𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐒, 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴

𝐱𝐯𝐢𝐢𝐢. bye bye birdie

"At a friends." Red responded shortly, her dad shook his head.

"Don't give me that, Reding." He scolded, "I don't want you hangin' anywhere near that John B boy anymore, You hear?"

Red's head shot up with wide eyes. "What- You can't just do that."

"You think I'm doing this to be mean or somethin'? No. He shot Ward Cameron in cold blood." Shoupe lectured, his voice getting louder. "He stole his jet-ski too. He's a thief and a liar."

"And you believed him?" Red scoffed, crossing her arms across her chest with a huff.

"Yes, I believed him. Ward has no reason to lie."

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about. Ward Cameron killed Big John Routledge 9 months ago!"

"Did John B tell you that?" Shoupe asked, earning a nod from his daughter. "He's a liar. Ward didn't kill nobody."

"I can't believe you bought that. John B did not shoot Ward, and Ward killed John B. I don't know how he did it, or how John B knows, but he may be a pogue, but he's not a liar. He'd never hurt anyone."

"Then who the hell shot Ward, huh? Himself?" Shoupe asked rehortically, letting out a scoff. "Seems like your new friends are theives and liars then."

"What a bold assumption," Red screamed, throwing her hands up in the air. "John B didn't shoot him, and JJ didn't sink Topper's boat for fun. You of all people should know that. I'm so tired of being your perfect little robot that has to check all of your boxes because you want me to be exactly like you. Guess what? I can't do that. I've tried really, really, really hard to be like you. I have put myself out there, Thought about how you might feel, Told people, 'I know he gives off protective vibes, but he's really just shy.'"

"I never asked you to do that."

"You didn't have to!" Red yelled, tears flowing down her tanned face. "Because that's what I do! I don't have to be asked. And the fact that you don't know that says everything." Red walked over to the door, halfway out of it. "You wanna be alone, dad? Be alone."

With that, Red walked away from the house, looking back at the estate which was blurred in her eyes because of the tears.

She didn't know where to go, but she knew where she should. Red figured she'd stay at John B's house, as he was always open to guests until she and her dad sort things out, if they ever would.

By the time Red had arrived at the Chateau, it was almost 5:00 and the sun was beginning to set.

John B wasn't there either, and she wanted to figure out where he was. She probably should have let the pogues know where she was going, but she figured John B didn't want to be swarmed with people if she did in fact find him.

After hours of searching for the boy, Red knew she needed to take a break. And there was only one spot on the island she knew she could do just that.

It was out in the marsh, it was a dock where Red used to go swimming as a kid to get away from everything and everyone.

Except Red wasn't alone when she got there. In fact, exacly what she was looking for prior was sitting right on the dock holding something in his hands.

"There you are," Red called, John B turned his head slowly towards the girl, then turned it back away. "It's just me."

Red approached the boy, examining the object in his hands before sitting down. John B was holding a square basket with a photo of his dad in the middle of it and a candle keeping it up behind it.

"Could you hand me that?" He spoke up, looking over to the blow torch adjacent to Red. She smiled faintly, passing it to him as he lit the candle part of it on fire, holding it in his hands, just looking at it.