CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

WE MADE IT — DAVID HUGO
I can't believe we made it
Oh God, I thought I might lose you
Hang on to love, sin, and your youth

THE NEXT MORNING, JJ didn't leave Stella alone. His guilt kept him planted by her side, constantly asking if they could talk about the conversation they had the night before.

He was still in disbelief that he forgot about how hurt she was the last time someone ghosted her. Stella was a wreck for months after she and Sarah had a falling out, questioning her self worth over a friend she only had for a year. He had been best friends with Stella since they were ten years old. He couldn't imagine how badly he hurt her.

The only thing that brought him comfort was that she still acknowledged his existence, even if it was to tell him to fuck off. The sharp edge of her tone surprisingly filled him with hope. There was a fine line between love and hate and he knew if he got a second chance to explain everything to her, he could get her to cross it.

Driving to the Limbrey's was difficult. Every so often, JJ would find his attention floating over to Stella. He'd watch as she stared out the window of the truck, no doubt swimming in the ocean of her thoughts.

Their friends said nothing about it. Maybe they heard last night's conversation or maybe they didn't. Regardless, Pope and Kie sensed that there was a suffocating tension between the pair and chose to act as a buffer between them, both metaphorically and physically.

"So," JJ started, glancing over at Stella before looking at the boy sitting next to her, "you sure this is the place?"

The car rolled to a stop and it was like a dark cloud of negative energy shadowed over them. The four teens turned to the house standing before them. Through its towering gates, they could see the overgrown garden spilling onto the weathered cobblestone path, a small shed tucked away in ivy vines, and the carved stone and pillars that looked more like a mausoleum than a house.

Pope nodded. "Pretty sure." He read the letter again. "Twenty-seven King Street."

The other three let out a collective sigh before exiting the truck.

"They're fancy people," Kie stated, reading off her phone. "They've had three governors in the family. They've run Charleston for, like, three hundred years."

"These Kooks make our Kooks look like Pogues."

Stella surveyed the property, her eyes following the tall pickets of the metal fence before giving a subtle nod. "This place is giving me bad vibes."

"Talk about home security," quipped JJ after following her gaze. "Are those spikes to keep people out?"

Pope shook his head and his body tensed. "No." A heavy sigh fell from his lips as he pointed to something past the fence. "The slave quarters are over there. These spikes were to keep people in."

Without another word, he pulled open the gate and walked through. The remaining three shared a hesitant look before following in his footsteps.

"If these people are so rich, then they've had every opportunity to get rid of them," Stella mumbled, glancing at the spikes with narrowed eyes. Why would anyone want a reminder that their family used to be slave owners?

Loud knocking echoed through the air as Pope's fist made contact with the front door. There was a stretch of uninterrupted silence as they waited for someone to greet them. Pope was about to knock again when the door swung open to reveal an older man with a five o'clock shadow and an indifferent expression on his face.

Stella's brows furrowed. There was something about him that seemed familiar, but she knew she had never met him before. Perhaps she had passed him in the street or maybe he just had one of those generic faces.

"You must be Pope," he drawled, crossing his arms as he leaned against the doorframe.

Pope nodded. "Um... Are you Mr. Limbrey?"

"Ms. Limbrey was expecting you yesterday."

"Oh. I'm... I'm sorry. My car broke down on the way here."

From his spot behind Pope, JJ spoke up. "Carburetor blew up in the middle of Nowheresville. Sorry about that."

The man's gaze flickered over to the blond, then to Kie, then to Stella. If he showed any sign of recognition, she didn't see it. "Yeah, she was, uh, real upset when you didn't show up."

"We tried to call," Pope defended weakly, "but there's no number on the invitation."

JJ cleared his throat, ignoring the way the two girls beside him gave him the look. He didn't like the arrogance floating around the man and had enough experience with scumbags to spot one a mile away. "We got here as fast as we could."

The man returned his attention Pope. "She also expected you to come alone. The instructions were explicit. Your friends can stay outside."

JJ raised a brow. "We're kind of a package deal, man."

