EDEN was still with Kiara Carrera the next day. 

After the events of the day before, and with how upset Kie still was after her conversation with Pope—which Eden found out went no where romantically and that the Heyward was still keeping his crush a secret—Eden suggested she stay the night, to which Kiara appreciated.

Though sleepovers were nothing like they were when they were children—she'd go over to Kiara's house on the weekly with her bracelet kit, hair ties, nail-polish and whatever movies Kie wanted.  The two girls would braid hair, make jewelry, paint their nails in weird combos and just be girls—sometimes, it was necessary and was easily a way to make the Carrera girl feel better.

While she didn't have her usual supplies—yeah, remember? Eden wasn't allowed back home after the shit she'd pulled at Midsummers—she still made sure to stray from talking about Sarah or John B. and instead just acted like a good friend and kept Kie company.  

They watched Pitch Perfect and Grease singing along to the familiar songs in their pajamas—Eden having borrowed clothes from Kiara for the past day or so, pajamas included—until Anna Carrera asked them to lower the volume.  Eden would have made another bracelet for Kie, but she honestly wasn't sure where she'd last left her kit—it was either in the HMS Pogue or the Twinkie.  But, getting it involved going back to John B.'s, and she truly wasn't in the mood for it.

She would have brought her copy of Titanic too, but she also wasn't in the mood to get screamed at by her mother for running off at Midsummers—which honestly, hadn't ended up being a great idea.  Now, she was stuck with only her dress and had to wear the other's clothes, and couldn't return home to get anything.

Either way, the two friends had a good time—and for a moment, Eden was sure she almost made Kiara forget about John B. and Sarah.

But, now, it was clear Kiara Carrera remembered. 

Currently, Eden was sitting on top of the counter at The Wreck watching as Kie worked.  Instead of traveling to the Chateau like usual, Kie insisted they continue to ignore John B.  If he was going to choose Sarah, then he didn't need her or Eden for anything.

Eden, while rather wanting to go see if her friend had changed his mind, kept her vow to stay at Kie's side and complied, following her to her family's restaurant.  After running away at Midsummers, Mr. and Mrs. Carrera had reprimanded their daughter by giving her extra hours to work and without the boys, she had nothing better to do then fulfill them.

Eden offered to help, but Mike denied her offer, saying that it was Kiara's job to help out, not her's, to which the Bexley then decided it was best if she just lounged to the side and waited for Kie to finish up—maybe they could go to the movies or go surfing instead of just wallowing around. 

But, Eden didn't have time to ask that, because after an hour or so of watching Kiara work, her phone vibrated from her pocket.  Kie was busy grabbing an order for an early bird couple—Eden would never be in the mind space to dine and look so nice this early—so the Bexley decided against letting it go to voicemail and looked.

Looking down, she saw the Caller ID—Bubs; Outer Banks, North Carolina.

Eden let out a sigh before hitting answering the call.  "What do you want, Pope?" 

"We have a code red!"

"A code red?" the Bexley furrowed her brows.  Could they keep themselves out of trouble for one goddamn day? "I don't hang out with you one day and you dumb-asses have already gotten yourself into trouble? It's like—" she spared a look at the clock, "—ten o'clock."

"It's JJ and John B., not me."  Pope's voice came through again. She knew he was too smart to get into trouble. "They called me to call you for help."

Eden huffed, "Why doesn't JB call Sarah? He clearly wants her help more than me or Kie."

"Eden, please—wait, are you with Kie?" Pope asked.

"Uh, yeah.  We're both at The Wreck." Eden drawled, "Why?"

"Perfect."

"Pope?"

"Meet me outside. I'll tell you when you get on the boat." Pope didn't allow her to say anything else before hanging up.

Goddammit.  Now Eden felt inclined to get on the HMS Pogue, because whether or not she was mad at John B., she couldn't leave them in trouble—especially when she didn't know what happened and had no way of deciding whether it was serious or not unless she got on the boat with Pope.  God, sometimes she hated her motherly instinct.

"Hey, Kie!" the brunette girl yelled, causing said girl to appear from the kitchen with raised brows, "Pope called—something about Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb needing our help. Code red."

"If he needs our help so badly, he should have picked us." Kiara was clearly still holding the grudge.

"I know, and I agree, but—" Eden started, getting a small look from her friend, "—it's a Code red.  And Pope's already outside."

