Every summer, OBX had a sort of outdoor cinema thing set up, for teens to go and watch a movie at. The Pogues, now giving up on ideas of gold and money, had decided to go.

So Elora and Tyler headed down there, parting ways at the very last moment to go their separate ways. Of course, both Pogues and Kooks would show up here, so they couldn't take a chance.

But as she stood opposite Tyler just a few yards away from the gathering, Elora couldn't help but feel awkward.

"Right, so... bye," she said, smiling slightly.

"Bye," nodded Tyler.

But it didn't feel like enough. Not with everything that had happened today. So, just as he was about to go, Elora pulled him back and said. "Thank you."

Tyler scoffed slightly, asking. "For what?"

"For... everything you've done today," Elora shrugged. "I'd probably be in a foster home by now if not for you and your stupid jeep. So, even though you're still a dick and I have no doubt that we'll go back to hating each other after this, I just wanted to say it."

Tyler nodded. "Well, you're welcome. I'll see you later, Easton."

She wanted to tell herself that nothing had changed between them as she walked to the cinema herself, yet Elora knew that something had shifted between them that day, and wasn't going back.

"Hey, guys!" She said, grinning as she spotted JJ, Pope and Kiara setting up deck chairs in the crowd.

"Hey, Elle!" Kie grinned, hugging her.

"Where's John B?" Elora asked, confused.

"We don't know," sighed Pope, looking uncomfortable.

Elora sighed, saying. "Well, I'll go and get us drinks. Pepsis, anyone?"

Pope didn't want one, but the other two did, so Elora dumped her stuff and went up to the drink stall, saying to the vendor. "Hey, uh... can I get two pepsis, please?"

"Sure," he nodded.

"Hey, Elle!"

Elora turned at the sight of her name, expecting to see anyone but Rafe Cameron standing next to her.

To be honest, Elora didn't know who was a worse person, Sarah Cameron or Rafe Cameron. The girl was a bitch but the boy was a creep, and both were as bad as each other.

"Hey, what's up?" Rafe asked, looking at her with a slight smirk. He had always had a soft spot for Kie, given she was half Kook, but with Elle he was just downright weird. "How are you?"

Elora looked up at him, rolling her eyes. "Fine."

"Good, good, um..." Rafe stiffened, his face darkening before he snarled. "Tell your boy that we know what he did."

What?

"Sorry, what?" Elora raised her eyebrows. "What boy are we talking about?"

"He'll know," Rafe promised.

Elora just stared at him for two seconds before turning.

"Bye!" He called after her, but she didn't listen.

She was about two steps into her journey before realisation hit her like a truck.

Topper said Rafe jumped Pope.

He also said Pope pulled the plug on the Thornton's boat-

Oh shit shit shit-

"Er- just saw Rafe," Elora said, handing JJ and Kie their pepsis. "And, uh, he said, and I quote, 'tell your boy we know what he did'. What is that?"

She was trying not to make assumptions, but Pope went wide eyed immediately and turned to JJ, who just shrugged. "Um... where is he?"

"I'll tell you that when you give me answers," Elora told him.

"Yeah, and me," Kie added, clearly not in the know either.

But Pope was already looking behind them, Elora too. Rafe was there, with Topper and another Kook called Kelce. And Tyler as well.

(Elora wasn't expecting seeing him standing there to feel like a knife in the chest).

"Oh great, the whole death squad-" Pope started, but stopped when JJ turned his head back round.

In the silence that followed, Elora just looked from JJ to Pope, not wanting to let on that she knew. She knew they'd pulled the plug on the Thornton's boat, but she couldn't let on because she didn't really want them knowing she'd spent time with Tyler alone.

She had clearly been missing a bit of the conversation, though, because next thing she heard, Kie was hissing. "I'm sorry, JJ, but please tell me you did not bring a gun here. JJ, there are kids-"

"No!" JJ said immediately. "Kie, I didn't bring the gun. Everything's fine, okay?"

