༄ 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗋𝗍𝗒－𝖿𝗈𝗎𝗋 ༄

THE DRIVE TO Barry's house was tense and painfully quiet. When Thalia drove the van up the beaten path, she turned off the engine, per JJ's demands. She didn't feel like arguing with him, especially now that her cocaine was gone, and Barry would never sell to her again. "Welcome to Crackhead Wasteland." Sarah said once Thalia stopped the car, turning her nose up at the house and the messy land.

        "I don't know about this, man," Pope said warily to JJ. He hadn't taken his eyes off of Thalia the entire time she was driving. She shouldn't have been driving, everyone knew that. Thalia took the key out of the ignition. "Dude, why are we at Barry's?" Pope questioned.

        "This'll only take a second." JJ pushed his door open, and Thalia did the same after giving the keys to John B.

        They walked towards the house. Thalia figured JJ was stealing something from Barry, and he must've assumed she could help him. "Where you going?" John B called after them, Pope sliding the back door open.

        "Yo soy justicia." JJ answered. Thalia pushed open the porch door and walked inside with JJ behind her.

        "What are we doing here?" Thalia asked monotonously as JJ instantly started tearing the house apart. JJ ignored her. "It's probably not with his bowls, JJ." Thalia leant against the kitchen table as JJ searched through the cabinets and drawers.

        JJ rolled his eyes. "I'm looking for his stash, Thalia. I'm sure you know where it is." JJ turned to her bitterly.

        Thalia's whole body tensed. "He hasn't shown me his stash, JJ. I'm a customer, nothing more, and never again after he finds out we were here." Thalia said. JJ pushed her aside to look at the table as John B walked in.       

        "Yeah, so what's your plan, slick?" John B asked as he saw JJ now searching the living room, Thalia unwilling to help him.

        "Well, as thou hath stealeth from us, we shall stealeth from ye." JJ explained brokenly, aggravating Thalia to no end.

        John B sighed. "Yeah, that kind of got lost in translation." he looked at Thalia with a disappointed gaze that she understood instantly. Everyone was always disappointed in her.

        "An eye for an eye, John B." JJ summarized quickly.

        "JJ, Barry's gonna come after us as soon as he realizes we were here. You don't know him, you don't know what he does to people." Thalia said, trying to get her brother to just back off.

        JJ scoffed and walked around Thalia. "I'm not scared of this guy." he brushed Thalia and moved towards Barry's room, John B trying and failing to stop him.

        Thalia glanced once at John B before she followed JJ into Barry's room. He started tearing apart the closets. "Top shelf. Black duffle bag filled with money." Thalia said quietly, knowing JJ would resent her forever if she didn't help him.

        "Ah, knew you were a team player." JJ said when he grabbed the bag.

        "What are you doing?" John B asked from the kitchen. JJ was filling a different bag with Barry's stacks of cash.

        "Getting even!" JJ shouted back. Thalia rolled her eyes and left the bedroom, JJ following after her. "All right, took care of business." he announced to John B.

        Turning around, John B took JJ by the shoulders. "Hey, look at me. If you keep going down this road, you're gonna end up just like your dad–" John B began, Thalia's face falling at his words.

        "Wow. That's messed up, John B." Thalia said quietly as JJ aggressively grabbed John B's shirt in anger.

        "You watch your mouth, man." JJ threatened his best friend, their faces dangerously close.

        "JJ." Thalia said, standing next to them, wanting the awful day to be over with.

        "Aren't you tired of being messed with?" JJ ignored Thalia.

        "That's not the point, JJ." John B spoke.

        "'Cause I am." then, JJ left the house.

        Thalia looked at John B, red braid over her shoulder. "Don't ever tell him he's gonna end up like Luke. Ever." she said firmly, more serious than John B had ever seen him.

        Silently, they followed JJ out of the house and onto the front lawn, where Pope, Kie and Sarah were pacing. "All right, so we're looking at about four grand each for reparations for putting us through that bullshit. Sorry about that, y'all." JJ announced, walking towards the van.

        "So that's what we're doing now? We're robbing Thalia's drug dealer?" Kie asked, nervous.

        "He's not my dealer, all right? I'm not an addict, only addicts have dealers." Thalia said shakily, sick and tired of being branded as something that she wasn't.

        Sarah looked at her cousin sadly. "He is your dealer, and you are an addict," she said gently, proceeding to turn to her cousin's brother. "Barry's gonna find out. And he's gonna come after us."

        Pope tore his gaze away from Thalia and to JJ. They were standing in an accidental circle with Thalia and JJ the targets. "Yes, he will. This is not the time to start wilin' out." Pope advised, stressed out beyond belief.

        "How'd you guys like havin' a gun pulled on you?" JJ looked up from the ground and at his friends.

        "Relax." John B pushed JJ away from the others.

        "He had it right here on you, bro." JJ pointed at John B's forehead.

        John B shoved JJ's hand down. "Look We've gotta go get the gold, okay? Just give me that shit. We're putting it back," John B tried to take the bag of money, but JJ slammed him into the back of the van, Thalia inhaling sharply. "Do you feel like a tough guy? Huh? What are you gonna do when he comes for us?" John B spoke.

        "We punch him in the throat." JJ responded darkly.

        "Yeah, good fuckin' idea, JJ." John B said, disappointed in JJ, and even more disappointed that Thalia wasn't saying anything.

        Thalia took the duffle bag from JJ and tossed it in the back of the van. "We're not putting it back. Barry's the one who got my mom to start running his drugs. He got Luke hooked. He got Rafe hooked. He ruined my life. He deserves to have his life ruined now." Thalia said, speaking in a manner that no one had heard before, not even Sarah.

        JJ was surprised that his sister was on his side. He patted her shoulder and stepped into the van, but beside Thalia, who took a seat to rest her knee, no one moved. "You guys getting in or what?" JJ asked, and when no one answered, he stood before them again, right next to the redhead. "What?"

        "We're sick of your shit. Both of you." John B said, Thalia hauling herself to her feet again.

        "Oh, our shit?" JJ scoffed, Thalia rolling her eyes at John B's words.

        "Yeah. Yeah. Your shit." John B nodded, looking between the brother and sister.

        Kiara then got involved. "Yes. Your pulling guns on people shit, JJ. Thalia, your drugs, all the shit you do." she said, identical expressions landing on the faces of JJ and Thalia.

        Pope swallowed thickly. "JJ, you've been acting like a freakin' maniac. Thalia, we all wanted to help you, but you just kept lying–" Pope began, and Thalia snapped.

        "Pope, we took the fall for you, man!" she pointed between herself and her brother. "Do you know how much we owe because of you? How pissed Luke and Ward are?" Thalia said distressed, face growing hot.

        "I'm gonna pay you guys back, and I didn't ask either of you to do that!" Pope responded, and Thalia's face fell. Pope saw the exact moment when he lost her, maybe forever.

        "We just did! Pay it back. Right here, right now, by ourselves," JJ said, glaring at Pope. He then looked at Thalia and the others. "You know what? That's exactly what we're gonna do. Go off by ourselves. You in?" JJ grabbed his backpack and the duffle bag full of money, looking at his sister.

        "Yeah." Thalia responded, looking at Pope one last time before she turned and walked away with her brother. Pope called their names, trying to go after them, but John B wouldn't let him. JJ and Thalia were alone in the big, bad world, with no one to protect them. As long as they had each other...

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