𝟎𝟒𝟓.                                𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬

i'll be there for you ──── the rembrandts

☀︎ 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐥𝐲𝐧'𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐯

𝖨𝖳'𝖲 𝖳𝖶𝖮 𝖳𝖧𝖨𝖱𝖳𝖸 𝖨𝖭 𝖳𝖧𝖤 𝖬𝖮𝖱𝖭𝖨𝖭𝖦，𝖠𝖭𝖣 𝖨 𝖢𝖠𝖭'𝖳 𝖲𝖫𝖤𝖤𝖯．It's hard to sleep after what we just witnessed. I can still hear the explosion ringing through my eardrums. I can still see the crackle of red and orange in my vision. I can still smell the air burning. If I close my eyes, the boat is exploding again and again and again, so I don't close my eyes.

I just stay awake, staring up at the dark ceiling.

JJ isn't lying beside me, but I really wish he was. We didn't think it would be smart for him to be in my room, not when John B has no idea what's going on between us, and if we were alone in my bedroom, he'd only be questioning us.

Maybe I'd sleep better if he was next to me.

Frustrated, I lift myself up and out of my bed, bringing myself out of my bedroom to find each of my friends asleep on the sofa. Well, at least they're getting some sleep. That's good. I look away, peering at John B's bedroom door only to find that it's cracked open.

I step forward, pushing it open entirely but I don't find him. "John B?"

He isn't in there. I don't know why.

I move past my friends, stepping outside to find my brother sitting on the steps leading up to the front door. I'm guessing he hasn't slept either.

Sarah stayed behind with her family, choosing to stay with her sister and stepmother rather than with us which I understand. Her family are handling the death of Ward, so she can take all the time she needs away from us. She promised to call or stop by the next day, so until we see her, John B doesn't seem to be doing too well. I know he's worried about her, we all are, but we have to give her space right now.

John B and Sarah shared little to no words since Sarah decided to stay with her family, and in turn, John B has shared little to no words with any of us. He's just been dealing in whatever way he knows how, and that's apparently by sitting here in the freezing cold.

I move to sit down beside him. "Hey, John B."

He doesn't look at me, he just keeps staring ahead, but at least he knows I'm here. "Hey, B."

"You just felt like sitting in the cold?"

He nods slowly. "Yeah."

I nudge him, bringing his attention to me. "Hey. Talk to me."

"He's dead." He sighs, pushing the hair away from his face. "He's dead, Brooke, and I'm happy, alright? I am."

"Y-You don't..." I shake my head, finding his tone to be a little harsh like he's trying to convince himself that he can be happy. It's okay if he's not happy, he doesn't need to lie to me. "You don't sound all that happy, you sound... mad."

"I am."

I scrunch my face up, a little lost. "You are happy or you are mad?"

"I'm both, Brooke."

I rear my head back. "Okay," I breathe out.

"I'm sorry. I'm just..." His head falls forward into his hands. He's obviously not doing great at the moment, and I don't want to stress him out any more than he already is, so I just remain silent, choosing to stay right here with him.

He lifts his head, looking over at me. "I'm mad because I wanted him behind bars. I wanted him to be in the same place I was, B, but he got to take the easy way out."

"I know." It isn't fair that John B had to be behind bars, waiting for his death while Ward got the chance to escape prison. I want him behind bars, rotting and begging for escape, but now he's just dead. I feel as if nothing has been accomplished.

"But I'm happy because he's dead, Brooke. He's dead." He nods, looking away from me. "It's over. We won."

"I don't think we won, John B."

"He's dead, Brooke. The guy who killed our dad is dead. I'm glad he is."

"Sarah's father is dead."

"I know that. He killed our dad, B."

I sigh, head falling into my hands. "I know he did, but Sarah lost her father, John B. She lost her father. We lost ours."

"We lost ours because of her father."

"She didn't choose her father, John B!" My voice raises unintentionally. I don't want to yell at him, not when we're both exhausted and I'll end up saying something I'm regret. "Nobody gets to pick their family. We just end up stuck with a family the day we're born."

