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○ 〇 ○

○ 𝟎𝟎𝟕 ○

○ catch that kid ○

○ 〇 ○

Later that day Juno had gotten on her bike and went to meet up with Sarah as planned. They had spent a few hours down at the beach before planning to take the Druthers out for a short cruise before Juno had to return home for dinner.

While Sarah headed down the dock to prepare the boat, Juno was selecting different snacks to take on the ride. When she thought she had enough, she started to head out to her friend.

As she got closer she heard some heated talking, getting there just in time to see John B smack a packet of chips from Sarah's hand. Juno's jaw slacked as she watched John B snap something angrily at Sarah before storming off without so much as a glance back.

Dumping the snacks down onto the nearest surface, Juno sprinted to Sarah. "Hey, are you alright? What the hell was that about?"

The girl let out a frustrated scoff as she bent over to pick up the packet of chips. "That thing that happened on the boat this morning. He thinks that I told my dad and got him fired."

"Such an asshole," Juno muttered.

"It's fine, Juno," Sarah said, taking a steady breath. 

"No," the girl responded firmly. "No, he doesn't get to talk to you that way. You did nothing wrong."

Before Sarah could stop her, Juno turned on her heel and began marching back up the dock.
"Juno! Come back!" Sarah called after her.

But Juno didn't stop. Something inside her - pride, anger, her loathing for John B - pushed her forward. When she reached her bike she hopped on and took after the boy.

It wasn't long before she spotted him. He'd started running after leaving the dock but had slowed to a walk, his posture tense. Juno skidded her bike to a stop a few feet in front of him, jumping off and stepping into his path.

"Who do you think you are?" she demanded.

John B took a second to process before rolling his eyes, "Get out of my way, Juno."

"No," she snapped, planting her feet. "You don't get to pull that crap with Sarah. She didn't do anything wrong, and you know it."

His jaw clicked in frustration as he looked down at her, eyes narrowed. "Alright, then. If it wasn't her, was it you?"

"Are you serious right now?" she scoffed incredulously, her eyes widening in disbelief. "Did you ever stop to think that it was neither of us? Maybe someone else saw you and told Ward. Not everything is some Kook versus Pogue conspiracy, John B."

Before John B could respond, his attention was caught by something behind her. His face paled slightly at the sight of a black truck with tinted windows. This would've been where the concern stopped if the truck wasn't slowing down as it got closer.

"Juno, get out of here. Now," John B warned, his tone sharp.

The girl, who was facing the opposite direction of the truck scoffed. "What? No. We're not done here."

Hearing the sound of the tyres crunching on the gravel, Juno finally turned around to see the truck. It had stopped completely and the window was rolled down. She immediately knew that John B recognised the man in the cab.

"Time's up, boy," he warned, and that was when Juno heard the sound of a gun being cocked.

"John B?" she whispered, her voice trembling.

"Run!" John B shouted, grabbing her arm and pulling her with him.

Behind them, the truck door slammed, and heavy footsteps pounded against the ground. One man gave chase while the other turned the truck around to follow.

Juno was breathing heavily as she worked to keep up with John B. She had several questions but she knew that now wasn't exactly the time.

The two cut a corner and ran through someone's gate, heading into their yard. Thanks to the storm a lot of fences were broken, making their escape a whole lot easier. They hurdled their way over debris and through several yards, not letting up for a second.

When they went to jump another tree Juno's foot got caught and the girl went down hard. Juno yelped in pain as she hit the ground, calling out to the boy for help when she saw the man in pursuit getting closer.

John B skidded to a stop, turning back. "Shit!" he muttered, running to her side. Without hesitation, he threw a punch at their pursuer, buying them a few precious seconds.

"Can you run?" he asked, hauling her to her feet.

"I'll try," Juno gasped, blinking back tears.

They started to run again, just as the man was climbing back to his feet. When they reached the road, they realised the other in the car had found them also. Turning a corner, John B spotted a fence with a gate that was locked from the other side.

"I'll get it," he assured her before letting go of her hand. 

He ran at the fence and jumped to climb it, but that wasn't possible. John B received a shock as soon as he made contact with the fence, the electricity sending him directly to the ground.

"John B!" Juno shouted, running to his side.

When the man chasing them saw that the boy was down he slowed to a walk, knowing that he no longer had to run. Retrieving his gun, he checked the ammunition as he approached the teenagers.

"Juno, you've gotta go," he insisted.

Juno shook her head as she tried to lift him up. Unfortunately, the electricity had rendered him practically dead weight. "I'm not leaving you here with them."

"You gotta watch those live wires after a storm," the man pointed out. "Now, you're gonna give me what I want."

When the other man arrived and started to walk towards her, Juno thought that they were done for. She tightened her hand around John B's and closed her eyes, hoping that she would just wake up.

And just like an alarm clock, the sirens on the Sheriff's police car forced her eyes open. 

Juno turned to see Peterkin on the other side of the fence staring the men down. When they saw her they glared but left without a word.

After they were gone the Sheriff drove her cruiser around so that she could help Juno get John B to his feet. Once he was in the front seat she drove to where Juno had dropped her bike and put it in the back. The Sheriff then proceeded to drive Juno home, and the whole car was quiet as she did so.

When they arrived at her house Peterkin put the car in park and looked at the girl. "Alright, Juno, now, I'm gonna need you to keep this to yourself."

Juno looked up from her shaking hands to the woman, "You can't be serious right now?"

"Deadly," she warned. "I promise you that those men will be dealt with, but we need to keep this on the low right now. It is a police matter. Do you understand?"

