𝑨𝑪𝑻 𝑶𝑵𝑬 ━ 𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑷𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝑭𝑰𝑽𝑬

𝐒𝐄𝐄𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐇 𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐍 𝐅𝐄𝐋𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐀 𝐃𝐀𝐘𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌 𝐓𝐎 𝐌𝐄𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐄 and she had never felt more happy, Sarah Cameron had been one of her closest friends other than Kiara. It was a known fact around the Outer Banks that the trio were closer than ever before they fell apart suddenly.

Friendship wasn't always their only connection, Sarah had also been her neighbour before she moved away to maybe a few blocks away from her current house.

It's easy to get to know an open person like Sarah Cameron, but if nothing else you should know she's kind and ambitious. Of course she is also insightful, hardworking and athletic, but they're tainted by and mixed with habits of being a bit stubborn as well.

Sarah's kind and loving nature though, this is what she's most well-liked for as Melanie would say. There are many times when friends count on her and Sarah was always there whenever they need assistance or help.

Nobody's perfect of course and Sarah has a share of darker sides to deal with too. Her obnoxious nature and stubborn ways can cause things to heat up and beyond what people are willing to deal with. Fortunately her ambitions is usually there to soften the blows of her arguments and stubbornness. Melanie didn't mind it, she thought it made her tougher than most.

But one of the downside of being reunited with Sarah was that Melanie had to see Rafe again, yes, the Rafe Cameron. Her ex-boyfriend, Rafe.

The one that she wasn't the happiest to see, or maybe she was happy to see him - she didn't know. The one that she so dreaded upon. Her relationship with Rafe wasn't as bad as you'd think, it was beautiful while it lasted.

They had dated for awhile before Melanie had left and broke up with him. She wasn't keen on a long distance relationship that Rafe was offering to her. It sounded like a melody when he asked her but her grief had taken over and made it sound like a scratchy voice.

It wasn't as bad she thought it would have been when they broke up - maybe she had overreacted when she ran off while he called her name out. She had ran home and stormed to her room, it had already been a hard week but this had been the final draw for Melanie but she had moved on from then.

The once brightly lit relationship had become a dimly lit series of arguments and chaos. It wasn't what Melanie had signed up for but everything she would try would turn around and make her run back desperately to him.

It was like a magnetic field that had imprinted on her heart, pulling her heartstrings and veins towards his bittersweet voice that had engraved itself in her ears. The butterflies that would erupt every time they would even talk had started to grow less and less pleasant.

What could have gone more wrong than this? Maybe having to say goodbye to her friends but the thought of it made her sick. They would understand, right?

It had been too much on her, the weight of the goodbyes and tears were shredding her. Why was everything happening to her in such a short amount of time? Melanie truly wanted to know.

What had made her life such a mess out of nowhere, in the middle of the school holidays? What had triggered these horrid moments to happen? God! She hadn't even thought about everything she'd done and now that she stood in front of Sarah, the question came up on the surface.

Sarah's face was lit up by the fire pit that was behind the pair, it lit up almost half of the boneyard.

"Do you wanna go back to get some beer, and maybe talk about what you've been doing in England?," asked Sarah. Melanie was about to shake her head to indicate a 'no' when Sarah added, "And no, you can't say no to this, I've been waiting."

"Fine, fine, one drink won't hurt I guess, but you have to promise not to drink a whole litre like last time!" Melanie chuckled and agreed to some beer as Topper watched them walk in front. He hadn't really thought of what would happen if Melanie came back, what would Sarah feel? He had his answers right in front of him. She looked happy, happier than before.

Sarah and Melanie were sitting down on a log, talking about the things that happened in the last few months and the hurricane.

It wasn't uncommon for Melanie to start rambling about the effect of the hurricane, could you blame her? The only weather she saw for almost a year was rain and clouds. London wasn't known for its weather.

