The ride back was silent, the three of them not sure what to say. JJ had his hand reached into the backseat, his fingers knitted with June's as they rode, she was a real life line right now. Finally they pulled up to where the Twinkie was, Kie honking the horn at they approached the extremely buried van.
They all jumped out, Pope yelling at them immediately.
"Where the hell were you guys?!"
"Paternal complications." Kie said, gesturing to JJ.
"Luke was at the Chateau." JJ said, reaching into the he back of the truck and grabbing for the winch.
"Oh great! While you were having family time with your pops, John B got bit by a gator!" Pope said, June immediately looking at the boy in question.
"No way." She said, her eyes widening as she looked at a clearly injured John B.
"Like for real?"
"Does it look like we're joking?" Sarah said, gesturing to the bloodied leg of John B.
"Okay, what the hell happened?" Kie said, taking a few steps forwards as they all erupted into shouting.
"What happened? I got bit by a gator!" John B said, Pope saying the same thing in unison with him.
"I dunno why I'm being yelled at because I put my ass on the line."
"You're being yelled at because you guys said twenty minutes—"
"June I expect more from you, you're supposed to control them—"
"Woah why the hell am I being dragged into this I didn't do shit!" June said gesturing to herself as she started to get defensive. They continued to shout at each other, John B and June trapped in a heated glaring war.
"Shut up!" JJ yelled, making them all immediately stop talking. He looked distressed, June biting her lip and wondering what he was going to say. "Seriously guys I can't take either anymore, all right?! Everyone just cut it out for a second." JJ let out a humorless laugh, the boy leaning against a tree as he tried to think of what to say.
"Look, I just helped my dad off this island for good. Like he's not ever coming back. He's straight up like the Spanish. Just 'Bon Voyage.'" June's nose crinkled at this, Sarah and her sharing a look as someone muttered something about that being the wrong language. "All we got... and I know for a fact all I got is you guys okay? You're it." JJ shot a look at Kie when he said this, June's heart clenching as she looked down at her shoes immediately, not liking the way that look made her feel. JJ looked at her immediately after, feeling the words meaning extra hard when he looked at June. "And I've come too close to losing you, all of you. I mean shit, like you almost drowned, Pope, you were kidnapped, June, you literally died, Sarah you've been shot. John B you were almost dinner for a freaking gator, bro. So this blaming each other is some Kook-ass bullshit all right? We don't do that. Okay? We're Pogues. I'm sorry that was a lot right now. I didn't mean to..."They all shared a look, the three on the van starting a slow clap.
"Yeah alright." JJ said, wiping his eye as he looked between the five teens that were clapping for him.
"I gotta be honest that is the best fricking speech you've ever given. Also you should think about like a Rosetta Stone because your uh—your spanish and French are flip-flopped." John B said, earning two middle fingers from JJ. June laughed at that, making her way towards the truck so that they could get the Twinkie out.
