𝙗𝙖𝙗𝙮 𝙗𝙡𝙪𝙚 𑁍 𝙟𝙟 𝙢𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙖𝙣𝙠

𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗧𝗘𝗘𝗡

"Careful, Blue." Rafe spat out, his hands finally releasing the blond Pogue and raising them in the air. Kelce still held a slight grip on JJ, though he was no longer strangling him, all while keeping a surprised and apprehensive look latched onto the sight in front of him.

It's not every day that you get to see the Island Sweetheart pull a gun on the Prince of Figure Eight.

Without turning around to face the girl, Rafe spoke again, voice full of malice and a slight sense of teasing. "You won't shoot me. You and I both know that, sweetheart." He said, alluding to her title and innocent reputation, playing a card that had no place in this game - not to her, anyway.

Blue's gaze hardened as she cocked the gun, the distinct click sounding out in the humid air. "Wanna try me?"

They both knew she wouldn't pull the trigger. But whether she would or wouldn't wasn't the point. The point was to gain leverage, to fight back, to protect her friends. To protect JJ. It wasn't about harming Rafe or putting a bullet through his skull. It was about proving that if you fucked with one Pogue, you fucked with them all, and there would be no hesitation in avenging one another.

Blue's gaze flickered to JJ for a moment, finally looking away from the back of Rafe's head in a spared second. The blond was tense and panicked, eyes wide and posture straight, clearly wanting to intervene but knowing it would probably worsen the situation rather than help it. He caught her stare and began to shake his head, but instead of acknowledging the silent plea to stop, she looked back at the gun in her hand.

Rafe let out a humorless chuckle, raising his hands up further and slightly cocking his head to the side. Blue followed the movement with the weapon. "Kelce, let him go." He said, the words coming out strained and slightly sheepish, though still holding onto his usual commanding tone.

Kelce didn't reply. He simply removed his hands from JJ, fully freeing him of his violent hold. Just as JJ was about to step over to Blue, the flame in the corner of her eye grew brighter, nearly taking over her vision completely. Warm light poured onto the boys' faces and swept over the dark grass, hues of orange and yellow unnaturally overtaking the scenery around them. Blue knew Kiara had been successful with her diversion before she even turned her head to assess the damage.

The projector screen was being devoured by fire, the flames eating away at the pale cloth, erasing the black-and-white movie being shown on the withering material. Everyone took several steps back as they noticed the heat radiating onto them and the concerned and surprised shrieks of the crowd. Blue had finally dropped the weapon, letting her hand fall to her side as the Cameron boy immediately put a considerable amount of distance between him and the girl.

"Guys! Fire!" Rafe called out to his friends, gaining Topper's attention, who had still been trying to choke Pope. He kept his arms around the boy's neck as he glanced at the growing flames.

"Get off of him!" Kiara yelled, pushing the Thorton boy away, causing Pope to fall to the ground. Kie was quick to step over to Pope and pull him up. While the Heyward boy was coughing and wheezing up a storm, Topper looked at him almost like he was in a daze, like he couldn't believe what he had just done.

As the crowd's frightened and alarmed shouts began to gain volume and the screen started to disintegrate, leaving an open window for the fight to become noticed by witnesses, it was clear that it was time for everyone to make a run for it.

"Let's get outta here." Rafe said as he walked over to Topper. Blue watched as the two Kook boys stepped back, a cruel and entertained smile crawling onto the Cameron boy's face as he spoke to his friend. "Holy shit, you almost killed him, man!" He laughed. He actually laughed - like it was somehow funny that Topper nearly choked Pope to death. The pure pride beaming off of Rafe's aura almost made Blue walk up to him with the gun again, but before the thought could descend into an action, she felt a hand gripping her wrist.