047
south america, baby!

JJ couldn't wait to tell Bianca about his mastermind plan.

She always bagged on him for having shitty ideas that fell through but not this time. No, because this time, JJ Maybank managed to orchestrate a breaking-and-entering escapade and sneak Kiara out of this child prison without anybody noticing.

Well... almost anybody.

He and Elena did wake up the entire cabin Kiara was sleeping in but it was fine because they made it out and he apologized and that's what mattered!

JJ left the Twinkie behind as a decoy because there was only one road to Kitty Hawk and Kiara's parents already knew what the van looked like. Now, they stood together in the middle of a dark, empty road, far away from any civilization, and waiting for someone JJ wasn't sure was even coming.

"So, what? Are we hitchhiking?" Kiara panted, emerging from the bushes. They ducked behind to hide from a passing cop car.

"Not quite," JJ pulled the straps of his backpack and craned his neck into the moonlit distance. "We missed Ward's plane but I got another plan."

Kiara outstretched a hand to help Elena up from her crouched position, "Here."

"Thanks," The girl sent her a grateful smile as they continued walking ahead.

The shrubs around them blew in the cool breeze, filling the silence with an uneasy rustling. The cop car's siren wailed further and further away.

"Come on, man," JJ cursed under his breath and shifted between feet. "Where you at, dude?"

The moments stretched on longer and the girls' frown deepened. Kiara stepped forward to ask what was going on but the sound of tires squealing against the pavement caused her to snap her head up. Elena squinted past the headlights at the end of the road to see the fast-approaching vehicle.

"Here he comes," JJ muttered, waving the car down as the engine rumbled and revved. He glanced over his shoulder, "Dude, come on! Hurry up, man- come on!"

Kiara's eyes widened, "Who the hell is that?" The headlights shone a spotlight on them as the car approached.

"Kiara, Elena, I want you to meet someone," JJ hummed.

"Is that Barracuda Mike?" Kiara deadpanned. "With...B?"

He nodded, "Yep."

The girl in question pushed herself through the window of the speeding car as the engine revved again, "We're going to South America, baby!"

"What the fuck?" JJ's lips parted at the ear-to-ear grin across her face and the way the wind whipped through her dark strands. He shot forward instantly, "Bianca?!"

Elena's eyes bulged, "You know Bianca?"

JJ briefly glanced over his shoulder, "Yeah- she's my girlfriend."

Elena reared her head back, "Wait a minute, she's your girlfriend?"

"Keeks!" Bianca cried as the car rolled to a stop in front of them. "Thank god you're okay. I can't believe your parents sent you to wilderness camp- hey, did JJ tell you? We're going to South America! Aren't you excited? Oh my god, I'm so excited! Oh, hi Elena- are you coming to South America too?"

She was cut off when JJ cupped his hand over her mouth, "B- woah, shhhh! What the hell? Keep your voice down," His gaze flickered between hers. "We're not that far from camp, alright? They're gonna be looking for us so I need you to be quiet, can you do that for me?"

Bianca's eyes were wide as she stared up at him through her lashes and nodded. The boy lowered his palm from her lips, "Hi," She mumbled.

"Hi," JJ whispered back with a small smile and breathed out a sigh of relief. The knots in his stomach finally loosened now he had her within arms reach again.

"You're so pretty," Bianca giggled, reaching up to caress his cheek but he held her wrist back. "And your lashes are so long- it's not fair."

JJ knew that line. It was something she only uttered when she wasn't sober and it seemed like Kiara was catching on too.

Elena peered over JJ's shoulder with furrowed brows, "B, your eyes..."

"Bianca, are you high!?" JJ whispered harshly, holding her cheeks. "Mike- what the fuck!?"

"Shh!" Kiara slapped the boy's shoulder.

"No, man- what the hell is wrong with you?! What did you give her-"

Barracuda Mike rolled his eyes but didn't bother defending himself. Instead, he merely switched off the child lock on the door, "Relax- got her back in one piece, didn't I?"

Bianca pouted at her boyfriend, "Don't be mad at him," She cooed gently. "He was only trying to help- it's for the pain."

"The pain?" JJ's eyes widened and in one swift motion, he swung the passenger seat open causing the girl to almost tumble forward.

"JJ!" Bianca chastised as he frantically began examining her.

"What happened?" His eyes narrowed across her cheeks, and arms until they finally landed on her blood-stained top. "Let me see."

"No- ow- stop!" Bianca tried to swat his hands away when he tried to lift it.

"-B- stay still-" JJ crouched on his haunches. His jaw clenched when he caught a glimpse of what seemed to be a few black single stitches dressed under a bandage on the girl's waist.