"Hey, I think we should get going, you know, it's kinda getting dark and I need to wake up early tomorrow," said Topper as he got up from his seating place and grabbed Sarah's hand while nodding at Melanie.

"Yeah, I guess, but Melanie you have to come by my house tomorrow, it's gonna be great - my parents will be so happy to see you again."

Melanie chuckled and shook her head, "Yeah, I'll see with my moms, maybe I'll come over but I'm not sure you know, got stuff to unpack." To be fair, Melanie didn't want to go to Sarah's house, she knew Rafe would probably be there and she didn't want to deal with him right now, all she wanted to do was enjoy herself and be with her friends.

Speaking of friends, Melanie wondered where Kiara went - she hadn't see her in a while. Maybe she was still with that guy from earlier.

Sarah got up and walked a little bit further with Topper as Melanie did the same instead walking towards the sea, that was until she heard someone say, "Oh, wait. Hey, hey. Hey, Sarah!" What was that, oh my god? Thought Melanie.

Melanie turned around to see a blonde dude holding a cup and walking towards Sarah, was that?...was that jj? thought Melanie as she walked closer to the commotion.

Oh god, JJ wasn't the best at keeping himself out of trouble, a while back before the Fortinis left for London, Melanie's moms had hired JJ for a while to work for them, he used to get some of the items they needed and would work on some constructio - Melanie knew he needed the money so she would tell her mothers to give him a little bit of extra money.

They accepted, knowing that it would help him a lot. JJ hadn't know about Melnaie's involvement in his wage increase but he had to say, the blonde was very nice to him, maybe a bit too nice, but honestly she'd been to good to not be a friend to JJ.

"Sarah, can I interest you in a tasty Milwaukee beverage?" asked JJ, clearly a bit tipsy but honestly everyone here was.

Sarah laughed it off, and said, "No, thanks." She didn't look like she wanted the attention on them right now which was saying something.

"Come one, is it not fancy enough for you?," continued JJ.

"No. We were just leaving." said Sarah trying to diffuse the tension between them.

"Hey, you know what? I'll take it." said Topper louder so that JJ could hear him over the talking of the other teenagers. Topper continued by saying,"I'll... Thank you, man. I appreciate it."

"That's a good suggestion Topper, but I didn't ask you." added JJ. "If you said pretty please, maybe, but you didn't." Oh god, this isn't gonna end well, though Melanie.

One thing about Topper that Melanie didn't like was that he looked down upon the pogues and so if a pogue messed with him or Sarah, it would usually end up in a fight. Verbal or Physical.

"Oh, pretty please." said Topper. Melanie got closer to John B who was standing next to JJ. "Psst... John B, what is he doing? Does he really want to do this right now?" said Melanie to which John B just turned to her and frowned, "I don't know, but this isn't gonna end well."

"She doesn't want it, you..." said Topper. "Okay."

"No, no, no, no." started Sarah, and all hell broke loose. Topper had accidentally thrown the cup onto JJ's face. Melanie gasped as JJ pushed Topper and said, "You're so funny, man. Hey."

Topper said, "Dirty Pogues!" Topper grunts that was when John B walked towards Topper and pushed him away for the words that came out of his mouth. "Oh god!" gasped Sarah.

Melanie hated the fact that Topper just assumed nothing was going to happen when he said what he said. It was disgusting honesty, Melanie hated him for this.

Topper wasn't always that bad, he was kind but honestly Melanie hated him, he wasn't every fond of the pogues or even anyone that didn't have his kind of money.

"John B." warned Pope as he walked closer to the pair.

"We're supposed to be incognito, remember?"

"Babe, babe, babe, babe..." started Sarah as she tried to calm her boyfriend down a bit. Melanie forgot how violent Kooks and Pogues could be at some point. She watched the fight, anxiety creeping up on her back.

