As promised, I went along with Dad down to Kildare academy. I even wore my uniform, but once we got there, we were immediately dispatched out. We hopped in the Sheriff cab, and drove straight to the Thornton's villa on the Kook side on the OBX.

I sat there with Dad, as miss Thornton ordered Topper to press charges against Pope. They had found the ID of the boat who had passed by; it was Heywards.

"He's a good kid," I tried to desperately pleaded.

"You know Heyward—his boy get's good grades ..." Dad was fond of Heyward.

"Press charges," miss Thornton said.

"But—"

"Press charges!"

I dashed out of the house, ignoring my Dad's orders for me to stay. I had to warn Pope, I had to. I was stealing our own cop car (yet again), and driving at a breakneck speed to Pope's house.

I screeched to a stop in front of Heyward's, and ran out of the car. "Pope! Pope!" I ran gasping into the store, where he, Kiara, and JJ were hanging around the cash register with Heyward.

"What the—" JJ said.

"I came as fast as I could—they're going to arrest you," I panted.

"You mean you're going to arrest him!" JJ angrily pushed me away from the group.

"JJ shut up!" Kiara said.

"Topper pressed charges," I said miserably. "And it's too late, they're already here ..."

The sound of sirens approached Heyward's store, and my Dad burst inside. He spotted me, and his expression turned ugly. But he didn't say anything, just ignored me, and tied Pope's hand into handcuffs. He forcibly shoved him outside the store and to the car, ignoring everyone's protests.

When Pope was about to get inside the car, JJ burst out, "It was me!"

Dad paused, and both Pope and him stared at JJ. We all turned to stare at him.

"I was the one who did it. I sunk Topper's boat," JJ swallowed.

"JJ—" I said.

"Shut up, Mercedes!" It was the first time JJ had ever said my name. He turned to Dad, looked him straight in the eye, "You know what I'm like. You know my dad. It was me."

"Is that true?" Dad asked.

Pope swallowed hard. "Yeah."

JJ got in the vehicle with Dad, I tried to follow, but my Dad said angrily, "No. You've done enough. You're released for the rest of the day." He slammed the door shut, and drove off with JJ inside, to be arrested.

"I'm going after him," was all I said to Kiara. I took Heyward's truck, and drove back to the Kildare County Department after them.

When I entered the building, Plumb, a fellow Deputy, said that my father had left to deal with someone else. JJ was in an interrogation room, handcuffed to the metal table, alone, staring at the wall.

"You come to finish me off, sweetheart?" JJ lolled his head back when I sat down across from him.

"JJ, why did you do that?" I said to him.

"Thought if I'm going to be in here someday, might as well be sooner than later," he shrugged.

"JJ, I'm serious," I said.

"Look, just fuck off alright? I'll do whatever I want to do."

"I'm trying to help you!"

"Yeah, look how much 'help' you're doing," he muttered.

"I'm trying to get you out of here, so shut your damn mouth!" I stood up, fist clenched, leaning over at him.

The door opened, and we both turned to look at Peterkin as she entered. "You two seem cozy," she said smoothly.

"I've got it covered," I said.

"Last time I heard, your daddy told us not to let you in here. You're on probation." Peterkin said.

I was on probation?! What the hell, Dad?

"You're on probation!" JJ howled at me.

"You're in jail," that shut him up.

"Well, not anymore. Your father's here to bail you out, you're free to go." Peterkin leaned over an uncuffed JJ from the metal table. "Restitution 25,000$, and trial is in a couple of months. Make sure you get that money."

"25K?" JJ echoed.

"You lead him out, miss Shoupe. I've got enough dirt on my hands already," Peterkin said goodbye and left.

"Come on," I led JJ down the hall to the front desk.

"Boy," an old man grunted to JJ in a chair. I guess that was JJ's dad.

"Hey, dad." JJ said almost tiredly, and they started to leave, but then JJ stopped and turned back to me. "Don't think this makes us even," he warned.

"Please," I rolled my eyes. "Not at all."

↬——✾——↫

That evening, Dad and I went straight home. Once we stepped inside our villa, he turned to me. "Mercedes," he said, and I knew there was going to be a long lecture.

"I don't want to talk about it," I said, heading upstairs.

