A Chapter| Chapter Nineteen

"They did it. Go time." John B whispered to the trio as Lila fixed the purple bandana on her head while JJ pulled the mask over his face.

"Thank you, Sarah and Kie." Lila said as she opened her video camera, clicking play.

"Three, two..." John B began before stopped when JJ was already off.

"JJ, you forgot three." Lila said as she followed close behind him, making sure she had a view of the camera angles.

"Jesus, the mosquitoes are gonna come for us again." Lila said as she reached her hand out to help Pope under the house.

"Did you bring bug spray?" Pope asked as Lila scoffed.

"No, Pope, y'all kidnapped me from a country club where misquotes don't exist." Lila scolded him as he put his hands up in surrender.

"Holy crap, you know what this is? It just hit me. Pope look. This is C.H.U.D, full C.H.U.D." JJ grinned widely as he looked at Pope.

"What is he talking about?" John B asked, voice both his and Lilas minds.

"Canibalistic humanoid underground dwellwrs? Have you guys not seen that film?" JJ asked as he looked at the two, Lila zooming in on his face.

"Hopefully we don't get copywrited for that one, totally worth it, you look like a kid in a candy store." Lila grinned as JJ gave her a smile back.

"No." John B shook his head to JJ's question while Pope agreed.

"It's actually a good film. It's about like cannibals that live in the sewers and under New York City, that like-" JJ rambled on as John B gave him a annoyed expression.

"Shut up! Shut up!" the dark haired boy said as Lila smacked his arm.

"Don't tell JJ to shut up, you asswhip." she stood up for her friend as John B gave her a look of disbelief with a roll of his eyes.

"All right. How deep do you think this is Pope?" John B questioned as he looked toward Pope, the four all standing by the well.

"I don't know." Pope said with a sigh as John B looked to Lila.

"Lila?" he asked, hoping she'd know the answer. Raising her hand she pulled a dime from her pocket, the one she used to throw at Rafe until he bought her a drink, and dropped it into the well, counting the seconds.

"I'd give minimum fifty feet, max sixty." Lila said as he grinned.

"Told you we'd need your brain." JJ said her way as Lila grinned.

"Hey, boys and lady. I have one request." John B asked as the three held the rope he was tied to, getting it up on a pully but still struggling.

"Yup?"

"Yeah?"

"Huh?"

"Don't drop me." John B said with a pleading look as Lila let go of the rope for a second.

"Here, for good luck." she said, pulling the purple bandana off her forehead and tying it around his. John B grinned up at her, watching as she tied it.

"Thank you, Lila." he said with a teasing smile as she went back to pulling on the rope with the boys.

"All right, keep paying it out, nice and slow like that." Pope said as the three lowered John B into the well, anxiety kicking in for all four of them.

"Shouldn't the girls be here by now?" Lila asked as she struggled with the rope.

"They're fine." Pope reassured her as they continued to lower the boy.

"Keep going!" John B called out to them.

"Wait hold on, let me get situated." JJ said as he attempted to wrap the rope around his waist better.

"You good?" Pope asked as JJ slipped and the rope began to slip completely

"Shit!"

"Woah!"

"John B! Are you okay?" Lila called as they got a good hold on the rope again, it lowering quite a bit but being stopped. Lilas hands bled onto the rope, the rope burn cutting both them open.

"Lila, you're bleeding." JJ said as Lila gripped the rope in pain.

"I know." she said while squinting her nose, not letting it go.

"I told you not to drop me!" John B yelled from the well, echoing loudly.

"You good man?" Pope asked while looking down the well, holding the rope above him.

"What the hell was that?" John B called out to them.

"Technical difficulties." Pope said out of breath as he looked back at Lila who's hands were indeed bleeding badly.

"See any ghost?" Lila called out, her voice in pain but making the boys chuckle.

"Not yet. Keep going, slow." John B called up to them.

"Okay, we're gonna start paying you out again, all right?" Pope called out as he looked back at the blondes as they slowly began to let the rope down with him, carful not to slip again. Lila felt her hands throb, attempting not to look at them before it could make it worse. The rope was getting soaked with blood, dripping down into the floor slightly but she feared if she let go John B would fall.

"Hey, hey! We got fifteen feet left." Pope said out of breath as he looked down, "Are you getting close to the bottom?"

"I can't tell. Just-just keep going!" John B called as Pope looked back at the two.

"Give me more." he said as they nodded, letting some of the rope go more slowly.

"That's gonna be one sick infection, L." JJ said as he shook his head at Lilas hands.

