๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ—๐Ÿ—. ๐œ๐ซ๐š๐ฌ๐ก ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ง๐ž ๐ค๐ง๐ž๐ž

















๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ—๐Ÿ—.ย  ย  ย  ย  ย  ย  ย  ย  ย  ย ย  ๐œ๐ซ๐š๐ฌ๐ก ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ง๐ž ๐ค๐ง๐ž๐ž

breakin' dishesย  ย  ย  ย ย  โ”€โ”€โ”€โ”€ย  ย  ย  ย ย  rihanna

















































โ˜€๏ธŽ ๐›๐ซ๐จ๐จ๐ค๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ง'๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฏ





๐–ฉ๐–ฉ ๐–ถ๐–จ๐–ซ๐–ซ ๐–ก๐–ค ๐– ๐–ฑ๐–ฑ๐–ค๐–ฒ๐–ณ๐–ค๐–ฃ ๐–จ๐–ฅ ๐–ง๐–ค ๐–ฆ๐–ค๐–ณ๐–ฒ ๐–ข๐– ๐–ด๐–ฆ๐–ง๐–ณ ๐–ถ๐–ง๐–จ๐–ข๐–ง ๐–จ๐–ฒ ๐–ถ๐–ง๐–ธ ๐–ถ๐–ค ๐–ง๐– ๐–ต๐–ค๐–ญ'๐–ณ ๐–ฒ๐–ณ๐–ฎ๐–ฏ๐–ฏ๐–ค๐–ฃ ๐–ฑ๐–ด๐–ญ๐–ญ๐–จ๐–ญ๐–ฆ๏ผŽThe sky is changing colours, the sun no longer shining as the moon comes into view. Whilst the sun set, JJ and I continued to run, and while I hate running, I'm dragging myself over the tough terrain just for the boy beside him who, like I said, will get arrested if caught. Not only will JJ be arrested if caught, I will probably end up thrown in a cell next to him for being an accessory to his crimes.

I don't care though. I chose to follow him as I couldn't let him go alone, not when I know he's got a lot on his mind. If I'm here with him, at least I can keep something of an eye on him as he goes through whatever he's gotta go through. Besides, I'd follow JJ through water, through fire, through Hell as I know he'd do the exact same for meโ”€โ”€ he literally has.

Also, if we get thrown into adjoining cells, that's just couple goals, ain't it?

We cut through a Kook estate, completely out of place and so not supposed to be on this side of the island, but screw those bastards. They wanted one island where we're all joined together, so that is what we're doing right now as we run through Figure Eight. We jump over a bush, sprinting across the lawn where several young kids are playing baseball.

JJ splits off from me, moving to pick up two baseball bats off the ground where the kids have dumped them. The kids turn around upon seeing JJ, cursing us out as we run away. JJ then throws one of the bats over to me as we jump over another bush, heading for the road.

"A bat?" I look to the bat in my hand, a little confused on why I need oneโ”€โ”€ why we need them. What does he have planned?

"We're gonna have some fun, Sunshine."

I just shrug, trusting that we'll have fun because he is involved. "Okay."

We reach downtown OBX, and upon reaching downtown, we come to a slow, stopping in front of a jewellery store. Finally, after what feels like years of running, I'm able to catch my breath. I slump forward, sucking in as much oxygen as I can as I can literally feel my lungs constricting.

I've said it a lot in the past, but I'm gonna say it again.

I fucking hate running.

I straighten again, rubbing my hand over the rapid beat of my heart. I look to JJ, finding him to be standing in front of a jewellery store window, breathing just as heavily as me. "Okay," I exhale, swiping a hand across my forehead, grimacing at the sweat. "We need to..." I hear sirens in the distance, signalling that the cops aren't too far from here. I shake my head, knowing we need some kind of game plan. "Uh, so..."

JJ lifts his baseball bat, hitting it hard against the window he was just staring through. The glass falls away, an alarm beginning to ring out from within the store as JJ moves towards the door, going to smash that window too. My words die in my throat, and I just stare at him with wide eyes, not expecting him to do that.

Well, this might be an inappropriate time to say this, but that was hot.

I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to figure out if this is all some kind of dream. Did he really just break that glass? Was that him? Is there an alarm going off because of him?

When I reopen my eyes, I find him leaning forward, going to steal something from inside the shopโ”€โ”€ likely a ring for himself as, obviously, he doesn't have enough of them, does he? I just stare at his back, trying to figure out how we've managed to get to here in a matter of seconds whilst also thinking I'm completely insane for finding that hot.

"Thank you," he says to the store.

Well, at least he has manners after smashing the store's window, right?

"JJ, what are you doing?"

He spins around, pushing whatever he just stole into his pocket, not giving me the chance to see it. He just offers me that melt-worthy grin, his bat resting on his shoulder. "Having fun, Sunshine." Sirens whoop, sounding much closer than they did a minute ago. "Oh, here they come."

"JJ, why are you doing this?"

