𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝

I may or may not have pregamed before leaving the house with a buzzball and some jello shots and I may or may not have also convinced Sarah to pregame with me.

Which is why I was completely unaware where we were going... until we fucking arrived.

"Wait-" I pause, looking wildly out the window. "Uh, where are we?"

I see Topper and Sarah glance at each other.

I kick Topper's seat. "Topper, where are we?"

Sarah spins around. "Come on, Cor, you said you'd party and have fun."

I slowly sit up, fully looking out the window knowing exactly where we are. I glare at her.

'I didn't know.' Sarah mouths.

'You're dead.' I mouth back, already feeling ill— and no, not from the alcohol, yet, I can hold my liquor a bit better than that.

My eyes travel back out the window, setting on the red solo cups in people's hands. Pogues, Kook's, Tourons.... every crowd is here.

And he's here. I just know it. I couldn't get so fucking lucky otherwise.

Welp, shitfaced just turned into blackout drunk tonight!

"Topper can scoop my puke up with his hands later then." I pat his shoulder before hoping out.

"Wha-" I slam the door shut behind me before he can say otherwise.

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"Sarah, look!" A buzzed Cori giggles as she nudges Sarah's arm, pointing to the sand-sunken buoy.

"Let's go!" Sarah ushers, moving over to the bright red box she starts climbing to the top of it.

"Sarah! Sarah, be careful, okay?" Topper shouts, catching the attention of someone...

"What is she doing here?" Kiara abruptly asks behind John B. interrupting his conversation with a girl.

"Huh?" He glances over his shoulder at Kie before looking forward to find Sarah sitting on top of a buoy... just as Cori's head pops up beside her.

Oh, great.

"Cornelia! What are you two doing?" Topper continues, thankfully for him Cori was too busy laughing to cringe at her full name, though she would also dislike Topper calling her by her nickname... maybe she just doesn't like Topper.

He steps up beside Sarah reaching his hand up but Sarah bats it away. Kelce appears beside Topper.

"Don't worry, Cornelia, I'll catch you." Kelce winks up at her and she looks him up and down in disgust.

"Mmm, no thanks, I think I'll just break my neck." Cori mutters causing Sarah to snort before Topper holds his arms up and she falls into him. He spins her around as Kelce offers Cori a hand.

"I'm a big girl, Kelce, thanks." Cori hums, hopping down into the sand. Since moving to Figure-Eight, Kelce has hit on Cori many times. And at one party, or maybe two, she almost made out with him... okay she did.

He wasn't ugly by any means. She just found him insufferable most of the time like she does every Kook.

But, oddly enough, it wasn't just Kook's she found insufferable anymore...

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝

The sun has long since disappeared, the beautiful glow of the full moon casting down on the beach. Cori rests her elbows on the fallen tree that people turned into their seats for the evening.

Meanwhile, JJ has been staring daggers at her pretty much since he figured out she was here.

John B. blows out a breath, exhausted and fed up for the night. With Kiara's bitching that Sarah Cameron was there and JJ's anger that he couldn't believe  'Cori had the fucking audacity to even show her face on The Cut since she's too good for any of us to be in her presence now'... he's had enough to last him a lifetime.

"You ready?" Topper asks Sarah and she nods. "Let's go." He rises to his feet.

Cori rolls her head back to look at him. "One sec, lemme grab a drink for the road."

She makes her way over to a keg with only a couple people in line, as JJ tracks her every move.

"I'll be back." He pats John B.'s chest.

John B. turns following JJ's hard gaze and immediately shakes his head. "Mm-mm, no, JJ, no." He reaches out for the blonde's arm who quickly slips out of the gasp. He had no idea the exact scheme JJ just cooked up in his mind, but he knew it wasn't anything that was going to end well. "Don't start something, please." John B. calls after his exasperatedly.

As Cori raises back up from the nozzle to bring the plastic cup of cheap liquid up to her lips the cup is swiftly scooped right out of her hand, drops sloshing out.

"Ah-ha, I don't think so, Princess." JJ's harshly spits out, shaking the red solo cup in his hand.

Cori's spine tenses as her nostrils flare at the sound of his voice. Her jaw tightens as her eyes slowly trail up and meet blue.

Fire swirls in his eyes as he stares at her. "You see, this is for those who are welcome here. Not trashy, stuck up, wannabe-"

All thoughts leave Cori's brain as she angrily acts fast, grabbing the girl's drink from behind her she throws it in JJ's face.

