Gone | JJ | Outer Banks

part 15 - be careful

I sighed as Kie pulled to a stop in front of the Kildare County Sheriff's Station. 

"Well, somebody's gotta tell them what happened," My brother tried reasoning with JJ, who wasn't convinced this would work.

"Are you sure-" I was interrupted by Pope breaking into a fit of coughs. He'd taken JJ's advice from this morning pretty seriously -- the advice being the joint -- and it clearly wasn't great for him.

"Easy there, chief. Damn," JJ shook his head from the back seat. He leaned forward and patted John B on the shoulder. "Alright, I'm just gonna be real with you right now. You might end up in the lion's den, but you don't go there on purpose. It's fundamental. Just like my old man always told me, you should never ever trust the cops, no matter what the circumstance is."

"Your old man's an abusive liar," Kie narrowed her eyes at him.

"I agree with JJ," Pope jumped in. "Fuck the police."

I furrowed my eyebrows as Kie scoffed, "What? You on the dark side now?"

"When's the last time the police ever helped us? Huh?" Pope got defensive, leaning towards the front seats.

"Hey, Peterkin looked out for us, alright? Well, tried to, at least." My brother interjected. I nodded to confirm his words. "They need to know."

"Be careful," I said, looking over my shoulder at my brother. I reached my hand back and he squeezed it, before leaving the car.

After he slammed the door and left the four of us in silence, I rested my head against the car seat. We were always stuck with the harder job: sitting around waiting.

"Why are you always doing that?" JJ asked. I turned to the back and raised an eyebrow at him.

"What?" Kie asked, also confused. 

"Convincing him to do things," JJ shrugged.

"Oh, sure it's a problem when I get him to make reasonable choices but it's fine that you're always pushing him to make stupid choices?" Kie questioned, anger in her voice.

"Well, why does it have to be like that? Like two sides, two choices he has to pick between?"

"Cause that's how the world works, JJ!" Kie tossed her arm in the air.  "There are literally two sides to everything."

JJ knew he had lost the argument, so he sat back in his seat with a frown. I lifted my leg onto the seat and hugged my knee to my chest, leaning my back against the car door. "You know, this wouldn't be happening in the first place if you'd let me go after him," I mumbled to myself.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" JJ inquired loudly. "You think if you'd run after him none of this would've happened?"

"Yeah, maybe. Maybe it would-" I stopped hearing a scream outside the car. I peered through the window behind Pope and saw my brother running towards it.

"Start the car, Kie!" he yelled, scrambling into his seat.

"John B, what did you do?" Kie yelled back, panicked.

"The cops! The cops, they're coming!" He kept yelling, not easing anyone's concern.

"Shit! Drive, go!" JJ yelled, seeing the two officers beside the car. I felt my heart begin to race as they got to either side of the car; luckily, Kie had locked the doors after John B.

They began banging on the outside, trying to get in. Kie yelled, "I'm going! I'm sorry!" 

Kie stepped on the gas and we drove forward. The female officer was hanging onto the door on John B's side, running with us, so Pope advised, "Open it."