𝑨𝑫𝑹𝑰𝑭𝑻, jj maybank

TWENTY-SIX - before the storm

TWENTY-SIX —— before the storm

Kie parked her car at the police station. All five teenagers were piled in, the air tense and quiet. The familiar smell of weed wafted through the air from the joint in Pope's hand, and Bee watched him from where she sat in the far back, next to JJ. The look of misery on Pope's face was disheartening, a reminder that he'd risked his future for nothing.

"John B, what are we doing at the police station?" JJ asked.

John B's voice was quiet, still hollow from witnessing Peterkin's murder just a few hours earlier. "Somebody's gotta tell them what happened."

Bee watched Pope take another puff and grimaced when he coughed. Kie turned around from the front seat and glanced at him with a frown on her face.

"Easy there, chief," JJ said.

"Yeah, dude, you're gonna green out," warned Bee.

"All right," JJ said, bringing a hand down onto John B's shoulder, changing the subject. "I'm just gonna be real with you right now. You might end up in the lion's den, but you don't go there on purpose. It's fundamental. Just like my old man always told me, you should never ever trust cops, no matter what the circumstance is."

"Your old man's an abusive liar," Kie said.

"We should really tell them the truth," Bee said. "If they listen, they can help."

JJ shoots her a pointed look, "Exactly. If they listen."

"Nah, I agree with JJ," Pope said, "Fuck the police."

Bee narrowed her eyes at him. While JJ nodded in agreement, Kie scowled and asked, "You goin' to the dark side now?"

"When's the last time the police ever helped us?" Pope asked.

Bee pursed her lips—he had a point.

"Peterkin looked out for me, all right?" John B said, causing everyone to turn their attention to him. "Or tried to, at least. They need to know."

Kie nodded at him, agreeing, so he stepped out of the car and walked up to the front door.  Bee worried that the cops wouldn't believe him, especially with the blood staining his hands and the vacant shadows in his eyes, but she hoped for the best.

Bee's hand inched toward JJ's, which was resting on his knee. She ran her fingers along his, then up to his wrist to play with his bracelets. She kept her eyes fixed on them, trying to keep her mind off of the worst-case-scenarios playing through her mind. JJ glanced at her, a questioning look in his eyes, but didn't voice anything, for he enjoyed her delicate touch. She brushed her fingertips across his rings, admiring the collection, until she got to the one on his pinky. She smiled softly to herself, recognizing it as the one he'd taken from her dresser a few days ago. She tapped it, her eyes watching his face to gauge his reaction. A sheepish grin spread across his face when he realized that she had noticed it, and Bee's mouth twitched into a shy smile as he laced his fingers between hers.

The four friends sat in anxious silence until John B threw open the station's doors and sprinted outside, a crazed look on his face. He pulled his car door open and jumped inside, screaming at Kie to drive.

"What did you do?" she asked, her hands reaching to turn the key.

"The cops!" he said, slamming the door shut behind him.

"Shit!" JJ said, pulling his hand away from Bee's and glancing out of the window.

"What happened?" Bee wondered. She leaned to peer over JJ's shoulder and gasped when she saw two cops running closer. "Oh shit."