𝐑𝐈𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐃𝐄 , 𝐣. 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤 ⁽¹⁾

𝟑𝟑. 𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐓, 𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐓, 𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐇

Elle stood side-by-side next to JJ, her arms crossed against her waist. The fabric of her pale green top was scrunched behind her arms.

They were watching Kie melt down the plates of gold, to eliminate any trace that it was the gold. She looked up at him for a split second, only to see him staring back at her.

He shook his head violently, caught off guard by her, and looked forward. Elle laughed to herself quietly. The feelings between them were very obviously there, but no one knew how to bring it up anymore.

———

"Hell of a job melting it down, Dr. Frankenstein." JJ remarked, stepping out of the van with the weird, gold, mush ball in his hands.

Kie rolled her eyes. "Like you could have done any better."

"I could have much done better, I took a welding class." JJ replied. Elle chuckled and looked down at the ground. She knew that wasn't true. He didn't show up to class as-is.

Kiara obviously knew that, as well. "When?"

John B ran over and put his arms in-between them, hushing them as he did. "Hey, hey, hey! Shut up! Elle you're supposed to be mediating."

"Since when?!" Elle asked, looking up with a confused glance.

He leaned closer to JJ. "Just chill out, okay?"

"Easy for you to say. You're not the one who has to pawn this piece of shit off." The blonde replied, looking back at Elle. "Let's go, Bug. Time to be filthy rich!"

He grabbed her hand and practically yanked her inside of the pawn shop. Elle tugged his arm as they got to the counter, alerting him to not be so eager.

JJ groaned in annoyance. When in a close enough distance, he spoke. "Afternoon, ma'am." He said, nodding his head towards the lady behind the counter.

"Afternoon." She replied. To Elle, she didn't seem like the talkative type. She wasn't exactly sure if that would help or make things way harder.

Elle put her hands on the counter and stood tall, deciding to take her chances. "We— uhm, we saw that you buy gold."

"That's what the sign say, don't it?" The woman replied.

As Elle went to speak, JJ slammed his backpack onto the counter, a brief interruption. "Well," Je started with sharp annunciation. "I hope you buy a lot of it, because we're about to blow your mind."

"I ain't got much mind left to be blow," She said, looking between the two. "Go at it."

JJ set the golden ball of mush on the countertop and smiled proudly. "How bout' them gold apples?"

The woman chuckled, earning a confused eyebrow raise (sort of partnered with fear of this not working) from Elle. "That ain't real."

"That ain't real?" JJ said, his eyes wide. Elle knew he was being cocky, just for fun. He could prove it so fast that it was real, but it was JJ. He was always gonna make a conversation out of it. "Feel how heavy it is."

Sales-woman picked it up. A look of shock crossed her face as she realized how heavy it really was. JJ cockily murmured "mhm, mhm." every time she went to check again.

She flipped it over and examined it with a light, clicking her tounge as if she had figured out what it was. "Spray-painted tungsten." She said.