He was in jail.

Well, not right now, but he had been put in jail.

Right now, he was in the courthouse. Facing punishment for Peterkin's murder. The other Pogues were there, too, watching the verdict.

Deputy Thomas was not facing any charges for hitting him over and over. Surprise surprise.

And right now, looking at Ward, Rafe and Rose Cameron, and Topper and Cynthia Thornton, at all those fucking Kooks on the other side of the courthouse, Elora was feeling like doing something to make her go to jail herself.

Sitting between Sarah and Tyler was the only thing stopping this from happening.

The judge banged the gavel down hard, silencing the room and announcing. "John Booker Routledge, pursuant to the North Carolina statute section fourteen, you are charged with murder in the first degree with aggravated circumstances. If convicted, the maximum sentence would be the death penalty."

Instantly, the courtroom went up. None of the Pogues spoke, too stunned to string words together.

Well, until JJ stood up and shouted. "Your honour, he's seventeen-"

"Stop-" Pope started.

"Quiet!" The judge called.

"No I will not be fucking quiet-" Elora started to march up to the podium where she stood, but Tyler held her back.

"He's seventeen, are you kidding me?!" JJ yelled as Pope shoved him out.

"And he didn't do anything!" Elora screamed as Tyler did the same for her.

"John B!" Sarah, meanwhile, had gone after the boy as he was taken into the back room by his lawyer. "John B!"

The boy turned and she rushed towards him. "John B-"

"Sarah!" Kie ran after her, but an officer got there first. "Stop, don't touch her! Let's go!"

Six Pogues left the courthouse the same way. One went a different route.

Elora was fuming by the time she got outside, her body shaking with a need for revenge.

"Is this joke?" Kie snarled. "Like, are we in hell or...?"

"We should've never come home," Sarah cried.

"They're gonna kill him, guys! I know it," JJ shook his head.

"I'm so sorry for what you and your family have gone through," an earnest voice came floating towards them and they all turned to see a man talking to Ward, who was just nodding and taking it, as though he wasn't covering for his psychopathic son. "Thank god the system works."

And yes, Elora was done.

But so was Kie.

And it was the brunette that stepped forward, saying loudly. "Can you please shut up? Of course you think the system works because it was made to protect you and people like you!"

Ward turned, facing her with wide eyes as one of his lackeys told them. "He will have his day in court. A jury will decide."

"Yeah, the jury you have wrapped around your fat little finger!" Elora screamed.

"Elora, listen to me, I know-"

"You're a two faced fucking bastard and I want to slap both of them!" Elle shrieked at him.

"John B will have his day, and when it comes I'm sure he'll be very prepa-"

"He shouldn't even be in court!" Kie then turned on Ward, yelling. "YOU should! Cause you're a murderer! You have a lot of nerve showing up to court!"

As Shoupe ran down from the courthouse steps, Ward came forward, saying. "I know you're upset, okay? I know you're upset."

"Upset?!" Kie shrieked.

"And I know he's got you fooled, he's got you all fooled-"

"No, I'm not just UPSET-"

"HEY, HEY, HEY!"

"WHOA-"

As Kie lunged, Shoupe caught hold of her, stopping her from punching Ward as the crowd shouted and yelled.

"Show some respect!" Ward shouted as she was detained.

"Yeah, like you know anything about respect!" Elora yelled, hitting him with her middle finger without any hesitation.

Meanwhile, the Pogues had managed to get Shoupe off Kie, JJ yelling. "Why don't you take the Kooks down for a change, Shoupe?"

"You wanna get arrested?" Shoupe demanded.

"To be honest, I don't really care," Elora crossed her arms. "By the looks of how fucked your legal system is, we're all gonna get arrested anyway."

"Get out!" Shoupe shouted at her. "All of you! Go!"

"This is bullshit," Kie snarled as they all turned, not resisting a chance to yell again at Ward as they went. "It's not a coincidence that your daughter's standing with us!"

Ward turned for a second, looking at Sarah before allowing Rose to pull him away.

And as they left, Elora really was going to leave it alone.

To be honest, she didn't have much fight left in her.

But then they got out the parking lot, into the grassy area beyond the courthouse, and Kelce and Topper were there.

And it would've been fine.

Until he leered at his brother, smirking as wide as he could. "Bet you wish you'd stayed a Kook now, Ty."

Elora wanted to scream.

The day had been hard enough, and watching that had been hard enough, and she did not need Topper Thornton digging his claws into everything.

She must've stopped, because she wasn't walking anymore, stuck in her spot.

"Just ignore him, Elle," Tyler was rolling his eyes.

"Or then again, maybe you don't," Topper shrugged, grinning wider and wider. "I mean, you were always a little bit weird, but this? Hanging out with murderers, I mean, come on now..."

