Carson Keller used to think her biggest problem was their rivalry against the Kooks, but that was until buried secrets rose to the surface. Now her biggest problems included a dangerous treasure hunt and a hot-headed teenage boy.
✰ season 1-3 ✰
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THE NEXT DAY they decided it was time to see if the Royal Merchant was in fact right where it was supposed to be. If this was the case, they were close to having 400 million dollars on their hands. People had been searching years to find that wreck, and they could be the ones to actually do it (obviously because of Big John's help). The only downside was the lurking storm in the distance.
"Alright, JJ. Pin it here!" John B said when they reached the longitude and latitude that the map indicated.
"Roger that! X marks the spot," JJ said.
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen. To going full Kook," John B said. He lowered the drone into the water, and Pope went to work at getting it to the right spot. John B directed JJ to make sure the tide didn't move the boat too much, especially considering how choppy the ocean was getting because of the storm. Carson helped Kiara with the rope to make sure they didn't lose the drone.
"Guys, the storm is coming in quick!" Carson said. It was getting harder and harder to keep the drone where it was supposed to be. They went through too much to get the drone out there to let it go now.
"John B, there's too much current. We're gonna lose it!" Kiara said.
"I'm at the bottom! I'm at the bottom!" Pope said. Those words sounded like music to Carson's ears. With each second she found herself more eager to see what was down there.
"Okay, steady here, JJ!" John B instructed. Kiara and Carson made their way over to the boys to see if there was anything. Sure enough, there was.
"See anything?" JJ called out.
"It's the Royal Merchant," John B said. But as they continued to search around in the wreck, they realized nothing was there. There was no gold, just a rotted old ship. Along with it, all their hopes and dreams of going full Kook.
✰
Later on that day Kiara rounded up the crew to go to the movie in the park, hoping it would somehow act as a way to lift their spirits after the disappointment of the shipwreck. John B never showed, but they figured he just needed to be alone for a little. He was sure to be the most disappointed because he not only didn't find his dad but also didn't find the treasure that he had worked so hard to find.
"I'm so glad that they're still doing this," Kiara said. "Keep calm, carry on. Back to OBX life, you know? Aren't you guys glad I made you come?"
"Ecstatic," Pope said dully.
"My couch was pretty comfy, I'll be honest," JJ said.
"I thought it was a great idea," Carson told Kiara.
"Thank you, Carson, someone who actually appreciates me," she said. "I'm gonna go get some drinks." Carson leaned back onto the grass, mindlessly plucking it as she waited for the movie to start. She thanked Kiara for the drink once she got back and leaned up again until she was in a sitting position. "Just saw Rafe, and he said, and I quote, 'tell your boy that we know what he did.' What is that?"
"What did you do?" Carson said, immediately turning to JJ and Pope. There was already enough tension between the Pogues and the Kooks. She was never one to really care too much about a little rivalry, but Rafe was lowkey off the rails. When it came down to it, Topper and Kelce weren't much of a threat. Rafe, on the other hand, was a bomb waiting to explode. She didn't trust him and she was honestly a little scared of him, but she would never admit that.
"Um, where is he?" JJ asked, ignoring their questions about what Rafe was referring to. It was clear that JJ was a little scared too, particularly considering it was obvious that they had done something.
"Right there," Kiara said. Pope and JJ whipped around to find Rafe, Topper, and Kelce standing in the back. Carson frowned when she saw Rafe, hating to know that he was her half-brother.
"Great, the whole death squad," Pope said.
"Don't stare, bro," JJ said as he knocked Pope's head to turn him back around. "Just warning you, bro. If they corner me, I'm coming out swinging, okay? Slice and dicin'. I'm on edge right now. And if that doesn't work, I got this right here, okay?" He held up his bag, and it didn't take a genius to figure out what he was talking about. He had his gun. Kiara seemed to figure this out too.
"I'm sorry, JJ, please tell me that you did not bring a gun here," she said. "JJ, there are kids!"
"No! Kie, I didn't bring the gun. Everything's fine, okay?" he said.
"Then why are you two buggin' out that Rafe and his dumbasses are here?" Carson asked.
"Don't worry about it," JJ said.
"Founding principle, you guys. No secrets amongst Pogues," Kiara said. Her words made Carson look down at her shoes as she was keeping her own secret from the rest of them, besides JJ. The fact that Ward Cameron was her father was a big secret. She just hadn't figured out how she wanted to tell them yet. She was still trying to figure it out for herself first. "What is Rafe talking about?"
"Kie, Car, it might go down tonight."
✰
It was about halfway through the movie when JJ and Pope suddenly got up. It was odd that they were both leaving, which Kiara had obviously thought as well.
"Hey, where are y'all going?" Kiara whispered.
"We gotta wring it out," JJ said.
"You gonna hold it for each other?" she asked. Carson snorted at Kiara's comment before the two disappeared. "They're so weird."
"You don't have to tell me that," Carson said. After a couple of minutes, she heard fighting from behind the screen. Based on a gut feeling, she glanced back to see that Rafe, Topper, and Kelce were gone. "Shit, Kie, I think that's them."
The two girls jumped up and ran to find the boys in a middle of a brawl. While Kiara started hitting Topper with JJ's bag, Carson ran over to where Kelce was holding JJ so that Rafe could beat him up.
"Hey, stop!" Carson screamed. She wrapped her hand around Rafe to try to pull him away from JJ, which was honestly a bit of stupid move considering how small she was compared to him, because he just turned around and shoved her hard to the ground. She quickly tried to stand back up but Rafe just kicked her and she fell back, gasping as the wind was knocked out of her.
"Stay down, Pogue slut," Rafe said. It wasn't even his threat that kept her down because really, she wasn't sure if she was capable of getting up at that moment. She needed a moment to catch her breath before she was even able of standing back up to fight.
"Carson!" JJ said, trying to thrash out of Kelce's grip. "I'm gonna kill you!" he yelled at Rafe, who just proceeded to punch him straight across the face again. Carson was still on her knees in the grass when Kiara suddenly set the screen on fire. It was a bold move, but it was clearly the only thing that she could think of to stop the fight.
"Let's get out of here. Let's go!" Topper said. Kiara helped Carson to her feet before they made sure JJ and Pope were okay.
"You okay?" JJ asked, grabbing Carson's arm. She nodded her head. Her ribs were sore from when Rafe kicked her but she was okay.
"Are you?" she asked, reaching out to gently grab his face to see the damage that had been done. He winced as she touched a bruise on his cheek. "Sorry."
