#bro acts like she’s being held at gunpoint to write this shit

[bxleeding-bxunni]

“I feel like a prisoner in a striped suit and little pill box hat”

- @korn-dawg while writing the Valentine’s Day Sevika fic rn

[4rticbolt]

Enclosed |Master-list|

Straw Hat x !GNReader, platonic, can be interpreted as romantic, comfort fic, angst, fluff, crack, straw hat shenanigans, the crew is very protective of you

Summary: Experiencing a vivid panic attack, you clumsily avoid the crew.

A/N: This is the re-made version of Anxiety, and I cannot BELIEVE how much my writing has changed since the original. Also, there's no Jinbei in here—I apologize, I'm not that far yet 💔

Around 3.2k

Warning! Anxiety/Panic Attacks written in detail + Orthostatic Hypotension.

•-•-•—•-•-••-•-•—•-•—•-•

Mindlessly walking the deck of the Thousand Sunny, you used the rail for balance. With blurred vision, you helplessly caught your breath, gripping the rail like a lifeline as it cut edges into your palm.

Blood didn’t draw, but it pooled at your feet as you sluggishly walked down the stairs.

The moon hung high, and it was nearing 11:00 as the crew kept to themselves and their duties, relaxing in the galley or their designated spots.

The Sunny traveled at night, meaning everyone had to be alert. Shifts were taken and naps were often, though you were left to your senses.

Feeling everything—but nothing at once.

Your nervous system couldn’t tell the difference between being held at gunpoint to the peaceful company of your crew.

It could never make up its mind, and it left you cautious of those around you. Especially Zoro, who you avoided as he rested by the mast.

You carefully, as quietly as you could, stepped down the stairs, faintly making out his form through the dark. His arms were crossed over his lap, protecting his swords even in peace, soundly asleep.

Or so you thought.

Stepping down the last step, your breath hitched.

crk—

A sharp pain ran up your side, making you stagger to grab the rail, fighting yourself as you fought the raw ache in your chest.

You squeezed your shirt, temporarily kneeling, and you knew you had given yourself away. Quickly, you looked up to watch the swordsman—but it was too late.

Zoro didn’t move; he was as silent as a ghost, no longer snoring.

Fuck. Great—he’s awake.

Embarrassed, you fled inside, unaware of the eye that cracked open to watch you. The door swiftly shut, and Zoro sighed, leaning up, muttering something soft under his breath. “Idiot . . .”

You hurried down the hall, passing the kitchen as you ignored soft-talk; limbs burning in protest, with a hand muffling your breath, but you pushed on.

You couldn’t let them see you like this. It wasn’t fair. They hadn’t done anything—it was just you.

It was your problem.

“Your tea, Robin.” Sanji swooned, probably spinning around the table by now. “Ah, thank you,” she smiled, taking the cup. “Hey, where’s my tea?” Usopp grumbled, tinkering with his gadget

“You’ll get in a second.” Sanji replied, then casually, “Chopper, yours.” “Hey—rude! I’m right here, you know!”

You held the wall, slowing down, keeping quiet. But it was damn near impossible to.

“Sanji, I’m hungry!” “I just made you something!” “And since when has that ever worked? He’s an endless pit, bro.”

Suddenly, your hand grazed a painting, and you froze.

“Sooo... about that meat, Sanji?” ��Get out of my kitchen!”

“Shh—wait,” Chopper muttered, “did you guys hear that?”

“Hear what?”

With your heart racing, you slipped into the infirmary, going unnoticed. Footsteps came from the galley, and you knew you had to act fast. Tears covered your vision, though a shortcut to the aquarium bar sparked your movement.

You shifted to the hall, exiting from Chopper’s side door—but a familiar hum filled the corridor. Flinching back, you realized it was Brook.

Shit. Shit—Shit.

Impulsively, you left in the opposite direction with your back facing the skeleton. Your shoulders were hunched, and you quietly cried into the palm of your hand.

“Oh, ____! I thought I heard you!” Brook piped, then paused, watching you stumble into the tank room. “Oh, there they go—“

Crashing into the couch, you gasped for air, holding your chest. Dammnit. You couldn’t do this. Too much.

Way, too much.

You loved them with all your heart, and every single of your being—but fuck. There was too much action. Adrenaline coursed through your veins, and you could barely breathe.

A struggled noise escaped you, and you curled into the couch’s armrest. Your limbs ached, tingling as they grew weak, and you muffled a sob, sharply drawing in.

The quiet surrounded you, suffocating you only for a moment, before you realized the room’s lights were on.

Someone else was in here.

“____?” Nami asked, peeking over the couch. “Oh my god, hey,” she worriedly came to meet you, but you’d already bolted up.

“I’m okay,” you rasped, using the wall for leverage. “I’m fine,” you repeated, wiping your eyes.

“Hey—hey, wait,” only getting so far, voices sounded from the door you reached.

