027
mr killing-is-nature

"So, Bianca..."

Ms. Lawson, a younger teacher with a penchant for neon-colored pantsuit sets, pushed her gold-rimmed spectacles further up her nose. Bianca watched her examine her academic transcript.

On the mahogany desk between them, a golden plaque read the words 'Margot Lawson — Guidance Counsellor.' After a moment, the woman sat back in her swivel chair with her hands clasped in front of her.

"Well, your grades are stellar, lots of extracurriculars, volunteer work," She explained, turning back to Bianca who sat across from her. "I'll be perfectly honest if you hadn't taken this past month off and kept these marks up, you would be well on your way to being accepted into any Ivy League School you wanted."

"It wasn't time off," Bianca tore her gaze away from her lack of manicured nails to stare at Ms. Lawson.

"Pardon me?" Her eyebrows drew together.

"'Time off' would assume that it was voluntary," Bianca narrowed her eyes, crossing one leg over the other. "This wasn't a vacation."

"Yes..." Ms. Lawson eyed the girl wearily, picking up one of her reports again. "I see. My apologies. Well, in any case, the way this usually works is, that I'd have to hold you back a year considering you missed twenty-seven days of school- almost six weeks. However..."

Bianca watched as she sifted through the slew of papers across her desk. She opened one of her drawers to pull out a brochure of sorts. Bianca couldn't yet read what it said.

"This is a pamphlet to an exclusive accelerated program. It's a course we run here at Kildare Preparatory," Ms. Lawson continued, sliding it across the desk. "I want you to have a look into it. It's generally for students whose parents tend to take them away from schooling for holidays or business endeavors at various times of the year. If you attend every day and pass all the classes, you'll have enough hours to legally advance into the next school year. Either way, it shouldn't be a problem, especially as you were already ahead. But this..." She pushed the pamphlet toward her. "This will put you back on track."

Each word out of the woman's mouth, and every letter on the front page of the pamphlet screamed privilege. Bianca was having a hard time believing her friends over at Kildare County High School would be receiving the same treatment.

"It's a little bit... unconventional in your circumstance," Ms. Lawson adjusted her glasses again, a telltale sign she was nervous beneath Bianca's stare. "But you're already ahead with your credit points and I'm sure the school board would be willing to look past it considering your mother's been quite generous with her funding—"

"I'll consider it," Bianca stood abruptly, grabbing her school bag off the floor.

In all honesty, school was the last thing on her mind. She just needed to save face and pretend like everything was okay in front of the adults. Just like last summer.

Bianca couldn't even fathom trying to understand the algebra in her textbook or write an essay on why Shakespeare did anything ever. Such small, trivial things meant nothing to her compared to everything else going on right now.

The girl turned to leave but before she could, Ms. Lawson interjection, "Ah- Bianca," She outstretched the hand holding the pamphlet toward her. "It's for your own good."

Bianca's eyes still flickered down to the paper. Some part of her, maybe the one that still held a little candlelight of hope to harsh winter winds, hesitated. The one who believed it was still possible to save herself.

Without another word, Bianca took the pamphlet from her teacher's hand before heading off to her next period. The moment she stepped out of Ms. Lawson's office, she felt like she could breathe again.

The thought of her future weighed heavy on her chest, making it hard to inhale. She wasn't even sure if she'd have one. But most of all, she was worried about Pope.

He was the only one who truly cared about having a higher education, someplace far away from this shit-hole of an island. And while she was getting handed her solution on a silver platter, she knew Pope wasn't receiving the same treatment.

After picking up her fall semester timetable from the front office, Bianca headed to her second period. She wasn't sure what was worse— having her peers stare at the back of her head all day or the whispers following her down the hallway like a shadow. She should've been used to it, especially after Sarah and John B had supposedly 'died' last summer but she wasn't.

Every squeak of the linoleum floors, blaring of the school bell, and grinding of pen against paper set Bianca on edge. Keeping her head down and pretending like she was fine wasn't working anymore. Nor did she have the energy to conjure up a glare menacing enough to scare away the freshmen asking her how she survived out in the open ocean.

