Azlia

"He said it looked something like this." Ki says as Sarah, her and I go over some drawn map. "That's 50 feet down and they're using a 100 feet rope." She explains. "I-is that a wagon?" I ask pointing at the paper. Sarah lets out a laugh. "Who drew this?" "Who do you think?" She laughs.

"Hey, Azi is that JJ's flannel?" Sarah wiggles her eyebrows. "It totally is." Ki smirks. "I just needed some thing to cover up my bikini top." I blush. "Oh my god, you're blushing." Sarah laughs. "Speaking of the devil." Ki says. We all look up to see JJ waking over to us.

"Ki, this better work. We can't pawn this if there's a giant wheat symbol on it." JJ throws the gold on the van carpet.

Ki picks up a blow torch. "It's gonna work." She says.

Ki melts the gold as the rest of us sit and watch. I look at Pope and we do our handshake. I look at JJ and playfully smack his but.

"My turn." He says and smacks mine back.

The six of us get in the van and head to a pawn shop.

"Hell of a job melting it down, Dr. Frankenstein." JJ says getting out the van. "Like you could've don't better." Ki snaps back.

"Hey, chill out." John B breaks them up. "It's easy for you to say. You're not the me that has to pawn this piece of shit off." JJ says. "Do you see this?" JJ places the gold in my face. "Mhm." I shake my head. "How did I get this job anyway?" He ask. "Cause your the best liar. Plus it was either you or Azi and Azi can't like for shit." Pope says. "Hey." I pout.

We walk in the pawn shop and all stand in different spots around the store.

"I see you buy gold." JJ says to the lady and the register. "That's what the sign say, don't it." She sasses.

"Well I sure hope you buy a lot of it because i'm about to blow your mind." JJ says.

"I ain't got much mind left to blow, so have it." She says.

JJ takes the gold out of the bag and sits it on the counter. "How about them gold apples?"

The lady starts laughing. "That ain't real."

"That ain't real?" JJ questions. "It can't be." She chuckles. "Feel how heavy it is." JJ says.

She struggles with the gold before picking it up. "Let's get some light on that." JJ says.

She turns on a light and magnifies the gold. "Spray painted tungsten." She says. "Spray painted tungsten. Really? Okay?" JJ laughs.

Ki walks over to me and we start admiring everything in the shop.

"Oh the acid test. My favorite, guys." JJ says getting our attention.

She daps this kind of liquid on the gold and nothing happens.

"Well it ain't plated and it ain't painted." She says. "Ma'am i'm telling ya, this is as real as the day is long." JJ says.

The lady goes to the back of the store to talk to her boss. A few minutes later she comes back out. "So I talked to my boss. And this what what we can do." She says.

They both had a little agreement about how much the gold should cost. When they came to a deal she said she didn't have the money at the shop so, she sent us to a warehouse.

"So they keep money out here." Pope ask as we drive to the warehouse. "That's what she said." JJ says. "That's what she said." He chuckles. "Stop." Pope shuts him down.

"There nothing but weeds back here." Ki says. I turn around and look out the back window just to my surprise.

"Shit, uh guys." I say as a siren whoops.

"Are you kidding me?" JJ huffs. "Stash that." Pope yells JJ as he shoves bags of weed under the seat. We start panicking and immediately shut up when we hear a gun cock.

I look up and see a guy with a bandana over his face. He's pointing a gun right at John B.

"Why don't I just go ahead and see them hands in the air?" He says. "All of y'all's hands up in the air now!" He yells.

We slowly put our hands in the air. "You out of the car! let's go!" He yells at John B.

John B gets out of the car. "Let them out." The guy says.

John B walks over to the van and opens the door. "Go on lets get out the car!" He yells the gun at us.

Sarah gets out first. "There you go pretty girl." He says. I get out next. "Damn!" He says eyeing me up and down. I look over at JJ and see his jaw clenched. He steps out and I give him the 'its okay' Look.

"Lay down in the ditch! On your goddam hands and knees!" He demands. We all slowly get down on the ground. I put my hands behind my head and squeeze my eyes shut.

"Don't let me see you look up!" He yells.

He goes to the van and starts roaming through it.

"It's a setup, guys." Ki says. "That old bag shanked us. Fuck! Goddam it!" JJ yells.

"Hey, hey JJ no, shh." I say, my voice cracking a little bit. JJ looks at me and goes back to his position.

"John B, no." Sarah whimpers. I look over to see John B getting up. "John B. Don't be a hero, man." Pope whispers.

John B slowly walks over to the cop car and gets in the backseat.

"Alright y'all stay just like that!" The guy yells coming out of the van. "Unless you want your brains blow our all over the road, don't move your goddam heads, okay?"

He gets in the cop car and John B starts fighting him.

"Guys, I got the gun!" He yells and we all stagger up. JJ and Ki both run up to the guy and hit him, but they both end up on the ground. The rest of us all start kicking at him.

