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𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘆: 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗶𝗿𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴

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"No effing way!" Kiara shouted angrily once they were back at the Cháteau and John B had brought none other than the Kook Princess along with him. "You brought her here? So what? She's in on this now?"

"John B, I can't fucking believe you," Cassie spat as she leaned against the wooden pole, her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

John B looked over at Pope for help. "I dunno," Pope mumbled with a shrug, shaking his head.

"Look, all I care about...is her cut comes out of your share," JJ spoke up as he pointed to himself and then at the couple.

"You know, I don't remember taking a vote. This is our thing. A Pogue thing," Kiara enunciated sternly.

"Well, not entirely a Pogue thing," JJ muttered, referring to Cassie.

"Shut up, JJ," she growled his way, not wanting to deal with him right now when all her anger was focused on John B and Sarah. But mostly on Sarah since she somehow weaseled her way into John B's heart, only to probably shatter it like she did with everyone else's. Cassie, Kiara, Topper...the list goes on.

"I gotta say, I'm just a...tad uncomfortable with all of this," Pope admitted slowly.

"Thank you!" The Carrera girl exclaimed.

"When are you not uncomfortable?" John B pointed out, giving the boy a look.

"Well, I dunno, I rode here on the back of JJ's bike pretty comfortably," Pope argued and Cassie gave him a weird look, not knowing what that had to do with the conversation at all.

JJ nodded. "It's true. The most relaxed I've ever seen him," he confirmed.

"That's cute, guys," John B said quietly, looking away from the two boys since they were being no help to him in this situation.

"You know we were all extremely comfortable until you brought her," Kiara acknowledged, looking directly at Sarah.

"Stop talking about me like I'm not here!" Sarah finally spoke up, starting to grow frustrated with the girls.

"Then leave," Kiara deadpanned, blinking at her.

Sarah scoffed, looking over at John B. "I told you," she shrugged.

"Told him what, exactly? That you're a liar?" Kiara guessed.

"No, that you're a shit-talking bitch, Kiara," Sarah bit back.

"You shut the fuck up, Sarah," Cassie pointed at her menacingly as she pushed off from the wooden pole. JJ began to take out some money from his pocket, betting on who was going to win with Pope once he saw the blonde girl step forward.

"My money's on Cassie," JJ whispered and Pope gave him a confused look. "What? She's been wanting to fight her since the kegger. I know she'd mad-dog her. Did you see how she was with JB?"

Pope pondered it for a moment. "True. Kie can get her from behind."

"Yeah."

"Excuse me?" Sarah narrowed her eyes at the blonde girl. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Someone who's about to beat your ass. Come on, stand up, bitch," Cassie challenged and Sarah looked at her with a bewildered expression. "What, are you scared again?"

"No, I'm just not dealing with you and your need to always get into a fight with someone! It's pathetic!" Sarah shouted back at her.

"Who are you calling pathetic?" Kiara voiced with a scoff. "You're the one that gets close to somebody for, like, a month and then—"

"Everybody shut up!" John B bellowed, making them stop arguing to look at the brunette. "Kie, you are my best friend, right?" He began and Kiara glanced away with a small shake of her head. "Cassie, you're also my friend, okay?"

Cassie blinked at that, not knowing how to react since that was the first time any of the Pogues had referred to her as a friend. JJ blinked at it as well, looking over at Cassie to notice the way her eyes had softened ever so slightly. He should've been mad at John B for calling her a friend, but he knew how much it had probably impacted her from what she was drunkenly saying to him at Midsummers so...JJ decided to keep his mouth shut for once.

John B turned to the Cameron girl next to him. "And Sarah, you're...you're my..." He trailed off, shrugging his shoulders.

"Say it," Sarah urged softly.

"You're my girlfriend," John B admitted with a gentle laugh and Cassie clicked her tongue, her gaze hardening once again.

"Oh...that's new," Pope commented.

"She's your girlfriend now?" Kiara asked in disbelief, making them look back up at her. "What was all that talk about you were just using her for information?"

"Oh, right yeah. Something along the lines of getting a map, cutting her loose," the Blake girl added, waving her finger at him.

Sarah slowly looked over at the Routledge boy, processing their words. "You said you were using me?"

John B scratched his forehead before he lied, "No."

"Yeah," Kiara and Cassie immediately corrected.

"Yeah, you did. You said those things," Pope added as JJ nodded along.

"Look, love just walked in, okay?" John B admitted quickly.

"You're kidding," Cassie gawked at him. He's talking about love and it's been, what, a day? Jesus Christ.

"Oh, vomit," Kiara muttered at the same time with a disgusted look on her face.

"I didn't expect it. It's just — it kind of happened," he continued before he looked directly at Sarah. "And I'm not gonna deny it. Right?"

"Oh! That's corny," Pope whispered with a laugh.

"Look, cut the bullshit, John B. If she's in, I'm out," Kiara told him.

