Against the world 2

Chapter 9

We drove to the ferry in silence as Kie calmed down after her fight with her parents. Once we boarded the ferry and the car was parked, JJ and I jumped into the tray and he sat down and pulled me down to sit between his legs and he wrapped his arms around me and I fiddled with the rings he always wears.

"My parents are so paranoid about me being a Pogue, like it's the worst thing that could ever happen" Kie said to us as JJ rolled a joint. 

"Do you think they would actually send you to boarding school?" I asked her, I thought her parents were bluffing but even I don't really know how far they will go.

"Hey, I hear that they have good weed at boarding school" JJ said, putting his joint in his mouth and lighting it. 

"I am not going to boarding school. They would have to kidnap me, tie me up and throw me in a van" Kie said, taking JJ's joint and having a puff. 

"Hey Sav, have you tried to hit John B back on that number yet?" Pope asked  me.

"Only about 20 million times" JJ made a sarcastic comment behind me about that being a lot of times. "Some lady at a hotel keeps answering me" 

"Okay well until we hear from them again, let's clear his name. This letter is our best bet now" Pope says to us reminding us how important this is.

Kie tries to hand Pope the joint but he doesn't take it and she sits back down and jokes around with JJ as he pretends to do tricks like a dog. Kie, Pope, JJ and I all sat in the back of the truck joking around for the rest of the trip into Charleston. Once we arrived in Charleston Pope drove the truck off the ferry and we began driving towards the address written on the letter, Kie had her phone giving Pope the directions. We were talking about the letter and wondering why someone in Charleston cares or knows about a murder on Kildare Island and why was this letter addressed to Pope. If this Limbrey person has information that could exonerate my brother then why wouldn't they give it to me, I am the one who has been trying to clear John B's name for months while everyone else thought he was dead but now Pope has the chance to clear his name without me.

 Suddenly the truck made a terrible noise and white smoke started coming out of the engine, a lot of smoke.

"Pope, I got sensitive lungs man" JJ yelled whilst pulling his shirt over his mouth and nose and winding the window up.

"His lungs can only handle weed apparently" I laughed at my boyfriend who rolled his eyes at me.

Once Pope pulled over on the side of the road, we all got out of the truck and JJ opened the hood of the truck and even more smoke came out. JJ was always tinkering with cars and bikes so he knew what he was looking for as he lent over into the engine.

"You might wanna reschedule your meeting tonight Pope" JJ looked at Pope and I.

"Plan B?" I said to my friends while coming up with ideas "Public transport? Hitchhike? Oh I know, we could rent bikes"

"Yeah, it's the radiator" JJ confirmed as he wiped his dirty hands on his shorts "We will get there tomorrow little Routledge, right now we need to get this truck fixed" JJ kissed my head as Pope was sitting on the ground saying how much his dad was going to kill him, and knowing Heyward he  just might. 

We drove to the closest mechanic and the man was in heaven noticing 4 stranded teenagers show up. JJ and the mechanic looked at the car together and JJ explained what he thinks has gone wrong and he let's us know he can put a rush on it for extra money of course. While Pope and JJ were dealing with the mechanic I went inside his shop to use the bathroom.

"Gotta know the calibration point before you do anything with the intake valve, JJ" JJ mumbles, mimicking the mechanic from a minute earlier as he walks over to where Kie is Pope stayed talking to the mechanic. I left the bathroom which was halfway between where Pope was and where JJ and Kie were. I could just hear their conversation and JJ checking on Kie, I stayed hidden to listen to their conversation.

"My mum is so worried that I'm going to be a Pogue that she's willing to send me to boarding school" Kie says, I know how upset she is about her parents reaction this afternoon.

"Well, I guess that's what you get for hanging out with the wrong crowd, Kie" JJ said jokingly, handing Kie his flask. 

"I mean, I'm not going. It's too late anyway, I already am who I am" Kie took a sip from the flask and handed it back to JJ.

"Ain't all that bad" I saw JJ look over in the direction of the shop "Just look at that guy over there, and Savannah, wherever she is. They would do anything for us. That is a Pogue if I've ever seen one, bone deep and if you think for a second that she would let you be sent to boarding school then you're delusional. That's just my opinion, though" JJ drank from his flask as Kie smiled and nodded. 

"Hey guys, drinking without me?" I asked as I walked up to them and grabbed the flask JJ held out for me. Kie got up to go over to Pope and JJ went to follow her but I reached for his forearm and turned him back to face me and reached up and kissed him and of course he kissed me back. 

"Well hi" He said leaning his forehead on mine "What was that for?" 

"I love you, so much" I kissed the tip of his nose.

"Not as much as I love you" He kissed me again and the kiss got deeper and more passionate before we heard Pope cough to let us know he was back.

"If you guys are done, we can go find somewhere to sleep" It was now 12am, too late to find Limbrey so we needed to crash somewhere and go there in the morning. 

"How much did it cost?" JJ asked Pope and Kie.

"Three hundred and seventy dollars, courtesy of my parents" Kie said flashing us her emergency credit card before putting it back in her wallet. 

"Kie, they are going to kill you for that" I said to her, her parents were already angry with her, this might just tip them over the edge.

"Yeah, but I am already a day late and they can only kill me once right" 

We drove until we found a large empty field, we parked the truck and luckily Heyward had some blankets in the back of the car so we could make a makeshift bed. Pope and Kie slept down one end and JJ and I at the other, we heard Kie kiss Pope on the cheek so hopefully they have finally made up and there won't be anymore tension between them. 

We woke up to the sun on our faces the next morning and we all had sore backs from sleeping in the truck, but after stretching we got back in the truck and started following the directions to the Limbrey house. I can't believe we are this close to finally clearing John B's name, as we drove over the bridge I looked out over the water at all of the boats in the water and felt JJ's hand holding mine and couldn't help but wonder what John B and Sarah are doing right now, where are they? Are they safe? When will I see my brother next?