''

''Kie, it's Shoupe,'' JJ interrupted. ''He's never gonna believe us.''

''What we need to do is get out of here,'' JJ declared, his voice rising. ''We need to banana split.''

''And go where?'' Kie challenged, crossing her arms.

JJ ran a hand through his hair, clearly struggling to keep calm. ''I'm figuring that out.''

''That never works,'' Kie muttered.

''Okay, I don't know, but it's better than staying here,'' JJ argued, pacing back and forth, his hands running through his messy blond hair. He shot a glance toward the door. ''Number one rule, never trust a cop. Especially that one. Okay?''

Shoupe's gruff voice rang out from the porch. ''JJ! Anybody home?''

I froze, my pulse quickening. 

''John B, what do you wanna do?'' Sarah asked, her voice shaky but steady enough to remind us all of the urgency.

''We did nothing wrong,'' Kie chimed in.

JJ stepped up to John B, gripping his shoulders. ''Okay. I need you to make a decision right now. What's it gonna be?'' His blue eyes searched John B's face.

Shoupe's banging on the door intensified, making me flinch. ''I know you're in there. Come on out!''

''Hide the body,'' John B blurted out.

''Hide the bo—hide the body where?'' Pope whispered, his voice barely audible over the pounding on the door.

''Shut up,'' JJ snapped. ''That's what we're doing, okay?''

''Hide the body where?'' Pope repeated, more insistently this time.

John B glanced around frantically, then pointed toward the living room. ''Behind the couch. Hey. Move the couch.''

JJ didn't hesitate, rushing over to shove the couch aside with a grunt.

''Behind the couch?!'' Pope hissed, incredulous.

''We're hiding the body—''

''Guys, keep it down,'' JJ barked, his voice low but urgent.

''Grab his legs,'' John B ordered.

I couldn't keep quiet anymore. ''Wait! If you drag him, you're gonna smear blood across the entire house,'' I interjected, stepping forward, my hands clenched into fists.

''Pope, get your ass over here!'' JJ hissed, ignoring my warning.

The banging on the door grew louder. ''It's Shoupe! Open up, dammit!''

Kie reappeared with a skateboard in hand. ''Put him on here, and then you roll him.''

''She's right,'' John B agreed. ''Here, one, two—'' He and JJ heaved Terrance's body up, laying him onto the skateboard.

''You're putting him on a skateboard? Really?'' Pope asked.

''You got a better idea?'' John B shot back, his jaw clenched.

I turned to Cleo, whose wide eyes hadn't left the body. ''Cleo. Don't look. Just go upstairs,'' I told her gently, placing a hand on her arm. She nodded hesitantly, her movements stiff as she climbed the stairs.

''He's good right there,'' John B declared once the body was wedged behind the couch. ''Okay. Guys. Guys.'' He motioned toward the window, where Shoupe's figure was now visible, approaching the porch with JJ.

''It's too sticky,'' Sarah muttered.

''Bleach?'' Pope suggested.

''Yes,'' Sarah replied, grabbing a bottle and shuddering as she poured it over the bloodstains. ''Dump it. Dump it.'' Her nose wrinkled, and she coughed against the harsh fumes.

''More towels,'' Kie directed as she worked furiously to scrub the floor.

''Wait, the gun,'' Kie suddenly blurted out. ''Pope, you have to do something with the gun.''

''We'll get rid of it later. Just wipe the prints off,'' Pope answered, quickly shoving the weapon into the dresser.

''He's coming. He's coming. John B, hurry. Sit down,'' Kie ordered.

I grabbed a magazine and plopped down next to Sarah on the couch. ''Act natural,'' I whispered, flipping the pages even though my hands trembled.

John B and Pope settled at the table, shuffling cards like it was just another afternoon. Kie perched in the circle chair, one leg crossed over the other.

From upstairs, Cleo's footsteps faded, and I prayed she wouldn't come back down.

The door creaked open, and I held my breath. JJ walked in first, followed by Shoupe, whose heavy boots thudded against the floorboards.

''Oh, shit. What's up, y'all?'' JJ greeted.

Sarah sat up straighter. ''Hi, Shoupe,'' she said, forcing a polite smile.

''We were just hanging out,'' John B added.

Shoupe stepped further inside, his sharp gaze sweeping over the group. ''Yeah. Gang's all here, huh?'' he remarked dryly.

''Hey,'' Kie greeted, trying to sound nonchalant as she adjusted the hem of her shirt.

Shoupe crossed his arms, leaning slightly against the doorway. ''So, uh, y'all too high to hear me knocking?''

''It's just been... been a long day,'' Kie explained quickly, brushing her hair back nervously.

Shoupe didn't seem convinced, but he nodded slowly. ''Everybody mind clearing out for a minute? I need to talk to your boy alone,'' he requested, pointing directly at JJ.

The room went dead silent for a beat. My pulse quickened, and I glanced at JJ, who gave me a quick shrug, as if to say, ''Don't worry.''

''Yeah, yeah, no problem, Shoupe,'' John B replied, standing up and motioning for the rest of us to follow.

''We'll just get out of your hair,'' Kie added, grabbing her bag.

As we shuffled out the door, JJ called after us, ''Yeah, yeah. We'll see you guys in a sec.''

Shoupe's voice trailed behind us as we stepped outside. ''Good seeing y'all,'' he said.

The moment we were out of earshot, Kie's face twisted with panic, and she covered her mouth. ''I'm gonna throw up,'' she whispered, pacing slightly.

''We're good right?'' John B asked.

''What do you mean?'' Pope hissed, his voice sharp. ''There's a body behind the couch!''

''Okay, okay,'' John B interjected, trying to keep everyone calm. ''What do you wanna do? You wanna move it?''

