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𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗘
joining the pogues

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・・・・☆・・・・☆ ・・・・

The Pogues, along with Kyla, drove in silence to the Hawks Nest in the van that they apparently called the Twinkie. Even though Kiara kept on pushing the fact that she didn't want her sister to come, she finally let up, which surprised everyone.

John B then stopped the van in front of the Hawks Nest and said, "All right."

JJ pushed open the sliding door. "Hit it, boys! We're goin'. Recon mission," he said excitedly, and Kyla raised her eyebrows at him.

"Yo, uh...so, uh, I think I'm gonna do this one by myself...tonight," John B told them after he climbed out of the driver's seat, making Kiara roll her eyes since she was in a bad mood now.

"Really?" JJ asked.

"What?"

"Nothin', brother."

"Look, I-I just don't want to spoil Sarah with the peanut gallery," John B explained to the blonde.

"I just don't understand why we're involving her at all," Kiara spoke up in complaint.

"Kie, we're not involving her, okay? It's — it's just, uh, like a — a business meeting...thing," John B told her and Kyla arched a brow at him, not sure how he was believing himself with that explanation. She then saw JJ make an inappropriate motion with his mouth and hands, so she nudged him, sending him a look. "Look, once we get what we need, we cut her loose, all right? Plus, we need the map."

Kiara shrugged. "Promise me nothing's happening between you two," she said.

"Nothing is happening, Kie," John B told her with wide eyes.

"I'm being serious."

"Okay!"

"This isn't about you, and this isn't about us. This is about her. Dude, she's gonna get inside your head," Kiara told him.

"Kiara," Kyla said warningly since she was talking about her best friend like that.

Kiara sent her a look before she looked back at John B. "Just promise me nothing's happening between you guys," the Carrera girl continued.

"I promise," John B replied.

"That was really believable," JJ said sarcastically.

"A hundred percent believable," Pope agreed in the same tone, making Kyla sigh.

"Anyways, um...I'm gonna take care of business," John B said, changing the subject.

"You're gonna take care of it so well," JJ said.

"We'll just sit here...in the hot ass car," Pope spoke up right after the blonde.

"Yeah. Yeah."

"While it's lightning," Pope added just as it thundered while John B climbed out of the car.

"Wait, John B," Kyla said quickly before he shut the door behind him. He looked over his shoulder at her. "Just please don't hurt her, okay?" she said, making Kiara roll her eyes and lean back against the wall of the van, crossing her arms.

John B slowly nodded before he hopped out the car, leaving the door open this time. "I cannot believe you, Kyla," Kiara said once John B walked away.

"Excuse me?" Kyla asked.

"First, you join us even though you know I don't want you to. And now you're okay with the fact that John B and Sarah might have something going on?" Kiara ranted.

Kyla sighed. "I never said I was okay with them together. I just don't want her to get hurt. She may not be your friend, but she's mine," Kyla explained.

"And, Kiara, holding onto your grudge is like drinking poison and thinking Sarah will die," Pope told her.

"Exactly," JJ agreed.

Kiara scoffed. "I cannot believe you all are on two Kooks' sides," she said, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Look, it's just smarter this way, okay? If we kick your sister out, she might go and tell someone about this out of spite," Pope told her before he looked at Kyla, who furrowed her brows at him. "Sorry."

She shook her head. "It's fine," she told him.

"You know, I should say sorry, too," JJ said, making Kyla look over at him in confusion. "About what I said to you earlier. I shouldn't have gotten mad about you just wanting to know that I was okay," he told Kyla, making her eyebrows raise in shock. She didn't think that JJ would seriously apologize to her. "See, Kie, was that so hard?" he then asked teasingly, not being able to be serious for longer than a minute.

Kiara rolled her eyes and shook her head, while Kyla still just looked at JJ in shock. "Wait, when did this conversation happen?" Pope asked, making JJ and Kyla look over at him.

"Oh, uh..." Kyla trailed off, not knowing how to word it.

"Uh, it was after I got bailed out. I was mad and she — she came to see me, but I just basically ignored her," JJ told them, leaving out the part with his father and the gun.

"Yeah, that's what happened," Kyla said, nodding her head and sending JJ a subtle look.

"Wait, you went to go see that he was okay?" Kiara asked slowly and the two nodded. "Oh."

"See, your sister isn't so bad, Kie. Yeah, she's a Kook and she's dating Rafe but..." JJ trailed off, tilting his head back and forth, weighing those cons.

"I don't know, I might be going on a break with Rafe after what happened tonight," Kyla admitted, shrugging. If Rafe would rather beat up a Pogue than keep a promise with his girlfriend, would it be even worth it to keep fighting for the relationship? Kyla wasn't sure.

