𝐓 𝐇 𝐈 𝐑 𝐓 𝐘 - 𝐓 𝐖 𝐎
liquid gold

The three girls were a giggling mess the entirety of the morning they spent together, the three of them huddled in the van as Kiara went over the sketch-plan Pope had mapped out.

"He said it looked something like this," She trailed her finger down the drawn rope on the paper. "That's fifty feet down, and they're using one-hundred-feet rope."

Meredith furrowed her brows, lips pulling into an amused grin, but she allowed Kiara to continue.

"So I guess this little wagon will go..." Sarah let out a laugh. "...straight to the gold room."

"Who drew this?" The blonde laughed, the other two giggling from beside her, Meredith leaning forward to look at the poorly drawn-out diagram.

"Who do you think?" The curly-haired girl laughed, turning to look over her shoulder. Collectively, the other two glanced out of the window to see Pope and John B working over the Pulley system, but Pope's eyes had already been trained on Kiara.

The Waters' girl laughed again, shaking her head at the distraught boy who was acting as if he'd never been looking to begin with.

"Hey, where did you go last night?" Kiara questioned, noticing how Meredith's lips pulled into a secretive smirk. "You-"

However, before she could continue, JJ interjected from outside of the van, walking towards them with the previously cleaned gold bars. After they had returned back to the Château from the mainland, JJ had decided to clean the gold if they wanted to melt it down, which was now perfectly shiny in his hand.

"Kie!" He called out, appearing in the open door way of the van. "This better work. We can't pawn this if there's a giant wheat symbol on it."

"It's gonna work," the girl smirked, lifting up the blue blow torch that she had stashed somewhere in the van.

And so, the three evacuated the van, following after the blonde boy to where John B had set up station outside. He had a burner on a plastic table, a pot sitting above the flames.

Kiara was first to reach it, blow torch in hand. The others had decided to keep their distance, unsettled with the idea of the Carrera girl weildind a firey weapon. However, Meredith remained by her side in case she needed assistance.

Suddenly, the girl held down the button, the flame igniting near Meredith. "Jesus! If you burn my hair off by the end of this, I will have to kill you," Meredith joked, holding the bottom of the torch to aim it away from herself.

Kiara laughed, but it seemed to only frighten the others more. "Sorry, so sorry!" She spoke through laughs, and it almost worried Meredith. But, the second the torch was away from her, she let out a sigh of relief.

The curly-haired girl sent one last look over her shoulder towards the others who were all huddled by the three, watching from afar.

Kiara held down the button again, the blue flame coursing to the gold bars. Slowly, the bar began turning into liquid gold, a satisfied grin on the two girls' faces.

That was until the flame suddenly dissipated, a hiss sounding from the torch. The two girls both frowned at the sound, Kiara lifting the torch to get a better look.

"What-" she scoffed, lips parting in disbelief when not even the push of the button would emit any fire.

"This must be a joke," Meredith scoffed, throwing her hands up in exasperation. At the sudden pause, the others tried seeing past the two girls' backs.

"What's wrong?" John B spoke up from behind them, leaning forward from his spot on the dirt beside Sarah.

Meredith whirled around, torch in hand. "The bitch just ran out of fuel."

Pope lurched forward, eyes widened with shock. "What? No, no."

"Shit," John B cursed, clenching his jaw as he stood up to approach the two girls. Kiara peeled the safety glasses off the bridge of her nose, tossing them on the plastic table in agitation.

"What the hell do we do now?" The blonde boy pushed himself off of the tree adjacent to Sarah. She stood up as well, wiping the dirt off of her jean skirt.

Everyone remained silent, Meredith's jaw clenched in annoyance. The pogues exchanged looks, but the girl's staring contest with the ground drowned out their sighs and huffs of complaint.

"Shit," Kiara breathed out. "This can not be happening."

"The second things start going good," JJ spoke through gritted teeth, eyes catching Meredith's before he looked away as if he had never been looking to begin with. He peeled the hat off of his head, wringing it in his ring-clad hands.

