𝟎𝟏𝟗.                      𝐚 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐮𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧

i don't want to wait ────       paula cole

warning: discussions on attempted suicide

☀︎ 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐥𝐲𝐧'𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐯

𝖶𝖤'𝖱𝖤 𝖲𝖨𝖳𝖳𝖨𝖭𝖦 𝖮𝖭 𝖳𝖧𝖤 𝖢𝖧𝖠𝖳𝖤𝖠𝖴 𝖯𝖮𝖱𝖢𝖧．I'm sat on a single chair, my legs kicked up onto the armrest. My sketchbook is sat on my lap, and I'm aimlessly drawing with my pencil. My head is pressed against JJ's side as he sits on the other armrest, flicking his lighter.

If he catches my hair on fire, he's dead.

Kiara and Pope sit in front of us, talking about God knows what. I don't know where John B is, but I assume he'll be back soon because we need to come up with a plan. We also need to find a very large rope.

I'm moving my finger along the page, smudging lines I've just drawn. I don't know what I'm drawing, I'm just moving my pencil across the page until something comes out of the page. In my previous pages, I've been trying to draw some sort of tattoo design for JJ. I have a very clear idea of what should be on his skin, but I'm unsure what he will think of it.

Pope stands up, leaving Kiara and stepping into the Chateau to grab a drink. I sit quietly, humming to myself as I trace another line, curving it slightly. "What you drawing, Brooke?" Pope steps back in, pushing a drink towards Kiara before moving to sit on the armrest my legs are currently resting on.

I kick my legs off, letting him sit down. "I haven't got a..." I lift the sketchbook, showing JJ and Pope. The image is coming together, and I see what I'm drawing mindlessly. "Oh."

I lower the book, staring ahead Kiara. "What?"

Before I answer, I hear John B, but I hear another voice followed by his── one that nobody expects to hear on this side of the island. I close my book, my attention snagged by my brother and his... friend walking up the steps.

Kiara's head turns, and she exhales a laugh. "No effing way!"

Well, here we go, the fight we've been waiting for.

Kiara is on her feet, and John B is moving himself and Sarah so they can sit down. "Kiara──"

"You brought her here?" She doesn't even look at Sarah. "So what? She's in on this now?" He said he wouldn't involve Sarah, and while I don't mind if she gets involved, he did tell Kiara he wouldn't involve her.

John B glances at us── the innocent spectators. He's crazy if he thinks we're going to get involved in whatever happened between Sarah and Kiara. "Look, all I care about is her cut comes out of your share," is what JJ decides to offer which is, well, such a JJ thing to say.

"You know, I don't remember taking a vote." I really don't like where this is going. "This is our thing. A Pogue thing." Sarah is glaring daggers at Kiara, and if looks could kill... well, actually, I don't know who would be dead first.

"I gotta say, I'm just a tad uncomfortable with all of this," Pope says from beside me.

"Thank you!"

"When are you not?" I ask, offering no help whatsoever, but I'm solely here for the entertainment. Besides, I live here. These guys are on my property── mine and John B's property, sorry.

"I rode here on the back of JJ's bike pretty comfortably." I huff out a laugh, finding that to be very sweet.

"It's true. Most relaxed I've ever seen him."

"That's cute, guys."

Anyone a JJ and Pope shipper? They're sweet, are they not?

"You know we were all extremely comfortable until you brought her," Kiara speaks, acting like Sarah isn't sat right in front of us.

"Stop talking about me like I'm not here." I look to Sarah, unsurprised that she spoke up. I mean, Kiara is talking about her like she isn't sat right here, listening to this.

"Then leave," Kiara snaps.

Sarah scoffs, turning her head back to John B. "I told you." John B looks to her, sighing loudly. I'm not sure what Sarah told John B, but I assume it had something to do with Kiara.

"Told him what, exactly? That's you're a liar?"

"No, that you're a shit-talking bitch, Kiara."

I slap a hand over my mouth, slightly amused despite being friends with both girls. What can I say? We don't get much arguing nowadays. We're all very civil with one another, but bring Sarah around and Kiara is on a whole new level of pissed. This is ridiculous.

"My money's on Kie." JJ pulls out a few bills, holding them in front of my face. He would be the one to bet on something like this.

"Kiara's worth three dollars?"

"That's all I have." I roll my eyes, snatching the money from him.

"When have I lied?" Sarah asks, taking our attention right back to the fight erupting between Sarah and Kiara.

