"I'm not used to caring."
--☆--☆--☆--
"Good news for residents of Outer Banks. Dominion Power says their underwater transmission line, which will restore power to 90% of the area..." The sound of sirens dragged the attention of the pogues away from the radio as they all ducked down to avoid being seen. "...should be functional within 24 hours."
Once the pogues knew they were out of harm's way they decided laying low was the best plan. None of them were optimistic but they still tried to hold out hope that nothing bad would happen to John B. They had been sitting in Kiara's car all night, waiting for some sign that John B was in the clear, but so far they got nothing.
"And still, no arrest in the shooting death of Sheriff Susan Peterkin. The state police have issued a statement regarding a local person of interest, a juvenile from-" The radio cut off when Kiara hit the button, making the car silent again.
"Let's game this out," JJ suggested. "Maybe you guys can help, being the smart ones and all, but..." He sighed, glancing at Kiara, Pope, and Emerson for obvious reasons. "... who are the cops going to believe? Ward Cameron or us?" He asked.
"He's got a point," Emerson halfheartedly admitted. No one will believe that Rafe Cameron killed anyone. Why would they?"
"Because he's a psychopath?" Kiara questioned.
Emerson shrugged her shoulders and even though it hurt the pogues she was right. When John B first broke the news to the Rhodes girl she found herself questioning if he was telling the truth. She knew Rafe, the kooks knew Rafe, he wasn't a killer.
"So the accuser is a bigshot developer, kind of lord of the island, got the governor on speed dial kind of person, and the accused... is John B. Who is... pretty much a homeless 16 year old boy at the moment."
"Thanks," John B replied, not looking at his best friend.
"Shit," Pope sighed as he brought his hand up to his head.
"Okay, man. Yucatan, all right? I'm saying that's the only option," JJ told them. "What other option do you have?"
"Enough with the Mexico bullshit," John B groaned. "Sarah will bail me out."
"She did witness the whole thing," Kiara agreed.
"Thank you," John B nodded.
"And she's gonna snitch on her brother?" Pope asked then all eyes were on Emerson, who was still sitting in the trunk of the car. The brunette shrunk down, not knowing the answer. Emerson knew that Sarah and Rafe had a rocky relationship, to say the least, but they're still family.
"I don't know what she'll do, okay?" Emerson told them.
"But you're her best friend," Kiara reminded her. "If we needed you to snitch on Rafe, would you?"
The car went silent for a second as all eyes fell onto the Rhodes girl. She opened her mouth only to close it a second later. Pope let out a worried sigh but then Emerson said: "If it was the right thing to do, yeah I would." She told them, but part of her wondered if she was just telling them what they wanted to hear.
"Its' not happening, bro. Okay?" JJ sat up, making sure that John B would look at him. "We've gotta get you off the island."
"The ferry. It's the only way," Pope suggested.
"Yeah," JJ agreed. "Exit stage left while you still can." The sounds of sirens going off around them continued but they were starting to get used to it at this point. "Before the entire island is on lockdown."
"Guys, just get down," Kiara instructed.
"Sarah's not a pogue, John B," Pope reminded them.
There it was, the reminder that Emerson and Sarah weren't actually pogues. No matter how much they wanted to be a part of the group they'd be the odd ones out. Emerson Rhodes and Sarah Cameron were kooks, they always have been and they will always be seen as kooks.
"Yeah," JJ agreed, once again. "You can't stay here, man."
"We need a better plan than sitting here," Emerson said, her voice more annoyed than helpful.
"The ferry," Pope said again. "I'm telling you, it's worth it to at least check."
"Fine," Kiara nodded, then started her car up again, before driving towards the ferry.
--☆--☆--☆--☆--☆--
By the time the pogues arrived at the ferry building, Emerson was more than eager to get out of the car. Pope had announced that he would check out the situation by the boats then report back to the rest of the group.
"I'm coming with you," Emerson announced as she moved up to the backseat.