Pope turned and mustered up the best look of reassurance he could. He was anxious and anyone could tell, but he claimed that he had the situation handled and told them to wait in the car. His three friends reluctantly complied.

The return to the truck was accompanied by Stella's return to her thoughts. Lately, it felt like her life was just one big question mark.

Why was her mom so against helping John B? Why didn't JJ talk to her instead of ghosting her? Who was this older guy and why was he so familiar? How did Limbrey get their evidence?

"What is it?"

Stella looked over at the blond sitting next to her. "What?"

The corners of JJ's lips quirked at her confusion and his eyes softened in amusement. "You have your thinking face on."

"Okay, and...?"

"What are you thinking about?"

A sarcastic smile graced Stella's lips. "I'm thinking that I don't want to talk to you right now." She shook her head and rolled her eyes, turning to look at the house. Outside, Kie was leaning against the hood of the truck, paying no attention to the couple inside of it.

"'Kay, I deserved that." JJ nodded curtly. Until last night, he didn't even think about how he would feel if their positions were reversed. He knew how devastated he'd be if Stella was the one to ghost him. "I meant what I said," he continued. "I'm going to fix this—us."

Stella ignored him, leading him to suck his teeth and scratch his head at her behaviour. "We have to talk about it eventually, Stella."

"We already did," she replied, refusing to meet his stare.

Knowing that being stubborn was coded in her DNA, JJ huffed. If she wasn't going to look at him, then he would have to annoy her until she did.

"I'm sorry," he said after a moment.

"I don't want to talk about it right now."

"I'm sorry."

"Stop doing that."

"But I'm sorry."

"And I don't want to talk about it."

"But—"

"Oh, my God!" Stella snapped, finally turning to face him. "You never give up, do you?"

The blond grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry," he replied, smug with false innocence.

"I know what you're trying to do," Stella responded. She narrowed her eyes. "It's like when we were thirteen and you wanted to play on my new phone and you wouldn't stop poking me until I gave it to you, and each poke kept getting harder and harder because you knew I'd eventually give in if you poked hard enough. Well, guess what, JJ? You can poke as hard as you please, but I'm not giving in this time."

His grin only got wider. "You will."

"No, I won't."

"C'mon, Stel. You can't resist me and you know it."

"Do get off on being a little shit or something?"

"No, but I think you do."

"You've gotta be kidding me—"

"Hate to break this up," Kie interrupted, walking up to the open car window, "but does that look voluntary?" She nodded over to Pope and the former couple turned their heads. The man and an older woman, who they all assumed was Limbrey, were escorting him to the back of the property. His body was tense and if that wasn't enough cause for concern, the panicked look he threw them over his shoulder certainly was.

"That would be a negative."

"Definitely not," Stella agreed. She pushed open the passenger door and shuffled down the seat to make room for Kie, completely ignoring the way JJ tense up when her leg brushed his. "Get in."

Before the door could slam shut, JJ stepped on the gas and the truck lurched forward. "They're going into the alley." His eyes flickered between the Pope and the road ahead. "We'll go around back and meet them on the other side."

They rounded the corner at the end of the property and Kie began to panic. "Can you see them?" She fret, her concern only growing when Stella shook her head.

JJ's eyebrows raised. "What if they went underground?" he asked. There was the spark of excitement in his stare. "Because in C.H.U.D., when they took people down into the sewers, it would turn the humans into humanoids 'cause of the radiation. And then all of a sudden—"

"Focus," Kie snapped, eyes still searching the perimeter of the Limbrey Estate. "That doesn't make any sense."

Beside her, Stella scoffed. "Yeah, it's more like the bar scene in Tangled when they used that secret underground passageway to escape from the bad guys and the royal guards. I read a paper on radiation and C.H.U.D. wasn't an accurate—"

Kie pursed her lips and turned to the pair. "Guys!" she shouted. "Can we focus? Please?"

The pair recoiled. "Right. Sorry. Do you see him?"

"He's right there!" Stella shouted, leaning over Kie and pointing out the window. Through the foliage and the metal fence, the figure of Pope and the older man thrashing on the ground was unmistakable.

JJ slammed on the breaks and before he could put the car in park, Stella and Kie were already out and running.