"We end up stuck?" Yeah, maybe that wasn't the smartest choice of words, but I don't take it back. "Are you stuck?"

"Yes. Yes, I am stuck. I'm stuck with you," I exclaim, once again saying the wrong words.

He jerks his head back. "What?"

"I have been stuck with you since the day I was born, John B, and I love you, I do, but you also piss me off the most." I realise I sound a little stupid, and maybe it's because I'm tired, but I can't seem to stop myself from talking.

"God, I mean, all you do is complain and complain, but look..." I raise my arms, agitated. "You have so much, John B. You have a life. You have me── the coolest sister in the world, might I add."

He scoffs. "The coolest sister?"

"Yes, the coolest sister, thank you very much."

"Right."

"Where was I?"

"Telling me how much I piss you off."

"Right. Thank you." I clear my throat, turning my body to look at him. "You have a lot, John B. You have us. You have Sarah. You have so much, with or without Dad, but Sarah..." I look over at him but he won't look at me. "She's just lost her dad, and I know he wasn't a good person, and I know he took our father from us, but he is still a dad to her. He's still the man who raised her. He's still the man who loved her."

He's hearing me, I know he is, but he isn't looking at me. "Sarah doesn't have what you and me have, John B. She doesn't have much of a family outside of us. She didn't choose her father, okay, you have to understand that."

"I do understand that, Brooke."

"I was there for her because, at the end of the day, she's just like me." In more ways than one, Sarah and I are in similar, and today it was like staring into a mirror. "Despite what Ward did, she's just a girl who lost her dad. Just like I did, she needed somebody."

"She had you. She had..." He exhales. "...Topper."

Yeah, I'm still questioning why Toper just happened to be in the area at the same time the boat exploded, but it's whatever. He was there, replacing me as I stood back up. I don't like Topper, not in any kind of way, but I can see that he truly does care about Sarah. Or maybe he only cares because he wants to steal her back, I don't know. He best stay away.

"She wanted you, John B."

"Ward killed our dad, Brooke. What was I supposed to do?"

"You were supposed to just be there."

"I was there. I have been there, Brooke, but her dad killed our Dad. I couldn't just ignore that."

I stand up. "These stairs are hurting my ass." I step away, shaking out my leg. "God."

"Brooke──"

"I know we lost Dad," I speak, turning to face him. "Believe me, I know that. I'm reminded everyday that we lost Dad, John B, but we have got to move on. Ward is dead now, okay? He's dead." If he wants to say we've won, then sure, we've won even if it doesn't feel like a win.

"We lost Dad, John B, but we did not lose each other." Well, technically we did for some time, but we're back now. "You are all I have got. To be honest, you're all I've ever had."

He looks up from me. "What?" I press my lips together, realising I now have to explain what I just said to my brother. "Brooke, what?"

"I loved Dad, I did." I need to emphasise that point otherwise he'd take this the wrong way. "But I didn't have Dad in the same way that you did." I'm telling John B what I told Rafe even though I told myself I wouldn't say a damn thing about it.

"What are you talking about, Brooke?"

"You were Dad's favourite." My voice cracks, and my chest tightens as I stare forward at my brother── my dad's favourite. "I know Dad loved me, John B. I know he did, but I wasn't his golden child." I huff out a something of a laugh. "I wasn't his favourite."

John B looks away from me because he knows. Deep down, he's always known that fact. He's never said it out loud, he wouldn't dare, but he was Dad's favourite.

Tears glisten my eyes but I wipe them away, really not wanting to cry right now. "I wasn't his favourite so I clung onto you, and I have clung onto you for seventeen years, John B, because I knew I could be your favourite. I knew I wouldn't have to compete with anybody."

"Brooke..."

"You and I feel differently about Ward dying, I don't know why, but we do. I'm not sad or mad or happy, I'm just confused, I guess." I shrug, crossing my arms over my chest. "I understand your side and why you're upset, but I also understand Sarah's side and why she is upset. She lost her father. I lost mine. You lost yours. We've all lost, John B."

He stands up, meeting me in the middle. A tear slides down my cheek as I look at him. "But I'm tired, John B. I'm exhausted, and all I want to do is move past this, okay? I want us to find that stupid gold or cross or whatever we're supposed to find, and move the fuck on."