"You son of a bitch." Sarah snaps. We huddle around him and John B removes the bandana from his face.

"I know this piece of shit! He's a basehead." JJ yells. "He probably knows my brother." Sarah huffs. "He sells coke to my dad." JJ adds.

"Listen I couldn't hurt any single one of y'all-," JJ cuts him off by hitting him with the gun.

"JJ!"

"Dude, chill!"

JJ goes into the Barry's pocket and grabs his wallet.

"Come on, let's get out of here." John B says. "We got one last stop." JJ says pushing him off.

"Let's go see where this sun of a bitch lives." JJ pushes through us.

"I'm gonna remember this shit!" Barry yells as we walk away.

We get in the van and drive off.

We pull up to a small bear down ranch.

"Welcome to Crackhead Wasteland." Sarah says. "I don't know about this, man." Pope sighs.

"Dude, why are we at Barry's?" John B ask JJ.

"This'll only take a second." JJ gets out the van.

"Where are you going!" JB ask.

"Yo soy justicia." JJ walks into the house.

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

"You know somebody should probably go in there." I say. "Yeah, I got it." John B says getting out of the car

"I can't believe you're dating the moron." Ki laughs. "We're not dating." I sigh. "Yet." Sarah adds.

"Wait, am I missing something?" Pope ask dumbfounded. We all stare at him. "Are you that blind." Ki ask. "Azi, you and JJ are macking each other?" Pope ask shocked. "We're not macking were ju-," "They're totally macking." Ki cuts me off. I just take a deep breath and laugh.

"This is taking too long." I say getting out of the van and the rest follow. We stand there waiting and keeping look out.

"All right, so we're looking at five grand each for repatriations of putting us through that bullshit. " JJ says coming out of the house. He's holding a bag with money in it.

"So that's what we're doing now, we robbing drug dealers?" Ki ask. "This Barry guy's gonna find out." I add. "This is not a good idea." Sarah says. "He's gonna come after us." I finish.

"Yes, he will. This is not the time to start willin out." Pope tells JJ. "How'd you guys like having a gun pulled on you?" JJ ask.

"Relax." John B says stepping up to JJ.

"He had it right here on you, bro." JJ says. "Look, we've gotta go get the gold, just gimme that shit. I'm putting it back." John B snatches the bag from JJ.

JJ grabs him by his collar and pushes him against the car.

"Do you feel like a tough guy, huh? What are you gonna do when he comes for us?" John B ask.

"We punch him in the throat." JJ says.

"Yeah good fuckin idea, JJ." JB scoffs.

"I'm not putting it back." JJ grabs the bag back and gets in the van.

We all stand there waiting for JJ.

"What?" JJ storms out of the van.

"We're sick if your shit." John B says. "My shit?" JJ ask. "Yeah, your shit." John B says. "Your pulling guns on people shit." Ki says.

"You acting like a maniac-."

"Okay, Pope, I took the fall for you, man! You know how much money I owe because of you." JJ snaps.

"I'm gonna pay you back, and I didn't ask you to do that!" Pope snaps back. "I just did. Pay it back. Right here, right now, by myself." JJ says.

"JJ, we can all do this together." I calmly say.

JJ turns around and walks up to me.

"No, I don't need you, okay. At all. I'm paying it back and that's exactly what i'm gonna do. Go off by myself. Without you because I don't need you." He snaps at me. I look into his eyes and see them filled with anger and pain. I look down at the ground and back up from him, giving him a sign to go.

"JJ." Pope calls after him. " Just, Let him go." I say walking back to the van.

We were a at The Wreck, except JJ.

"He'll be fun. He's doing a JJ thing." John B says. "You think he'll go home?" I ask. "There's about a zero point chance that JJ goes home." Pope says.

"It's to dangerous to pawn this this off piecemeal." Pope sighs. "So our best bet of to go down there and get the rest of it. Put it in a safe or vault or something. I can get it all out there tomorrow morning.

"Easy." John B agrees. "What about that thing with my dad?" Sarah ask. "What thing?" Pope ask. "I have to go fishing with Ward." He sighs. My eyes widen at his words.

"You can't get 400 mil cause you're gonna kill fish?" Ki ask.

"Look I have to go." He says.

"Blow it off." Pope says.

"Make something up." Ki adds.

"I have to okay, he saved me. If it weren't for Ward I'd be in foster care. So, I have to go. Plus it'll be better at night." John B huffs.

"Fine go fishing." Pope gives in. "And at least JJ will probably have washed up by then." Ki sighs.

"Hey, I'm gonna call it a night, gramps is probably wandering were i'm at." I get out my chair dapping them up.

When I get home I switch into some nike pros and a Pink cropped tank. I get in my bed and look up at the stars I painted on the ceiling.

Well shit.

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