"Don't remind me." Lila groaned as she tightened her grip harder, the rope hitting her cuts as she cringed .

"Woah! Stop!" John B called out as the trio froze, keeping the rope steady, "I'm hanging over some sewage, water shit."

"You want back up?" Pope called out and Lila felt back for wishing he didn't, only so they could rest still for a moment.

"Keeping goin, I guess." John B said, the cringe loud and clear in his voice.

"God, good luck booger." Lila mumbled as they began to lower him again.

"Nice and slow." JJ said as Lila giggled.

"That's how I like it." she said as Pope faked a gag.

"You of all people would make a sex joke as we're holding our friend over a well." the boy said as Lila giggled.

"Sorry, Pope. I'll try not to joke so hard next time." Lila said as JJ laughed loudly at her joke while Pope simply rolled his eyes at them.

"Okay! Okay! I'm at the bottom!" John B called out as they stopped quickly.

"Hows it down there?" Pope asked as the three looked down at him, Lila finally letting go of the rope as she examined the deep and wide cuts on her palms.

"It's worse then I thought!" John B called back up to them as Lila nudged JJ.

"Will you video for me? I don't wanna ruin my camera." she said sadly, motioning toward the video camera around her neck. JJ felt sad as he made eye contact with her sad puppy eyes.

"Of course." he said quickly, whipping the sweat off his forehead and pulling the video camera off her neck, flipping it open and following her steps until it flashed.

"See anything?" Lila called down the John B, watching JJ handle the camera carefully as he aimed it down into the well.

"Nothin yet!" he called up to the three as they shared a look, "Wait. I think I found something with my foot."

"Oh god I do not wanna smell him when he comes back up." Lila said as she watched John B go under the water.

"JJ! Hey! Pull me up! Pull me up!" John B yelled in horror as panic set in.

"It's okay John B, it's okay!" Lila called out in a hopeful way of soothing him, grabbing the rope again as her face squinted in pain, yanking the rope with the boys as John B continued to scream in fear.

"Wait! Wait! Wait!" he yelled out, his voice echoing as they paused.

"Are you okay?" Lila yelled, breathing heavy as she waited for his replay.

"I think I found something." he said up to them as the three struggled with the rope.

"What you say?" Pope asked down to him.

"Just give me a minute, hold on." he said as the rope got a little looser, indicating he'd crawled in somewhere.

"John B, you okay?"

"Any dead bodies?"

"Any ghost?"

"Guys! Guys!" Kie and Sarah yelled as they ran under the house, horror on their faces.

"Are y'all okay?" Lila asked worried, grabbing a hold of Kie, who looked scared out of her mind.

"Mrs.Crain! She's up there!" Sarah said out of breath as Kie held onto Lila tightly.

"She tried to kill us with a fire poker." Kie said as Lila glared.

"I'm gonna give they old bat a piece of my mind." she said with a determined look but was held back by Kie as Sarah put a arm infront of her.

"We locked her in the parlor but we gotta go!" Sarah announced as she tried to catch her breath.

"That's code red!"

"John b!"

"John B, get up here!"

"Get back on, man!"

"JJ! Hold on man, i'm coming." John B said as he got back on the rope. The group all counting as they yanked on the rope together, pulling him up as quick as they can before the rope went to loose making them fall.

"Where the hell is he?" Kie asked as she looked over the well, shhing everyone.

"What's he saying?" JJ asked, only hearing muffled yells.

"JJ! Pope! Kie! Lila!" was all they heard as panic set in.

"Yo! He's drowning! We gotta pull him up!" Kie said in a panic as she grabbed the rope again.

"John B, get back on the rope. We're gonna pull you back up, okay buddy?" Pope called down into the well in hopes of the boy hearing him.

"Okay ready!"

"Help!"

"Pull!"

"Okay, lets go!" Pope yelled as the five all pulled on the rope, John B back on as they worked together to get him up. The sound of a gun shot was heard too close as they all yelled out. The wood next to them behind shot at.

"The rope! The rope!" Lila yelled as they all grabbed it again after they let it go at the fire. John B grabbed ahold of the side of the well, making the five all duck down.

"She can't aim for shit." Kie said as she looked at the older woman. Lila nudged JJ as he filmed the whole thing for her.

"She can't see, she's blind." Sarah said as another gun shot went off.

"Go! Go!" Pope yelled as another shot was fired, all of them running out of the opening at the bottom of the house.

"Holy shit! People will definitely think she was a ghost!" Lila yelled as the group all ran back to the van.

"Where is he?" Kie asked as everyone got into the car but John B.

