chapter five, STUPID THINGS HAVE GOOD OUTCOMES

The group was relaxing inside of John B's room after the fishing came to a close with JJ almost snapping his fishing rod out of anger when he couldn't catch as many fish as Pope had. Emelia was resting her head against the headboard with Kiara resting her head on her shoulder.

Emelia watched as Pope snatched the stack of bills from JJ's hand, and held it with a tight grip in his left hand. He backed up and looked at his friends before starting to talk. "For the record, if that is a smuggling ship, with illegal contraband, keep in mind, it probably belongs to someone else."

"Most definitely someone else," Emelia spoke up as she opened made eye contact with Pope, only breaking it when Kiara spoke up. "Just minor details," she said, allowing a smile smile to form on Emelia's lips.

"And they could come looking for it," Emelia said, playing off of Pope's previous words. "Meaning that taking the money would be—" She started. "—Catastrophically stupid," Pope finished, smiling at Emelia.

JJ grabbed the money from Pope's hand again before leaning back. "See, maybe if you guys listened to Pope more often you'd see that he actually says smart things, other than some people," Emelia said, giving JJ a painfully direct look.

He gave her a look before continuing. "Yes, well— stupid things have good outcomes all the time," JJ said. "Then where was your good outcome?" Emelia said without missing a beat, causing Kiara to let out a small giggle.

JJ rolled his eyes at her comment and flipped her off before continuing. "All we gotta do now is figure out a plan to get into the cargo hold of the wreck," JJ said. "But until then, we gotta lay low."

"And how are we going to do that?" Kiara asked, a thought forming at the tip of all the teen's tongues. "Kegger?" Emelia said, speaking up first as the thought that everyone held rolled out of her lips.

THE boneyard, the infamous area where Kooks and Pogues alike threw the most remembered parties. It was the best place to be, especially during the summer when everyone was free to do whatever.

It was loved most by all the tourons that visited during the summer, they'd go back home bragging about the best parties and the most thrilling experience. Most of the time, Kooks and Pouges wouldn't mix. But neither party would pass down a beer and a raging party.

"Best idea yet, Em," Kiara said, wrapping her arm around Emelia's shoulder as they walked to the boys to help them out with the keg. "We were all thinking it, let's be honest," Emelia said, smiling at Kiara.

The two girls helped the boys with the keg, getting sticky with beer as they filled the keg up. The news of the party that was coming up spread like a wildfire during a windy summer day. Soon enough, the boneyard was filling with Kooks, Pogues, and tourons.

Emelia and Kiara hung out almost the whole night, the two talking about random topics as they got drunker and drunker as the night went on. Emelia let her eyes roam, her eyes passing by Pope multiple times, whether on purpose or not, they did.

"Em, it's so obvious how down bad you are for him," Kiara said, noticing the looks Emelia kept sending Pope. "Who?" Emelia asked, turning her eyes back to Kiara. "Emelia please. Pope!" Kiara said, and Emelia rolled her eyes. "Not true. But something that is true is the feelings you have for John B!" Emelia said.

"Do not!" Kiara denied. "Do to! You basically have heart eyes for him whenever you two make eye contact," Emelia said, smiling brightly. Kiara rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "What? And you don't when Pope walks by? I mean you two care so much about each other!" Kiara said.

Emelia smiled. "How is that a bad thing? And how would you even be able to tell?" Kiara gave her a look before continuing with her truthful words. "I haven't seen you take that necklace off since Pope gave it to you," Kiara said, gesturing to the white beaded necklace around Emelia's neck. "Yeah well I disappeared for like two year, how would you know I didn't take it off then?" Emelia fired back playfully.

"Because you love him too much," Kiara said giddily, taking another sip of her beer. "I think the beer is getting to your head," Emelia said in a sing-song voice as she took the cup and chugged it.

They talked more, before Emelia caught Kiara looking into the distance with slight anger on her face. "Why are they here?" Kiara asked, gesturing to the Kook princess, Sarah Cameron, and her little minion boyfriend Topper Thornton. Her brother, Rafe Cameron, was also there.

Emelia knew that the three Kook royalty teenagers were insufferable from what she heard, but she hadn't really talked to them at all. They kind of avoided each other, like every other Kook and Pogue. "She ruins fucking everything," Kiara said.

