𝟎𝟕𝟑.       𝐝𝐮𝐦𝐛 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 (𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐞)

where you lead ──── carole king

☀︎ 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐥𝐲𝐧'𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐯

𝖨 𝖣𝖨𝖣𝖭'𝖳 𝖲𝖫𝖤𝖤𝖯，𝖭𝖮𝖳 𝖥𝖮𝖱 𝖠 𝖲𝖨𝖭𝖦𝖫𝖤 𝖬𝖨𝖭𝖴𝖳𝖤．After discovering my mother's belongings and her sketchbook, JJ and I returned to my bedroom where I sat and sketched until the sun rose. He let me attempt to draw him and the delicate features of his face, zoning in on specific places like my mother did in her sketchbook.

He's a beautiful thing to draw, but I've always known that. A masterpiece, if you will.

When he fell asleep, I continued to draw, my hand cramping up every so often but that didn't deter me. Using the work my mother produced, I felt inspired to follow on from her art and create an extension of her through my art.

Whilst I drew, I wondered what she would think if she could see me now── if she could see that a part of her is reflected in me.

However, now that the sun has come up, I'm now realising just what I've done.

I have not slept, not for a single minute, and I'm just about ready to crash and burn, but it's a little late for me to do so when I've got a heartbroken brother acting all depressed after the fight with Sarah that led to him punching the lights out of Topper.

"It's something about the dude's face, you know?" He's been talking about Topper for a couple minutes since I found him outside ringing the bell that Dad always rang when he was a kid. He's moping, let's just say that. "Like the whole, "No hard feelings, bro." You know what I'm saying?"

"Yes, I can hear you, John B, so I know what you're saying," I mumble, dropping my head into my lap as my eyes feel heavy. I yawn, falling towards the wooden post so I can lean against something. I need to not fall asleep but it's a little hard when all I can think about is sleep.

I can't sleep, not when we need to think of a plan, and without our friends, we've got limited options.

"It's just that... that look," John B scoffs, continuing on his rant. "That Kook look, you know?"

"It was clear provucation." I lift my head, glancing at his mispronunciation.

"Provocation," John B corrects.

JJ looks to me, checking if John B is right. I nod, offering him my least tiring smile. "Provocation," he corrects himself. "And, uh, I mean, you had to do what you had to do. No choice about it."

I'm not sure how I feel about the situation now that I've slept on it, but I know for a fact that John B could've handled the problem differently without, you know, punching Topper.

"Thank you. No choice." He looks to me, obviously wanting my opinion but I'm too tired to form any coherent thought. When he finds that I'm not going to say anything, he continues. "Anyway we gotta figure out a plan to get to South America, like, yesterday. I mean they've got Dad."

"You have any food real quick, though?"

Slowly and with little strength, I follow JJ and John B into the Chateau in search of food. As JJ moves to the refrigerator that I think holds no food, John B continues to strategise. "So I was thinking passports," he begins. "We don't have those. Therefore, we can't fly commercial. We need other ideas."

"Don't you got any money that you took from Portis?"

"I gave that to my dad."

"Well, that was bad idea," I comment, pulling myself down to the sofa that is a little too comfy right now.

"Yeah. Thanks, B." I hold my thumbs up in response to his bitterness.

"So then what about a boat?" JJ suggests, pulling out a plate of semi-decent food that he finds to be out-of-date seconds later. "If we got a boat, maybe we could get down there 'cause the HMS..." As if we can even consider that tiny little thing. "Yeah, you know about the HSM."

"Doesn't Limbrey have a boat?" I ask, recalling the night we spent on that boat together while we travelled back to OBX.

"She took that back," John B tells. "And the HMS is not gonna make it down to the Port of Spain, so out on the boats."

"So what you're saying is, we don't got any money, and we also don't have a boat that can make it to South America." Huh. Our lives sound pretty fucking pathetic, don't they?

"What are we gonna do?" I ask, talking so I can keep myself awake.

JJ sighs. "I might know a guy."

Before we can question that or allow him to elaborate, I hear something outside the window behind me. I glance over my shoulder, spotting a cop car. "Shit," I curse, bringing myself off the sofa. "Cops are here."

"Get down!"