"You get somebody close to you..." Kiara shakes her head. "...for like a month."

"I didn't lie about shit──"

"Shut up!" My eyes widen at my brother's increase in tone, especially since he's been sitting there, all silent. He looks to Kiara. "Kie, you are my best friend, alright?" He looks away, now looking to Sarah. "And Sarah, you're..." He chuckles softly. "...you're my..."

Oh, God.

"I feel uncomfortable now," I utter so only the boys sitting next to me can hear.

JJ slides a hand across my shoulder. "Well, you can take a ride on my──"

"Do not finish that sentence," I snap, jabbing a finger in his direction, and I swear I hear Pope laugh behind me.

"Motorcycle," JJ finishes, shaking his head at me. "What did you think I was going to say, Sunshine?"

"You so don't wanna know."

JJ grins, squeezing my shoulder as we look back to Sarah who is staring at John B, waiting for him to "say it"── it being girlfriend. No way my brother is about to have a girlfriend. Wait, no way is my brother's girlfriend about to be Sarah freaking Cameron── the Kook princess.

"You're my girlfriend."

"He said it," I whisper, acting like the boys don't know he just said it. "Woah."

"Ohh... that's new."

Well, this is brand new information.

"She's your girlfriend now?" Kiara shakes her head, finding this to be ridiculous. "What was all that talk about you were just using her for information? Get a map, cut her loose." My mouth gapes, shocked that she went there, but I guess I can't blame her. She's angry.

"You said you were using me?" Sarah asks, looking back to John B with anything but a smile on her face.

"No."

Do I say something? Kiara is looking at us for confirmation, and if Sarah heard it from me── his sister── I'm sure she'd believe it. I choose to stay silent as the boys nod their heads and agree wholeheartedly with Kiara. "Yeah, you did. You said those things."

"Look, love just walked in, okay?"

"Oh, vomit." I agree, that was vomit worthy.

"I didn't expect it. It just── it just kind of happened. And I'm not gonna deny it. Right?" Sarah no longer looks happy and bubbly, no she looks freaking pissed, and I guess I can't blame her. She just learnt that John B said horrible things about using her for information── nobody wants to hear that.

"Oh! That's corny."

"Look, cut the bullshit, John B." John B looks to Kiara who's not playing anymore. "If she's in, I'm out. You are gonna decide."

"I'm not doing this. I can't!"

"I'm very interested, actually. Me or her?" We all look to John B for the answer, each of our heads turning at the exact same time. It's comical.

"Both," he answers.

"Went for the Hail Mary."

Kiara barges out of the door, moving off the porch and heading for the dock. I pick up my sketchbook, pulling it to my chest. I should go and check on her, that's my first thought.

"It'll be cool, right?" Sarah tuts, standing up. "I'm gonna leave. Gonna let y'all chat. Let me know." She also leaves, and I stand up from my seat, smiling kindly at John B who now has to make a very big decision.

"I'd just like to say, you handled that beautifully."

"You got a girlfriend and potentially lost her in the space of ten seconds." I clap my hand on John B's shoulder as I walk by. "Congrats, bro."

"Thanks, B."

I move down to the porch, and sitting with her legs kicked off the dock is my best friend. From the looks of it, she's crying, and my first instinct is to sit alongside her and wrap her in a hug, but I'm not sure that's really what she wants. I know Kiara very well, and I know that she's not a very touchy-feely person── the other night aside.

I clear my throat, catching her attention. "Hey, best friend." I sit down next to her, placing my sketchbook next to me.

She sniffles, wiping her eyes. "Are we still best friends?"

"Duh." Something of a smile touches her lips. "You're my bestie, you know that."

"I didn't mean to get mad at you the other day, I just..." More tears fall, and I have this urge to reach out and stop them, but I don't move, I just stare at her. "I hate your brother right now."

"Well, there's days that I'm not too fond of him either," I say. Hate is strong word. I've never hated my brother, not even when he did everything first growing up── he walked first, he talked first, he laughed first, he smiled first. He did everything before I did even though I did all those things later on the same day. I don't hate my brother, but I guess I can understand why Kiara is feeling this way.

"I know how this ends," she says, her voice cracking. "I've seen this movie. I starred in it."

"In what, Kie?"

