"NOW YOU'RE IN MY LIFE,
I CAN'T GET YOU OFF MY MIND."
- harry styles, late night talking

Avery ducked and dodged through crowds of Kooks, dipping under elaborate headpieces that all blended together through the glow of fairy lights looped around in a zig-zag across the sky, a live band playing assorted slow songs.

Avery didn't know how she became the one John B had conned into slipping a note to Sarah Cameron, but it had ended up with her and JJ dressed in slacks and white button downs with neatly pressed collars and black vests. Both teens had been given bow ties, Avery having no idea where John B had gotten one, let alone two of the get-ups for the teens, but she had learned not to question the Routledge boy's motives or his methods- it was always better if she didn't know.

"Sarah!" Avery exclaimed quietly, just loud enough for the Cameron girl to hear her as she ducked behind a table to sneak a drink from a wine glass, Sarah turning towards the sound of the Decker's voice as her brows knitted together in confusion.

"Avery?" Sarah questioned, the brunette reaching into her pocket and grabbing the note card John B had given her after JJ directly violated his order to not read what the boy had scrawled onto it in Sharpie.

"I have a note for you, from... uh... does Vlad sound right?" Avery asked, holding the note card out to the girl and grabbing one of the wine glasses Sarah was sneaking sips from, swirling it around before taking a drink herself. Sarah, however, looked at her in confusion as Avery palmed the note to her.

"Vlad?" She asked in confusion, but with a wide smile on her white teeth.

"Yeah, just read it- I've gotta find JJ, but you should definitely read that." Avery told the girl, pointing at the note card before giving her a thumbs up, turning on the heel of her dress shoe before starting to walk off. Immediately, she noticed JJ walking closer to the door of the country club, none other than Rafe, Kelce, and three other Kook boys behind him. Avery followed behind them, walking through the door in time to watch JJ shove a chair out in the path of the boys behind him, the blonde dashing back towards the back end of the club, all of the Kooks in tow.

Avery took off after them, trailing about fifteen feet behind, the girl watching JJ run into the bathroom while the five other boys split- Rafe and Kelce going to the locker room while the other three went to the bathroom. Avery pressed herself flat against the wall between the two doors, listening as the boys began to shove JJ around inside the locker room.

"Hey, man, what're you doing in the locker room?" Rafe asked, the sound of multiple bodies colliding inside the locker room making Avery glance around the corner in time to see Rafe holding JJ by the shoulders.

"Cute outfit." JJ taunted the blonde Kook in front of him Avery had never seen before.

"Shut up!" Rafe teased in a higher octave of voice than Avery had ever heard him use as he shoved JJ into Kelce, the dark-haired boy putting the Maybank in a chokehold without hesitation.

"Hold him still. What- what do you think? A four iron, right?" Rafe questioned one of his minions, leaning over as though he was positioning himself to hit an imaginary golf ball with a nonexistent golf club.

"Very Rafe of you, Rafe, five on one?" JJ asked.

"Can you be quiet, please, it's very disrespectful when I'm trying to line up a ball." The Cameron fired back immediately, standing up straight and stepping closer to JJ, leaning down and getting close to his face.

"Your face looks really bad." The Cameron whispered lowly, Avery glancing around the corner more, her fingers curling around the doorframe as she did. "You're starting to look like your dad a lot more."

Avery was about to step around the corner, but JJ spat in Rafe's face suddenly, the Kook wiping his face and laughing a little to himself.

"Oh shit!" He exclaimed. "It was-" The boy started, but Avery felt someone grab her by the back of her vest and pull her around the corner before flickering the lights and calling out to the boys in the locker room.

"Gentlemen!" He yelled, Kelce immediately letting JJ out of his chokehold as all the boys turned to face him, Avery yanking herself out of the man's grip and wrapping her arms around JJ, who snaked his own arm around her waist.

"Is there a problem here?" The man asked. Avery quickly recognized him as a security guard JJ had talked to earlier in the evening upon his and Avery's arrival.

"Pardon me, officer. No, there's not an issue. I just-" The Maybank started, panting heavily and raking the hand that wasn't clutching Avery's waist like if he let go, he'd die through his hair. "Actually, yes. No, there is an issue. Uh. we got a criminal trespass in progress here. Beep! Call it in, right?"

Avery rolled her eyes at JJ's words, glancing back at Rafe and smirking a little.

"I didn't peg you as the Bubbles of your friend group, but it's good to know." She taunted, looking over the boys powder blue suit and snickering to herself as she did.