"And boogie!" I yell, resulting in a hand being slapped over my mouth so I shut up which, given the comment I just made, is a fair response.

I'm pulled down alongside John B and JJ just as we hear, "Alright, John B!" Shoupe, that moustached bastard. I watch John B and JJ begin to crawl along the ground, moving to find a spot where he can't see us. "Anybody home?"

Yes, but you ain't invited.

I figured Shoupe would be stopped by at some point given that the fight John B had was very, very public── so public that the whole island probably knows about it, fuelling those rumours that Pogues are out-of-control, messed up kids.

John B moves under a side table, hiding himself. JJ then follows his lead, hiding beside him. Knowing I won't fit, I still slot myself under the table, stuck right in between my brother and boyfriend.

"Alright, John B, I know you're in there." Followed by his words, Shoupe begins to bang on the door with his fist, hoping one of us will be stupid enough to answer the door.

I'm exhausted and trapped under a minuscule table. How fun!

"If he sees you, it's game over," JJ warns, speaking lowly like Shoupe can hear us from all the way out there.

"You need to come out and talk to me. It'll be a whole lot worse if you don't."

We don't move, not until we hear the starting of his car again. We pull ourselves out from under the tiny table, and the moment the feeling in my body comes back after being cramped in an awkward position, I look to JJ.

"What's your plan?"

"It's a little sketchy," he tells, but it's no fun if it's not a little sketchy. "Might not like it, but I think it will work."

I lift my chin, meeting his eyes. "What's the plan, JJ?"

"You know I love when you're all stern with me, baby."

John B clears his throat. "My sister, man."

JJ chuckles softly, beginning to back away towards the door. "Look, if I tell you now when the plan is half-baked, you'll get all negative." John B and I share a look. "Hey. Don't do that shit," JJ says, waving his hand in our faces.

"What shit?"

"That freaky twin look shit."

"Let's just go do your half-baked plan, jackass."

──────────────────────────

𝖱𝖮𝖢𝖪𝖥𝖨𝖲𝖧－ 𝖳𝖧𝖠𝖳'𝖲 𝖶𝖧𝖤𝖱𝖤 𝖶𝖤 𝖠𝖱𝖤．I know this place as the place where they bash beer bottles over people's heads for sport. According to JJ, there's a guy here who can help make our plan fully baked. Apparently, he moves a lot of weight and JJ's dad worked for him so I don't hold much hope that this guy will wanna hear us out, not when Luke isn't well liked in most parts of town.

Then again, we'll try just about anything.

The moment we walk into Rockfish, we're introduced to the day drinkers and hippies of OBX who look at us strangely like we don't fit. Standing here, in a place I don't belong, I wish we could figure out a different plan to save Dad but we don't have any time, not when Dad's a ticking time bomb who will likely die very soon if we don't figure out some kind of plan.

"This guy is gonna be the key to getting us down to South America ASAP," JJ tells us, his arm sliding around my back to pull me closer. "Trust me on this one."

I shared another look of uncertainty with my brother which JJ doesn't pick up on, not this time. Instead, he's too distracted by the man we come to stand in front of that I immediately recognise as Barracuda Mike.

"Yo, Mike!" JJ keeps his arm squeezed around my back, holding me to his side. If anything, I think he's a little protective of me in an environment like this but he don't gotta be. This is nothing. "You remember me, right?" Mike glances at him, trying to figure out his name. "It's on the tip of your tongue, J──"

"Luke's son!"

"JJ," I correct, standing my ground as Mike casts a glance at me, observing me whilst he digs his knife into the table. "His name is JJ."

"Yeah," JJ huffs out, squeezing my hip. "Now, these are my good friends, John B and Brooklyn."

We both say hello, remaining polite.

"The Routledge's," Mike says, looking from me to my brother. "I've heard stories about you two."

Well, that's never good. I don't like when people say that.

"I mean, he's a stone-cold cop k..." JJ side eyes John B. "...killer." His words falter as a giant man comes to stand beside him. I feel JJ's arm tighten around me, keeping me securely behind him.

"No, I'm not," John B assures, but Mike must already know that.