He nods, laughing. "Okay."

"Okay."

John B steps forward, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and pulling me into a much needed embrace. I lift my arms, hugging him back. "Hey." I lean my face into his chest, really relieved that after this pointless talk, we've reached common ground. "You are my favourite."

I smile, peering up at him. "Yeah?"

He nods. "Yeah."

I might not be my dad's favourite, but there's always one thing I can count on being, and that's my brother's favourite which means more to me than he'll ever know.

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𝖣𝖱𝖠𝖶𝖨𝖭𝖦－ 𝖳𝖧𝖠𝖳'𝖲 𝖧𝖮𝖶 𝖨 𝖳𝖠𝖪𝖤 𝖬𝖸 𝖬𝖨𝖭𝖣 𝖮𝖥𝖥 𝖤𝖵𝖤𝖱𝖸𝖳𝖧𝖨𝖭𝖦．Well, kind of. I find myself to be drawing the explosion, replaying it in my head over and over again as I draw. I don't have any watercolours with me as I've exhausted them to the point where the water doesn't create any colour. Instead, I'm choosing to press down harder with the lead of my pencil where the red and orange and yellow strokes should be.

I still haven't slept, not for a single minute, but I really don't feel all that tired. It'll catch up with me eventually, I know it will. After talking with John B, he stalked off to his room, and I came into my room, intent on going to sleep but every time I closed my eyes, I had this urge to do anything but sleep.

Now I'm drawing to distract my mind but it's not working entirely, not when I'm drawing the one thing that I'm supposed to be ignoring.

It's now the morning and while I should leave my room and see how everyone is, I can't seem to bring myself to move. Sure, my bed isn't the comfiest, but once I've found a spot to sit, I can't move. I'm also so heavily focused on the art I'm creating that I don't even lift my head when the door cracks open ever so slightly.

Even when the door shuts behind whoever, I don't look up. I know it's either Pope, John B, Kiara or JJ. Actually, it could be Sarah as she said she'd stop by once she had a chance to get away from her family.

"Hey, Sunshine."

I now look up because, even though I know who it is, I still want to see him standing by my door. My lips tug up in a smile upon seeing him, and he smiles right back at me. My God, I don't know how he looks this good each and every morning. It truly amazes me.

"Can I hide in here?"

I raise a brow. "Hide in here?"

He steps into my room, pressing his back against  the door to shut it. "Sarah and John B are talking outside. Hundred bucks says they're gonna break up."

I scoff. "They won't break up and you don't have a hundred bucks."

"Well..." He pushes himself off the door, stepping over to me. "We could bet something else?" His tone is suggestive, telling me subtly that he wants to bet something that isn't, you know, money.

I close my sketchbook slowly, watching him as he stops at the foot of my bed. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah." He smirks, watching me with his bottom lip tucked between his teeth. I feel my heart in my throat as I stare at him, lips and legs pressed together. "If they break up, I get you. If they don't break up, you get me."

I roll my eyes, amused. "So, we get the same thing?"

He shakes his head, dipping one knee into my bed. "No. I get you..." He holds his hand out, silently asking me to take it. "And you get me." I place my hand in his, allowing him to pull me along the bed and towards him.

"That's the same thing, JJ." He squeezes my hand, bringing it to rest against his chest. I watch my fingers straighten, pressing against the beating of his heart. "Also, they aren't going to break up."

"Are we betting on that, Sunshine?"

He lifts his hand, pulling on my ponytail and forcing my head back slightly. I lift my head, gazing up at him with an innocent smile resting on my lips. I feel his knuckles brush against the back of my neck as his fingers tangle around my ponytail, keeping a tight grasp on it.

He's so pretty.

I've always thought that, and while calling a boy pretty isn't very "masculine" or whatever, it's the best word to describe JJ. He's so pretty that I could stare at him all day and not get bored, not even for a second. He's so pretty that I could paint him a thousand times until all the pages of my sketchbook are filled.