You flinched, stepping back—bumping into Nami—you were lost. You didn’t know what to do.

“I knew I heard someone, I figured it was—“

Someone touched your shoulder, and you flinched, covering your ears. You searched for an exit, looking through tears, but there was nothing.

There was so much happening at once.

“___, hey—hold on.”

Voices. Muffled voices, in blurs shapes—you could barely make out what was in front of you. You stepped back, bumping into something, and you couldn’t tell what happened after that.

Your eyes shut.

“Yohoho, there you are!” “I told you they were in here!” “No, you didn’t, you said they were—“

“Oh—You guys, hold on—“

“Stop talking!”

For a moment, you looked for some way out, and a peaceful, single storage closet called to you. You didn’t even hesitate. You bolted.

The door slammed shut, and you crashed into whatever was inside.

Silence shrouded, and objects poked at you. Your head felt like it was going to explode.

With your heart pounding and anxiety raging, you couldn’t think, you couldn’t feel. Only the burning of your nerves, to the shaking in your limbs, was overwhelming.

In the dark, static blurred with reality, and tears covered them all. You felt like it was the end of the world, with everything folding in on you at once.

•~•~•~•

Outside the closet, a room of confused and worried crew members stood still.

“Shh!” Nami hushed, silencing the group. “Be quiet.”

“Sorry!” Chopper whispered, covering his mouth, side-kicking Usopp, who winced.

“Are they okay?” Luffy asked.

“What do you think?” Sanji spoke, physically tensing as the cyborg strolled in. “Yoh! What’s the big—“ A giant hand slapped over Franky’s face, and he nodded, immediately getting the memo.

Robin’s hand disappeared, flurrying into petals, and Zoro silently followed in.

Everyone shared a look, checking the closet, and an understanding passed through. The moment seemed to slow.

Luffy slipped by Nami, sitting beside the door to listen to your panicked breaths. His hat covered his face, and his fist clenched over his knee.

You’d think he was angry, but right now? It was the complete opposite. He was torn.

Another moment passed before Sanji spoke quietly. “What happened?”

“I don’t know,” Nami muttered, “They burst in here, trying to be alone, I think I scared them.” A hand rubbed over her chest, and her eyes softened.

“She was already startled,” Robin murmured, taking a seat on the couch. “I believe it’s a panic attack.”

“Yeah,” Chopper mumbled, lowering himself beside her. The doctor looked to the closet, wishing he were in there with you.

It wasn’t fair that you were alone.

“I wish I’d noticed sooner,” he added quietly,

“You couldn’t have done anything,” Zoro said, leaning against a table, “they were hiding. I saw them sneaking around the deck.”

“Sneaking?” Brook blurted, a little too loudly. The skeleton quickly covered his mouth, ducking to avoid Robin’s hand that sprouted from the wall. He placed a bony hand over his heart, thinking back to earlier, when you’d avoided him.

Realization set in, and he sighed.

“Oh—____, no one deserves to be alone when experiencing something so hard.”

Sanji hummed, his expression growing grim. He leaned against the wall, opposite of Zoro, bringing a cigarette to his lips.

No. No one did. Especially you.

“They were fine earlier,” Usopp whispered, pausing. He looked at his hands, closing them into fists. “I swear, I saw them not even 30 minutes ago, they helped me find a piece for something.”

“They come on fast,” Chopper responded, sniffling. He rubbed his nose, leaning against Robin. “It’s hard to control them when they do, I just... I don’t think they wanted us to see them like this.”

“They avoided me like the plague.” Zoro tsked, crossing his arms. “It’s probably a lot more than that.”

“Well, that’s too bad,” Luffy said firmly,

“They’re a part of this crew—they’re ours. They don’t get to go through this alone, not when we’re here.”

A gentle pause, and the heavy breathing finally stopped. Everyone listened, but only to silence. Nami let out a breath, looking at Robin.

Already acting, the archeologist crossed her arms, muttering a soft; Un Fluer,” and a single hand sprouted from inside the closet.

It gently reached your leg, grounding you with single taps.

You sniffled, blinking through tears, and you hesitated. Through the dark, you saw her hand, and you didn’t know why you froze. Your throat tightened, as if this simple gesture were a grand speech.

Outside, Robin was determined. Her eyes had a focused gentleness to them, and she wouldn’t let this go. She closed her eyes, making her hand reach yours.

It was the gentlest push, but it was needed, and your hand squeezed hers, signaling you were okay.

Robin smiled, reciprocating the gesture. “They’re coming out of it, just give them some time.”

“Fine by me,” Zoro grumbles, taking a seat. “I’ll sit here all night if I have to.”

“For once, I agree with you,” Sanji sighed, blowing out his cigarette. He leaned against the tank, quietly watching the reflection of the glass.

“Uh-huh,” Franky agreed, “we’re super patient, kiddo, take all the time you need.” he plopped down, creating a loud thump, and Nami shook her head at Usopp.

