𝘼𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙤𝙣'𝙨 𝙋𝙊𝙑

"How's it feeling?!" Pope calls out to Kiara who is sat in the bucket on the pulley system that the Heyward boy is working on while I sit on the edge of the hot tub with Makoa and JJ, admiring her.

"Feels good!" The Carrera girl replies, her eyes finding me and I blush wildly at being caught staring which only makes her smirk.

"John B pullin' a Houdini" JJ declares.

"Yeah, where is he?" Pope asks curiously as he lowers the pulley for Kiara to get out "I got my scholarship interview tomorrow. We gotta get this done!"

A fast walking figure catches my eye and I turn my head to see that it's John B walking towards us with determination.

"There he is" I declare, watching the boy's rash movements in concern.

"Speak of the devil and he may appear" Makoa quotes.

"Hey! Dude, I set up the entire winch to pull up the gold and everything!" JJ hollers at the brunette.

"No, he did not! I did that!" Pope counters but John B ignores them both, storming towards the chateau.

"Hey!" Kiara shouts but he ignores her too, entering the back door.

"Okay, that's it?" JJ scoffs.

"Uh...what's that all about?" Pope asks as he and Kiara join us by the hot tub.

"I was gonna ask you the same question" JJ replies.

I share a concerned look with the Pogues and enter the chateau with Kiara by my side, the boys right behind us.

As we walk in I see John B frantically trashing the place as if he is searching for something and he starts to scare me, the angry look in his eyes making me so nervous that I take a step away from the boy to get out of his way.

"You all right, man? What- what's up?" Pope asks but John B continues raking through the living room.

"What are you looking for?!" Kiara snaps.

"Bro, what's going on?" JJ asks worriedly.

"John?" I speak up hesitantly.

My heart almost gives out when the Routledge boy pulls a gun from the sofa bed and stares at it in silence. I step back beside Kiara and she takes a hold of my hand tightly, letting me know that she's with me.

"John B, what do you need the gun for, man?" JJ asks, walking towards the brunette "Talk to us!"

JJ tries to take the gun from the angry boy but John B throws him onto the sofa bed and my eyes widen as a gasp slips from my lips.

"John B, chill!" Kiara shrieks.

"What are you fucking doing?!" Makoa yells as he storms away.

"What, are you JJ now?" Pope snaps, blocking the Routledge boy's way.

John B impatiently throws Pope at the table and my heart hammers against my chest in fear, worrying for my friends' safety.

"Shit- Are you okay?" Kiara asks Pope as I follow Makoa and JJ outside after John B.

"John B, what the hell are you doing?!" Kiara shrieks, running out after us and I watch as John B jumps onto the motorcycle in the driveway.

"Where are you going?!" I shout at John B, gathering my courage back.

"Ward knows about the gold!" John B stresses before turning to us "He killed my dad"

"Oh my God" I breathe out in shock as the Pogues all scream at John B's retreating figure, chasing the bike down the driveway.

»»-------------¤-------------««

"What now? We just go up to the front door and ask, 'Hey, have you seen John B?'" JJ scoffs as we sit on the HMS Pogue, floating by the Camerons dock.

"Look, he lives at Tannyhill now. It's plausible" Kiara argues "We can play dumb"

"Play dumb?" Makoa raises a brow at the girl.

"It's pretty late" Pope comments and I yawn in agreement.

"Look, I've never seen John B like that. We should honestly be going to the cops" Kiara declares.

"The cops- Yeah, and say what, Kie?" JJ retorts in disbelief "We're worried about our friend because he's on a rampage because Ward Cameron killed Big John?"

"Like, they're not gonna believe us!" The blonde adds.

"Hey, I see Ward" Pope says and I turn my head to see him stood looking through binoculars.

"Let me see" Kiara perks up, taking the binoculars from the boy to look herself.

"Doesn't look dead to me. Let's go home" Pope chirps, stepping away from the edge of the boat.

"Wait. What?" Kiara looks at the boy in shock.

"Uh... Okay. Obviously, Mr. Cameron is fine, and even if John B was here, he isn't now, okay?" Pope assures them almost desperately "Plus, I have the biggest, most important moment of my life in six hours"

"Yeah, well, our friend is in trouble" Kiara protests.

"I'm in trouble" Pope counters "Guys, I haven't been home in three days. My dad's probably put all my shit on the street by now"

"I'm sure he hasn't, Pope" I try to assure him as Makoa pats the boy's back sympathetically.

"Okay, so that's it? In a time of need, you're just gonna bail? You're just gonna walk away?" Kiara raises her voice at the exhausted looking boy and I grab a hold of her arm gently, hoping she'll calm down.

"Okay, yo, guys, can we not do this right now?" JJ pleads.

"JJ's right, guys. This isn't helping" Makoa backs him up.

