042
homeless and on the run (again)

The Chateau was more than a place to crash for the Pogues.

It was a shelter. A refuge. It was port after being lost at sea.

To watch it burn... that was hard.

The fire department left a couple of hours ago, salvaging what they could— which didn't turn out to be much. With nowhere else to go before they left for South America, the Pogues huddled together in silence, covered in soot from the inferno.

They sat in a row, staring at the blackened and charred remains of John B's house. Now and then, what little wood remained standing after the firefighters doused the place down, peeled, and collapsed to the ground.

The air surrounding them was still. The wind carried away the most of the ash. Now, it only stained their skin and the smoke clung to their clothes.

"Could've been a faulty electrical wire," Pope offered, bringing his knees up to his chest.

Just as he spoke, another piece of burning debris fell to the ground, taunting him. The fire department told them it wasn't a hazard anymore and the final few flames would die down eventually.

"Place was all wood," Kiara hummed, her gaze vacant as she watched the scene with resignation. "A tinderbox."

"T'ing just went up," Cleo deadpanned. "Boom."

John B scoffed bitterly, "This was just the icing on the cake to our shitty week."

Bianca rolled her eyes, turning to him with a glare, "Okay- I told you. It wasn't the cupcakes."

"Well, what else could it have been?" John B shot back defensively.

"She's right," Pope interjected before they could start arguing again. "It started outside. Fire department said so- quick thinking calling them by the way."

"Yeah, what good did it do?" Bianca let out a tired sigh, resting her head on JJ's shoulder.

Bianca was devastated. She couldn't even begin to imagine how John B must be feeling. JJ too. Both of them grew up here. Even Pope and Kiara sought comfort in this home, which wasn't technically theirs, but always felt like it.

JJ wrapped an arm around Bianca's shoulder, drawing her into his side. He knew he should've been more upset about the Chateau burning down but with his girlfriend beside him, he couldn't bring himself to be.

For JJ, home was never a place. Sure, he made some memories at John B's house but after spending the past few months running for their lives, all he could think about was how grateful he was.

JJ placed a comforting kiss on the crown of Bianca's head. Grateful for his friends and his girlfriend. That they were all here with him, and they made it out alive. That's all he needed.

At least they still had the tree. The one with the memorial of John B. The fire department saved it before it could go up in flames. It stood tall behind them now, shading them from the morning sun and casting shadows against the burnt grass.

"Verdict's in bro. Whoever's up there..." JJ wiped some of the soot off of his cheek and shook his head. "Does not like you."

Bianca punched JJ's shoulder, causing him to let out a quiet 'ow.' At the same time, Sarah finally lifted her head from John B's shoulder and shot him a look, telling him to shut up.

JJ sighed, patting his best friend's shoulder, "'M sorry."

They lapsed into another moment of silence, turning back to the Chateau. It felt a bit like a funeral. An ode to their childhood, of sorts. They weren't the same since they returned from Barbados nor would they be after coming back from South America.

JJ flung an empty beer bottle into the debris, and it resounded with a shattering crack. Kiara couldn't even bring herself to chastise him for littering.

It was kind of poetic, Bianca thought. Not the part about John B being homeless and on the run (again). The part where they really did have nothing to lose. Whatever happened in South America, they had to be all in. No looking back.

Sometime later, Sarah reminded the others that Ward's plane would be waiting on the airstrip for them to arrive. If they were heading to South America, they needed to start getting what was left of their shit together. There was no time for wallowing or pity parties. Big John was missing, exiled, and threatened with execution.

The Pogues ended up at the end of the dock, leaning against the handrails and watching the marsh water trickle by. Overhead, thunder rumbled, causing the wood below to tremble. They had to get moving— the storm would only delay their travels.

"Sarah," John B turned to her. "When did you say the pilot was getting in?"

"Probably like an hour?" She shrugged. "I mean, once he's here, my dad says we can leave whenever we want."

