XXXV. how do I say goodbye?

      The group of friends drive slowly behind Gavin as he took off in his car. Dylan and JJ were leaned forward with her hands on the Pope's seat. "It's Ward.  He's talking to Ward," Pope announced as he heard him talk into the AirPod.

"Oh shit."

"Are you serious?"

Pope lowered his head and tried to focus on the voices.  They became staticy. "Get close. . . Get closer. I can't hear," he told Kiara.

The driver nodded. "Okay."

Dylan leaned forward slightly. "But still keep about twenty five feet away. Dim your headlights." She instructed.

JJ grew a smile. "Look at you taking the lead." He teased and ruffled the top of her hat.

"That's smart, D." Kiara praised and dimmed the headlights like she said. She inched the car closer to Gavin's car while still keeping distance.

"He's talking about negotiating something," Pope recited. "Re. . . Renegotiating. . ." They continued to say quiet as he kept listening to the conversation.  Then, his eyes widened. "Gavin's got the gun that Rafe used to kill Peterkin,"

Dylan let out a loud gasp. "No!"

"Holy shit. . . Oh,  shit." Both Kiara and JJ uttered.

"I think he's trying to use it as extortion, as leverage,"

"He knows how Ward works. It's smart," Dylan said to herself, her interest and curiosity growing.

Suddenly, they saw the red taillights brighten on Gavin's car. "Wait, he's pulling over." Kiara announced.

Pope cursed. "Shit. He's panicking."

"Do I pull behind him? What do I do?"

"Go around the block."

"Don't make eye contact."

"Yeah. Yeah, just go."

"We're gonna close him." Kiara said sternly.

JJ kept urging her to go.

"I'm going. I'm going."

"I can't hear anything. Shit. I'm losing the signal. I can't hear him." Pope hissed when he lost the signal.

"Guys, stop. You're freaking her out." Dylan warned them but she cut herself off when they came across a construction sight with the road closed off. "Fuck."

"Stop. Just stop and turn around now." Pope ordered.

"Pull in here and back up." JJ followed.

As Kiara went to back up, a truck came out from behind her with a fork lift, blocking her from behind able to go anywhere. JJ quickly got out and started shouting at them and Pope got out of the car,  sprinting off. Dylan's eyes went wide and she opened her door. "Pope,  where are you going?" She shouted at him.

"We gotta know where they're meeting!" He shouted back and ran off.

She cursed under her breath and slapped her hand on the car door. She slammed the door shut behind her and ran around the car, chasing after him. "Pope, hey.  Wait!" She called out.

JJ and Kiara ran after them. They ran through a grassy field and across somebody's lawn, their porch lights turning on. "Pope, slow down!" Dylan shouted but the boy had already jumped over the fence. She huffed and swiftly climbed over.

The group of Pogues continued running through the yards and sprinted by a house with a group full of teens in the pool. "Yo, Pope!" One of the girls named Molly shouted when she saw the boy run by.

Another girl, Hannah, and a boy, Sean, quickly looked and then they saw Dylan running. "Hey, Dylan!"  Hannah said with a wave.

Though she was exhausted, she still managed to smile and wave. "Hey guys!" She greeted back. She cringed when Pope tripped over the swing set and tumbled to the ground. "Pope, you okay?" She shouted and finally caught up to him.

He felt around his ear when he noticed the AirPod wasn't there and he started looking in the grass. "No, no, no, no!" He uttered in panic.

"Pope, hey," she quickly said and bend down to her knees. "Hey, babe, calm down."

"I can't calm down, D," he responded breathlessly and finally spotted the white device. He shoved it back in his ear. "Gavin, meet me now at the construction site near the surf shop. You understand?" Pope's eyes widened. "They're meeting at the construction sight,"  he told his girlfriend. He crawled closer to the bush and slowly looked over it, seeing Gavin's car. 

JJ and Kiara ran through the yard. "Sean? Oh this is where you live, you Kook!" The blonde exclaimed when he passed by the pool.

"You bring me the gun, I will bring you the money.  And then we're done. Are we good."

Dylan leaned closer to him. "What's he saying?" She whispered.

JJ and Kiara finally caught up to them and they regrouped. "What did he say?" Kiara asked frantically.

"He. . . He's meeting Ward right now," Pope answered.

Dylan tapped his arm quickly. "We gotta go. Now!" She exclaimed.

After sprinting more in the rain, and Dylan tripping multiple times in the puddles, the finally made it close to where Ward and Gavin were meeting. The group of friends peered over a wooden fence and saw Ward's black truck parked on the side of the road. Pope stood on the middle and pulled out his video camera.

"Nice camera. Where'd you dig up that relic?" JJ asked him, making fun of the device. "Why don't you just use your phone?"