"Shit has to hit the fan," John B added on, ignoring the soothing hand his girlfriend laid on his bicep.

Then, an idea struck Meredith. She remembered vividly that her father had a private family storage unit filled to the brim with equipment and expensive machinery for travel and work purposes. She wasn't sure if he even had a blow torch- she had absolutely no clue. However, she couldn't let this chance pass when the pogues had worked so hard for something just for them to go tumbling downhill.

She wanted to try, no matter the risk. For the pogues. For JJ.

She lifted her gaze,parting her lips to speak. "My dad has a storage unit. I'm pretty sure there's something we can use. He has pretty much everything."

"Wait, that could work," John B nodded, his eyes snapping to hers confidently.

"Yeah, but-"

Before she could continue, JJ interjected, concern dancing behind his irises. "Hold on, is that even a good idea?"

"Since when do you care about that?" Kiara narrowed her eyes, arms crossed over her chest.

But, JJ simply ignored her, eyes never leaving the Waters' girl who shifted uncomfortably under everyone's expectant gazes, waiting for her to make a decision that could either fix so many things for them or risk everything for herself.

"There's gotta be a blow torch somewhere there, right?" Her best friend spoke up, Sarah shrugging her shoulders with raised brows.

"I mean, I don't see why not," Meredith shrugged nervously.

"Mer, are you sure?" The Maybank son questioned lowly, eyebrows upturned in concern.

"No," She scoffed. "But we don't really have a choice, right? I just need the keys."

"Keys?" Pope and Kiara chorused in unison, the boy's eyes only widening more in horror. They had finally found the gold and successful gotten it in the comfort of their territory, and now the universe felt as if it was the perfect time to kick them in the ass. This wouldn't look great on his college resume. As for Kiara, she knew all too well the risk within going behind her parents' backs.

"Yeah," the Kook nodded. "There somewhere in his office. We get the keys, and then we can finish this."

Everyone around could see that JJ didn't like the idea of risking her relationship with her parents, even if it meant sacrificing the gold. Let's just say John B never thought he'd see the moment where JJ Maybank put a girl above all else.

"Mer-" he tried, but she shook her head.

While JJ was thinking about her, she was thinking about him. The difference between them was that she would sacrifice herself for him while he would sacrifice the world for her.

"It's okay," her lips turned up into a soft smile, but he knew better than anyone that it was fake. "JJ, it's fine."

"Yeah, okay," John B nodded, clasping his hands together. "We'll get the keys than come back with the torch."

The whole ride to Figure Eight, everybody could tell that Meredith was on edge. It wasn't easy doing what she was about to do- she would be lying and stealing from her parents. Again. Not to mention, she was already walking on a fine line with them, and she couldn't afford to lose.

So, Pope, Kiara, and Sarah tried maintaining conversation and distracting her from it, while John B drove and JJ sat beside her.

Pope filled her in on his scholarship and the extents of it, which Meredith thought was interesting. She found it inspiring how devoted he was to his future. He wanted to make his parents proud, and it wasn't often in life anymore where someone as dedicated as him took pride in his passion. She just wished there were more like him.

The rest of the car ride to her house was relatively silent, apart from the doddering squeal from the brakes or the shuffle of the people inside the van.

From the corner of his eye, JJ could see the constant bounce of Meredith's leg, and he badly wanted to reach out and console her. But, damned his confidence- he couldn't.

The blue-eyed pogue was on the verge of comforting her before the van came to an abrupt stop. From the front, John B shifted to face the group in the back.

"You gonna be good in there?" He questioned, casted hand resting on the back of the seat.

"Yeah," She murmered through a sigh. "My mom's gonna be pissed. So, if I don't come back, I'm probably dead."

She meant it as a joke, but nobody mustered the courage to laugh. If they knew anything, it was that she was not in a humorous mood, and it was a cover-up for her nervousness. Nevertheless, Sarah sent her a reassuring smile.