"So am I," Cassie agreed.

"Well, that's one good thing," she heard the Maybank boy mutter, but she ignored him.

"Guys, I'm not doing this," John B started to say.

"You are gonna decide!"

"I-I-I can't!"

"I'm very interested, actually. Us or her?" Kiara brought up.

"All of you," John B immediately answered.

Pope hummed as JJ whistled before he whispered, "Went for the Hail Mary."

Kiara gave John B one last look before she walked off the porch, leaving the rest of them there. "Kie, come back!" Cassie shouted after her, not wanting her to give up on this. They still could have fought it out with Sarah. Well, that's what Cassie had hoped for.

"Leave me alone!" Kiara yelled back and Cassie felt her heart twist before she looked back at Sarah, glowering at her.

"See what you did? You always fucking ruin everything," Cassie snarled down at the Cameron girl.

"Cassie," John B warned protectively before Sarah could respond.

Cassie scoffed at the boy. "John B, I mean, I thought that..." She trailed off, shaking her head at him.

"Thought what?" John B asked, shaking his head slowly.

She thought that the two understood each other, what they had went through with their fathers. And now here John B was, dating the girl that abandoned her in her time of need.

"Never mind," Cassie muttered before she walked off the porch, in the opposite direction of Kiara. She didn't care if she had to walk miles, she just wanted to get out of there.

Once Sarah had decided to also leave and Pope had spoken to Kiara, not being able to find Cassie, he came back to the Château. "What'd she say?" John B asked, tossing the Heyward boy a water bottle as he sat atop the kitchen counter.

"That you're an idiot," Pope deadpanned.

"Did you find Cassie?" John B queried, feeling bad for her since he knew she had felt betrayed by his actions. They were finally started to grow more comfortable with each other, too.

"Nope," Pope shook his head and John B groaned.

"It's a no-brainer. You're picking Kie and Cassie," JJ spoke up as he opened up the fridge.

"I thought you didn't want Cassie to be a part of this," John B pointed out with a look of suspicion.

"I-I don't. But Kie will only do it if Cassie is in on it, and Cassie will only do it if Kie is in on it," JJ reasoned and Pope had to agree with him on that for once.

"Look, I can't make a decision," John B admitted.

"So what? We're just dead in the water because you're pussy-whipped?" JJ shrugged after slamming the fridge closed once he pulled out a beer bottle. "We can't do this without them, and you know it." He tossed the bottle cap at John B.

"And I can't do it without Sarah," John B argued. "Okay? They all have to be in on it."

"Well, good luck with that," Pope replied, opening the freezer.

John B hopped off the counter. "You know what? I know this was my fault, all right? But it's our problem. I've got a plan. And you two shitheads are gonna help me out."

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

Cassie did not go back home that night, not wanting to face her mother on top of everything. She knew that once she got back, she was about to get yelled at, grounded, the whole nine yards. She just didn't want to deal with it.

Instead, once the sky had darkened, she decided to go to Kiara's house. The girl immediately let her in to stay over, complaining about Sarah and John B together. Both of them had every right to be upset since Sarah ruined both of their lives, not understanding how John B could do this to them. Especially to Kiara since he had been friends with her longer.

However, the next day, Pope had docked the HMS at The Wreck where the two had decided to get breakfast. Cassie had been finishing up her sausage, wearing one of Kiara's graphic tees and jean shorts that she borrowed so she wasn't wearing the same clothes as the day before. She also borrowed one of her light pink bikinis she barely wore.

As they were eating, they saw the Heyward boy waiting for them outside. "What the...?" Kiara trailed off as they both shared a glance before making their way out to him.

"Code red!" Pope called out.

"What the hell is going on?" Kiara questioned as they walked down the dock.

"Okay, JJ and John B conked out in the marsh," Pope told them.

Cassie scoffed, "Good."

Pope gave her a look. "They need a tow."

Kiara climbed down the ladder, followed by Cassie. "Uh, okay, well what does that have to do with us?" Kiara asked.

"We need y'all for mechanical," Pope shrugged.

"Mechanical," Kiara bitterly repeated.

Pope steered the HMS out to the larger boat that was apparently stuck in the marsh. "John B and JJ are up in the Alp."

"Can't you guys do anything without us?" Kiara pointed out.

"Boys can never do anything with a girl's help. They're physically incapable," Cassie commented as the both of them hopped onto the boat, making their way up to the Alp to see a shirtless JJ and John B with tools laying around them and the floorboard opened up.

"What happened?" Kiara queried, already losing her patience.

"Uh, the alternator's, uh, not alternating anymore," JJ answered with a screwdriver in his hand, his shark tooth necklace dangling from his neck as he crouched.

"Oh, wow, thanks JJ, that's helpful," Cassie deadpanned sarcastically and he pursed his lips together.

"It's not charged," John B told them.

"Did you check the plugs?" Kiara brought up, stepping forward.

