On Top//Topper Thornton

eighteen

JJ drives to Barry's house. It's a busted looking trailer in the middle of nowhere. Even if I didn't know it was Barry's house I would think it was a crack house for sure.

"Welcome to Crackhead Wasteland," Sarah comments.

"I don't know about this, man," Pope says. "Dude, why are we at Barry's? "

"This'll only take a second," JJ says as he gets out of the van.

"Where you going?" I ask him.

"Yo soy justicia," JJ states.

"Did you glean anything from that?" Pope asks.

"You know somebody should probably..." Kie starts.

"Yeah, I got it," I tell her.

I get out of the van and follow JJ into the trailer. It looks exactly how you would expect a crack house to look. JJ is rummaging around.

"Yeah, so what's your plan, slick?" I ask.

"Well, as thou hath stealeth from us, we shall stealeth from ye," JJ says as he tears apart the couch.

"That kind of got lost in translation," I tell him.

"An eye for an eye, Ashlynn," JJ clarifies.

I step in front of him. "Yeah, that's great, JJ. But what happens after you rob a drug dealer, huh? He knows who we are!"

JJ scoffs. "I'm not scared of this guy." He pushes past me.

"JJ, don't..." I start.

JJ goes into another room and I can hear him throwing things around. "There we go."

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"Getting even! All right, took care of business." JJ walks out of the room, bag in hand.

"Hey, look at me. If you keep going down this road," I shake my head, "It's not going to end well, JJ."

"Aren't you tired of being messed with?" JJ asks.

"That's not the point, JJ," I tell him.

"'Cause I am," JJ tells me. JJ walks out of the house and I follow after him. "All right, so we're looking at five grand each for reparations for putting us through that bullshit. Sorry about that, y'all."

"So that's what we're doing now? We're robbing drug dealers?" Kie asks.

"This Barry guy's gonna find out. And he's gonna come after us," Sarah warns.

"Yes, he will. This is not the time to start wilin' out," Pope states.

"How'd you like havin' a gun pulled on you?" JJ asks.

John B steps up to him. "Relax."

"He had it right here on you, bro," JJ says pointing his finger in John B's face.

"We've gotta go get the gold, okay? Just give me that shit." John B takes the bag from JJ. "We're putting it back." JJ pushes John B up against the van. "Do you feel like a tough guy? Huh? What are you gonna do when he comes for us?"

"We punch him in the throat," JJ states.

"Yeah, good fuckin' idea, JJ," John B tells him.

JJ grabs the bag. "I'm not putting it back." He hops back into the van. "You guys getting in or what?" No one moves and JJ gets back out. "What?"

"We're sick of your shit," John B tells him.

"Oh, my shit?" JJ asks.

"Yeah. Yeah. Your shit," John B tells him.