Kiara sighed, "Shit."

And with that, the two girls made their way to the boardwalk behind the restaurant—Kiara grabbing her book bag first.   The minute they exited the building, they spotted Pope's figure upon the HMS Pogue, the boy's pink hat making him slightly stand out.

"Code red!" the Heyward yelled, as if the two hadn't already been informed about the situation.

Kiara stepped down the small ladder to get down to boat level, "What the hell is going on?"

"Yeah, thanks for the information, Pope." Eden added.

"Okay, JJ and John B. conked out in the marsh.  They need a tow." the boy finally explained, watching as both girls narrowed their eyes at his words.

Eden crossed, "Why do they need us? There's two of them."

"Yeah, what does this have to do with me?" Kie agreed, stepping into the HMS Pogue.

"We need you for mechanical." the Heyward shrugged. 

Kiara's face fell as she bitterly muttered, "Mechanical."

 Pope then started up the engine and pulled away from the small dock.  He hoped that John B. and JJ knew what they were doing because Eden and Kie were going to be more than furious if this plan backfired—more than they will be if it works.

Eden looked at Heyward's boat with narrowed eyes as it came into view. 

She was still confused as to why her and Kie were called for help.  They'd been in situations like this before, and John B. and JJ were both more than capable of fixing whatever had gone wrong—in the OBX, learning how to work/ fix a boat was like learning how to tie your shoes.  It was a necessary skill to get by in life.

She'd seen both boys do so before.  There was no reason for Kie and Eden to be there—let alone both of them.  When Pope heard that the Bexley had the Carrera with her, he almost sounded pleased.  Eden had brushed it off as just having to take one less stop, but now thinking back to it, she was untrustworthy of all three boys.  What did they have up their sleeve?

"John B. and JJ are up in the Alp." Pope stated as he brought the small boat close enough to the bigger one ahead so both girls could get on. 

Kiara stepped on to the ledge of Heyward's boat, extending a hand towards Eden to help her do the same, "Can't you guys do anything without us?"

Pope stayed in the HMS Pogue—which was even more suspicious, because why wasn't he helping, being the genius he was?—watching as his two friends retreated into his father's boat.  Eden gave him a narrow eyed glance before following Kiara into the Alp, letting out a sigh when she saw John B. and JJ, shirtless and in their bathing suits, hunched over the engine. 

"Did the princess not learn how to fix a boat in primary school?" Eden made her appearance know with a sarcastic sadness, jutting out her bottom lip.  Despite being here in the flesh, she wanted the Routledge to know they were still upset. "Because it seems like you suddenly need us." 

Leaning against the door frame, Kie added, "Yeah, what happened?"

"Uh, the alternator's, uh, not alternating anymore." JJ loosely explain, a screwdriver in his grasp, showing he'd been trying to fix the part of the engine. 

John B. looked up at the two, adding, "It's not charged." 

Eden sent him an odd look, as he was wearing a giant hat on his head for relatively no reason before asking, "Did you check the plugs?"

"No. No, you should check 'em." JJ spoke, he and John B. glancing at each other before standing up from their crouched position in front of the engine.  They passed behind the two girls—Eden flicking both of their ears as they passed because, did they really forget to check the plugs before calling for help?  

"Yeah, give it a whirl."

"You guys are useless." Kiara muttered, taking the screwdriver from the Maybank boy.  She was still going to help, even if she was upset.

"Sorry 'bout that." JJ added before finally disappearing into the main cabin with John B. 

Eden furrowed her brows. The two were acting rather suspicious and stupid—more stupid than usual.  Why hadn't they checked the plugs before needing the help and why hadn't Pope been able to do it for them? 

Shining her phone flashlight down on the engines for Kiara, both Pogues narrowed their eyes as they were met with the sight of.....no plugs?  No wonder the alternator wasn't alternating, there weren't any goddamn plugs.

"Uh....is this a joke?" Kie asked the boys behind her—or, who she thought were behind her anyway.  "There are no plugs, like, at all."

Eden turned her head to the cabin, "Hey, dumb asses—"

"Sayonara!"

A splash followed the call, and Eden eyes widened.  Oh those fucking assholes.

"Shit." Kiara muttered before rushing away and from engine and to the cabin, looking in the distance to see their friends swimming towards the HMS Pogue about thirty feet away—no wonder Pope had stayed in the boat.  They needed a getaway driver.