No it is not-

"Oh, wow, thank you that's really convincing, love that, JJ," Kie said with deep sarcasm. "Founding principle you guys, not secrets amongst Pogues. What is Rafe talking about?"

Pope looked at the two girls, saying. "Kie, Elle, it might go down tonight."

"What does that mean?" Elora asked, even though she knew what it meant, she kne-

"What did y'all do?"

𔓘𔓘𔓘

It was about halfway through the film when JJ and Pope got up. 

It was about a minute later when Elora saw four figures get up and follow them.

Shit.

"Hey, I gotta go," she whispered to Kie, before jumping up and running as fast as she could in the direction they'd all gone in.

She sprinted round the other side, reaching JJ and Pope just as Rafe did.

"What's up, Pogues?" He asked the three of them, grinning widely.

"What's up, Rafe?" JJ shrugged, all three of them backing up. "Isn't it past your bedtime?"

With that, all three of them split, running in opposite directions with Rafe shouting. "I wanna talk!"

Pope and Elora tried to run round the screen they way Elle had come in, but Topper was suddenly in front of them, blocking their way.

Then Kelce was appearing behind Topper and Rafe, all of them backing the three Pogues into the screen.

"That was some nice work you did on my boat," Topper snapped.

"I-I don't know what you mean," Pope stammered.

"Oh, sure," Topper scoffed. "Not so burly without a gun, now, are you?"

JJ squared up. "Take one more step, and I'll rip that prepubescent face off-"

"What's going on?"

Elora wasn't sure what Tyler was doing here, but if he wasn't gonna fight for the Pogues, he needed to get away.

(Because she wasn't sure she could watch him fight for the Kooks. Not after today).

"Just teaching the Pogues that think sinking our boat is a joke a lesson," Topper informed his brother. "Care to join?"

Elora didn't want to see him nod.

She didn't want to see him surrender himself to the Kooks after the side she saw of him today.

But it happened.

"That's what I thought," Topper smirked, turning back to Pope, getting in his face. "Do you feel good, stealing shit? You know, is your mum proud of you? Is your dad-?"

CRACK

With that, Pope punched Topper in the face, sending him barrelling backwards into his brother as JJ hooted and hollered with pride.

Then the blonde decided it would be a good idea to punch Kelce, grunting as he grabbed hold of him, fists flying. Pope was now finishing the job on Topper, punching him some more.

"JJ, STOP!" Elora screamed, as Rafe grabbed ahold of him, letting Kelce grain control and trap him. "STOP!" She screamed, running at them to try and get the two Kooks away. "Rafe, get the fuck o- aaarrgh!"

She screamed as two strong, unyielding arms wrapped around her and dragged her backwards, wriggling and trying to get away. She knew who was holding her, of course, but she didn't want to think about it.

"Tyler get the hell away from me!" She bellowed, elbowing and kicking and screaming.

"Can't do that," Tyler said, grunting as her elbow connected with his ribs.

"Kick his ass, Top!" Rafe was yelling, as Topper got the upper hand on Pope and JJ was held by Kelce.

Then another body joined the fight.

"Let go of him, Topper! You fascist asshole!"

Kiara wasn't there one second, and the next, she was, swinging her bag at Topper, who let go of Pope to catch it and chuck it away, causing the two to begin wrestling at each other.

"Topper, stop!" Kiara yelled, getting inbetween them before Rafe grabbed her, lifting her from the conflict.

Elora, meanwhile, was still fighting Tyler, trying to get her leg up to his groin to kick him in the balls.

"Let me fucking GO!" She screamed, writhing and struggling as she watched Topper get Pope in a headlock and JJ and Rafe start punching each other.

"Come on, man! Just admit it! Admit you did it!" Topper snarled to Pope.

Kie, however, was with her bag on the ground, searching for- oh fuck, she's looking for the gun-

"I'm gonna give you one chance!" Topper yelled. "One chance, Pope!"