"JJ- stop it, you're embarrassing me in front of my friend," She whined, finally pushing him away.

"Your friend!? He's your friend now?" JJ gaped.

"Yes," Bianca huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Is that so hard to believe? What? I can't have friends now?"

JJ paused, finally taking in the state of his girlfriend before turning his accusatory glare to Barracuda Mike, "What did you do, man?"

"Tell you what- I'll let Sweet Pea here explain in the car," The man leaned over to send him a look. "But right now, you either get in or I leave your asses here in the middle of nowhere. Your choice- bus is waitin'. All aboard."

JJ's fists clenched and unclenched. It was only when he felt Bianca's small hand interject a single finger between his palm did he unfurl his fist.

She gave him a small smile when he met her eyes, "I'm okay, JJ. I promise," She reassured. "Get in the car."

Another beat passed in which the blond tried to decipher whether she was lying. JJ cursed under his breath, "Shit- shit, shit," He stepped away to open the back door. "Alright, Mike; Kiara, Elena. Elena, Kiara; Barracuda Mike."

"Hop on in there," Barracuda Mike nodded to the backseat.

"Let me get the seat- wa- nah- hold on," JJ pulled off his sweatshirt and handed it to Bianca. "Can't have you walking around South America covered in blood."

"Nice to meet you," Kiara pursed her lips before sliding in.

"That bar is for your safety."

"Wait, why do I have to sit in the middle?" JJ pouted.

"Sit down, JJ," Elena shoved him in the seat before hopping in after and slamming the door shut.

"Plane's ready, right?" JJ questioned, squished between the two girls.

"Plane is ready," Mike turned the key, causing the engine to rumble back to life. "Plane's been ready, dude. Let's go."

"Whoo!" JJ suddenly cheered. "That's what I'm talkin' about! I did it good! I'm a hustler, baby!"

"Whoo! We're going South America!" Bianca squealed while Kiara giggled in the back.

"Y'all gonna keep screaming the whole car ride?" Mike deadpanned, arching an eyebrow at JJ in the rearview mirror.

The blond boy quickly sobered up, "No, sir."

He turned to Bianca next, "And you, Sweet Pea?"

"Mm-mm," Bianca shook her head, pretending to zip her lips and throw the key out the window.

"Alrighty then," Barracuda Mike nodded before pressing on the gas, sending the group lurching forward.

Bianca's smile widened, turning over her shoulder at her friends in the backseat and mouthing a silent, 'South America!!!!'

JJ laughed, throwing his head back in amusement at his girlfriend's high antics and Elena joined in soon after. A warmth soothed Kiara's heart as she watched the group who risked everything to come and save her.

She didn't know what their next adventure had in store for them but she was glad she had them by her side. They could handle anything. Together.

With the way Barracuda Mike was speeding through the Cut, the remaining Pogues reached the airstrip in record time.However, upon their arrival, they quickly realized it was less of an airstrip and more of a random clearing in the middle of nowhere.

They shouldn't have been surprised. This was a top-secret drug-smuggling operation after all.

JJ led the girls toward the airplane, trekking through patches of dirt where the grass had been scuffed from plane landings. Elena and Kiara stopped short while the other two continued ahead.

"That was the stupidest, most insane thing anyone's ever done for me," Kiara called over the harsh breeze from the airplane's engines.

"Yeah, don't get used to it," Elena chucked with a half-smile. "I'm more of a flowers and dinner kind of girl."

"Got it," Kiara couldn't quite tell if she was flirting but her cheeks grew hot. They certainly seemed to think this was flirting, "I'll uh, I'll see you soon."

"Yeah," Elena nodded and tried to keep her shoulders from sagging.

She only just met Kiara and now she was leaving again. And knowing the Pogues, she didn't know for how long.

Kiara couldn't help but think the same. Despite their words, neither girl made a move to be the first to leave.

"Thanks for being a good friend to B by the way," Kiara piped up after a few beats of silence. "I know she really needed it these past couple of weeks."

"Yeah, well, she was a good friend to me first," Elena shrugged. If it wasn't for Bianca, she may have still been with Topper, "So, really, I should be thanking her."

The girls hesitated again. The air surrounding them hung stale with unsaid words.

Kiara couldn't help but think back to every time she shut down one of JJ's flirtatious comments. Or when John B kissed her and she reminded him of the No Pogue-On-Pogue Mackin' rule she instated. Or when Pope confessed his feelings to her and she tried to explain to him that she was looking for something different.

Was this the different she'd been searching so long for?

Before Kiara could complete the thought, Elena's soft voice drew her out of her thoughts.

"You'll be careful, yeah?" She narrowed her eyes playfully. "You won't need me to fly down there and rescue you from kidnappers again, right?"

