chapter three, dirty pogues

DAISY FOUND herself wandering along the outskirts of the beach, kicking up sand and watching the drunken teens make fools of themselves. One of them being Sarah Cameron.

Sarah had managed to climb up a fallen lifeguard stand, and was recklessly dancing on top. As soon as they got to the beach, she wasted no time filling her cup to the brim with an alcoholic beverage. Topper was currently at the bottom of the chair, pleading with his girlfriend to get down — sounding more like a concerned parent than boyfriend. Daisy took a small sip from her red solo cup as she watched the entire thing unfold.

Coming from somewhere back near the party, Daisy felt the uncomfortable glare of watchful eyes. It could only have been one person, and she knew exactly who.

Kiara had been nonstop staring at Daisy since the second she got there. Daisy caught her sneaky glances a couple of times at the start of the keggar, but now it seemed Kiara couldn't even be bothered to hide her hatred for her ex-friend anymore.

Daisy tipped the cup back into her mouth but nothing came out. "Hey, I'm gonna go get another," She gestured to her cup. "Be right back."

Sarah called out 'goodbye' to her as Daisy started walking in the opposite direction.

There was a large blue cooler full of ice, stuck in the sand. Daisy popped the lid and got a nice scoop with her cup. Then she picked up the nozzle of the tin keg beside it and aimed into her cup.

When nothing came out she flipped the nozzle towards herself to further inspect it, though, what she didn't realize was that her hand had still been holding down onto the release button. And before she knew it, she was covered in the sticky brew.

Daisy yelped, dropping the nozzle into the sand. She flailed her arms in attempt to shake some of the liquid off, but her attempts did very little.

"I think you were supposed to aim into the cup."

In that moment she could have punched whoever said that. However, the stinging sensation in her eyes was more bothersome.

"Really? No shit, thanks." She grumbled.

The mystery voice apologized, only aggravating her more.

"Here."

Daisy felt a piece of cloth drop into her hand. She really wasn't one to take random things from strangers, but her eyes were burning badly. Without word she quickly wiped her face clean. Now, able to see Daisy got a better look at the person standing in front of her.

"Pope?"

The nervous smile on his face was just enough to confirm that she was, in fact, not seeing things.

"Daisy."

He looked so much... older now. It made sense, they were barely thirteen the last time they saw each other. But it never really struck Daisy until this exact moment how much time had passed. He was at least six-foot now, they used to be the same height but now he stood four or five inches over her. His face had changed too, sharper, yet his features still carried that small innocent look. His hair was just as she remembered, his dark curls grown out. And Pope had always been lanky — even as a kid — but now his frame was broader and he even had a little muscle.

The two of them stood there looking quite star struck. Sudden memories from a childhood that felt so long ago flooded both of their minds.

The look of shock was stuck on Daisy's face. "You remember me?" Her words came out cautiously.

"I-I wasn't sure at first. Kie had said—" Pope stammered in his usual manner. "You're back though?"

"I'm back." Daisy nodded, and she certainly didn't miss Pope's mention of Kiara.

There was another beat of silence. "She mentioned you were here, but," Pope eyes inspected Daisy like a foreign specimen. "I thought maybe it was a mistake."

"Kiara." Daisy's suspicions had been confirmed. "She would probably hate that you're even talking to me right now."

Pope nodded at that. They both looked back towards the party to where Kiara was talking to some random people, her arms firmly crossed over her chest.

"What if I didn't really care what she thought?" Pope turned back to Daisy.

She was a little surprised at such a bold statement coming from Pope. John B may have been the ring leader of the group, but they all knew what Kiara says goes.

"Then me neither." She stated. "So, tell me. What have I missed?"

IT FELT NICE, really nice to talk to Pope again. He might've changed on the outside, but on the inside he was the same old dork he's always been. He still spewed random facts that made you question why a person would even need to know that. And he even talked about stupid 'adventures' lead by JJ, long nights out on the boat, parties at John B's house, and his scholarship.

Not that she expected any different, but it was weird to think everyone had just gone on with their lives in her absence. And she missed it all. The good and bad.

Big John had been missing for some time now, according to Pope. It was hard for Daisy to hear that the man who practically watched all of them grow up just disappeared without a single trace.

"—John B's living by himself now. His uncle is supposed to be his guardian but..." Pope trailed off mid-sentence. "Well, we help as much as we can."

Daisy bit down on the inside of her cheek. "I can't even imagine what he must be going through right now." Such a cliché thing to say, she thought to herself. But was there really any 'right' way to put it?

Pope scrubbed his hands over his face. "You know John, always optimistic. He still has hope."

"And you?"

He looked at Daisy, and then past her. "You came back." Pope shrugged.

"I left, I didn't just disappear." Daisy huffed out a laugh.

"You kinda did though."

Daisy was a little confused by this statement. But, before she could even react, Kiara was already storming towards them like a woman on a warpath.

Pope cursed under his breath. "I'll be right back." He attempted to quickly hurry off.

"Oh, no you don't Pope!" Kiara said pointedly before he could escape.