By the time lunch rolled around, Bianca needed an escape so badly that eating her food in one of the bathroom stalls sounded more appealing than trying to take on the cafeteria, as depressing as it sounded.

But Bianca wasn't that desperate yet. She may not have had the courage for the cafeteria but she decided against hiding out in the bathrooms. She hadn't hit that kind of low yet. Thankfully, she had yet to encounter Scarlett, Peeler, and Mitzy, her old cronies of sorts. Kelce and Topper seemed to be missing in action too.

Bianca leaned against her locker, scrolling through her Instagram feed, despite that using phones on school property was grounds for confiscation. But as she swiped through the stories of kids from her grade, she quickly realized why all her ex-friends weren't in any of her classes.

Every time she refreshed the page, a new picture or video popped up. And every time, they were taken to the same location— the surf break at Mase. Each story was littered with red-solo cups and a bonfire blazing in the background as they made their own incriminating evidence for truanting school.

"What the fuck?" Bianca's eyes narrowed when she stopped at a picture of Topper, Kelce, and Scarlett chugging beers. She practically invented bonfire parties at Mase.

Bianca hadn't even realized she cursed aloud until the locker a few doors down slammed shut, and a new voice chimed in, "It's the surf break at Mase."

The girl who interrupted Bianca's enraged scrolling leaned her shoulder against the lockers. Her braided hair was tied in a ponytail but in the I woke up like this, effortlessly pretty kind of way. Her full lips were curved into an ever-so-slight smirk.

Bianca's glare never faltered as she turned to the girl. A vague sense of familiarity washed over her but she couldn't pinpoint it.

Despite Bianca's silence or maybe because of it, she took it upon herself to continue talking, "Everyone ditched," She arched an eyebrow. "Never thought I'd see the day Bianca Prescott didn't get invited to a party."

This time, Bianca scowled, "I don't need an invite."

The girl giggled, "Riiiight," She mused sarcastically, raising her arms in surrender.

"Okay- fine. I'll bite," Bianca's grip tightened over her phone which was still playing Instagram stories with kids from her school whooping and cheering. "Where's your invite?"

She crossed her arms, closing the gap between them, "My boyfriend invited me."

"Then why are you here and not there?" Bianca challenged, also folding her arms over her chest.

This time, she let out a resigned sigh, eyes flickering toward the phone, "Between me and you, I'm not a big fan of his... friends," They watched the next fifteen-second story of a group of teenagers pushing another off a boat. "So, here I am."

Bianca hummed although it was dismissive. She wasn't sure who this girl was and why she felt comfortable enough to start a conversation with her out of the blue but she picked the wrong day to do it. Bianca turned back to her phone. She wasn't really in the mood to entertain people.

"Look, if it's bothering you that much, why don't you just go?" The girl pointed out.

"No," Bianca shook her head. "No way..."

The next story came on screen, this time it was a picture with none other than Sarah, Kelce, and Topper. The two boys pointed at her with stupid, wide grins and cups of beer in their other hand.

Bianca's lips parted in disbelief at the same time the girl scoffed harshly, "Is that Sarah Cameron?"

Bianca blinked once, then twice to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. She couldn't believe she was watching her best friend hang with the boy who quite literally slut-shamed her for moving on from her abusive ex-boyfriend at the back-to-school bonfire.

The next story was a video of the entire beach crowded with teenagers. In the midst, Topper had his arm slung around Sarah's shoulders and they were chatting away animately.

The girl's nose scrunched in disgust, "Asshole," She whispered in what was supposed to be under her breath.

Bianca's eyebrows drew together, studying the girl from the corner of her eye, "What?"

She pursed her lips, eyes flickering between Bianca and her phone before conceding with a huff, "That," She pointed to Topper on the screen. "Is my boyfriend."

Bianca's jaw practically unhinged itself before pulling herself together. The realization that Sarah and Topper's flirting earlier was no longer innocent, hit her like the coconuts she wished would fall on John B's fat head back on the island, "You're Topper's girlfriend?"

"No, I'm Elena..." She gave a deadpan expression, waiting for it to click. "Elena Reedy. I sat behind you in Pre-Calc last year."