They shared a look, checking the closet.

Clunk

Something fell from inside, as if you were moving, and the crew acted casual. They lounged, creating a soft tension that left it easy to breathe. They made sure not to make you feel small or crowded, even if they were secretly watching.

Another object fell, thumping softly, and a weak “ow” echoed.

Usopp cracked a smile, and so did Luffy. The captain leaned on his left knee, peeking at the door that cracked weakly open.

“Shishi, there you are.” he smiled, “We were worried about‘cha.”

You wiped your eyes, managing a smile, though it wasn’t convincing. It was weak, just a tip of the lips, but it was there.

Papers littered where you sat, with bent boxes and random trinkets—you slowly stretched your legs, leaning against the doorframe.

“Yeah, sorry about the shelves.” You mumbled, looking behind you.

“It’s fine,” Robin assured, as calm as ever. “We didn’t need it anyway. It was just free storage.”

“Yeah,” Franky mentioned, “I was gonna turn that into room space, but you just did the demolition for me.” he laughed, eliciting a few smiles throughout the room.

“I’m just glad you’re not hurt! I heard the crash from upstairs.”

“As did I, you startled us ___.” Brook started, crossing his legs. “Yohoho—it looked rather painful, seeing you so lost.”

“Yeah, it was, I’m sorry you have to go through that.” Usopp said, rubbing the back of his neck, “You don’t have to hide that, though.

“You know we’re here.”

“Mm,” Sanji agreed, “We’re everywhere, whenever you need. Always.”

You nodded, looking at your feet. “Thank you, that... means a lot.”

“I’m sure it does,” Nami hugged her sides, checking the clock. Not out of urgency, but as a reminder. That you, right here, right now—we’re struggling.

12:05am…

This late. And you still tried to hide it.

She was frustrated—not at you, but herself. She’d been the one to startle you further, and that guilt lingered.

Nami—just like everyone else thought, knew this wasn’t fair. Because you were safe: with them, not with whoever made you feel the need to act this way.

To hide, bury your feelings—tune it out till it all boils over, leaving you overwhelmed. Bittersweetly, she smiled.

You reminded her a lot of herself.

“And you’re welcome, but you shouldn’t feel the need to thank us.” “It’s not out of obligation,” she added.

“It never is.”

“We want to be there for you, even if you think something like this is ‘small,’ it’s not. Everything matters, and if you already know it, I, and everyone else, are going to remind you, over and over again—you matter.” Nami walked forward, standing close.

“It doesn’t matter what it is, just tell us. Tell someone. You don’t deserve to suffer alone.”

Luffy stretched, internally relieved—because in his own words, he would’ve said the same thing.

Just . . . Not as Nami-ish.

However, he still had something on his mind, and it was killing his patience to ask you. Luffy nudged your foot with his own, bumping it again as if he were thinking.

“Is that why you hide?” he asked, casually.

“'Cause you're scared?”

Pulling a leg close, you shrugged, knocking his foot back.

“Sometimes,” you admit. “Sometimes it’s like that, when I don’t know what you’ll say, or how you’ll react. Or, I just don’t really know. It just... happens, and I freeze up. I can’t think, and I can’t talk, and I don’t know what to do with myself other than hide.”

A short pause.

“It feels safer that way.”

Luffy hummed, bumping your foot again.

“It shouldn’t,” he muttered, almost grumbling. “We’re just as safe as some stupid storage closet. And you shouldn’t worry about that, we’d never hurt you.”

Weakly, you nodded. You couldn’t stop your tears, but you didn’t know if you wanted to. You hadn’t let yourself cry like this in a long time, not with people who cared for you now.

“I know you’re safer than some storage closet, Luffy.” You chuckled, sniffling. “It’s not that I think you’re not, it just... It’s different.”

“I know it is,” he shifted forward, placing his straw hat on your head. “Just come to one of us next time, yeah?”

“Yeah,” you agreed, nodding. Nami rubbed your shoulder, and Luffy slowly stood up.

He offered you his hand, as a choice, and you took it. With little warning, he pulled you up, and almost instantly, dizziness washed over you.

You didn’t have enough time to even think.

“Oh—Luffy, be careful—“ Chopper warned. But it was too late.

Static spread up your body, crawling into your vision—and as stable as you came, it suddenly disappeared. You went limp, ears blaring as both knees gave out underneath you.

“Oi—____!” Luffy quickly caught you, eyes wide as he held you to his chest. In a matter of seconds, the room erupted.

“Idiot! You can’t just pull them up that fast! Their body needs to readjust!”

“Readjust? What does that mean?!”

“He means acclimatize, Luffy,” Robin sighed, watching your head loll gently against his shoulder. Her eyes softened, “They just can’t seem to get a break, they?”

“No, apparently they cannot,” Usopp sighed, his head dropping.

