Pogue on Pogue- JJ Maybank

Chapter 27

      We use the drone to look in the ship but we don't find anything.

" It's not there. Look, just pull the drone up." John B tells us, disappointed.

We hear more thunder.

" Shit." John B says.

" Look, we can do another pass. Recharge the battery, we can go back down!" I say to JB as he walks away from us. I try to cheer us all up.

" We've done it 3 times. There's nothing there!" JJ yells, crushing my hope.

" Shut up!" Kie yells.

" What?! It's true!" JJ retorts.

" The gold could be buried, we don't know!" Kie yells.

" If it was there, it would have been found on the metal detector, okay?!" John B yells.

" Somebody beat us to it." JB says, lowering his voice.

" Or it was never there." I hear JJ say quietly as I entire the little hut and sit down.

We pack up and drop the boat off. Pope, Kie, and JJ leave. JB and I head back to the Chateau.

We walk in the door and JB grabs a box of cereal.

" JB!" I yell, seeing a social worker on the couch. JB turns around and sees here.

" Hey, buddy." The woman says.

" You know, Cheryl, it's kind of a bad time for a check-in." JB says, sitting at the table. I follow him because social workers scare me as much as my dad does.

" Not a check in, we're here to take you." She explains.

" No, you can't!" I yell, still sitting though. I get ignored.

" Today? Really?" JB asks calmly.

" It's just for a few weeks until your hearing." Cheryl explains, sitting up from her previously relaxed position.

" No, Cheryl, look, I'm not going into foster care, okay?" John B asks, slightly hitting his hands onto the table. " I'm not gonna be part of your little system." John B says, and I can see he's getting more and more frustrated.

I hear a radio beep from behind us and we both turn around to see a cop.

" John B, this is Deputy Thomas." She says, as we both get up, I am as scared of cops as I am of social workers and my dad. Maybe more than social workers, definitely not more than my dad though.

" He works with juveniles for the sheriff's department." Cheryl explains, also standing up.

John B walks over to Cheryl while I lean against the wall, arms crossed over my chest.

" Look, I know uncle T's down in Mississippi working at a casino." She explains. " He hasn't been here for months." She adds.

" What?" John B asks , lying, and he scoffs.

John B tries to run to his bag in the kitchen but the cop is still there and when the cop moves JB comes back by the social worker.

" Look, I-I, I want emancipation." JB says, still holding the cereal box in his hand.

" Emancipation from who? There's nobody here but you." She asks.

" I'm here, thank you very much." I add.

" Don't get me started or I'll start asking how you got those bruises." She retorts quickly.

To be honest, I kinda forgot about my bruises because they don't hurt that much anymore and are starting to fade, but I shut up.

" Asylum, then." John B says.

" On what grounds?" Cheryl asks.

" On solid grounds. On holy grounds." John B says, panicking. " Look, I feel really prosecuted right now, by you and," John B starts before looking over his shoulder. "Especially by Mr. Big Head over here." John B says, earning a slight chuckle from me.

The cop then looks at John B weird.

" What are you looking at, bro? What're you gonna do? You gonna tase me?" John B asks sarcastically.

John B then tries again to go for his bag and I sneakily grab mine from the floor by the door.

" John!" Cheryl yells.

" You wanna dance, huh?" The cop says.

JB then tries again but stops and throws a handful of Cheerios at him.

The officer then grabs JB and JB struggles to get away.

" Let go of him!" I shout, stepping up slightly.

" I didn't do anything!" John B says, still trying to get out.

" Cheryl call your dog off!" I yell.

" That's enough, enough!" Cheryl yells at the cop.

The cop lowers John B so he's sitting on the floor, but he still holds him.

" Okay, I give up, I give up!" John says from the floor.

" Relax, John." Cheryl says.

" Hard to relax when you assholes are here." I say, causing Cheryl and the cop to look at me, but they don't say anything.

John B, Cheryl, and I then go into his room while he packs a bag. He also puts a shirt on.

He is packing when he sees and grabs a picture of his dad off the wall.

" See this Cheryl?" John B asks.

" Do you know who this is?" John B asks, holding the picture up to her.

" Yeah, it's my dad." John B says, answering himself.

" And do you know what he wanted?" John B asks the cop in the doorway and the social worker. The cop rolls his eyes and Cheryl says nothing.

" He wanted me to stay here, at home. And you are taking me away from home." John B explains, raising his voice a little.

" Do you understand that?" John B asks angrily.

" It's the law, John B." Cheryl explains calmly.

" The law." John B scoffs, grabbing his bag and walking out of the room.

" It should be the law that you can't have that ugly ass haircut," I start, pointing to Cheryl's hair. " Or that ugly ass mug." I add, looking the officer in his eyes. Then I go to walk out of the room when the social worker speaks up.

" Just for that, I have some questions about your bruises. You're coming too." She explains.

" Fuck." I say under my breath, then walk out of the room with my bag.

We get in the car, JB and I in the back, Mr. Big Head and Cheryl in the front.

" I'm sorry." I whisper to John B while I lay my head on his shoulder.

" For what?" He asks, confused.

" For this, maybe if I hadn't said anything, she would have let us stay." I explain.

" Not everything is your fault, it was gonna happen eventually." John B explains, wrapping an arm around my shoulder, then pulling out the picture of his dad and holding it up to look at.

A/N: Hi! I hope you're having a good day. Please vote. Please comment because they really make my day. Thank you for reading.