┍━━━━ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ━━━━┑
chapter forty five
WE GOTTA DO SOMETHING
┕━━━━ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ━━━━┙

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

Athena had her hands interlocked with Sarah's as the group sat in the middle of the courtroom, John B stood in front of the judge as she spoke.

"John Booker Routledge, pursuant to the North Carolina statue section 14, you are charged with murder in the first degree with aggravated circumstances. If convicted, the maximum sentence would be the death penalty." The judge hit her gavel against the wood, her statement making Athena gasp, Sarah leaning forward as her eyes watered.

JJ stood up angrily as people clamoured around them. "Your Honour, he's 17."

"Stop." Pope and Kie stood up, Pope pressing a hand to JJ's chest to still his movement.

"Quiet."

"He's seventeen! Are you kidding me?" JJ exclaimed.

"You're good." Pope tried to calm him down.

"Bailiff!" The judge waved her hand.

"Hey John B, we're gonna figure it out." JJ called to boy, who was being escorted away.

"Don't trust anyone JB, we'll get you out." Athena shouted as Sarah tried to go over to the boy.

"John B! John B!" Sarah cried, the boy turning around. Before Sarah could get far a guard pushed her back, Kie and Athena grabbing Sarah from him. "John B! No!"

"Sarah!" Kie exclaimed.

"Leave her alone." Athena told the guard.

"Don't touch her!" Kie stated. "Let's go Sarah. Let's get out of here."

Kie and Athena guided Sarah out of the courtroom, JJ holding Athena's hand as they did.

"Is this a joke? Like are we in hell or...?" Kie trailed off.

"I should have never come home." Sarah cried.

"They're gonna kill, guys. I know it." JJ shook his head.

"Hey, everything is gonna be alright. Sarah you did the right thing coming home and John B isn't going to die." Athena stated firmly, looking around the group before a Kook man caught their attention.

"Sorry for what you and your family have gone through." The man spoke to Ward, walking behind him and Rose. "Thank God the system works."

"Can you please shut up?" Kie asked loudly, the group turning around to face her. "Of course you think the system worked because it was made to protect you and people like you."

"He will have his day in court." The man shrugged as they went back to walking. "A jury will decide."

"He shouldn't even be in court!" Athena exclaimed, standing next to Kie, catching her father and Rose's attention once more the two turning to face her.

"You should." Kie added, pointing to Ward. "Because you're a murderer."

This caught everyone else's attention, everyone looking over at the group, Shoupe and some of the officers coming to stand in between the two groups in case something were to happen.

"You have a lot of nerve showing up in court." Kie continued, ward stepping forward.

"I know you're upset. I understand you're upset, okay?" Ward held a hand out.

"Upset?" Kie questioned.

"I know he's got you all fooled." Ward gestured around the group." He's got you all fooled."

"No, I'm not just upset!" Kie exclaimed, charging towards the Cameron man, Shoupe and Thomas grabbing her as she swung her arm forwards, pushing the girl and the rest of the group back. Athena grabbed Kie's arm, pulling her away from Ward and Thomas, who held her arm. Athena pushed the officer, putting Kie behind her as she did.

"Don't touch her!" The blonde exclaimed.

"Show some respect!" Ward shouted.

"Muzzle your goddamned dog!" JJ ordered Shoupe.

"Get off her!" Pope told Thomas.

"Why don't you take the Kooks down for a change?" JJ asked the policeman.

"You wanna get arrested?" Shoupe questioned them. "Get out! You need to go."

"This is bullshit." Kie muttered, her eyes watering.

"Come on. Look, it's not worth it." Sarah told the girl, guiding her away.

JJ swung his arm around Athena, who held Pope's hand, the group walking away when they heard Plumb talking to Ward. "Sorry you shouldn't be going through this."

"Thank you." Ward nodded.

"Have a goodnight."

"Get out of here." Shoupe ordered the pogues.

Kie scoffed. "It's not a coincidence that your daughters are sitting with us!"

The pogues sat around as the rain pelted outside, all of them trying to figure out a plan. Athena stood next to the chair Pope was sat on, sighing as Sarah spoke.

"I'm gonna testify under oath. I was there." Sarah announced. "I just need to get a hold of our sister."

"Sister?" JJ questioned.

"Kie, do you have your phone?" Kie handed Sarah her phone. "Wheezie is the only other person that knows Rafe wasn't home that day."

"Wheezie?" JJ repeated.

"I don't know what else to do." Sarah shrugged. "I got us into this mess. I'm gonna do my best to get us out."

Sarah then walked inside the chateau, going to call the girl's younger sister in hopes to get John B out of prison.

"Wheezie? Yeah, that will work." JJ scoffed.

"She's trying JJ." Athena sighed. "I mean it's not like the rest of us can testify, you guys weren't there and I'm an unreliable witness."

"Well, she's right about one thing." JJ sat down, looking around the group. "We gotta do something. Our boy is a PO-dub right now, okay? He's held captive by the enemy right now, maybe even scheduled for execution. Are we just gonna sit here?"

"What's the plan? We start by kidnapping Shoupe?" Kie asked loudly, standing up.

"Maybe, like, that's not the worst idea actually." JJ spoke.

"Oh, it's not?" Kiara questioned sarcastically.

"No!"

"That is the worst idea I've ever heard." Pope shrugged.

"Yeah we are we supposed to do in jail JJ?" Athena added.

"It's pretty bad." Sarah piped up from inside.

"You know? Please, just stay out of this." JJ told Sarah through the window. "Okay, Pope, look, we have been doing everything your way, and how has that been working out for us?"

"Okay, okay, so what's your plan?" Pope nodded, standing up and approaching the blond boy. "You gonna storm a jail, guns a-blazing?"

"Look, Pope, all I'm trying to get you to understand is that they got our boy." JJ stood up too. "Are we just gonna sit here and do nothing? No! We're gonna go get his ass. We're gonna do something about it!"

"JJ, we're not storming a jail. It's not happening." Pope stated.

"No, fine, man. Sit in your comfy chair. Do nothing." JJ looked at Kie. "I'm gonna see what I can do. Make something happen, even if I have to do it by myself."

"Okay."

JJ walked out of the door towards his dirt bike. Athena's eyes widened, looking between Pope and Kie who did nothing before she followed the boy.

"JJ!" Athena called, the rain hammering down around them.

"Attie, I really don't need a lecture right now." JJ told her. "I need to do something."

"I know." Athena told him. "I was just going to tell you to be careful and if you find time, you know fill me in with whatever plan you have."

JJ stepped off his bike, bringing his girlfriend in for a hug. The two stood in the rain for a moment before Athena pulled away, looking up at JJ, who wiped the hair out of her face.

"I'm going to go see John B." Athena smiled.

"I know." She nodded. "Tell him to hang tight and that I love him."

"I will." Athena then leant up pressing a kiss to the boy's lips.

"And I love you."

"I love you too." JJ smiled, kissing her forehead before getting on his bike and riding off.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

𝗜𝗦𝗢𝗕𝗘𝗟 𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗦
athena in season two radiates 'touch my friends and i'll kill you' energy and i love it !!

the parallel between athena running after jj in this chapter and jj running after athena in season one (when sarah and kie argue)

more trauma next chapter and then the chapter after that is my favourite chapter of this entire book

currently have a conrad fisher and a pope heyward book in the making :)