"Whoa, really?" Kiara asked and Kyla nodded. "Finally," she breathed out, and Kyla gave her a look.

"Oh, yeah, what did happen tonight?" Pope asked, referring back to the what happened.

"Well, I delivered the note that John B gave me to Sarah, and then Rafe and Kelce saw me. I tried to run away from them, but Rafe and Kelce followed me—"

"Wait, do you guys hear that?" Kiara cut JJ off before she shushed him.

"What?" Kyla, JJ, and Pope asked at the same time before they went silent to try and hear what Kiara was hearing.

"Please, somebody help!" Kyla heard Sarah's distant scream, making her eyes widen in worry.

"Oh, wait, no, I hear that," JJ said quickly before they all barreled out of the car.

"Shit," Pope breathed out.

"What the fuck?" Kiara muttered before they all jumped out of the car, running towards where they heard Sarah's voice.

"Sarah!" Kyla shouted, trying to find her voice again.

"Over here!" Sarah cried and the four of them quickly sprinted over to where she was, crouched over John B's body.

"Sarah! What happened?" Pope asked once they neared them.

"I don't know what to do. He needs help. Topper shoved him," Sarah told them through her sobs, and Kyla placed a hand over her mouth.

"Where the hell is he?" JJ questioned angrily.

"Oh, please, please, please get help. I don't care who. Just call someone," Sarah told them, crying.

"Go! Go get help! Go!" JJ shouted at Pope, who quickly spun around and ran back towards the Twinkie.

"Pope, hurry!" Kiara screamed after him.

Kyla looked down at John B's body, not seeing him move, which made her own body go rigid in fear. She felt tears well up in her eyes at the sight of Sarah crying, not knowing what to do to help. "John B, stay with me," Sarah said, before she leaned down and planted a kiss on his lips. "Please don't leave me." She then cradled his head, but he wasn't waking up. "John B?"

"Pope, come on!" JJ screamed out.

Kyla was finally able to move so she put her hand down, letting a few tears fall as she looked down at the ground.

Even though she and John B weren't exactly friends yet, she couldn't bear to see him dead.

・・・・☆・・・・☆ ・・・・

"I'm sorry. You're staying where?" Kiara asked John B at The Wreck where she and Kyla were working at that moment. They were able to get John B to the hospital where they said he only had a broken arm with a few cuts and bruises. He was incredibly lucky.

Then apparently Ward, Sarah's father, showed up and talked to him about being his legal guardian. Kiara obviously wasn't happy about that, but Kyla seemed a little open to the idea. As long as he wasn't getting taken by CPS and Sarah was happy, that's all she cared about.

"Tannyhill," John B answered nonchalantly.

"With Sarah?" Kyla asked as she handed JJ the soda he ordered, making him pat her on the arm in thanks. She sent him a look, shaking her head at him.

"Yep," John B replied.

"So you're living with Sarah Cameron," Kiara said in disgust as she went to go deliver Pope's drink to him. Kyla gave her a look, to which Kiara ignored.

"Okay, look, the only reason I'm living there is because her dad bailed me out, all right? And it's way better than foster care, which, by the way, is where I was about to go if Ward didn't—"

"Hey, so, like, do you have a membership to the clubs now?" Pope asked, cutting John B off.

"I don't know, Pope."

"What about those little golf carts they drive around? You get one of them?" JJ asked before he took a sip of his drink.

"Does it come with a sweater-vest, or do you have to buy on of your own?" Pope questioned teasingly.

"Just ask Kyla. She's been a 'Kook'," John B said, making air quotations around the word, "longer than me."

"Ha ha, very funny," Kyla said with a playful eye roll before she set down the tray in her hand on the counter.

"Look, you promised," Kiara said, changing the subject. "You said you weren't with her."

John B shrugged slightly and Kyla arched a brow at him, crossing her arms. "Bro, just own it. She got you," JJ said and Kyla sent him a look. "What? It's true."

"Look, if you wanna hang out with her, that's fine. But I'm letting you know now that I'm not doing anything with Sarah," Kiara told the Routledge boy, making Kyla shake her head slightly in disbelief.

"Do you guys see her here? No, right. Okay," John B said slowly.

"And can we not talk about Sarah? She's still my friend and I don't like hearing all the bad stuff being said about her," Kyla told them, sending Kiara a look which made her roll her eyes.

"Yeah, a little focus would be fantastic," John B agreed and Kyla nodded. "We've got the map, right?"

"Well, it's all out of whack 'cause the guy was ganja'd when he drew it," JJ said, gesturing to the map that was on the table beneath Pope's hand.