“So what—they just passed out?” Zoro ignored, walking over. “Are they okay?”

“Yes, and no, I mean—technically?”

“Chopper.”

“It was a drop in blood pressure! Orthostatic Hypotension, they had a lot of things to contribute to it, anxiety, dehydration—standing up too fast,” Chopper listed, coming beside you.

“When that happens, their brain and heart don’t have enough blood or oxygen to properly function,” he finished, gently taking your vitals.

“I understood none of that.” Franky blurted.

“Exactly, that’s why I’m the doctor.” “Ok, lil’ bro.”

“They just passed out, they’re only unconscious,” he continued, pausing. Worriedly, his eyebrows scrunched.

“Oh, that’s not good, that’s really low.”

“Low? What’s low? Are they dying?!” Usopp panicked. “Yohoho, my heart can’t take this—“

“No, you idiots! They aren’t dying, quit it!” Nami snapped.

“They just passed out, like Chopper said. Just give it a second.” Robin assured.

“Yeah, well, I hate waiting,” Franky muttered, standing above Luffy. With his hands on his hips, he watched you protectively, just like the crew did.

If he ever found out who’d done you harm, to this extent? Bringing your anxiety to an all-time high? They wouldn’t walk another painless day. If at all.

“Sanji, can you get them some water? They’ll need something light to eat too, for when they wake up.” “Already on it.”

•~•~•~•

Blearily, you stirred to panicked voices.

Luffy’s hat had tipped to the side, shielding your vision, while Chopper tracked your pulse, and Zoro broodingly hovered . . .

You wondered how long you’d been out, but you’d been too tired to move—or signal that you were alive.

“God, there you are.” Sanji sighed, placing a hand to his heart. “You’re just all over the place.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” Chopper muttered, “How are you feeling?”

You blinked, slowly, very slowly—almost grogily. “Did I j’s pass out?”

“Yeah, you did.” Nami deadpanned, gently adjusting Luffy’s hat. She looked at the captain, glaring. “Don’t ever do that again.”

“I won’t,” Luffy chuckled, “sorry, ____.”

“It’s fine,” you muttered, shakily leaning up. Your balance didn’t last, and Luffy let you rest against him. “Ugh, I think I got hit by a ship.”

“No, you got hit by a Luffy.” Usopp corrected, letting Sanji slip by with some water. “Here, this’ll make you feel better. There are some electrolytes in there, so it’s sweet.” He soothed.

“It wasn’t that bad,” Luffy grumbled, but Franky was quick to interrupt. “Oh, it was that bad. They folded like a chair.”

“I did not.” You mumbled, though it was completely ignored.

“How was I supposed to know they’d do that?” Luffy huffed, his arms tightening around you.

“Yohoho, because.” Brook shrugged. “Because—?”

“Ok, on a serious note!” Chopper finished, bringing their attention back to you. “Your blood pressure is low, you’re dehydrated, and you need rest. So don’t even think about doing anything strenuous.”

You nodded, but went to say something—

“And no. I’m not sure about training tomorrow, we’ll see how you feel.” “Seriously?”

“You just passed out, moron.” Zoro’s eye twitched. “Give yourself a break.”

“You’re one to talk.” “Oi—watch it.”

“They’ve got a point, Zoro, I don’t know how many times I’ve seen Chopper chase you around.” Usopp plopped a seat beside you.

“Haha—remember when he bandaged him to the mast?”

Here we go . . .

“Don’t turn this on me!”

Leaning against Luffy’s side, you listened to the crew’s banter, relaxing. Everyone had made themselves a comfortable spot, lingering close, and your eyes began to droop.

“It was a good waste of bandages, I’d do it again.” Chopper proudly smiled, crossing his arms as he finally let your wrist go. “Shishi—he looked like Sanji’s pork wraps!”

“I did not!” Zoro blushed, scoffing as he turned away. “I’m leaving you to drown next time you fall overboard.”

“No, you won’t!” “Oh, yes, the hell I will!”

Luffy’s hat fell in your lap, and slowly... your eyes closed. The light-hearted arguing acted as a white noise, and as insane as it sounded, the loudness was comforting.

Yet again, everyone’s voices blurred, but this time it was by sleep, not by the torment of your anxiety. Your body, for once, relaxed, and almost instantly, you were at peace.

In the arms of your captain, and the company of your crew, you could finally rest. It would be okay, and in a matter of no-time, your energy would return.

It wasn't everlasting, only temporarily in the depths of your episode, and you had to remember that it would pass. And I would be okay.

•~•~•~•

[kyanmapng]

I am sorry but why do you all act as if Seojun was held at gunpoint and was forced to continue being friends with JK.. It was his decision to continue being her friend, he could've distanced himself from her but he didn't and chose to be put in a position where he couldn't get over her.

IDK, as someone who doesnt really care about Suho or Seojun, the whole pro Seojun thing in True beauty tag just screams nice guy syndrome, but done by fellow women - JK doesn't owe him any feelings just because he liked her for so long, she doesn't owe him a date or anything else . I am bothered by it because I've been in a similar situation like JK where a guy really liked me and was a good person and just because of that people kept pressuring me to date him and people felt like I had to date him just because.. The whole Tumblr shitting on JK just because she didn't end up with him and reducing her just as a Seoujun love interest screams sexism and misogyny 🤷‍♀️

I dunno how many times I have to put things into writers perspective. Because that’s the problem I see. Seojun wanted to move on, they created a whole second love story for Jug’s bro so he could tell Seojun it’s good to move on and the writers still didn’t let him do it and made him continue with his pining for YeARS. That’s what makes no sense.

And again I’ve said it so many times, Jug doesn’t owe Seojun her feelings (I couldn’t care less for their relationship in this kdrama) but the only thing was basic respect - saying thank you, staying to support his singing, nothing more. And she doesn’t owe him dates you are right! She clearly wasn’t over Suho (I will try to ignore the writing here for you and the zero realism) and she should’ve said no. She kept on going on these dates and didn’t react even in a friend way, just full on no reaction. If she said no, Seojun would not try to take this chance.

Once again it all comes down to the writing which is just bad, messy and chaotic. Because the story itself limits these characters as love interests and it shows in the way they went on with the plot. Circling and circling just to come back to “love triangle” trope.

[hella1975]

chapter 1 reread notes:

i am convinced someone held me at gunpoint and said 'only write in simple sentences or i shoot' like what the fuck this is so jarring

'Chena got thrown overboard more than once, oaf that he was' i giggled

'don't go scrapping with General Fong again' not bato's goofy ass acting as a foreshadowing tool!

oh past hella and your random capitalisation we're really in it now...

omg it's the first crew scene i literally remember writing this i was like 'hold on a minute im giving these idiots wayyyy too much personality they're just supposed to be background characters' and now we're here

BOOOO ZUKO YOU'RE RUINING THEIR DAY

the povs used to be so short omg where did we go wrong

 'Lieutenant Jee ducked and dodged, swinging his fist into the jaw of a much smaller man' it was nanook he punched nanook

hey lee what's that thing flying towards us could u catch that for me lee ohhhh shit oh fuck my bad im so fucking sorry bro i didnt know it was sharp

'Chena was grinning, but it was the grin he pulled when he was about to hit something' the fact he does this enough to even have a specific grin for when he's about to hit something is so funny to me

zuko rlly said 'i can understand aggravated assault but if you call me a kid im going to spit in your face'

why did i call him 'prince zuko' so often lmao not us being on formal terms i just didn't know him well enough back then we weren't on a first name basis yet

i love how kanut only speaks three times in this entire chapter and every single time he's being a bitch to people. 'you idiots aren't calling them imposter-rabbits' 'lop-eared rabbits, and you just pierced its bladder' 'they don't even have dolphin-pirhanas this far north, dumbass' i love him

summary: she's a 5/10. it was better than i expected but it wasn't good

ive decided to reread taob just bc ive not actually properly reread it in ages which... isn't great as the writer of it but the way im gonna do it is pretend it's not mine and hopefully i'll be able to get through book 1 without throwing my laptop at a wall

[general-kenobi357]

Someday Soon-Chapter 9

Pairing: JJ Maybank x Fem!OC

Summary: With John B on the run the Pogues are all set on edge, and with the gold gone their out of backup plans. Everyone wonders where they go from here.

Note: So I never realized how difficult it was to write descriptions of a group of people in a car. I struggled to not be writing paragraphs just explaining where everyone was sitting to help build a picture. I'm still unsure if it works :/

Word Count: 3.3k

🔅🔆🔅

It felt like we stood waiting for John B for hours, but I knew it had only been a few minutes since we had run away after the cops had shown up. We all looked to the sky at the sound of plane engines.

Looking up, we watched as the plane flew over us as it gained altitude. I realized that we had failed and we didn’t have any more chances. The 400 million was gone and all we had left was a hunk of gold we couldn’t even pawn off without getting held at gunpoint.

“There goes the gold." I spoke up as we all stood in shock.

"Shit!” Pope snapped. “Fuck!”

“Pope!” Kie tried to calm him down.

“God damn it! Shit! Fuck! Shit! Damn it!” Pope continued to scream as he destroyed everything that was in his vicinity.

“Pope! Pope!” Kie continued to try to calm him down. I should have helped her but it seemed like Pope needed to do this and I was too busy thinking about where the hell we went from here.

We watched him continue to smash shit until he finally broke down, hyperventilating. I moved closer to him while he sat down on an old couch. Tears streamed down his cheeks as I rubbed his back trying to help him breathe normally again.