"Okay, well, as much as I would love to ghost my parents again," Pope piped up from where he was sitting on top of the railing. "I can't."

"Neither," Bianca hummed, leaning beside Cleo.

"Pope, B- we're talking El Dorado here," JJ glanced over his shoulder to face the group. "Can you like, just like- slip out the back, maybe?"

"Great advice," Kiara mused sarcastically.

"I mean, it always worked for me," The blond boy scoffed. "How to avoid unpleasant circumstances 101. If there's a problem, you don't wanna face it- turn that face and keister around and walk the other way."

"I'm not doing that, okay?" Pope hopped off the railing.

JJ let out a breath of frustration and turned his back to them once again, "I just want you to be there, dog."

"I'm gonna be there," Pope reassured firmly, his gaze flickering between the others. "I'll meet you guys at the airstrip in an hour?"

"Yeah, we'll see you there," John B nodded.

"'Kay, one hour, Pope," JJ warned, throwing a small stick into the marsh. "Not a second later."

Cleo began following after him, "T'ink you should let me talk, Pope. T'ink your Mom kinda likes me."

"I don't think it's going to be pleasant for either of us," He snorted.

"I'm going too," Bianca pushed herself off the railing. "I think I kinda owe it to my Mom."

"Yeah," John B nodded. "Yeah, see you in an hour."

"JJ?" Bianca nodded toward the end of the dock. "Walk me out?"

"I'm gonna take a stroll back to the shack," JJ's hair rustled in the breeze as he took his girlfriend's hand. "For old time's sake. I always wanted to go to South America. Great surf, cheap weed."

"Yeah," John B whispered under his breath, head hanging low.

"See you guys on the tarmac!" JJ called back as he and Bianca made their way down the strip with their hands swinging between them.

"I guess I'll go pack some stuff and..." Kiara also hopped off the railing, sending Sarah and John B an uncomfortable smile. "Break the news to my parents."

"How do you think your mom's gonna take it?" JJ questioned lowly as they continued walking.

Bianca scoffed, rolling her eyes, "Do you even have to ask?"

Before JJ could say more, Kiara jogged up behind them, "Hey, Jayj, B- wait!"

The couple slowed down, JJ leaning against the railing while Bianca stood behind. Her eyebrows drew together as the curly-haired girl wrung her hands together. JJ couldn't seem to look Kiara in the eyes either.

"Just, uh, last night, you were..." Kiara trailed off, shoving her hands in the pockets of her denim shorts. "You were saying something...before the fire? About, you know, that whole entire money clip and dad situation?"

"Uh, yeah- yeah, that, right, um," JJ fumbled, his eyes darting toward Bianca who was trying to look anywhere else but them. "Well, um, I was just trying to say, uh- that wasn't that cool and... I'm kinda beating around the bush a little bit, but, um, I'm..."

"Yeah?" Kiara hummed, squinting through the sun's glare.

JJ's gaze flickered toward Bianca again and he hesitated. This wasn't the kind of apology he wanted to make in front of her.

He didn't want it to feel forced or like she was his parent making him be sorry because JJ was sorry. He regretted it the moment he stole that money clip and that was exactly why he didn't want Bianca around when he did apologize.

JJ wanted to be a better person but not because she was forcing him to be one. But because he wanted to be one for Her.

"I'll tell you what," JJ turned back to Kiara. "I'll tell you on the plane. Just make sure you get on."

Kiara scoffed, "Right."

"Right," JJ nodded, taking Bianca's hand and tugging her down the dock.

"I'm gonna hold you to that!" Kiara called after them.

"I'm sure you will," JJ chuckled lowly.

"So glad you're not stalling," Kiara shot back.

Once they were enough of a distance away, JJ whispered, "Don't say a word."

Bianca pursed her lips, hiding a smile, "Wasn't gonna," She couldn't help the pride soaring through her heart.