"No. No, y'all should check 'em," JJ decided as he and John B stood up, handing the screwdriver to Kiara. "Give it a whirl."

"You guys are useless," Kiara breathed out.

"Are you seriously making us do this because y'all are too lazy to do it yourselves?" Cassie spoke in disbelief as she and Kiara bent down, trying to see what the problem was.

However, there had been no plugs. "Uh...is this a joke? There are no plugs, like, at all." All of a sudden, the girls heard a two splashes outside and looked at each other before they ran out to see John B and JJ swimming toward the HMS.

"What the hell are they doing?" Cassie whispered to herself, shaking her head in confusion.

A banging noise was then heard below them. "John B, let me out! John-John B!" The person demanded.

Kiara and Cassie shared another look before Kiara bent down, sliding open the compartment to reveal...Sarah fucking Cameron. Cassie reared her head back in disbelief at the girl, not knowing how she even got down there. "What? Wait!" Sarah voiced as she climbed out of the compartment.

"What the hell? Guys!" Kiara ran over to the edge of the boat followed by the two blondes, seeing all the boys laughing as they got on the HMS Pogue.

"Are you serious?!"

"Are you joking?!"

"Get your asses back here now!" Cassie bellowed.

"We can't! Not till you guys figure it out!" John B called out.

"I will kill every single one of you!" Kiara threatened.

"Where's the gun when ya need the gun?" Cassie muttered to herself, her nose flaring as she tensed her fists furiously.

"Y-You can't just leave!" Sarah yelled out.

"There's food in the cabin, and JJ rolled a blunt!" Pope told them, giving them a thumbs up.

"Hydroponic!" JJ added, making an 'OK' sign with his fingers.

"This is ridiculous," Sarah complained, beginning to take off her clothes covering her bikini since she was planning on swimming after them.

"Well, I would rather drown than stay here with the you, so..." Kiara trailed off, doing the same thing as Sarah.

"Literally," Cassie agreed as she took her shirt and shorts off, revealing the light pink bikini she was wearing underneath.

JJ's eyebrows raised a bit since the color had reminded him of her Midsummers dress, but he quickly shook away the thought of how good she had looked in it and the way the golden lights had illuminated her eyes and face that night. He couldn't think that she looked good when he was supposed to be hating her...right?

"Fine, be my guest. Maybe y'all will finally shut the hell up," Sarah snapped.

"Says the one who was forcing John B to call you his girlfriend yesterday," Cassie bit back.

"I wasn't forcing him, I am his girlfriend!" Sarah argued as she turned around, struggling to take her shirt off.

"You don't even know where you're going!" Kiara pointed out.

"I don't care," Sarah replied as she stepped over the side of the boat, getting ready to jump in.

"Good luck with the oyster beds," Kiara said expressionlessly as she ripped her shorts off, revealing her maroon bikini.

"Wait!" Sarah shrieked as she dove down into the water, causing a splash.

"Godspeed!" Pope shouted before their boat started to zoom away.

"Wait! John B, you asshole!" Sarah screamed angrily once she rose above the water, trying to swim back to them.

"They're not coming back for you!" Kiara told her, but Sarah didn't listen as she kept on swimming.

"Love you, guys! Bye!" JJ yelled before he whooped.

"Fuck you, JJ!" Cassie held her middle finger up at him. "Fuck all of you!"

"Great," Kiara sighed as she placed her fingers on her forehead.

"What the hell do we—" All of a sudden, Sarah squealed and fell beneath the water before coming back up again, gasping. "The fuck?" Cassie blurted out.

"What?" Kiara questioned the Cameron girl in annoyance.

Sarah yelped again, making the best friends share a look. "I got stung by a jellyfish! Shit!" She screamed and Cassie began to cackle, loving this.

"Dramatic," Kiara muttered.

Sarah climbed the ladder, revealing the huge jellyfish sting on the side of her torso. "Shit," Sarah breathed out through her sobs.

"Well, you swam right into a man-o'-war. I don't know what you thought was gonna happen," Kiara pointed out with a bored tone.

"Thank ya'll for your help," Sarah voiced sarcastically, making Kiara tilt her head.

"You are so welcome," Cassie replied sardonically.

They watched as Sarah climbed back on the boat, breathing heavily. "Ow," the Cameron girl winced before she sat down. "Shit. Ow!"

"Does it hurt?" Kiara asked teasingly and Cassie snorted.

"Hey, guys. You know what they say..."

"No."

"...about curing jellyfish stings."

"Mm-mm."

"One of you has to pee on me," Sarah said desperately.

"Oh, hell no," Cassie immediately rejected, her nose crinkling.

"I have a better idea."

authors note!
the slow burn is slow burning and
i am sorry for that. i wanted to go more
in depth with the relationships the oc had
in this book with the other pogues
compared to my other obx fic
to make it more well-rounded yknow? but
dw there should be more jj and cassie scenes
coming soon that r important for their growth
heheh 😈