"John B.!"

The two girls stopped dead in their tracks, sharing a glance with each other.  No, they couldn't have.  They wouldn't fucking dare.

"John B., let me out!" A loud banging sounded from the storage, "John—John B.!"

Kiara crouched down and pushed open the storage and peering inside to reveal Sarah Cameron looking right back at her.

Sarah's face twisted into confusion as her and Kie stared at one another, before she glanced behind her ex-best friend to see Eden too, who was sharing a similar look of confusion. "What? Wait—"

"What the hell?" Kiara exclaimed before running off towards the edge of the boat, leaving Sarah down in the storage.  Laughter echoed from the waters, "Guys!"  Eden didn't hesitate to join her friend at the edge, looking out in the distance to see John B. and JJ climbing aboard the HMS Pogue.

"Are you serious?" Sarah shouted.

Kiara let out a similar yell, "Are you joking?"

"Boys!"  Eden didn't give a fuck that she was stuck on a boat—she and Kie would have chilled.  She was more worried about the fact that she was stuck on a boat with Sarah Cameron and Kiara Carrera.  "You can't leave me with them like this!"

"Get your asses back here!" Kie roared.

"We can't!" John B. called back from the HMS Pogue, "Not until you two figure it out.  And, Eden? You're the mediator—sorry!"

"The mediator?" Eden's mouth was agape with shock. There was no way they were about to leave her with the two enemies like this, "John Booker Routledge, you're my best friend!  You—you can't do this to me!"

"I will kill every single one of you!"

"You—You can't just leave!"

"No more bracelets—ever! John Booker Routledge, Pope Alexander Heyward and Jesse James Maybank get your asses back here right now and take me with you!"

JJ's head whipped towards the others, "Eden's mad, guys. Maybe we should just take her—"

"No, she—she doesn't mean the no bracelets." John B. shook his head.

"But she used full government names." JJ couldn't deny the fact that he got scared of Eden when she was mad.  It was like a mother scolding a child—and while he didn't have a mother to be scolded by.....Eden was close enough. "I can't tell you the last time someone called me Jesse James." 

"She's fine." the Routledge insisted, "You'll get another bracelet next week because this is going to work.  If Eden's there, they won't kill each other—plus, if she sees Kie getting over her grudge, she'll loosen up too." 

Pope gave details to the angry girls, giving two thumbs up. "There's food in the cabin, and JJ rolled a blunt!"

"Hydroponic!" the Maybank made an okay sign with his hand.

"Hydroponic? Who are you Lana Del Rey!" Eden yelled.

Frustrated, Sarah kicked off her shoes forcefully, "This is ridiculous!"

"Well, I would rather drown here then stay here with you, so...." Kiara unbuttoned the shirt she'd been wearing.

"Fine, be my guest. Maybe you'll finally shut the hell up."

Eden rolled her eyes at their banter. They'd been here no more than a few seconds and the two enemies were already arguing.  Based on the fact that they had food stored on the boat, and with how serious they were, the three boys weren't coming back until at least tonight—hell, probably not until tomorrow morning.

"I'm going to need more than one joint if I'm surviving the night with them." Eden muttered under her breath, watching as the Kook ripped off her shirt to reveal a whiter, flower printed bathing suit. 

Kiara unbuttoned her shorts, firing, "You don't even know where you're are going."

"I don't care." Sarah stubbornly replied, stepping on to the edge of the boat.  The Bexley was slightly surprised that Kiara didn't shove her in then and there.  

Eden remarked, "Good luck with the oyster beds. I hope you know how to swim."

Sarah ignored her and dived into the ocean below, "Wait!"

"Godspeed." Pope called, speeding up.

Eden looked over the head, watching as the Kook tried swimming towards the boat with rather horrible form.  She wasn't getting anywhere with that—especially with the Heyward not hesitating on speeding up.

"Wait! John B., you asshole!" 

"Change your form, Princess." Eden called out, watching as Sarah tried her best to swim towards the HMS Pogue.  From the boat, the boys waved with smiles—ignoring the blonde and acting as if they hadn't just ruined Eden, Sarah and Kiara's afternoons. 

From beside the Bexley—now in just a maroon two piece—Kiara yelled, "They're not coming back for you." 

"Love you guys!" JJ yelled from the boat, his voice sounding distant already.  God, they really had just done this.

