what now? | outerbanks

• twenty-four •

    "You've got to be kidding me." John B's jaw clenches, and he steps instinctively in front of me, shielding me with his toned arm. "Stay behind me."
"Please don't do anything stupid, John B." John B. is wise, and he knows the difference between right and wrong, but Topper is his ultimate weakness.
    "Wow, funny seeing you guys here," Topper remarks with the quirk of an eyebrow.
    "Is it?" John B. inquires. "It's our town too." He cocks his head to the side a bit and narrows his eyes.
    "Mm," Ruthie hums. "As far as I'm aware, you Pogues belong on The Cut, not here." Her pitch-black hair blows in the wind, and the sun shines through her diamond earring.
"Ah, real classy, Ruthie," I spit out, teeth barely opening as my face grows hot with anger.
"Look, we don't want any trouble. Just stopping by to grab something from my Grandpa's office," Topper tells us with an obnoxious, money-speaking chuckle.
"Yeah, well, they're closed." John B. says matter-of-factly.
"No problem; got a key." The blonde boy holds the shimmering object high, level with his head.
"Well, we'll be off then. See you guys around." John B. tries his best to be polite, and I'm thankful for it. We begin to walk away, and I shake my head a little bit to clear the strange air of the interaction. However, the tanned boy next to me stops still when he hears Kelce talk.
    "Looking hot, Sar."
    John B. turns around swiftly, charging towards the boy who is standing there amused with his arms crossed. I try to hold John B. back, but I'm too late, and he's already almost to Kelce. He shoves him firmly, and Kelce stumbles back a little bit before laughing and shoving right back.
    "Please don't do this, babe." I urge, not knowing whether I should step in or stand back. The two others only stood there smiling, like this was what they'd been coming here for all along. Kelce coils back his arm and then sends it flying for John B's face, where it makes contact with a smack. He stumbles and then falls to the ground, Kelce wasting no second before getting on top of him to punch again. John B. catches his fist the second time, though, and flips the boy over, punching him in the gut once and then across his face.
    With John B's second punch, Kelce fights back, one hand around my fiancé's neck and the other swinging in motion.
    "Topper, do something!" I yell in fear, chin shaking and stomach hurling. He doesn't. He stands there, unmoving and unbothered. So, I do what I have to do. I rush towards the two boys and throw myself onto the ground to try and separate them.
    In a flash, I pull Kelce's hand from John B's neck, and the other comes soaring towards me, searing a blow right into my cheek. The rings that decorate his fingers sting against my face and rip an unrelenting gash into my top lip. I fall to the ground behind me, and everything goes quiet. My ears ring, and the metallic taste of the blood dripping from my lip coats the inside of my mouth.
    "Sarah!" John B. fights out of the entanglement and comes to where I am in a frenzy. "Sarah, look at me."
    "Woah, shit. Total accident, man," Kelce says, but I don't think John B. even registers the words. He just looks into my eyes, scanning my being for consciousness.
   "I'm okay; just get me out of here," I choke out, the blood thick in my words. Without a moment's hesitation, he scoops me up bridal-style and hurriedly runs to the dock where our boat is melodiously hitting against the rotting wood.
    "Had it coming, bitch!" I hear Ruthie yell from the building, and, for once, neither of us retaliate. For now, I am John B's only priority.

JJ

    "Okay, wait, so what happened again?" Pope grabs Sarah's hand from John B's and leads her up the stairs into the house.
    "She tried to break me and Kelce up, and she got mixed into it, and he punched her."
    "Oh, so you're just, like, collecting all of the Kooks now? Who's next, Ruthie?" I joke, but I end my laugh immediately when I notice that no one else finds it funny. "Sorry."
    Sarah sits down shakily, blood staining her lips and teeth, and a bruise is starting to form on her cheek. Cleo rummages in cabinets for anything useful, and Kie sits behind the blonde, pulling the girl's hair into a messy updo.
    "No, but seriously, we're not letting him get away with this, right?" I ask, picturing the Kook's face sunken in.
    "JJ, you're not doing anything," Kie says with a serious tone, her eyebrows raising high at me. I look away from her gaze, feeling like a reprimanded child.
    Cleo presses a towel to Sarah's lip, and she winces at the feeling. It must be soaked with alcohol of some sort, the fiery liquid leeching into her open wound.
    "It's not too cute, but you're gonna be okay," Cleo says, inspecting the girl's lip. "You're strong, girl."
"See, if you would've just come to work," I start, remembering how they abandoned us earlier. Kie hits me upside the head, and I duck to try and get away.
    "JJ!" She scolds.
    "How long will it look this bad?" Sarah asks mumbly, trying to move her mouth as little as possible.
    "Eh, probably a couple of weeks."
    "A couple!?" Her eyes widen, and I can tell she's disappointed. "But we still have to get married. I don't want to look like this." Sarah whines, gesturing to her weathered face.
    "Wait, isn't that the whole reason you guys went out today? To get married?" Pope pokes his head from the kitchen where he scrubs Sarah's dress in the sink.
    "Closed," John B. tells us.
    All of a sudden, there's the sound of tires pulling near the house, and then the faint sound of a police alarm. It only plays a note or two, but it's especially recognizable in our circumstances.
    "What could it be now? We ought to just kill Shoupe; that way he can never come after us." I look around as I speak, realizing again that no one else finds it funny. I do see, however, the slightest smile on Sarah's bloodied lips.
    "Absolutely not," Kie condemns. "JJ, you stay in here with Sarah; we'll go outside." The four of them leave us in the house, where we sit silently to try and make out what's being said outside.
    "Thanks for sitting here with me," Sarah says quietly. The side of her mouth turns up into an almost-smile, and I can see in her eyes that she means it.
    "Of course. P4L, man." I shrug off her gratefulness, knowing it's the least I can do. I see her as my sister- blood. I'd do anything for her. Observing her face, I see the slightest wrinkle in the space between her eyebrows, and I know something's wrong. "You good?"
    Before she can even answer, the wrinkle deepens, and her eyes glisten with forming tears. She shakes her head rapidly, and I instantly pull her into a hug.
    "It's just too much," she sobs, her tears staining the sleeve of my shirt. "First, my dad, and now I don't know if I'll ever speak to Rafe or Wheezie again, and I just miss my mommy."
    There, her shaking frame tight in my arms, she feels like a little girl. Like a version of her I never knew.
I feel helpless there, not knowing what to say or how to comfort her. I reach to the depths of my brain looking for something useful, trying to calculate the perfect response. What would Kie say?
"I'm so sorry, Sarah. That's why we're here, though. We'll get you through this."