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CHAPTER NINE:
Put the gun down, you psycho!
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Kennedy was buzzed—finally drunk after swigging drink after drink. She saw sitting on Rafe's lap, her arms wrapped around his neck as she threw her head back laughing, "Do you—do you remember that time we watched that horror movie when our parents were out of town and Topper peed his pants?" She was recalling, a wide smile on her lips.

Topper, sitting on the log opposite them threw his hand up, spilling some of his beer from the cup, "I was seven!" He defended himself, though it only made Kennedy and Sarah laugh harder.

"Oh, yeah?" Kennedy challenged. "What about when we went bungee jumping in Thailand? You weren't seven then." Okay, so maybe Kennedy had this thing where when she got drunk where she liked to embarrass her brother. Seeing how flushed and embarrassed he got always made her howl with laughter—because god forbid he acted like a normal human being instead of a robotic Kook zombie.

Rafe chuckled, "Nah, man. She's got you there." He said, drumming his hand against Kennedy's thigh.

Topper's eyes narrowed, though there was a slight smile on his lips, "Fuck you, man. Can't you just like just defend me once over her?" He said in exasperation, throwing his hands up.

Rafe shrugged, "Girlfriend privileges."

"Mhm," Kennedy sang. "Girlfriend privileges."

Topper pointed his cup of beer between them, "Fuck the both of you," He said, earning nothing but laughs on their behalf's. As if suddenly remembering something, he quickly checked the watch around his wrist that was flung over Sarah. "Shit, I gotta to—I'm going to work with my dad tomorrow morning." He remembered, standing to his feet, Sarah getting up after him.

"Adios." Kennedy chirped, giving him a salute.

Topper scoffed, "You're coming too, dummy. Unless you wanna walk it home?" He suggested. She thought about it. Then decided absolutely not. She knew the island like the back of her hand and she was looking at a fifty minute walk in her intoxicated state.

"Fine." She agreed, getting off of Rafe.

Rafe stood to his feet, "I'll catch up with you later—I've got something I need to do," He said, leaning over to give her a quick peck on the lips whilst Kennedy nodded. "Cya later, baby." He said, giving her hand a squeeze before heading towards the parking lot without them.

               The three walked side-by-side towards where they had parked the car down the end of the beach, "Oh, wait. Hey, hey. Hey, Sarah!" JJ was suddenly calling out as they passed him and John B. He seemed in a much more playful mood, though, there was a hint of bitterness in his gaze. "Sarah, can I interest you in a tasty Milwaukee Beverage?" He offered, gesturing with the red cup in his hand towards the blonde.

   Kennedy leaned against her friend, wobbling slightly, "It really is tasty." She giggled in her ear, earning a smile from Sarah.

             "No, thanks." Sarah replied politely, since they were already on their way.

             "Is it not fancy enough for you?" JJ teased, earning a warning look from John B that stood beside him, his button-down Hawaiian shirt flapping in the wind.

   Sarah frowned, "No. We were just leaving." She told him, not wanting the boy to get the wrong idea. Sarah wasn't as stuck up as the others and didn't give a shit about the whole Kook vs Pogue's thing. She thought it was outdated and ridiculous. But that was something only people like Kennedy knew about her—to everyone else, she was the Queen of the Kooks; the snobbiest of all.

              "Hey, you know what? I'll take it." Topper butted in, taking the attention off of Sarah.

           "I'll take it!" Kennedy piped in but her voice was overruled by her brothers.

            "Thank you, man. I appreciate it." Topper said, reaching for the cup but JJ pulled it away with a smirk on his lips.

             "That's nice, but I didn't ask you. Now if you said pretty please, maybe, but you didn't." JJ began to tease him and that's when Kennedy started to sober up a little as she felt the tension between the small group rise. The smile slowly fell from her lips that tasted like liquor.

  Her eyes momentarily connected with John B's who had turned rigid as if he knew something was about to go down. She swallowed hard, "Oh, pretty please." Her brother repeated with amusement in his voice as he nodded his head.