"Em," JJ tried to convince her to stay but before he got another word out she held her hand up to stop him from talking.
"I just need some air, okay?" She assured him. "Plus Pope shouldn't be going anywhere alone right now," She added. "I'll be right back, don't worry."
"Fine," He whined like a toddler, crossing his arms over his chest. Emerson crawled over JJ's lap as she manueverd her way out of the car. As calmly as they could she and Pope made their way through the crowds trying to find anything to help John B. They walked over to the bulletin board, their eyes immediately finding the sign that read Ferry Closed in big red letters.
"Crap," Emerson sighed.
"Look," Pope pointed to a wanted sign that had John B's picture on it. He pulled it from the board, making sure the kook next to him got a good look at it. "Shit."
"We have to get out of here," Emerson said, then Pope nodded in agreement. A strange feeling krept into the Rhodes girl and she couldn't help but feel like someone was watching her. She glanced at the car, immediately noticing JJ's eyes on her, but she felt someone else. Emerson turned her head in the other direction, seeing a boy about her age with floppy brown hair. "No way," she whispered to herself.
"Emerson," Pope snapped his fingers in front of her face, making her lose the boy in the crowd.
"Let's go," She said, then the two of them started walking away from the bulletin board.
"Okay," Pope said once he made it back to Kiara's car. "All right, no."
"Pope, can you act normal?" Kiara asked as the boy walked around the other side of the car.
"There's nothing normal about this," Emerson told the girl right before JJ opened the door for her.
"-yeah we have some bad news," Pope continued. "The ferry's closed, and there is this," He handed them the wanted sign through the window before he got into the car. Emerson climbed back over JJ's lap trying to get to the trunk of the car. JJ grabbed ahold of her waist, keeping her in place.
"Not the time," She whispered to him before wiggling out of his grasp.
"What is that? What is this?" John B asked, before he had his turn with the paper.
"Shit," Kiara sighed before handing the paper to the boys in the backseat.
"Well, John B, uh... this is a good framer of you," JJ told him as he looked at the picture on the paper. He held it up so that John B could see it, an unamused look on best friend's face formed not long after.
"Okay, so the whole island's lookin' for John B right now," Pope said, nervously.
"That's a lot of money."
"Congratulations, John B. You're famous," JJ joked, trying to defuse the tension in the car.
Kiara sighed, getting progressively more worried for John B's safety. "Guys, we got to get to the HMS. We need a small, no running lights-"
"It's at the chateau, Kie."
"And I wonder if the cops got the entire place staked out," JJ added. "Let me think. Oh, yeah. No. They definitely have that place locked down."
"Yeah, copy that," Kiara replied, clearly annoyed.
"Let me think. Just give me a second," Pope sighed, as he racked his brain for ideas. Something, anything that could help his friend get out safely. "JJ."
"What?" JJ asked, looking back at Pope.
Pope turned around in his seat, looking at the blond boy behind him. "Does your dad still have that boat? The cigarette boat, the Phantom. The one he used to race."
"Maybe."
"You could get right up the coast, no problem," Pope nodded, knowing this was the way to get John B out safely and without the cops finding out.
"It won't be easy, Pope," JJ told him.
"The surf's running from three to four," Kiara began to explain as Pope struggled to turn the car back on.
"I don't know where the keys are," JJ realized.
"Well, find them."
"Okay, I'm thinking. I'm thinking."
"Why is nobody moving forward?" Pope asked, as he attempted to push the cars forward with his hands.
"Pope, chill," Emerson said from the trunk of the car.
"Can you relax?" Kiara asked.
"JJ, how much weed did you give him?"
"Apparently too much," Emerson said, shaking her head. Of course at the time they needed Pope the most he was temporarily out of commission.
"Guys. Your car's on the poster," John B alerted them, right as Pope began honking the horn.
"Can we move it?" Pope yelled at the cars ahead of him.
"Pope! It's not gonna help." Of course due to the honking and the lack of calmness in Kiara's car, a kid noticed it, recognizing the car from the posters.
