The pogues stayed in the hospital waiting room desperate for news. A few hours later, a doctor came out and asked to speak to Riley's family. Pope, JJ and kie automatically stood up.
"She's going to be fine, a little tired and exhausted, and she will probably be feeling sick but she's okay to head home"
The pogues let out a sigh of relief each as Riley appeared out from a door, dressed, but looking like a skeleton of herself.
Her skin was pale and almost had a yellowish tinge to it. Her face looked gaunt and hollow and her eyes sunken and dark. She looked so small, her clothes drowning her, and her eyes looked lifeless. She looked so fragile. All JJ wanted to do in that moment when he saw her was take her away from all of this and protect her. But he knew he had lost his right to do that now.
"Riley!" Pope said rushing over to the girl, each pogue with a deadly serious look on their faces, kie with tears in her eyes and pope fully crying.
"Jeez guys who died?" She laughed but the others kept their faces completely straight. JJ tried catching her eye but she avoided it completely.
"Riley why-" kie started
"I'm not talking about it. Let's just go home, wait for John B to get back, and then go and get the gold, then this can all be over" Riley said as she pushed past them all and headed out the hospital.
* * *
Later on in the day The teens sat with their feet dangling into the hot tub, whilst trying to question Riley.
"We just want to know why Riley, help us understand!" Kie said to the girl desperate for answers.
"I said I don't want to talk about it Okay?! Life is shit, everything's shit and I just- I'd had enough alright?!" She snapped silencing kie. "So where's John B? He's pulled a Houdini" she said quickly trying to change the subject.
"Speak of the devil hey!" JJ said looking over his shoulder to see John B walking towards them. Riley could tell something was wrong by the expression on his face as she dragged herself out the hot tub.
"I set up the winch, and everything ready to get the gold!" JJ shouted to John B
"No he did not I did that!" Pope added on. Kie looked as worried as Riley did.
"Hey!" Kie shouted after the boy that was now heading into the house at a fast pace.
"Uh what's that all about?" Pope asked as John B ignored all their shouts and headed into the house.
They all headed in after him and saw him grabbing the gun.
"John B what do you need the gun for?" JJ asked going to grab it from him but John B pushed him over.
"Talk to us!" JJ shouted to the boy who was still yet to speak.
"John B chill!" Kie shouted as she rushed over to help JJ.
Riley would have done this, she wanted to do this, but she knew where she stood with JJ and needed to get rid of all feeling towards him as soon as she could.
"What are you doing!" Kie shouted after him as he marched out the house. Pope tried getting in his way but John B shoved him too. Riley ran over to help.
"John B!" She shouted at the boy as she helped pope up, as kie checked he was okay Riley ran after John B.
"John B what the hell are you doing!" Riley shouted as she ran out the house after her best friend.
As the pogues reached John B, he was sat on JJs motorbike.
"John B what the hell!" Kie shouted at him, finally getting a response.
"Ward knows about the gold!" John B yelled angrily, tears striking his eyes "he killed my dad" his voice broke and the pogues stopped in shock. He drove off leaving them all stood there not knowing what to do next.
Riley regained her thoughts and suddenly began running after the motorbike
"John B!" She yelled as she ran, JJ caught up with her and grabbed her waist to stop her running.
"Hey hey. There's no point? We will sort it okay?" He told the girl. She grabbed his hands off her waist and shoved him as she walked past "dont fucking touch me" she mumbled as she shoved past.
"Riley!" JJ yelled after her but she stuck up her middle finger in response without turning round. They all headed back to the house to discuss what to do next.
"What the fuck do we do now?" Kie asked, Riley could tell she was worried for John B, they all were.
"We have to go after him" Riley said, confidence in her voice "we have to"
"Riley-" JJ started.
"No. No you don't get to say anything to me" Riley said, still not making eye contact with the boy.
"If we go after him and he kills ward, we are all fucked" pope told the group.
"He isn't going to kill ward this is John B we're talking about" Riley told them
"But if he does?" Pope asked the girl concerned
"Pogues for life" she shrugged, knowing she would do anything for her best friend.
Kie nodded along agreeing, as did JJ, but he was willing to do anything to get Riley on side right now, whereas pope looked more wary of their plan.
They headed outside and got into the boat, and began heading to figure eight.
"I still don't know about this" pope said nervously.
"He's our best friend pope. He needs us" Riley said confidently, knowing all she needed 24 hours ago was her friends, and she wasn't going to leave John B in the same position.
"Riley, can we talk?" JJ whispered to the girl, but pope and kie heard as they looked at the pair awkwardly, but interested in how Riley would respond.
"No" she said simply, looking out on the water ignoring JJs attempts completely. JJ sighed and edged back away from the girl.
They finally reached the pier to the Cameron's house and they climbed out of their boat, which now looked tiny next to the boat John B had nearly died on a few hours previous.
"So what now? We just go up to the front door and ask, hey have you seen John B?" JJ asked sarcastically
"He lives at tanny hill now it's plausible" kie shrugged but Riley shook her head "we could play dumb?" Kie asked
"It's too late for that" Riley said quietly but they all heard.