"Mike, I'm gonna be honest about why we're here, okay?" JJ looks away from the looming man beside him. "We're a little bit in a... a patch of trouble, and we're trying to get down to South America if that's──"

"I'm sorry, slick, but I done sold the travel agency," Mike interrupts, crushing any hope we had of saving Dad.

"We're not looking for some free handouts," JJ laughs, placing a hesitant hand on his shoulder. "We understand it's a two-way road. Symbiotic relationship." He clasps his hands together to emphasise this symbiotic relationship. "That's what we're trying to get at. We just need to parlee──"

Okay, he is not good at pronouncing some words, so I help him out. "Parley," I state. "Parley is what he's saying."

"Parley in, um..." JJ clears his throat, dropping his voice. "...in private, if that's cool with you."

John B and I are left alone with Mike's scary, giant-like friends, waiting for JJ to "parley with him in private" or whatever the hell. We just stand awkwardly, rocking back and forth on our heels while we wait impatiently to hear whatever JJ and Mike are talking about.

Minutes later, JJ is grabbing John B and I, dragging us out of Rockfish. "What do we have to do?" I ask once we're out a sight of the day drinkers and hippies.

"Just a little something," he replies nonchalantly which I do not like.

"Every time you say "a little something", it's never a little something," John B says, snatching his arm and stopping him before we reach the Twinkie.

"It's literally the easiest job in the world, guys," JJ tells us, not easing our anxieties in the slightest. "We just unload it. You know what they do on planes? You know on Delta and United when they take the bags off of the──"

"Get to the point," I say.

"That's what we're doing," he clarifies. "Once we do that, we punch our tickets, go on to South America, sipping on piña coladas, alright? Piece of cake."

"If you like piña coladas," I sing poorly, earning odd looks from JJ and John B. "What?"

"Let's just go."

As we drive to our location, JJ explains more of the plan, telling us how we don't have to worry as it's just farmers who brought organic seeds from South America, and we are the charge of unloading those organic seeds.

Now, I'm not stupid. I know we're about to get ourselves involved in a drug-smuggling gig. I'm not mad about that, I'm just a little... concerned about the fact as, of course, I've never had to smuggle drugs, but anything to save Dad, right?

Once we arrive at the location Mike led us to, we find people to already be unloading cargo from the back of a plane. "We aren't late are we?"

"No, there was a change of plan though." He swings a set of keys around, throwing them over to JJ. I cast a glance at my boyfriend, mentally cursing him out for what he's gotten us into.

"You are gonna drive the truck up to Elizabeth City to make the drop," he instructs, looking at each of us. "The address is in the truck. They'll be a dummy car for you to use to come back. The plane will still be waiting."

I don't like the sound of this.

"You just want us to drive the truck?"

"Correct," Mike replies, nodding firmly. "Now, Highway Patrol is changing shifts as we speak," he continues. "This is the window. Take it to the drop house on Prospect. Directions are in the truck. And luck, we'll have you back before sundown."

The back of the truck is slammed shut the second the three of us pull ourselves into the front seats. The moment the truck starts up and we're on the road, I can't help but to open my mouth and comment about this insane plan JJ has roped us into.

"Do you have any idea what's in the back of this truck?"

"Yes, I know, Sunny." JJ squeezes my thigh in a reassuring way, keeping his other hand on the wheel. "It's gonna be fine, alright? It's gonna work out."

I choose to believe that. I choose to trust him.

"I'm sick of your bullshit plans, man," John B comments, leaning his head against the window. "This might top the time you told me to fake appendicitis in jail."

"And that almost worked," JJ chimes in.

"Yeah, you didn't almost get arrested yourself, did you?" I bite out, reaching for the map that Mike left us with the location scribbled on.

Seems simple, right? We just gotta drive to this location on the map, drop the truck off and drive back using the car. Easy. Well, it better be easy.

"I have no idea how to read a map. Can't we just set up the GPS?"

"With what phone, B?"

"Well, start speaking like Siri and we'll have a GPS, won't be?"

JJ grabs the map from me, reading off where we need to go quickly before I snatch it back, needing him to focus on the road ahead as I don't wanna die in this truck that's loaded with drugs.