Once she reached the two of them, she yanked Pope by his shirt to keep him from sneaking away. Though, Kiara's sharp glare was pinned on Daisy.

In all honesty, Daisy thought this confrontation was well overdue by now. She was just about one more dirty look away from just going up to Kiara herself.

"What do you think you're doing?" Kiara looked Daisy up and down, which actually hurt Daisy's feelings a little.

Daisy didn't let that hurt show though. "I was having a conversation with Pope until you interrupted."

"Oh you were 'having a conversation' hm?" Kiara mocked Daisy's voice.

"What is your problem?"

"You." Kiara snapped. "You shouldn't even be here."

"Well I am, so—" Daisy dropped her arms to her sides and shrugged. "Get over it I guess." She began walking away.

"Wait!" Pope called after her, but she didn't stop.

By this point, all Daisy wanted to do is go home. So she started looking for Sarah and Topper. A small crowd had began to form down by the water. Daisy forced her way through in order to get a good look at what was going on. Pope and Kiara abruptly stopped just behind her.

She could only see the backs of their heads, but Daisy could tell it was Topper and Sarah.

In front of them was: John B and JJ. It almost didn't feel real to see them standing there, but low and behold. They both looked so different. JJ's hair, once buzzed short to his head, was now grown out just as wild as his personality. And John B had grown to become a spitting image of his father. Time was a funny thing, how it changes people. It almost made Daisy wonder how different she looked now.

JJ was holding up a cup and waving it in front of Topper and Sarah's faces. Daisy couldn't really tell what they were saying but it looked like an argument. Typical, JJ being a pest — even more so since he was clearly drunk.

Daisy rushed forward to get to Sarah. Then suddenly, Topper smacked the cup out the unruly blonde boy's hand — its contents spilling all over. There came a short scuffle when John B, and Pope rushed past to break up the two from a fight erupting.

Topper caught himself from stumbling back, Daisy helped Sarah with supporting him up.

"You guys look like idiots right now, just stop." Daisy huffed.

Sarah tried to move Topper's face to look at her. "Babe let's just go."

But Topper was pissed off now. "Dirty Pogues!" He shouted.

Daisy rolled her eyes at the pure act of immaturity. However, John B wasn't so subtle in his reaction to the insult, and came at Topper with a harsh shove.

"John B." Pope hissed. "We're supposed to be incognito, remember?"

If Daisy had time, she would've wondered what Pope meant by that. Instead she and Sarah tried holding Topper back again.

"Come on Topper, just drop it already." She grit through her teeth, struggling to keep hold of him.

"Babe, babe, babe, babe—" Sarah pleaded.

None of it was enough to stop him from immediately swinging at John B, striking him right across the face. Daisy instinctively jumped back, not wanting to get caught in the middle of their brawl.

An even bigger crowd began to form around the two boys as Sarah and the Pogues — apart from JJ who was cheering his best friend on — shouted for them to stop.

"Guys chill!" Sarah rushed to help her boyfriend, but Daisy held her back.

John B rolled backwards into the water after another blow, Topper stumbling after him. Daisy pulled at the sides of her face, her head was starting to spin and neither the alcohol buzzing in her veins nor the commotion around her was helping. She felt a body roughly push past her as she stood motionless in the midst of all the chaos.

Kiara whipped her head around with a pinched look on her face. "What the hell are you still doing here?" She snapped.

In her disoriented state, Daisy couldn't find the words. So she pointed to the fight directly in front of them.

"Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!" The teens around them began to chant.

Daisy missed it, but whatever Topper said, it really pissed off John B. The boy pushed himself up and used all of his strength to tackle Topper down to the water.

"Stop, you guys!" Kiara now joined in on the yelling match.

It didn't take long for Topper to regain the upper hand again. They both had each other in some kind of head lock, sending punches to the other's torso. They separated after another shove and paced around each other, panting heavily like dogs.

"Come on!" John B screamed at the top of his lungs.

Topper hopped side-side. "You wanna go?"

"NO!" Kiara and Sarah, ironically, screamed at the same time.

Everything after was a blur, their movements meshed together, every shout distorted. Daisy could only hear the sound of her own heart beat over it all. Thump thump. Even as John B threw a punch at Topper, just barely missing. Thump thump. And Topper body slammed the Routledge boy into the shallow waves. Thump thump. His legs kicked furiously as he struggled to breathe while being held down. Thump thump. The crowd cheering them on: 'Fight, Fight'. Thump thump. JJ is reaching for something in his bag. Thump thump. A gun.

Daisy lets out a shakey breath as JJ held a gun to the back of Topper's head. Sarah desperately called out to him as the Pogues screamed for JJ to stop.

"JJ! Stop!" Sarah cries.

"Did you say somethin', princess?" He yells back at her.

"Put the gun down!"

The absolute look of terror on Toppers face, even as he carefully tries to stand up, is visible from a mile away.

Daisy finally finds her voice again, "Jesus Christ! I think you made your point JJ, put the gun down." The weapon instantly sobered her mind. "Can you guys do something about him?" Even though she had been referring to all of them, her eyes found their way to Kiara who looked just as helpless.