"Freshman year, it was my first year at the Kook Academy. You know how intimidating that is?" It was hard not having Kiara at school with us, especially since she was my only girlfriend. Hanging out with your brother everyday isn't classed as cool. I know Kiara hated the Kook Academy, that much she told me whenever we spoke.

"I didn't have anything in common with anyone," she tells me, and that hurts to hear. Her breathing deepens, and more tears fall as she speaks again, "and just as I'm about to slit my wrists, the queen asks me if I wanna go save baby sea turtles."

I had no idea it was that difficult for Kiara── not hard enough for her to want to harm herself. I can't imagine a world without Kiara. I mean, she's a vital part of my life. I feel overwhelmed, so I reach out to place a gentle hand on her back. I'm happy to see her not flinch away from my touch but relax into it.

"Our first day together, we walked to the beach. We waited for the hatch, and we kept the seagulls off so that the turtles could get to the water," she tells me, and it's nice to hear that they once had a bond. "It was the best day of my life. And then she turned on me like she does with everyone."

"I'm sorry." I shuffle closer, pressing my chin against her shoulder. "I had... no idea."

"I'm not doing this with her, Brooke."

"I understand."

"He's gonna have to choose," she insists, but I know he won't do that. I know my brother very well, I know he can't choose.

"He won't choose, Kiara."

"Why not?"

"He's an idiot," I reply, earning a small laugh from her. Good.

Kiara leans her head against mine, her hand reaching for mine. "Are we really okay?"

I nod, squeezing her hand. "We're also okay, Kie."

"I'm sorry about the other day."

"It's okay. I should've just told you that I went to Midsummers with Sarah, but believe me, I didn't expect to."

"You did look beautiful in that dress, by the way."

"Thank you."

While it's now covered in mud and no longer pretty, I still loved wearing it. I felt really pretty. I felt like the actual sun in that dress.

I lift my head off her shoulder, and I reach my other hand out to press against the side of her face. She turns to me, and I swipe my thumb across her cheekbone, wiping away the tears. "You're my best friend, okay, and I love you, and I am very, very happy that you are in this world── with us, with me. We couldn't do any of this without you."

The corner of her mouth tugs up in a smile. "Thank you," she whispers back.

"Do you wanna come back inside or..."

She shakes her head, and I move my hand from her face, dropping it down to rest upon my sketchbook. "No, I think I just want to sit here." I hum, reaching for my book. "Why'd you bring that?"

I remove my hand from Kiara's and I open to the page I was drawing on before Sarah and John B graced us with their presence. I hold the book out to her, and she takes it from me, staring down at the carefully pencilled drawing of... her.

Without even realising, I drew Kiara. She was sitting right in front of me, doing something as simple as talking, and I was moving my pencil absentmindedly, creating the image of her without even thinking. Her curls are in front of her face, her smile is small but large at the same time, and her eyes actually shine up from the page, staring at Kiara in the present.

Her smile now is similar to the one I drew. "Wow, Brooke." She exhales a laugh, moving her thumb across the drawing carefully. "You're, like... really good. This is..."

"Beautiful," I finish, and Kiara laughs.

"I didn't wanna say it because, well, it's me."

"But you are," I say softly, and her eyes lift to look into mine. "You are beautiful, Kie, inside and out. I've always thought that."

"Thank you."

"I didn't even realise I was drawing you until I stopped drawing." Drawing has always been as easy as breathing for me, and being Kiara's friend has always been just as easy. In a way, I think I drew her because she's always in my mind, much like JJ is always in the back of my mind. It feels natural to use my skills of drawing to display my feelings towards people.

"We haven't really..." Kiara exhales, looking back to the drawing of herself. "We haven't really talked about it── about that night."

"Yeah. I-I know."

Her head lifts, her eyes finding mine again. "It meant a lot to me," she says softly. "I-I like you, Brooke, more than I-I should, I guess, but I don't know if we should..."

"Pursue anything?" She nods, biting her bottom lip. "No, I-I agree," I say, and her eyes widen slightly. "I mean, I-I like you, Kiara, a lot, but I have a lot of feeling for..." I swallow. "for JJ too, and I just don't want to hurt you. It would be unfair."

"You could never hurt me, Brooke." She shrugs her shoulder. "I know you like him, I always knew that, and I think he likes you too." I don't reply to that, I don't need to. "I kissed you because I just wanted to know how it would feel, I guess."

"I'm glad you did," I say, assuring her. "I don't regret it, Kiara. I-I just..."