He moves forward, stepping by me and heading towards one of the many parked cars. "They wanted one island, Sunny, so I'm just showing them what that looks like." He rears his bat back, bringing it down onto the back window of the car, shattering it. JJ then looks to me before stepping into my dazed orbit. "Now, Sunshine, are you just gonna stand there..." I look up at him, an intense blue greeting me. "...or you gonna join me?"

Bringing my eyes off his, I peer down at the bat in my grasp. I press my lips together, turning the bat over in my hand a few times just to get a feel for it, trying to figure out if it feels right in my hands.

The Kooks are stealing from you, Brooke. Everything you and your friends have worked for is being ripped out from under you. Doesn't that make you mad? Doesn't that make you want to fight?

I've lost too much already. I can't lose anymore, not when I've lost too much to Kooks in the past.

I lost my brother, and while he came back, he was pushed right into a prison cell, expected to rot all because of a fucking Kook. I lost my father twice, the first time because of a Kook. I then lost my home thanks to a Kook who still gets on my nerves to this day.

On top of that, I've nearly lost JJ a handful of times. I've nearly lost all of my friends several times, so I cannot let the Kooks win again when they deserve absolutely nothing.

After everything we've done to rebuild all that's been lost because of Kooks, we can't just sit around and do nothing, not when we can fight, not when I want to fight like hell until I feel satisfied.

A slow grin brightens my face as I tighten my hold on the bat in my hand. My head then lifts, eyes looking to the boy standing before who, knowing me so well, can see that I'm on his sideโ”€โ”€ that I'm going to fight tooth and nail.

JJ's eyes drink me in. "That's my girl."

That's right, I am his girl in the same way that he is my guy. I'm damn proud to be called his, and to celebrate that fact, I'm gonna do a little smashing.

Stepping away from JJ, I move to what I know will cause a little chaos, really kicking this crash out into high gear with a little spark. I go to the electrical box that's attached to the utility pole, bringing my bat up to lay against my shoulder.

JJ comes to my side, and I peer up at him. "Think I should do it?"

He tilts his head, tongue wetting his lips. "Oh, yeah."

With the shit-eating grin still evident on my face, I raise my bat and whack it as hard as I can against the box, watching it spark like I knew it would. The moment the first spark erupts, a small laugh ripples out of me just as I watch a flame ignite, sparks crackling from said flame. The wires on the pole catch fire, causing a much bigger reaction than I expected.

He chuckles, pride in his eyes. "Shit, Sunny."

JJ pulls me back, hand wrapping around my wrist as we watch dark clouds of smoke form as a result of the sparks. The lights that were illuminating the street begin to flicker, clicking off one by one, bringing about a peaceful darkness to the street, though JJ and I always seem to find one another, especially in the dark.

JJ drapes an arm over my shoulders. "Let's play ball." He presses a sloppy kiss against my cheek, bringing another laugh out of me as I raise my own arm, holding it against his back.

As we walk by a trash can, JJ kicks it over, the trash collecting into a pile before us. "Great." Slipping his hand into his pocket, he retrieves his lighterโ”€โ”€ the one that has JJ engraved into it. "Let's light it up, Sunny." He tosses the lighter onto the pile of garbage, and we watch it burst into an orange flame quickly.

I lean into him, kicking some of the trash with my foot to create a larger flame. "Woah," I breathe out, feeling him begin to bring us away from the fire and towards the drug store.

Kissing me again, this time on the lips, he brings himself away from me, moving ahead of me to reach the drug store. I watch him swing his bat around in smooth circles before he hits it into the glass door of the drug store, the glass immediately cracking and shattering.

Shit, that was hot.

I think I have a crush on my boyfriend.

Alarms blare from within the store which, let's face it, makes all this just the more fun.

"Oh, that felt good, baby!" He looks to his bat, almost enamoured by the damn thing before his eyes find me. "Get over here, Sunny."

Moving towards him, I stop in front of the large glass window covering the drug store, knowing I can't let this window miss out on being hit when the door was just destroyed. Without an ounce of hesitation, I raise my bat again and swing it against the glass, watching it fall away beautifully. "Whoo!" I cheer, looking to my own bat with the same infatuation.

Who knew breaking shit could be this fun?

I watch JJ fall towards the next shop, finding mannequins lined up at the front window. "Hello, ladies," he greets, his tone chipper which has me rolling my eyes, amused. He then brings his bat back, once again swinging it straight into the glass. "Phew! Where are my manners?" He takes the mannequin's hand, kissing it before tapping his bat against it and knocking it down.

I walk towards him, jaw slack as I attempt to be offended. "Did you just kiss another woman? In front of me?" I continue to walk by him, going to stop in front of the next glass window.

Seriously, if they didn't want the shops destroyed, they shouldn't have had this much glass placed in them. Like, it's just here, begging to be smashed so, naturally, I just do what it's begging forโ”€โ”€ I smash it.

I stumble back, laughing softly as a wave of adrenaline hits me hard. I feel JJ's arm wrap around my middle, pulling me flush against him. "That was hot," he speaks, his voice dangerously low. "You have no idea what you're doing to me, Sunny." His lips press against my neck, tongue dragging up to my ear as I lean further back, bringing my bottom lip between my teeth.