             "Yeah, so Sarah or Kennedy can have it—"

  Topper got up in JJ's face, whacking the cup out of his hands, making it splash in JJ's face. Kennedy gasped in shock. She was definitely sober now, "They don't want it you—"

  JJ retaliated and grabbed at Topper, giving him a forceful shake and everyone went into high alert, snapping from their previously buzzed moods. John B grabbed JJ back and suddenly Pope and Kiara were there too. Kennedy watched on as John B tried to calm JJ down, "You're so funny, man!" JJ called over to Topper, pointing at him as he struggled against John B's larger frame.

  Kennedy blinked, sobering herself up as the situation got out of hand. She turned to her brother, grabbing at his shirt, "Hey, let's just go." She attempted but he shoved her into Sarah, making her look at him in disbelief at how rough he had been with her.

               "Dirty Pogues!" Topper spat in disgust. Even Kennedy's lips parted in surprise at the venom that laced his words. Pogue was a word that was flung around on the daily—but the way he had said it just then was full of so much hatred. Hatred Kennedy didn't know Topper had in his body. Sure, he disliked the Pogues; but it was supposed to be harmless.

  That made something snap in John B. He stopped trying to calm his friend and instead, turned around and shoved Topper hard, "John B! We're supposed to be incognito, remember?" Pope tried to remind him as he held John B back, now trying to calm him down whilst Sarah and Kennedy did the same with Topper.

             "Top, that's enough!" Kennedy exclaimed at her brother. Fighting against him to hold him back but he was much stronger and shoved her aside, making her tumble into Pope who caught her fall whilst Sarah yelled 'babe' over and over again at Topper as he stormed towards John B before punching him square in the jaw.

             "Top, what the fuck!" Kennedy screeched.

The taller boy hit the sand and everything went into chaos. JJ instantly tried to get to Topper as the crowd gasped but Pope was there to hold him back whilst Kennedy rushed towards her brother but she was too late, he had already kicked John B into the water.

              Standing over John B, Topper flexed his hands, "Hey, John B, don't make me drown you like your old man, all right?" He growled whilst the crowd began to chant for them to fight.

Kennedy's nostrils flared as she reeled back, "You did not just say that, you asshole!" She shouted at her brother, shoving him away forcefully. There was low—and there was the words that had just come from her brother's mouth.

That gave John B enough time to get up and tackle Topper into the water. They wrestled for a moment in the water whilst the crowd went crazy. Kennedy tangled her hands through her hair, "Stop! You're being fucking ridiculous!" She yelled, but instead of stopping, John B began rattling punches into her twin brothers ribs. She winced at the sight as if she herself could feel it through their twin bond and she almost swore she could as when the air was knocked from her lungs.

  "Topper, stop!" Sarah cried as the boys kept punching at each other.

  Pope and JJ were hyping John B up now, wanting their friend to win the fight and get it over and done with. Kennedy glared at them with all her might, "Really?!" She exclaimed in disbelief after JJ yelled 'that's what I'm talking about!' when John B smacked Topper hard in the gut.

  Kennedy ran towards Kelce and Sarah. She grabbed onto Kelce, "Do something, you idiot!" She yelled but he threw his hands up and pulled a face at her which showed he planned on doing nothing. "Asshole!" She yelled at him before marching through the sand to stop it herself.

John B had flung her brother into the water and was screaming, "Come on, Topper! Let's go!" At the top of his lungs.

Topper did get back up and John B put up a good fight until Topper threw him over his shoulder and pushed his head under the water. Kennedy stopped on the shore line, her heart sinking, "Top, what the fuck are you doing? Topper, you're gonna kill him!" She screamed, doubling over as her chest tightened in panic.

              "Out of the way." JJ was suddenly saying in her ear as he put his arms around her waist and pushed her into Pope's arms.