He's a masterpiece waiting to be sketched, and only I want to be the one to sketch him because I would capture his beauty in a way that nobody else can.

His fingers loosen in my hair. "Your face is red." His thumb brushes against my cheekbone, leaving a trail of warmth in its wake. "Why is that, Sunny?"

"A pretty boy is staring at me."

I swear I spot pink in his cheeks as he smiles. "Pretty, huh?"

I lift myself up, my neck starting to ache from staring up at him. His hand falls, now resting on my hip as I pull myself up. My back arches into him as I try to push him forward slightly as the back of my legs are pressed against my bed.

"You're very pretty." One hand holds onto his shoulder while my other hand rests on the side of his neck, feeling warmth under my fingertips.

"So..." He leans down, forehead pressing against mine. "are..." His lips hover over mine. "you."

His lips captures mine.

For one, two, three seconds.

There's a knock at my door, forcing us away from each other. JJ sighs, head dropping onto my shoulder. "I hate whoever's at that door."

"Stop being dramatic." I can tell him to stop being dramatic but I would much rather kiss him than speak to whoever is behind the closed door, no offence to whoever is on the other side of the door.

I push myself away from him, letting him sit down on the foot of my bed while I go to answer the door. I yank open the door to find Sarah who I didn't expect to see. I knew she was talking to John B, but I thought she would've left straight after the talk. Instead, she's standing here before me.

She looks upset, like she's been crying. "Hey."

"Hey. I'm sorry, I..." She looks past me to see JJ. He's now moved, lying back against my bed with his arms under his head. He looks smug, like he knows what Sarah is about to say. "I'm sorry, I didn't realise that──"

"No. No, it's fine," I insist, suddenly wishing JJ was not here. "Is everything okay?"

"John B and I broke up."

My mouth gapes. "Oh."

"Really?" I bite down on my bottom lip, peering over my shoulder at JJ. I narrow my eyes, urging him to shut up because now is so not the time for him to act like this. He grins, looking from me to Sarah. He's won the bet that he made up. He knew Sarah and John B would break up, but every part of me never thought that would happen.

I look back to Sarah, realising I've said very little about her breakup with my brother. "I'm so sorry," I offer, stepping forward to give her a hug as I'm best at providing psychical comfort rather than spoken comfort. I'm not the best with words, not in situations like these. "Do you need anything? Do you need──"

She pulls back, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her jumper. "No, I'm okay." She sniffles. I hate seeing her like this. She doesn't deserve this even if she's the one who chose to break up with him. Well, I suspect she chose to break up with him, I don't actually know though. "I-I just wanted to tell you. Uh, I'm gonna go. John B's outside if you want to..."

"Okay." I nod, stepping away from her. "Where will you go?"

She shrugs one shoulder. "I'll figure it out."

"Sarah..."

"Just check on John B." Her voice cracks, bringing a tightness to my chest. I can't believe they've broke up after all they've been through together. I'm not sure how to handle any kind of breakup, especially that of my brother's. I've never experienced a breakup── hopefully I never do, touch wood── so I can't be much assistance is this area.

"If you need anything──"

"I'll call you," she interrupts. "Thank you for everything, by the way. Thank you for being there yesterday, it was..." She forces a smile to her tear-stained face. The radiating joy she always brings whenever I'm in her presence is fading, instead being replaced by this looming cloud of darkness, and I hate to see her like this. "Just thank you."

"Yeah, of course." I'm always there for her, I hope she realises that. It doesn't matter what kind of relationship she and my brother have, she is always going to be important to me.

"I-I should go."

I frown, nodding slowly. "Okay. I'm sorry."

"I'll see you." She steps away, lifting her hand to wave a goodbye to me. I wave back, watching as she turns away, leaving me to stand and stare after her. My hand drops, defeated that I didn't do more to help, but I had no idea what to say in that situation.

Sarah and John B have broken up.

I never expected that to happen in this lifetime. They seemed so... together. They complimented one another, you know? They were right for each other in every single way. How could they have broken up? I was sure they'd never break up which sounds ridiculous, but they really seemed to go together in an indescribable way. I mean, in their own way, they're husband and wife, so does this mean they're... divorced?