It took a little longer to reach Figure Eight, considering she didn't have a car anymore but Bianca didn't mind the trek. In fact, she welcomed it. It gave her time to come up with an excuse for what to say to her mother.

But upon reaching home, Bianca quickly realized the rehearsed script she made up in her head was pointless. Convincing her mother to allow her to go to South America, when she hadn't even left the Outer Banks (save for Barbados) was pointless.

"Bianca Prescott you get back down here this instant!" Lydia screeched from the bottom of the staircase.

"Mom, honestly, truly, I would love to talk this out with you," Bianca dismissed, taking two steps at a time. "I would but it really isn't up for discussion!"

"You think you can just waltz back in here and announce that you're flying off in Ward Cameron's private jet to the jungles of South America with your hoodlum friends and just expect me to be okay with it?!" Lydia trailed after her, nails digging into the stairwell's railing. "Bianca, are you even listening to me!?"

Bianca ignored her, throwing various items into a random bag she dug out of her closet. Spare clothes, her phone charger, toothbrush, some tampons. She wouldn't be making the same mistake twice.

Lydia let out a noise of exasperation at the doorway, "Bianca, stop and just listen to me- if all of your friends jumped off a cliff, would you do it too!?"

"Trust me, you don't want to know the answer to that," Bianca scoffed. She had probably already already done that, "Look, I get it- you want to protect me. Keep me safe because you love me," She huffed out a breath, zipping the bag closed. "But we were stranded on a deserted island for a whole month! I know you think I can't take care of myself but I can! I mean, I'm practically an adult!"

"Oh, enough!" Lydia rolled her eyes, hands planted on her hips. "You are nowhere near an adult and frankly, right now, you're acting like a child!"

"Mom, I-I'll never ask for anything again?" Bianca offered, whirling around. "Actually, no, I can't promise that just- just think about the college essay!" Her eyes lit up. "Yeah, I'm gonna write an essay about my experiences with the Indigenous tribes in South America- Columbia would eat that shit up-"

"If you leave right now, who knows if you're even going to get into college!? That is not what this is about, B," Lydia's lips curled into a snarl. Her heels clicked against the floorboards, "This is about you jumping head first into a war that is not yours to fight-"

"Mom, what am I supposed to do? Big John is in trouble!" Bianca protested.

"And why must you take it upon yourself to make that man-child your problem!?"

Well, she's not wrong, Bianca couldn't help but think. She didn't voice it, however, and instead whirled around, bag in hand, "Because John B is my friend!"

"So let him go!" Lydia crossed her arms over her chest, eyes set into a narrowed glare. "You're not the one who got him into this mess. Why should you be the one to get him out!?"

"You don't get it, Mom," Bianca squeezed her eyes shut with a groan while shoving an empty water bottle into the side pocket of her bag.

"Then help me!" Lydia finally snapped, striding forward. "Help me to understand, B! That's all I want! I'm on your side just- just help me..." Her arms fell limp by her sides.

Bianca's fingers tightened over the bag, unable to turn around and face her mother. She feared if she did, she wouldn't be able to go through with this South America trip.

Bianca kept her eyes trained on her bedpost, "It's bad enough..." She trailed off with a shaky exhale. "That daddy tried to cover up Big John's death but after what I did...?"

Lydia's stared at her daughter's tensed shoulders, "Bianca..."

The girl inhaled sharply, "You know he wanted to turn the boat around?" She whispered. "The Coastal Venture. They had the cross, the gold- everything. But the moment he found out I was on the boat...?"

Lydia hesitated, shifting on her feet. This, she hadn't heard yet. Hearing that Michael's last few hours alive was doing something redeemable, made a shiver travel up her spine. Maybe there was something within him still worth forgiving.

"Mom, he was prepared to change course and leave everything behind," Bianca struggled to get the words past the lump in her throat. "Maybe, if we made it home, he would've changed his mind. Maybe, he would've changed-"

"You don't know that, Bianca," Lydia interrupted, eyebrows drawn together.