"Blatant disrespect for private property. I'm in violation of all kinds of shit, sir." JJ continued next to Avery, Rafe nodding in agreement as the Maybank rattled off all his nonexistent violations. "But these young gentlemen caught me, sir, and they were about to take me out of here, and that's what you should do. Escort me out of here, you got me."

JJ held up his forearms as though he expected this Midsummer's security guard to have handcuffs, but he only grabbed the Maybank by the arm. Avery trailed behind the two, glaring at Rafe who only smirked at the Decker, looking her up and down as he ran his tongue across his top row of teeth.

"Fix that tie, son." JJ was telling Kelce as he was pulled out of the room by the security guard, turning to the rest of the Kooks. "Oh, you're looking spiffy too, you Powerpuff Girls have fun!"

"Hey, Avery!" Rafe called, the brunette turning towards the Cameron. "You're not bad for a skanky Pogue."

Avery opened her mouth to retort, but JJ had pulled himself out of the security guards grip to run at Rafe, but he was immediately met by all of the Kook boys in the locker room.

"You watch your mouth-" JJ started, the security guard and Avery both pulling him away from the tussle of boys who were now all congregated in the middle of the locker room. "You think I'm afraid of you, bro?"

"Hey, safe travels back to the Cut you two!" Rafe called to Avery and JJ as the two left the locker room with the security guard. "It's good seeing you again, Avery!"

"Fuck off, Rafe!" Avery spat, not turning in the boy's direction as she rushed out of the locker room to try and find where the security guard had led JJ after taking him out of the locker room.

"I got legs. Can you see that, brother?" Avery heard the Maybank's voice from across the patio as she turned. Kiara's parents were slow dancing in the yellowish glow of assorted lamps and twinkle lights, and just behind them, there was JJ and the security guard.

"I really appreciate what you did back there, but just let me walk out by myself." JJ was telling the security guard as Avery started to walk towards the two. "Mr. Dunleavy, I see you got your drink. Good, that's really nice of you. I'm actually gonna down that."

Before anyone could stop the boy who currently had his hand on the shoulder of an older gentleman, JJ had grabbed his glass and drank it down in one swig, the older man looking at JJ like he was absolutely insane.

JJ let out a loud whoop as the security guard continued to escort him through the crowd of Kooks, Avery giggling as she realized what he was doing. Now that JJ had gotten into Midsummers, there was no way he was leaving without a fight.

"I really appreciate the discretion, Daryl, you know?" JJ asked the security guard as he was pulled directly through the dance floor. "It's okay everybody! Do not panic! Leave it to the men and women in uniform! Let's hear it for them- Rose! Look like Lady Liberty. It's good to see you again."

Avery found herself giggling once more as she saw where the Cameron woman was standing. What appeared to be large skewers were attached to a headband perched atop the woman's head. She felt the sticks in a self-conscious manner at JJ's comment, but the blonde wasn't entirely wrong- she looked ridiculous.

"Hey! Get off of him!" Avery yelled suddenly, JJ turning to her and grinning as he chewed on something he had taken from a tray another actual Midsummers waiter was carrying around the party.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" The security guard called.

"You can't just kick him out- my family are very high up members of this club, we invited him." Avery exclaimed, winking at JJ as she did and nodding towards the security guard. Without hesitation, JJ turned and pulled himself away from the security guard, shoving the man back into assorted platters of desserts and snack foods, making all of them topple.

"Sorry about that." JJ apologized, turning to Avery and motioning for the girl to come closer to him, which she did without hesitation, before turning towards their curly-haired friend, who was currently dressed in a silky purple gown. "Hey, mandatory power at Rixon's, Kie. Pope, you too." He added, turning towards where a large grill was running and the Heyward was standing behind it. "Rixon's Cove. Let's roll."

"If I can be the family disappointment, you guys can too!" Avery called to Kiara and Pope, JJ wrapping an arm tightly around the Decker's waist and pulling her close to him in a manner similar to the one he used in the locker room, but this one was more of an 'I want you to be closer to me because I love you' way than an 'I need you close to me because someone might hurt you if you aren't'.

"Colonel!" JJ exclaimed loudly exclaimed, Avery turning to see they were now joined by John B. The two boys saluted each other before John B turned to Avery.

"Mission accomplished?" He questioned, the brunette grinning as she nodded.

"Signed, sealed, delivered." She confirmed, John B doing the Pogue handshake with the brunette before motioning between her and JJ.

