"Look, he'll come around, all right?" John B spoke when they regrouped at The Wreck, JJ missing from their usually group. "He's doing a JJ thing."

"I still don't understand why you guys got so mad." Joey voiced her opinions, legs reaching infront of her as she looked up at John B. "This Barry guy tried to kill you guys. Don't you think you deserve something back after that?"

"Yeah, but he'd know it was us and then he'd really kill us, Jo." Pope answered for the group, looking her way as she sipped at her cream soda. "Maybe you should talk to him."

"No." John B cut in with a sigh. "He's gonna come around. He always does."

"You think he went home?" Kie spoke up in questioning.

"There's about a zero percent chance that JJ goes home." Pope answered, looking out the window in worry. Joey always admired what JJ and Pope had, she'd always wanted something like that. They cared about each other, sacrificed important things for the other, shared a bond that she knew she'd never be able to have.

John B looked over at Sarah. "You okay?"

Joey looked over as well, seeing the Cameron girl nod. She sat up better, glancing in John B's direction before breaking eye contact. "Yeah. Are you?"

"I mean, i'm in one piece, so.." John B shrugged with a minor smile. Joeys eyes darted between the pair before her eyes tore away, a faint roll of them.

"Okay. It's too dangerous to pawn this thing off piecemeal." Pope paced before the group slightly. "So our best bet is to go down there and get the rest of it. Bright it all up at once. Put it in-in a safe or a vault or something."

"Do you have a vault just laying around, Pope?" Joey questioned him with a raise of his eyebrows.

"I-I don't know. Just until we can find someone who won't rip us off." he said back, looking at the remaining group. "I can figure it out tonight, get it done, and we can be out there tomorrow morning."

"All right, let's do it." John B nodded his head.

"What about that thing with my dad?" Sarah looked in John B's direction.

"Some good old fashion father in law bonding?" Joey mocked with a sarcastic smile in John B's direction.

"I have to go fishing with Ward." Joey B gave a guilty look toward the three.

"You can't get 400 mil cause you're gonna go kill fish?" Kie looked in pure disbelief.

"With the Kook king himself." Joey added with a wink in Kie's direction.

"Look, I have to go." John B tried to reason, avoiding looking in their direction.

"Blow it off." Pope tossed his hands in the air. "It's 400 mil in gold!"

"Make something up!" Kie added.

Joey snapped her fingers in his direction. "Tell him that you have to take me to the emergency room because i've lodged a baby lobster into my lung."

"What?" Kie looked oddly.

Joey shrugged. "Why do you think I don't go surfing?"

"I have to, okay? He-He saved me, all right?" John B cut the trio off with an embarrassed look, Sarah cracking a smile. "If it weren't for Ward, i'd be in foster care. So..I have to go. Plus, it'll be better to do it at night."

Pope huffed. "Fine. Fine, go fishing."

"And in the mean time, I'll find JJ, get him on board again." Joey agreed with a nod of her head, curls pushed back with a mint colored knot head band.

"Oh, yes, my favorite fraternal twins." John B exhaled as he looked up at Joey. "Need us to drop you off?"

"I have the moped." she shrugged before recalling. "That I had to push half way here."

John B hummed, wiggling the keys. "We'll bring you."

"Where even did you run off to?" John B asked Joey, the two in the front seat while Sarah took the back. "Your little message stained, you know."

Joey looked and saw the lipstick on the glass had stained. She laughed. "Just didn't want some kooks poking around the gold. No offense, Sarah."

"Non taken." she said from the back.

"You really think you're gonna be able to find JJ?" the dark haired boy looked to Joey. So many times had she sat in this exact spot while he drove, only they'd usually break down to a song on the radio or have some super deep conversation about the amount of germs that float around in the water.

"JJ and I get each other on a weird level that makes no sense." Joey said honestly with an exhale. "Despite all the shit i've said to him and all the shit he's said to me, we have a connection."

John B laughed a little. "A connection? Is that what it is?"

"Yes, it is." Joey gave a knowing raise of her eyebrows his way. "I'll have you know my love language happens to be arguing. It's how I show I care."

"Oh, is arguing your love language?" John B hummed as Joey held back a smile. "I figured it was touch. You know, with the amount of times you've thrown things at me."

"Oh, yeah, but that's more of just a you thing." Joey admitted, John B gave a loud laugh as the curly haired girl added in. Sarah sat in the back, figuring, as it seemed, they both forgot she was even here.

"Oh." John B spoke after a second, reaching over to pop the glove box. "I forgot to give this to you. I found it when we were cleaning the twinkie out to stack the gold."

Joey grabbed hold of the heart shaped sunglasses she swore she lost. "I thought they'd flew off the boat."

"Nope, lodged between the seats." he shook his head, eyeing the crack across one of the lenses. "Might wanna clean em off first though."