She knew more than anyone, those hours she spent praying, and wishing for her husband to come back to her were fruitless. You can't change a man who didn't want to be helped and no matter how heroic his last few moments were, Michael's sins were too far gone for him to live a normal life again.

"Exactly," Bianca argued softly. "I'll never know. Just like he will never know that Big John's alive. He will never get to make up for the mistakes he made," She threw her bag over her shoulder. "But maybe I can, for him."

By then, Lydia's eyes were glistening with tears, grateful the girl was yet to turn around, "Don't put that on yourself. What your father did had nothing to do with you-"

"It had everything to do with me," Bianca shook her head. "He- he begged for my forgiveness. He was- and all he wanted was- he just-"

"He never would've wanted this, Bianca," Lydia shook her head.

Her father's voice on the tape recording replayed in her ears, "Everything I did, no matter how heartless or inexplicable or unjustifiable, was... for you."

Bianca's voice hardened, "Well, you don't know that either."

Before Lydia had the chance to convince Bianca otherwise, footsteps resounded up the staircase. Soon enough, Teodoro and Pilar were joining the party around Bianca's doorframe.

The younger girl rolled her eyes. Her grandparents would only make things a hundred times worse.

Lydia was quick to dry her eyes, "What are you doing here?"

Teodoro greeted his daughter with a kind kiss on the cheek, "No uses ese tono con tu madre," [Watch your tone with your mother]

"Reginald let us in," Pilar tutted, giving Lydia a stern look. "Now, what's all this fuss about?"

"She wants to go to South America," Lydia threw her arms up in exasperation.

Pilar clasped the rosary around her neck, "South America? What for?"

"Yes, go on, Bianca," Lydia scoffed before beginning to back away out the door. "Tell your Abuelita about how you want to go to South America for some stupid treasure with those Pogues you call friends."

"Mom!" Bianca's lips parted, staring at her mother's back as she left the room. "Seriously?!"

"I tried not to interfere, mi vida, but those kids are bad news," Pilar began rambling, still gripping her beaded rosary as if they were the devil spawn needing to be exorcised. "I mean, did you see what that Routledge boy did to Topper? That was malicious."

"Pilar-" Teodoro tried to diffuse the situation.

"They've been through a lot," Bianca tried to defend, crossing her arms over her chest. "John B too-"

"That's not an excuse," Pilar cut her off immediately. "I don't think you should be hanging around them, Bianca, let alone flying off to a different country with them-" Before Bianca could argue back, she whirled around. "Lydia, is this how you've been parenting her? To run around wild-"

"What?" Lydia gaped, returning with her hand clenched around something Bianca couldn't make out. "How did you somehow manage to turn this back on me? She's the one you should be berating!"

Bianca rolled her eyes at her mother's childish tone. She could see now, the similarities between the two women and why Lydia was so critical of her. She could never break the cycle.

"Maybe if she had a better role model for a father," Pilar lifted her nose in the air, arching an eyebrow. "Even Michael wasn't this bad! Running around for treasure and gold like this- it's maldito- it's cursed, Bianca! I mean, honestly-"

"Papa!" Lydia turned to her father for help.

"Don't look at me like that, corazón," Teodoro raised his arms in surrender. "You know what your mother's like."

"Are you-" Lydia groaned, throwing her head back, "Mamá, you are so impossible to please! God, nothing I do is ever good enough for you!"

"What did I tell you about using His name in vain?" Pilar's eyes narrowed sternly, crossing her arms over her chest.

That seemed to be the final straw because Bianca swore, she saw the moment her mother snapped. Lydia pushed her shoulders back and tightened her hold over the object in her hand, "That's it."

Bianca's eyebrows drew together as her mother ushered her grandparents out of the room and stood in the doorway. Her mind was slowly putting the pieces together but it was too little too late. By then, Lydia was already gripping her door knob.