Now this opens a whole new can of worms.

I should go and see John B, that's the least I can do right now. He's probably hurting, and I know he'd talk to me if he needed to.

I'm not sure where Sarah will go, but I know she'll be okay. If she needs me, I know she'll call or stop by again. I'm not going anywhere. I'll always be there for her, but right now I need to check in on my brother.

I turn, expecting to find JJ on my bed but he's right in front of me. "Oh, uh──" My back hits the door, closing it abruptly. All words and thoughts die on my tongue the moment his head drops, his lips attaching to my neck like he's been starved for weeks. My hands reach up, grasping the hair at the back of his neck. "JJ."

With his lips against the pulse point of my neck, he speaks, "They broke up." A shiver runs down my spine, forcing me forward and into his grasp. I feel his teeth graze the same spot on my neck which brings a sharp breath out of me. "A bet's a bet, Sunny."

"I need to..." My eyes flutter to a close, letting myself enjoy the simple press and movement of his lips against the soft skin of my neck. "I need to go and..." Oh, I don't want to ever let go of him, let's be completely honest, not when he's this close to me.

I could absolutely get used to this── to him kissing and holding me like this.

His lips trail up, tongue dragging up to the spot underneath my ear. A moan stutters out of me at the sensation, and I find myself pulling on his hair harder than before. He grins against my neck which is hard to ignore.

One hand trails up the shirt I'm wearing, and my stomach tightens as I feel his hand press against the bare skin of my hip, pressing me back into the door and keeping me there. Despite him holding me down, I don't feel crowded, not when it's him that has such a tight grip on me. No, with him, I feel completely safe and welcome in his hold.

His mouth glides down, teeth dragging across my collarbone this time. I attempt to push myself forward, wanting to press my chest to his but his hand presses harder on my hip, keeping me in place. I find it's hard to ignore the flutter in my stomach and the warmth radiating off me. He has this intoxicating effect on me that I just want to breathe in all day, everyday.

"JJ, you..." I swallow, breathing heavy as I allow him to kiss every point of available skin. "You didn't win the bet. There was..." A gasp falls from my lips when I feel JJ's teeth sink into the skin of my collarbone, bringing me a new fusion of pleasure and pain that I've never felt before in my life.

He soothes the spot with his tongue, taking all that pain with him in the kindest way. Sweetly, he drags small, delicate kisses up the side of my neck, moving back up to my face where our lips meet for the briefest of seconds, but I wish I could latch on for life.

I swear, I'd hand my entire life over to him right this second. I'd give him everything.

He pulls back, forehead resting against mine. My breathing is rapid compared to his, but I think that satisfies him because he gets to see me like this── hot, red, and tingly.

"I did win," he speaks, voice perfectly clear and precise. He lifts his other hand── the one that isn't pressed to my hip── and he places it against my cheek, thumb pressing to my chin. "They broke up, Sunny, that means I get you."

"You get me everyday," I breathe out, leaning into his touch shamefully.

The way he makes me feel needs to be studied because the second he touches me, I fall into a frenzy where I lean into him constantly. I wouldn't consider myself a weak person, but with him, it's like I can't help myself.

I am weak. But only for him.

"Oh, actually, not everyday," I quickly add.

His head rears back but he's still intoxicatingly close to me. "What?"

"Well, Kiara and I talked, and we've come to an agreement." I smile innocently, moving my hand to rest on his chest. "She gets me on the weekends, and you..." I drag my hand up, fingers grazing his jaw. I find him leaning into my touch which makes me wonder if he is just as weak for me as I am for him. "...get me on the weekdays."

"I know you're kidding, but that's not funny."

I shrug, satisfied with myself. "I'm not kidding."

"I'm not sharing you."

"Well, I am not yours, so I'm afraid you'll have to." I push my hips forward once I feel his hand loosen on my hip. He's let his guard down for one second, so I'm stepping into his bubble, pressing myself into him carefully, bringing a guttural noise from deep in his throat.

His eyes close, fingertips bruising my skin. "Brooke." I like how he says my name, I don't know why. Don't question me.