"John B!" Sarah yelled out as the boy came running, covered in what Lila hoped was mud.

"Why are we always getting shot at?" Pope yelled as John B jumped into the van, another gunshot heard.

"Oh my god!"

"JJ drive!"

"Guys, oh my god!"

"Are you shot?"

"You good?"

"I think i'd know if I was shot, right?" Kie asked as Lila looked back from where she was in the passengers seat.

"Kie, check for bullet holes." Lila said while pulled the video camera from JJs neck, making sure to kiss his check in a thank you.

"JJ, you are my best friend, this.., this is gonna make me some money." she said while holding up the camera.

"Hey Lila, you wanna know what else is gonna make money?" John B asked, looking over at the girl. Lila frowned her eyebrows as he held up the small thing of gold.

"No you didn't!"

"Oh my god!"

"We did it baby!"

"No you didn't!"

"I did it!"

"Oh my god!"

"Holy shit we're gonna be fucking rich!" Lila yelled as she pumped her fist into the air, cheering with the rest of the pogues loudly, chanting full kook in the air, forgetting completely that they were just shot at.

"I'm still completely confused on how this happened." Rafe said as he wrapped Lilas rope burned hands, her shower to get the sweat and blood off of her longer then intended as she was met with her boyfriend in their room when she got out.

"I told you, rope swing over on the cut." she said as he nudged her to give him her other hand.

"Rope swing did this?" he asked her in disbelief, tearing the bandage open with his mouth as he whipped down the cuts making her flinch.

"Rafe, ow!" Lila groaned as he attempted to clean them easier.

"That where you left today at the country club?" he asked with a eye roll as Lila huffed.

"You don't always have to know where I am." she said as he paused to give her a look, her only mocking him with the look back.

"Forgive me for wanting to know where my girlfriend is, clearly I should pay more attention if you're going off and this happens." he said while motioning toward her hands as Lila sighed and leaned on his shoulder while he applied the ointment on her right hand.

"How long do you think it'll take until they heal?" Lila asked after a second of silence.

"Not sure, they're pretty deep." he said as Lila frowned.

"We gotta keep em clean so they don't get infected." Rafe said as he began to wrap it up, Lila humming in response as she watched him do so.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you when I left, I was just excited to hang out with Kie." Lila said as Rafe hummed, finishing the wrap as he looked at her.

"Lila." he said, kissing her knuckles as she looked at him questionable.

"I gotta move out." he said as she gave him a confused look.

"What are you talking about? We just moved all your stuff in here, even your stupid golf uniform." Lila said as he sighed.

"I know but-" he began, cutting himself off as he remembered what they said, then again he was over lying to her.

"Your moms don't want me to be here." he said as Lila blinked in surprise.

"What? They said that?" she asked in disbelief as he nodded.

"Yeah, said i'm not a good influence on you." he said as Lila stood up.

"Screw that, I want you here, it's just as much my house as it is theirs." Lila argued as he stood with her, putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Hey, it's fine. We've got a little spot not too far from here. I'm gonna stay there, you can come over whenever you want too and dads not gonna kick me out forever. In no time i'll be back home with you." he said while wrapping his arms to pull her head into his chest.

"I just got use to you leaving me in the bed every morning." she said as he laughed at her slightly, the vibration on his chest echoing in her ears.

"I swear, he'll cave in, all right?" Rafe asked, the odd sound in his voice made Lila pull back and see the way the tears formed in his eyes.

"Hey, Rafe, what's wrong?" Lila asked worried, reaching up to grab his face as he pushed her hands away to look away.

"Talk to me." Lila pleaded, his back to her as she wrapped her arms around him, resting her head in the center of his shoulders.

"I just-" he began but cut himself off, holding back his tears as he stopped talking for a second, scared he'd cry infront of her, "I just feel like no one wants to live with me anymore."

Lila felt her heart break at his words. Angry at her moms for making him feel that way, furious at Ward for striking the match. Yanking on Rafe, Lila turned him to her, watching as he avoided eye contact until she grabbed ahold of his face to force him into looking at her.

"I do, I wanna live under the same roof with you. Screw what they think, I don't care and neither should you. I'm gonna stay with you every night, if my moms have something to say about it then they can start letting you stay here with me again. Understand?" Lila asked him, scanning his eyes as a single tear fell, being whipped immediately. Rafe nodded his head at Lilas words, leaning over to press a sweet kiss to her lips before following her back to the bed they'd been sharing for days.

•••••
:(

ouch.

also best girlfriend award goes to lila, periodt.