"Shut up," Elora snapped, not moving an inch.

"But, I mean, you can't turn back now," Topper shrugged. "Mum's furious, she's even threatened adoption if you don't show back up soon. You know, now that you're not her little perfect son, it's opened up opportunities for me. How's that feel, brother? Finally feel deserving of a Pogue, huh?"

And it was that that finally made the redhead snap.

Because regardless of what title Tyler had, he was still perfect. He was still deserving of way better than her.

He was still worth loving.

So she turned, spinning on her heel as she marched over to Topper, fists clenched.

"Keep Tyler's name OUT YOUR MOUTH!"

CRACK.

"ELORA-"

"WHOA!"

"ELLE-"

She punched him.

And boy, did it feel good.

She watched as his head jerked to the side, as he stumbled slightly on his feet and his eyes crossed, shaking her head as she shook out her fist.

Topper stared at her in disbelief, anger and shock, and she didn't care.

Then he finally found his voice. "I'm gonna get you back for that."

"Go ahead, honey," Elora scoffed. "Go and tell mummy I punched you! Just be glad I didn't give you two."

Then she held up one finger and walked back to the Pogues, who were all in shock. Tyler, especially. He had never expected her to do something like this for him.

(If there was ever a sign from the universe that she deserved him up and down, it was this).

Elora, however, paid no attention to any of them, marching ahead of them and calling loudly behind her.

"Come on," she said. "Let's go home."

𔓘𔓘𔓘

It didn't feel like home without John B.

It was raining outside as they sat in the Chateau, Elora absentmindedly icing her hand.

Sarah announced. "I'm gonna testify under oath. I was there. I just need to get ahold of my sister."

"Sister?" JJ rolled his eyes.

"Kie, do you have your phone?" Sarah asked her, saying to JJ. "Wheezie is the only other person that knows Rafe wasn't home that day!"

"Wheezie-?"

"I don't know what else to do!" Sarah shrieked. "I got us into this mess, I'm gonna do my best to get us out!"

She marched back into the house, and Elora rolled her eyes, looking at JJ. "She is right about one thing, Jayj. We have to do something."

"Yeah, I know that! Our boy is a PO-dub right now!" JJ said in frustration. "He's held captive by the enemy right now, maybe even scheduled for execution! Are we just gonna sit here-?"

"So what's the plan?" Kie shouted over him, mocking him. "We start by kidnapping Shoupe-?"

"Yes!" Elora snapped. "As long as I can get a few fists to his face, everything's fi-"

"You see to stop wanting to hit people, Elora!" Kie turned her anger on the redhead.

Elora scoffed. "Yeah, says the girl that lunged at Ward Cameron today-"

"That was different!"

"Okay, everyone be quiet!" JJ called, looking at Pope. "Okay, Pope, we've been doing everything your way, and how has that been working out?"

"JJ, this isn't the time-" Tyler tried to diffuse the situation but Pope interrupted him, standing up.

"Okay, so what's your plan? You gonna storm a jail, guns-a-blazing?"

"Look, Pope," JJ stood as well. "I'm just trying to get you to understand that they got our boy. And are we just gonna sit here and do nothing? No, we're gonna go get his ass!"

"JJ, we're not storming a jail!" Tyler joined in, imploring the other boy to listen.

"Okay then Ty, you go sit back in your comfy chair, do nothing!" JJ yelled, very angry now. "Chuck the kettle on, play some cards, y'know, just muddle around."

He was speaking out of anger and frustration more than anything, but he crossed a line when he yelled. "Or better yet, you could even go back to your cozy little house on Figure Eight! Admit to Topper that you made a wrong decision, y'know, be a Kook!"

"JJ, stop," Kie snapped.

"Stay outta this, Kie!" JJ yelled, facing Tyler with a clenched jaw and fire behind his eyes.

Tyler was looking at him, his expression flickering between pain and anger. Elora was watching this whole situation go down with wide eyes and a horrified expression, yet she couldn't help but feel angry at JJ.

(But she couldn't be angry at JJ. Because the point he was making was the exact same point she was).

"I'm not a Kook," Tyler snarled, voice low.

JJ scoffed. "Well you're not exactly acting like a Pogue right now either, man."

He looked around at all of them, shaking his head. "I'm gonna go do something about this. And if you guys don't wanna help, then fine."

And with that, he was gone.

Elora wanted to follow him, she wanted to run after him and scream and yell and shout, but she didn't.

She stayed exactly where she was, avoiding eye contact with Tyler and desperately trying to come up with a plan.

Obviously, to no such avail.

𔓘𔓘𔓘

Kie had gone home to try and ask her parents if they could get money for a lawyer.

