𝚋𝚘𝚛𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚝 {𝚓𝚓 𝚖𝚊𝚢𝚋𝚊𝚗𝚔}

𝚜.𝟷 𝚎𝚙.𝟾 -𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚝𝚠𝚘-

"do you see I've gotten strong? / I made it through what came along / but I can't move on for the beauty of the past."

~

Kiara's hair whipped in the wind as she stared forlornly out onto the ocean from her perch on the railing of the Routledge's dock. "You sure he got everything?"

"Every bar," John B said gloomily. "The whole enchilada." He let out a grunt and Tate looked down just in time to see him rip the cast from his arm and flex his hand painfully. She winced. "Look, it's not like I expected a happy ending or some shit." He threw the cast to the side.

JJ caught Tate's eye and raised his eyebrows. Kiara gave a little judgemental sigh. "John B-"

"What Kie? It's a hairline fracture. Who cares?"

"You should care. Your arm's gonna be messed up for life."

JJ looked over his shoulder at Kiara and John B bickering, then passed his blunt to Tate, who took it gratefully. She laid her head on JJ's shoulder as she smoked. John B held up his hand. "It's fine. See?"

"Man, we really can't catch a break," JJ murmured, resting a hand on Tate's leg and blowing her smoke away from him.

Tate laughed softly. "Yeah, ever since I started hanging out with you guys."

"So this is your fault," he said with a half-smile.

"This is why I don't slum it with Pogues."

Tate almost turned around to join Kiara in reprimanding John B, but then there were footsteps pounding on the dock and Pope appeared, sweaty and breathing hard. "Guys!" he panted, "Oh! Oh, god. I ran all the way here." He was wearing dress pants and a button down shirt, his scholarship interview clothes. He bent double, hands on his knees, breathing hard.

"You alright?" John B muttered.

"How was the interview, Pope?" JJ asked without turning around.

Pope shook his head. "Don't ask. JB- Look, I'm sorry, dude. About everything. But- but I don't have a lot of time, and- and I have information that is tactically relevant." Tate turned around and handed the blunt back to JJ, sliding off of the railing to stand leaning against it, arms crossed over her chest. "So, before I had my interview, my dad said he was going down to the private airstrip to cut palms for Cameron's big plane." John B looked over at him. "Because it was too heavy, it needed a longer landing strip to take off. So, I'm sitting in my interview, thinking to myself, 'Hm. Why would Cameron need a longer airstrip to take off?" At this, John B sat up and JJ finally turned around to face the others, still on the railing. Tate leaned lightly against his legs. "What could be so heavy to weigh it down?"

"Gold," JJ said without hesitation, and Tate felt her heart leap.

Pope gestured frantically at JJ for at least fifteen seconds before finally answering. "Exactly! Guys, this is our chance, but it leaves tonight, and we have to go."

Kiara's eyes lit up. "Guys, we can't give up now," she said, jumping down from the railing.

JJ's fingers played absentmindedly with the back of her hair as a smile grew on his face. "What's the plan, big man?"

John B gave JJ and Tate a rare smile. "We're gonna steal that shit back," he said, determined once again.

"Pogue style," Tate murmured, unable to keep a grin off of her face as she watched her friends  look more alive than they had in weeks. They were back.

---

They were about to do something incredibly illegal. Tate could feel it in her bones. She had a knack for this sort of thing since she did illegal stuff all the time. Sitting next to her in the van, loading up his gun with fresh bullets, JJ was just on edge, but buzzing with energy. "We go in there, guns a-blazin'" he said, turning to grin at Tate, "-make Ward Cameron beg for mercy, abscond with as much gold a possible and vamanos, get the hell out of there."

"Down the intracoastal," John B added.

"Wait for weather," said Kiara.

"Exit to Cuba," Pope finished.

JJ looked up. "Cuba? No, man, Xcalak, Jewel of the Yucatan. Lobsters so thick, mangoes, and no word for money." He finished loading the clip of his gun and slid it back in. "Let's do this shit."

When they pulled up to the airstrip and got out of the van, John B immediately headed to the fence with a pair of binoculars. The others joined him, peering through the chain links and trying to make out what was happening. Tate watched for a second, and then looked to John B. He was slowly lowering the binoculars from his face. "What?" Kiara asked.

"It's Sarah," said John B.

"She's with him?" JJ asked, leaning back to look at John B.

John B didn't answer. He put the binoculars to his eyes again. "Wait a minute... he's hurting her."

"What?" Kiara grabbed the binoculars out of his hands.

"They're fighting."

"Holy shit," Kiara muttered.

Tate and JJ exchanged a confused look. "Wait, so she--" JJ started, 'What?"

Before anyone could clarify, John B turned and headed back for the van. "Hey!" said Pope, "What are you doing?"

Tate turned to jog after him as he climbed into the drivers seat, pure rage burning in his eyes. "Hey!" she shouted, but he was already driving straight for the fence. JJ grabbed Tate's hand and dragged her out of the path of the van just as it plowed through the fence and hurtled towards the airstrip, brakes squealing.

JJ, his arms still around Tate to keep her back, stumbled slightly. "Don't be a hero, man!" he called after the van, but there was no way John B could hear him.

"How the hell is that thing still running?" Tate asked in a would-be calm voice, staring after the van as it careened straight for the airstrip. JJ merely shook his head in wonder. John B was going to get himself killed, that was a fact. Tate watched the scene like she was watching a car crash and there was nothing she could do about it. JJ kept his arms around Tate until they heard sirens in the distance. He looked up, immediately finding Tate's eyes and passing a silent message.

"Guys, I can't get arrested," said Pope.

JJ nodded. "I'm on probation."

"If they find me, I'll get sent to the mainland," Tate added.

Kiara nodded her head, looking like she was going to cry. "Look, we're no good if we're all in jail." She grabbed Pope's hand and headed back in the opposite direction. "Let's go."

JJ reached down to grab his hat and when he straightened up, Tate took his hand. She met his eyes solemnly and let out a little sigh, then they were off, running as fast as they could behind Kiara and Pope, trying to get as far from the scene as possible.