"Uh oh..." Emerson muttered when she saw a kid pointing at their car.
"Don't honk the horn," Kiara told Pope before her eyes found the kid pointing at them. "Shit!"
"We got a snitch. Pope, turn the car on," JJ yelled.
A man walked up to the backseat and began hitting the window, forcing JJ's attention to move off of his girlfriend. "He's right there!" The man yelled, getting the attention of the nearest deputy. John B rolled over, trying to hide his face from the man.
"Oh shit," Emerson knew she needed to think quickly and try to find a way to hide John B from prying eyes. She glanced down at her shirt before quickly taking it off, making it so the man couldn't see John B anymore. "Guys we need to go now!" Emerson shouted.
JJ glanced back at her and he had to do a double take to realize that she wasn't wearing a shirt anymore. He forced himself to snap out of the trance that is Emerson Rhodes when the man hit on the window again.
"Hey, We gotta go!"
"Turn the car on!" Emerson shouted but for some reason the boy in the driver's seat was struggling with the keys.
"Pope, turn the frickin' car on!" Kiara shouted nervously.
"I am trying!"
"Go, go, go!" Suddenly the car came to life as it quickly moved forward hitting the back of the truck that happened to be sitting in front of them. "Pope! Jeez!"
"Dude, back up!" Kiara instructed, but Pope didn't listen as he tried to push the car in front of him forwards.
"Hey!" The deputy yelled, but the pogues were already driving away.
"Watch out!" Kiara shouted as Pope veered off the roads, knocking down a couple mailboxes. "Pope! Pope! Whoa, whoa, watch out!"
Pope just laughed as all the mailboxes fell to the ground. "Oh my god!"
"Pope!" John B shouted, a mild amount of concern filling him.
"What the fuck?!"
"I'm livin' my best life right now," Pope told the rest of the pogues.
"My mom will kill me," Kiara said with fear in her eyes.
"Yeah, if Pope doesn't kill us first," Emerson added.
"I should be the last one to say this, but you are not okay to drive," JJ said to Pope. "Stop!" Pope slammed his foot on the break causing the tires to squeal as they surely left a mark on the road. "Oh, jeez."
"John B get out," Pope said, glancing at the boy laying down in his seat. "We'll draw the cops, you run."
"It's actually a good idea," Emerson commented.
"I'll get the rig," JJ informed him, as John B opened the car door, "and I'll meet you in the dump tomorrow, okay? Three o'clock, okay?" He shouted just before John B got out of the car.
"Yeah."
"Three tomorrow at the dump," JJ repeated, as John B closed the door. He quickly took off running, making a quick exit. "Come on, go, go go!" JJ told Pope and once again they were driving off.
Emerson climbed into what was just John B's seat, so she was now next to JJ. She quickly put her seatbelt on as Pope began to drive off the side of the road again.
"Where do we go now?" Kiara asked.
"We should just keep going, try to draw them away from John B as long as we can," Emerson suggested.
Pope seemed to like the idea of him being able to drive some more so he stepped on the gas, getting them as far away from John B as possible.
--☆--☆--☆--☆--☆--
The pogues had been driving around for about an hour. While JJ and Pope got continuously more high, Emerson and Kiara got more annoyed with the two boys. They had music playing over the stereo as Pope held onto the wheel with one hand, a join in his other hand.
"Pope, you clocked that car, man," JJ laughed, making the two girls roll their eyes at him. "Like that was so bad!"
"I'm just glad I'm not driving now," Pope smirked as he glanced back at JJ.
The girls officially had enough of their shenanigans, and Kiara was the first one to make her annoyance known. "Pull over," she shouted at him, and Pope quickly followed her instructions. "JJ, it's not funny. He shouldn't be driving." She told him as she got out of the car.
"He could've killed all of us," Emerson added in an equally annoyed tone.
"Mama's mad," He whispered.
"Seriously JJ," Emerson shook her head at him, as she moved away from him in the seat.