"Hey, I have a scholarship interview in the morning. I can't-" Pope is cut off when Kiara angrily steps forward, my hand slipping from her arm.

"Okay, well, what about John B?" She demands.

"Why is it always about John B?!" Pope fires back in anger.

"It's not always about John B. You're so stupid" She scoffs at him "It would be any of you in this situation"

"Oh, bullshit!" Pope retorts.

"Guys, please" I beg them to stop.

"This is about friendship" Kiara tells Pope.

"Bring it down" JJ warns her.

"Look, this is about Pogues for life" Kiara continues.

"What about forensic pathology, huh?" Pope questions.

"Forensic pathology?" Kiara repeats in disbelief.

"It's my life. Everything I've worked for!" Pope shouts.

"That's your priority?" Kiara screams back at him.

"Stop with the moral high ground bullshit!" Pope snaps and she shuts up, looking at him in shock.

"Pope, come on. No" JJ shakes his head at the boy and Makoa frowns deeply.

"Excuse me?" Kiara speaks up.

"No, no. She has no room to talk" Pope informs JJ before looking back at Kiara "Where were you when Big John went missing?"

"You weren't there" He answers for her "You weren't there for John B. You weren't there for any of us. Remember your Kook year?"

"Dude" JJ sighs out.

"Let him" Makoa murmurs, standing behind JJ and messaging the sitting boy's shoulders.

"Yeah, you forgot about us. Now you feel guilty" Pope scoffs and Kiara lunges forward, pushing the Heyward boy.

"Give me a break!" She cries out.

"Hey!" JJ jumps up and we all move forward to separate them.

"That what you need? You need a break? Move!" Kiara yells as I grab her and the boys grab Pope.

"Hey! Yo, yo, yo, cut it out, all right?" JJ demands "If I'm the one mediating, we've hit rock bottom"

"Bow, now" Makoa orders Pope and he listens.

"Pope, I'll drop you off" JJ assures him as he starts up the engine and I tug Kiara to the back of the boat to sit down.

The five of us sit in complete silence, the only sound being the water as Kiara lays her head in my lap and I play with her hair to soothe her. We drop Pope home first and then JJ stops at my house.

I stand up and Kiara follows, the both of us climbing onto the pier and turning to wait on Makoa. The Asterix boy lives only a couple houses down from mine and usually walks with me but he stays sitting.

"I'm gonna head back to the chateau" He informs me with a reassuring smile as rain starts to trickle on our heads.

"Stay safe, boys" I warn, smiling at JJ too and the blonde winks at me.

Makoa salutes me and the boat peels away, getting lost in the dark as it speeds away from us. I turn back to my house and slowly begin walking up my dock, Kiara by my side.

"Allison, what are we?" Kiara plucks up the courage to speak up and I stop as my shoes hit the grass, looking at the girl next to me.

"We're friends" I answer with a shrug, the rain getting heavier around us as we stand in my back yard with only the moonlight as a guide.

Kiara looks at me with a look of utter despair and before I can fix my mistake, she spins around and starts walking away.

"Kiara, wait!" I gasp, grabbing her wrist and she swivels around to look at me.

"What?" Kiara snaps in annoyance.

"Please don't walk away, Kie" I breathe out desperately, knowing that she's not in a good place right now.

"I can't be your friend, Alli" Kiara retorts, snatching her arm away from me as though i've burned her and taking big steps back away from me.

"What do you want from me?" I argue, feeling a little attacked.

"All I want is for you to tell me the truth!" Kiara shouts and my worried eyes dart to my house, but all the lights are out so my family must be sleeping.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" I whisper shout at her.

"Stop lying!" Kiara spits, storming towards me.

Kiara gently grabs my face in her hands, tears in her eyes and smiles weakly, causing my heart to hammer against my chest nervously.

"Tell me you feel the same way I do" Kiara pleads "Please, sunshine"

When I say nothing in return, my mouth feeling dry, Kiara nods and lets her hands drop from my face. The Carrera girl turns and begins to walk away, tears streaming down her face.

Rain pours down on us and I let out a frustrated whine, storming after Kiara and yanking her back by her arm.

"Alli" Kiara whimpers pleadingly as she is spun around but I cut her off by pressing our lips together.

I wrap my arms around the dark haired girl's neck and she grabs onto my hips, smiling against my lips and making me smile in return. Our lips part and I look at the girl in awe as she stares down at me with a breathtaking grin on her face.

"What about Rafe?" Kiara breathes out, resting her forehead on my own.

"What about him?" I murmur in confusion.

"Will you leave him?" Kiara asks and for the first time that question makes me smile.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" I counter and Kiara smiles widely, nodding happily "I'll break up with him. I promise you"

"That's all I've ever wanted to hear" Kiara beams in joy.