"Oh, I think I can feel what I'm doing to you," I tease, purposefully pressing myself back into him just to hear a soft grunt slip past his lips, its noise buried in my neck.

His fingers dig into my hip, pressing so hard that I know the tiniest of marks will be left, though I can't seem to care as this crash out he's havingโ”€โ”€ that we're both havingโ”€โ”€ is, hands down, one of the hottest things JJ has ever done. While completely insane, I don't think I've ever been more attracted to him than I am right now, and we're quite literally committing a felony.

I might need psychological help, but I think, for now, I'll just self-diagnose myself with being irrevocably in love.

"Just wait till we're home." His words are so delicately whispered into my ear despite the darker meaning they hold. I quite literally feel a shiver trace down the length of my spine at the thought of what we'll do once we're home.

I think I have a pretty good idea of what we're going to do once we arrive home. After all, my imagination's very good, thank you.

While I have a strong idea of the kind of things he'll do to me the minute we're alone in our bedroom, I like to be a complete menace. "What's happening when we get home?" I act clueless just because I know how fun it is to tease him.

I catch the upturn of his mouth against my ear before he speaks, his voice hoarse. "You're a smart girl, baby, figure it out."

I press into him again, hearing that noise I'm very familiar with. "Why wait till we're home? It seems you've got a little... problem," I toy, seriously teetering on the edge of being shoved up against the nearest wall and taken in the midst of police sirens, alarms, and flickering streetlights.ย 

"You're killing me, baby."

I frown, feeling his hand press down on my stomach, keeping me against him for a moment longer like we have the time to just stand here and see who can turn the other on. "Well, I don't want that, so I guess we'll just have to wait." Somehow, I manage to wriggle myself free and out of his grasp, laughing manically as I do so as he ain't the only one feeling a little too hot.

I don't make it far, however, not that I expected to. I wanted him to lose that last ounce of self-control he has, so I'm not surprised when his hand snatches mine and I'm being spun back around to aโ”€โ”€

"Did you just fall over?"

He's holding my left hand as the bat resides in my right. He's on the floor, his bare knee digging into the concrete of the pavement as he looks up at me with the sweetest, most relaxed grin. "No," he answers, though he looks as if he's fallen down.

"Okay," I drawl, an awkward laugh falling past my lips. "Well, if you didn't fall, what the heck are you doing? You're gonna hurt your... knee." I look at him strangely as he's on one knee when he could literally stand up and be on his feet.

He doesn't respond, just places his bat down, further puzzling me. I try to tug on his hand, wondering if he wants me to help him up, but he just tightens his grip, keeping me right where I am. Even as I attempt to step back, he tugs me right back to where I should be standing.

"JJ," I exhale. "What are you doing?"

He lifts one shoulder in a shrug. "Something."

My eyebrows knit together. "What?"

He pushes his other hand into pocket, retrieving this something while keeping his intense gaze on me. I kind of feel as though I'm under some kind of spotlight with the way he gazes at me. What the hell is going on?

The longer he fiddles around in his pocket, the faster I feel and hear my heart pound as small, minuscule pieces of a puzzle begin to slot together in my head because this looks and feels awfully similar to aโ”€โ”€

All I see is gold as he brings the something out of his pocket, showing off the ring he must've stolen from the jewellery store. My mouth gapes, my eyes flitting down to the ring held between his thumb and index finger, finding it to be unlike anything I could've ever imagined wearing in this lifetime.

A pretty boy. One knee. A ring.

What does all that equal?

"Marry me."

A proposal.

Eleven yearsโ”€โ”€ that's how long JJ and I have known each other. For each of those years, I've loved him, though it was never explicitly relayed until just over two years ago when I worked up the courage to finally kiss him after a not so fun game of back and forth.

Eleven yearsโ”€โ”€ that's how long I've been in love with JJ. It began with meeting him in the third grade as John B's new best friend. It intensified when he became my best friend, and when, at age ten, he gifted me a handmade bracelet that I still, to the day, wear on my wrist, matching the friendship bracelet I made for him that still resides on his wrist too. The love ignited further when he kissed me in front of every girl in our class just to show those bitches that I was deserving of a kiss too. Now, for as long as we've been together, the love I have for him has only continued to grow with every passing day.

My love for him, of course, never did quite end nor do I ever see it ending. There was a start line for my love, but there isn't a finish line in sightโ”€โ”€ not even when we get to the "till death do us part" part in our relationship. We're gonna be in love in the afterlife, and in every lifetime and universe that follows on.

There is no Brooklyn Routledge without JJ Maybank. We just complete the other, and have done for eleven years. We keep each other alive. We keep each other (slightly) sane. We keep each other grounded. We keep each other.

My love for him is like one big rollercoaster where there a lot more ups than downs. Those ups being all those times he saved me, protected me, and loved me unconditionally. It's a rollercoaster I never want to get off of, not even when my stomach twists and turns because of the eventual downs that every relationship has. Although, those downs are brought right back up immediately because, well, that's love.