"What are you-" Kiara started to say as she walked around the other side of the car. She opened the door then got into the driver's seat.
"Where are we going?" JJ asked.
"The last place they're gonna look," She answered then started driving towards the Cameron House.
JJ reached his hand over to Emerson making her look up at him, clearly still annoyed by his previous acts. The Maybank boy didn't know what to do under these circumstances. Normally if a girl got annoyed with him he'd just move on and find someone else, he didn't usually have to look for forgiveness.
"Are you mad at me?" He asked her quietly.
Emerson let out a sigh before shaking her head. She knew that JJ was just scared, and frankly so was she. Emerson knew better than to make JJ talk about his feelings, especially when they weren't alone, so she just took his hand as she continued to look out the window.
"We're here," Kiara announced as she parked her car. She glanced back at Emerson, and she knew that the former kook was desperate to get out of the car. "I could use some help," She shrugged.
"We need to be focused," Pope told her, clearly still feeling the effects from the weed JJ had given him.
"Very focused," Emerson nodded, as she got ready to join them.
"Perfectly focused," Pope told himself as he got out of the car.
"You sure this is a good idea?" JJ asked.
"She's the only one who can clear John B," Kiara reminded him as she walked to the fence that boarded Sarah's house.
"Last place they'll look because of how stupid it is," JJ added then his eyes widened as Emerson opened her car door. "Hey? Where the hell are you going?"
"To get Sarah," Emerson answered before closing the door.
"Hey," JJ whispered as he got out of the car following her. "Come here."
Kiara gave Emerson a confused look, as she tried to figure out exactly what to do. "I'll be right there," Emerson told her before she and Pope jumped the fence leaving Emerson and JJ on the other side. "What?"
"I don't have a good feeling about this," JJ told her.
"Okay... well we need Sarah and I'm not letting Kie go alone," Emerson told him, essentially saying there was no way she'd stay behind.
"Emerson, you're making this really hard for me," He informed her, but she didn't seem to understand exactly what he was trying to say. "This is all new to me."
"I'm not exactly used to this kind of thing either," She shrugged, still not understanding what JJ wanted to say. "I mean I don't know about you but I don't usually have friends who get framed for murder."
"That's not what I meant," He told her, now getting annoyed that she wasn't understanding.
"Then what did you mean?"
"You! Emerson, I'm not used to me and you," He snapped only to realize that he should probably not shout at this very moment. "I'm not used to caring. I-I don't know what to do."
The brunette let out a sigh as it finally hit her. She was so focused on trying to get Sarah that she didn't realize that JJ was worried about her. He didn't want to lose her and he didn't know how to tell her.
"JJ... you don't need to do anything," She told him, her voice soft as she spoke. "I'll be back, I'll always come back."
"Really?" He asked, sounding skeptical.
"Really," She assured him. He waved his hand saying she could go. Emerson stepped towards him and gently kissed his cheek. "You don't need to worry about me."
"Yeah, yeah, you're a badass," He shrugged.
Emerson smiled as she shook her head at him. He watched as she walked away, jumping over the fence to get into the Cameron's yard. Even though she told him she wouldn't leave, part of him still felt worried, and he didn't know if that feeling would ever go away.
When Emerson found Pope and Kiara waiting for her on the other side of the fence she could immediately feel the awkward tension trap her in with them. She noticed the heartbroken look on Pope's face and the guilty look on Kiara, it didn't take a genius to guess what had happened.
"Let's get goin'," was all Kiara said, desperately wanting to get out of the situation.
"Yeah, we've got the plan?" Emerson asked.
"I've got the plan. I can plan," Pope told her then started walking off without saying another word to the girls.
"Do you want to tell me now or..." Emerson asked Kiara.
"It's probably better if I don't," Kiara replied, not really wanting to admit what happened between her and Pope only moments ago.
"Okay, well let's get this show on the road then," Emerson shrugged as she began walking away, heading closer to the Cameron house.
[edited]