"You feeling okay, Maybank?"

His eyes open, blue finding brown. "You..."

"It's a good deal." I press my teeth into my bottom lip, grinning at him. "I mean, you get me five days a week, she only gets me for two."

"I am not sharing you, Brooke. I think I've made myself pretty clear." Oh, he has made himself pretty clear, I just like messing with him. It's kind of cute to see him this jealous over someone who is only my best friend as of yesterday. I know I've been jealous of the girls he's brought into this Chateau in the past, so here's a taste of his own medicine, I guess.

Also, it's kind of fun to keep him on his toes.

"You have made yourself clear." I lean in, pressing my mouth to his for the sweetest and shortest moment before I pull back. I don't know how I psychically force myself to pull back, but I do. The restraint I have holding me down must be strong because I'd spend the entire day kissing him if it was possible, but alas, I pull back.

I pat a hand against his face softly. "I need to go check on John B. Will you be okay on your own?"

He sighs, huffing out a laugh. His hand drags down my face, thumb swiping across the redness on my cheeks. "What the hell are you doing to me?" he asks more to himself than to me, but I still react regardless because my body is weak.

What the hell is he doing to me is the real question, but I already know the answer.

I'm in love with him, that's how he has such an effect on me and he doesn't even know it.

Although, there are times where I do wonder if he knows just how in love with him I am, and if he does know, will he ever feel the same way?

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𝖲𝖮，𝖩𝖮𝖧𝖭 𝖡 𝖣𝖨𝖣𝖭'𝖳 𝖶𝖠𝖭𝖳 𝖳𝖮 𝖲𝖯𝖤𝖠𝖪 𝖤𝖠𝖱𝖫𝖨𝖤𝖱 𝖶𝖧𝖨𝖢𝖧 𝖨 𝖶𝖠𝖲𝖭'𝖳 𝖲𝖴𝖱𝖯𝖱𝖨𝖲𝖤𝖣 𝖡𝖸．He needed a moment to himself so I left him to his sad, depressing thoughts because, as I said earlier, I'm the coolest sister ever. Anyway, I walked back into the Chateau and "accidentally" fell asleep on the sofa. I don't know how long I slept for, but by the time I woke up, I was wrapped in a blanket and the sun was setting outside the window.

I don't know who placed the blanket around me but I suspect it was the boy sleeping on the other end of the sofa. I don't know why he's sleeping, but it brings a smile to my face when I wake up and see him.

I lift myself up, moving off the sofa. If I thought my bed was uncomfortable, this sofa is far worse. It's been around since my dad was a child, so this thing is honestly the worst piece of furniture we own, but it still does its job... kind of.

I step outside of the Chateau, slipping on my shoes as I shuffle down the steps, moving towards the dock where I find John B and Pope. They're lying down, staring up at the purple and orange sky. Well, they seem awfully cheery, I'm almost afraid to interrupt in their alone time.

"How are my boys?" I try to make my voice as chipper as possible, but I yawn halfway through my sentence.

Pope groans. Should I be offended?

"What do you want?"

"Aw, Pope. I love you." I move to lay down in between them, fitting right into their sad boy's club. "Come on. Talk to Sister B, I'm here."

"Sister B?" John B huffs out a laugh. "Really?"

"Hey. Come on. That was a good one," I laugh, looking from John B to Pope but neither of them look happy. I sigh. "Talk to me, boys. I'm all yours. Speak."

"You're annoying," Pope breathes out.

"Seriously, Pope. I'm really feeling the love."

"Dude, don't talk to her like that." While I appreciate John B defending me, there's no push in his voice. He literally sounds like he doesn't care, not in any way. Sarah has broken my brother. Great.

"Sorry, Brooke."

I peer over at Pope. "It's okay, but I'll only forgive you if you talk to me." I glance back at John B. "Both of you."

"I don't get it." His voice sounds so distant. I hate hearing him like this── so defeated and lost in his own head. I know he loves Sarah, and if they're meant to be, I know they'll find a way back to each other. "I don't."

"Love is five minutes of pleasure for a lifetime of pain."

