"WELCOME TO THE OUTER BANKS, CLEO," POPE ANNOUNCED. They had just docked, and Sarah had already taken off to find John B. Bree honestly wanted to kiss the ground because she was so glad to be back home, despite the fact that she literally had no home. Cleo had also never stepped foot in the Outer Banks, which was kind of odd to think about considering how much she had gone through with them.

They were currently discussing the girl's current status of living because she had nowhere to go. Bree also wanted to point out that she literally had nothing and no one waiting for her, but that seemed to be a bit extra at the moment. Cleo sighed, "You're crazy, Pope. Your parents are not going to appreciate me shacking up."

"Of course they will. Are you kidding?" the boy responded, shaking his head. It was very possible that his father would kick her out on the street. Then again, it was very possible that he would let her stay. It really just depending on his mood. "Heyward might put you to work, but we could always use the help."

"I don't know, man. You sure?" she questioned. She would obviously be happy to work and pull her weight. She would honestly sleep outside if that was needed. She just needed a home base and to be near one of them at all times.

He nodded, assuring her that she would not be left out without a home. "Yeah, look, he might squawk a little bit, but let me talk to him. We'll figure it out."

"This is me. Home sweet home," Kie breathed out once they reached her house. They had all agreed to walk her home before going their separate ways, and they were standing in front of her steps. She did not seem very excited to be back because she had to face the wrath of her parents. Bree thought about it for a moment, and if her mother — her cold, unloving mother — was home and waiting for her, she would consider herself extremely lucky because now, she had nothing.

"Damn, Kiara. You live here?" Cleo exclaimed, looking the house up and down in shock. She had thought that they were all poor, but the Carrera house was stunning. "This is like the White House, man."

Bree raised her eyebrows at the girl that was beginning to walk up the steps. "How bad you think it's gonna be?" No matter the answer, Kie should be glad to be home. She had parents who loved her, which was more than some of them could ask for.

"Scale of one to ten? Twenty," the other girl answered. Before she continued the rest of the way to her front door, she told them, "Thanks for walking me."

And then everyone left. Pope and Cleo went back to Heyward's, and JJ went home. As Bree stood in the middle of the sidewalk, the loneliness hit her. She thought that she was prepared for it, but she was definitely not. She had not had one alone moment for over a month, but there she was, by herself.

So, she wandered around the Outer Banks for an hour, revisiting all of her old favorite spots and seeing how everything had changed. Nothing really had. The streets and stores and houses all looked the same. She stood in front of her old house for a solid twenty minutes before a kid stepped out and she had to move on. She finally got bored and lied down under a tree on the edge of the water and fell asleep.

She was woken up who-knows-how-long later to a stick jabbing her in the arm. Her eyebrows furrowed and opened her eyes to see an unknown teenage boy standing above her with a long stick in his hand. He breathed out a sigh of relief when she moved. He breathed out, "Thank God. I thought you were dead for a second."

"Nope, just taking a nap," she answered, staring up at him and wondering why the hell he was poking her with a fucking stick. She asked his upside down face, "You are?"

"Leo. Me and my folks just moved in down the street," he answered, pointing to his house, which was indeed just down the street. She wondered if he thought that she lived near there or something. She was probably trespassing on someone's land, now that she thought about it..

She nodded, and she outstretched her hand for him to reach down and shake. She introduced herself, "I'm Bree Calloway. Welcome to the Outer Banks."

"Wait, are you the Bree Calloway that got stranded on that island for a month with all those other kids?" he asked almost immediately, and he seemed kind of excited about the idea of meeting a local celebrity.

She was kind of weirded out and definitely confused as to how the hell he knew that. They had gotten back a couple of hours ago unless she had slept for days or something. She said, "Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Word travels fast," he answered. There was a moment of slightly awkward silence between them before he clapped his hands together, letting her know that he was completing the conversation."Well, it was nice to meet you. I'll let you get back to your nap."

"See ya," she replied, and she watched him go, thinking about how that was one of the strangest interactions of her life.

《✵》

BREE HAD JUST BEEN INFORMED THAT BIG JOHN WAS ALIVE. She had headed over to Kie's house and snuck in the window to borrow a change of clothes, and that was when the Carrera girl had received an email from Sarah with the news. John B and his dad were home and safe.

