༄ 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝖿𝗈𝗋𝗍𝗒 ༄

THE POGUES DROVE to the airstrip quickly. Thalia had a joint between her lips, and Pope hated it, but he didn't comment on it. Somehow, during the drive, her injured leg had ended up resting over Pope's calf. Neither really knew how, and neither were eager to change the situation. Across from his sister, JJ started loading the gun. "We go in there, guns a-blazin', make Ward Cameron beg for mercy, abscond with as much gold as possible and vámonos, get the hell out of there." JJ detailed the rather impossible plan.

        "Send that shit right down the Intracoastal." John B glanced at Kiara, driving the van.

        "Wait for the weather." Kie added

        "Exit to Cuba." Pope finished, looking at Thalia while she smoked, entranced with her.

        Thalia frowned. "Cuba? No, way man. Xcalak, Jewel of the Yucatan." Thalia said, JJ's eyes lighting up.

        He reached for her joint and she passed it to him. "Hell, yeah. Lobsters so thick, mangoes, and no word for money." JJ loaded and cocked the gun.

        "Let's do this shit." John B said confidently.

        The Twinkie arrived at the airstrip and the Pogues all clamored out, Pope helping Thalia to her feet as always. They rushed to the chain link fence, peering at Ward's private plane that was making final preparations. "What's the plan? Broad strokes." Kie said nervously.

        Thalia looked at the plane carefully, trying to find out where Ward was going and what he was doing. "I don't think we got that far." John B said.

        Pope, of course, had binoculars. "They're loading up the gold." he said, standing beside Thalia.

        With a frown, Thalia reached up and took the binoculars from Pope, looking at the plane through them herself. She was saddened to see that Ward really had stolen the gold. "There he is." Thalia said, recognizing the SUV as it pulled up to the plane.

        John B then ripped the binoculars from Thalia, looking through them. When John B faltered and lowered the binoculars, everyone knew something was wrong. "What?" Kiara asked repeatedly, demanding an answer.

        "It's Sarah." John B said, and Thalia's eyes widened.

        "She's with him?" Pope asked, glancing down at Thalia.

        "Sarah never goes with him for business stuff. He must need her out of the way for something." Thalia said, meeting Pope's eyes. Sarah was not the princess of the business, that was for sure.

        John B continued looking at the scene. "Wait a minute," John B said after some silence. "He's hurting her."

        "What?" Thalia asked quickly, peeking through the binoculars.

        "What?" JJ was confused. If Sarah was the princess, why was Ward fighting with her.

        "They're fighting," John B updated the group. "Holy shit." he muttered, beginning to walk away.

        Thalia took the binoculars, watching the scene attentively. "They're both in the plane. He's starting it up." Thalia said, scared and nervous for Sarah. She thought they were safe with Ward.

        Pope noticed John B starting the Twinkie first. " Hey! What are you doing?" he stepped towards the van.

        "John B. Where are you going?" Kie shouted, and they all rushed to the van, shouting for John B to stop.

        But John B ignored them all and drove right through the fence. "Don't be a hero, dude!" JJ shouted as John B turned onto the airstrip

        "John B!" Thalia yelled after him, the group running towards the speeding van.

        "What are you doing?" JJ shouted. "What are you doing, man?"

        "John B!" Kiara screamed.

        "Come back!" Pope tried, nonchalantly holding onto Thalia's hand to keep her stable on the ground.

        There was no convincing John B to stay, and because it was her family he was driving after, Thalia wanted to go with him. But that wouldn't be good for anyone. She would only make things worse. So they all waited, Thalia staring at the smidge of the scene she could see with the binoculars. Ward had gone very far down the runway before John B forced him to stop. Then there were sirens, and Peterkin's car fled past them. "Guys, I can't get arrested." Pope said. He had already lost his scholarship, he couldn't risk anything else.

        "We're on probation." JJ said, speaking for himself and Thalia.

        "If she catches me high she's sending me to jail." Thalia knew exactly what Peterkin would do to her if she caught her.

        Kiara sighed. "Look, we're no good if we're all in jail." she began to turn away.