"Look I've never seen John B like that. We should honestly go to the cops" kie said to them
"Yeah and say what kie? We're worried about our friend because he's on a rampage because ward Cameron killed big John? They're not gonna believe us!" JJ told kie
"I have to agree with him" Riley shrugged, JJ smiled, but it soon dropped as Riley was still refusing to look JJ in the eye.
"Hey I see ward!" Pope said to them cutting the arguing off as he looked through a pair of binoculars into the Cameron's house.
"Let me see!" Kie said grabbing the binoculars from pope and looking into the bottom window of the house.
"Doesn't look dead to me! Let's go home!" Pope said to them
"Wait-" kie cut him off
"What?" Riley asked slightly annoyed.
"Okay obviously mr Cameron is fine. And even if John B was here he isn't now!" Pope told kie and Riley who looked at him almost in disgust.
"Plus I have one of the biggest and most important days of my life in six hours!" Riley scoffed at this. She knew this was important to him, but John B could be dead for all they knew.
"Yeah Well our friend is in trouble!" Kie snapped at him which Riley nodded her head at.
"I'm in trouble!" Pope shrugged "guys I haven't been home in three days, my dads probably put all my shit on the street by now!"
"Yeah well, some of us don't have a home to get kicked out of. Or a dad to kick us out" Riley snapped, raising her voice.
Pope looked at her in shock.
"I didn't mean it like that Riley-" he began
"Whatever" she shrugged.
"So that's it?" Kie asked them, looking between them all "in a time of need you're just gonna bail? You're just gonna walk away?" She asked now looking directly at pope.
"Guys can we not do this right now?" JJ asked, Riley rolled her eyes at this comment but carried on staring at pope.
"I have a scholarship interview in the morning!" Pope snapped
"And what about John B?" Riley shouted back at him
"Why is it always about John B?!" Pope shouted back, which took Riley by surprise slightly.
"It is not always about John B it could be any of you guys in this situation!" Kie snapped
"Oh bullshit!" Pope shouted
"Guys-" JJ tried but couldn't get a word in
"This is about friendship!" Riley shouted at pope "something you guys have been pretty shitty at recently"
"What's that meant to mean?" Kie asked suddenly turning to Riley.
"Doesn't matter" Riley shrugged not wanting to get into that right now.
"This is about pogues for life!" Kie shouted at all of them
"What about forensic pathology?" Pope asked
"Forensic pathology?" Kie shouted in disbelief.
"Yes that's everything's I've worked for my whole life!" Pope yelled
"That's your priority?" Kie yelled back
"Just stop with the moral high ground bullshit!" Pope said getting closer to kie and shouting in her face.
"Pope come on man!" JJ said
"No no no she has room to talk! Or her!" Pope said pointing at Riley.
"Where were you when big John went missing. You weren't there" he said to kie "and last night, when the boy you're in love with was getting beaten to shit, where the fuck were you? Passed out on a bathroom floor, because life's so fucking hard on you ain't it Riley!" Pope shouted.
"Pope man! Shut up!" JJ shouted standing now and getting between pope and riley, who now had tears in her eyes.
"What?" She asked JJ gently finally looking him in the eyes
"It's okay, I'm okay" he said to her softly tucking her hair behind her ear and smiling down at her. Pope and kie suddenly looked at them with realisation in their eyes.
"You two?" Pope yelled.
"Sort of" Riley shrugged.
"Knew it" kie smiled.
"That's not the issue right now! You! Remember your kook year!" Pope yelled at kie who just started back "you weren't there for John B, you weren't there for any of us!"
"Dude!" JJ yelled at pope. Kie and pope began shoving each other as JJ and Riley tried to shout at them to stop
"Cut it out alright!" JJ said getting between the two "if I'm the one mediating, we've hit rock bottom"
"Pope I'll drop you off" JJ said as they all climbed on the boat in deathly silence.
Riley and JJ finally arrived outside John Bs and headed back inside in silence, both not knowing what to say.
"Riley" he called after her as she walked into the spare room
"Yeah?" She asked turning around.
"I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry Riley for everything! For- for the things I said I was- I was so so cruel and mean and... and what happened with you at your old house, and god I was so mean! I just- I was so angry that he hurt you and I couldn't help or protect you and-"
"JJ?" Riley interrupted him
"Yeah?" He asked nervously
"Shut the hell up" she said walking over and slamming her lips into his.
He was shocked at first but then melted into the kiss, and wrapped his arms round her waist, as they kissed passionately. They moved to the sofa, where Riley lay down and JJ towered over her, until JJ pulled way briefly to remove his top and Riley did the same. They continued kissing as JJ began pulling at the waistband on his joggers and removing his own.
Riley then pulled her own joggers off, letting out soft moans as JJ kissed her neck. They both removed their underwear, and JJ put his length inside Riley, making her gasp slightly and her eyes roll back as she let out a soft gentle moan, making JJ smile.
After a while, JJ fell to the side of her, panting and smiling, as Riley smiled up at the ceiling
"I-" Riley began
"Wow" JJ carried on smiling
Riley giggled slightly as JJ pulled her into his side and they fell asleep
Together on the sofa.