"It's because the coast has changed," Kyla told him as she gave him another look, making JJ open his mouth and nod. She sent him the same expression back jokingly, making him shake his head and drink his soda to cover his grin.

"So we just have to look for landmarks that haven't changed," Pope said.

"What about the old forts?" John B suggested after a moment.

"Battery Jasper," Kiara said in realization.

"Let's go," Pope said before they all started to get up from their seats, taking the map with them.

When they turned around, Kyla noticed Tara standing near the bar area with crossed arms as she looked at the group. Kyla's eyes widened slightly as she licked her lips nervously. "What's your other Barbie friend doin' here?" JJ whispered to Kyla.

"I don't know," Kyla said under her breath, ignoring the nickname JJ used as she smoothed out her apron before she started to walk towards the blonde. She then looked over her shoulder at the Pogues. "Uh, you guys can go pick up the latest delivery of food without me, okay? I still gotta tend to the restaurant," she called back to them, raising her eyebrows meaningfully so that they would get the message.

"Yeah, okay. See you in a bit!" Kiara called back a little too nicely before she practically started to push the boys out the door.

Kyla then turned back to Tara, who was now wearing a curious expression on her face. "Hey, Tara, what are you doing here?" she asked, noticing that the girl's hands seemed to be shaking a bit.

"Well, we — we didn't get to talk after Midsummers and I wanted to see if you were okay," Tara told her.

Kyla furrowed her brows. "Why wouldn't I be okay?"

"Well, I know that you and Rafe got into a fight again," she said, making Kyla's mouth part slightly and making her nod, "and then Topper told me he saw you and Sarah with the Pogues later that night." Kyla tensed up, forgetting that Topper was the on that pushed John B off the ledge. "What's that about?" Tara asked, sending the girl a fake smile.

"Oh, that was — that was nothing," Kyla lied, not knowing what else to say.

"N-Nothing?" Tara asked, scoffing slightly. "Because Topper said that Sarah is cheating on him with a Pogue that goes by the name of John B." Kyla looked down, letting out a nervous laugh that sounded like a scoff. "Did you — did you know anything about that and you just...decided not to tell me?"

"Tara...I didn't know until that night, okay?" Kyla said and Tara shook her head in disbelief. "I'm telling the truth!"

"Oh, I know," Tara replied, making Kyla furrow her brows. "I just can't believe you're just okay with Sarah cheating on my brother with a Pogue. What, are you cheating on Rafe with that blonde one? What's — what's his name, JJ? The one that sunk my family's boat?"

Kyla gave her a look. "Seriously, Tara? Even though Rafe and I are in a fight or a break — or whatever it is, I don't know — I wouldn't just move on that quickly. I still...I still love him, Tara," Kyla told her, making Tara resist the urge to roll her eyes. "I just don't know if I can be with him anymore after Midsummers."

"He was just trying to protect everyone from a rogue Pogue," Tara argued, crossing her arms over her chest, even though she was okay with them calling it a quits.

"JJ wasn't doing anything to hurt anyone, okay? He just had to talk to someone there," Kyla told her, shaking her head.

Tara scoffed. "Wow, n-now you're defending them!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide. "Did — Did Kiara finally corrupt you?"

Kyla tilted her head and narrowed her eyes at her friend. "Kiara didn't do anything. It's just hard being friends with people who justify hurting people for no reason," Kyla bit back, making Tara give her a shocked look. "I think you should leave."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Tara said before she turned around and walked out. But, she paused by the door, placing her hand on the side of the wall as she looked over her shoulder. "You may want to talk to Rafe. He's — he's already becoming...unstable, so—"

"Unstable?" Kyla cut her off.

"Oh, did you think he would really stop doing cocaine, Ky? Once you're in, there's no going back. Trust me, I would know," Tara replied and Kyla's confused expression dropped. "I'm just saying, maybe if you talked to him instead of sneaking off with those dirty Pogues...you might me able to help him."

"What about you?" Kyla asked before Tara could step out. "Are you using?"

Tara let out a laugh. "You finally notice after all these weeks." Tara then sent Kyla one last look before she walked out.

I just want to clarify that this is a slowburn story between Kyla and JJ. I'm a whore for slow, angsty burns, so basically every story I write will probably have one. But don't worry, there will be numerous interactions between them that leads up the point where they start developing feelings and whatnot. I just didn't want to rush anything since Kyla is just starting to break up away from Rafe and things are kind or hectic now as it is.

As for Tara and Rafe, well, they like to take things fast as you all know by now.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and remember to vote and comment!