"Oh my god," Bianca's eyes widened but not for the reason Elena thought. "Sarah told me all about-"

Immediately, she cut herself off. Sarah always used to tell her, back when she was still dating Topper about this girl who used to always linger around, ready to pounce at any given moment. Bianca always thought her name was Alana.

"Nevermind," Her lips formed an 'o' shape, and refrained from finishing her sentence.

Although, Elena's words from earlier still rang clear in her mind— I'm not a big fan of his friends. Bianca was Topper's friend at one point. Did that mean she hated her too? I mean, she was the one to come up to Bianca, not the other way around.

Then, another video popped up. One of Kelce chugging his beer and then crushing the can on his head but the two girls ignored that. Instead, their eyes honed in on Sarah and Topper giggling and blatantly flirting with each other in the background.

Bianca's chest was alight. She couldn't believe Sarah. One fight with John B and she was already running back to Topper like he was some kind of safety net. Not to mention, Topper now had a girlfriend and Bianca needed to find out whether Sarah knew about it and chose to ignore it or was being lied to and left in the dark.

But Bianca was even more upset that Sarah decided to hang out with the people who made their opinions on JJ and the other Pogues very clear at the back-to-school bonfire. Bianca could still remember how infuriated she was when Scarlett called JJ a downgrade or the sickening crack of knuckles meeting bone during the fistfight that went down afterward.

Elena's lips curled in disgust the longer they watched Topper and Sarah swoon over each other, "Son of a-"

"Bitch," Bianca's eyes narrowed at Sarah's figure on the screen, a plan slowly formulating in her mind. She glanced over at the girl beside her with a newfound determination, "Hey, do you have a boat by any chance?"

"Uh," Elena's eyebrows furrowed. "I mean, my dad's got a Wakesetter I guess I could–"

"Perfect..." Bianca cut her off with a small, knowing smile. "Elena, call me B. We've got a party to crash."

Admittedly, partying may not have been the best way for Bianca to spend her afternoon considering there were more dire things going on. Like how JJ Maybank was no stranger to rejection and Rafe Cameron was particularly rehearsed in the art of making deals. It just so happened that these two things overlapped the very same afternoon.

When JJ arrived at the Marina, back where he used to work for his ex-boss, Billy, he knew he would have to grovel. What he didn't account for was practically having to get on his knees to beg for his old job back.

JJ vowed to make it up— he'd do anything. Scrub boats, clean fish, pump fuel, anything. All except for cleaning the bathrooms because of his 'medical condition' which made his gag reflex act up occasionally. But anything else and JJ was your guy.

Billy, however, didn't buy it. As it turned out, the Kooks no longer trusted JJ and his friends anywhere near their boats after Rafe claimed they stole his Catamaran.

Apparently, Rafe had been keeping his boat at the Marina because he didn't want JJ and the other Pogues around it. Guffy put the nix on it, and that was that. JJ was out of a job and the Camerons won. Again.

The blond boy was fuming so much, he could've had steam billowing out his ears. His combat boots made heavy thudding sounds with each step as he stomped through the Marina and past the Catamaran.

It was only when the very person he was infuriated with's name, echoed through the air, did JJ stop. Against better judgment, his eyes flickered over to the boat where he could hear another familiar voice cheering. He ducked behind one of the Marina's posts to get a better look.

"Oh my God! Damn, Rafe!" Barry, the drug dealer who jumped the Pogues on the side of the road, shouted. "Come on, Country Club! Bro, how are you gonna have this and not even tell me?! You got a whole damn YMCA up on this bitch, dude!"

JJ could see Rafe's shadow beneath the roof of the Catamaran, "Barry! Time to think, Alright? We need to make a move!"

"That's all we do, bro. We been makin' moves," Barry chuckled, leaning back into the seat.

"Yeah, well, we don't have much time. Yo, come down here. You're not gonna believe this shit."

Technically, this didn't count as eavesdropping, right? I mean, it wasn't JJ's fault they were talking loud enough for basically the entirety of the Outer Banks to hear. Even if it was though, he didn't give a fuck about these assholes.

