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''Hey, Mavis, you better not be taking pics of my dick.''

''Don't worry, Pope, there's not much to capture anyway,'' 

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THE SUN WAS dipping low, casting a golden haze over the marina as we all hung out on the dock. I was stretched out on a worn wooden crate, half-listening as John B turned to JJ.

''JJ, you're in charge while I'm away,'' John B instructed, locking eyes with him as if this would somehow guarantee JJ would actually take it seriously.

''Alright, I'm your man,'' JJ replied, grinning. I bit my lip to stifle a laugh.

John B let out a deep breath. ''Keep the others out of trouble,'' he warned.

JJ gave him a sideways glance. ''Well—'' he began.

''And don't do anything stupid,'' John B cut him off. 

JJ raised his hands defensively. ''Okay, you obviously need another man,'' he retorted with a smirk. ''I'm a loose cannon, what can I say.''

John B rolled his eyes, exhaling a sigh as he turned to walk away. ''Just forget about it,'' he muttered, shoulders slumping in resignation.

As John B moved off the dock, Kie furrowed her brows, glancing at us. ''Wait, where's he going anyway?'' she asked.

He just shrugged, nonchalant as ever. ''I don't know,'' he replied, clearly unbothered. Then he looked at me, that infamous JJ grin spreading across his face. ''Well, I know one thing for sure, though: if I'm in charge, we're all gonna die.''

I laughed, rolling my eyes. ''Yeah, no kidding,'' I teased, barely able to keep a straight face as I went on. ''If you're in charge, JJ, we might as well start digging our graves right now.''

Before I could say another word, a sudden, cold burst of water hit me square in the face. My mouth dropped open as I wiped the water off my cheek, staring at JJ, who was holding a water gun with a smirk plastered across his face.

''Oh no, you did not just do that,'' I muttered, standing up slowly, my hands on my hips. I shot him a mock glare, but my grin was already breaking through.

JJ raised his hands in surrender. ''Whoa, Mavie, it was a joke!'' he tried to reason, holding the water gun like a shield. But Kie had already tossed me another one, and before JJ could react, I was off and running.

''You're dead!'' I yelled, water gun in hand, chasing him around the dock as he dodged and weaved, laughter echoing off the water.

''Okay, okay, truce!'' he gasped between laughs, jumping back as I fired another jet of water at him.

The others were cracking up, watching us, and I caught Kie shaking her head with a half-smile.

Pope leaned against a piling, watching with an amused expression, probably just waiting to see how far JJ and I would take it.

''Next time you shoot me, maybe don't miss,'' I teased, catching my breath as I stopped just a few feet away, still aiming my water gun squarely at him.

He held up his hands in surrender, laughing but with a slight edge of nervousness. ''Alright, alright, I'll think twice next time, maybe.'' he promised, his grin never faltering.

''Good call,'' I replied, smirking, as I finally lowered my water gun. The others laughed but in the back of my mind, I couldn't help thinking about the last time things felt this carefree. Moments like these made me feel like I could belong somewhere, even with all the rumors the Kooks spread about me. They didn't understand, and honestly, they didn't try to. But here, with my friends, I could forget that—at least for a little while.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

THE FLICKERING LIGHTS of the outdoor movie theater cast a warm glow as we made our way toward the concession stand. Despite the crowd, my nerves prickled as I scanned for any familiar Kook faces. After the whole rumor Rafe and Ashley spread about me, being in Kook territory felt like walking into enemy grounds. I took a deep breath, reminding myself that I was with my real friends. Whatever the Kooks thought of me, these guys had my back.

''I'm so glad they're still doing this,'' Kiara said as we walked.

I caught her eye and forced a small smile, trying to shake off my unease. ''Keep calm. Carry on. Back to OBX life, you know? Aren't you guys glad I made you come?'' she continued, clearly trying to keep the mood up.

''Ecstatic,'' Pope muttered, his tone as dry as the sand underfoot.

''Yeah, I'm so glad I can barely contain my joy,'' I quipped, bumping shoulders with him.

Pope threw me a look of mock-annoyance, then glanced over at JJ. ''We're out of the green zone, man,'' he warned.

''Dude, tranquilo, okay?'' JJ replied, shifting his backpack on his shoulder with a shrug. ''No big deal.''

Pope wasn't having it. ''We're in the middle of Kooklandia. This is the last place I wanna be,'' he grumbled, setting his backpack down beside his feet.

''Shut up, Pope,'' JJ mumbled, rolling his eyes.

I held back a laugh as I cut in, ''You two keep fighting while Kie and I grab some drinks.'' Pope just rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath as Kie and I headed to the counter.

Kiara placed our order with the man behind the counter. ''Hey, can I get four Pepsis, please?''

Before the man could respond, a familiar voice broke through.

