Lost At Sea ⋆ JJ Maybank

𝖎𝖎. Old Friends

"Yeah? For four years? You're fucking kidding me."

"No, I swear. I had better things to do."

Please, she begs silently. Please just leave me alone. She knows herself. She knows exactly why she avoided the Pogues, and especially JJ. She knows that if they start talking again, she'll spill the beans, tell them everything that happened, and they'll be disgusted and angry and outraged like her mother was.

She knows that if it happens, she'll die again. Henry and Max won't be able to stop her, no matter how hard they'll try.

"You know what, I'll drink it. I'll – Thank you, man. I appreciate it."

Kathryn didn't expect to owe something to Topper. Then again, is he really doing it for her? The Kooks are always begging to start fights with the Pogues, and rarely even need a pretext. She knows that Topper may be a good guy, but he's still a Kook. He thinks that Pogues are lesser, somehow. Surely, he should be aware that he's nothing short of a massive prick.

"It's fine, Topper," Kathryn tries.

Something gleams in JJ's eyes. "That's very nice of you Topper," he says, "but I didn't ask you. If you said pretty please, maybe, but you didn't."

Oh god. Well, this is not going to end well, is it? "JJ," she warns, voice low, but he barely looks at her, focusing on Topper.

Topper goes red in the face. "Oh, pretty please. Pretty please?"

"Yeah so," JJ says, looking back at Kathryn. "KD, you can have it. Peace offering."

She sighs, closing her eyes tightly. "Just stop whatever you're doing..."

Kathryn doesn't have the time to end her sentence, before Topper spills the entirety of the drink in JJ's face, screaming that she didn't want it. Kathryn gasps, and turns towards him – JJ is already gripping his shirt, harshly pushing him away.

JJ doesn't let him finish, anger washing over him, distorting his face into a mean grimace, and he grips Topper's by his shirt to push him away. Topper staggers back, out of balance.

Anger is written all over JJ's face. To be fair, he's right, but she's not sure a fight is going to solve anything. He tries to walk past her, but she grabs his arm, nails digging into the flesh. He tries to wiggle his way out, but she holds on.

"Stop this!" she cries out. "I know it's hard for you, but don't be the bigger idiot."

"Oh you're so fucking funny!"

John B moves to help her, forcing JJ back. The crowd is gathering around them again, looking to get every detail of the fight.

Unlucky for Kathryn, that also means that the other Pogues are coming. She sees Pope run towards them, before stopping abruptly. His eyes almost bulge out of their sockets when he sees her. "Uh... what... how...?"

Oh this is so spectacularly bad. "Not right now," she tells him.

JJ frees himself from hers and John B's grip. Resentment comes off of him in waves as he stares back at Kathryn. She stares back, unflinching, despite being very aware that John B and Pope are doing the exact same.

"What do you care, uh?" he accuses.

She clenches her jaw. "You want to get beaten up? Be my friggin' guest, JJ!"

John B steps between two. "Alright, alright, time out guys, c'mon."

Pope intervenes too, almost half-heartedly. He sends Kathryn a dubious look, almost like he's waiting for her to do something wrong. She makes a face. She deserves that.