Chapter Fifteen
Beating a Dead Pogue
Word Count: 2.5k
Pacing back and forth, I couldn't think straight. John B and Sarah had to be safe. They had to be okay. I could care less about Ward. He should rot in Hell.
We were all shaken up, not knowing what to do.
I wanted to scream. To cry. To break something. To punch a wall. I never had a surge of emotions like this. Not even with JJ.
A plane came flying over where we stood. Ward's plane.
"There goes the gold." JJ cursed, shaking his head. "Shit!" He kicked a plastic chair, easily breaking it.
"That's what you're worried about?" I snapped, looking over at JJ. It was unfair, but fair to me in this current state of mind.
Meanwhile, Pope had grabbed something in our little place of refuge and chucked it across the space. "Fuck!"
"Pope!" Kie called out as the mathlete picked up a baseball bat.
"Goddammit!" He started just hitting things. That was something I could get behind. "Shit! Fuck!" He hit everything he could, just yelling.
I wanted to break things with him but didn't want to end up on the wrong side of that bat. I was honestly a little scared by his outbreak. This wasn't like him, at all. Not that getting this upset is like me either.
Kie and JJ were trying to get Pope to stop, but I quietly encouraged him.
It wasn't until he threw a trash can that he let himself sit down, taking deep breaths.
"Pope..." Kie said softly, slowly walking over.
"Yeah, dude." JJ started.
I sighed a little and tuned them out. I walked over and picked up what looked to be a broken picture frame. There was no picture in it like someone had thrown it out before they put it to use.
I caught bits and pieces of what was going on - JJ offered Pope weed and they both believed they did this all for nothing.
"Cut it out," I mumble, dropping the frame and turning to face the three of them. I looked right past them as John B suddenly appeared. "John B..." He didn't look okay.
We all quickly rushed over to him.
"Dude! Dude, you good?"
"Oh my god! John B!"
"Is this yours?" JJ asked, taking quick action to notice the blood coating his hands.
I stumbled back a little. He was here. He was here without Sarah. He was here without Sarah with blood on his hands.
I opened my mouth just as sirens started up.
Kie, Pope, and John B all quickly hide down behind some wood, JJ grabbing me and taking me down with them.
The cops came and went, and we all remained hidden for longer than needed.
"John B..." I croaked out, the sirens long gone. I looked over at him, letting JJ grab my hand. "Where's Sarah?" The worst-case scenario was all I could think of.
----
"John B, what are we doing at the police station?" JJ looked out the window, playing with his hat a bit.
Everything had been explained to us. It was hard to process the fact that Rafe had shot Sheriff Peterkin. Sure, he had been a jerk to me my whole life and came close to killing JJ, but did I actually think he'd ever do something like that? Okay, maybe at times. But not really.
John B wasn't in the best state of mind, and I couldn't blame him. "Somebody's gotta tell them what happened."
Kie parked her car as Pope started coughing from the seat behind her.
"Woah. Easy there chief." JJ sat in the seat behind him, me right next to him. "Damn." He turned and patted John B on the arm a little. "Alright. I'm just gonna be real with you right now. You might end up in the lion's den, but you don't go there on purpose."
"JJ..." I whisper, trying to coax him out of this 'talk.'
He didn't hear me. "It's fundamental. Just like my old man always told me, you should never ever trust cops. No matter what the circumstance is."
Kie turned around. "Your old man is an abusive liar."
I agreed with Kie. She could have said it in a bit of a nicer way, but I believed it.
"I agree with JJ." It was evident in Pope's voice he wasn't himself. "Fuck the police."
"Are you going to the dark side now?"
"When's the last time the police ever helped us?" Pope sat up a little.
John B suddenly butted in. "Peterkin looked out for me, alright? Tried to, at least. They need to know." We didn't dare say anything else as he got out of the car.
I closed my eyes and leaned on JJ. None of us deserved to be going through all this.
JJ lightly rubbed my arm, and all I wanted to do at this moment is fall asleep. Go to sleep and wake from this living nightmare.