''Hey, Kie,'' Rafe's voice oozed with that false charm he always put on when he was up to something. He didn't even glance in my direction, as if I were invisible. I was Pouge after all, it was obvious he wouldn't pay attention to me.

Kiara's posture stiffened, and she crossed her arms. ''Hey, what's up? How are you?'' 

Rafe ignored the coldness in her reply. ''Good, good,'' he answered before his eyes slid over to me. ''Mavis,'' he said. ''tell your boy that we know what he did.''

I raised an eyebrow, trying to appear unfazed. ''Sorry, what boy are you talking about?''

Rafe's smirk widened as he looked between the two of us. ''Right, forgot you have so many boys after you, must be confusing. But don't worry. He'll know.''

Before either of us could respond, he walked off.

Kiara sighed in exasperation as we returned to the group, drinks in hand. ''What did Rafe want from you guys?'' Pope asked.

Kiara shook her head, clearly annoyed. ''He said, and I quote, 'tell your boy that we know what he did.' What is that supposed to mean?''

I exchanged a look with JJ, my heart beating a little faster. ''Yeah... what is that supposed to mean?'' I asked, crossing my arms knowing damn well he tried to wave Pope off claiming they didn't know shit.

JJ's gaze flicked over my shoulder. ''Um... where is he now?'' he muttered.

We all turned to see Rafe and his Kook entourage gathering near the edge of the crowd, looking over at us.

Pope sighed, his shoulders tensing. ''Great. The whole death squad.''

JJ, noticing Pope's stare, turned him back by his head. ''Don't stare, bro.''

Pope huffed, shifting nervously. ''Just warning you, okay? If they corner me, I'm coming out swinging. Slice and dicing. I'm on edge right now.''

JJ just shrugged, brushing off Pope's concern. ''Yeah, yeah,'' he replied casually, though his gaze lingered on Rafe's group.

''If that doesn't work,'' he added with a smirk, pulling his backpack in front of him, ''I got this right here.''

Pope's eyes widened as he caught sight of whatever JJ was hiding inside. ''Just... stay in the group. They can't get to us if we're together,'' he muttered, clearly trying to reassure himself more than anyone else.

''Like a school of fish,'' JJ quipped with a grin.

''Stay in the school. Don't leave the school,'' Pope nodded.

Kiara looked appalled. ''JJ... please tell me that you did not bring a gun here,'' she hissed. ''There are kids here!''

JJ quickly held up his hands. ''No! Kie, I didn't bring the gun. Everything's fine, okay?'' He tried to sound convincing,.

''Oh, thank you, that's so reassuring,'' Kiara retorted. She turned to Pope and me. ''Did you two know about this?''

Pope scratched the back of his head, stammering, ''Well, um...''

''Oh my god! And you didn't stop him?'' she accused, looking between us.

I lifted my hands in defense. ''There's no stopping JJ if John B isn't around, okay?'' I explained. 

Kiara narrowed her eyes, but before she could respond, JJ raised his hands, looking around at all of us. ''Founding principle, guys. No secrets among Pogues. What is Rafe even talking about?''

Pope glanced around warily. ''Kie, it might go down tonight,'' he said.

Kiara's expression shifted from irritation to alarm. ''What does that mean? 'Might go down tonight.' What did y'all do?''

JJ nudged Pope, muttering under his breath, ''Deny, deny, deny.''

The sky had deepened into a dark shade of navy. Despite the occasional glance over my shoulder for any lurking Kooks, it felt good to be here, away from all the drama, just chilling with my friends.

Pope shifted next to me, nudging JJ and whispering, ''JJ?'' 

JJ, barely looking up from the movie, mumbled ''What?''

''Gotta take a piss,'' Pope whispered, glancing around uncomfortably.

JJ rolled his eyes. ''Hold it.''

Pope shook his head. ''I can't hold it. I drank too much soda.''

JJ scanned the area, muttering, ''It's too exposed. They'll totally see us.''

''I gotta go,'' Pope hissed back, nodding his head toward the restroom area, where a few Kook guys loitered with smug expressions on their faces, blocking the bathroom entrances.

JJ sighed, setting his Pepsi down with a frustrated thud. ''Come here. I know where,'' he mumbled, motioning for Pope to follow him as he stood up.

Kiara, catching sight of them moving away, raised an eyebrow. ''Hey, where y'all going?'' she asked.

JJ shrugged casually, tossing back over his shoulder, ''Gotta wring it out.''

Kiara smirked. ''You gonna hold it for each other?''

I laughed, shaking my head. ''I'll go with them—to make sure they're not getting too cozy,'' I added, grinning. They didn't even stop me, just kept walking, which meant I had the go-ahead.

We slipped past the edge of the crowd, finding ourselves behind a cluster of trees just beyond the movie screen's shadow. I hung back a bit, flipping open my phone and scrolling through Instagram to pass the time while the guys handled their "business."