She barely had time to react when JJ pulled out a gun and put it to the back of her brothers head, clicking the safety off, "Yeah, you know what that is. Your move, broski." He growled with a menacing grin on his face Kennedy couldn't see—but that didn't mean she wasn't terrified. JJ had just upped the danger by pulling out a firearm.

Kennedy's lips parted as her eyes widened in horror. Pope's grip around her waist tightened when she tried to lunge for her brother, "JJ!" Both she and Sarah screamed at the same time but there was no one holding Sarah back as she tried to diffuse the situation by getting close to it. "Put the gun down!" Sarah yelled at him, holding her hand out at him.

             "Did you say something, Princess?" He called over to her mockingly.

               "She said put the gun down, you psycho!" Kennedy yelled over all of the madness, fighting against Pope's surprisingly strong grip.

              "We're good. We're good!" Topper was yelling on his knees as he put his hands up in surrender.

              "Kie, can you check your psycho friend, please?!" Sarah called over to to her as JJ finally let Topper go.

              JJ stumbled backwards, "Okay, everyone listen up! Get the hell off of our side of the island!" He yelled before holding the gun above his head and firing two warning shots into the air, making Kennedy jump in Pope's arms who finally let her go to grab at JJ whilst the crowd began screaming and running.

             "Top!" Kennedy exclaimed as she rushed towards the boy that was getting out of the water, stumbling slightly. She tried to help him up but he pushed her off so forcefully she stumbled back and stared at him in disbelief.

              "Don't you fucking touch me!" He boomed at her, pointing his finger at her as Sarah rushed to her side, putting her hands on her shoulders, moving her away from her brother who was panting heavily.

             "Hey, don't speak to her like that!" Sarah exclaimed before a loud splash filled Kennedy's ears. When she looked to see where the sound had come from, she realised that John B had fainted into the water—headfirst.

              "John B!" She cried as she ran by her brother and to the unconscious boy. She pulled his head out of the water, resting it on her lap so that he wouldn't drown. "Hey, someone give me a fucking hand over here!" She demanded, keeping his head above water. When Kiara and Pope realised John B was down after scolding JJ, they ran towards them.

              "Ken, I'm gonna get him home!" Sarah called back as she pushed on Topper's back, getting him away with the crowd of people trying to run from the scene. Kennedy gave her a quick thumbs-up.

Kiara ran into the water and crouched down. She looked at Kennedy with visible hatred in her eyes. She glanced at the girls knees that was keeping John B from slipping under the water, "Don't think this makes us friends again." She snapped, making Kennedy rise an eyebrow at her. Of course Kiara had the time to made a snide remark.

               "Wouldn't dream of it." She hissed back before helping them get John B out of the water and to the docks where they had parked up their boat. The HMS Pogue was scrawled messily over the side.

  She helped get John B onboard and then dusted her hands down and got off. She went to leave without saying a word, various different emotions rattling through her when JJ ran after her, "Hey, Kennedy! Wait!" He called after her but she suddenly spun around before he could even reach her and he stopped as if he had gotten whiplash.

She shoved at his chest, knocking him back several paces, "Get the hell away from me!" She yelled, putting distance between them as she stared at him with wide eyes. "What the fuck was that back there? You put a gun to my brother's fucking head!" She exclaimed.

JJ laughed bitterly, throwing his hands up, "Your brother was drowning John B!" He yelled back at her before shaking his head, his chuckle deepening as he stepped back from her. "But that's always how it is, right? The Kook's start it and the Pogue's are the ones who get the shit for defending themselves—"

"Defending themselves? JJ, you put a gun to his head!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands up, her eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, I did," JJ said in defeat. "Because that's what Pogues do—we have each other's backs. You'd understand something about that if you weren't a fucking Kook." Kennedy stared at him, unblinking before she shook her head, a small laugh escaping her lips.

"Goodbye, JJ." She said, taking hasty steps away from him.

JJ stepped after her, "Wait, I—" He cut himself off because she was already gone, leaving him with nothing but to watch her go. He shook his head. Fucking Kooks.

( authors note )

let me know what u thought of this chapter!!

— taylor xx