The idea of sleep was knocked away as John B came running out of the police station yelling, not even two minutes later. "Kie! Start the car!" He came over and got inside as quickly as he could. "Start the car, Kie!"
None of us had any idea what was happening as a cop tried to get into the car, right as Kie started to drive.
There was so much yelling, I couldn't tell who was saying what. I didn't know what was happening. What happened at the police station in such little time?
That question was answered after a long drive - everyone thought John B shot Sheriff Peterkin.
We spent the whole night in the car, off in a hidden place. Nowhere was safe for John B, making nowhere safe for the Pogues.
Kie and Pope were sitting back in the front two seats while John B and JJ had their seats completely reclined. I had been laying with JJ, but when the sun came out I moved to the floor. Being on JJ would make me too obvious.
For some unknown reason, the radio was on. All the better, it was on a news station. I tried not to listen, just barely hearing it mention something about the powerline. As news about Sheriff Peterkin came up, two sets of sirens passed by our hideout.
That is what made Kie finally turn it off.
JJ took the blunt he had lit from his mouth. "Let's game this out. Maybe you guys can help, being the smart ones and all, but..." He let out a breath. "Who are the cops going to believe? Ward Cameron, or us? 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," he paused, "pretty much a homeless 16 year old at the moment."
"Thanks." John B mumbled.
"Shit." Muttered Pope from the front seat.
I got up from the ground and climbed back onto JJ. I tried to maneuver myself on the seat between him and the door. I didn't want to be caught, but I needed to be closer to him.
He wrapped his arms around he started to talk again. "Okay, man. Yucatan, alright? I'm saying, that's the only option. What other option do you have?"
I knew JJ wasn't going to stop talking, so I forced him to look at me and lightly pressed my lips to his. It would be a short-lived quiet outcome, but a quiet outcome nonetheless.
John B took this silence to finally speak. "JJ, enough with this Mexico bullshit, alright. Sarah's gonna bail me out."
"She did witness the whole thing," Kie stated.
I slowly pull away from JJ. "Sarah has more power than you think," I added.
"Thank you."
Pope glances back. "And she's gonna snitch on your brother?"
I nod as JJ puts the blunt in his mouth. "Not happening, bro. Okay?" I sigh as he continues up again. "We gotta get you off the island."
"The ferry." The boys were backing up each other. "It's the only way."
"Yeah. Exit stage while you still can, man, okay. Before the entire island is on lockdown."
Kie stopped JJ as the sirens started up again, getting louder. "Guys, just get down."
JJ laid back down on the seat and pulled me closer again, having me almost flat on top of him. I buried my face in his chest, inhaling the smell of weed radiating off him.
"Sarah's not a Pogue, John B." Pope wasn't letting this go.
JJ nodded a little. "Yeah. You can't stay here, man."
It felt like they were forgetting I was here. At least forgetting Sarah was my sister. I knew her better than anyone. She would help us. She would help John B.
"Look," I start, taking my face out of JJ's chest. "Stop talking about my sister like Ward's got a stick up her ass." It felt weird actually calling him Ward. "She knows what he's done. What he's been doing. She loves us. Loves me. Loves you, John B. She wouldn't just dip."
I feel JJ start to lightly rub my back. I hope he understood how much I didn't like him and Pope talking about her that way.
"I say we get off our asses and do something. Sarah will help us, but we need to help her do that too." I sit up, the sirens long gone yet again.
John B nods, letting out a sigh. "Thank you, Adara."
With that, Kie finally drove us out of the brush we were at home in. It was risky, but she drove to the main part of the island. Pope was the one designated to get out and look around. John B tried to sink as far into the seat as he could, while the rest of us anxiously waited.
He was out for maybe five minutes until he came back to the car, a piece of paper in his hand. "Okay. Alright, no."
"Pope, can you act normal?" Kie asked in a rushed tone, unnerved by his demeanor.
He looped around the car to his window. "So, um... Okay, so, bad news. The ferry's closed, and there's this." He reached in to hand her the paper before getting inside.
