𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐁𝐋𝐄𝐌𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐑，𝗃𝗃 𝗆𝖺𝗒𝖻𝖺𝗇𝗄

𝗌𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗇

𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐌𝐄𝐋𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐍 the gold, we went to the pawn shop. "Hell of a job melting it down, Dr Frankenstein," JJ complained, climbing out of the Twinkie.

Kie scoffed, "Like you could have done any better."

"I could have. I took a welding class." He told us.

I frowned, "When?" I asked, but I was ignored.

"Hey," John B spoke up. "Chill out, okay?"

The blonde rolled his eyes, "Easy for you to say. You're not the one who has to pawn this piece of shit off. How did me and Hales get this job anyway?"

Pope shrugged, "Cause you're the best liars."

I nodded, "That's fair. Afternoon, ma'am." I greeted the woman as we entered the store.

"Afternoon." She frowned suspiciously.

"I see you buy gold." The Maybank boy smirked.

"That's what the sign says, don't it?" She sassed.

"Well, I sure hope you buy a lot of it because I'm about to blow your mind," JJ said, pulling the gold out of his backpack.

"I ain't got much mind left to blow to have at it." She chuckled, seeing it. "That ain't real. It can't be."

I smirked, "Feel how heavy it is." The woman picked up the piece, struggling to lift it. "Let's get some light on that," I told her to which she complied.

She frowned, "Spray-painted tungsten."

"Why don't you see how soft it is?" JJ spoke up.

"You mind?" She asked.

I shook my head, "No, go for it." When the gold didn't make a dent she frowned. "Would you look at that?"

"Hold your horses." She told us. "We ain't got to the acid test yet."

"The acid test." The blonde boy smiled. "My favourite, guys."

The old woman shook her head, "Well, it ain't plated, and it ain't painted."

JJ scoffed, "Ma'am, I'm telling you, this is as real as the day is long."

She frowned, "It looks like somebody tried to melt it down."

"My mom." The boy said quickly before I could come up with something. "She had all this jewellery lying around the house, and she thought it was best to melt it down. To 'consolidate' it." He motioned for quote marks with his fingers when he said the word 'consolidate'.

I was trying to hold in my laugh when she placed the gold onto the scale, "Seven pounds? That's a lot of earrings."

"To be honest, ma'am, it's really hard to see my mom fall apart, with Alzheimer's." He lied, fake tears pricking his eyes.