Up ahead, I spot a cop car sitting on the side of the road that's probably there to prevent people from speeding down this narrow stretch of road.
"Play it cool," John B insists, his voice low like the cops will be able to hear us.

"I'm super cool." Then he does this not cool thing by lifting his hand and bringing it back down over and over again, trying to perfect his hand wave. I scoff, snatching his arm and stopping him from doing something stupid.

"Don't do that."

Just as we start to pass the cop car, however, JJ decides to do the not cool thing of lifting his hand and waving. Not only that, he decides to open that gorgeous mouth of his to say, "Hi, officer." John B then lunges across me to grab JJ's arm, forcing him to swerve the truck off the road.

When John B releases his arm, JJ regains control of the truck and pulls it back onto the road. "Why did you touch him?" I hiss, smacking my brother's arm a little harsher than necessary.

"Don't wave at the cops! Rule number one of driving a U-Haul!" John B snaps, voice raising. "We've been in the car for five minutes."

Sirens begin to wail, confirming my worry. We're fucked. Our cover has been blown. We're about to get caught.

"Okay, goblin mode, we gotta lose him."

"Goblin mode? What does that even mean?"

"Just hang on! I got this!" I'm flung into JJ as he swerves the truck into a sharp right turn, bringing us down another road where he picks up the pace, driving faster so we can lose the cops that trail a little further behind.

JJ then pulls us towards a path that leads into the opening of the forest. It's tucked away, secluded from the road. The moment he parks the truck, he pushes open the door. "Okay, get out! Get out!"

We scramble out of the truck. "I swear to God, if we get through this, I'm gonna kill you!" John B threatens, shoving JJ.

"You probably won't have to because Barracuda Mike is gonna kill us first."

I'm stuck with Dumb and Dumber.

I'll let you decide which one Dumb is and which one Dumber is.

──────────────────────────

𝖮𝖭 𝖳𝖧𝖤 𝖶𝖠𝖸 𝖡𝖠𝖢𝖪 𝖳𝖮 𝖳𝖧𝖤 𝖳𝖶𝖨𝖭𝖪𝖨𝖤，𝖨 𝖧𝖠𝖣 𝖳𝖮 𝖫𝖨𝖲𝖳𝖤𝖭 𝖳𝖮 𝖣𝖴𝖬𝖡 𝖠𝖭𝖣 𝖣𝖴𝖬𝖡𝖤𝖱 𝖡𝖨𝖢𝖪𝖤𝖱 𝖡𝖠𝖢𝖪 𝖠𝖭𝖣 𝖥𝖮𝖱𝖳𝖧．Seriously, for what feels like years, I've listened to them bitch at one another, making snide comments and throwing insults.

I'm just the innocent in all of this, I swear.

"My dad is somewhere in South America right now, probably with a knife to his throat, and what are we doing? Moving weight? In goblin mode?"

"How many times will you complain about me trying to help save your dad?"

I lean against the side of the Twinkie, watching my brother and boyfriend see who can get their voice to the highest octave.

If only I had some popcorn, huh?

"Help is the exact opposite of what you're doing right now!"

I huff out a laugh. "Oh, snap."

"You know what? You're right." Ah, I'm glad nobody heard my snap comment, that wasn't appropriate. "You're absolutely right. But you know whose fault that is? You and your treasure-obsessed father."

Upon saying that, John B shoves JJ as hard as he can, bringing a laugh and a shit-eating grin out of JJ who doesn't look phased by the attack at all. No, it's almost like he wanted John B to hit him. "Oh, okay! That's where we're going."

John B nods, stepping back as JJ regains balance and steps forward. "Yeah. And it looks like we just went there too!"

JJ shoves John B just as hard as he had done, forcing John B to attack once again. I watch, arms crossed while my foot taps against the grass. I'm feeling a little impatient, not really in the mood for a John B-JJ brawl, but I'm the idiot who dragged myself along to this insanity so I've gotta pay the price just as much.

JJ gets John B in a headlock, dragging him down to the grass. I continue to watch, not even noticing the new presence that comes to stand beside me as I'm just contemplating my life choices that brought me to here.

I turn my gaze towards Shoupe who stands beside me. "How you doing, Sheriff?" I'm still salty that he gets to hold that title, knowing full well that he doesn't deserve it.

