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𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗙𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗧𝗘𝗘𝗡
getting even

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・・・・☆・・・・☆ ・・・・

JJ drove to a place, that Kyla didn't even know existed, with a dirty mobile home. She guessed that she didn't know where it was because she never actually wanted to know about where people got their drugs from.

"Welcome to Crackhead Wasteland," Sarah commented as JJ drove up.

"Is there where Rafe got his...cocaine?" Kyla asked her blonde friend, but Sarah just shrugged at her since she didn't know the real answer.

"I don't know about this, man," Pope said to JJ before he parked the van. "Dude, why are we at Barry's?"

JJ started to open up the car door. "This'll only take a second," he told them before he hopped out of the car and began walking towards the so-called house.

"Where are you going?" John B asked as Pope slid the door open to be able to see JJ.

"Yo soy justicia!" JJ told them in Spanish without even looking back before he entered the place. Kyla sighed, shaking her head at his stupidity. She did not want to be there just in case Barry came back with revenge.

"Did you glean anything from that?" Pope asked slowly, his brows furrowed as a part of his body stepped out of the car.

"You know, somebody should probably—"

"Yeah, I got it," John B cut Kiara off as he opened the door to get out and follow JJ inside.

"Right."

Kyla sighed again. "I'm worried about him," she spoke up after a moment, causing everyone to look over at her. "The look on his face when he beat down Barry...I mean, I was scared," she admitted, swallowing hard.

"Yeah, do you guys think he's okay? I mean, you've known him longer. Does he usually act like this?" Sarah asked Kiara and Pope.

The two glanced at each other. "Honestly with JJ it's..." Kiara trailed off.

"Hit or miss," Pope finished for her and Kiara nodded slowly. "He tends to do things without thinking."

"Yeah, I can see that," Kyla said before she stepped out of the car, waiting for JJ and John B to get out of the place. The three others did the same, waiting anxiously for them. "I mean, what is he even here for?"

"Probably to get even," Pope answered and Kyla cocked a brow. "He's pretty big on that. I mean, the boat thing..."

"Yeah, yeah, okay, I get it," Kyla said, shaking her head in disbelief. They waited there for another minute or so, before JJ came walking out of the house with a bag in his hand. Kyla tilted her head at him, unsure of what he was thinking of doing.

"All right, so we're looking at about 4 grand each for reparations for putting us through that bullshit," JJ told them as he walked over and sorted through the money that was already in his hand. "Sorry about that, y'all." Kyla scoffed at him, crossing her arms at his behavior, very much like a mom.

"So that's what we're doing now? We're robbing drug dealers?" Kiara questioned him.

"This Barry guy's gonna find out. And he's gonna come after us," Sarah told him.

"Yeah, or Rafe if they're connected," she said, glancing at Sarah, "and we can't let the...Kooks find out about this. They'll rat us out." She felt weird using the word 'Kook' since she was one herself. But, she didn't act like a regular one, she supposed.

"Yes, they will," Pope agreed. "This is not the time to start wilin' out," he lectured.

"How'd you guys like having a gun pulled on you?" JJ questioned, obviously getting even more pissed off.

John B walked towards him and said, "Relax."

"He had it right here in you, bro," JJ said with his finger held up right in John B's face to show him how the close the gun was.

"Look," John B said, pushing his hand down. "We've gotta go get the gold, okay? Just give me that shit." John B tried to reach for the bag, but JJ quickly pushed him against the Twinkie aggressively.

"JJ!" Kyla said, her voice just below a loud yell as she watched his insane behavior.

"You feel like a tough guy? Huh?" John B asked the blonde, the both of them ignoring the older Carrera girl. "What are you gonna do when he comes for us?"

"We punch him in the throat," JJ answered him, their faces mere inches apart as they stared each other down.

"Yeah, good fuckin' idea, JJ," John B said sarcastically while his tone was angry.

"I'm not putting it back," JJ said as he picked up the bag and walked over to the car, and sat inside. No one followed after him since they were giving each other concerned and hesitant glances. "You guys getting in or what?" he asked, but they didn't answer or move.

Kyla sighed, looking down at her feet as she went over everything that had just happened. She couldn't believe that almost could have gotten her head blown off, and she couldn't believe that she actually tackled that guy. She also couldn't believe that she didn't totally freak out. Maybe she was just getting used to high pressure situations.

JJ then climbed out of the Twinkie. "What?" he asked them with his hands on his hips.

John B walked towards him. "We're sick of your shit," he told him.

"Oh, my shit?" JJ asked.

"Yeah. Yeah. Your shit," John B confirmed.

"Yes. Your pulling guns on people shit," Kiara told him with a pissed off look.