The Calloway girl then walked to JJ's house to tell him about it, but that left her mind when she approached and saw a ton of caution tape around the house. She headed to the back to see him working on his motorcycle. He glanced up when he saw her coming, and he was surprised to see her after their conversation on the boat. She questioned, "What's with the sign?"

"Eviction notice. For, like, nonpayment or whatever," he answered with a sniff. He looked over at the house, and Bree's eyes softened. She hated when he acted like he didn't care about something when he actually did. "Doesn't matter. This place sucks anyway. Great to be back in the Outer Banks, right?"

"So, get this. Kie got this email while I was over there. John B actually found Big John. He's alive. He's at the Chateau," she informed him just as he kneeled down to look at something, and his head immediately shot up. She laughed and continued. "Yeah, he thinks we're close to the same treasure Singh was talking about."

He smiled. "Damn." That was it, and he ducked back down under the bike. She had been expecting at least a high five or something. Was he really that mad about everything she said the night before?

"I just thought I'd come check in on you," she informed him, waiting for him to say something else. She was secretly hoping that he would invite her to hang out for a little bit so that she did not have to go back to that spot under the tree.

He was acting really weird, and she knew that something was off. It might have just been the awkwardness between them, but it felt like something else. He answered simply, "Well, I'm all good."

"Something's obviously bothering you. What's up?" she asked. She wanted him to open up to her because she hated how they had drifted apart. They used to be so close, and he would tell her everything. Now, he was doing everything he could not to look at her.

He sighed, standing up, and he finally lifted her eyes to meet hers. He shrugged but admitted, "I don't know. I've just been thinking a lot about everything that happened between us." He seemed anxious about how she would react after him saying that, but she just nodded.

"Yeah, I think about it too, but you were the one that said that we shouldn't," she reminded him. He was the one that called it all off. If he had just let her speak first, they could have been happy and together that entire time, unless he really wanted them to just be friends.

He pointed out, "You agreed."

"What was I supposed to say?" she asked. She would have embarrassed herself by saying that she wanted to be with him after he friendzoned her. Her only option was to agree with him. How do you tell someone that you like them right after they say that it wouldn't work?

There was a moment of silence, and he seemed to be thinking very carefully about what he was going to say because it might reveal too many emotions. He stuttered for a moment before he responded, "That you wanted it."

"I do want it. I — I did," she said, and she had not even noticed that the motorcycle was behind him and no longer between them. The distance between them rapidly grew shorter, but it felt like they were moving in slow motion.

His eyes were pained, and hers were almost hopeful as they stared at him. They're faces inched closer and closer, but just as their lips were about to brush, JJ practically flew back a good ten feet. He shouted, "We shouldn't be doing this!"

"JJ..." she trailed off.

"It would all blow up anyway!" he insisted. He gestured to her body. "Look at you. You've got new clothes on, and what do I got?" He pointed at his house. "This? This piece of shit? I'm getting kicked out of this place in three weeks anyway. Shit, I don't got parents right now. But why would you care? Why would you care? I'm just some loser. You don't care!

She felt offended in that moment because how could he say that she did not care? Of course, she did. She had always cared about him and his problems. She did not have parents either. They were in the same boat except for the fact that he had a place to stay for two weeks. She insisted, "I do care!"

"You're a Kook, Bree. You don't get it," he sneered out, and that was what made her freeze. She thought that he had just been feeling sorry for himself, but then he said that. That was a completely unfair thing to say to her, and it took everything in her to not start crying.

"How can you say that?" she asked, and the sound of her broken voice made him instantly regret what he just said. "After everything we've been through. I don't know if you forgot, but I don't have parents either, JJ. I don't have a house. These are Kie's clothes. I have nothing!"

She paused, shaking her head because she was still in such utter disbelief that he said that to her. "But I thought I had you. That was all I needed. You and the Pogues." Her voice grew angrier as she continued to speak. "You don't get to make me feel like an outsider because we are in the same place right now. I thought you of all people would understand how alone I feel right now, but I guess not."

"B, I—" he breathed out, but she was turning around and walking away. That was the second time in twenty-four hours that he had watched her walk away from him mad, and each time took a piece of his soul.