"Just wait right here," the girl muttered, unable to meet JJ's eyes. Instead, she focused solely on her tall-standing house, and to no surprise, her father's car wasn't in the driveway. The sun creeped over the estate, seeping through the girl's anxiety.

With one final sigh, she slid the back door open, stepping out and closing it behind her.

She didn't look back. No, that was the last thing she wanted to do. The second her eyes laid on JJ, she would cave, and right now, she couldn't afford that.

She had finally made it to the door, conveniently taking small steps, dreading the moment she met her mother's face. The last time she had been home, neither of her parents was home- per usual. She had stopped by to retrieve clothing for their break-in at the Crain estate.

She opened the door, taking cautious steps inside. It was as if her mother could sense her presence because before she could speak, the woman was storming through the building to get to her.

"Meredith?" She called out, and the teenager could practically see her anger before she even entered the foyer. "Thank God, I was worried sick!"

And, as much as she wished it surprised her, it didn't. It didn't surprise her when her mother didn't reach out, longing to hold her daughter after claiming she was ill-worried.

"I'm sorry," She winced at the tone of her mother's voice, Jenna's jaw locked so tightly that Meredith thought she'd never see it open again.

"Where the hell have you been?" The brunette woman shouted, crossing her arms. "Do you have any idea how worried i was?"

"I'm sorry," She repeated, fidgeting with her hands nervously. "I was with some friends. There was a party and I ended up staying the night with Sarah."

"Don't you dare lie to me," Jenna's jaw ticked, and Meredith realized that she knew she was lying. "I know there wasn't a party. And you were not with Sarah."

"Yes, I was," although there was no way of getting out of this because her mother already knew she wasn't telling the truth, she couldn't let her parents find out what she was really doing.

"After I come to find out that you were never in your bed this morning, I called Rose," the woman revealed, and Meredith's brows furrowed. "You were never there, Meredith."

Her eyes fell, and she couldn't build up the courage to look back up because she already knew what her mother was doing. She was burning the uttermost disappointment into her daughter's direction.

"Where were you, Meredith?" This time, her tone wasn't sharp or threatening. It was patient. That was what scared her.

As much as she tried, she couldn't say anything because no amount of excuse would be plausible. Her mother dug under her skin like no other. She knew everything about her so she could be one step ahead.

Then, like a moth to a flame, an idea called her. She remembered- and she would never forget, the moment her parents accused her of doing drugs. Specifically, the drugs of Rafe Cameron. An addict. The same boy who had taken advantage of her.

"I was..." She cleared her throat when Jenna stuck her neck out expectantly. "I was returning the drugs to Rafe."

"The drugs," this time, Jenna laughed. She threw her head back and laughed in her daughter's face. "The drugs?!"

"Yes, Mom," Meredith rolled her eyes. "The drugs."

"Enough of this shit, Meredith," the older woman finally snapped, gesturing wildly with her hands. "I am so sick of you and your unaccountability! You have no idea what your lies could do to that family."

"I'm not doing drugs!" With each word, she held so much hostility that she may even consider the Pogues to hear her. "It was Rafe's! I was holding it for him!" Of course, she would never, but her mother didn't need to know that. She just wanted her mother to believe her.

"Stop!" Jenna thundered. "Don't raise your voice at me! Goddammit, Meredith, this has to stop."

"Why won't you believe me?" Meredith's shaky voice cracked, confronting the one woman who she was supposed to be able to confide in. Instead, she was scared to. "Mom, please, believe me."

A chilling silence suffocated them, Jenna's stone cold stare boring straight into her daughter's eyes. It was like she was searching for some kind of hope that her daughter would own up to her actions and accept professional help. But, how could she accept help if she didn't need it?

"I can't," She finally declared, shaking her head. "You're different, and you need help."

"Help?!" The ebony-eyed girl scoffed in disbelief, lips parting in exasperation. "What are you talking about?"

"You're endangering yourself, Meredith," Jenna spoke each word with a sharp snarl. "You're ruining your life for drugs. And then you have the nerve to blame an innocent boy on your own stupid actions."