Eleven yearsโ”€โ”€ that's how long I've imagined this exact scenario. Him, down on one knee with a ring in his hand, asking me to marry him. Never did I think, at eight or ten, or even thirteen years old, that JJ Maybank would be proposing to me in the middle of downtown OBX after we just smashed a shit ton of windows for fun while sirens blare and lights crackle above our heads.

No, at eight years old, I think I pictured him proposing on the beach at sunset because that seemed the most romantic to an eight-year-old girl in love. I'm ninety percent sure I drew it out once when I was supposed to be answering math questions. At ten years old, I then imagined him flying me to some romantic cityโ”€โ”€ with what money, I don't knowโ”€โ”€ and proposing. You know, like proposing under the Eiffel Tower which would give "going to Paris" a whole new meaning for us.

Let's just say, I never imagined him proposing like this, especially not with how the events of today have unraveled. He's just found out that his father isn't his father. He's just found out his entire life was a lie, and that he was supposed to be a Kook. He's just discovered that his mother and grandfather are dead, all the while his biological father is very much alive and aware of who JJ is. He also doesn't know that he's the younger brother of one of our friends.

He's been through a lot. He's been through so much shit in the past twenty-four hours that, for a moment, it makes me question whether he actually does want to marry me or if he's just proposing to feel... somethingโ”€โ”€ to feel better, maybe. Then again, I don't think JJ would do that, not when we've been steadily together for two years and have known each other since we were eight.

He wants to marry me, right?

Him proposing now, in the middle of all this chaos, might just be the most JJ Maybank thing ever.

I also think it's perfect. It might not be a beach orย  a romantic country, but it's him and it's me and it's... perfect.

Which is why, if I was to say no, I think those eleven years I've adored and loved this boy would all be for nothing. I think eight-year-old me would literally come out of my body just to kick my ass, and I think she'd win.

"One word, three little letters", is what he had said just over two years ago when he asked if I'd be his. Stupidly, I had to go and fall off a fucking ship and fall unconscious, but that single word fell right from my lips the minute I awoke because, conscious or not, he is always the first thing on my mind.

I feel the same way I did when I came out of my unconscious state after falling off that shipโ”€โ”€ lightheaded and so fucking in love.

So, naturally, what else can I say other than that one little word with three letters.

"Yes."

Not even a second passes before JJ is back on his feet, sweeping me into his arms. I yelp, caught off guard, though I let myself be pulled in. The baseball bat slips past my fingers, crashing to the ground just as he crushes our bodies together and presses his mouth over mine.

I then let myself fall right into him.

I fall for that eight-year-old version of me who always pictured falling in love with this boy, who never even thought it possible that he could fall in love with her too. I fall for that ten-year-old version of me who blushed and giggled every time he walked by me. I fall for that thirteen-year-old version of me who admired him more because he had showed her that she was just as worthy as every other girl, maybe more so. I fall for that sixteen-year-old version of me who, obviously, was completely and utterly infatuated by her best friend and didn't know just what she was getting herself into when she first kissed him.

Now, however, at nineteen-years-old, it's very clear to me what I've gotten myself into, and I am not complaining. I don't think I've ever complained nor will I ever complain, not even when we're old and grey, getting mad at each other because we're so old and moody.

No, I just consider myself extremely lucky.

Sure, is being proposed to right now an ideal time when we're literally being chased by the cops? Probably not. Do I care? Nope.

The moment his lips are off mine, we both begin to laugh, so full of love and adrenaline. I think, the moment I get home, after we spend however long rolling around in our bed, I'll be drawing this exact moment. I'll capture his smile, his laughter, his eyes all onto a page in my sketchbook just because I can.

"You're insane," I laugh, my entire body buzzing with a newfound excitement.

"No, I'm just in love with you, you idiot."

Another gentle press of his lips pass mine, sending another jolt within me. This time, when his lips leave mine, he takes my left hand in his, thumb tracing over my mother's ring on my index finger. It's been resting there rather than on my ring finger, though that's about to change. I watch him carefully, my breathing heavy and my stomach overturning in the best possible way.

He then tugs my mother's ring off my index finger and slides it straight onto my ring finger, and I feel as though I've died and gone to heaven the moment he does. Wordlessly, he then pushes the ring he stole from the jewellery store onto the same finger, adding to the gold band with the engraved B.

He stares at my hand for a moment, thumb now moving over the two gold rings on their correct finger. I look to his face, trying to see if I can catch any hint of regret because, despite how truly perfect this is, there's still a tiny part of my mind that likes to self-sabotage.

Although, all that worry washes off my face the moment I catch a gentle smile brightening his face.

I think a tear rolls down my cheek, though I can't be sure as I don't feel real. I've dreamt of this exact moment for years, and now that it's here, it feels surreal, like I'm having some kind of out-of-body experience.

He then brings my left hand up, brushing his lips across my knuckles, showing those damn mannequins that he's mine.