"By the way, whatever this is? It's cute, big fan." He added, his hand flying from side to side as he pointed between JJ and Avery enthusiastically, both teens rolling their eyes before the trio ran across the lawn to just outside the Midsummers party, turning to see Pope and Kiara following behind them. Avery turned, hugging Pope and then Kiara before the five Pogues ran down towards the beach where John B, JJ, and Avery had left the HMS Pogue. The Decker and JJ were already undoing their bowties and button-downs, climbing into the boat as they tossed the garments aside.

"That was my own personal hell." Avery breathed as she untied the bowline, her hair falling on her now bare shoulders as she was left in her sports bra and slacks, tossing the rope to JJ who caught it in one hand.

"Come on, it couldn't have been that bad." John B dragged out, Avery rolling her eyes.

"You got to make out with your girlfriend somewhere, how the hell would you know?" She retorted.

"Yeah, and now JJ's looking at his girlfriend in nothing but a bra and slacks, so all of us are winning tonight." John B fired, JJ rolling his eyes but immediately turning them back to Avery as the girl gave him a side-glance, rolling her eyes as she did.

"Could you have made it any more obvious?" Avery asked JJ, the blonde smirking at her.

"I could've bent you over a table and made out with you in front of the entire island, would that have been more obvious?" JJ asked, Kiara raising her eyebrows as she heard the Maybank's comment.

"John B owes me ten dollars." She said bluntly, looking between the two with a smile as JJ tugged his button down off and pulled his t-shirt on over it.

"Pope owes me twenty." John B added, starting the boat as the Pogues all laughed in response to the Routledge's blunt comments. Avery turned to JJ, a smile on her face as she looked at the blonde boy, who smiled back.

"Yucatán?" Avery mouthed, the Maybank nodding.

"Yucatán."

Avery rolled her eyes as she sat in the back of the Twinkie. John B and JJ's "mandatory meeting" had turned into nothing more than a yelling match between the Decker, John B, and Kiara. Kiara was upset that John B was having Sarah Cameron involved and that he had told her the secret, John B was mad that Kiara was holding a grudge that Kiara has had since she was fourteen, and Kiara was mad that Avery had been the one to pass a note to Sarah telling her to meet John B, as well as the fact that Avery had found out about John B and Sarah earlier that day and not told her.

"Hit it boys!" JJ exclaimed loudly as the Twinkie skidded to a stop next to the Hawks Next tower, an Outer Banks lookout point that gave visitors an overlook of the whole island. "We're going, recon mission!"

"Yo, uh... so, uh, I think I'm gonna do this one by myself." John B told the Pogues bluntly. Avery, who was now dressed in one of JJ's t-shirts and a pair of jean shorts, shrugged.

"Fine by me, I wanna take a nap." She announced, laying next to where JJ was sitting on the floor of the van and curling up so she had her head resting against the Maybank's upper right thigh. Kiara, however, gave John B a look of pure disgust and rolled her eyes as he made the statement, clearly displeased with the current circumstances.

"Really?" JJ asked in annoyance, Avery glaring up at him.

"You're moving too much." She stated bluntly, JJ whispering a quick 'sorry' to his girlfriend and leaning back against the seat.

"I don't want to spook Sarah with the peanut gallery." John B attempted to defend himself.

"Sarah already loves Avery, how spooked can she get?" Pope asked.

"Considering Avery is about to slip into a coma if you guys ever want to shut up, Avery wouldn't be going anyways." The brunette told the Heyward bluntly, never opening her eyes or moving from her position where she was laying practically on top of JJ's legs.

"I just don't understand why we're involving her at all." Kiara exclaimed loudly.

"I just don't understand why you're still running your mouth." Avery mumbled.

"Shut up, Avery!" Kiara shouted, JJ glaring up at the Carrera, who immediately slouched back in her seat and looked at John B angrily.

"Kie, we're not involving her." John B told the curly-haired girl, the Routledge boy being the only one aside from JJ even slightly attempting to keep his voice down so Avery could sleep. Kiara gave John B a questioning look, but the Routledge continued. "It's- it's just like, uh, like a business meeting."

Avery could feel the motion as JJ grabbed a nearby blunt from the floor, making a crude gesture with it that involved opening his mouth and moving the blunt to and away from it while also rocking his head back and forth, both Avery and Pope snickering as JJ did this.

"Look, once we get what we need, we cut her loose, alright?" John B told the group. "Plus, we need the map.

"Shouldn't have said that." Avery mumbled tiredly as she moved herself closer to JJ, resting her head partially on his stomach and partially on his thigh while her arm draped over his knees.

"Promise me nothings happening between you two." Kiara told the Routledge bluntly.

"He can't, that would be a lie." Avery spoke up again, John B turning her with a displeased look in his eye as the Decker blinked up at him tiredly, a small smile on her face.