I sat up and looked over her shoulder at the paper. It was a wanted poster for John B. "Shit..." We both mumble as she gives it to me and I show it to JJ.
"What is that? What is this? What is this?" John B asked quickly, glancing over at us.
JJ takes it from my hands. "Well, John B, uh..." He should him the paper. "This is a good framer of you."
Pope shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Okay, so the whole island's looking for John B right now."
Kie looked between John B and Pope. "That's a lot of money."
"Congratulations, John B. You're famous." JJ handed the poster to John B.
I shake my head a little, nerves rising in my stomach. "We have to get out of here. Anywhere but here. Hell, the HMS Pogue would be better."
Kie nods, agreeing. "It's small, has no lights-"
I was going to add to that, but John B cut us both off. "It's at the Chateau, guys."
I groaned a little as JJ started up. "And I wonder if the cops got the entire place staked out. Let me think." He pretended to think. "Oh yeah, no. They definitely have that place locked down."
"Yeah, copy that." Kie agreed.
Pope was trying to think of something to do or somewhere to go. "JJ." He suddenly looked back at the boy in question. "Does your dad still have that boat? The cigarette boat, the Phantom? The one he used to race?"
JJ repositioned me a little so he could see Pope better. I was sitting on his lap, in the way. "Maybe."
Pope started turning back around. "You could get right up the coast, no problem."
"It's not gonna be easy, Pope." JJ shook his head a little as Kie spoke softly to the driver. "Pope, I don't know where the keys are."
I leaned back on JJ and closed my eyes for a moment. "We can do this..." I mumble to myself. "We have to do this..."
I felt his grip around my waist tighten. I opened my eyes and turned my head to stare into his. Something I had missed doing in the chaos of all this.
Pope turned the key in the ignition. "Well, find them."
"Okay, I'm thinking," JJ said defensively. I could tell he didn't really want to deal with all this right now.
Pope leaned forward, glaring out the windshield. "Why is no one moving forward?" He practically whined. "What's going on here?"
"Can you relax?" Kie snapped a little at him.
John B tried to shush the three of them while Kie was busy asking JJ how much weed he had given Pope.
"Guys! Your car's on here. It's on the poster." John B said though I don't think either of the two in the front seat heard.
That wasn't good. That meant there wasn't anywhere we were safe.
Pope kept honking his horn, and Kie kept chastising him for him. AKA, they were drawing unneeded attention towards us.
A kid's voice brought all of our attention over to him. He saw and recognized John B.
"We got a snitch. Pope, turn the car on." JJ sat up a little, his grip on tightening on me. If that was even possible.
Ringing sounded as soon as a random guy came over and started banging on the window.
We had come out here to figure out how to hide John B better. Not get him caught before we had the chance to do anything.
Pope finally got the car to turn off as I clung to JJ. He wasn't the best driver, but I couldn't be bothered to pay too much attention to that. I was more worried about the police.
Worry always seemed to consume me. I couldn't do anything without getting anxious. Not even brush my hair.
Suddenly, the brakes were hit, and the next thing I knew, John B jumping out of the car.
"Three o'clock at the dump, okay?" JJ called out after the fleeing figure. "Adara, I'm gonna need your help here."
I quickly nod, understanding what he wanted me to do. I carefully, and shakily I might add, got off his lap and let him hop over to where John B had been laying. I sit back down and buckle myself up, trying to focus on a singular thing.
A warm sensation covered my hand, and I looked to see JJ's hand holding mine.
He looked at me, laying as John B had a minute prior. "You trust me?"
I didn't completely understand why he was asking, but I nodded. Of course I trusted him. I was still a little shaky about our relationship, but I trusted him.
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600 reads!
So I'm thinking these last couple of chapters might be a bit shorter than usual. I realized that I probably made the others a little too long. Plus I want to make it to at least 18 chapters for season one.
It is sad how behind I am on writing chapters. I have like one left to write and I just haven't been doing it...
But anyway, thank you for reading! The next chapter will be posted Monday.