The same door knob her father installed after she came back from rehab and was on house arrest. The doorknob which no longer had a lock from the inside. The one she hadn't even noticed had a keyhole from the outside.

"Mom...?" Bianca took a step forward, meeting her gaze with pleading eyes. Her grandparents hovered in the doorframe behind the woman, also watching curiously.

"I am so sick of everyone thinking they run this goddamn house," Lydia's voice was low but each word was laced with venom. "Mamá, you have no right to tell me how to parent my own daughter when you were never there to be a mother in the first place, and Bianca," She snapped her furious glare toward the girl. "You want to write a college essay? Fine. Go ahead. I can't wait to read what thought-provoking discoveries you learn from the comfort of your bedroom!"

The door slammed shut with a deafening bang! And what followed could only be described as deafening white noise. Realization dawned on Bianca that her chances of making it to the Orinoco with her best friends were suddenly reduced to nothing.

"Mom?" It took a second to hit her but when the girl heard keys jingling, her pounding heart lurched. "Mom!"

Bianca darted forward to reach for the door, desperately turning and twisting the metal knob to no avail. Her breaths were shallow, her chest rising and falling unsteadily. She couldn't believe this was happening to her for a second time. 

"Mom, Mom- no, no, no!" Bianca pleaded, pounding her fist against the door. "Mom, please! You don't understand! I can't do this right now! Mom!"

Bianca could hear her grandparents arguing on the other side but she couldn't make out the words over her laboured breathing. She was trapped. Again.

"You can't do this to me! I have to go- I need to be there!" Bianca pleaded hoarsely, rapping her fist fervently. "Mom, please!"

She could hear the heartbreak in her mother's voice despite her earlier anger, "Bianca, I don't know what else to do!" Lydia squeezed her eyes shut from the other side. "I don't know how else to keep you safe!"

"You- you can't do this!" Hopeless tears sprung to Bianca's eyes, feeling her determination waver. "Let me out! Mom, please!"

"I can't," Lydia whispered, pursing her lips. "I'm sorry."

Teodoro hesitated from behind the two women, "This is not right, Lydia."

"You heard her," Pilar interjected, taking him by the elbow to lead them downstairs. She placed her other hand on Lydia's shoulder to pull her away, "She won't listen, nor will they learn. This is the only way."

When Bianca heard their footsteps retreat downstairs, she knew her chance at escape was getting slimmer by the second. She whirled around to gauge her options and the balcony caught her eye. JJ managed to scale it more than once, so how hard could it be, right?

Bianca strode across the room and almost ripped the glass doors off its hinges. But the moment she leaned over the railing to assess the drop below she quickly realized a problem with her plan.

Bianca, who ever since she was born, had bellboys holding elevator doors open for her, was no match for someone like JJ, who practically grew up climbing trees to seek food for his next meal. If Bianca tried to scale down, no matter how much crazy she experienced in Barbados, she was surely to plummet to her death.

Bianca spun around and headed back into her room. She tried to wrestle the covers and sheets off her bed, which proved a little more difficult to tie together considering her pillowcases were silk.

It couldn't have been more than a couple of minutes of desperately tying knots before a quiet thud resounded from her balcony. At first, Bianca paid no mind to it, too focused on the task at hand but then, it was followed by the soft scraping of metal.

Bianca's eyebrows drew together as turned to notice the top of what appeared to be a ladder peaking over her balcony railing. Her heart leaped to her throat and she dropped the sheets in her hands.

"There's no fucking way," Bianca whispered, peering over the railing.

At the very bottom stood Reginald, holding the ladder in place. He squinted up through sunlight and with a soft smile, whispered, "You better be grateful your Abuelita's been teaching you all that Spanish."

Bianca broke out into a wide grin, slapping a hand over her lips to stifle her excited squeal, "Reginald, you're the best!"

"Shh!" The man shushed her, immediately sobering up. "Okay, hurry, get down here. I'll hold it steady."