“Yeah, dude. I was wondering when this was gonna happen.” JJ broke the silence as he took out a Juul from his pocket. “Here you go, chief. A little weed never hurt no one.”

“JJ.” I warned, we all knew that Pope tended to <keep the signal clear> as he liked to say.

“Relax, Sweetheart.” JJ smiled at me.

“You know he doesn't smoke.”

“Well, maybe not until today.” JJ responded more seriously.

“Pope, what is that gonna help?” Kie asked as Pope took the Juul from JJ.

“I lost my scholarship. Walked out in the middle of the interview.” Pope explained to us. “Every... It's gone. It's not gonna happen.”

“You did that for us?” Kie asked shocked, as if last night when she wouldn’t give him any other choice hadn't even happened.

“No, not for us. For nothing.” Pope stated before taking a hit.

“I'm here for you, Pope. Welcome to my world, okay?” JJ spoke up while Pope coughed on the vapour filling his lungs.

“JJ…” Kie tried to stop him.

“What, Kie? He's right. It doesn't matter anymore.” JJ argued.

I wasn’t paying attention to the three arguing as I noticed John B running towards us.

“Oh, my God! John B!” I called out alerting the others that he had finally found us.

“Is this yours?” JJ asked as he approached I noticed the blood covering his hands.

“Whose blood is that?” I added, concerned by what we had clearly missed when we had left.

“John B, are you okay?” Kie asked before we heard sirens driving past.

“Shit.” Pope muttered as we all waited for the cops to pass by and hoped they weren’t looking for any of us.

🔅🔆🔅

Kie shifted the car into park as she pulled up next to the police station. It loomed large over us and the dark cast shadows onto it. It almost looked as if it was telling us to stay away.

“John B, what are we doing at the police station?” I asked him from the back seat of the car where I sat beside Pope.

“Somebody's gotta tell them what happened.” John B explained as Pope coughed clouds of vapour beside me. I felt like I was getting high just sitting next to him.

“Ooh… Easy there, chief. Damn.” JJ commented as he reached an arm from where he sat in the far back to pat Pope on the back before he turned his attention back to John B. “All right. 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 cops, no matter what the circumstance is.”

“Your old man's an abusive liar.” Kie spat, the comment made me cringe, it was true but she didn’t have to bring it up.

“I agree with JJ. Fuck the police.” Pope spoke up after recovering from another coughing fit.

“You goin' to the dark side now?” Kie asked him, turning to look at us in the back seat.

“When's the last time the police helped us?” JJ asked John B, thinking back on the summer they hadn’t done any of us much good.

“Peterkin looked out for me, all right?” John B responded, it was clear that he felt guilty about what had happened. “Tried to, at least. They need to know.”

“Well it’s your call.” I concluded as John B opened the door. I felt like I should have tried to convince him not to go but I knew he wouldn’t listen.

We all watched him walk up to the dark building before looking back once and then continuing inside.

🔅🔆🔅

A silence had settled over us as we waited for John B to return from the police station. Suddenly the door was flung open as John B jumped into the passenger's seat.

“Kie! Start the car! Start the car, Kie!” John B urged effectively bringing us out of our shocked state.

“What? John B? What did you do?” Kie demanded as she fumbled with the keys.

“The cops!” John B supplied as he tried to catch his breath.

“Shit!” JJ muttered as I looked through the back window to see a pair of police officers running out of the building towards us.

“Go! Kie, drive! Go!” John B yelled as the cops got closer.

“I'm going! I'm sorry!” Kie yelled back in a panic.

“Stop the car! Right now!” One of the cops demanded as she knocked on John B’s door.

“What did you do?” I asked him, wondering what had gone so wrong in the station.

“Open it.” Pope said bluntly as the officer continued to run beside the car.

John B followed Pope’s instructions and the cop tumbled to the ground. Before anyone else to stop us Kie sped up the car as we took off into the night.

🔅🔆🔅

We all spent the night holed up in Kie’s car which had been parked under a run down awning just off of a back road. Pope and Kie sat in the front, JJ and John B were laying on the back seat which had been put down and I was sitting across from them leaning against the back window. None of us had slept a wink with the constant sound of sirens coming from all around the island. No one knew what to say as we sat quietly listening to the radio.

“Good news for residents of Outer Banks. Dominion Power says their underwater transmission line, which will restore power to 90% of the area should be functional within 24 hours.” The radio announcer continued with his morning news. “And still, no arrest in the shooting death of Sheriff Susan Peterkin. The state police have issued a statement regarding a local person of interest, - a juvenile from…”

The radio was cut off as Kie hit a button on the dash, an awkward silence fell over us. We all knew who they were looking for but none of us wanted to talk about. Well none of us but JJ who couldn’t stop talking about it.