JJ pulled off his shoes and dove straight into the water toward the Catamaran. He carefully treaded right below the boat so he was able to listen in on their conversation better.

"Yeah, right... Talkin' 'bout buyers. You seen any buyers?" Rafe pulled on a button-up over his bare chest as he made his way down the stairs.

"It's always business with you, bro," Barry called over the rap music playing in the back, following the boy. He reached for the small black briefcase, "I mean, I don't always live like this."

Rafe sifted through the mini-fridge for a drink, glancing away from Barry for a second, "I'm just saying we need to take this shit seriously, alright?"

The moment he turned back around, Barry was grabbing at the bars of gold they melted down the night prior, "Dude, bro. I should get a tooth made out of this, huh?" He lifted it to his smug grin.

"Look, don't be touching the shit- just put it back," Rafe told him, pointing to the briefcase.

"So paranoid, bruh," Barry mused but did as he was told. He lifted his sunglasses to get a good look at the Cameron boy. Rafe had come a long way since begging for eight-balls on his front porch.

"I don't give a fuck about the cross," Rafe sat down across the table from Barry. "I'm trying to make money. Now, sit down and shut up. I called you down here for a reason."

"Yeah," Barry scoffed, putting his feet up on the table. "To give me my cut," The briefcase was supposed to be his rightful share of the gold.

Rafe sighed, "I'm proposing a new deal."

"Proposing?" Barry's grin widened, stretching his arms behind his head. "Now you're talking, Country Club."

"Hey, I'm not kidding around, alright?" Rafe suddenly slammed the briefcase down, forcing Barry to snatch his fingers back. "This is real shit," He kept getting pissed off every time he imagined Bianca in that car crash.

"Alright- alright, don't get all worked up about it..." Barry rolled his eyes. "Sucks all the fun out. What's this new deal then?"

Rafe's jaw clenched, flexing his hand into a fist, and watched the rings he wore glint in the sun. Barry would get what was coming to him but first, he needed to agree, "I'm offering you a chance to be my business partner. No more of this half-assed shit. So, here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna piecemeal this shit out. One nugget at a time. Sell a bit here. A little bit there. Under the radar. Use the company to launder the money."

Barry rubbed the stubble under his chin, "Sounds too good to be true," He nodded. "What's the catch?"

"No catch," Rafe leaned back in his seat, knowing this opportunity was too good to pass up for a sewer rat like Barry. "We split it. Fifty-fifty."

Barry scoffed humourlessly, glancing away before turning back to Rafe with a narrowed gaze, "Then why do I feel like there's a 'but' coming?"

"You're right. There's one condition," Rafe conceded, rolling his shoulders back. He leaned forward to lower his tone, "You leave Bianca alone."

JJ, who had been gripping the side of the boat, trying to crane his neck to hear, felt his heart drop. Everything within him twisted and shriveled till he was sure he was going to throw up. Not only did Rafe and Barry melt down the cross but also, his girlfriend had something to do with it.

JJ excused a lot of her actions and even more of the things she said. But this? This was too much. Even for him.

Barry reared his head back, "What?" He pulled his legs off the table to get to his feet. "Oh, hell no, Rafe- there's no way-"

Rafe stared at his pacing figure, completely unfazed, "Sit down."

"No- hell no. Don't tell me you still got a soft spot for her, Country Club?" Barry ran his fingers through his short hair, chest rising and falling shallowly. "You don't understand what that bitch has cost me, bruh!"

"Hey!" Rafe rose to his full height abruptly, the chair behind him screeching to a halt. In one swift movement, he had Barry backed up against the side of the boat, pressing his forearm against his throat, "Watch your fucking mouth! You're lucky I don't knock your fucking teeth out for the shit you pulled—"

"She deserved it—"

JJ winced when he heard glass clanking to the ground, which he could only assume was the beer bottles on the table. Then, the familiar sound of knuckles meeting flesh— bone. JJ knew that noise all too well, and the audible groan afterward only confirmed it.