"You're supposed to be sleeping." He told Avery bitterly as he tossed his door open, climbing out and strolling towards the Hawks Nest. "I'm gonna go take care of business."

"You're gonna take care of that business so well." JJ told him sarcastically.

"We'll just sit here... in the hot ass car... while it's lightning." Pope told John B, his voice now quieter in an attempt to be courteous to Avery, Kiara rolling her eyes in disgust as the Routledge boy walked closer to the tower.

"You mad?" Avery asked Kiara, not opening her eyes as she asked her question.

"Why would I be mad?" Kiara snapped back.

"Because John B was next on your list of boys to lead along as mess with for your own enjoyment just to tell them you don't actually have feelings for them right when they start to get attached... and now he's with someone else." Avery mumbled, but loud enough that she knew the Carrera heard every word.

"Kiara, holding onto your grudge is like drinking poison and hoping Sarah dies." Pope interjected, clearly not wanting to see Avery and Kiara get into it tonight while John B was away on his secret love affair.

"Exactly." JJ told the Carrera, who rolled her eyes once more.

"For the love of God, JJ, stop defending everything she says!" Kiara exclaimed loudly, gesturing towards Avery. "I'm so sick of hearing all of you guys constantly praising Avery, not everything is about her."

"I didn't ditch them and then come back a year later because I didn't get invited to a birthday party." Avery told the girl lazily as she sat up from JJ's lap and rubbed her eyes a couple times. "At the end of the day, Kiara, none of us want to trust you. We feel like we can't trust you. You have proven yourself to not be trustworthy. I had only known John B for a couple months when his dad disappeared and I was still there more than you were, and you claim to be his best friend."

Everyone stared at Avery, JJ and Pope in shock that she had the guts to call Kiara out, Kiara shocked that Avery had called her out on her Kook year. However, before anyone could reply, a loud scream was heard from down the beach.

"Wait, do you guys hear that?" Avery asked. "I'm being serious right now, listen."

"Somebody help!"

"I hear that-" JJ started, the Pogues all climbing out of the van and running in the direction of where the screams of Sarah Cameron had originated down the beach. Avery skidded to a stop on the sand, unable to prevent the nauseous feeling in her stomach from creeping its way up her throat at the sight she saw on the beach. John B's arm was bent at an unnatural angle, his head lolled to the side as Sarah crouched next to him on the ground.

"Sarah, what happened?" Pope yelled as the Pogues got closer and closer to the scene.

"I don't know what to do. He needs help. Topper shoved him." Sarah choked out through sobs.

"Where the hell is he?" JJ asked, anger lacing every word of his voice.

"Please, please, please get help. I don't care who. Just call someone." Sarah pleaded, Pope immediately turning to run back to the van. Avery turned to watch him run, and as she did, she saw Topper standing in the grass just before the beach. His face became illuminated as a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, staring at the Pogues with a look of sheer rage on his face as Sarah, a girl who Avery knew he was so desperately and hopelessly in love with, sat on the ground crying over another man's body.

"You bitch!" Avery screamed, JJ turning in the direction Avery was looking as Topper began to stalk off drunkenly towards his car. The Maybank barely managed to grab Avery as she attempted to chase the Thornton boy, JJ holding Avery by the waist once more, this time with both arms as Avery screamed assorted threats to Toppers retreating figure.

"I'm gonna kill you! I'm gonna kill you, you bitch!" Avery screamed once more, her voice cracking halfway through as she thrashed and kicked against JJ's grip. She watched as Topper stumbled back up the beach to his car, Avery slowly giving up in her fight against the blonde as she turned her head towards John B, who was now on the receiving end of a kiss from Sarah.

She then turned to Kiara, curious as to how the girl would take this. She, however, didn't see anger or rage. Instead, she saw betrayal. Sarah looked up at Kiara for just a moment before returning her attention back to John B, the boy's head now cradled in Sarah's arms.

"Pope, come on!" JJ screamed at the Heyward, loosening his arms slightly around Avery as he looked down at the brunette boy sprawled across the sand. His best friend.

kens speaks 🪐

hey hey hey i'm back

i had to work at an amusement park yesterday at a pizza restaurant for a class fundraiser and when i tell you i was in so much pain

mara can confirm bc i bitched to her about it over text

anywho i've been mia lately and that's my bad y'all but thank you for 3k (about to be 4k) bc you guys are actually insane for that. i didn't see anyone really liking this book when i started it but im really glad you guys do

anywho see you in chapter thirteen if i ever write it