"Pope!" They called, pushing through the side gate.

Stella skidded to a stop as she rounded the corner of an overgrown flowerbed. The sight of Pope straddling the man and throwing punches without any mercy startled her, giving JJ enough time to take advantage of her shocked state and push her behind him.

"Pope, come on!" JJ shouted, running over to kick away what looked to be a taser before pulling him off the groaning body. "Pope! Just leave him!"

The four teens sprinted back to the truck and within seconds, they were swerving through the streets of Charleston.

"I think he's following us!" Kie shouted, through the rear window of the truck.

Stella turned to follow her line of sight and huffed. "Why does this always happen?" The truck made a sharp turn onto a one way street, and when she turned back around to yell at JJ for his driving, she saw that he had nearly hit two people crossing the street. "JJ! Those were people!"

The blond laughed, too high on the adrenaline flowing through his veins to care about his friends yelling at him. "That was evasive driving technique right there, Sunbaby. You're welcome, y'all."

Ignoring the pang in her chest triggered by the old pet name, Stella shook her head and looked around. "Where we going?"

"I'll lose him."

"Yeah? You and what car?" Stella questioned, pointing at the thick smoke that the engine started to produce.

Immediately, JJ turned to Pope. "You said he fixed the carburetor," he shouted as the car came to a stop. "You said he fixed it!"

"He did!"

"One day," Stella muttered to herself. She followed JJ as he got out of the truck. "Just one day where things go our way."

JJ moved her in front of him and urged her to start running. "Number one rule," he said to his friends. "Never trust mechanics!

One thing Stella was certain of was that she had run more in the past month than she ever had before. The usual standard of being chased by Gary the security guard paled in comparison to the way she was running now. Before, they were running for the thrill of not getting caught. Now, they were running for their lives. And Stella was fairly certain that Limbrey's sketchy henchman wasn't going to stop if they threw him a can of beer.

"Guys, I think he has a gun!" Kie shouted from her spot behind JJ.

JJ looked over his shoulder and cursed. "Shit." He turned to Stella. "Get into the alleyway," he ordered.

Stella gave him an odd look. "What? Why?"

"Why?" JJ repeated in a booming voice. His eyes grew wide in disbelief. "The fuck do you mean why? To get away from the guy with a gun, Stella!"

"But I read if you're running and someone's shooting at you, it's better to run in a zig-zag pattern because it's harder for them to hit a moving target!" Stella shouted back. Her words came out rushed and breathless. "If we're in an alleyway, we're just running in a straight line!"

"Why are you reading papers like that?!"

"Our best friend was framed for murder! I wanted to be prepared!"

"Get in the alleyway!" yelled her friends in unison.

"Okay! Okay!" She rounded the nearest corner and her friends followed suit. "But if Pope gets shot, it's not on me!"

"Hurry up!" Pope shouted from behind Kie.

Stella stumbled over a raised crack in the pavement, but luckily, JJ managed to steady her before she could fall. He looked over his shoulder, his hands lingering on Stella's waist a moment too long, before shouting, "We're going, Pope! You guys gotta keep up!"

The end of the alley came quickly. When the light of the street surrounded her and Stella's eyes landed on the two people in front of her, she came to an abrupt stop. Her friends crashed into her, but she couldn't feel the domino effect when the world's gravity shifted under her.

For a moment, Stella felt everything stop. The earth stopped spinning and time failed to pass. Tears came to her eyes and a relieved smile spread across her face, because Sarah and John B were right there. And they were breathing, and smiling, and alive. And holy shit, she missed them.

The bubble the Pogues found themselves in popped when one of the men chasing after John B and Sarah let out a loud shout.

"Get in!" John B yelled, beckoning them onto the small cart he was pedalling. "Get in! Come on!"

They didn't need to be told twice because the moment his voice broke through the air, Kie jumped onto the cart and pulled Stella onto her lap.

"Push! Push! Push!" JJ ordered, running behind the cart to help.

"Pedal, B! He's gaining!

"I'm pedaling, Stel!"

Behind them, Pope stumbled and fell, rolling on the ground. When he got up, Kie reached a hand out to pull him up.