Cori beams as JJ's whole body rumbles as beer drips off his hair.

"You're bitch." JJ shouts at her.

Cori laughs, manically. "And your dick is small."

JJ's chuckles lowly, taking a step forward he leans in til him and Cori are almost touching nose's. The familiarity of her perfume stings, but he pushes that to the back of his furious mind.

"Oh, shit." John B.'s widen as he shoots through the crowd, hurrying over to where his two best friends are inches apart.

"You and I both know that's not true." He smirks.

Cori scoffs before shoving him back hard and he laughs, hair falling in front of his face as his cocky smile shines.

"Oh my God, fuck off!" Cori shouts at him.

"Woah, woah, what's going on here?" Sarah rushes up behind Cori, brows furrowed in heavy concern, Topper right behind her.

"Nothing, we're leaving." Cori's just heaves up and down.

"Oh, hey Sarah." JJ's happily welcomes her, his eyes remaining leaving Cori. "Can I interest you in a tasty Milwaukee beverage? Cori suddenly changed her mind. Funny how she does that, huh?"

"No, thanks." Sarah answers flatly.

"Come on. Is it not fancy enough for you?" JJ fires back lightly.

"Hey, you know what? I'll take it." Topper speaks up. "I'll- Than you, man. I appreciate it."

"That's nice suggestion there, Topper, but I didn't ask you." JJ points to him as Topper tries to reach for it. "If you said pretty please-"

"Mmm, use to having to beg for it, are we JJ?" Cori narrows her eyes him.

John B. swallows, standing by JJ. He'd be far more amused to mess with Topper if Cori didn't look like she wanted to commit murder, or already did.

"Pretty please." Topper stresses, throwing his hands up and suddenly Cori found she liked him much more than she originally have him credit for. Perhaps she was too harsh.

"Yeah, so, Sarah. You can have it. Cori already lost her chance." JJ says, pushing the cup in front of Sarah's face before Topper slaps it out of his hand, sending the second beer of the night all over JJ.

"She doesn't want it, you-"

JJ shoves Topper before he can finish before grabbing a fist full of Topper's shirt.

"Okay." Sarah quickly lets out.

"No, no, no, no." John B. jumps in, pulling JJ back and Pope appears beside them.

"Hey."

"Yeah, get your fucking dog under control, John B." Cori barks out.

"You're so funny, man." JJ shouts. "Almost half as funny as Cori!"

"Dirty Pogues!" Topper hollers at them.

Oh, fuck, Cori sighs to herself when John B. dives back over and pushes Topper back.

"Oh!" Sarah raises her voice.

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

Topper starts right back over to them. "Babe, babe, babe, babe-" Sarah rushes out, desperate for this to be over, but before Cori can blink Topper rears his arm back and his fist flies into John B. sending him down into the waves washing up.

"Oh, fuck." Cori let's out. "Topper, alright, enough!" She wishes that could've been JJ but...

"Hey, John B, don't make me drown you like your old man, all right?" Topper taunts and suddenly Cori's ears start to ring as rage fills her body. Topper kicks him in the stomach.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" The crowd chants.

"Cori, Cori, don't-" Sarah tries to stop her as she storms up to Topper ripping him back as her palm goes flying across his cheek catching him off guard.

Cori looks down at John B. as he looks at her and she ignores the stabbing pain in her chest as she nods. "Kick his ass." And with that she shoves Topper back and John B. tackles Topper back into the water.

"John B, let it go!" Pope attempts.

"Stop, you guys!" Kie appears and her voice pulls Cori's attention over everyone else's chants.

John B. and Topper make it back to their feet, punching one another's sides as they move around in a circle before pushing each other towards the crowd.

"Topper, stop!" Sarah yells. "Cori, do something!"

"Like what?" Cori looks at her. "Topper deserves it after his comment!" She roars at Sarah who looks taken aback. She's never seen Cori this angry before.

Topper and John B. separate, they begin pacing, stalking their opponent. Kie rakes her hand down the side of her face in stress.

"That's what I'm talkin' about! JJ encourages.

"Come on!" Pope adds.

"Yeah, you wanna go?" Topper shouts before swinging his arm around John B.'s head. John B. stumbles back.

"Stop!" Kie hollers. "John B!"

Topper swings again but John B. dodges this time, getting some licks of his own on Topper's ribs. Topper wraps his arms around John B. but John B. tosses him away, back into the water.

