𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐎𝐍𝐄 , 𝐄𝐏𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐃𝐄 𝐒𝐈𝐗
𝟏𝟔:𝟒𝟓 - 𝟐𝟕:𝟏𝟑
𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘨: 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 » 𝘵.𝘈.𝘵.𝘜

❦

Kie and I push through the porch doors, our eyes being met with four others - the boys and Sarah. Out of instinct my face screws up in a grimace and I glance over at JJ almost immediately, who just shrugs in response, his eyebrows conceived together in sympathy.

"No. No fucking way," I snarl, leaning on a beam across from Sarah, who's just awkwardly sat on the couch.

"You brought her here?" Kiara spits, shaking her head in disbelief, "So. . . what? She's in on this now?"

John B's eyes widen and he glares at Pope, wanting some advice on how to answer the question carefully without pissing us off more.

The blonde boy purses his lips, "Look, all I care about is her cut comes out of your share." He points at my brother.

"You know, I don't remember taking a vote." Kie tilts her head, resting back on the porch fence.

I nod in agreement, "This is our thing." I lift up a finger and motion around the room at my best friends, "A Pogue thing."

"I gotta say, I'm just a tad uncomfortable with all this." Pope speaks up, sitting down on the arm of the chair JJ's resting in.

"When are you not uncomfortable ?" John B raises his eyebrows.

"I dunno. I rode here on the back of JJ's bike pretty comfortably." He retorts.

JJ nods, lips pursed in agreement, "That's true. Most relaxed I've ever seen him."

"You know we were all extremely comfortable until you brought her." I glare at the blonde girl in front of me, my tongue running over the top set of teeth.

"Stop talking about me like I'm not here!" She raises her voice.

I lean forward slightly, chuckling lowly, "Then fucking leave. No one's stopping you," I say slowly, tilting my head.

Sarah scoffs, rolling her eyes before moving her head to look at John B, "I told you."

"Told him what, exactly?" Kiara snaps, her eyebrows furrowing, "That you're a liar?"

"No, that you're a shit talking bitch!" Sarah spits harshly, her face pulled into a grimace.

"Oh?" I laugh, stepping forward but JJ shoots up out of his seat, swiftly moving behind me and keeping me close to his chest, "Who do you think you are, Sarah?," I snap, my idea of knocking some sense into her going out the window.

Her eyes flick to me and the tall boy behind, "Have you told them?" she smirks, and her mood suddenly changes, making her strat to giggle in excitement.

My face falls slightly, before my eyebrows raise, "Told them what?"

"About you and him," She points at the boy holding me, her smirk only broadening the more she speaks.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" JJ mumbles, his grip on my arms tightening slightly.

"I saw you both; the night of the Kegger, the one where, uh, John B nearly got drowned. JJ and you were fully making out away from everyone else. I had just finished peeing and I was going back to topper and I noticed you both on the tree line." she explains, her smile widening once my face drops.

I relax into JJ's hold and I feel his breath hitch for a second, swallowing hard at the words that left her mouth.

"Shuts the fuck up, Cameron." I hiss, my head shaking.

"Is that true, Ava?" John b slowly turns his head to me. I ignore him and continue to stare at Sarah, making her reposition herself uncomfortably in the seat, "Ava." My brother clicks his finger, making her head to turn to him, "Is that true?"

"Yes, it's true. It's fucking true!" I let out a laugh, licking my lips, "And thanks to this—"

"How long?"

"Huh?"

"You heard me, A. How long?"

"Not long. A few weeks, maybe more." JJ tells him, his jaw clenched while he slowly releases me.

Kie smiles brightly, looking to the floor and Pope sits leans back, smirking at the fact that they already knew.

"You all knew? Wow, guys. Wow." John B scoffs, "My best friend, Ava, really?."

"I'm so very very sorry." I say sarcastically, my hand rested on my heart before I point back at JJ, "He's the only guy in my life who seems to actually care about me. All you care about, John B, is gold. You're starting to sound like a Dad, and it's infuriating."

Sarah leans back in her chair, resting her arms above her head in a comfy fashion.

"And you," I point at her, "don't get too comfortable, this is my house as well. I can kick you out whenever I want." I fall back into another seat, my chest pumping up and down in anger, "Sarah, I hope you rot in hell along with your mother fucking brot—"

"Ava, shut up!" John B yells, glaring over at me, "Look, Kie, you're my best friend, right? Ava, you're my twin sister. And yes, I'm so fucking mad at you right now, but we're still blood." He points at Sarah, "And Sarah, you're. . . you're my. . ."

She nods gently over at him, "Say it."

"You're my girlfriend," He finishes, swallowing thickly and I feel the blood drain from my body.

I throw my arms up in the air and slide down in my seat, "Of course she is. I mean, come on, who isn't nowadays?" I roll my eyes.

"She's your girlfriend now?" Kie tilts her head, "What was all that talk about you were just using her for information?" She looks over at me, "You remember that, Ava?"

I hum, placing a finger on my chin, "Yeah. What was it again? Uh. . . Get a map, then cut her loose."

Sarah rolls her jaw, her soft gaze turning to a hard glare at my brother, "You said you were using me?"