But Kie wasn't looking for the gun.

"You got something you wanna say?"

That became apparent when the cinema screen went up in flames two seconds later.

All at once, Tyler let Elora go. She went careening to the ground, dropping to her knees as Tyler ran back to the other Kooks, Kiara screaming at them. "Let go!"

They did. Kelce let go of JJ, and Topper let go of Pope. They quickly did a runner, but both Pope and JJ were also on the ground, breathing hard and clenching their fists.

Elora slowly joined them, the four of them laughing slightly. "You're a freaking idiot," Pope told Kie.

"Yeah, but I just saved your ass," she replied with a smile. "Come on, let's get outta here."

They laughed as they left, JJ joining in and Elora following slightly slower.

She would've laughed too if she hadn't been undergoing an immense mental battle.

Listen, she knew Tyler Thornton was a Kook. She knew he'd never be anything different, and she knew he was never going to change. She also knew he was an asshole that didn't care for her, and that today was just an exception because she had bashed her head running from DCS.

But that didn't stop her from wishing that he wasn't on their side.

(And that he was on her's).

𔓘𔓘𔓘

Heyward was a good father, and a good parent in general, but sometimes Elora couldn't help resenting him. Sometimes being when he made the Pogues help with managing his fishmonger shop, Heyward's.

"Don't let it get in your head," JJ was telling Pope. "Four of them and three of us. That's typical Kook shit right there."

"Hell, yeah," sighed Kie.

"What was your thought process, like, using your head?" JJ looked to Pope.

"I don't know, man, I kinda acted off instinct," he shrugged. "I was a cornered animal."

Elora, who was sorting through a bunch of things, sighed. She didn't really want to talk about this, being honest. She was still processing the Tyler thing.

"Hey, Pope," Heyward said, coming into the shop. "Someone here to see you."

And then everything went to shit.

Because Shoupe walked in.

Pope tensed up. "Evening, officer."

Shoupe didn't mess around, walking forward. "I have an arrest for felony destruction of property, hands where I can see 'em."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait, Shoupe what did he do?" Heyward was asking, as the other Pogues just looking down, all three of them frozen.

"Take a look at the warrant," Shoupe replied shortly, before beginning to handcuff him. "Pope Heyward, I am arresting you-"

Then the place blew up.

"I'm sorry, you're arresting him-?"

"You're just arresting my boy-?"

"Shoupe, turn the fuck around right now and tell us-"

"-anything you say can and will be held against you in the court of law," Shoupe continued. "You have the right to an attorney-"

"How much did they pay you, man?" JJ demanded loudly, as Shoupe began to march Pope out the shop and to the car no doubt waiting outside.

The Pogues and Heyward followed, JJ trying to fight and the others trying to shout, but there were other officers there, and they couldn't do anything.

And then, low and behold, JJ roared. "It wasn't him!"

Pope was nearly at the car, but Shoupe didn't even bother to shove him in as they both turned, frowning heavily.

All eyes were on JJ as he then said. "It was me."

Oh, fuck-

"He tried to talk me out of it, but I was mad because he'd just been beaten up," JJ walked forward, anger in every single syllable he uttered. "I was so sick of those assholes from Figure Eight that I lost my shit," he looked straight at Pope. "I can't let you take the blame for something I did. You've got too much to lose."

Pope was staring at him in shock. "JJ, what are you doing-?"

"I'm telling the truth," JJ said, turning to Shoupe this time. "For once in my goddamn life, I'm gonna tell the truth. I took his old man's boat, too."

"What the hell?" Heyward asked.

"JJ, come on-" Pope tried-

"Just shut up, Pope! Just shut up," JJ shouted, looking back to Heyward and Shoupe. "He's a good kid. You know where I'm from, and this was all me."

And Shoupe believed him. Elora could tell that he believed him.

But she also knew that JJ was lying.