"See you later, alligator!" JJ shouted, waving goodbye to the men who were chasing them. "Blowin' you a little big kiss!"

There were smiles all around, and as Stella threw her arms over Sarah and Kie, one thought ran through her mind.

The Pogues were back, baby.

STELLA HADN'T FELT peace in a long time. The tidal wave of grief washed over her again and again, coming to knock her down every time she was ready to stand. Sleep was a distant memory and her thoughts were amplified, echoing against the emptiness of her mind.

She tried her best to put on a brave face and pretend that everything was fine. That she didn't miss JJ as much as she actually did. That she got eight hours of sleep every night. That she wasn't exhausted by the simple act of breathing.

She tried and tried to no avail, but sitting on the edge of a boat, listening to John B and Sarah recount their time in the Bahamas, Stella didn't have to try and pretend to be okay anymore. She just was.

The feeling of peace surrounded her like a warm quilted blanket and she found herself smiling as Kie cracked open a watermelon. The sun had cycled and the events of the day before finally caught up to them. The group found themselves docked at one of Kildare's neighbouring islands, the girls insisting on finding food while the boys stayed behind.

"Jackpot!" Kie grinned, handing each of the girls half of a watermelon.

Stella and Sarah shared an impressed look. "Good one, She-Hulk."

Their stomachs growled and they dug in, not caring that a layer of dirt resided on their skin.

"Holy shit," Sarah moaned, biting into a chunk of fruit. "This is so good." Though anything would've tasted good to a girl who hadn't had a proper meal in weeks.

When the urgency of hunger passed, Kie turned to the blond sitting on the ground. "Okay, so you really got married?"

Sarah couldn't help but smile. "It wasn't exactly legal, but... Yeah."

The girls shared a look before chuckling.

"Am I crazy," Sarah continued, "or is there definitely something going on between you and Pope?"

Kie shrugged, her own smile threatening its way across her lips. "Maybe."

"That's not a no."

"It's not a no."

Stella let out an amused huff and tapped Sarah's leg. "God, you should've seen them, S. They bonded over protecting the environment and everything."

A series of giggles fell from the two girls' lips as their curly-headed friend playfully glared at them.

"Star, what happened between you and JJ?" Sarah asked, looking to the golden girl. "I sense tension. Did you guys fight or something?"

The girl in question inhaled deeply and took a bite of her fruit. "Uh... That's one way of putting it," she muttered.

Kie scoffed and leaned forward to scoop some watermelon from Stella's half. "What she means to say is that they broke up."

Sarah's eyes widened and her jaw dropped in shock. For a moment, she questioned if she heard her right. Because when she thought about soulmates, she thought about Stella and JJ. They were the model of perfection and she couldn't comprehend how their relationship deteriorated so quickly. "What? But you're— you're meant for each other! Why... How did that happen?"

"Collateral damage from the grieving process." Stella shrugged lamely.

The other two raised a brow before turning to her for further explanation.

"Okay," Stella sighed, entertaining their curiosity. She couldn't blame them. Sarah wasn't there to witness the downfall and Kie wanted to know everything so she could help them get back together. "So after you guys 'died', it was like the space between us got bigger and bigger. And then, I don't know, I think he got scared of losing me... or hurting me in the long run, so... He ghosted me, which really doesn't make any sense but that's what happened."

Sarah gasped. "He didn't!"

"He did," Kie confirmed.

"That's such a bad idea. Trust me, I would know."

Stella shrugged, handing her half of the watermelon to Kie. "He's been trying to make things better. Like he's been trying to apologize, and bringing me flowers, and chocolate. Last night we spoke and he said he's going to fix it, but... I don't know, it's a mess."

There was a pause of silence before Sarah spoke. "Do you still love him?"

Her silence was a good enough answer. Anyone who's ever seen the pair knew that JJ and Stella would never stop loving each other, no matter the time or distance between them. Their souls were made of the same stardust.

For a second, Sarah thought about asking the girl if she would forgive the blond. But she already knew the answer would be yes. "We're back now," she continued. Her hope was clear as day. "We didn't die, you can work it out! You can get back together!"