"No, I get it." She nods, understanding. "I don't regret it either. I just wanted to clear this up. I don't want things to be awkward between us. We're best friends first, right?"

"Always."

I leave Kiara on the dock after she tells me she wants some alone time. I head back to the Chateau to find the boys gathered in the kitchen, drinks in hands. "What'd she say?"

"That I am a way better kisser than you," I joke because she didn't say that... although, I totally am a better kisser.

JJ snorts out a laugh, and Pope's eyes widen. John B's head snaps to me, shocked. "What?"

Only JJ knows Kiara and I kissed, and I think Pope and John B find that I'm joking but I'm not really kidding.

I laugh, shaking my head because I refuse to explain that one. "It's none of your business what she said. We just talked, she hates you, I agreed with her." I shrug, reaching for the beer in his hand because I'm thirsty, and because he's hardly paying any attention, I'm able to steal it.

"It's a no-brainer. You're picking Kie," JJ says, reaching for his own beer.

"Look, I can't make a decision."

"So what? We're just dead in the water because you're pussy-whipped?"

I scrunch my face up. "Ew!"

"Don't be a prude, Sunny." I glare at him. "Look, we can't do this without Kie, and you know it."

"And I can't do this without Sarah. Okay? They both have to be in on it."

"Well, good luck with that," I deadpan, knowing those two won't work together even in death.

"You know what? I know this was my fault, alright?"

"At least you're aware," I utter, taking a sip of the beer that John B snatches back. "Hey!"

"But it's our problem. I've got a plan. And you three shitheads are gonna help me out."

"I know you did not just demand something of me," I scoff, moving to sit down.

"You're damn right I did. Get up."

John B leaves the Chateau. "What a dick."

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𝖭𝖤𝖷𝖳 𝖬𝖮𝖱𝖭𝖨𝖭𝖦，𝖬𝖴𝖢𝖧 𝖳𝖮 𝖬𝖸 𝖣𝖨𝖲𝖠𝖦𝖱𝖤𝖤𝖬𝖤𝖭𝖳，𝖶𝖤 𝖦𝖮 𝖳𝖧𝖱𝖮𝖴𝖦𝖧 𝖶𝖨𝖳𝖧 𝖮𝖴𝖱 𝖯𝖫𝖠𝖭．The plan is to drive Kiara out to Heyward's boat that's stranded in the middle of the water due to a "malfunction" that we caused. We're on the boat, ready to make a run for it once Kiara arrives to look at the problem we can fix.

Little does Kiara know, Sarah is in the hold of the boat, looking at something else for us.

Pope is on the getaway boat, ready to drive us away. "Can't you guys do anything without me?" Kiara asks, moving towards join us as we act like we can't fix the problem. "What happened?"

"Uh, the alternator's, uh, not alternating anymore," JJ says, blabbering on.

"It's not charged."

"Did you check the plugs?" Kiara asks, bending down to have a look.

"No. No, you should check 'em." JJ hands Kiara the screwdriver, smiling. "Give it a whirl."

She shakes her head. "You guys are useless."

I hold my hands up defensively. "Hey, I'm not."

As Kiara bends down to sort out the fake problem, we slowly back away and move away from the cockpit to leave the boat. I jump off the boat first, followed by John B and JJ, and we begin to swim towards Pope who has already turned the boat around so we can leave quickly without them catching up.

She's figured out that Sarah is on the boat, and they're both standing on the boat and staring at us. "Guys!" I hear Kiara's voice just as I climb onto the boat. "Are you serious?"

"Get your asses back here!"

John B climbs up along with JJ. "We can't," John B calls back. "Not till you two figure it out."

"I will kill every single one of you!"

"I had nothing to do with this," I yell, wanting to make that clear. I did not orchestrate this insane plan, but I'm not upset about the plan. If John B is set of having us all work together, Sarah and Kiara need to work through their issues.

"Y- You can't just leave!"

"There's food in the cabin, and JJ rolled a blunt." Pope offers them a thumbs up as John B takes control of the boat, guiding us away from Heyward's boat.

"Hydroponic!" JJ yells, cheering.

"Love you guys! Bye!" I wave a goodbye, hoping they don't blame me.

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❀ soph speaks

so i don't know what will happen in season four of this story,, i haven't got there obviously and i'm still rewriting but i'm a little lost

anyway, hope you enjoyed . . . isn't it nice just to go back to season one :')

i feel like writing a rudy pankow fic, whatcha think??