"Sit down! Sit down! I'm about to do a speech damnit!" The voice was John Bs, the boy holding a beer up in his right hand as he yelled at Cleo and JJ who were still wandering about. They had scored beers, a lot of them, and they had been talking and having fun throwing a football for the past hour. They decided to start a fire, JJ getting the thing started and the beers continuing to flow as the real Pogue fellowship began. June had had about four, and she felt tipsy, tipsy enough to really loosen up and be herself. Now John B had stood, turning the music down and ushering the others to quiet down themselves, hoping he could give his little speech. "I'm giving a speech."

"He's drunk." Kie called from her spot on the log, the group bursting into laughter as he flipped her off.

"We all will be." John B said, shaking his head at the girl and then moving on. Cleo and JJ were now sat, his lips turning up as he raised his beer, the crackling of fire making the moment more real. It had been a long time since they had had a moment like this one, sitting around a fire and having fun. Since the island.

"Boo! Get off the stage!" JJ jeered from his spot, cutting John B off right before he could start talking. An empty  beer can flew from across the fire and hit JJ in the chest, Pope giving the blonde a glare paired with a scolding smile. "Sorry mom."

"Okay guys...guys listen—for real." John B called the attention back to himself and June crossed her leg over the other, taking the final sip of her beer and  leaned over Sarah to get another. The Cameron girl thought this was June trying to lay in her lap, so she stroked her hair, the March girl deciding to just stay there. Sarah's fingers raked through her hair as John B started to talk, June cracking open another can and drinking it sideways the best she could.  "This year...has been a tough year. Not just for me—for all of us. And even though it's over, we're only just now getting to be together again.  So I want to toast—yes raise your drinks guys—I wanna toast to us, to the Pogues...because in just a few weeks it will be the one year anniversary of Hurricane Agatha."

"Wow...a year." Sarah said, a sorrowful look in her eyes as she looked at the fire. It was a look June knew well, she was thinking about her dad. June  brought her hand up and rested it on Sarah's knee, the Cameron girl seemingly comforted by it as she looked down at June with a sad smile.

"From the original Pogues to the updated version, this is the best group of people I've ever met...and I wouldn't want to have went through what I did without you guys." June blinked at John Bs words, her stomach knotting as she realized he was right. There is no one but them that she would want to go through all of it with. Even if she didn't feel like that was the truth all the time. "P4L...no matter what."

There was a silence that followed his words and they hung heavy above all of them, June feeling them being etched into her soul. No matter what. It felt right.

There were a few mumbled replies and John B looked between all of them with a strange expression, his eyes landing on June. He laughed aloud and then gestured towards her, his lips parting to speak.

"Oh and I'm glad Junes back and we don't all hate each other." He slurred a few words, the group cheering with their beers and letting out a hearty wave of agreement. Sarah's hand ran over Junes hair one more time before she sat up, taking a sip of her beer and then holding it in the air.

"And I'm glad to be back." She said, feeling her head spinning from sitting up so fast. She felt the burning gazes of everyone and John B was quick to pull the attention away again, his face holding a mischievous look as he prepared to say something else.

"Also June I need to tell you the cheesiest shit I've ever heard and I've been waiting to tell you this in person okay?" JJs voice ripped through the silence after John B finished, his head shaking frantically as he spoke.

"This better not be what I think it is. Dude I swear I'll kill you. I will cut your face off."

"You'll never believe what JJ said when he got your letter in the mail like a month ag-" JJ was up and covering John Bs mouth, the two boys falling to the ground and making everyone laugh. They wrestled and fought and John B was trying to hard to keep JJ from beating him up to continue on with what he was saying. June was curious to know what he was going to say but she decided to get over it, figuring if they got drunk enough she could ask someone later. Instead she stood, driven by the alcohol to speak.

"My turn for a speech." She said, her voice carrying to the two boys and making them both halt. John B scrambled up from the ground and  brushed himself off, JJ just turning over in his spot and pulling his knees up. June looked between all of them, Pope giving her a curious look that he shared with most of them, the only one with a different look in their eyes being Sarah, who seemed to know what she was going to do with her speech. June felt drawn to speak, to clear it up and open up like she had begged her to months ago. Her lips were moving before she even comprehended what she was telling them. "As most of you probably already know...I killed Singh."

There was complete and utter silence, not even the sound of breathing between all of them as June stood there. She wasn't looking at them any longer, just into the fire, the flames dancing and  the memory of what she had done replaying in her head.

"He was going to kill me and I shot him. And a few months ago you wanted me to tell you what was wrong...Sarah—Tom Mallory's house. I held the gun up, I froze because it was like Singh was standing right in front of me. I yelled because he wouldn't go away. He never goes away." She sucked in a breath, the fire reflecting in her eyes. "I uh...when we rode out into that storm I suffered one of the most traumatizing experiences of my life. I drowned...and no matter how hard I try to wake up from that nightmare...I'm always still there. Sinking into the ocean. But when...when I'm with you guys Singh goes away and the water isn't swallowing me. But you wanted to know what was wrong and I didn't want to tell you because I couldn't admit it. That's why I wanted to die in the forest, that's  the same reason why I wanted to die a few months ago."

They were all silent, soaking in the information that first of all she had confessed to murder, second that she was struggling, and third that she was suicidal. June being suicidal tore a hole through each and every one of their chests, JJ wanting to stand and hug her, even though he didn't like hugs all that much. He wanted to tell her that he had felt that before too, and that sometimes it got better and sometimes it didn't. Instead of saying that he just kept silent, all of them unable to say anything until Pope spoke.

"PTSD." He said, June turning to look at him with furrowed eyebrows.

"What?" Pope looked at her like he was the confused one now. June unsure what he was trying to say.

"PTSD. That's what you suffer from. In case you were wondering." Pope repeated, Junes face scrunching up at his words. It was the same whispered condition she heard her therapist say, the sam wine she had heard the doctors at the school saying. No one and diagnosed her, but Pope sounded sure. She promised herself she'd research it later.

"Thank you Pope. Um...anyways what I'm trying to say here is that I was wrong, and I should have opened up to you. And for that I'm sorry." They all looked at her, June blinking back the tears in her eyes and hoping no one could see them. They all saw them, the fire reflecting in the small pools that threatened to spill over. It was a heartbreaking thing to see, and yet so bittersweet. There were a few more moments of silence and then John B chuckled, confirming that they all accepted her apology and were sorry too.  June lifted her beer to him and then took a sip of it, everyone following suit.

"Well shit...this took a dark turn." Cleo said, taking a sip of the drink in her hand. June wiping under her eyes as John B spoke.

"Luckily for us I can fix that." The Routledge boy said, standing and taking control of the situation in hopes they'd just go along with it.

"How?" Someone asked, John B giving a sneaky smile as he stood in front of the fire.

"By proposing a game."

"What game?" Kie asked, a few of the other nodding and wondering what game he was talking about.

"One of our favorites." This was all June needed to know to know what game he was talking about, the sarcasm in his voice making him too obvious with it.

"No." June objected, John B already nodding. She knew he'd win no matter what...he was the most persuasive person she knew.

"Yes."

"John B..." Pope said, trailing off as they all realized what game he was talking about now. The most troublesome game they had played.

"Spin the bottle."

"No! Absolutely not." Someone objected, John B already defending his choice.

"Come on...let's play! We haven't played in a long time! Plus not a single one of us listened to the no Pogue on pogue macking rule...so let's just go for it."