He looks from me to the fight occurring between these idiots. "You not gonna join in?"

"Oh, you know me." I shrug one shoulder, smiling innocently. "I'm not much of a fighter."

"Yeah, tell that to Thomas."

"Oh, how is he doing?" I still smile at the reminder of breaking that dick's nose for hurting my brother. "Tell him I said hello, alright?"

"You've got ten months, Brooklyn."

I exhale a laugh, knowing that already. "Plenty of time, Shoupe." What he's referring to is that I've got ten months to pay off my fine for breaking a cop's nose or else I go to prison for up to five years. Well, if all goes well in South America, I should have money in my pocket to pay off that ten-thousand dollar fine. "I still think I was overcharged, you know?"

Shoupe pins me with a hard gaze, not finding me the slightest bit amusing. "You wanna break this up or should I?"

I glance back to my brother and boyfriend, seriously wishing I was anywhere but here. They're just there, rolling around on the ground and fighting with one another like children arguing over a toy.

I clear my throat. "Shoupe's here, dickheads."

"Howdy, boys!" He flashes me a smile, I scowl back at him. The boys immediately bring themselves off the ground, trying to act like they weren't rolling around like children. "You boys okay?"

"Yeah, we're, uh, you know, just, um... We're... We're good," John B stutters out, stepping away from JJ.

Shoupe bends down, removing a tracker from underneath the back of the van that he must've planted when he stopped by the Chateau earlier. "Tracker," he clarifies. "Makes it a lot easier to keep an eye on you hoodlums."

I pout, acting offended. "Well, I am hurt."

Shoupe's radio chimes up, catching our attention. "All units, evidence team is en route to the abandoned U-Haul. Over."

"Sounds like duty calls so we wouldn't want to hold you up."

"We just found a U-Haul full of drugs put near one-fifty-eight." Yeah, we already know that. "Y'all wouldn't happen to be involved in that, would you?"

I scoff, actually offended this time. "Who do you take us for?" Yes, we know about it, but still...

"You see that? That's profiling," JJ points out, jabbing his finger in Shoupe's direction. "And I really don't appreciate it. Just 'cause we're Pogues, you think we're drug dealers? No. No! We're not that desperate, Shoupe."

Well, let's not lie. We are that desperate.

"You've been too busy beating people up and breaking up parties." He casts a glance at my brother. "I hate to break it to you, kid. But I've got a warrant."

Shit. I knew this would happen.

"What? A warrant?"

"Topper's pressing charges." He moves to pull John B's arms behind his back. Ah, I know that move very well. Great.

"For what? No, he started it!" John B argues, but John B threw the first punch. And every punch following that, let's be honest.

"Shoupe, do you know what Topper did to him?" I don't think Shoupe cares about a little girl-boy drama.

"No, but I know what your boy here did." Shoupe handcuffs John B's hands together. Ah, another move I know well too. "He beat him in front of the whole town," Shoupe tells, speaking like we weren't right there watching it unravel. "And kept beatin' him after he was down, and Topper may be a douche, but you know better than that."

I laugh. "He is a douche. I can't believe we agree on something." JJ looks at me, probably wishing I'd shut up every once in a while. My mouth just likes to talk without considering anything else. "What? He is."

Shoupe begins to drag John B towards the car while JJ── bless him── tries to convince Shoupe to let John B go. "He was messing with John B's girl. You'd do the same."

"Have you ever had a girl?" I ask, my mouth speaking without considering anyone or anything once again because I receive a glare from Shoupe.

"Shoupe, I get it, okay?" He opens the door so he can shove John B inside the car. "But I can't be locked up right now." Again, I really don't think Shoupe will care about John B's reasoning, that's why I'm not fighting.

I'll get him out of there with a certain somebody's help, I know that.

"You should've thought of that beforehand."

John B is pushed into the back of the car, leaving Shoupe to turn to JJ and I and say. "You stay safe and outta trouble."

"Wouldn't bet on it," I comment, watching him move to get into the driver's seat.

──────────────────────────

❀ soph speaks

nearing the end of act three (thank god honestly) bcos i really can't wait to write season four ah

thankyou for reading!!