"As long as we avoid them, our night won't be ruined," Emelia said, smiling at Kiara as the two high-fived. "Fuck Sarah Cameron," Kiara said, shaking her head as the two stood up to get more beer. "You can say that again," Emelia said, smiling.

"JUST one more, Kie," Emelia begged, her words slightly slurring together as the two stood near the keg. "One more and you'd be in the sand, blacked out," Kiara said, laughing at Emelia's pouting face.

Pope walked over to the two, looking at the two. "You look drunk," Pope said to Emelia, laughing slightly. "Well, I'm not," Emelia said defiantly. "Yeah and I have a dog," Kiara said, rolling her eyes. "Oh really? What's it's name?" Emelia asked, her eyes brightening as Kiara laughed.

Topper's words nearby averted Emelia's eyes to face him. "Dirty Pogues," Topper said to John B and JJ, and the three other Pogues watched as John B shoved him harshly. The three quickly walked over, Kiara slightly helping the drunken Emelia.

"JJ, we're supposed to be incognito!" Pope said to JJ, before a fist colliding with John B's cheek and a body tripping into the water caught everyone's eye. John B was laying in the ocean, the beat down waves tumbling over his legs.

"Topper stop!" Kiara yelled as Topper shoved John B face down in the ocean with a harsh kick to the ribs. "Don't make me drown you like your old man, huh, John B?" Topper said loudly to the teenager who was lying in the waves.

"Fight, fight, fight!" The crowd chanted, and even with Emelia's drunken state she could realize that this was not at all a good idea right now. "What the hell? Someone needs to help him," Emelia said as she held onto Kiara's arm, trying not to fall down.

Topper turned around, hyping up the crowd before he was thrown down by John B, who had stood up already. "Yeah, John B!" JJ yelled, as Pope shouted over JJ's bad advice. "Let it go, man!" He shouted.

Shouting from only a handful of people telling the two fighting boys to stop was quickly drowned out by the 'fight' chants from the rest of the crowd. Emelia's ears practically bled as the shouts blended into one, and the waves roared loudly as they crashed down on Topper, who was being held down by John B.

"Stop it already!" Kiara and Sarah shouted, concerned for the opposite boys. "Let go!" Kiara shouted as Topper rammed his body into John B, sending him down into the water that was getting more aggressive each second to Emelia.

"Let him go, Topper!" Kiara screamed loudly as John B was quite literally slowly dying in front of their eyes, and nobody was helping. "Shit, what's JJ holding?" Emelia said, being the first to notice the small silhouette of something in JJ's hand.

The crowd immediately fell silent as the small object was pressed into Topper's skull. "That's a gun. Are you shitting me?" Emelia said to Kiara and Pope. "You know what this is," JJ threatened, before someone in the crowd shouted out jumbled words to Emelia.

"Maybank's got a gun!" They shouted, and as if on cue the people in the crowd dispersed, scared the crazed teen would start shooting at them for fun. As the crowd dispersed, the people left — Sarah, Pope, Kiara, and Emelia — stepped closer to the scene. "JJ, stop!" Sarah shouted.

"Put the gun down, JJ!" Pope yelled at his friend. "That's a stupid thing to do!" He shouted. "Fine! We're good!" Topper shouted, releasing John B as he stood up. "Can you go check on your psycho friend, Kiara?" Sarah said, turning to the Carrera girl.

"Go check on your  psycho friend, Cameron," Emelia said, her head switching to the side as she glared at Sarah. "He almost killed our friend," she continued as they turned back to JJ, who was looking at the boneyard.

"Everyone listen up!" JJ yelled, the hand with the gun pulling itself up into the air. "What's he doing?" Emelia said, slightly sighing. "Get the hell off of our side of the island!" He shouted, pulling the trigger twice, sending two bullets into the air.

"You idiot!" Pope shouted as the people in the boneyard left, and the ones left ran forward. "Are you crazy?!" Emelia said, following Pope and Kiara as Sarah and Topper ran off. "I was saving his life, okay?!" JJ said, defending himself.

"You're gonna jeopardize everything!" Pope said angrily as looked at JJ. "God, you're so stupid," Emelia said to JJ as the she got John B and JJ out of the water.

( NOTES )

giggling bc i know that
this book is gonna be a
slowburn even though they
except their feelings early
on. <3