Juno turned to look at John B but he remained silent. The girl shook her head, thoroughly pissed off. "Yeah, sure. I just got chased through town by a psycho with a gun, but sure, I'll keep it to myself."

"Atta girl," Peterkin nodded as she got the girl's bike out for her. "Keep out of trouble."

Juno kept waiting for John B to look at her but he never did, just continued to stare out the windscreen as Peterkin got back in and drove away. The girl could feel herself trembling in equal parts anger and fear as she walked up the porch steps.

Abandoning her bike on the porch she forced her aching legs up the steps. When she pushed the door open, the last thing she expected to find was Sebastian walking towards her. She hadn't even noticed his car parked in the drive.

"Hey, Juno, I've been waiting for you," he smiled, his face lighting up at the sight of her. The expression fell and his eyes widened as he took her in. "Jesus, what happened to you?"

Juno blinked, confused at first, before glancing down to quickly assess herself. Her dirt-cover clothes clung to her from the sweat and she had a dried trail of blood running down her left leg from a gash on her knee.

"I fell off my bike," she lied smoothly.

Sebastian's frown deepened, concerned as he took her hand. "Come on. Let's get you cleaned up before dinner."

He led her upstairs, his grip more comforting than most nights. When they reached her room, Juno slipped out of her dirty clothes and disappeared to the bathroom without a word. 

The hot water stung somewhat as it started to wash away the dirt and blood. Eventually, the pain faded into relief, the warmth loosening her tense muscles.

When she returned to her room, water still dripping from her hair, she saw Sebastian waiting. He was sitting on her bed with the first aid kit laid out beside him.

Tightening her towel, she went and sat on her bed. Her boyfriend dried her knee carefully before spraying it with a disinfectant. "I don't understand why you don't just drive like the rest of us," he mumbled as he applied the bandaid. 

"I prefer to ride," Juno winced slightly as he pressed down on the bandaid. "The fresh air helps me think."

"You can get that in a car, Juno," Sebastian chuckled. 

Juno didn't respond to this. He didn't understand, so there was no point in trying.

"Your parents got home while you were in the shower" he informed her as he packed away the first aid kit. "Get dressed, and I'll meet you downstairs."

As he left the room, Juno exhaled, her shoulders slumping slightly. She stared at the closed door for a moment before getting up to find something to wear, her mind still stuck on what had happened.

The trill of her phone broke through the silence, pulling Juno from her thoughts. She stopped what she was doing, brushing her wet hair back as she went over to her bedside table. Glancing at her phone screen, she saw the familiar arches in the corner that signalled she was connected to their home network.

Her lips twitched in a half-smile. The Sinclair home was fortunate, one of the few in the area that could afford to have their Wi-Fi and electricity restored so quickly after the storm. As if to confirm this, the overhead light in her room flickered before glowing steadily, casting a warm glow over the space.

"Guess they finally got the generator going," Juno mumbled as she messaged Sarah.

To: Sarah C
hey, sorry I ditched. raincheck? I'll see you soon.

She hit send, figuring that it was a safe bet that if the Sinclairs had power, the Camerons probably did, too. Throwing her phone back down, Juno returned to the task at hand. 

Her fingers trailed over the hangers before stopping on a blue dress towards the back. Juno knew it was the right choice - long enough to cover her knee, whilst also keeping her cool in the warm summer air.

After she slipped the dress on, she dried it with the now-functional hairdryer before working through it with a brush. When she was done, Juno went and stood in front of her mirror.

Staring, she forced a smile onto her face, studying her reflection as she did so. When it fell, she tried again.

"It's just dinner," she reminded her reflection, trying to forget about what had happened with John B for the time being. "Just dinner."

○❂○

The dinner had dragged on for several more hours than Juno would have preferred. Hours stretched as Sebastian chatted to and charmed her parents. Meanwhile, Juno sat quietly and pushed the food around her plate. The events of the day played on repeat in her head - the chase, the gun, John B being thrown by the electricity. She couldn't stop thinking about it.

By the time Juno was able to escape to her room, she was exhausted. She had thrown herself under her covers and begged for the release of sleep, but it did not come.

Juno sat up abruptly in bed, flinging the mess of blankets away. A groan escaped her when she looked at the clock ticking away on the wall. Midnight. She had been trying to get to sleep for hours but to no avail.

"Screw this," she muttered, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. 

Moving with purpose, Juno slipped into the shorts and shirt she'd worn when leaving Sarah's, pulling on a hoodie and lacing up her sneakers. After pocketing her phone, she crossed her room and paused at the balcony door.

Slowly, she unlocked the door and opened it, desperately trying not to make a sound. Juno then stepped out onto the balcony, the cold night air sending chills across her skin. She waited a moment, listening for any sign of movement inside the house. Nothing.

Juno then stepped onto the balcony, carefully closing the door behind her. She walked over to the edge, eyes examining the yard below. Her gaze immediately went to the rose trellis climbing the wall beside her, the latticework offering a familiar escape route.

One foot after the other, she climbed down, the roses brushing against her hands and legs. A slight creaking beneath her made Juno freeze momentarily, taking a few breaths before continuing her descent. When her sneakers touched the soft grass, she let out a quiet breath of relief.

The night stretched out before her, quiet and full of possibilities. Juno adjusted her hoodie and started walking toward her bike. Peterkin clearly knew what was going on and that was why she dropped Juno off before talking to John B.

Whatever it was, it was eating Juno alive - especially now since whoever those people were had seen her face. As far as she was concerned, she was in danger now, too. So, whether John B liked it or not, he was going to tell her what was going on.

——————————

(A/N)

Finally getting into the Pogue part - but will it be a warm welcome?