PRINCESS [Sarah Cameron] ON HOLD

Twenty-Three

Finally, Sarah speaks up. "They didn't kill anyone." Parker smiles at her girlfriend thankfully, but this pisses Topper off. "You kidding? She's brainwashed you, Sarah." Instead of getting the response he expects, Sarah shakes her head. 

"Snap out of it!" Topper spits at her, before turning towards the door and calling out, "Hey, everybody! They're up here!" He ran out the door and towards the stairs, but John B was able to follow close behind and grab him. He slaps a hand over Topper's mouth, but the damage is done. "Shut up! Shut your mouth! Shut up, Topper!" 

"Topper, knock it off." Sarah states, leaving no room for argument. 

"You done?" Parker questions, hoping to god that the answer is yes. 

The Thornton boy holds his hands up in surrender, backing off slightly. "I'm sorry. We're good. Just take it easy." His response lets John B relax enough to let go of him. "Sarah, I warned you about these Pogues, didn't I?"

Sarah just sighs and shakes her head. "They're innocent." The bewildered look that Topper gives Sarah is almost enough to make Parker laugh. "Then who did it, Sarah? Hm?" The one name that comes out of Sarah's mouth is not what Topper was expecting, even though it had been said again and again.

"Rafe." 

"What are you talkin' about?" Parker began to get annoyed at how the Kook was speaking as if he had been there, and the rest of them were just crazy for thinking the eldest Cameron shot the sheriff and a deputy. 

Sarah looks directly into her ex-boyfriend's eyes, trying to show him that she was telling the truth. "Why would I say that my own brother did it... if it wasn't true? I was there, Topper."

Topper shakes his head aggressively, in deep denial. "Don't lie to me, Sarah." The girl in question takes a step towards her ex-boyfriend. 

"Sheriff Peterkin was trying to arrest my father, and then Rafe shot her. He shot the deputy, too." The blonde pleads for Topper to listen.

"No."

"That's my brother. Why would I lie about that?" As Sarah focuses on convincing the Thornton boy of her brother's guilt, Parker's focus is taken away from her when she hears police sirens getting closer and louder. 

It's clear that John B hears them too when he grabs both Parker and Sarah's arms, shaking them slightly. "Shit. We've gotta go." Sarah nods in agreement as she slips her hand into Parker's making the Maybank girl give her a soft smile and squeeze her quickly. Right before they can go down the stairs, Topper stops them one last time. "Sarah, you realize I'm the one that loves you." 

This sets Sarah over the edge. She whips around and snaps, "I don't care right now! Don't you understand what's going on? I'm sorry for what I did. I'm sorry, but this isn't about you. Okay?" 

When Topper shakes his head again, Parker gets seriously concerned. Can he no get anything through his thick skull? "What does that mean, Sarah?" The Thornton boy shakily inquires. 

"Hey, we've gotta go," Parker insists, grabbing her girlfriend's wrist lightly. The Cameron girl nods, turning once again to leave. "Sarah, you gotta realize that she doesn't love you. She doesn't love you. It's me that does!" As he states this, Topper lunges forward and grabs Sarah's free arm. 

Parker's eyes go stormy at the aggression. "Get your hands off her," she practically growls at her nemesis. When she takes a step towards the blonde boy, Sarah puts a hand on her chest to stop her and hopefully calm her down. Parker complies, never able to fight Sarah's will for very long. 

"She doesn't love you like I do, okay? And I can prove it. Sarah, look at me. Just let me prove it to you." Topper pleads, looking the shorter blonde directly in the eyes. 

Parker's anger spikes up again, but she calms down slightly when she sees that John B has a plan. He begins to take off his hoodie, causing the Maybank girl to catch on. The brunette boy holds the article of clothing out to Topper, shaking it slightly as he tries to get him to take it. Topper looks at Sarah, who nods encouragingly. He takes the sweatshirt and pulls it on, just as the strong smell of smoke hits Parker's nose. 

"Fuck," Parker curses under her breath. She turns back to her girlfriend and best friend, urging, "We have to go, guys. Right now." The group moves towards the stairs, and Parker is the first one to see the tall flames licking the walls of the house. 

They make their way down the stairs as fast as they can, finally getting a good look at the first floor. The flames are almost everywhere, leaving barely any space for them to run without being burned. Topper moves towards the front door after an encouraging nod from Sarah. As soon as he opens the front door, Parker and the other two head out the back. 

They begin to run, making sure to steer clear of the pack of people around the front of the house. As they run, Parker lets some tears fall at the loss of her safe space with JJ. Sarah leads them through the streets, the other two following close behind. 

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A/N: Here's a short one for y'all. Finally onto episode ten!

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