chapter three
execution style

The party that was seemingly being thrown by the pogues was on the boneyard. It was a popular place, where many of the parties were held, it being like no man's land, a place where pogues, kooks and tourons could socialise usually without any friction. Many people were at the party already by the times the Camerons and Topper had arrived, people filling the sandy shores.

Athena knew she needed a drink as she watched Sarah and Topper wander off, their sickening love filled laughter filling in air. Athena moved towards the keg, seeing John B stood behind.

"Hey John B." Athena greeted the boy. John Booker Routledge was known for being leader of the pogues. He was tall with floppy brown hair, a cheeky grin always plastered to his face, and had an unusual habit of shooting finger guns at everybody. "Please give me a drink."

"Your wish is my command Miss Cameron." John B handed her a red solo cup. John B and Athena knew off each other, the boy working for her father and so they would often see each other around the estate.

Athena then turned, searching the area. She spotted Kiara talking to some cute boy, and Sarah was now climbing on a destroyed lifeguard post, Topper running after her scared. The blonde huffed, continuing to look around, noticing JJ chatting to some touron. Pope was doing the same but a lot less successfully, a frown on his face as she walked off.

Athena made her way over to the boy, sitting down on the log next to him, a sympathetic smile on her way. Pope turned to face her, his eyes practically telling her not to look at him that way.

"Hey Pope." She greeted.

"Hey Thena." He smiled.

"I heard you ditched your dad, left me to do all the work." Athena playfully pushed his shoulder.

"You went and helped my dad?" Pope turned to her in surprise.

Athena laughed slightly. "Yeah, some of us don't have friends to ditch their parents for."

"Hey, I'm your friend." Pope defended. "I'll help you with more homework as a thank you."

"How about, hear me out," Athena pointed a finger at him with a raised eyebrow. "as a thank you, you do my summer homework for me."

"Athena you're not gonna learn anything that—"

"Pope."

"Fine." The boy gave in.

The two friends continued to talk, until night had fallen and Athena was slightly buzzed. She had had a couple of beers but she knew her limits and the aftermath of getting drunk, including waking up with the worst headache in the world. The party was still in full momentum long after the sun had fallen and the moon had taken its place, plaguing the beach with a warm darkness.

As Athena was about to say something else, Sarah walked past them. The blonde quickly tapped her sister on the shoulder, Topper walking next to her.

"Hey Thens we're leaving." Sarah told the girl, who quickly scrambled to get up.

"Okay, um, bye Pope." Athena waved goodbye to the boy. Pope held a slightly confused look as Athena walked behind her sister.

The trio past JJ and John B. JJ Maybank was outerbank's resident troublemaker. He did what he want, when he wanted and he didn't care for the consequences. Athena was slightly confused on how he hadn't gotten arrested or something yet. Athena noticed John B reaching for the cup in JJ's hand when the boy got distracted and pulled his hand away.

"Hey, hey. Hey, Sarah! Athena!" He stopped the trio.

The unsuspecting girls slowed at the sound of their names being called and paused in front of the duo. Both Athena and Sarah were slightly confused but not in the least bit disgruntles by JJ's rambling, however Topper was less than interested.

"Can I interest either of you in a tasty Milwaukee beverage?" JJ asked gallantly.

Sarah faltered. "No, thank you."

"C'mon," JJ probed wolfishly. "Is it not fancy enough for you?"

"No. We were just leaving--" Sarah said politely.

"Hey, you know what?" Topper wedged himself into the conversation. "I'll take it. Thank you, man. I appreciate it."

He was clearly bored of JJ being a nuisance, though Athena couldn't tell if he honestly wanted the drink or if the smirk on his face was a patronising one.

"That's nice of you to suggest that, Topper, but I didn't ask you." JJ quipped complacently. "Now, if you said pretty please, maybe, but you didn't."

Instantly Topper's face contorted into a look of vexed anger. "Oh. Pretty please. Pretty please?"

"Yeah, so, Sarah, Athena, you can have it." JJ tried the girls once again.

"I'll take it." Athena nodded, knowing she didn't want the drink but would take it to avoid an argument.

"Here you go, Athena." JJ extended his arm with the cup towards her. Athena opened her mouth to thank the boy but Topper was already seething with rage.

