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Chapter forty three:

A week later:

I sat on the steps of the chateau with Kiara, I had my arms wrapped around hers and she was laying her head on my shoulder. We sat back and watched Pope and JJ chop part of the tree down for our memorial for John B and Sarah. "All of that was for nothing, we tried everything we could to save John B and it was all useless..." Kiara comments, letting out a frustrated sigh. I squeeze her forearm, I had no words because she was correct, the kooks fucking won again.

I wrapped my arms around JJ waist, his arm was wrapped around me and the other one had a flask in his hand. Kiara teary eyed stared down at the box we made for the memorial, "To John B." JJ says softly, holding his flask up. Pope holds the beer in his hands up, "And to Sarah." Kiara says softly, glancing back at me. I look up as JJ puts the flask to his lips, Pope doing the same thing with his beer can. JJ stared down at the tree they craved out for John B. Kiara puts the box down and Pope helps her cover it with dirt, JJ turns his head away and wipes a tear from his cheek. He squeezed me tighter, trying to hold himself together.

I drove Kiara and Pope back to their house, once I get back to John B's house I walk inside to see JJ using a stick and poke to give himself a tattoo. "JJ, what the hell are you doing?" I ask him, tossing my bag onto the table. JJ looks up from his leg, "P4L." He tells me, wiping a bit of blood away from his leg. I take a seat next to him on the couch, "You don't like it." He sighs, I shake my head and kiss his cheek. "I think it's cute JJ, I like it." I tell him, leaning back into the couch. He smiles at me before going back to finishing up his work on his leg. I can't lie, watching him tattoo himself was really hot.

Three days later:

Pope and I drove to the country club to pick JJ up after his shift ended, Pope sat in the passenger seat and was quieter than usual. "Is everything okay?" I ask him, trying to pull him back to reality. "Hm?" He questions, looking over at me a bit startled. "What's going on with you? Your not your normal self." I ask him, glancing between him and the road. "Kiara kissed me yesterday and asked me to hook up...." He admits to me, my jaw must've hit the floor. I look at him shocked before I quickly pull myself together. He sighs, I park the car and the two of us get out. He walks next to me and sticks his hands in his front pockets, "She was high, I know she was only saying that stuff to me because of that. But it still hurts, ya know?" He tells me, staring at the ground as we walked together. "I'm sorry Pope, want me to talk to her for you?" I ask him once we walk inside the club. He shakes his head and the two of us stop in our tracks, "Shut up Top." We both hear JJ shouts, we glance at each other before running outside onto the patio. I spot JJ standing next to a table Topper was sitting at. "I don't think we were talking to you, Pogue." Kelce snaps at him, JJ grabs a cup and starts tapping it. "Can I have everybody's attention please? I have an announcement to make." JJ shouts. "My best friend, John B did not kill sheriff Peterkin." He calls out to everyone, he was looking around at all the kooks sitting on the patio, "Rafe Cameron shot and killed the sheriff in cold blood." He announces, "Wow." Kelce scoffs at him, "Is that really hard to believe Kelce?" JJ snaps back at him. "Okay we need to get him now." I tell Pope, two of us pushing through the crowd of people surrounding them. "It is hard for me to believe because somehow it's always the kooks faults, right?" Kelce snaps back at JJ, he knew he was pushing his buttons. JJ grabs the pitcher of water and dumps it on him, Kelce and JJ start shoving eachother, "JJ enough man." Pope shouts, grabbing JJ, "JJ stop, they're not worth it." I shout at him, pushing Kelce away from him and standing between the both of them. "Not worth it?" Topper ask me, getting out of his chair. "I said what I said." I tell Topper coldly, glancing back at JJ calming down and his attention now shifted to Topper. "So you move here, hang out with the Pogues, start dating one and realize I'm not worth it anymore?" He ask me, standing in my face. JJ walks back over and shoved him away from me, "I told you to stay the fuck away from her." JJ tells him, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and pulls me away, "You were my best friend Y/N, now I don't even recognize you anymore." Topper calls out to me, "You would've never dated a guy like him, you're settling for no reason." He adds in, I glance up at JJ who stops in his tracks, he looks defeated after hearing Toppers comment about him. "Settling? I would be settling if I was dating you." I call out to him, flipping him off and pulling JJ along. "JJ." A man calls out to him, JJ sighs and pulls his apron off. "I know Raz, I'm fired." JJ says and shoves his apron into the man's chest. JJ grabs my hand and walks out with me, he watches Pope get into my car and stop. "Thank you." He says and cups my cheeks in his hands. I give him a puzzled look, "For sticking up for us back there." He tells me, rubbing his thumb softly against my cheek, I can feel the cold rings against my skin. "Topper can say whatever he wants, but not for one second do I feel like I'm settling while
I'm with you." I tell him, standing on my toes to peck his lips. He smiles and pulls me back in for a longer, passionate kiss.

I drive everyone back to my house, Pope, JJ, and I changed into bathing suits and went to sit out on the end of my dock. JJ had a blunt in his hands and passes it over to me, I exhale the smoke into the air and slowly watch it disappear. "I don't know what to do about Kiara..... I really like her but.... Uhhh this is all so confusing." Pope mumbled, putting his hands behind his head. "Man, give her time. Go see her in a few days and see where her heads at, there's absolutely no need to rush any of this. I didn't." JJ tells Pope, taking the blunt from me. I chuckle a bit and look at Pope, he was giggling to himself as well, "JJ you're so full of shit." Pope tells him and he holds himself up on his elbows. "Care to explain?" He ask Pope. "Babe, the second we started to hang out your hands were all over me, you asked me on a date a few days later, and also couldn't keep your lips off me as well. Things did not go slow." I tell him, leaning over to him and kissing his cheek. "Y/N, your not innocent in this argument either." Pope chimes him, I lean over and lightly kick his arm. "I'm gonna get a beer, want one JJ?" Pope ask, getting up and walking back down to my house. "Yes please." JJ calls out, once Pope was out of sight he grabs my waist and pulls me closer to him. "JJ, Pope is coming right back." I tell him, his lips already on my neck. He had one of his hands on my waist and the other one grabbing my boobs, he moved his hands between both of them as his lips stay attached to my neck. "JJ." I giggle, putting my hands on his chest to attempt to push him back from me. "We're with Pope right now, he needs us. We can do this later." I tell him, grabbing his cheeks and forcing his face back. When I look down at him he had the cutest pouty face ever, "But you look so good in this bathing suit." He whines to me, reaching around and squeezing my ass.