“Let's game this out. Maybe you guys can help, being the smart ones and all, but…” JJ started before pausing to light the blunt he had just rolled. I didn’t even want to imagine how much weed him and Pope had consumed in the past twenty four hours. “...who are the cops going to believe? Ward Cameron or us? So the accuser is a bigshot developer, kind of lord of the island, got the governor on speed dial kind of person, and the accused... is John B, who is... pretty much a homeless 16-year-old boy at the moment.”

“Thanks.” John B muttered sarcastically.

“Okay, man. Yucatan, all right? I'm saying that's the only option.” JJ continued. “What other option do you have?”

“Enough with the Mexico bullshit. Sarah will bail me out.” John B reasoned, I couldn’t understand how he had so much faith in a girl he had only started hanging around.

“She did witness the whole thing.” Kie added to John B's argument for Sarah.

“Thank you.”

“And she's gonna snitch on her brother?” Pope asked.

“Not happening, bro. Okay?” JJ added.

“We've gotta get you off the island.” I spoke up, trying to think of how he could get away without being caught.

“The ferry. It's the only way.” Pope concluded.

“Exit stage left while you still can.” JJ added.

“If you still can.” I muttered under my breath, I wondered whether the ferry would still be open. It would not surprise me if the police hadn’t already locked down the island if they thought a cop killer was still at large.

“Sarah's not a Pogue, John B.” Pope reminded him.

“Yeah. You can't stay here, man.” JJ said.

🔅🔆🔅

The ferry dock was packed with people and as we waited for Pope to come back I noticed how many cops were amongst the crowd.

“Okay. Okay. All right, no.” Pope began rambling as he walked up to the car.

“Pope, can you act normal?” Kie asked, everyone's patience was wearing thin since we hadn’t slept or ate in awhile.

“So, um... okay, so, bad news. The ferry's closed, and there is this.” Pope continued passing a piece of paper to Kie.

“What is that? What is this?” JJ asked while Kie read whatever was on the flyer.

“Shit.” She cursed passing the flyer to me. I looked over it before turning it so JJ could read it.

“Well, John B, uh... this is a good framer of you.” JJ told him as I passed the flyer to John B to read it himself. “Okay, so the whole island's lookin' for John B right now. That's a lot of money. Congratulations, John B. You're famous.”

“Guys, we got to get to the HMS. We need small, no running lights…” Kie started trying to come up with a new plan.

“It's at the Château, Kie.” John B responded.

“And I wonder if the cops got the entire place staked out. Let me think. Oh, yeah. No. They definitely have that place locked down.” JJ spoke up.

“Yeah, copy that.” Kie said, trying to think of something else.

“Let me think. Just give me a second.” Pope muttered, but it was clear he didn’t have a plan, I couldn’t blame him though he was still high out of his mind.

“JJ.” I started, cutting off Pope’s rambling.

“What?”

“Does your dad still have that boat? The cigarette boat, the Phantom. The one he used to race.” I asked, recalling the races we used to go to years ago.

“Maybe.” He spoke unsurely as if he was thinking about where it had ended up.

“You could get right up the coast, no problem.” I explained, turning to look at John B.

“Okay, look.” JJ continued. “It won't be easy.

“The surf's running from three to four.” Kie muttered, thinking out loud.

“I don't know where the keys are.” JJ added.

“Well, find them.” I told him, thinking that a set of missing keys were the least of our problems right now.

“I'm thinking.” JJ tried to defend himself.

“Why is nobody moving forward?” Pope spoke loudly from the front seat.

“Can you relax?” Kie asked him again. “JJ, how much weed did you give him?”

“Um Kie. Your car's on the poster.” I said after taking another look at the poster Pope had found.

“Can we move it?” Pope demanded as he honked the horn.

“Pope!” Kie reprimanded him, he was doing the opposite of keeping a low profile right now. “It won't help.”

“Mom. Look.” I heard a little kid yell from outside. “It's that guy. Right there.”

“Shit. We got a snitch.” JJ muttered. “Pope, turn the car on.”

“Hey! We gotta go!” Kie urged Pope as more people continued to notice us.

An argument broke out outside over who had found John B first, as Pope finally got the car on before promptly rear-ending the car in front of us.

“Pope! Jeez!” I muttered as he turned harshly.

“It's okay! Pope, just go!” JJ told him as we finally got out of the parking lot by driving through the park.

“What are you doing?” Kie demanded as we sped down the road trying to make our escape.

“Watch out!” JJ warned as Pope continued down the road and ran into some mail boxes.

“Oh, my God! Pope!” I added. “You’re worse at driving than I am!”

“I'm livin' my best life now.” Pope laughed as he continued to swerve all over the road.

“My mom's gonna kill me.” Kie muttered dreadfully.

“I should be the last to say this, but you are not okay to drive. Stop!” JJ told him.

“John B, get out.” Pope said, it took me a moment to realize why he said it.

“He's right.” I added, half shocked that Pope’s brain seemed to be getting back to normal. “We'll draw the cops, you run.”