"Make sure they don't kill each other, Eds!" John B.'s voice was next, "Bye!"

"Fuck you, John! Fuck you too!" Eden put up both her middle fingers, making sure it was the last thing the three boys saw before they disappeared into the distance.  "Fucking great—"

A shriek of pain cut the Bexley off,  and both girls onboard the boat looked to see Sarah's head going under the water.  As she resurfaced with wide eyes, Kie asked, "What?"

"Oh my—I got stung by the jellyfish! Shit!" the Cameron girl exclaimed before letting out a whimper of pain, "Ah!"

Kie turned away, "Dramatic."

Eden on the other hand couldn't help but feel slightly sympathetic. Getting stung by a jellyfish hurt like a bitch, and to her, Sarah's reaction looked natural.  She slowly swam her way back to the ladder, letting out cries of pain as she made an attempt at climbing back on board.  There were sting marks on the side of the blonde abdomen, the rest of the area a medium pink.

Kiara was not sympathetic in the slightest, "Well, you swam right into a man-o-war.  Don't know what you thought would happen."

"Kiara."  Eden warned, giving her a small look.  At this point, the comments being made were unessacary.

Sarah also seemed to be unappreciative of Kie's continuous comments, "Thanks for your help."

The Cameron passed both Pogues and sat down on the floor, leaning against the edge of the boat for support, clearly in pain.  "Shit. Ow."

"Does it hurt?"

 "Hey Eden and Kiara? You know what they say....about curing jellyfish stings?" Sarah looked at the two other girls with a pained expression, watching as they shook their heads, having no clue what she meant. "You have to pee on me."

"Actually that's a myth." the Bexley states, debunking the famous myth, "It actually worsens the pain. The chemicals in your urine could bother the stinging cells that may still be on your skin, which could activate more venom."

"And you know this how?" Sarah raises a brow.

Eden gave a grin, "I'll give you a hint; it wasn't my pee."

Sarah stared at the half Kook, trying to figure out whether she was lying—and if she wasn't, who peed on her.  From beside the Bexley, Kie spoke up. "I have a better idea."

As Kiara disappeared, Eden helped Sarah up to the helm of the boat, the two girls sitting in utter silence until the Carrera girl replied—blunt and lighter in hand.  The Cameron sent her a small look, the curly haired girl muttering, "It's for the pain."

"JJ, bless."

Kie put the blunt in her mouth, lighting the item with a small click.  She inhaled twice from it before holding her hand towards Sarah, offering it out.  The blonde went to grab it, but couldn't as it was taken back, the Carrera having second thoughts.

"Really?" Sarah scoffed, taking the blunt from the curly haired girl's fingers.  She took a long drag from the item.

"Go easy, this is not your regular stuff." Eden warned from beside the Kook.

Kiara nodded, "It's JJ's cousin's Cripple."

The blonde ignored the warnings, and when she pulled the blunt from her lips, she immediately began to cough. Eden turned away to keep from getting a face full of the Cameron's germs, the blonde placing her face in her elbow—manners coming to mind.  

Taking the blunt from in between Sarah's fingers, Eden placed it between her own lips.  She hopped off the helm, saying, "I'm gonna go find the first aid kit." Her words were muffled by the blunt. 

 This was going to be a long night.

mara's misc!

this chapter was really fun to write! 

i decided to put eden with kie and sarah just because john b would def force her with them.  he knows that if she sees kie forgiving sarah, then eden will too.   also, eden is the mediator in every situation so like.....

again me and kens have struck up a deal.  this is sorta our thing now,(go check out waves, hurricane and euphoria—her other obx fics—as well as her other books)  love you babes <3

anyway, i literally have like a really light chemical burn on my face (okay maybe im being dramatic but idk).  last night, i tried to do some skin care and put on the cleanser my mom bought me, used a little exfoliating brush, washed it and put on lotion.  then i put on this medicated cream that i have.  somehow i fucked that up and either a) the cleanser is just too strong for me, who doesn't do skin care often or b) i accidentally rubbed my medicated cream where it isn't supposed to be—my moms thought.

i don't know which one it is but im so done with this rash-looking redness around my nose.  like i look like i had an allergic reaction to some food and its pissing me off.  im being really self conscious and feel so gross.

anway......

hope you enjoyed<3 see you back with chapter 18!