"You acting like a freakin' maniac—"

"Okay, Pope! I took the fall for you, man! Know how much money I owe because of you?" JJ questioned, cutting Pope off.

"I'm gonna pay you back, and I didn't even ask you to do that!" Pope argued as he stepped closer to the blonde.

"I just did!" JJ yelled in his face as he took a step forward. "Pay it back," he added as an after thought. "Right here, right now, by myself." He then looked over at the girls before he looked back at nothing. "You know what? That's exactly what I'm gonna do," he said as he grabbed the bag and started to walk away. "Go off by myself."

"JJ," Kyla and Pope both called out, walking forward to go stop him. If he was by himself, he was more at risk at getting jumped by Barry, or someone else looking to get even.

John B placed a hand on Pope's shoulder at the same time Kiara grabbed Kyla's wrist, stopping them both. "Hey, wait, man," John B told the Heyward boy.

"Just let him go," Kiara told her and Kyla took a breath in, nodding slowly.

・・・・☆・・・・☆ ・・・・

Meanwhile, almost at the same time that happened, the Kooks were up at a country club ordering drinks and having fun. "Uh, can you put this on Cameron, Ward? Cameron, W-A-R-D?" Rafe asked the waitress as Tara practically hung off of him, high as a cloud as she chewed her bubblegum. "Thank you. You're the best," Rafe said once the waitress nodded and walked away.

"Are you sure your dad's fine with you using his name after he kicked you out?" Tara asked before she popped a bubble.

"Who cares?" Rafe asked with a laugh. After the two hooked up at Midsummers, they had been doing it a little more often to no one's knowledge. After Kyla had practically broken up with him and Ward kicked him out of the house, he needed a way to make himself feel better. So, he called up Tara and she happily went to him like it was an honor.

But, they hadn't officially confirmed things since Rafe was still secretly hoping that Kyla would come back to him.

"You think you-know-who, they're — they're scronking yet?" Kelce asked before he let out a laugh.

"Shut, yo—!" Topper cut himself off, laughing mockingly in his hands.

"Hey," Kelce said before he started clapping his hands together. "What's that sound? What's that? They're making that sound."

"Oh, h-how mature, Kelce," Tara said sarcastically as she and Rafe turned around to face him and Topper.

"You think I wanna hear this right now?" Topper questioned his friend.

"Bro, come on, man," Rafe said to him, trying to get him to laugh with the joke.

"Why not?" Kelce questioned.

"I'm trying to get my mind off things. And you think I wanna hear this right now, Rafe?" Topper asked angrily as Rafe threw a ball at him. Instead of him catching it, Topper hit it down as he walked towards Rafe and Tara.

"Bro, calm down, all right? We're just trying to make you feel better," Kelce explained to him.

"What a nice way to do it," Tara commented, sending Kelce a look. She was pissed at Sarah for cheating on her brother with a dirty Pogue. She honestly wanted nothing to do with the girl now. But, even though Rafe was making fun of him, she was still hanging off of him like the obsessed teen she was.

"It's not funny. How is it funny to you?" Topper asked Rafe, getting all up in his face.

"The joke's on her. 'Cause look who's she with," Rafe told him, placing a hand on Topper's shoulder.

"Exactly," Tara added, tilting her head at her brother.

"Who's that?" Kelce asked as a vehicle approached the place. Tara looked over her shoulder, squinting to try and see who was in the car.

Rafe also looked over his shoulder as he continued to say, "And after that, she's—" Rafe paused, groaning quietly once the person exited the car. Tara's eyes widened once she realized it was Barry, internally cursing as she started to get serious.

"Rafe Cameron!" Barry called out. "Get over here!"

"Okay, let's go," Rafe said to Tara before the two of them walked over to the dealer.

"Are you supposed to be here, sir?" the host asked Barry.

"Yeah, I believe so," Barry answered before Rafe quickly grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him away from the man.

"Hey. What are you doing, man? You good?" Rafe questioned as he walked him out of the place with Tara following right behind them both, trying to shoo Topper away since he was also following.

"No, I ain't good, man," Barry told Rafe, shaking his head.

"All right, what—"

"Why's your family think I'm just some bitch that they can shit on, man? First, I got to deal with your dad coming in and kneecapping me in my house."

"Who is this guy?" Topper asked Tara, grabbing her arm to stop her.

"None of your business, Top," she told him, shoving him away from her as she stepped behind Rafe to back him up. Even though she was one of Barry's best customers, she had to stand behind the Cameron boy.

"You got your money," Rafe told him in his face.

"Nah, man. That ain't the point, man. I'm asking you, what am I? Am I just some little bitch? Is that what your family looks at me like?" Barry questioned.

"No. No," Rafe told him, shaking his head.

Barry laughed mockingly, "No, no!"