"No shit." Joey gave a snort before the loud, obnoxious sound of a motorcycle cycle heard from behind them.

"Oh shit. That's Rafe." Sarah spoke, looking out the back window.

"Not this mother fucker." Joey rolled her eyes in announced. "Hold up, i'm seeing double."

Rafe road up beside the van, trying to point to tell John B to pull over. Joey kept an eye on the one riding behind them, swearing the shirt seemed familiar, but didn't think too much into it considering all the Kooks wore pretty much the same thing. "Hey, pull that piece of shit over!"

"God, the amount of money i'd give to kick that dudes ass." Joey spoke in pure, and absolutely, hatred for Rafe Cameron. John B hit his breaks when Rafe pulled infront of them, going to get out of the car as the threes bodies jolted.

"No, no, no. John B." Sarah stopped him quickly, getting a weird look in return. "Let me handle this."

Joey gave a minor roll of her eyes. "Can't wait to see how this blows over."

"Jo, just-" John B waved his hand in her direction to try and shut her up. They watched Sarah and Rafe yell at each other infront of the van, attempting to let Sarah handle it as she said. A force hit Joeys window, scaring her as she let out a yell.

Topper.

"What the hell?" John B hit his head on the steering wheel.

"What the hell are you doing?" Joey opened the van door.

"What the hell are you doing?" Topper repeated her words as she climbed out. "Why are you with John B?"

"Why are you with Rafe?" she shot back at him.

"Come to try and kill me again?" John B circled the van to stand with the two. "Leave her alone."

Topper laughed at his statement. "Oh, okay, you want me to leave her alone? That's great. Really."

Topper let Joeys arm go with a role of his eyes. "Here we go. It's always the Kooks fault, isn't it?"

"What are the two of you even doing? Trying to get ran over?" Joey asked in disbelief, throwing a finger in Rafes direction, but only talking to Topper.

"I'm sorry, man. I'm sorry about your arm, but dude, I hardly touched you." Topper ignored Joey as he spoke strictly to John B. He threw a finger toward Sarah. "I'm not the one corrupting this girl from a prominent family, getting her involved in a life of crime while you drag your ex girlfriend, who clearly wants absolutely nothing to do with you, along."

"You have no ideas what's going on!" John B yelled at him in annoyance.

"I have no idea?" Topper laughed. Joey leaned against the van, crossing her arms, not bothering to get between their masculinities. "I know you're stealing 25k from a drug dealer. You get her involved in that shit? Trying to pull Joeys back in, and for what? What? You wanna hurt her a little bit more? Show off Sarah to prove some point?"

"Topper, seriously." Joey had to interfere then. She didn't have a harsh or rude tone, because no one had actually stood up for her the way he just had. "A lot more is going on then what you realize. I get your hearts in the right place but-"

"What the hells going on with this?" John B looked at her in disbelief. "What are you talking about? You two are friends now, or something?"

"Kinda hard not to be when she shows up, after your careless ass-" Topper gabbed John B in the chest with his index finger. "-Didn't stop to think about how your dirty habits start messing with her brain."

"Oh my god." Joey squeezed the bridge of her nose.

"I know i'm the one that cares about her, both of them, not you." Topper spoke calmly to John B with a point in his direction.

"Right, because you're so cool with pogues now, aren't you?" John B mocked him. "You think you and Joey are what? Best buds? The new Bert and Earnie? Wanna play some massive joke with your stupid friends?"

Topper rolled his eyes. "Seems like i'm on a loop here, keep repeating myself. Was it not clear when I said she came to me when you treated her, and her feelings, so carelessly?"

"So carelessly? Right, because being ashamed of her is any better?" John B nodded his head.

Joey looked in Sarah's direction, seeing her still yelling at Rafe.

"Asha-" Topper laughed. "Who said a single thing about being ashamed? At least i'm not the one making her suffer by parading your new girlfriend around her all day."

John B went to cut in before Joey yelled at them. "Would both of you shut the hell up? Stop talking about me like i'm not standing right here! Both of you are acting like i'm some sort of property and it's seriously annoying."

"Joey." Topper put his hands up her way. "Look, i'm just trying to protect you from this asshat, all right? I'm not- i'm not trying to own-"

"Are you really gonna listen to this Kook asshole? After all we've talked about?" John B turned to her.

"Fuck you both." Joey pushed between the pair and started walking down the road.

"Joey!" Topper called.

"Jo, get back over here!" John B called, only getting the finger over her shoulder.

•

kylie speaks

babiesssss, i'm so sorry
for how long it took me to
update this! cobra kai season
four came out and i had to
take on four extra books for
the new season releasing,
along with the four i've already
been working on. i'm gonna get
back on a good schedule starting monday but for now,
enjoy this! more topper and jo
next chapter!