𝚋𝚘𝚛𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚝 {𝚓𝚓 𝚖𝚊𝚢𝚋𝚊𝚗𝚔}

𝚜.𝟷 𝚎𝚙.𝟼 -𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚜𝚒𝚡-

"wrapped my arms around you / and I sank my face into your hair / and then I inhaled as deeply as I possibly could / you were as sweet and delicious as the warm desert air."

~

"Alright, you got rope?" John B asked from the front seat of the van.

Pope held up a length of rope. "Got it."

"Grappling hook?"

Pope shook his head. "No grappling hook, we're not Batman."

"That's right," Tate said in a falsely deep voice. "Only I am."

Beside her, JJ's shoulders shook with laughter. "You're such a dork," he said, lighting up a joint.

The others ignored them. JJ and Tate had been more talkative and energetic than usual that evening, not to mention they were both at least a little bit high. "Pulley?" John B asked, continuing the checklist.

"Check," said Kiara.

"Dark clothes?"

Tate looked down at her black denim shorts and sports bra. "Yup," she said at the same time as Sarah said, "Got it." Tate laughed, then realized she was laughing with Sarah Cameron and stopped.

"Flashlights?" asked John B.

"Check," said JJ.

The van stopped outside of a brick wall covered in ivy. "Alright," John B said, putting the van in park. "Good. We're ready." He got out of the van and circled around to the other side to open the door and lean into the back, where the rest of the Pogues and Sarah Cameron were sitting. "Wait," he said, suddenly serious. Everyone looked at him expectantly. "I wanna say thank you, guys. Seriously." His eyes lingered on Tate for a second longer than the others. "It means a lot to me that you're here tonight."

"Always," Kiara said without hesitation.

"Of course, man," said Pope.

Sarah and John B smiled at each other. Tate shifted uncomfortably, still not fully ready to be best friends with John B again. JJ noticed immediately. "Alright, we done with the circle jerk?" he asked, resting a hand on Tate's leg. "Can we go do this?"

Tate hesitated behind Kiara while the boys clambered out of the van behind them. "After you," said Sarah.

Kiara and Tate shook their heads simultaneously. "Ladies first," said Kiara. Sarah shrugged, then turned and vaulted up over the vine-covered wall. Kiara went after Sarah and Tate followed at their heels, not bothering to wait for the boys.

Once they were all on the other side, they walked in a silent, single file line across the overgrown backyard of the house, each holding a flashlight cast towards the ground. They stopped in front of the house. Just then, a light came on on the porch. "Oh, shit!" Sarah gasped and all six of them dove behind a nearby bush.