        Pope saw Thalia's eyes lingering on the scene. "She'll be okay. Peterkin's there," Pope said, lacing his fingers with Thalia's. She nodded, tearing her gaze from the runway. "Come on." he started to lead her away and she let him.

        Thalia should've stayed.

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THE FOUR REMAINING pogues settled at an old shipping yard. That was apparently their designated meeting spot. Thalia was anxious about Sarah's safety, and her shaking knees and hands proved that. She sat on an old crate, terrified. She hated being scared. Up above, there was the sound of an engine. Ward's plane was being flown through the sky. "There goes the gold," JJ said angrily. "Shit!" he cursed, kicking a nearby trash can.

        Then Pope lost his mind. "Fuck! Goddamn it! Shit! Fuck! Shit!" Pope screamed, using a metal bar to beat up random things in the junkyard. Thalia had never seen him like this before.

        "Pope!" Kiara said, hoping to calm him down.

        "Damn it!" Pope ignored Thalia, going after even more crap, screaming out of pure anger.

        Kie, JJ and Thalia looked at each other, all confused. This wasn't like him at all. "Pope!" Kiara tried again, and after whipping a trash can, Pope stopped throwing things, breathing heavily.

        Pope took a seat on an old couch, sweaty with his eyes full of tears. "Pope." Thalia said gently, sitting down on a box in front of him. His focus went right to her.

        "Yeah, dude. I was wondering when this was gonna happen," JJ said, and Thalia sighed. JJ and Kiara stood beside Thalia. JJ pulled out his vape. "Here you go, chief. A little weed never hurt no one." he shrugged.

        "JJ." Kie reprimanded.

        "Relax, Kie." JJ brushed the girl off.

        Thalia looked up at her brother. "He doesn't smoke, JJ." she said, turning back to see Pope taking JJ's vape from him.

        JJ shrugged. "Well, maybe not until today." the blonde sat down beside Pope, who was staring at the joint.

        Thalia finally understood the look Pope gave her everytime she smoked. She was giving him the same one back. "Pope, I promise, it's not gonna help. It never does, and it never will." Thalia said gently, speaking from experience. She didn't want Pope to turn into her.

        Pope looked only at Thalia. "I lost my scholarship. Walked out in the middle of the interview. Every... It's gone. It's not gonna happen." Pope said, his voice faltering.

        "You did that for us?" Kiara asked solemnly.

        "No, not for us. For nothing." Pope stood and spoke at Kiara.

        "I'm here for you, Pope. Welcome to my world, okay?" JJ voiced, and Thalia kicked him in the shin as he stood up.

        Kie sighed "JJ..." she trailed off as Pope walked away, Thalia following him.

        "What, Kie? He's right. It doesn't matter anymore." JJ said.

        Pope leant against a wooden post, bringing the juul to his lips. "You don't have to do that." she said, her voice cracking.

        Voice and eyes dark, Pope looked at Kiara, exhaling a puff of smoke. "What do you care?" he snapped.

        Thalia stepped closer to him. "Breathe a little at a time. Take breaks between hits. Drink water. Just a little bit," Thalia instructed. Pope didn't look at her, ashamed. So, she took her hand and placed it on his face, forcing him to meet her eyes. "Okay?" he nodded at this, unable to feel how excited he was that she was touching him.

        Pope then straightened up, and Thalia's hand fell from his cheek as she and the others turned around. John B was standing there, covered in blood. "Dude! Dude, you good?" JJ noticed the blood first and rushed over to the brunette.

        "Oh, my God! John B!" Kie shouted in alarm, following JJ.

        Thalia and Pope reached John B. "Is this yours?" JJ asked, lifting one of John B's hands.

        "Whose blood is that? Is Sarah okay?" Thalia questioned, but John B was in a dissociative state. Something terrible had happened.

        "John B, are you okay?" Kiara cried. At the sound of a cop car, John B ducked between a few slabs of wood, and the others followed him. Thalia was about to ask John B if Sarah was okay again, but her phone buzzed. It was a text from Sarah. 'Please come home', Sarah had sent urgently. So that's what Thalia did. She went home, right into the lion's den.

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