𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥, 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝟏

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞

The rooster crows. "What were you thinking following me out of the office?" JJ asked Tatum, whispering of course.

Tatum was sitting in between JJ's legs, leaning her back against his chest. "You were going right to where they were! I couldn't leave you alone!" Tatum looked up at him.

"You could have gotten hurt!" JJ exclaimed quietly. "So could you!" Tatum exclaimed, but the rooster crowed loudly, cutting their conversation.

"Do something Pope, shut him up!" JJ yelled at Pope. "What do you want me to do?" Pope asked him.

"I don't know, pet it, or talk to it," JJ told him, but Pope wouldn't move. So JJ made his way towards the rooster, grabbed him by the neck and killed him.

He looked at Tatum, seeing the tears welling up in her eyes as she looked away from Bradley Bradshaw.

JJ sat next to her, grabbing her hand in his, trying to calm her down. "Ratter! What the hell are you doing, man? Let's go!" The truck pulls away, and Kaia lets out of JJ's hand, getting out of the chicken coop.

"Tate!" JJ and John B yell after the girl, but she just walks away, where she parked her Wrangler out of sight.

...

Tatum shut off the engine, climbing out of her Jeep as she walked up her driveway. "Tatum!" She whips her head around to see Rafe pulling up on his dirt bike.

"What's up, Rafe?" Tate wipes under her eyes, clearing all evidence of her tears. "Hey, what's wrong?" He parks it, walking over to her.

"Nothing. Just high school drama, I guess," she lies through her teeth, "Are you here to see Topper?"

"Yeah, he wanted to do something today," Rafe lied, knowing well that Topper was hanging out with Sarah. "Come inside then," Tatum opened the garage, and walked inside, Rafe following.

"Want a coke or something?" Tatum asks as she pulls out a soda from the fridge. "Yeah, sure." She grabs another can and cup from the cupboard, filling it with ice.

"So, what's the deal with you and the Pogues right now?" Rafe asked, leaning against the counter, watching Tatum.

"It's different, I don't know. I'm friends with everybody, you know? I don't really see the point in Pogues and Kooks. We're all still people, people breathing the same air, seeing the same things."

Tatum pours the cokes into the cups, setting them down in front of Rafe. "Like, what does it matter at the end of the day? You're still gonna have the rich and poor people. I just don't like the division between everybody, so i hangout with everybody."

Tatum sighed, resting her hands on the counter, "What about you? Why'd you drop out of college, Rafe?" "It just wasn't right for me, you know? I don't want to waste my time taking classes when I could be traveling abroad or something," Rafe chuckled.

"Ward didn't take that too well, did he?" Tatum smiles, pushing her hair behind her ears. "No, he didn't. But you know, screw him."

"Yeah, I get the parenting crap. My mom is a piece of work, especially when it comes to me and Topper. Don't tell him I told you, but Cynthia caught him watching porn on his laptop and threw it in the pool," Tatum snickered.

"Which, I mean, hey I get, but she's just wasting her money destroying his laptop, and then buying him another one."

"How did he even get caught?" Rafe couldn't stop laughing. "I'm pretty sure he was moaning Sarah's name as he was jerking himself off or something. I'm just glad I wasn't there for that part. I was walking up the driveway when Cynthia threw the laptop," Tatum laughed, smiling and looking up at Rafe.