𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐲

XXXI. Army Rangers.

AT THE Chateau, John B and Pope got to working on the fire while JJ was grabbing some beer from the fridge. "Hey, Jake?" Kie says, standing in the doorway of the bathroom. "Yeah?" He looks up, he'd been texting his mom letting her know that he's gonna be spending the night at John B's and all.

"What... what were you gonna say? Before you got interrupted?" She asked as she walked over to where he was sitting, on the edge of the pull out couch bed. "Oh." He glanced away, over to where JJ was standing, the blond boy was evidently eavesdropping while just standing there, facing the fridge.

"It wasn't important." He says, looking up at Kiara right away. "Oh." The girl glanced away as JJ now walked out, drinking a beer on his way and Jake stood up. "Yeah, sorry..." He looks the other way, towards the other three boys outside by the bonfire. JJ was saying something to John B and Pope, so he quickly looked back at Kie to see her staring at him.

"It wasn't important?" She asked and he just stared back. It was almost like she can tell what he was gonna say. In a way, she was, because she noticed the look in his eyes in the moment he was about to say it. But the small fear had caused him to not say it, that maybe she'll run off, just like Olivia had done.

"No. It--it was stupid, if I'm being honest. You don't have to worry about it." He insisted and she just glanced away before slowly smiling at him. "Wanna have some hot pockets?" She now asked and he just chuckled.

"Yeah, sure." He says. In the kitchen, they heat up two and then join the others outside, "I've had more black eyes in the last month than I've ever had." Pope says as Jake and Kie join them. "That was building up for years. Rumble in the jungle." JJ says, seated by Pope as the two of them and John B were roasting marshmallows over the open fire now.

Because he heated up his last so Kie's could cool down in time, Jake kind of flinches at how hot the hot pocket on his plate was. "Hey, did you guys really stick up for Sarah?" John B asked, looking at Jake across from him then over at Kiara next to him. "Of course, we did." Kie glanced at the Routledge.

"She's not a real Kook." He says as Jake nods his head in agreement, "right." John B says, looking away from her. "Yeah, tell that to Topper." Pope says, looking over at John B and Kiara. "I just want one bite. That..." The Routledge boy grabs her hand with the hot pocket in it. "What are you doing?" The Carrera girl asked as he hums.

"No, stop!" She said as the hot pocket now flung out of her hands and she gasped. "Kie!" John B exclaimed. "You're not having any of mine." JJ says, because he had gotten the hot pockets with her and he got more than her. "I thought you were gonna share." John B said as he got up and Kie sighs, turning around. "I spent the last of my money on that." She says so Jake looks up at her.

"Sixteen years in federal prison." John B says, picking up the hot pocket from the ground. "Well, I'm stealing your marshmallow." She simply tells him. "I believe that's a... not even a fair trade." Jake tells her as he got up to walk over to her. "It's not at all. Not even close." She laughed as he handed over his plate. "No, that's okay, Jay." She smiles at the boy.

"Are you sure?" He asked, kind of lowering the plate onto his lap slowly. "You eat it." She says and then John B pats the both of them. "Hey, hey." He says then shushed them. "Somebody's here." He says and Jake quickly looks around. "You don't think that Topper would..." Kie trails off, looking at JJ and Pope.

"I wouldn't put it past him." JJ says as they all stood up. "Do you have your gun?" Kie asked, looking over at JJ. "Oh, now she wants the gun." JJ says. "Oh, now you don't have the gun?" The girl rebuttled back. "No." JJ answers right away. "Isn't that your "secret" weapon?" Kie asked, even doing air quotation. "Shut up." John B hissed at them kind of harshly.

They walk with John B, on guard. "Goddamn, now she wants the gun." JJ muttered quietly as Jake walks behind John B, Kie right behind him and holding his arm. "Hey, who's out there?" John B shouted out. "You Kooks better not try anything." Kie yells next, holding onto Jake tighter and walking closer to him. "Who's there?" JJ calls out, holding up a random stick he found. "How ya'll doing?" It's Limbrey's little minion who appears before the five.

"It's this piece of shit." Pope whispers. "You gotta be kidding me." JJ says quietly. "Lovely evening we're having." The man is walking over, arms raised in the air. "Look, I, uh... I don't hold a grudge with any of ya'll, alright? But this can go hard, or this can go easy." The man had raised both sides of his jacket, even doing a little spin around as he did so, to show them that he was coming to them unarmed.

"You know what I'm here for." He says, looking at Pope as Jake glanced over at the Heyward and Maybank behind them. "Let me give you a little demonstration. You see that swing right there?" The man now asked, pointing towards it. "I got the best bow hunters in the Army Rangers with me." He says and JJ just stayed standing there by the swing.

"Yeah?" He asked the man. "Hidden." Renfield says. "Mm-hmm." JJ hums, then the man whistled and an arrow whizzed by, hitting the rope of the swing and landing on the tree, which the five teenagers all immediately look at. "Now, they're out there. They'll stick you just as soon as I say so." The man was now walking towards Pope so JJ held up the weapon, the stick, defensively.

The man whistled again, an arrow hitting the ground near JJ and Pope. "Uh, uh, uh. We clear?" He asked and JJ looks up at the man and Pope, then over at the other three. "Now, I'm not gonna give you a countdown or any bullshit like that. I'm just gonna whistle." He says as the four all just watched them. Pope reached into his pocket and held it up. "Oh." The man says, looking away.

"This key belongs to my family." He says and the man turned around, looking at the four standing behind him before turning around, laughing. "I'm losing my patience with you, Pope." He said and then he raised his hand, getting ready to whistle but the Heyward boy held it out to him. "Did the right thing, kid." The man tells him as Jake looks away. "Knowing when you don't have a choice is an under appreciated talent."

"You be safe." He says then turned around, seeing JJ right behind him. "Easy there." He said, brushing past the blond boy. "Ya'll have a good night." Renfield says, heading off as the other four just look over at Pope. "I'm so sick of this shit." The boy says as Jake just frowns, watching Pope turn away and walk off, most likely wanting to be alone.

  

 

  

  

 

 

  

 

  

  

  

  

  

authors note
i wish i could write more of evie with the group, but they're always like in danger or drinking and stuff so it sucks that i rarely can

+ i'm planning so many things for part 3 already in advance bc i'm so excited