Pope had gone to find out more about this key Limbrey asked for, due to the fact she was the only one that could exonerate John B.

Sarah was still trying to call Wheezie, down at the jetty now.

Elora and Tyler were alone, sitting in the Chateau, rain battering the windows as they sat in silence.

It was fucking awkward.

"Er- so..." Tyler faltered slightly before deciding to just do it. "You said Limbrey knew your mum?"

Elora nodded, rolling her eyes. "Yeah. Seems I knew jackshit about what she was really like and I lived with her for seventeen years."

"Yeah," Tyler sighed. "It's messed up."

Elora nodded, still not looking at him. "Listen Tyler, if anything this proves to me and everyone else that I'm just like her."

Tyler just gaped. "Elle- what?!"

Elora finally turned to look at him. He was incredulous, with wide eyes and a disbelieving tone. His arms were thrown out wildly and his whole body was turned towards her.

He was angry at her.

For the first time since he became a Pogue, he was angry at her.

"When are you going to get it into your fucking brain that you're nothing like her, and never will be?" He yelled, standing above her.

"Because I am!" Elora yelled, standing as well because she refused to seem smaller.

"No you are NOT!"

He was loud, and his tone was crazed, and the surrealism of the situation just made her jump.

"Listen, I've tried to be nice, and to understand," Tyler's tone was dangerous, as was the glint in his eye. "But you're being fucking insane at this point, Elle, and I can't even deny it."

"Tyler-" Elora started.

"You are good enough for me," he continued. "You've always been good enough for me. And the way you've been acting lately is because you're scared, because you don't want what happened with your mum to happen to you."

"To fucking right!" Elora screamed, tears in her eyes. "Tyler, she killed my dad-"

"I don't CARE!" Tyler bellowed, right in her face. "I DON'T GIVE A SHIT WHAT SHE DID, ELLE! YOU'RE NOT HER!"

"EXCEPT I AM!" Elora screamed straight back, tears running down her face by now. "I AM LIKE HER!"

Tyler scoffed, shaking his head. The silence that took over after this statement remained for longer than it should've, as both of them moved away from each other.

Then Tyler spoke again, shaking his head. "You know, the night I told you how I felt, you said it didn't matter whether you loved me or not, because it wouldn't work."

Elora's eyes widened. "Tyler-"

"So," he continued, ignoring her yet looking straight at her. "How about you tell me now, hmm? Do you love me?"

"You're unbelievable," Elora muttered under her breath. "Fucking unbelievable-"

"No, actually," Tyler said, his tone dripping in sarcasm and very loud. "No, I think I've waited for this long enough. Elora, I know you're scared, but that gives you no right to treat me how you have."

"It's for your own good," Elora told him, tears glittering in her eyes. "It's for your own fucking good, Tyler. And in ten years, when you're watching your lovely Kook wife with two loving parents gardening the lawns of your Figure Eight house, you'll understand-"

"Elora, that's not what I dream for my life!" Tyler yelled, angry again.

"Really?" Elora crossed her arms. "Could've fooled me."

Tyler looked on the brink of punching her. Deep down, she knew he wasn't, but that's the decision he looked like he was undergoing.

Then he turned, running his hands through his hair. When he turned back, his expression one of exasperation and annoyance, he spoke to her, getting up in her face again.

"I don't understand why you won't just accept it," he said, voice low, their faces inches from each other's. She would only have to move forward a short distance to kiss him. She did not think of this.

"Because I can't," she snapped back.

Tyler shook his head, scoffing, a sarcastic smile on his face.

"Then fine," he said, shrugging slightly as he turned his back on her, putting his hands up. "Have it your way."

"What-?"

"I'm gonna go catch up with my mum," he said loudly, walking further and further away. "Gonna go back to being a Kook."

Elora faltered. "John B's in prison, you can't just leave!"

"Oh really?!" Tyler yelled, spinning around and marching back to her. "Because last time I checked, you've spent the past three days telling me to abandon you! To go back!"

"Tyler, I-"

"So I'm just gonna do it," Tyler shrugged. "You don't love me, I know that now. I'll go and get over it at the Kook Academy with my old friends."

As Elora watched him turn and walk away, her whole body screamed at her to run after him, to tell him she was being stupid, to beg him to stay with her, to pull him in close and kiss him.

But she didn't do any of that.

"Fine!" She yelled, trying to keep the wobbles out her voice. "Go be a Kook! It'll be better for you anyway!"

Or at least that's what she told herself, as she was left at the Chateau alone whilst the rain battered the ground outside and the only boy she'd ever loved walked away because of her own stupidity. That's what she told herself.

The truth was far from that.