"He's telling the truth, Barry," Tara said, stepping next to Rafe. "Come on, you can trust me."

Barry shook his head at her, laughing. "Okay, so then why is his little sister and her little surf rat friends running around stealing 25K out of my house?" Barry asked with clenched teeth and Tara furrowed her brows. "Can y'all tell me that?"

Rafe and Tara glanced at each other, and Tara shook her head in disbelief as she poked her tongue against the inside of her cheek. "My little sister robbed you?" Rafe questioned, blinking rapidly.

"Yeah, Sarah robbed me along with her five other friends. That's why I'm here," Barry told him with nod and Tara arched a brow. Five? she thought, remembering that John B only had three other friends. Unless...

"She won't pick a dollar up off the street, man," Rafe said to him.

"Wait, wait, wait. Five others?" Tara questioned and Rafe gave her a confused look while Barry nodded. "Did two look like sisters to you?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess," Barry confirmed and Tara's eyes darkened.

Tara looked over at Rafe and whispered very quietly, "Kyla and Kiara." Barry didn't hear, so he narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

Rafe's eyes widened. "W-What? No way!" he exclaimed, not believing that Kyla Carrera would ever rob anyone, let alone a drug dealer. "What are you talking about?" Rafe asked Barry.

"Do I look dumb to you? You think I don't understand what's goin' on here? 'Cause I'm telling you right now, you better sort this out with your sister, or else I am. 'Cause I want my money," he threatened furiously.

"Listen," Rafe started to say before he started to hyperventilate. Tara quickly placed a hand on his back, trying to calm him down. "I-I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"You don't know what I'm talking about?" Barry asked angrily.

"Enlighten me."

"Enlighten you?"

"Yes."

"So the Pogues are all around Outer Banks stealin' shit out of everybody's house...and you got no idea what I'm talking about?" Barry questioned.

"Look, we haven't even heard anything about that, okay?" Tara told him, her eyes wide.

"Well, his sister's involved in it," Barry said as he pointed to Rafe. And somehow Kyla is, too. I would have never thought she would go down that road, Tara thought, honestly slightly impressed.

Rafe started to tap his temples with his hand. "Sarah Cameron, home invader?" he asked to try and understand before he placed his burned hand on Barry's shoulder. "You know how stupid—" Rafe was cut off by Barry grabbing the burnt area on his wrist and shoving him over.

Tara and Topper quickly stepped forward, and Tara went over to help Rafe as Topper started to push Barry away. "How many times I gotta deal with you? That's 25K!" he shouted before his attention went over to Topper, who was still pushing him away. "What's up, Country Club? What's up?"

"We're good, we're good," Topper quickly told him as Tara moved a piece of hair out of Rafe's face affectionately.

"'We're good, we're good'," Barry repeated mockingly. "Stand down. Sort this shit out with your sister!" Barry told Rafe.

"All right, all right!! Okay, it's cool, it's cool," Rafe replied as he hand his hand up.

"I'mma get my money."

"Yes, of course," Rafe assured him.

"If it's not from you, it's from her. Remember that. I'll see you boys around," Barry said before he looked at Tara. "You can do better," he told her with a cheeky grin.

"Yeah, yeah," Tara said, waving him away before she turned back towards Rafe and Topper.

"Hey, what the hell is goin' on?" Topper questioned either one of them.

"I don't know, man," Rafe told him, his voice sounding stressed.

"No, no, no. This guy's nuts," Topper said as Barry hopped back into his car. "What are you gonna do? What are you gonna do?"

"Nothin'. It's not my problem," Rafe told him, shaking his head.

"That's Sarah you're talking about," Topper said with wide eyes.

"And Kyla," Tara added as a test, making both boys look over at her. "What are you gonna do, Rafe?" she asked, tilting her head as she placed a hand on the side of his arm. Topper saw the action, and narrowed his eyes slightly.

Rafe looked between the two of them, his eyes darting around crazily. It seemed like he was reacting to the cocaine in an off way, which wasn't surprising at all. Tara was as well, but it was more of her thoughts than her actions so far...

Things might change later, though...

"All right, come on," Rafe said, turning away from the two blondes as he walked towards his motorcycle. Tara's face contorted to one of anger. "Tara, stay here. Topper, come on," he directed.

Topper glanced at his sister before he followed Rafe over to the other motorcycle. "Jesus, Rafe," Topper muttered as they both put their helmets on. Tara crossed her arms as she watched them both, angry that Rafe would choose his sister, and his almost ex girlfriend over her. It was an absurd thing to think, but then again, her thoughts were messed up. "Tara...we're gonna talk about this later," Topper told her before him and Rafe drove off.

"I look forward to it," she muttered to herself sarcastically.