"Um..." Kiara chuckled, shaking her head. "You'd be surprised."

Suddenly, the sound of bickering caused the girls to turn. Ahead, JJ appeared to be fussing over Bianca while she argued with him.

Elena scoffed, "They're both so..."

"Insane?" Kiara offered.

"I was going to say different," She laughed. "But I guess that works too."

"I know but they kind of make sense," Kiara giggled, watching the couple. Bianca looked close to tearing JJ's head off butdespite it, they held each other's hand the entire while, "I should get back to them. You know, before B loses a nail or something."

"Yeah, or JJ loses an eye," Elena joked, giving the girl a brief hug before pulling back. "Bye, Kie. I'll see you when you get back, okay?"

"Yeah," Kiara waved her off as she began backing away. "See you."

Elena turned on her heel, forcing one foot in front of the other before she said something she'd regret. Her life wasn't some stupid movie where everything worked out just because she wanted it to. Kiara was leaving and—

"Elena?!"

Elena whipped around, finding Kiara's eyes where she was standing a couple of feet down the airstrip, "Yeah?!"

"They're bad for the environment, you know?!" Her voice strained over the whirring propellors. The lights from the plane illuminated the way the wind whipped through her curly strands.

The corner of Elena's lips fell but she did her best to hide it, "What?!"

"Fresh cut flowers!" Kiara wrung her hands together. "You should look into it! Plus, I've always thought it was kind ofbarbaric, to watch them slowly starve to death..."

Elena forced a laugh although it sounded more like a cough, "Oh... Right," But before she could turn to leave again, Kiara's voice stopped her.

"I don't totally hate dried flowers though!"

Elena froze, not daring to meet the girl's gaze. Was she saying what Elena thought she was saying?

Finally, she glanced up where Kiara stood beaming, both dimples visible, "Peonies are my favorite!"

"Got it!" Elena's grin turned wide and she laughed. "I can't wait!"

"Me too!" Kiara waved before backing away again to her friends. "When I get back, okay?!"

When Kiara returned, JJ raised his voice over the wind, "Direct flight to South America on Barracuda Airlines! What more could you ask for?" He shrugged his backpack higher up his shoulder.

Kiara gripped the strap of her own bag, "Are you sure about this?" She cried over the plane's engine.

JJ glanced over to the plane, and then back to the girls. This time, wearing a smirk, "You got somewhere else to be?"

"Not anymore!" Kiara shook her head with a smile.

"Me neither," JJ pursed his lips, turning to his girlfriend who was practically bouncing on her feet. "B, I know you got your mom and all-"

"I've never been on a plane before," Bianca's blown-out pupils stared at the large metal contraption. She ran her tongue over her lips to combat the dryness in her mouth, "What do you think clouds taste like? You know, 'cause they're all fluffy and white? Do you think they taste like cotton candy?"

Kiara shot JJ an amused look. The weed still hadn't worn off, "Clouds are water, B. Pope could've told you that."

"Aw, Po, I miss him," Bianca whined, pushing past the two and toward the plane. "Come on, what are you guys waiting for?! Let's go see Po!" She beckoned them over while backing away. "Apúrense! I wanna taste the clouds!"

Kiara and JJ laughed together, watching the girl who never got high spin in a circle and stare up at the stars. Bianca stumbled to a stop only when Barracuda Mike barked at her to get on the plane but even then, she giggled and started telling him about her best friend, Pope Heyward. About how he was a genius and wanted to be a coroner. The man merely rolled his eyes but nodded anyway.

Kiara glanced over at the smile on JJ's face, "So, what's the plan after we save Big John?" She hummed. "Go on that surf trip? Live happily ever after?"

"Fuck after" JJ whispered. Something tugged at his heart, forcing him to follow after Bianca, "My happy is now. With her. I don't need anything else..."

Kiara's heart swelled with warmth. It was a privilege to stick around for the journey and watch her best friends fall in love. It gave her hope, that even after all this bullshit was over and done with, they'd never stop being Pogues. For Life.

Up ahead, Barracuda Mike was strapping everything down for take-off, "Come on! Let's get the hell out of here! Go, go, go!"

"Although, I wouldn't mind checking out some of the surf breaks in South America," JJ smirked as he walked toward the plane. "Next stop, El Dorado. Let's go!"

Kiara chuckled, jogging to catch up with him before punching his shoulder, "Idiot."

author's note. hihi! what did we think of this chapter??? a bit short but very sweet hehe. here's a question for u guys bc i'm curious; if this was another universe where everyone lived happily ever after who do you think bianca would end up with? because in my head it's either rafe or pope lol. love u guys take care <3333