Kiara sensed something was wrong with Melanie as she walked closer to her. Kiara put her hand on her back hoping to calm the blonde down a bit. Melanie stood still for a moment, not understanding the shivers that crawled to her stomach as she felt Kie's hand on her backless dress.

Topper wasn't going to let John B get away with embarrassing him and what happened next would show just that. Topper pushed and punched John B back as the latter tumbled back. John B grunted as the crowd that was now surrounding them gasped.

"Guys? Guys!" exclaimed Sarah not wanting a fight to occur.

"Oh my God," mumbled Melanie as she looked up at Kiara. "What do we do?"

Melanie really didn't want to get involved in the fight but seeing John B on the sand, grunting in pain wasn't actually helping the situation.

Kiara merely shrugged her shoulders and whispered a raspy 'I don't know'. Melanie wasn't fond of that idea, she did not usually like any type of violence let alone a fight. Why fight? It's so stupid. You get hurt and you don't resolve anything.

John B got back up and slammed Topper in the water, as they both fell backwards Melanie tried to take a step forward but was stopped by Kiara grabbing her arm and shaking her head.

The two boys got back up and encircled each other trying to see who would attack first, the crowd was not helping, they were screaming ' fight, fight!' Which to be hones, Melanie hated.

"Topper!" yelled Sarah as she tried to stop the fight but in vain.

"Hey John B, don't make me drown you like your old man, alright." said Topper, that angered John B even more.

"Topper! Stop!" screamed Sarah.

"Stop! John B," said Kiara. "John B, Topper, Stop it!" yelled Melanie.

John B had managed to throw Topper into the water but the latter stood back up and said, "Come on, man!" John B ran towards him but Topper had gotten control over the fight and had gotten John B down into the water.

"Oh god, he's drowning him," gasped Melanie as she looked back at Kiara who stroked her hair back as a way of showing her anxiety towards the fight. "We have to do something!"

"Topper!" yelled Sarah.

All of a sudden Melanie saw JJ grab something and walk up to Topper and John B, only she realised he had a gun. What the thought Melanie. "Yeah, you know what that is, huh, don't move," said JJ.

"Fuck..." mumbled Melanie.

"Let go of the gun, JJ!" screamed both Melanie and Kiara, as they walked closer to the trio.

The crowd gasped and some of them stared running away from the fight, too scared of the gun than the possibility of having a crime scene set up right in front of them.

"JJ! Stop!" yelled Sarah. "Put the gun down!" yelled Melanie and Kiara.

Topper started pleading with JJ as he felt the gun click behind his head, "We're good, we're good, alright!" JJ walked back to the beach as everyone looked at him with anxious eyes.

"Kie, check your psycho boyfriend!" said Sarah, and Melanie stopped and frowned, was she really saying that? Topper was the one that started the fight! Thought Melanie.

"Alright everyone that's enough, Get the hell off our side of the island!" yelled JJ as lifted the gun in the air and fired two shots towards the midnight sky, scaring the remaining people that were still crowding the beach.

"JJ, let go of the gun!" yelled Melanie, but he didn't pay any attention to her warnings or just ignore her as he turned to look at Topper again.

"Are you crazy!" yelled Kiara and Pope as they pushed JJ away. "Why would you do that?!" yelled Melanie at the same time. "It was not worth it" screamed Kiara.

"I was saving his life, okay?!" yelled JJ, and in that moment, Melanie knew he wanted to do the right thing.

Unknowingly to the others John B couldn't take the pain he'd just suffered anymore and fell right into the water again, this time unconscious and freezing...

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❪ ៸ 𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄 ━━━━━ ! ﹆◞ ❫
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❪ . . . the fifth chapter finallyyy!! 2.3k words but enjoy!!! ❫
❪ . . . I haven't updated in awhile but enjoy this chapter and btw I might make another schedule for updates❫
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❪ . . .PLEASE don't be a ghost reader, comment and vote, I love to reply to everyone and interact with my readers, love all of you darlings <33 ❫
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