Bianca did as instructed. Halfway down the ladder, she realized she left her bag back in her room but it was too late to turn back. At least she had her phone in her back pocket. Soon enough, her family would realize she was missing and her window to escape would close.

When Bianca's feet touched the lawn, she let out a sigh, "Just like old times, huh, Reg? You and me on a mission."

Reginald gave her a deadpan stare, lowering the ladder onto the grass, "Don't get used to it."

Without waiting for her, he wordlessly turned on his heel and pulled out the car keys from his suit pocket. The Rolls Royce beeped to life, forcing Bianca into a jog to keep up with the man.

"We need to hurry," Bianca exhaled as Reginald got into the driver's side, and she was in the passenger seat. "Everyone's going to be waiting at the airstrip."

"I'll get us there," The man reassured just as the tall, ebony gates guarding her estate began sliding open.

"Come on, come on," Bianca whispered, her knee bouncing impatiently. She kept glancing over her shoulder for any sign of her mother and sure enough, after hearing the screeching metal fence open, the front door soon followed, "Oh, shit-"

"Bianca!?" Lydia cried, jogging down the porch steps in her stilettos. "B- don't you dare!"

"Reggie, go!" Bianca squeaked as the man flat-footed it down the driveway before the gates could even fully open.

Pilar and Teodoro followed their daughter out into the front of the house, staring in shock. Their lips were moving fervently but Bianca couldn't make out what they were saying over her mother's furious shouts.

The younger girl winced, rolling down the window and sticking her head out, "I'm sorry, Mom! I have to do this!"

"Bianca- get back here!" Lydia ignored her. "B, stop! Wait! This is crazy-"

"I promise I'll be safe!" Bianca swallowed past the lump in her throat. She didn't want this to be their goodbye either, "I love you!"

"Bianca!" Lydia tried to follow after the car but it was no use. "I...." She trailed off, chest heaving for breath as she stared at the rear of the car disappear around the corner. "I love you too."

Bianca rolled the window back up once they were clear of her house. She pushed her windswept hair behind her ear and fell into the leather seats of Reginald's car. She let out a sigh, heart racing that they even managed to pull off such a feat.

"Miss Prescott," Reginald hummed, eyes trained on the road. "Your juvenile stunts never fail to amuse me."

Bianca let out a breathy laugh, "Reg, not that I'm not grateful and everything but why are you helping me?"

The man's eyes flickered briefly toward her before they returned straight ahead. His nonchalance didn't falter, "I've seen and heard a lot of things working in this house. Things that would give your grandparents a heart attack... and yet, your willingness to lay down your life for your friends... for a cause, astounds me more than any of that. It's almost, dare I say..." He hesitated. "Admirable."

"Aw, Reggie," Bianca cooed, glancing over at him. "You admire me?"

"I said almost," He deadpanned, arching an eyebrow. "Dumb luck and sheer stupidity are not to be rewarded, my dear," Bianca's smirk fell instantly. "All I'm saying is, for once, I believe your mother might be wrong. You're stronger than she gives you credit for."

Bianca smiled, "At the end of the day, we can endure much more than we think we can."

Reginald nodded. She remembered, "Indeed."

A solemn silence settled between the two. When this strange man first stepped foot into her home, Bianca didn't know what to expect of him. Little did she know that he would soon become someone she wasn't afraid to call her family.

Bianca hummed, "You know you're totally going to get fired for this, right?"

Reginald laughed and finally, finally, he smiled. And not only did he smile, but he smiled at Bianca.

"Something tells me you're going to be just fine without me, kid."

author's note. imagine if this was foreshadowing and i killed bianca off (...lol). just kidding what did you guys think of this chapter? i have this story idea that i want to write because i die for enemies to lovers x fake dating tropes but i am emotionally attached to bianca's character so i've lowkey written her in there. if i ever end up writing it maybe you'll see little snippets of the male mc in obx4 hehe <3