MATILDA , jj maybank

12

MATILDA! CHAPTER TWELVE:
POPES ARREST
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The next day Liz got up and decided to tag along with her mother to the Shake Shack. She was still thinking about the things Rafe had said the night prior. About them being close. Liz sat at the counter across from her mother. It was slow today, so little to no costumers. Liz rubbed her neck, that was very bruised from Tommy.

"Hey mom?" Liz asked and her mother turned to her

"Yeah, hun?"

"How come you never talk about dad?" Her mothers face quickly went a shade of white.

"Liz, your father isn't important"

"Than why did Rafe Cameron tell me, and I quote— were closer than you think, just ask your mom" Liz told her and her mothers mouth dropped

"Sweetie you have to understand—"

"Understand what? that I'm related to Rafe Cameron?"

"Liz your father is Ward Cameron! Okay? Me and Ward had an affair that I didn't even know he was with her and after I got pregnant he told me to never speak about it, and never to tell you"

"But I'm related to Kooks? The biggest Kooks on this island, I'm apart of their family? This whole Pogue thing has been a choice"

"Liz, you don't understand Ward manipulates people! Where do you think all that money came from? He gave it to me so I could give you a better life without making it obvious we had been together!" Liz sighed

"Mom I didn't—"

"Yes you didn't know. And now you do, but you better not tell your sister" her mother pointed at her and Liz nodded

"Yeah" Liz said before sighing and her mothers eyes went across the street.

"What's a Cop car doing outside of Heywards?" She asked before Liz turned and immediately saw the cop car and jumped out of her seat, running across the road as Shoupe was talking to the group.

"I have an arrest warrant for felony destruction of property" he told them and Liz gasped

"What?" Heyward asked

"Hands where I can see 'em." Shoupe told Pope

"Whoa. Shoupe, what'd he do?" Heyward asked

"Look at the warrant."

"You're arresting him?" Liz questioned Shoupe

"You're just arresting my boy?"

"Be careful!" Kie yelled

"Shoupe, are you listening?"

"anything you say can and will be held against you in the court of law." Shoupe said "You have the right to an attorney."

"How much did they pay you, man?" JJ asked and they all followed outside trying to talk to Shoupe and get him out of it until JJ spoke up behind them

"It wasn't him! It was me." JJ said and Liz turned to him "He tried to talk me out of it, but I was mad because he'd just been beaten up. I was so sick of those assholes from Figure Eight that I lost my shit. I can't let you take the blame for somethin' I did. You've got too much to lose." JJ said

"JJ, what are you doing?" Pope asked

"I'm tellin' the truth. For once in my goddamn life, I'm gonna tell the truth. I took his old man's boat, too."

"What the hell?" Heyward asked

"JJ, come on."

"Just shut up, Pope! Just shut up. He's a good kid. You know where I'm from." JJ said

"Yeah." Shoupe said

"This was all me."

"That's the whole truth?" Shoupe asked

"Whole truth, swear to God."

"I know what you think, damn it, I'm asking Pope." Pope hesitated before answering

"Yeah, that about covers it." JJ got in the car and Liz watched as they drove off. She put her head in her hands as Pope yelled.

"Shit!" Pope threw his hat on the ground and ran back into the shop. Liz ran a hand through her hair, worried about what might happen to JJ. Why did he do that?

"Pope... Pope? Pope!"

Midsummers was a Kook tradition. It was an Exuse for rich people to dress up and party, and you'd think Liz and her family had never been invited but every year they got a letter in the mail, for Midsummers and it was completely anonymous. This year was Liz's first time attending. Kie told her she was going but Liz loved the idea of going. Kie stood in the mirror looking at her long purple dress and purple flower crown in disgust while Liz was twirling in her long blue dress that was fitted perfectly. She wore a blue flower crown and a pair of flats, because she couldn't walk in heels.

"I know. It's just horrible." Kies mother said "I'm asking you to relax and go to a fun party."

"I look like a bourgeoisie pig."

"Will you please not worry about socioeconomic injustice for one night?"

"Mom, people not three miles from here have no power, no running water, and we're going to Midsummers. That's so tone-deaf."

"Do you know how hard we had to work to get into the Island Club?" Kies mom asked

"Yeah, Mom. How could I forget? You had to grovel for, like, ten years—"

"Twelve, and we also had to cough up a huge chunk of dough, and do you know why we did that?"

"To keep up with the Joneses?"

"No. So you could have the experiences that I had as a child. Honey, do you know what the Island Club is?"

"A factory farm for debutantes."

"It is a nice place, with nice people, where you can do fun stuff."

"With out-of-touch rich people, while the island sinks slowly into the ocean."

"Okay, I want you to put on your party face, Kie, if you wanna live."