Meredith wanted to cry out or scream because what she was saying was utterly shocking. The worst part was that she just couldn't believe her. She would reveal her deepest insecurities and emotions to her mother if it meant that she understood and that she wanted to care.

For years, Jenna Waters had come accustomed to her husband's harsh words and directed insults because she was his wife. As she was raised, she would be head strong and accept that this was her fate. Marrying a man whose temper was larger than his respect.

The abused become the abusers.

"You're sick, baby," low and behold, a tear rolled from her mother's eye, and she almost felt sorry. Almost. But, she couldn't let it get to her. Not when her own voice was shunned.

"I'm not sick," She declared, lifting her chin high and blinking away the tears that threatened to reveal themselves. "And I'm not doing drugs."

"I can't help you if you won't help yourself," the brunette woman exhaled sharply, reaching out for her daughter's arm, but Meredith pulled away.

She just wanted to be heard.

"I don't need help."

"And I don't need a daughter like this."

In that moment, it felt as if her heart had physically shattered into a million ridged pieces, and she couldn't piece them back together. Her mother walked off, and it was like life was sucked out of her because this wasn't what her childhood self would see.

She would see the side of her mother that tucked her in at night and warded off the monsters beneath the bed. Her mother who listened. Her mother, who could love without an ultimatum.

A tear rolled down her rosy cheeks, and this time, she didn't have the energy to wipe it away. She let it fall past her chin until it seeped into the material of her shirt.

Why did she have to mess everything up? Why was Meredith Waters such an emotional mess?

Then, like a surge, the guilt drowned under the harsh wave or seering anger. Her lips formed back into their scowl, eye lids falling down to hood her irises.

Meredith sniffled, wiping the drying tear. Without a look towards where her mother had walked off, she entered her father's office, its door cracked open.

She knew the exact place to go, a small cabinet on the side of the desk where Michael Waters stashed important things that he needed for his job. She slid the drawer open quietly, revealing various amounts of sets of keys and files.

In a small circular dish was a key ring, one singular key dangling from it proudly. On the same ring was a keychain, with the words WSU engraved in it. Like the back of her hand, she recognized it as their family storage facility- Waters Storage Unit.

A ghost of a smile appeared on her lips as she pulled the keys out of the drawer, dangled tightly on her pointer finger.

Cautiously, she slid the small drawer shut before sauntering back to the office door. She made sure to leave a small crack as if she had never been there in the first place.

She knew that the Pogues were most likely waiting for her. So, she didn't waste another second to leave the house, slamming the door behind her without a care for her mother's rules.

The Pogues waiting patiently in the vehicle parked by the road hadn't even noticed her exit her house until JJ's eyes caught sight of her walking towards them, quickly jolting forward anxiously.

"How'd it go?" Sarah leaned over the back of the passenger seat, everyone's attention on Meredith when she slid the back door open.

"Got 'em," She pursed her lips, holding them up on her pointer finger. Upon seeing her blank expression and noticing her short-cut sentences, JJ immediately knew that something was wrong. All hell was bound to break loose the second she entered her house.

"Did your parents see you?" The curly-haired girl then asked next, ignoring the glare JJ sent her when Meredith began moving towards the boy.

"Yeah," She nodded. When she didn't go on further, the others exchanged equally concerned gazes.

"So..." Sarah pressed wearily, eyebrows raised expectantly.

"Nothing," but the girl didn't give in, insistent on keeping to herself. "She's mad- whatever. It's not a big deal."

Meredith leaned back on the seat beside JJ, his arm moving to hang over her shoulder, and she leaned into his touch, forearm nuzzled into the back of her neck. The other teenagers picked up on the interaction, but the air was far too thick to mention it. Besides, Meredith's set jaw, crossed arms, and deepened brows were enough to silence the others.

As much as it shocked the others, the only way to get rid of her frown was JJ Maybank, his touch more than comforting.

The others were just confused as shit.

author's note!
i added my own little minor change to the plot so that meredith is included in more things. i hope nobody tries to kill me for it.