PAPER RINGS ༄ ❀ JJ MAYBANK & KIARA CARRERA

016.

Nadia didn't know what to think when John B pulled up to the restaurant like a madman. The Twinkie didn't go that fast but the way he was driving, it didn't seem like it.

The first thing that popped into her mind when she left was someone was in the hospital or JJ was arrested again. She didn't expect to hear that Heyward was hurt. Hearing that made her climb into the Twinkie with no hesitation.

Nadia stood in front of Heyward, patching up the gash on his forehead. "You okay? Am I hurting you?" she asked applying the bandaid gently. She had a lot of experience with this when JJ would appear with bruises and cuts.

"No, you're doing just fine." he assured her, thanking his favourite kid out of the group.

"Pop, what happened." Pope sat down next to his father, concern written all over his face. Heyward groaned in annoyance "Oh, I should've known better. He came in just as I was about to lock up. Caught me by surprise."

Nadia packed up her little first aid kit and put it into her bag. She walked over towards where Kiara and JJ were standing and sat beside them on the picnic table.

"Once he had me down, he put his knee in my chest." Heyward continued looking at the others "and he asked me about that..that key from that drawing you showed me."

All the kids glanced to each other warily, having an idea of who this guy was.

"and incase you're wondering, i ain't tell him nothing. Now did you track it down?"

Nadia and Kiara shared a grin at the and attitude. Heyward's sassiness was Nadia's favourite thing about him.

Pope looked at his father for a second, debating on if he could tell the truth. Then he finally reached into his back pocket and took out the key, handing it to his father. "I found it in Mee-maws old apartment above the pharmacy just like you said."

"shit, boy, you should've gave this to me. I wouldn't have had to take a beating." He rolled his eyes "what's the big deal, it ain't worth anything. Why do they want it so bad?"

Pope shrugged "I don't know, first I get this letter saying that I need to go to Charleston, and then I meet this rich lady who wants me to give her a key that I didn't even know was in my family."

Kiara leaned her head back on Nadia's shoulder, sighing out loud "none of it makes any sense."

Heyward shook his head, giving the teens a look "Well, don't just sit here whining about it. Figure it out."

"No." Pope insisted "i'm just gonna give the key to that lady, it's not worth—"

"No, no, no. Did i raise you to back down from a fight, boy?"

Pope shook his head, "No, sir."

"Well, alright." he nodded his head at his son in approval "Now, I..I didn't think about it before. I admit that. But now..." he grinned pointing to his head wound "now i'm interested."

"did they say why they wanted it?" he asked them, Pope was really the only ones to know the answers to those questions while the others listened carefully.

"something about an old cross. I think it might be some kind of lost treasure."

Heyward rose his eyebrows, an idea coming into his head "You know who you should talk to?" Pope looked curiously at him "You're great grandmother, Mee-Maw."

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Nadia's back was leaning against the passenger seat of the Twinkie as she sat on the floor. Her laptop was in her lap as she got ahead on some assignments so she didn't fall behind with this treasure hunt—even though she probably will.

They were parked outside of a convenience store, waiting for a text from Pope saying he was done at his Mee-Maws. The air was a little awkward. When they dropped Pope off at the nursing home, he claimed that he didn't need them—it was more directed at Kiara if anything but no one mentioned it.

It wasn't helping that John B and Sarah were having a little bump in the relationship either. Sarah wasn't sitting in the Twinkie at the moment, she refused to sit in the car. Instead she was stood up outside, leaning against the side of the open door.

John B tapped the steering wheel of the Twinkie. looking back at Nadia who was typing away on her keyboard. His eyebrow rose slightly at what she was doing and chuckled to himself. He nudged JJ's arm, nodding towards the girl on the floor.

The blonde male turned around "are you seriously doing homework right now?" he chuckled "nerd."

Nadia looked up from her computer, noticing four pairs of eyes laid on her. She rolled her eyes, closing her computer shut and sliding it away from her. She held her hands up in defence "don't come crying to me when you need my answers."

JJ's eyes widened, realizing quickly that the only reason he was passing was because of Nadia and her cheat sheets. "I take it back, i'm sorry you're the best."

Nadia flipped him off, giving him a playful glare. JJ lifted his hand and flicked her nose, making her gasp loudly.

Kiara watched them with a small smile playing on her lips. She broke things off with Pope because she didn't feel like she connected to him like she was supposed to. For the longest time, she didn't think she could feel connected to anyone.

However, looking at those too she could feel something deep down that wanted to erupt in her  like a volcano. It was the same feelings she'd get sometimes when they'd all hangout together before John B went missing, but she refused to let those feelings happen.

She watched as Nadia smacked his hand away from her face before getting out of the van. She stretched her limbs, some of them cracking as she did so. "I'm in the mood for a slushy—anyone else?"

Kiara tucked her phone into the back of her jeans pocket and stood up outside right next to her. "Yeah, I could go for one. Sarah?"

The blonde sighed and nodded her head. As she followed the two girls side by side, Nadia threw her arm over Sarah's shoulders. When they were far enough away so the boys couldn't hear them she started to speak.

"You need to tell me about this John B shit that's going on."

...