𝐒𝐎𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐒; outer banks

CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE

"Yeah, breakfast," Sarah nodded, eyes flicking between Kiara's annoyed eyes and Renna's back.

"Yo, Kie! 'Sup, Renna!" Topper shouted from the top of the dock, hand held to the sky in an awkward wave. Renna, finally, flung her head over her shoulder in annoyance, sending the boy a glare.

"Yo, Top," Kiara shouted sarcastically, throwing her hands into the air. Renna continued to glare at the boy who decided to walk closer to the three girls.

"I had nowhere to go last night. Cleo's at Pope's. I couldn't find JJ or Atticus. John B and I got into, like, a thing. And, Renna, you live across the road from the place I'm hiding," she explained desperately, dragging the blonde's eyes away from the boy behind her. "I'm- he found me and took me to Mase with a group of people."

"Okay, so you bring him to the Middle of the Island Restaurant on a Saturday?" Kiara asked incredulously, brows furrowed. Renna sighed, crossing her arms as she forced her eyes to look at the body in the water.

"Kie! What's up? Random, right?" Topper laughed, holding his fist out for a bump. She ignored him.

"We're just gonna go, gotta help my parents set up for their party," she shrugged, stepping away from the two.

"Oh, perfect," Topper said with a nod, retracting his arm to stick it by his side.

"You know what? I'm gonna go too," Sarah said, moving to stand by Kiara and Renna's sides. The silent girl looked up with furrowed brows as Topper stuttered in response.

"Wait, wait what? Our food literally just come out," he argued. "How are you gonna smother your hunger?"

Kiara turned to look at Renna with disgust, the two girls inwardly throwing up as Kiara's hand moved to rest on the blonde's shoulder. "Yeah, we're leaving," she said, moving towards the boat while guiding the quiet girl. She could tell something, something, was bothering her. She thought it was the presence of a certain Topper Thornton, but no. She was so, so naively wrong.

"I'm going with them but thank you," Sarah nodded at the boy, kissing him on the cheek, before leaving him on the dock.

The two girls stared at her as she unraveled the rope tying the boat to the dock. "Sarah, what are you doing?" Kiara asked softly with a hidden scoff, shaking her head with a worried smile.

"I don't know," the girl said after a moment of thought, the sun shining in her eyes as she looked up at the girl. She watched as Kiara nodded before steering the boat away, letting the Cameron daughter jump on first.

They drove home in silence, Kiara steering with Sarah by her side, Renna sitting alone at the front with her feet dragging along the water. The two shared a look, a worried look, before focusing on getting home. It could wait, but could it?

"All right, Sarah, It's time to come clean," Kiara said with a grin after they'd dropped the stuff inside, sitting on the porch outside of the Carrera household. "What happened? You and Topper."

"Oh God," she muttered with a roll of her eyes. "It's actually so embarrassing. He caught me slugging beer at the Tiki Bar."

"You weren't," Kiara said in disbelief.

"Yeah, shot drinking," she nodded with a wince. Renna couldn't help but laugh, tilting her head back to press it against the wall as she let a grin wash over her face.

"I'm not judging," Kiara said, smiling at the sound of the girl's laughter in her ears.

"I wouldn't blame you if you were," Sarah shrugged with a laugh too. "And then a couple kids from KCD rolled up, and they were already going to Mase. And then . . . I kissed him."