Pope turned his head at him. "Well, first of all, I like my antiquity electronics," he recited smartly.

"I like it too," Dylan added.

"Thank you, DJ. Second of all, this is a telephoto," he explained. "It allows me to get a close image from far away."

"Lord of the dorks." Kiara commented.

Dylan threw her an offensive look. "Hey, you got me a video camera for my birthday."

"Yes, because you said hopefully one day, you'll make your own crime documentary."

She slowly smiled at the memory. "Oh yeah. I'm still waiting on that day." She looked at Pope and gasped, hitting his arm. "Maybe we can do it now!"

He gasped back and smiled.

"Oh, you gotta love dorky couples." JJ sighed.

"For definitive proof of witness payoff, we're gonna need quality glass," Pope told Kiara, only causing her to become more confused. He saw Ward run by. "There he is!"

"Yo, get down!" JJ quickly said and they ducked slightly.

Then, Gavin appeared down the street and they two men ran behind the construction sight building. Pope raised the video camera again and peered through it. "Where are you doing, you son of a bitch?" He said to himself.

Dylan slightly squealed in excitement. "I feel like i'm in a stakeout right now."

"No, no, no. I'm losing him!" Pope cursed loudly.

"Hold on," JJ told them and swiftly ran behind them to look around the buildings. After a minute, he whistled at them. "Yo! Hey, I found something. Come here." He urged.

The three quickly went and joined him and JJ led them around a building that had a ladder. "Gotta go up top!" He whisper yelled and ran forward, climbing up the ladder.

"Hurry. Don't wanna miss anything." Kiara pushed.

Dylan followed behind her as she climbed up the ladder. She tried not to slip considering the metal was wet from the rain. When they all got to the top of the roof, they ran forward and ducked down. Pope lifted the camera again. "You rolling, Pope?" JJ asked him.

"Yeah. Yeah, I see them." Pope confirmed.

Dylan patted his shoulders. "Alright, baby, work your magic." She encouraged.

"Ward just handed Gavin something. I think it's a duffel bag," Pope explained to them as he observed through the glass.

"Guys, I think this is a payoff." JJ realized.

"You're right. Money for the gun." Dylan agreed with him. "He's trying to buy his silence."

"Gavin doesn't look happy about something. It looks like he's yelling at Ward,"

"Why?" Kiara vocalized.

"I don't know, but he sure looks mad." Pope replied. After a few minutes, a curse left his lips.

Dylan quickly looked at him. "What? What's happening?"

"What's going on?"

"I dunno. They're fighting over something."

"They're really going at it."

"Did he not give him the money?" The detective of the group asked, but more to herself.

"Ward's kicking the shit out of Gavin." Pope broadcasted.

"What are they fighting over?"

"I don't know. I'm trying to see. . . Holy shit. Ward's got a gun."

"I bet that's the murder weapon." Kiara breathed out.

Dylan's heart started to rage and she gripped the edge of the roof while her other gripped Pope's arm. She squinted her eyes, trying to see what was going on through the rain. Ward was a dangerous man. They had no idea what they were getting themselves into. Suddenly, a gunshot went off and she gasped loudly, along with the others. She quickly ducked down and leaned her head against the edge of the roof. "Oh my god. Oh my god." She breathed out shakily and her heart pounded against her chest.

"What is going on." Kiara whimpered and her hand touched Dylan's arm.

"Tell me you just got that." JJ begged.

"Enough to put this asshole away for life." Pope declared.

"We just witnessed a murder," Dylan announced but her excitement had died down. "Oh my god. We just witnessed a murder."

They raised back up slightly and continued watching the chaotic scene across from them. Dylan let out shaky breaths. When she saw Ward peer out from the building, her eyes went wide. "Get down. Get down!" She ordered and they ducked down again.

"I think we should go right now." JJ panicked. "Pope, you have enough, right?"

"Yeah. . . Hold on, he's coming out," Pope informed. "Think he's looking for the gun."

They watched as the man took off down the street and followed where the stream was headed for the drain. The gun fell through the slots of the drain and Ward fell to his knees. "No! No! Goddamn it! Killing me!"

"I think the hun just went down the drain. He's looking for it."

"We have to go. Now!" Dylan urged them, her panic mode rising.

Kiara began to stand up, catching their attention. "What are you doing, Kie?" JJ asked the girl.

But she ignored him and made herself visible. "What is wrong with you?" She shouted.

Dylan's eyes went wide. "Kie, no!"

"Murderer!"

JJ quickly stood up and covered her mouth, pulling her back down. "Get down!"

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Dylan shouted at her, the panic now fully there as she stared at the girl with crazy eyes.