When his eyes move away from my hand, finally meeting my tearful gaze, I lean in and kiss him. When I bring myself back, I keep my forehead against his, eyes closed. "Are you sure?"

"I've never been more sure of anything."

"I love you."

"I love you, Sunshine."

A siren renters our ears, bringing us back to the crushing reality that we are quite literally running from the cops. Another laugh bursts from within us as we retrieve our baseball bats and move away from where we're stood.

I intertwine my fingers with his, knowing we need to get out of here and run. Although, for now, JJ seems to have other plans. "I think we should celebrate," he proposes, dragging me with him towards another store that sells wine.

I tilt my head. "Celebrate?"

"Our engagement, Sunny. We are getting married. We've gotta celebrate."

God, I don't know if I'll ever get used to that fact. Weโ”€โ”€ JJ and Iโ”€โ”€ are getting freaking married. There's going to be a ceremony. There's going to be flowers, music, cake. That wedding I imagined in my head will become a beautiful reality. My brother will walk me down the aisle. Matilda will be the flower girl. Pope will officiate. Kiara and Sarah will stand at my side. John B and Cleo will stand at JJ's. Emory, now that I think about it, may end up on her brother's side too if they ever find out about each other.

"How we celebrating?"

Looking away from the shop window, he notices several chairs sitting upon the tables outside. A small laugh bursts out of him as an idea strikes him. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" I'm always thinking what he's thinking, so of course, I know what he wants to do with that chair.

I nod, swinging my bat around. "Hm."

Freeing my hand, he grabs the nearest chair, placing his own bat down on the table. I watch him as he goes to the window, holding the chair high. Moments later, the chair is thrown through the window of the wine store, the glass coming to a shatter immediately from the impact.

He spins around, refacing me whilst going for his bat again. "Whoo!" The electricity still crackles and fizzes above our heads, bringing an exciting buzz to the street as we look to our handiwork. Honestly, I'm pretty impressed with us. I think it's safe to say that we've gotten our message across. We are not to be messed with.

JJ then walks towards me, whistling. His arm falls around my shoulders, pinning me to his side as we walk. His hand finds the back of my neck, and as we stumble forward, he guides my head to one side so he can kiss me.

Separating from one another after the passionate yet wobbly kiss, I skip over to another store window, slamming my bat into the glass the moment I arrive. I hear JJ laugh behind me, his hands clapping together in approval. I bow, nearly tripping over my own feet as I fall to one side, almost feeling like I'm drunk on this feeling.

After he hits the back window of another parked car, I rejoin him. His arm slots back over my shoulders, my body moulding to his expertly. "This might be the greatest date we've had so far," I say, lifting my left hand to admire the ring that I will never, ever stop looking at.

JJ chuckles, fingers squeezing the back of my neck again. "And it's not over. You're stuck with me for life, Sunny."

"I can't think of anything better than that," I say, sliding my arm around his back. "I can't wait for the rest of our lives, Maybank."

He kisses me again, dragging my bottom lip between his teeth as he separates, his arm dropping to slot against my hip. "I love you."

"Do you think you can love me and run?"

"I'm a great multitasker, baby."

I wink, biting my lip. "I know."

Before we bolt, however, we turn to look to what we've done to downtown. We look to the destruction we've caused as a result of what the Kooks have done to us. Standing here, watching the electricity spark and crackle, hearing the store alarms and sirens in the distance, and spotting the smashed cars and windows, gives us that boost of adrenaline that we need to run.

Destruction. Chaos. Proposal.

I say we've done an expert job of showing those Kooks we won't just cower away silently. No, we're going to fight for what's rightfully ours because we have every right to do so.

We set off running, leaving behind the destruction we've caused, so full of adrenaline. "What's fair..."

"...is fair," I finish, sliding my hand into his as we run for our lives. Again.

Sirens continue to ring out in the distance, but we don't stop running. We drag ourselves through Kook territory, knowing we shouldn't be here, but like I said earlier, screw those bastards. They wanted one island where we're all joined together so this is what they get when they get one island.

We find ourselves jumping headfirst into more trouble when we arrive at a house with a sign out front that reads, Zeasy Realty Co. I look to JJ, both of us casually swinging our bats around in smooth circles, both of us knowing exactly what we need and want to do.

JJ grins, looking to his beloved bat. "Light her up."

"Damn straight," I reply, following him as he begins to move towards the front door.

I look to JJ as I follow behind him, the sweat dripping from his hair and neck, clinging to his skin. I feel the sweat rolling off me too, but all I can do is ignore it for now. Besides, neither of us really care all that much as we've got more pressing matters at hand.

Destroying this son of a bitch's property just like he plans to do with our property.

JJ raises his bat to smash the glass from the door, looking damn murderous but hot at the same time. The alarm immediately rings out, though neither of us give a shit, instead using our bats to rid the excess glass from the door so we can step into the threshold.

The glass crunches below as I step into the house, JJ following behind me after he said, "Ladies first."

