MATILDA! CHAPTER FIFTY ONE:
CHEESE ON BREAD
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"Okay, we raid the armory, get weapons, roll back here, and plot the next move. The armory is on the third deck, aft, near the laundry room. Let's roll." JJ said before going to take the vent off

"JJ, Hold up. I don't think we should all go out there. It's too risky." Pope stated

"Why?"

"Okay I gotta be honest I think you and Liz should stay here." John B said

"What?" JJ asked

"Why?" Liz added "why me specifically too?"

"I have Sarah that I'm gonna go after. And Pope has...The cross."

"Yeah. Let's go get it." JJ urged

"Also, if you go out there, there's 100% probability that you're gonna do something stupid."

"Okay, first of all, I think the correct terminology is ballsy. That is it." JJ corrected him

"Okay, get down here." John B pulled JJ down, grabbing his arms

"No. Get off!" JJ said "I'm a field player."

"If we go out there, and we get in a bind, we need somebody to look out for us. That's what we need."

"Okay. I get it. I get it. I get it. I'll be on the B team." JJ patted John Bs shoulder and Liz rolled her eyes, turning to walk to the other side of the container.

"He never said "B team." Liz said

"Sorry. Are you calling me "B team"?" Kie questioned

"Hey, JJ—"

"Didn't mean to offend you."

"Did B team not just find our way out, or am I totally tripping?"

"Hang back. Hold down the fort."

"Great. Looking forward to it. Mm-hmm." JJ nodded, turning around to go towards Liz.

"I'll babysit." Kie muttered "play couple consular"

"You guys have fun. It's your funeral, your game. I'll be in here, on the bench." JJ commented before sitting across from Liz.

Liz sat with her legs up, anxiously playing with her hands. She scratched her fingers against her palms. She looked up at Kie who was awkwardly sitting next to the two. She looked between Liz and JJ before sighing and walking to the opposite side of the container, leaving the two alone.

"I'm sorry" JJ said "I'm sorry I thought you were cheating on me with Sam, I just got a little insecure and I.... I didn't want to lose you. Especially to a kook" JJ spoke and Liz looked up at him

"I get it JJ" Liz said "I was so panicked I didn't know what to do" Liz laughed

"I should've been more understanding, I've kicked myself since than becuase I didn't know how to talk to you about it."

"JJ you know you can talk to me about anything right?"

"Yeah" JJ nodded "this has just been so crazy. It's like we can't just... love normally"

"What fun would normal be?" Liz joked and the two smiled up at each other. Liz sat up, standing to go sit next to JJ.

"do you forgive me for being a dick?" JJ asked and Liz nodded, laughing

"Yes" she said, pressing her lips against his for a moment before sitting back next to him

"You know I been thinking. When all this is over and we're just rolling in the dough... I'm gonna deck it out, and we're gonna go on a surf trip" JJ stated and Liz raised an eyebrow "I don't know where but like, the worlds calling... I don't know name a place"

"Spain" Liz said

"Than after Spain, South America or South Africa"

"We're gonna go to South Africa?" Liz asked, laughing

"One of the south places than Micronesia maybe, and then... and just ride. Wherever the wave takes you, you know?"

"So that's the plan... If we were to get a ton of cash. That's the dream? Surf trip?"

"Ripping jungle break all day long, Bamboo hut, cooking fish on a fire and after that you just go back out and hit the waves again" JJ explained "that's the dream"

"Sounds perfect"

"Got room for one more?" Kie asked as the two looked up at her

"Got your passport?" JJ asked and Liz sniffled a laugh

"You don't have a passport"

"He'll no I don't got a passport— kookiest thing ever, you don't need—"

"Hey, hey, open it" Popes whisper interrupted the threes conversation and JJ turned around to open the vent and handed it to Kie. Both boys came in and when Kie suggested to put the grate back on, the boys shook their heads, before a girl hopped up to look inside.

"Jesus Christ" the girl whispered, coming in more "I kill you john B!"

"Who's this?" Kie asked 

"Yeah you know her?" Liz added, questioning the girl

"Cheese on bread" the girl whispered and Liz slightly found herself smiling at the girl even thought she didn't know her... she immediately felt good about her?

"Just relax, Relax, okay? I told you I had a surprise, right?" John B looked up to the girl

"Who is she? What's going on? John B!"

"Relax! Remeber I told you about the girl we met in the Bahamas that saved us?"

"Yeah, Cleo" Liz nodded

"Cleo" John B looked to the girl "she's gonna help us all right?"

"Next time ask me"

"You seriously didn't grab nothing, not one single gun?" JJ asked

"JJ"

"This is why I should've gone—"

"So let me get this straight. You five, with no weapons decided you were gonna highjack this tramp steamer on your own?" Cleo asked "do you have any idea who these people are? Eberhimi, if he catch you he's gonna kill you. Dead. Cut off ya fingers"

"Okay. What about waiting until we get to port? at least than if something goes wrong we have a place to run"

"No" pope shook his head "no becuase ive run this scenario over 1000 times in my head, and our best chances are on this ship, there's 15 crew members and six of us, 3-1 odds that's the best it's gonna get. We wait till we get there they'll trap us"

"We have no chance"

"No, Kie there's something else" John B spoke "Wards Alive. He's alive and he's on this boat" Liz stood up

"What?" Liz asked

"You gotta be kidding me"

"Are you serious?"

"It was all a setup. Blowing up the boat, the confession to Shoupe. Think about it. That was a clear Rafes name" John B explained "and he does what? goes on the druthers and what's on the druthers?"

"Scuba" Kie muttered and Liz held her head

"So Wards Alive, huh? And he has the gold and the cross, and Sarah" JJ went on

"Thanks for rubbing that in"

"So he's just gonna get away with everything again huh? Not happening. We're not watching this movie again right Pope? You said we need the win" JJ sighed "and with her" he pointed to Cleo "we're going to the bridge, and we're gonna take it right now, you with me?"

"Let's do it"

"I'm with you and I wanna be the one to take that bridge" Pope agreed and the boys dabbed up as Cleo let out a chuckle

"He's gonna take the bridge?" She asked "he couldn't even take me" Cleo said and Liz looked between the two.

"First of all I was going east on you" Pope told her

"Seriously?"

"I went easy on you" Cleo spat back and the group shushed each other

"Relax, all of you"

"If your really with us... if we use that knife, we can go up into the bridge hold it agaisnt the captains neck, than we go on the intercom than we tell him to tell the rest of the crew to meet up in the forward hull. Once they're in the same place, b we lock them in the eye and we take what's ours"

"Not even a half bad idea J" Liz nodded "I say we do it"

"I like it. It could work"

"Are you with us than?" JJ looked towards Cleo and Liz have a hopeful look

"No" Cleo stated "this is stupid" she said before yelling came from outside

"Okay, let's open these things up!"

"They're opening up the containers" Kie stated and Liz looked around before Cleo got up taking off the grate shushing the group. Cleo got out.

"Macias!" Cleo yelled

"She's gonna tell them, shit"

"Have a little faith yall" Liz looked around

"Hold up! This one's clear sir" she stated

"Are you sure?" The man asked

"Yeah. There's nothing but tubing and plastic in there" she told them

"What if the Stoaway had been in there?"

"We'll he wasn't. Come on man, we have work to do... move your bumper man" she said before Liz nodded

"Okay she's on our side, that's good"

"Told you"