JJ held up the gun above his head, ripping their attention from each other. "Okay, everyone, listen up!" His voice is raw from all the shouting. "Get the hell off our side of the island!" Shots rang out into the air.

Daisy ducked down, covering her head, even though the gun was aimed nowhere near her. The ringing in her ears buzzed over the voices of the Pogues scolding JJ for his erratic behavior.

Out in the water she could see John B slightly lift up his head. If she was paying close enough attention, she might've seen that he was looking directly at her, but instead she made a run for it back to Topper's car.

When she makes it back to where they parked, Topper is sitting on the passengers side of the car with the door open. Sarah is kneeled in front of him, presumably checking if he's okay. She jogs up to them, Sarah catching her in a hug midway.

"Fuck, I completely forgot you were back there until we got to the car." Sarah breathed. "Are you okay?"

Daisy nodded. She wasn't exactly 'okay', but for the sake of getting home quicker she settled. Sarah held out the keys in front of her, dropping them into Daisy's palm.

"I'm still shit-faced, and he..." She glanced over at Topper slumped over in his seat. "Can't drive."

"No worries." Daisy ran over to the driver's seat and plugged the keys into the ignition. Truthfully she barely had her permit. But again, for the sake of getting home.

DAISY DIDN'T GET much rest that night. She ended up not going back to Lorelei's house after everything, too afraid that if she asked for a ride home her aunt might ask too many questions. So she crashed at Sarah's house for the night.

They dropped Topper off at his house that night and took his car back to Sarah's, he would just have to find a way to get it in the morning.

Now, the next morning, Daisy jolted out of her sleep to the sound of her phone buzzing. She felt around the blankets until she found the device, tapping the screen to see four missed calls from Kai, a voicemail, and a new text message from Lorelei. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust before reading the message.

AUNT LORELEI: daisy where are you?
your brother and i have been calling everyone
all morning. please text me as soon as you get
this and i'll come get you.

Biting down on her lip, Daisy thought of how to respond. It would be inappropriate to explain what happened on the beach over text, so she decided to leave that part out.

DAISY: i'm sorry, crashed at the sarah's.
had a sleepover. please don't worry
about picking me up, i'll be home in the next
hour i promise. love you

Good enough, she thought to herself as she hit send. Moments later, a knock came from Sarah's bedroom door. Daisy panicked for a moment unsure of what to do when Ward Cameron slowly opened the door, peaking his head right in the direction of Daisy.

"Daisy? I didn't know you spent the night." He whispered to her, now fully stepping into the room.

She gave a sheepish smile in response, "Sorry, it's just—" And nodded her head in the direction of the sleeping Cameron girl.

Ward followed her gesture with a stern nod. "Do you need a ride home? I was just about to head out, your Aunt's house is right on my way." He folded his arms across his chest.

"Okay." Daisy pulled the blankets off of her body and quietly stood up.

The ride to Lorelei's house was spent in silence. Daisy wasn't very familiar with Ward, so she couldn't help but feel a little awkward having him drop her off. He was also very intimidating, his mannerisms, the way he presented himself. Everything.

He shortly pulled his pickup truck into Lorelei's rounded driveway. Daisy could see her brother sitting next to her aunt on the steps. They were both in pajamas.

Lorelei jumped up at the sight of the vehicle. When her niece finally appeared from the passenger side, a look of relief passed through her worried features. Then, to be quickly replaced with concern as Ward Cameron steps out on the other side.

She pulls Daisy close to her, cupping her face. By the dark circles under her eyes, it looked like Lorelei didn't get much sleep either. The two shared a non-verbal confirmation of Daisy's well-being. Just a mix of looks and a nod. Lorelei then allowed her niece to walk past her and into the house, followed by Kai.

The sound of the door shutting behind them was cue for Ward to speak. "Mornin' Lorelei." Ward sent the woman a smile.

Oddly, Lorelei did not return the gesture. "Ward." She said as a greeting.

"Found your girl at my house this morning. I don't know if she told you." He paused at the intense look on her face. "Well anyways, just making sure she got home safely." He continued.

"Thank you."

Ward sent her a nod and wasted no time heading back to his truck. On the way his eyes roamed the architecture of Lorelei's estate, a quiet whistle leaving his lips.

Her eyes never left his moving figure, Lorelei watched as Ward got into his car, and even as he left her driveway. They followed him until he was no longer in her line of sight. Lorelei's hands gripped the opening of her satin robe, pulling it around herself a little tighter.

AUTHOR'S NOTE——

okay so we got a pogue reunion ... sort of. but hey! at least all of them don't hate her (pope the forgiving king he is)

this is pretty much where i left off the last time i had this published, so now i have to actually start writing new chapters. but it gives me an excuse to rewatch the show now 🤭

anyways next chapter, we'll pick up from hereee. & i wanna know what you guy's guesses are for ward and lorelei's beef ?!!

as always vote & leave a comment <3