Barry shoved Rafe off from where he had him pinned against the table and held a hand to his throbbing eye, "Alright- alright! Chill out, man!" He pushed himself to his feet and straightened his shirt. He was definitely going to wake up with a shiner tomorrow, "You made your point. I won't touch your precious little girlfriend."

The muscle in Rafe's jaw jumped, grinding his teeth so hard he was sure they would snap. Barry deserved a hell of a lot more than a black eye and bruised lip but to keep Bianca safe, he needed to seal the deal. And that required not beating Barry till he was physically unrecognizable save for his dental records.

"Son of a bitch," Barry winced, rubbing his sore jaw. "She really has got you pussy whipped."

"It's not like that, alright?" Rafe ground out, his fists clenching and unclenching again.

"That's not what it looks like from over here, man. She may've got you fooled but she sure as hell ain't foolin' me," Barry wiped his nose, shaking his head. "You know she's the one who turned you in, right? Then she double-crossed me— you know how much shit I'm in with my supplier 'cause of her?"

"I don't give a fuck," Rafe grabbed his fallen bottle, the beer having splayed all over the deck of the boat, and propped it back onto the table. "Let's not forget, you turned on me too."

Barry paused, eyeing the Cameron boy wearily. It was a reminder that although they were business partners for now, they weren't friends. Their relationship came at a cost, a condition. And that condition was Bianca Prescott's safety.

"Whatever," Barry grumbled under his breath, retaking his seat. "Say, what happened to that new chick of yours, anyway? Sophie? Sofia?"

"That's nothing serious," Rafe reopened the briefcase, revealing the gold bars glinting in the setting sunlight. "This- this is serious. That's the deal, Barry. Take it or leave it."

Barry's eyes flickered between Rafe Cameron and the gold. Mr 'Killing-is-Nature' wouldn't hesitate to put a bullet through his skull if it meant ensuring his ex-girlfriend would live, and Barry knew that. From where he was standing, this wasn't so much of a deal but rather, a threat. He was backed into a corner.

"Alright, fine," Barry clicked his tongue. Besides, once they got rich, all the shit he was in now would go away, "Deal."

"Good," Rafe nodded, content with the man's submission. "That's all I wanted to hear. Now we can get back to figuring out which spots we hit so we can make some money off of this shit."

"I told you," Barry rubbed his nose at the remnants of a line they did earlier. He ran his hand over the gold, "My aunt, she got some contacts. She gon' help us move these little bitches. The gems, the nuggets, the whole damn melted enchilada."

"These gems are mint, man," Rafe scoffed. "The gold's bullion. We're sellin' it in bars, alright? I'm not gonna deal with some half-assed Pogue shit with some reject from Zales, bro, what are you talkin'—"

"Aye, bruh-" Barry interjected. "Watch how you speaking on my auntie, dog."

"I'm not talkin' about your aunt, I'm just-"

JJ had heard enough. In half-light, he stared down at the shadow his figure made against the rippling saltwater and it was anger that fuelled his fist as it broke through the deep azure.

JJ wanted to beg, plead, and get down on his knees for Bianca to tell him there was something else. Some deeper meaning. A reason she was still fraternizing with the enemy, Rafe Cameron, her ex-boyfriend of all people.

But JJ knew, no matter what he said, it would only push her further away. He couldn't brush it under the rug anymore, or act like whatever she was keeping from him wasn't tearing him apart inside.

The bitterness was rising like bile to his mouth and without the truth Bianca was so firm on keeping from him, he had no reason to swallow it anymore.

author's note. my best kept secret of this book: elena mf reedy!!!! she's briefly mentioned by topper to sarah on the way to the kook party in s3 and i thought there's no way this boy has a whole ass girlfriend and they never talk about her again. my favourite thing ever is to take little plotholes the show missed and fix them lol (pls hire me mr jonas pate). i'm so excited to write elena and for u guys to read about her, she's the cutest. i also imagine her character as yara shahidi ever since i watched 'sitting in bars with cake' because miss yara is just too perfect hehe <3 what did u guys think of this chapter? drop ur opinions/comments/questions/hate i wanna read it all hehe :)