Cori knows John B. wasn't going easily. She was honestly proud.

"Come on, Topper!" He screams. "Let's go! Come on!"

Topper makes it back to his feet once again. They swing some more, blocking one another well.

"Oh my, God." Sarah looks like she's about to pass out. She grabs Cori's arm.

"Come on, man." Topper says as John B. barrels towards him Topper grabs him and flips him over him, slamming John B. into the water.

Cori squeezes Sarah's arm as her eyes widen at Topper sitting on top of him.

"Topper, stop! No!" Sarah screams.

Cori gasps as Topper holds John B. face down in the water, waterboarding him. She storms over.

"Alright, Topper, that's enough!" She snaps. "You had your fun, let go."

JJ paces, now worried.

"No." Pope lets out.

"I know." Kie says.

Pope turns to Kie frantically. "He's drowning him."

Cori's throat begins to close at the sight of John B. drowning. Topper grips John B.'s neck, squeezing down.

"Topper!" Cori struggles to breath as she pulls at his arm. "You're gonna kill him!" She screams. Topper shoves her back off of him and she stumbles, grabbing at her chest as she can't breathe, her entire body locking up.

The second Topper's hands landed on her and John B. stops being lifted up and down for air he moves behind Topper, clicking the safety of his gun as puts it up to Topper's head.

Topper's mouth falls open as he gasps.

"Yeah, you know what that is." JJ says, hovering over him. "Your move, broski."

"He's got a gun!" Someone yells and the crowd begins to sprint off.

"JJ!" Sarah yells at him. "JJ! Stop! Put the gun down."

"Did you say somethin', sweetheart?" JJ shouts back at Sarah.

"We're good. We're good." Topper rushes out.

"Put the gun down!"

Cori's heads spins as John B. moving out of the corner of her eye brings her back to reality. She gasps in relief.

"All right? Come on, man!" Topper tells him.

"Kie! Can you check your psycho friend, please?" Sarah spits out.

"Nothing to say?" Kie looks at me, ignoring Sarah. Cori stares at her, the hurt written all over Kiara's face.

"Okay, everyone, listen up! Get the hell off our side of the island!" JJ roars, holding his gun up in the air before firing.

"Are you crazy? You idiot!" Pope yells at him.

"Stupid!" Kie hurries over, shoving JJ's shoulders.

"Why would you do it?" Pope asks JJ, getting in his face.

"I'm saving his life, okay?" JJ yells, pushing him back.

"You're gonna jeopardize everything!

"It's not worth it!" Kie shouts at him before looking back at Cori.  "Why, Cori, why did you have to start!" Kie looks at her.

Cori's face contorts ridiculously. "Me?!" She laughs. "Why don't you ask your gunman over here, huh? Since you're taking his side."

Kiara nods. "Like you're taking theirs?" She points to Sarah and Topper.

"Please." Cori scoffs.

Kiara shakes her head, looking at her best friend who was no longer hers. Cori wouldn't yell at the boys with her anymore. She wasn't going back to the Château with them. No.

She chose her side.

And her side was with the one person Kiara couldn't stand the most.

And it hurt her. It hurt her more than she would ever admit.

Cori Hendrix betrayed her. She betrayed all of them, running around all summer buddy-buddy, arm in arm with Sarah Cameron. Living it up in the lavish life of Kook.

At least that's what they all think. Mostly Kiara and JJ, but John B. and Pope could see with their own eyes Cori was no longer theirs.

"Just go." Kie says to her.

Cori shakes her head, feeling like she was ready to hurl the entire night out.

She was ready to throw it all up and then sleep it off and forget this night ever happened....

But itwas just the beginning.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝

𝟘𝕓𝕦𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕓𝕚𝕤𝕔𝕦𝕚𝕥𝟟 𝕤𝕡𝕖𝕒𝕜𝕤!

Hey, heyyy!! Welcome back to Lavender & Seashells <3333

A long overdue welcome back at that lol, butttt... HAPPY OBX DAY!!

This chapter has been planned for literally ever since the very beginning idea stages of this book, lots of pressure Ik!! But I hope y'all enjoyed ittt!!

The angst, the dramaaa, the JJ & Cori fight, hehe!! Anddd Kie & Cori's little argument bc Kie would def say something & my girl feels hurt & betrayed too so she needed to get that off her chest !

Anywaysss, lemme know what y'all think! Can't wait to hear your thoughts, questions, & reactions!! And until next time, mwah!