Inside, we find a board littered with the plans for the future of the Outer Banks. One note reads, ๐–ฅ๐–ด๐–ณ๐–ด๐–ฑ๐–ค ๐–ง๐–ฎ๐–ฌ๐–ค ๐–ฎ๐–ฅ ๐–ฑ๐–ฎ๐–ฆ๐–ค๐–ฑ'๐–ฒ ๐–ฏ๐–ฎ๐–จ๐–ญ๐–ณ ๐–ก๐–ฎ๐– ๐–ณ๐–จ๐–ญ๐–ฆ ๐–ข๐–ซ๐–ด๐–ก, and naturally, I feel sick to my stomach at the thought of our home being so easily wiped off the map and replaced with a club for boats.

"Fucking boat club," I scoff, moving away to Zeasy's desk where I find a document that reads, "๐–ณ๐–ง๐–ค ๐–ญ๐–ค๐–ถ ๐–ข๐–ด๐–ณ" ๐–ช๐–จ๐–ซ๐–ฃ๐– ๐–ฑ๐–ค, ๐–ญ.๐–ข. "This is ridiculous." I hand off the document to JJ, letting him take a look.

Moments later, he throws the paper back down. "The new Figure Eight," he utters, swinging his bat again, this time hitting a lamp that was sitting upon Zeasy's desk.

Following on from him, I pick up the nearest thing to smashโ”€โ”€ a vase. While hitting things with my bat is fun, I think it'll be far more thrilling to use my bare hands. With the vase in hand, I pluck one of the yellow daises from it, twirling it around in my fingers before I throw the glass vase against the nearest wall, watching it smash while I push the flower into my hair.

"What's fair is fair, right?" I turn to JJ who holds a glass he plucked from the table. "Huh?" He throws the glass against the map on the wall, watching it hit the ground.

One after the other, JJ and I smash the room as best we can, taking all our rage and frustration and pouring it into this room. Watching and feeling things break because of my hands is the most exhilarating thing I've ever done. Knowing that, when this is all done, at least Zeasy gets to witness the mistakes he's made and gets to know that we won't go quietly.

We're going to fight for the rest of our lives, that much I can promise.

Moving to another room, we begin smashing whatever we can see in there. I catch JJ picking up a picture from the wall, examining it with narrow eyes. "No way am I a Kook," he exhales, throwing it down on the ground.

I slide my hand against his back. "You're not."

While I believe that his mother is Larissa Genrette, he ain't a Kook in any kind of way, thank you very much. Perhaps he was supposed to be, but that's not how life turned out for him, and I think that was for the best. If he hadn't been a Pogue, I would've never had the pleasure of meeting him and I wouldn't be engaged right now.

JJ's a Pogue through and through, just like the rest of us.

I hear the whoop of police sirens, the noise much closer than before which prompts me to move away from JJ, going to look outside. "Shit." Cop cars are pulling up to this exact house, getting prepared to deal with us like we aren't just two teenagers who have something to say with bats. We're not murderers or anything so this whole chasing thing is such a waste of time.

"Come here." I follow JJ, the two of us moving into the previous room where we drop down to the floor, not wanting to get caught.

Outside, I hear yellingโ”€โ”€ from who, I'm not sure. I'd like to imagine the Pogues have followed us from the courthouse, fighting for us too. I imagine our friends out there too, likely just wanting us to give up this act, but I ain't moving a freaking muscle.

I then hear Shoupe just outside, and I wish I could play a game of Whack-A-Mole with him as the damn mole.

"If you're not in uniform, stay back!" he shouts to the suspecting crowd that has gathered because of us. "Alright, JJ! Brooklyn! This is what I was talking about! Okay, you've gone too far now, and we've got a serious situation." I can't hide the unsuspecting smile that crosses my lips upon hearing that. "I told you this shit would happen, and here we are! I need you both to put down any and all weapons you may have, or you will get shot."

Shot? Is he fucking serious? He's going to shoot two nineteen-year-olds who have caused a little chaos? What?

"And I don't want that," Shoupe continues, speaking through the megaphone. "So just come on out with your hands up."

JJ stands up slowly, pulling me up with him. Our backs are pressed against the wall, our bats tightly gripped in our hands.

"Listen up, guysโ”€โ”€"

"No, you listen up, Shoupe!" I hadn't expected him to say anything, not to Shoupe, but I guess one of us had to open our mouths at some point or we'd, you know, get shot. "We're not just gonna come out there so you can take what's ours and let them win again! It was ours, fair and square! So we have a right to fight for what's ours!"

"Whoo!" A laugh bursts out of me as I know that was Emory who just cheered for us. Should've known she'd be all for our destruction. She probably snapped a picture upon seeing it. She's a fire starter herself, so it's not surprising she's all for our fight.

"Look, JJ!" Kiara's panicked voice enters our ears, and I feel my heart squeeze. "Brooke? Can you hear me? Just do what they say!"

"No." This time I'm the one yelling, but I hope Kiara doesn't take it to heart. I'm not mad at her. "We aren't just giving them what they want. How is that fair? This is not fair! We don't deserve this shit!"

"I'm done kissing the feet of people who've taken from me my entire life!" JJ fights, following on from me.