Stella cracked a smile and shook her head. "I missed that."

"What?"

"Your unwavering optimism."

Sarah rolled her eyes, but she wasn't annoyed in the slightest.

"Let's go," she nodded, "the guys are probably starving without us."

And they were. Their stomachs were empty and yearning for food and JJ complained about how long the girls were taking every other sentence he spoke. It wasn't until John B decided to twist the subject into dating the girls that JJ stopped talking. Unknowingly, they ended up having a very similar conversation to the other half of their group.

"So, what's up with this Kiara stuff, big guy?" John B gave Pope a teasing look as he passed.

Pope sighed with a weak shrug. "Uh, honestly, I don't know right now, man. I mean, I definitely like her."

"Sure."

"And I'm pretty sure she likes me."

"Seems like it."

"Right now, there's a lot of conflicting information going on. Like, I'm trying to gather all the data and put into a folder in my mind—"

"Folder?" JJ tilted his head with a confused look before shaking his head at the poor, lost soul. "Alright, man, look. Women? They're just not consistent, like, at all."

"I don't know," Pope drawled, rolling his head onto his shoulder and crossing his arms. "Stella seems pretty consistent when it comes to hating you."

"She doesn't hate me."

John B let out a chuckle. "Alright, we're not gonna take female advice from JJ." He had enough experience in the world of JJ and Stella to know that while JJ's claim was true, it didn't mean all was well. "I mean, what happened between you and Stel anyways? I die and everything goes to shit?"

JJ shrugged and blew air out of his lips in a slow, lazy manner. "I don't know, man... It's complicated."

"So un-complicate it."

"I fucked up." A sardonic smile came over his features because of course he fucked up. That's what he always did. It was like he was incapable of holding on to any good thing that came his way. He had her, then he lost her. And though he tried to apologize and he promised he'd fix them, hope was still a dangerous thing and apparently, he loved self-sabotaging. "And I don't even know if she still wants to be friends."

John B furrowed his brows. "But you've never been just friends, even as kids it was only a matter of time. Pope, do you remember what Emma used to call us?"

Pope laughed. "The permanent third wheels," they mused in unison.

JJ sighed as John B patted his shoulder. "You know you've gotta be the one that goes to her, right?"

The blond nodded. "Yeah, 'cause she's got that whole sperm chasing the egg thing."

"Yeah." The air turned serious and John B offered a reassuring smile. "You guys will be fine. You're JJ and Stella."

"YOU KNOW, I gotta be honest," Kie started. She watched as her friends followed her up onto the Chateau's dock. "Not exactly looking forward to a check-in at home. My parents probably already arranged my funeral. "

Pope nodded in agreement. "I predict unpleasantries at the Heyward household after I left the truck in Charleston."

"Yeah..." Stella trailed off. She pulled out her phone to check the missed calls she definitely had, but stopped when she remembered that her phone was dead. "My mom's probably watching the doorbell camera for when I get home so she can call and lecture me."

JJ nodded thoughtfully. "Hmm," he hummed, rubbing his chin. "And no one knows we're here, right?"

The group shook their heads.

"And you three aren't gonna get into any more trouble for showing up 12 hours later. Am I right, or am I right?"

"You're not wrong," Kie supported, a small grin growing on her lips. Truthfully, she'd do anything to avoid the inevitable fight she'd have with her parents upon her return home.

"So that means we have 12 hours to do whatever we want," JJ concluded. "A little Pogue fellowship. How does that sound?"

"Let the shit hit the fan tomorrow."

Sarah frowned and leaned against the wood railing. "The cops could be looking for us," she stated warily. "It could be really stupid."

With a low chuckle, JJ made his way over to her. "Sarah Cameron, you've heard of my philosophy, right?"

"No."

The other Pogues shared a look and mouthed along as JJ recited, "Stupid things have good outcomes all the time." He then turned with his hands raised, bouncing in excitement. "Who's with me? Let's get some beer!"

RAE SPEAKS !
stella may or may not be warming up to jj again 👀

sarah finding out stella and jj broke up: