Together

100. Save the world, one turtle at a time

Don't wanna go
I wanna feeling like I'm flying
I wanna stay in the cloud, stay
Oh, when I fall into my bed, it tears me up again
And I'm losing all my senses every night
Darlin', don't you know that I would die, I'd die for you?
-LEON

"Entering the belly of the beast?" John B teases as he and JJ walk up to the gas station. Sarah wanted them to pick up a few last minute things before Poguesgiving that evening but nearly everything in the place was shut down due to the holiday, so the 7-11 on the cusp of the Cut was it.

"Oh my God, dude, shut up," JJ responds. He was stressed enough about meeting Shoupe's sister, Nicki, he didn't need John B hyping up him going to spend Thanksgiving with Kie's family as well.

JJ actually wouldn't be there when said sister arrived. Shoupe was going to pick her up form the ferry while he was at the Carrera's and start cooking the turkey; apparently that sucker took a long while to bake. He and Kie would be by after lunch with her family, and the rest of the pogues would follow soon after.

John B chuckles, throwing a knowing smirk when they walk through the door, waving at the clerk who had a less than enthused expression at having to work on Thanksgiving.

"So who's all comin' at Kie's? Just her parents or you got a whole reunion to fend off?" John B persists. JJ just knew he enjoyed making his skin crawl and winding him up on purpose.

"Ha ha," he feigns a laugh. "Her parents and grandma."

"Mike's or Anna's mom?"

"Anna's," he sighs.

"Oh shit, you're fucked," John B laughs.

He doesn't even bother giving John B the finger. It's true. He was about to be eaten by the wolves over this meal. Why bother with a turkey? Because he may not know much about the Carrera's family dynamics, at least past the nuclear family he sees on the regular, but he does know one thing. Anna's mom kicked her out of her own house when she fell pregnant. Hated the idea of her daughter keeping a pregnancy out of wedlock, let alone that it was a Pogue who was responsible.

JJ is no genius, but you didn't have to be to know that little ole Nanna wasn't gonna be thrilled that her granddaughter is slumming it with a Pogue, practically following in her mother's footsteps. Except JJ was way smarter about protection during sexual activity than Mike apparently was back in the day. No way was that happening.

"You got anything else to say? No advice or shit like that to help a brother out?" he complains.

John B chuckles, continuing to laugh at himself. "I mean she came around with Mike, right?"

"Sure, let me just open a successful restaurant real quick," JJ scoffs. "You're the worst, get away from me," he says when John B tries to ruffle his hair, pushing off his brother.

They spend a good ten minutes looking through the empty aisles before JJ decides to call it. Sarah would have to make due with stale marshmallows for the sweet potatoes, and no cranberry sauce. He's happy that John B would be the only one returning to the chateau to deliver that message though. The wrath of Sarah was not to be trifled with. But shame on her own unpreparedness, really.

They pay for the items and close the doors to the Twinkie. John B is yammering about potentially trying another gas station for the marshmallows, but JJ has stopped listening. Almost the second he turned to look out the windshield he caught sight of him, strolling up without a care in the world.