We share a look, his other hand that isn't holding the bat slipping into my free one.

"Shoupe, you cannot shoot them!" Kiara cries.

"My sister's in there," John B calls out, almost making me feel guilty for causing him such worry and disappointment. Although, he knows me better than most, so this act of destruction shouldn't be all that shocking to him. He knows I'd follow JJ into Hell, even if that Hell is a potential jail cell.

"Y'all might've given up," JJ speaks, his voice beginning to lower to the increase in voices outside. "But we are not done fighting."

"Right on," I whisper, squeezing his hand tightly.

He looks to me. "You sure you wanna follow me?"

"JJ, I'd follow you through Hell," I tell him, smiling contentedly. "Yes, I want to follow you. I'm not leaving you, okay? I'm yours, aren't I?" I lift my left hand, my smile widening.

His head drops, and he kisses me quickly and gently. "I can't wait to marry you," he breathes out, voice soft against my lips.

"Right back at ya, Maybank."

And very soon, I will have the same surname.

JJ turns away from me, speaking out of the open front door. "Shoupe, if you want us... you're gonna have to come get us." Pogues cheer for us outside, Emory unsurprisingly the loudest of them all, but we don't have time to celebrate that fact as I feel JJ's hand pull me away and out of the room.

"JJ, Brooke, just come on out! Listen to Kie and come out of the house!" Shoupe yells, though we aren't listening as we travel through the house until we push into a back room.

"Brooke!" I recognise that voice, but I can't stop when we're already this far ahead. Sorry, brother.

"Oh, he's so going to kill me," I mutter, wincing at that fact.

Something explodes loudly from outside, surprising us so much that we both drop our baseball bats. I feel JJ grab me, yanking me down to him, my back against his front. The explosion erupts again, this time sounding remotely similar to a firework. I lean into JJ, breathing heavily. "It's just a firework, JJ," I reassure, placing my hand over his that sits on my stomach.

His head falls to the crook of my neck, his breathing still frantic. "Shit." I squeeze his hand, keeping him from panicking.

"It's okay, J."

His head lifts, eyes going to look at the microwaveย  above us that sits on the table we're crouched before. I see it in his eyes that an idea has sprung to his beautiful mind. "What you thinking?" He separates himself from me, lifting himself up to begin rummaging through the drawers in the room.

My friends, my brother, the copsโ”€โ”€ they all call our names, but we don't listen. We can't just listen and give in.

"What are you doing?" I ask, also lifting myself up and off the floor.

"Remember when Emmy and I were making noodles in the microwave and we left the spoon in the bowl which nearly broke the microwave," he recalls, snatching a handful of metal knives and forks. "And it, you know, started freaking out and shit. Do you remember?"

"Yes." I recall him and Emory laughing hysterically about it whilst it was fucking exploding. John B and Pope berated them both for not knowing about metal and microwaves.

"Well, it was pretty funny the first time, so..." He pulls the microwave door open, placing the metal utensils inside. "I wanna do it again."

I nod, shrugging my shoulders. We've already reeked plenty of havoc already, why not some more? "Okay."

He shuts the door to the microwave before pressing the buttons, turning it on. He steps back, joining my side as we watch the microwave begin to crackle and spark in response to the metal being in there. Yep, this is exactly what happened at home before Pope stopped it, him and Emory too busy laughing to actually do anything about it.

This time, however, neither of us are stopping it, not when it's fun to watch the spit of sparks. No wonder he and Emory laughed, this is kinda cool.

Knowing it's likely going to ignite, we leave the room and head upstairs, moving into another room. The shouts and yells become increasingly louder which gives me the impression that something has happened outside. What, I don't know, but I'm sure we'll find out soon enough.

JJ steps away from me, going to the window. He pushes it open, stepping out onto the roof. He then turns around, spotting me as I move towards him, taking his hand so he can help me through the window.

Letting go of my hand, he pushes the window down so the cops don't figure out that we've left the house. I then look down from the roof's edge noticing a cop car just below. "How do we get down?" I ask, knowing the answer is right in front of me but not wanting to accept that method of escaping as it may hurt.

"We jump, Sunny." On that note, JJ slips off the roof, tumbling down to the cop car below which, thankfully, holds nobody. Once he rolls back onto his feet, he looks up at me as I stare at him with wide eyes. There's no way that crazy bastard just did that. He breathes out a laugh, waving up to me. "Come on, Sunny. It's not far. You'll be fine!"

Who the hell am I going to be marrying?

"Okay." I nod to myself, silently telling myself that I can do this. Following JJ's method, I slip off the roof, falling down to the cop car just like he did. Sure, it hurts for a moment, but that pain will be replaced shortly.

"There you go." JJ pulls me off the cop car, bringing me straight into his arms. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

I open my mouth, though my words die on my tongue when I hear a wince fall past his lips. "Are you hurt?" I look to his leg, noticing that he's leaning on one leg more than the other. "Shit, JJ, youโ”€โ”€"

"I'm fine," he promises, though I'm not entirely convinced. "We gotta go. Let's go."