"You're going to Midsummers whether you want to or not!" He yelled at me, and I angrily slammed my door shut.

I could hear his footsteps follow me, and he sighed outside my shut door. "Is this about the JJ boy's arrest?"

I didn't respond.

"It's my job—our job," Dad said.

"I don't feel like going," I told him from my room.

"Your going," was all Dad told me.

↬——✾——↫

This Midsummer's was held at the Cameron's place, and Dad almost wrestled me into the car and threw me out at the party. He went over to talk to the other Sheriffs off duty, while edging me to talk to the other Kook's my age.

Fuming, I hiked in my dress to their backyard, where it was held. By then it was almost fully dark out. I quickly spotted Kiara talking to Pope, who was manning the barbeque.

I talked with Pope for a bit, but Kiara was still giving me the cold shoulder. I think she thought I was the one who had arrested JJ or something, or she just still hated my guts. But Pope and I talked for a bit, and it was sweet.

Then Sarah yanked me away from them and to the center of the dance floor. She was holding a glass of tequila in her hand, and she was angry. More than angry, she was furious. "Why the hell have you been avoiding me?"

"I haven't been avoiding you—you've been avoiding me!"

"How come you're always talking with Kiara? With Pope?" She said.

"Because—were, I don't know, we hang out now."

"You're lying," Sarah accused.

"Well you're hiding something!" I finger pointed at her.

"Topper and I broke up," she blurted out.

"WHAT—"

"It's stupid, really. But we were over a long time ago anyway." Sarah took a swig at her tequila.

"How come?" I asked, curious.

"Well... I met this guy," Sarah blushed. She never blushed.

"You met this guy?!" I echoed.

"Now don't be mad, but—"

Suddenly, JJ bumped into her, wearing a waiter's outfit. He slipped her a note, "From Val."

"Who's Val?" I said looking from Sarah to JJ.

"Really?" Sarah said excitedly. "He's here?" Sarah darted off, probably reading her secret note.

"JJ what the hell is with your face!" I pulled him aside from the dance floor and took his face in my hands. He was bruised all over, and it looked pretty recent and bloody.

"Nothing, s'fine," he tugged himself away.

"No, nothing's not fine! Why the fuck does it look like someone beat you up?" I demanded.

"Whatever."

"Who's the fucker who did this? It was Rafe, wasn't it? I'm going to beat his fucking ass—"

"I don't need your help! I don't need anybody's help," he said angrily before storming away.

What the hell was going on?! JJ comes here, to Midsummers, a freaking Kook party, dressed up in this little waiter's outfit, all bruised up, then runs off?

"I don't need anybody's fucking help!" He had pushed me away. Literally. He was a jerk. I was just trying to help him—I was the one who tried to help him out of jail! I was the one who was there when the Kook boys cornered him, I was there, every time. And what did he have to say to that?

Fuck you, Mercedes. I don't need you.

Yeah, yeah you do, JJ. You're stubborn as fuck, and clearly, you do need help.

Why couldn't he just accept me? Why couldn't he just be civil to me for once and for all? How hard was that? I was trying, and yet, it seemed I couldn't make a dent in him.

"Have you seen JJ?" I went up to Pope who was manning the barbeque.

"JJ's here?" Kiara appeared, I think she'd been off arguing with her parents again about boarding school again.

"Yeah, apparently so." I muttered.

Security appeared and was 'escorting' JJ through the party. Kooks turned to look as JJ made a fool out of himself, calling out to people and chugging their drinks. Security roughly shoved JJ out of the party, and JJ laughed as John B appeared.

"Come on!" John B called out to his friends, whooping, as JJ and he tripped over themselves back to the boat.

Pope and Kiara sighed, looked at eachother, and laughed.

"Don't you dare boy—" Heyward called after his son, but Pope was already throwing his apron off.

"Come on Mercedes!" Pope linked his arm through mine, and pulled me away from the party.

I could hear my Dad yelling after me, but I didn't care. Laughing, I went with the Pogues and hopped on their boat, and we left the Cameron's Midsummer's party.

↬——✾——↫

We were at this beach, and JJ and John B had started up this fire. Everyone was still in their same outfits from the party, and it was dark out. There were a couple of mosquitoes around, but with the fire going and the smoke, they mostly kept away.