Without warning, he swung his own hand forward and knocked the cup out of JJ's slackened grasp, causing its contents to spill all over JJ's front. "She doesn't want it, you—"

JJ looked stunned if only for a brief pause. Athena sighed. "Oh my god."

Then, JJ lunging forward, grasping hold of the collar of Topper's shirt and shoving him back roughly. Athena wasn't the only one who jumped at the sudden violent act, with Sarah gasping in panic and grabbing her twin's wrist to pull her back and John B swiftly intervening by stepping between JJ and Topper, speaking frantically.

"No, no, no—"

JJ staggered backwards from John B, hair a sopping wet mess from the remnants of beer. He snarled over in Topper's direction. "You're so funny, man!"

From next to Sarah, Athena watched as Topper regained his footing. He was staring daggers at JJ, eyes filled with a wrath that Athena knew couldn't be contained. Straightening up, Topper barked. "Dirty Pogues!"

It was then that John B froze, the insult resonating harshly with him. The switch was almost immediate and his reaction was just as explosive. He rounded on his heel and in the blink of an eye he tackled Topper, shoving him back more mercilessly than JJ had done. It was an action so grave that it caught the attention of every other partygoer around them, who gasp at the rough impact.

Sarah pleaded desperately for Topper's attention but the boy ignored her. And before anyone could stop him, Topper was standing just in front of John B, pulling his arm straight back and pummelling his fist hard against the latter's jaw.

John B grunted instantaneously, stumbling backwards and losing his balance, where he falls onto the banks of the shore. By now, a crowd of partygoers had formed around the skirmish, shocked gasps and murmurs echoing amongst the many faces.

"Guys! Guys! Chill!" Sarah cried helplessly.

As John B attempted to clamber to his knees, Topper gave him a relentless blow to the stomach with his foot. The boy toppled onto the sand once more, rushing water from the rolling tides washing over his face.

"Hey, John B—" Topper was standing over him. "don't make me down you like your old man, all right?"

"Oh my god!" Athena gasped. "Sarah, sort your boyfriend out!"

Another cruel kick to the boy's side had him falling again. Athena watched in horror, too stunned to move. Next to her, Sarah continued to plead for her boyfriend to stop, crying as she watched also. Elsewhere, the fight had grabbed the interest of the rest of the party stragglers, who leap to their feet excitedly as they could be heard cheering. "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Topper turned to gloat at the whooping crowd, arms raised high as if in victory. In his moment of distraction, he doesn't notice when John B pulled himself to his feet and has no chance at bracing himself when the boy charged at Topper and tackled him to the ground. In an instant, the two boys were wrestling, kicking up the water that rolled in on the back and haughtily ignorant to the world around them.

"John B, let it go." Pope yelled.

"Stop, you guys!" Kiara shouted.

"Guys!" Athena called.

Somehow, the pair managed to climb to their feet, though they had one another in a locked ironclad hold. John B threw a set of consecutive hard jabs at Topper's side while he struggled to get him off. When Topper found a moment to shove the boy away, they've staggered back into the midst of the crowd further along the beach. Now, circling one another with the chants fuelling their resentment, they both looked crazed. John B threw the first punch again, aiming directly at Topper's cheek.

"That's what I'm talking about!" JJ boasted.

"Come on!" Topper growled. "Come on!"

This time, Topper threw the next punch, causing John B to wobble back towards the water. He wound up to toss another jab at John B, but the boy was faster and learned to duck out of the way just in time. Swiftly, John B took Topper's defenceless stature as a moment of liberty and body checked the boy, tossing him out of the water.

"Come on, Topper!" John B bellowed, his voice a primal and unrecognisable howl. "Come on!"

There was a scurrying shuffler between the pair as Topper bounced back, and a few more blurred jabs were tossed in every direction. Until, Topper gained the upper hand and somehow found a way to grapple at John B and toss him over his shoulder and onto the shoreline. He climbed on top of him, hands pressing against the back of John B's head as he held his face under water.

"Topper!" Sarah yelped. "Topper, stop! No!"

"He's drowning him!" Athena yelled, turning and making subconscious eye contact with JJ. "Someone do something!"