''No, I don't wanna go back inside,'' Pope snapped.

I crossed my arms, watching as the group began spiraling into panic. ''We should've never touched him,'' Kiara continued, pacing again. ''We hadn't committed any crimes, and now we've committed a crime.''

''There's nothing we can do,'' Sarah said firmly.

''This is bullshit,'' Pope muttered before storming off in the direction of the surf shack.

''Maybe we should get away from the house and reevaluate,'' John B suggested, already following Pope.

I hesitated, glancing back at the house where Shoupe was still inside with JJ. ''What about the smell?'' Sarah asked, falling in step beside us.

''We have options,'' I pointed out. ''We could put the body in a barrel, fill it with acid, and throw it in the ocean.''

The group collectively froze, staring at me like I'd grown two heads.

''Or,'' I added quickly, ''we could put it in a trash bag with rocks and toss it into the ocean. Or burn it.''

Pope turned to me. ''Mavis, what the hell?'' he exclaimed, throwing his hands up.

I shrugged, unapologetic. ''Just throwing out ideas.''

Before the debate could spiral any further, Sarah's voice broke through. ''He's leaving,'' she pointed out, nodding toward Shoupe as he climbed into his truck.

We all stopped, watching from a distance as Shoupe pulled out of the driveway and drove off.

''That's a good sign,'' Kie murmured.

JJ appeared moments later, walking toward us from the house. 

''What'd he say?'' Sarah asked the second JJ was close enough.

''What was he doing here?'' John B added, his brows furrowed.

JJ waited until Shoupe's truck disappeared from sight before finally answering. ''We're good. Kind of,'' he announced, leaning back against a post.

Pope stepped closer. ''Man, did he find the body or not?''

JJ shook his head. ''No. He did not find Terrance, okay?''

''Then why did he want to talk to you and not all of us?'' Sarah asked.

JJ exhaled heavily, running a hand through his hair. ''Because one of the Kooks recorded me saying, 'I'll kill you all' at the beach. Or whatever.'' He waved a hand dismissively. ''But—''

''Oh, my God,'' Pope muttered, rubbing his temples.

''That's why?'' Sarah pressed, crossing her arms.

''Well, for me, there's also the hyperbaric—it doesn't matter,'' JJ replied quickly. ''He didn't see Terrance. That's the main thing, okay?There's something else, though. Shoupe thinks Genrette was murdered and it has something to do with us. But I told him we weren't anywhere near his place."

''And he believed you?'' Kiara asked.

JJ smirked. ''About everything,'' he assured her. ''I mean, Kie, look whose son, all right? He bought it. He did.'' He turned to Pope, clapping him on the shoulder. ''Papa J handled it, all right? We got it. We got nothing to worry about.''

I rolled my eyes, muttering, ''I told you not to call yourself that.''

JJ shot me a mischievous grin. ''Too damn bad. That nickname is too superior.''

Kie groaned softly, shaking her head. ''Yeah, superiorly stupid,'' she muttered.

''You're just mad you didn't come up with it,'' JJ fired back, but Pope cut in.

''Focus,'' Pope snapped, his jaw tight as he glanced toward the house. 

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

THE PORCH WAS dimly lit by a single flickering bulb overhead. The sound of crickets filled the humid night air. We were all gathered on the creaky porch furniture exahusted after everything that had happened.

Cleo sat at the far end of the porch, her posture as sharp as the knife she was holding. The blade scraped against the wooden table as she carved something into the surface. ''First things first,'' she began, not looking up. ''Gotta take care of Terrance.''

Sarah, sitting closest to Cleo, nodded slowly. ''Of course,'' she agreed, glancing around at the rest of us.

Cleo leaned back slightly, her eyes narrowing as she studied the group. ''Can't just leave him here. It won't sit right on my conscience,'' she said.

I shifted in my chair. She wasn't wrong, but the idea of dealing with Terrance's body made my stomach churn.

''Cleo's right,'' John B chimed in, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. ''We gotta do something about Terrance. And then we have to get the hell out of here, all right? Road trip.''

''What?'' JJ straightened up in his seat, raising an eyebrow. ''Road trip to where?''

''John B and I were talking,'' Pope cut in. ''We think the North Star and the Half Moon Battery is referring to Charleston.''

''If we get to Charleston before them, we have a fighting chance,'' John B added.

''What?'' Kie asked as she leaned back, crossing her arms. ''We have no other option?''

John B exhaled, shaking his head slightly as if trying to make her see reason. ''The zoning notice, Kie,'' he reminded her. ''We're gonna lose Poguelandia.''

''John B, they killed Terrance,'' she retorted, her voice rising slightly.

''Dude,'' John B scoffed, dropping into one of the old chairs with a frustrated thud. The chair creaked loudly under his weight.

Kie leaned forward, her face etched with worry. ''We're in way, way over our heads.''

''I know, Kie,'' John B shot back. ''But we have no choice.'' He straightened his shoulders. ''Dawn patrol.'' He looked over at JJ, his eyes flicking toward the Twinkie parked out front. ''Hey, JJ? Get the Twinkie up and running by dawn.''

JJ gave him a quick nod, tapping the arm of his chair rhythmically. ''All right,'' he replied.

John B pushed himself up to his feet. ''The rest of us will do right by Terrance,'' he continued. ''We'll be back here about 0700 hours. First ferry leaves at 8:00. Let's go to Charleston.''

''Okay with that, Cleo?'' Pope asked as he turned to her.

Cleo's gaze flicked up, the faint glimmer of her knife catching the light as she raised it slightly. ''In Charleston, we could find the man who killed Terrance,'' she stated. Without waiting for a response, she stabbed the knife into the table. ''I'm good with it.''

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