young blood | outer banks | JJ

forty-one | not again

"He shouldn't even be in court! You should 'cause you're a murderer," Kiara screamed at Ward. "You have a lot of nerve showing up to court."

"I know you're upset. I understand you're upset, okay?" Ward said.

"Upset?"

"I know he's got you fooled," Ward continued. "He's got you all fooled." The more that he spoke, the more Carson felt like she was going to lose it.

"No, I'm not just upset!" Kiara said as she began advancing towards Ward. The only reason Carson didn't do the same was because an officer grabbed her before she could even try. Shoupe and his men held back the Pogues, which did not look good on their end but everyone already had their opinions on the Pogues.

"Why don't you take the Kooks down for a change, Shoupe?" JJ said.

"You wanna get arrested?" he asked. "Get out! You need to go."

"This is bullshit," Kiara said. Carson took a step towards Shoupe and looked up at him.

"You want to know why we fight so hard for each other?" she said. "It's because no one else will fight for us. I hope you think about that when John B is laying in a cell with the possibility of facing the death penalty because you didn't do shit to help him."

"I said go home, Carson," Shoupe told her calmly, but she could see that her words affected him by the way that he had a deep frown engraved on his lips. Now, once again, they were left on their own.

✰

Tensions were high as they had to figure out what to do next. This wasn't just about keeping him in the clear anymore because he was already caught. Now it was about getting him out of it.

"I'm gonna testify under oath. I was there," Sarah said. "I just need to get a hold of my sister."

"Sister?" JJ said.

"Kie, do you have your phone?" Sarah asked. "Wheezie is the only other person that knows Rafe wasn't home that day."

"Wheezie?" JJ questioned skeptically.

"Yeah, Sarah, do you really think they're going to take Wheezie's word over Ward's?" Carson pointed out.

"I don't know what else to do!" she said. "I got us into this mess. I'm gonna do my best to get us out."

"Wheezie? Yeah, that will work," JJ continued. "Well, she's right about one thing. We gotta do something. Our boy is a PO-dub right now, okay? He's help captive by the enemy right now, maybe even scheduled for execution. Are we just gonna sit here?"

"What's the plan? We start by kidnapping Shoupe?" Kiara said.

"Maybe. Like, that's not the worst idea actually," JJ said.

"What is that going to accomplish?" Carson asked.

"That is actually the worst idea I've ever heard," Pope said.

"It's pretty bad," Sarah agreed.

"You know what? Please just stay out of this," JJ said. "Okay, Pope, look, we've bene doing everything your way, so how's that been working out?"

"Okay, okay, so what's your plan?" Pope said. "You gonna storm a jail, guns-a-blazing?"

"Look, Pope, all I'm trying to get you to understand is they got our boy," JJ said. "Now are we just gonna sit here and do nothing? No! We're gonna go get his ass. We're gonna do something about it!"

"JJ, we're not storming a jail. It's not happening," Pope said, trying to put logic back in JJ's head.

"No, fine, man. Sit in your comfy chair. Do nothing," JJ said. "I'm gonna see what I can do. Make something happen, even if I have to do it by myself."

The whole conversation sounded a lot like it did when JJ stole the money from Barry. He was acting on his impulses again while the others tried reeling him in. This time Carson wasn't just going to sit back and let him go off on his own though as she remembered what happened the last time. This time, Carson would be there for JJ, even with whatever reckless plan he had in his head. If it meant getting in trouble, she would do it for JJ and John B.

"Where are you going?" Pope asked as Carson stood to her feet and headed towards the door. She glanced back at him and Kiara.

"I'm not letting him do this alone. Not again," she said.

"Carson, he's not thinking straight. Do you really want take whatever risk he's willing to take?" Kiara asked.

"Well, no, of course I don't want to," she said. "But I'm going to." Before JJ could leave, she ran out the door and into the rain to meet him over where he was getting onto his motorbike.

"Did they send you out here to try to stop me?" JJ asked.

"More like they had to try to stop me," she said with a smile. "I'm with you, JJ. Whatever it takes." A smile grew on his own face as she stood there in the rain, ready to jump into whatever shit they were about to get themselves into. As much as he wanted to protect her, the truth was that she didn't need protecting. Carson was just as headstrong and loyal as JJ was. She had thrown herself on the sword to try to change Ward's mind and now she was ready to follow JJ into enemy territory to save John B.

"Have I ever told you how much I'm in love with you?" he said. She laughed and leaned in to kiss him before swinging her leg around to the other side of his bike and wrapping her arms around him. She was probably going to regret agreeing to allow JJ to make the plan, but she would just have to hope it would be worth it in the end.