From a few feet away, I could hear Pope sigh with exaggerated relief. ''This feels better than a blowjob,'' he muttered.

JJ snorted. ''Like you'd know what that feels like.''

I glanced over my shoulder in time to see Pope throwing JJ a look of mock offense before he shrugged, saying, ''This feels better than what I imagine a blowjob would feel like.''

JJ shook his head, still smirking. ''Whatever you say, bro.''

''Hey, you bring the peacekeeper?'' Pope asked before glancing back at me. ''Hey, Mavis, you better not be taking pics of my dick.'' 

I laughed, waving my phone dismissively. ''Don't worry, Pope, there's not much to capture anyway,'' I teased, scrolling past photos of the beach and surf clips Ashley had posted recently.

JJ barked out a laugh, glancing at Pope.

''Real nice, Mave,'' he muttered, shaking his head. ''I'll remember that the next time you need a rescue.''

''Oh, like you'd ever say no,'' I shot back, rolling my eyes with a grin.

"Oh, shit, Pope I forgot it." JJ finally replied as he checked his pocket.

Pope groaned, muttering, ''You forgot it? Hurry up!''

JJ shrugged whispering back, ''I know. Let's go back.''

We barely took a step before a familiar voice called out to us.

''What's up, Pogues?'' Rafe's taunting drawl hit my ears before I even saw him. He and his posse of Topper and Kelce emerged from the darkness.

JJ stiffened. ''What's up, Rafe?'' he replied, like he wasn't even a little bit bothered by the sudden ambush.

Rafe took a step closer, looking them over with a smirk, then glanced at me standing nearby. ''How you guys doin' tonight?'' he asked.

I shot Rafe a glare, but before I could do anything, Pope tried to back away, only to be blocked by Kelce and Topper, who loomed over him, arms crossed and smirking.

JJ crossed his arms and glanced at Topper. ''Isn't it past your bedtime, Topper?'' he taunted.

Topper's face twisted in annoyance, but Pope lifted his hands, trying to diffuse the tension. ''Just chill out, Topper,'' he urged.

Topper ignored him, stepping closer. ''Yeah, that was some nice work you did on my boat,'' he spat out.

Pope's eyes darted nervously. ''I-I don't know what you mean,'' he stammered, shifting on his feet.

Topper laughed, shaking his head. ''Oh yeah, of course you don't.''

Meanwhile, Rafe turned his attention to JJ. ''Not so burly without a gun now, are you, JJ?'' he sneered.

JJ's expression darkened, his body tensing as he clenched his fists. He took a step forward, teeth clenched as he met Rafe's gaze without flinching. ''Take one more step,'' he growled, ''and I'll rip that prepubescent face off.''

Rafe raised his hands in mock surrender, smirking, but it was Topper's next words that made my stomach twist.

He focused on Pope. ''Hey, Pope,'' he drawled, ''do you feel good about yourself, stealing shit? Is your mom proud of you? Or maybe your dad—''

Before he could finish, Pope surged forward, headbutting Topper square in the face. The sound of impact echoed through the air, and I saw Topper stumble back, clutching his nose.

JJ grinned, almost proud. ''Attaboy, Pope! But use your fist, like this,'' he encouraged, swinging at Kelce with a wild punch. ''Come on, Pogue!''

I stepped forward, hands outstretched. ''Stop!'' I yelled, trying to push between them, but Rafe was quicker, shoving me back with enough force to send me stumbling. I hit the ground, the rough grass scraping against my skin.

(embarrassing but it would be more embarrassing if she just stood there and did nothing lmao)

Pope was grappling with Topper, each throwing messy punches as they struggled to gain control. JJ, meanwhile, had Kelce in a headlock. Rafe circled them like a wolf, occasionally throwing punches and barking orders to his friends.

My heart pounded, feeling both helpless and furious, watching the fight unfold. Just then, I saw Kiara running towards me. She knelt beside me, worry etched on her face as she grabbed my arm, helping me sit up.

''Mavis! Are you okay?'' she whispered.

I nodded, wincing as I brushed the dirt off my hands. Kiara glanced over at the fight still raging and seemed to make a quick decision. She reached into her bag, pulled out JJ's lighter, and flicked it on. Without hesitation, she held it to the movie screen's edge, setting the fabric alight.

The screen caught fire, and within seconds, flames spread, brightening the dark scene with an intense orange glow. Rafe and his crew stopped in their tracks.

Seizing the moment, I scrambled to my feet, rushing to Pope, who was doubled over and clutching his side, breathing heavily. ''Jesus, are you okay?'' I asked, slipping my arm around him to help him up.

Pope coughed, but he nodded, grimacing. ''Yeah... I'll live,'' he murmured, though he was clearly shaken. Together, we backed away as Kiara rushed over to help JJ, who was nursing a bruise on his cheek but still looked ready to fight.

I exhaled in relief, helping Pope walk as Kiara guided JJ. 

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