"Mandatory meeting? What are we, like five?" I looked at the Pogues in exasperation as we sat around the crackling fire.

"Yeah, my dad's literally gonna kill me now." Pope added.

"Trust me, I'm already five feet underground," I snorted.

"Look, would everyone just shut up already!" John B shouted, and stood up.

Pope and I exchanged a glance, like 'Okay ...'. John B never really burst out, unless it was something he was really passionate about. Was his still going on about his Dad being alive? I silently asked Pope this, but he gave a quick shake of his head. No, he knows now, Pope mouthed.

"Is this really about getting 400 million dollars from a treasure hunt?" I said in exasperation.

John B proceeded to passionately explain how the gold never went down with the Royal Merchant. In fact, there had been one sole survivor, a slave, Denmark Tanny. He stole the gold, and hid it on his property—Tannyhill.

"And how did you figure this all out exactly?" Kiara wasn't impressed.

"Yeah, no offense man, but I need proof," Pope added.

"I got a little bit of help from Sarah," John B said quickly.

"Sarah Cameron?" I raised both eyebrows.

"You were hanging out with Sarah Cameron!" Kiara scoffed.

"Nah, he was mackin' on her," JJ said.

"I wasn't macking on her!"

"—You totally were—"

"I was using her for access—look, she's gonna bring a map of the property to us tonight," John B explained.

"You're using her for access now?!" I glared.

"Did you tell her about the treasure?" Kiara rounded on him.

"I—well—uh," John B stuttered.

"You let a Kook in on this?!" JJ gasped.

"Hold on one minute!" Kiara stood up, and we all turned to look at her. "You all keep going on about Sarah Cameron this, Sarah Cameron that—but what about her!" She pointed at me.

"Um ... what about me?" I peeped.

"Since when did we ever agree that she was a Pogue? When did we ever say that she was in on this?" Kiara asked Pope, JJ, and John B.

"Exactly," JJ nearly hummed.

"She helped me out a bit," Pope mumbled.

"I helped all of you out!" I protested. "And stop talking like I'm not here!"

"She didn't even do the Pogue Test," Kiara ignored me.

"Pogue Test?!" I echoed. That sounded like a cult sort of thing.

"You're right," John B said to Kiara. "She ought to do the Pogue Test."

"It's only fair," Pope agreed.

Kiara huffed, sat down, and crossed her arms.

JJ just sat back, put his arms behind his head, and said, "I'm actually pretty intrigued to see where this goes."

"JJ!" Kiara swore at him.

"I'll do it," I said bravely. They all turned to me, like they'd forgotten I was actually there. "I'll do it," I repeated. "You said I have to do this 'Pogue Test'. You want to trust me? Test me? I'll do it, and then you can see for yourself." I said to Kiara and the others.

The Pogue Test was a tradition between all of them. It was simple: You had to chug a cup of JJ's specialty brew, which consisted of pretty much a ton of alcohol that would kill your liver and your taste buds.

JJ handed me a sketchy looking can, filled with what smelt like a mix between a teenage boy's socks and my underwear when I was on my period.

"You chickening out now?" JJ challenged.

"Keep dreaming," I snatched it before I could change my mind.

"You won't last a minute," He challenged.

"You're on," I held my cup up to his.

He clinked his against mine, and we both simultaneously threw it back.

I could hear the Pogues cheering us on as we 'chugged', but the moment the stuff touched my tongue I nearly gagged. It was nasty, and I don't mean 'ew' nasty, I mean 'HOLY CRAP I'M NEVER TRUSTING JJ WITH A KITCHEN AGAIN' nasty.

I was gulping whatever it was down so fast that I finished before JJ. I threw the cup down, wiped my mouth on my hand, and cheered.

"Hah!" I bragged in JJ's face.

JJ coughed a bit, spat out the rest of his horrible brew, and swore, "You cheated!"

"No way she didn't," Pope threw his arm around me, and even Kiara joined in the whooping and cheering.

"Kiss my ass!" I whooped in JJ's face.

JJ burped in my face, letting the fumes of the homemade brew come right back up in a whiff, and everyone joined in laughing.

"Welcome to Pogue Lyfe," John B grinned.

a/n: line included from the hunger games, could u spot it? and finally!! Pogue's are finally united :)