The next morning, John B woke up from the sound of his rooster crowing outside. He looked up to see Sheriff Peterkin looking disappointed.
"Get decent, sweetie. We need to talk," she told him as he lay upside down in his bed.
"Sorry to break in like this, but DCS called," Peterkin said, leaning on the wall, while John B walked out of his room. "They wanted me to check on you. See how you're doin'. So, how are you, besides the--" She continued explaining when she motioned to the black eye he got last night.
"Oh, no, I'm-- I'm great. Yeah, fantastic. Uh... Thanks for comin' by." He said, walking by her and over to the kitchen to try and clean up the beer bottles that Peterkin definitely saw.
"I'm so glad to hear you say that, John B, but I heard a few things that worried me. Let me see if I can remember. Oh, yeah..." She nodded, moving to look at the wall of photos. "One of the things I heard was that your Uncle Teddy, your guardian, hasn't been in the state for three months." She said, looking at the photo of John B's uncle.
"That's false." He shrugged it off, trying to get her to leave and hoping that she would still cover for him with DCS.
"You don't have to say anything. I know it's true. I called the school. They said you used to be a good student, but now you're failin' all your classes..." Peterkin said, picking up one of JJ's old blunts and smelling it to smell the weed.
"No. No, I'm only failing one, and it's history... He's a jerk. He's out for me--"
"I heard there was a fight on the beach yesterday, and a gun was involved." Peterkin continued.
"Okay. Gun? No..." He said, walking by her and patting her shoulder. "Did I get in a dustup? Yes, but was there a gun? Pfft. No. No way." He said, walking over to try and pick up more of the house.
"That's okay. I know who it was. I'll get to him." Peterkin sighed at him. "All I'm worried about right now is makin' sure you are in a safe home." She added as John B scoffed a bit.
"Yeah, super safe. Super sound, sturdy. You know?" He said, knocking on a nearby table to get his point across. "Uncle T's coming, so--"
"That what he told you?" Peterkin asked him, not believing him.
"Yeah."
"Well, if he is coming, I think you should be allowed to stay," Peterkin said when John B thought she might believe him.
"Thank you..."
"But if I stick my neck out for you, you have to help me. Tit for tat." Peterkin said, making John B look at her confused.
"What-- what does tat mean?" He asked as Peterkin walked over to him while he was at the end of the pullout couch.
"Let me see, how can you help me? Oh, I know. So, a body was found in the marsh yesterday. Were you in the marsh yesterday?"
"Yeah, we were fishin' for some drum." John B nodded, being vague about what they did yesterday.
"You catch anything?" Peterkin said as she stepped closer to him, scanning for any lies.
"Nah, we were skunked..."
"Strange. Fishing's usually good after a storm. All sorts of things get stirred up." She said, not believing him. "You come across a wreck yesterday?" Peterkin continued to ask him.
"No..." He lied again.
"You skimmin' just above the surface, John B. Now, down here is foster care... juvie. Pretty big drop for a smart kid like you." Peterkin explained, using her hands as a demonstration. She waved her hand below before raising it to their eye level. "Up here is you and your little friends doing whatever you want. Outer Banks... or foster care on the Mainland." She continued to explain when John B felt dizzy when he moved to sit on the pullout couch. "You one inch above the surface, John B. If I was you, I'd start flappin' my wings. Now, you sure you didn't come across a wreck yesterday?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm sure."
Peterkin leaned forward to get to his eye level again as he continued to sit. "It's better if you didn't, you understand? I'm gonna look the other way as long as you stay out of the marsh." She said before standing back and walking to the door. "I got dogs livin' better than this, John B. You might wanna think about cleanin' up." She said that before leaving, John B had taken a nearby can to throw against the wall.
"Look, I'm callin' it off. All right? Peterkin said, if I stay out of the marsh, she'll help me with DCS." John B spoke up, thinking about what happened when Sheriff Peterkin stopped by early that morning to tell him to keep out of the marsh.
The group of Pogues were out by the backyard shed at the Chateau. John B was standing towards the back, looking at his friends. Pope was reading his newest book, and Kie played the bongos slightly.
"And you believed her?" JJ asked while sitting on the table out in the yard
"Yes, I believe her, JJ."
"An actual cop, John B. You believed a cop." JJ scoffed, throwing a small rock in his hand out to the yard.
"Look! All I gotta do is stay out of the marsh for a couple days, and she'll help me out. It doesn't help that you were the one shooting a gun." John B scoffed at his best friend while Pope and Kie shared a look.
"You know what I should have done? Just let Topper drown you." JJ scoffed out of frustration.
"Topper was gonna drown me?"
"Sure looked like it," JJ said, standing up from sitting on the table out by the shed.
"Funny." John B said, but he did not seem amused.
"Have you looked in a mirror?" JJ said, referring to John B's black eye.
"Tell me some more. Come on."
"They always win, don't they, man?" JJ asked, moving to lean on one of the support wooden beams. "Kooks versus Pogues. They always, always win!" JJ scoffed, looking back at John B when he punched one of the hanging net things.
"Look, it's okay!" Kie yelled, trying to calm JJ down, but it did not.
"No, it's not okay! It is not! They don't want us to go down into the marsh. That means there's something valuable down there, and you know it. I know you do." JJ told John B. "And I understand why you don't wanna go. You're the golden boy. You got way too much to risk." JJ said to Pope before turning to Kie. "And you-- I mean, you're already rich anyway. Why would you bother?" JJ said, making Kie scoff.
It was like being rich was an insult to her.
"But you and me, man... we got nothin' to lose!" JJ said, turning his attention to John B. "We really don't, all right?"
"JJ..." John B sighed, looking down at his shoes.
"And I know it didn't use to be that way for you..." JJ said to John B.
"I don't want to talk about this. I don't want to talk about it." John B sighed, starting to walk out of the shed.
"So that's it?" JJ asked, getting in John B's way, but he pushed past him.
"Just get out of my way, bro."
"John B, listen to me. I have a plan," JJ said, walking over to John B, while Pope and Kie exchanged a look. "You got the key to Cameron's big boat, right?" JJ continued to ask him.
"No."
"There's scuba gear. We borrow that, and then we go down to the wreck this afternoon, and that is what's gonna save you, man." JJ said to John B, before wrapping his arm around John B. "You don't see rich kids going into foster care, do you?" He continued to ask his best friend when John B looked at him, thinking about it for a bit.
~season 1, episode 1: "Pilot"~
~1315 words~
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Family Business:
Fanfiction*Takes place during season 1 of OBX* Paul and Delilah Richards were some of the Kookiest Kooks. They were successful in life. Paul owed several condo rentals and a boat rental on the island. Delilah was born into a wealthy family in Charleston and m...