"No," He rushes.

"Yeah, you did." All of us reply in unison, glancing over at each other, "You said those things."

"Look, love just walked in, okay?" John B shrugs.

"Oh, that's disgusting. I'm gonna throw up." I gag, causing JJ to laugh, quickly covering it with a cough.

"Vomit," Kie grimaces, glancing away for a second while her face pulls into a grimace.

"I didn't expect it. It just— it kind of happened," He shrugs, "And I'm not gonna deny it. Right?"

"Oh," Pope shakes his head in disgust, "That's corny."

"So fucking corny," JJ agrees with a snort.

I lean forward in the armchair, my elbows resting on my knees, "If she's in, I'm out."

"Same thing with me," Kiara says.

"Me or her?" I snap at my brother, watching as he shakes his head, trying to deflect the question, "John B. Sarah or me?"

"Both." He shrugs.

JJ whistles, "Went for the Hail Mary."

I stand up out my seat, laughing in disbelief, "You pick a Kook, who you've known for about three days, over your twin sister that you've known since the day you were born. You," I prod his chest, "Need to get your priorities straight."

I turn around, pulling the porch door open before jumping down the steps into the garden and slamming the door behind me, not looking back while I walk down to the beach, hearing JJ shout at John B angrily.

Did not want today to go like this.

~~~

"I brought your cig pack." Pope walks calmly up the dock, before sliding down beside me, both of our feet kicking the top of the water, "There's only one left, but I think you need it."

I sniff, wiping my nose with the back of my hand before gently taking the cardboard box from him, sliding the remaining cigarette out and grabbing my lighter from my back pocket. I flick my thumb against the flint wheel a couple of times before a spark is finally formed, allowing me to finally breath in the intoxicating air, "You're a life saver, Pope."

"Well," He chuckles, "Not really. As seen as those things kill you. But I suck at comforting people, so..."

I smile over at him, "It's fine. I'm the exact same," I turn my head away from him and breath out the smoke, wafting it away before any of it goes near him, "Where's J?"

"In there." He nods his head back to the Chateau, "He's angry. I wish I could apologise for John B but, I can't."

"I hate him sometimes," I bite my lip, focusing my eyes on the delicate ripples of the water, "He can just be so careless and inconsiderate. I never spent much time with Dad, but I know that he would be shouting at John right now for being so selfish." I furrow my eyebrows, shaking my head, "Actually, no, that's a lie. Dad would be congratulating him right now for making me seem like an idiot."

Pope slowly reaches his hand across to pat my back, his thumb carefully rubbing up and down. He opens his mouth to speak but no ideas of how to comfort me come to his mind so he closes his lips again, allowing both us to listen to the noise of the water and wildlife.

"He's an idiot." I say out of nowhere, blowing out another puff of smoke, still directing away from Pope, "A massive fucking idiot." I clear my throat, "Uh, how's Kie?"

"I went to talk to her." He removes his hand from my back, placing it in his lap again, "She thinks the same as you. And hates him just as much. He really has upset you both a lot, I don't think he realises."

"Of course he hasn't realised." I scoff, rolling my eyes, "He doesn't care who he upsets, he just wants what Dad wanted, and it's exhausting."

"I know, I know." He sighs, taking a breath before smiling in an attempt to reassure me, "But, hey, look on the bright side... John B only thinks that you and JJ kissed."

I slowly turn my head to him, holding my cigarette between my index and middle finger, "You're right." I chuckle, "You do suck at comforting people."

"Told you." He slips his feet under him, pushing himself up into a standing position, "I'll leave you be. I'm sorry about how your idiotic brother treats you, Ava, I really am."

I glance up at him, smiling gently, "Thanks, Pope. But you don't need to be sorry, it's him."

He nods and purses his lips before spinning on his heel, trudging back along the dock and towards the Chateau. I blow out another puff of smoke and turn my head to the water again, the busy thoughts running around in my mind.

THIRD PERSON POV:

"What did they both say?" JJ questions as  Pope walks through the door while the blonde grabs a bottle of beer out of the fridge before backing away and leaning against the kitchen counter, John B sitting silently beside him.

It's fair to say that JJ has shouted a shit ton at John B once Ava left and Sarah was advised to go home. It was no secret that the blonde boy was was pissed, so he'd shoved him a few times and tried to make him realise how much of a dickhead he was being.

"That you're an idiot," Pope grumbles towards John B and walks past JJ, leaning next to the sink.

"It's a no-brainer," JJ takes a swig from his beer, "You are picking Ava and Kie."

"Look, I can't make a decision." He shakes his head, letting his bottle rest in his lap.

JJ clenches his jaw, "So, what? We're just dead in the water because you're pussy-whipped? We can't do this without Kie and Ava and you know it," He throws his  bottle cap into the bin beside John B.

"And I can't do it without Sarah," He sighs, "Okay? They all have to be in on it."

Pope pushes off the counter and opens the fridge, "We'll, good luck with that."

"You know what?" John B stands up, "I know this was my fault, alright? But it's our problem." He wanders into the living room, "And you two shitheads are gonna help me out."

___________

i'm ill rn 💔