Because she could see the vein throbbing in his temple, and the look in Pope's eyes. JJ was lying and taking the fall for Pope's crime.

"Is that the truth?" Shoupe looked to Pope.

"It's the whole truth," JJ assured him. "Whole truth, swear to god-"

"I know what you think, goddammit, I'm asking Pope!"

And there was a brief period where the two boys met eyes, where JJ assured Pope that this was fine, and Pope felt the worst he'd ever felt in his life.

Then the boy said. "Yeah, that about covers it."

So Pope stood back with Elora and Kiara and watched as Shoupe shoved JJ into the police car and drove off with him, then once they were out of sight he slammed his baseball hat on the ground and screamed. "Shit!"

He was crying, his eyes all bloodshot as he ran inside, both Elora and Kie also teary.

But beneath her sadness, Elora was stewing.

Because for one thing, Kooks could afford twenty five thousand in restitution. It wasn't pretty, but JJ lived on mouldy bread and gone off butter, there was no way in hell he was scraping up at much.

And for a second, where was Rafe and Topper's punishment? They fucking beat Pope up, and they'd get nothing.

But that was just the way the world was.

Pogues vs Kooks.

And sadly, in the grand scheme of things, Pogues weren't winning.

𔓘𔓘𔓘

She got the full story from Pope later, she and Kie. They'd both demanded answers, and once he was in a fit state, he told them how he had been jumped by Rafe and Topper whilst delivering stuff for Heyward with JJ. How he'd taken revenge by pulling the plug, and how JJ had just taken the fall for her.

So when Elora ran into Tyler Thornton in a small abandoned street on her way to buy food with her limited supply of money the next day, she didn't say anything. Sure, she cursed the universe for making him walk past her, but she didn't say a word.

Tyler, however, gave her a nervous smile and a wave. "Hey, Easton."

And with just those two words, the match was ignited.

She turned to Tyler, her body shaking with contained rage as she walked up to him, clenching her fists.

"You know just how rich your family is?" She snapped, her face twisting angrily. "Yeah, well, that's just how rich JJ's not. And now, he's going to have to pay twenty five fucking thousand pounds to your pompous, perfect family-"

"Hold up, hold up," Tyler said, silencing her. "You're having a go at me because your friends decided it would be a good idea to pull the plug on my family's boat-"

"Your fucking brother beat Pope up!" Elora screamed. "And where's his warrant? Where's his arrest?"

Tyler didn't answer, eyes levelled down.

Elora scoffed. "That's what I thought."

Tyler shook his head, clenching his fists.

"You know, I thought with what happened yesterday that we were okay again," he snarled, eyes angry. "I thought I could trust you. I thought we were-" he paused, biting his lip. "I thought we were on our way to being friends again."

"Again?" Elora snapped. "You led me on, you kissed me then ignored me, and I've hated you all my life, so yeah, we were great friends-"

"Oh my god! Don't you get it?" Tyler yelled, silencing her. "I want to be friends with you, Elora! I want to be a Pogue! I hate being a Kook, I hate my family!"

"Shut up, you don't mean that," Elora snapped.

"I do!" Tyler yelled. "Elora, of course I do!"

Elora shook her head, tears appearing in her eyes.

"You have no idea what it's like," she hissed, hands curling into fists. "Living off scraps, eating moldy bread, busing tables every night just so you're able to survive."

Tyler took this in as a tear slid down her cheek.

"You're a Kook," she spat. "And you always will be. So why don't we just make this clear right now? You and I are not friends."

"Elora-"

"No!" Elora shouted, despite her heart screaming at her to stop. "No, Tyler, listen to me! From this day on, you and I are not friends, and will never be. So why don't you just go back to your rich house and embrace being a Kook? Because one thing I know is you'll never be a Pogue."

Everything in her was telling her to turn back and apologise.

But Elora Easton didn't let anyone tell her what to do.

Least of all herself.