We move quickly, or as quick as somebody can go when it's obvious they've hurt their ankle. While I hate to run, I know we can't stop until we know we're completely away from the cops. Knowing that, we don't bother looking over our shoulders just in case. The thought of being caught right now after everything is not something I like the sound of.

We reach a familiar area, spotting Heyward's Seafood just up ahead as we move down the road. My lungs constrict, my legs scream in agony, and my body warms from the amount of sweat dripping off me. It's disgusting, I'll admit, but this is just my stupid body reacting to running.

We come to a halt when we spot a cop car up ahead coming in our direction. Looking around, JJ notices something and I feel him pull me away. Slowly, he lifts himself up and over the railing of the bridge before he lowers himself down onto a slab of concrete that sticks out just below.

Following suit, I do just what he did, lowering myself down onto him as we both can't fit onto this slab whilst sitting down. Thankfully, we aren't stuck here too long as the cop car speeds past, not noticing us.

With JJ's guidance, he lifts me up and back over the railing of the bridge before bringing himself up too. The minute we're back on the road, I feel him lean into him, the obvious pain in his ankle likely starting to worsen. I catch him, arm coming around his back as he puts his weight on me.

"It's okay," I tell him, doing my best to keep him steady. "It's okay." I don't think he's broken his ankle. I hope he hasn't. God, can you imagine that?

Upon arriving at Poguelandia, we find that nobody is camping outside it just yet, probably not thinking we'll be coming home this quickly. Perhaps they still think we're inside that damn house. One can hope, right?

Instead of going in the house, we go straight down the dock, heading to The Snapper. JJ leans away from me, going to untie it from the dock as I bring myself onto the boat. Once the boat is untied, JJ goes to turn the boat's lights on, giving us a better view of what's ahead of us before he starts up the boat.

We move away from the dock, heading off into the water, and there is quite literally only one question I can think to ask. "JJ, where are we going?"

"Goat Island."

My mouth gapes, surprised because I honestly hadn't expected that to be where he's taking us. "Uh, what?" I laugh, exasperated. "You want to go to Goat Island?"

"You said you'd help me get answers," he replies coolly, looking over his shoulder at me. "Did you mean it?"

I wet my lips, humming. "Y-Yeah, of course I meant it, JJ, but do you think this is a good idea?" I move towards him, sliding my hand against his arm. "You might not like the answers, JJ."

"I know, but I need them, Sunny. I need to..." He inhales sharply. "I need to know."

I lean my head into his arm, still attempting to catch my breath. "Okay."

While I've met Groff, I'm about to meet him in this capacityโ”€โ”€ in this capacity of being JJ and Emory's biological father. On top of wanting to find answers, JJ and I need a place to hide out for the time being until we figure out a game plan. So, if that means going to Goat Island to ask for help from a man who is going to my father-in-law one day, then so be it.

Once at Goat Island, JJ docks up the boat and we notice that the rain has hit quite suddenly, the storm beginning to hit the island. As we walk through the rain, we recall the path Demp had shown us until we hit the steps leading up to the front door.

I hold onto JJ's arm, aiding him as his ankle is obviously hurting, and the moment the front door is before him, he raises his hand and bangs his fist against it as hard as he can. The thunder rattles out across the island, on the same intensity as JJ's knocking.

"Groff!" he calls out, growing impatient.

As I told JJ I'd help him get those answers he wants so badly, I raise my own fist and whack it against the door. "Groff!"

"Open the damn door!" His voice cracks, bringing a squeeze to my chest as I hate to see him like this. I hate to see him hurting in any kind of way, and after the events that spiralled today, I know his mind must be racing.

"Who is it?" Groff asks, speaking to us from inside the house. "Who's there?!" He sounds freaked, likely not expecting anyone in the middle of a storm, but surprise!

JJ's head presses against the door, and I reach my hand up to rub soothing circles against his back, the rain hitting us hard. "It's JJ Maybank and Brooke Routledge!" he shouts, seeming to be completely exhausted. "Can we just talk to you? I need to talk to you."

Slowly, and after a beat, the door clicks, unlocking to reveal Groff, and I suddenly find myself trying to find the similarities between him and JJ, and him and Emory, though it's hard. "Oh, it's you two."

Yeah, we fucking just told you it was us two.

JJ swallows, nodding. "Yeah."

He looks from JJ to me, taking in our appearances which aren't, you know, the prettiest, but leave us be. Give us a moment to regather and cool off and we'll go back to being our beautiful selves.

"Come in. Come in."











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โ€ soph speaks

this chapter was very very fun bcos i've watched about a million edits of his crash out scene so im obsessed

anyway,, brooke and jj are engaged??

i really wasn't sure about the engagement scene so lemme know what you thought lol

now things r gonna start to get awfully messy and painful and confusing yay! i'm just kidding . . . kind of. it's not going to be a smooth engagement lemme just say that

i am so not excited to write about groff bcos i just hate him so ugh

although, we're getting closer to all being revealed so bonus ig

thankyou so much for reading!!

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