FLAWLESS - J. MAYBANK

v. lightweight

'Rich? How?'

JJ shook his head. 'Man, Kie, you really didn't tell her anything, did you?'

'I didn't exactly have that much time.'

'Really? You didn't have the whole ride to the cemetery?'

Maelynn turned to Kiara. 'Shit, Kie, your truck!'

Kiara shrugged. 'It's fine. I'll make someone take me to get it tomorrow. Don't worry about it.'

'I can come get you in the morning.'

Kiara smiled and nodded gently. 'Thanks, M.'

JJ looked between them. 'Are we already doing nicknames here? We're that close? I held a gun to your brothers' head the other night.'

'Please don't remind me.'

He stopped dead. There was actual, genuine fear in her eyes at the memory. Like how she looked when the men had been chasing them through the cemetery and she had to jump the fence. 

'I'm sorry,' he said quietly. 'I didn't mean to scare you, just Rafe.'

'It scared me that you were holding a gun to my older brothers' head when he was fighting your friend over me, JJ. There was no situation that wouldn't have scared me.'

'I'm sorry,' he repeated, wrapping her in a hug. It was so random and odd that Maelynn froze for a moment, then realized she was fine and relaxed into it. The other pogues watched them curiously. 

John B was the first to speak. 'Did y'all, like, get married in the bathroom or something? What're we missing here?'

Maelynn laughed and turned her head so she could see him. 'You're not missing anything. I helped get the vomit off his face. That's basically it.'

'No macking?'

'No macking,' she confirmed with a sour look on her face. 'He had just hurled, John B. I wasn't gonna kiss someone with a puke mouth, no matter how hot they are.'

'So you think I'm hot?' JJ asked as he pulled away. He wiggled his eyebrows down at her, which made her laugh again. 

'Yeah, sure.'

ミ⛧ ミ⛧ ミ⛧

'What're you guys gonna do with the gold?' Maelynn asked some time later. Everyone sat silently for a while, considering her question. What were they gonna do with the gold?

'I think I'm gonna save it for college and that stuff. Textbooks are expensive,' Pope said. Maelynn smiled and nodded. 

'Responsible as ever, Pope. Kie?'

'Record a double album.'

'Shit. I'll make sure to buy a million copies. JJ?'

He nudged her knee with his. 'Imma buy a big mansion on the Figure Eight, with gardeners and groundskeepers and all of that good shit. Go full kook.'

'We'll be neighbors, then.'

'Indeed we will.'

John B raised his can. They had been drinking all the alcohol he could find in his house to clear their minds and chill out a bit. 'To going full kook.'