"Are you crazy?"

"I don't care if he hears me. He's a murderer!" Kiara kept on.

"Yeah, and he'll murder us next if you don't shut the fuck up!" Dylan hissed at her.

"Guys, he sees us." Pope told them.

"Okay, now we go. Now!" Dylan shouted fiercely.

The four of them sprinted off the roof to where the ladder was. One by one, they started climbing down, yelling at each other to hurry. Dylan went down first and her legs shook horribly as she climbed. Pope went after her with the camera in his hand.

"Pope, hurry!"

"I'm going! I'm going!"

JJ began to climb down and abruptly let out a shriek in pain. "Ah! My hand!" He shouted and he slipped, causing him and Pope to fall off the ladder and land right on Dylan.

The three of them piled onto each other and groaned, Dylan being the smallest. "What the fuck!" She groaned in pain and withered from under them, the wet ground soaking her hair as her hat flew off her head.

"Sorry. So sorry!" Kiara shouted with apologies as she climbed down the ladder.

The boys rolled off of the girl and Pope grabbed her hands. "Sorry, D." He groaned. He looked over and saw the camera on the ground. When Pope went to get it, he saw that it was smashed to pieces. "No, no, no, no, no."

"You're kidding me. You fumbled it?" JJ shouted.

"You kicked me in the face."

"She stepped on my hand!"

"I was trying to hurry!" Kiara shouted over them.

Dylan gasped at the state of the camera. "Do you have any idea what you just did?" She shouted at Kiara with pure anger. "You just ruined this for us!"

"Okay, we don't have time for this. Let's go!" JJ shouted.

The group sprinted away and jumped over the fence. The ran down the pathway and back to Kiara's car. They quickly climbed in, all of them panting heavily. "Could someone fill me in on what the frick just happened?" JJ heaved, his voice raising.

"We witnessed a murder and now our only evidence is destroyed. That's what happened!" Dylan yelled in frustration.

"I didn't mean to!" Kiara shouted back, her voice full of panic.

"Wait, wait. What were they fighting over?"

"Uh. . . It was. . . It was a gun, the one Rafe used. He must have kept it," Pope stammered.

"Of course! Of course! The murder weapon."

Dylan pulled her legs up and leaned her elbows on her thighs, shoving her face in her hands. "What the fuck." She whispered to herself.

"Pick up. Pick up." Kiara whimpered as she dialed a number.

"Who are you calling?" Pope asked.

"Who do you think?"

"The cops?"

"Who else am I supposed to call?"

"Are you stupid. No!" Dylan shouted at her, the frustration she was feeling rising.

"Why would you call the cops!" JJ yelled after her.

Kiara shouted at them to shut up when the person answered the phone. "Hello? Hi, somebody's been shot at the. . . at the Grand Street construction site!" She stuttered into the phone. "You guys need to hurry because he's dying. I don't know if he's already dead or not!"

"We gotta go. We're sitting ducks."

"We can't stay here."

"God-fucking-dammit!" Dylan screamed and punched the pack of Pope's head rest in anger.

"Whoa, hey, calm down." JJ quickly said and grabbed her wrist.

"We had him! We had him, JJ!" She shouted at him, her eyes tearing up in anger.

"Dylan—"

"Everything's ruined now. These fuckers kill our best friends and now they're going to get away with it!" The girl shouted again, her voice starting to crack. "Everything's fucked now!"

"Hey! Hey!" JJ shouted over her and put his hand on her shoulder, scooting over to the middle seat. "Dylan, it's okay."

"No, it's not okay. We had him!" She cried out and put her face in her hands. Every feeling of pain, anger, and fear she had been bottling up inside her now unraveled and her heart broke into two again. She felt JJ wrap his arms around her.

Pope had turned in his seat and watched her with sadness while Kiara did the same thing as she looked at her in the mirror. "Dylan, I'm sorry." She said, her own voice cracking.

Being a Kook and Pogue was more than what the Outer Banks made it seem to be. It wasn't only being separated by the poor and rich, the cool kids and the losers; it was divided by how much they mattered in the world. People like the Cameron's, rich people who everybody catered to, the world surrounded them with gold and treasures like they were gods. Nothing bad ever happens to the rich people.

But the Pogues, the were the lower the class, below the shoreline, the ones nobody cared about. Dylan learned to accept that she wasn't a Kook and that they would never accept her like the Pogues did. She had Kook things but she wasn't a Kook like Rafe, or Topper, or Kelce. She didn't believe in the class system. But John B was her everything, her ride or die for life, and now he was gone even if he wasn't actually gone. He was gone all because of the words a rich man's actions and a rich man's words and now they might not ever get him back.