My eyes widen. "Wow." I don't even know how to respond to something like that. "Fucking hell, Pope. Where'd you get that one from?" He doesn't respond, I don't blame him. I'm not the best to talk to in a situation like this. I struggle in serious conversations, it's not a very good trait of mine.

"I know." John B sits up, looking over at Pope. "Okay. You and Kie. What's going on? Talk to me."

"And me," I chime in.

"You know what's going on," Pope replies, looking at me.

"Well, I don't."

Pope sits up, looking over at John B and entirely ignoring me. I don't blame the boy though, I'm quite annoying as he said earlier. "Well, she kissed Brooke and then said──"

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Pope! I'm right here."

John B slaps a hand on my shoulder. "You kissed Kiara?" I open my mouth but no words come out. How can they? Pope just told my brother that I kissed Kiara. "Like, y-you kissed each other? When?"

"The other day," Pope answers for me.

I snap my head over to Pope. "Hey! Again, I'm right here."

"Shush," John B hisses, hitting my shoulder again. "I'm sorry, Pope. Keep going." I look from my brother to Pope, suddenly wishing I was invisible. I'm literally right here.

"Well, she likes Brooke, so she just wants to be friends," Pope explains to John B who nods his head, listening closely. Okay, what the hell is going on?

"She doesn't like me!" I argue.

A hand slaps over my mouth, shutting me up. "Come on, B. Not cool." I lift my hand, pushing John B's hand down.

"You bastard," I curse, looking over to Pope with wide eyes. "Pope, I'm sorry, I am. You said you weren't mad at me!" My voice seems to stay at this one high volume── confused.

He scrunches his face up. "I'm not."

"You just told my brother I kissed Kiara!"

He shrugs. "Oops?"

"I can't believe you kissed Kiara," John B utters.

"Well, she did say I was a better kisser than you," I bite back, earning a silent gasp from him. Ha!

I know that was completely the wrong thing to say, especially since he and Sarah just broke up, but I really couldn't resist. I'm evil like that when it comes to my brother, I can't help it.

"That was a low blow, B."

"A real low blow," Pope agrees, head shaking. "He and Sarah just broke up."

"I feel like I'm being targeted," I say to myself.

John B blows out a breath. "And I was worried about you and JJ. Didn't even think about you and Kie."

Pope scoffs. "Well..."

"Hot potato, hot potato, hot potato two!"

Oh, I've never been so damn happy to see JJ and Kiara in all my life, but at least they've silenced Pope and stopped John B from prying into a part of my life I am not ready to discuss with my brother.

JJ throws beers over in our direction, and we lift ourselves up, catching each one. Well, we miss the first one. It hits the HMS Pogue and explodes, hissing as liquid pours out of the can.

"What are you guys doing down here? Having a good cry?" JJ asks, amusement in his tone. I haven't been crying, but I can't say the same for the boys.

Pope and John B look at one another, shaking their heads. "Cry? Cry? What are you talking── We don't cry."

"They totally cried," I say, cracking open my beer can.

"You know it's not your fault, right?" Kiara speaks up, leaning against the wooden post.

"You think she'll come around?" John B asks, hope in his voice.

"Yeah, dude. She's one of us."

"Sarah's a Pogue." That she is, even if she was born a Kook. "She'll come around. Yep." He nods frantically. "You know, she'll come back to me. Right."

I nudge him in a friendly, affectionate way. "Exactly," I say.

"You know, I was just thinking about it. I'm gonna do a backflip," he declares, throwing his arm around me.

I point my finger up at him. "You're lying."

"I won't do it?"

I laugh, shaking my head as he steps away from me, moving to the bow of the boat to throw himself backwards in a backflip. I didn't know he had it in him, but here he is, landing in the water in his clothes after performing a backflip.

We laugh, applauding and cheering him on as his head emerges from the water. "Whoo! Yeah!"

"That's my boy!"

"Woogity-woogity, baby!"

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❀ soph speaks

idk how i feel about this chapter,, kinda messy??

also,, i wanna give kiara a love interest but idk how to add one into the story . . . any suggestions??

thankyou for reading!!