Athena's mind ran wild as she sifted through ideas of what to do, knowing that she had to do something. And just when she thought she will have to watch the horrific scenes unfold before her without any means of stopping it, something terrible happened.

She watched JJ standing over Topper before she saw what he was holding. Then, with her eye drifting to his hands, she found him clutching a small handgun pointed at Topper's head. It was only then that the world seems to come to a shuddering halt. Gasps of realisation dawned from the crows as the scurry away upon seeing the gun. Topper froze on his knees, a shred of fear eclipsing his face shortly. Athena's own heart felt like it's beating in her throat, eyes peeled wide as she gawked slightly at him.

"Yeah, you know what that is," JJ taunted. He pressed the nozzle of the gun a little more harshly against the crown of Topper's skull, "Your move, broski."

Athena wasn't the only one who exclaimed the boy's name, accompanied by Sarah, Kiara, and Pope who still lingered cautiously nearby while the other partygoers have fled the scene.

"Put it down, JJ!" Sarah called.

"Put the gun now!" Athena snapped.

"Did you say something, princess?" JJ asked, looking over in the twins' direction.

Luckily, Topper want as much of an idiot as he let on. He raised his hands slowly from John B's head, and up into the air in a resistless manner. Slowly, he stood to his feet, though JJ hardly moved a muscle.

"We're good! We're good," Topper said, fright quivering in his voice. "Alright? Come on, man!"

"Kie!" Sarah yelled shrilly, "Can you check your psycho friend, please?"

As Topper turned to face JJ and recoiled away, the latter boy whirled around to face the rest of the crowd.

"Okay, everyone, listen up!" JJ bellowed. He lifted the gun high into the air, carelessly waving it about. "Get the hell off our side of the island!"

In a rushing blur unfolding too fast to comprehend, Athena barely realised that he had set the gun off, shooting two prominent and echoing shots upwards into the night sky, until after the ringing pierces her ears. She was frozen in place, gawking at JJ's stupidity, not noticing Topper grab Sarah's arm.

"Athena, let's go!" Sarah called after her, stopping to make sure her sister was safe.

"I'll catch up." Athena waved her off.

Shrieks and cries erupted from the crowd, whatever remnants were left fleeing from the beach entirely, retreating down to the main road and into the thicket of trees. Athena noticed Sarah hesitate before Topper dragged her along. The blonde saw Kiara and Pope rush to JJ's side amidst the calamity, though it was hard to keep her focus steady.

Kiara pushed at JJ's side, snapping heatedly. "Stupid!"

Pope vehemently cried, "Are you crazy! You idiot! Why would you do that?"

"I'm saving his life, okay?" JJ retaliated, lowering the gun.

"Stupid!" Pope raged. "You're gonna jeopardise everything!"

As the trio continued on with their heated and intense argument that makes no sense to Athena, the blonde girl was reminded of John B's feeble state. Her head snapped in his direction, finding him still on his knees in the rushing incoming tides. He was no longer paying attention, wobbling to and fro as his lashes droop.

When he dropped to the water, unconscious, Athena took off in a sprint towards the boy. She was the first to tug his head out of the waves and pulled it into her lap, not paying much attention to the cold shock of water lapping over her exposed skin and soaking her clothes as she knelt next to the boy.

"Come on, John B, you gotta wake up." She whispered to him, shaking hands and her deafening beating heart defying her next words, "You're gonna be okay."

She looked up at the trio of pogues, who were still arguing with each other, paying no attention to the girl still trying to wake their friend. She shouted over at them, trying to gain their attention. And when she did finally, their heads all snapping to look at her, Pope being the first to move.

The trio of pogues, helped her lift John B onto his feet, carrying him as they walked towards the edge of the beach and towards the chateau.

JJ looked over at the girl, who look positively fine. "You're not scared."

"Nah, shocked, not scared." Athena shrugged. "Thought it was badass if I'm being honest. If I were you, I would've shot Topper. Execution style."

They all sent her looks, physically stopping their walk in shock at her statement. Athena raised her eyebrows, "Like you haven't thought about it?"

The three pogues all shrugged in agreements, letting out their own version of yeses before continuing their journey.

"I did first aid and that so I can help clean him up." Athena told the group.

"Awesome!" Kie smiled, glad someone was there to help that actually knew what they were doing.