“I'll get the rig, and I'll meet you in the dump tomorrow, okay?” JJ asked as John B began to climb out of the car. “Three o'clock, okay?”

“Yeah.” John B confirmed, looking back at us for a moment.

“Three tomorrow at the dump.” JJ reminded him one more time before he took off into the field we were next to. We watched as he faded further from view before Pope took off once again, driving like an absolute lunatic.

🔅🔆🔅

Music blared from the stereo as I inhaled more smoke, after we had parted ways with John B I had joined Pope and JJ in getting high. It had helped relax me at first but now I just felt exhausted, the mixture of weed and not sleeping for two days was catching up on me. My head rested on JJ’s shoulder as I giggled at everything the two boys said.

“Pope, you clocked that car, man.” JJ said in almost a congratulatory tone. “Like, that was so bad!”

“I'm just glad I'm not driving now.” Pope said, which made me burst out laughing again.

“Pull over.” Kie demanded before looking into the back seat. “Iz, JJ, it's not funny. He shouldn't be driving.”

“Mama's mad.” JJ muttered to me, making me giggle again as Kie walked around the car.

I assumed Pope was switching seats with her until the door to my left opened and Pope ushered me to move over.

“What are you…” I began to ask, not wanting to be squished between the two.

“I don’t wanna sit up there.” Pope said while Kie got into the driver’s seat.

“Where are we goin'?” JJ asked as Kie began to turn the car around.

“The last place they're gonna look.” She said cryptically.

After that the car fell silent and I found myself drifting to sleep.

🔅🔆🔅

My eyes fluttered open at the sound of car doors slamming shut. My head still rested on JJ’s warm shoulder so I figured only Pope and Kie had left. My suspicions were confirmed when I heard the muffled voices of Pope and Kie outside.

“Last place they'll look because of how stupid it is.” I heard JJ call out to the pair causing me to sit up only to catch the two climbing over a wall. “Sorry Sweetheart, didn’t mean to wake you up.”

“What?” I asked, still groggy. “Oh no, you didn’t.”

We were silent for a minute as I continued to wake up. We were alone and now was the perfect time to talk. I had so many questions that I had been pushing to the back of my mind. I paused for a moment more to work up the courage to start talking.

“So-” We both spoke at the same time.

“Sorry, you first.” I told him wondering what he had to say.

“Oh I was just wondering how you slept.” He responded, it didn’t seem like it was the question he was planning as he stumbled over the words.

“Um good, I guess I didn’t realize how tired I was. So where did those two go?” I asked motioning to the wall I had seen Pope and Kie jump over.

“To see Sarah.” JJ answered bluntly.

“Oh.” I responded, it took me a minute to realize what he had just told me. “Wait what? Why are they going to see her?”

“I don’t know, Kie said something about Sarah being able to clear John B’s name.” He explained, my face twisted at the mention of Kie. We still hadn’t made up, I was still upset about what she had told me even if I shouldn’t have been. JJ seemed to notice my change in behavior as he asked. “What is up with you two? You never fight.”

“I don’t know, she said something about us.” I responded trying to keep it vague.

“Us?” JJ asked, waving a hand between us I nodded to confirm that was the <us> I was referring to. “What did she say?”

“Just that I should think about what I really want cause it might mess with everyone.”

“What would mess with everyone?”

“Us, if we were together. She thinks it would hurt the group.” I explained getting bolder with my words.

“Well did you tell her she has nothing to worry about cause we aren’t together?” He asked and even if he meant it innocently the words still pierced through my heart.

“No, I guess I didn’t say that.” I mumbled, before I opened the car door and climbed out. I felt like I couldn’t breath in the car and I also felt like I needed to put some space between JJ and I.

“Where are you going?” JJ asked, still totally oblivious to what he had said until I turned around with tears in my eyes and his expression changed.

“Can you just give me a minute?” I asked holding up a hand to stop him from following me.

I closed the door and as I watched the light in the car fade to dark, I let the tears spill down my cheeks. After a minute I heard the door on the other side of the car open and just as footsteps started to approach where I stood, I heard Pope climbing over the wall grumbling about Antarctica. The foot steps which I assumed were JJ’s retreated back into the car with Pope. I tried to pull myself together when I heard Kie climbing over the wall.

The last thing I wanted to do was go back into the car and sit next to JJ but to my surprise when I opened the door Pope was sitting where JJ had been and JJ was in the front. As I sat down I caught JJ looking back at me with a sad expression on his face, I self consciously wiped my cheeks again in search of any stray tears I had forgotten. I looked anywhere but the front seat and to my surprise when my eyes landed on Pope, he looked just as distraught as me. I took his hand in mine but didn’t ask about what had happened, if he did feel anything like me he didn’t want to talk about it right now.

Kie finally got into the car and started the engine. No one spoke as she drove off into the night. It was as if John B was our glue and without him we were all falling apart.

🔅🔆🔅