Ignored & Neglected - Outer Banks

Chapter 4: The night misses us when we're asleep

The boys, in a near uncharacteristic act of chivalry, walk Kiara back to her unit. They're giggling quietly to themselves, and Kiara knows she should tell them to be quiet - she knows they should be worried about teachers hearing them - but it's near four in the morning. The chances of anyone being awake right now is so slim that Kiara can't bring herself to care.

"See you Kie." John B whispers as they reach the steps leading to the door of her unit. "We'll see you in like- four hours for breakfast."

Kiara groans quietly and then giggles, reaching out to clasp John B's hand in a bro-ish handshake. "I'll see you on the other side captain." She mock salutes to each of them in turn.

When she gets to JJ, he's looking at her with an odd intensity. "D'you think Sarah will snitch?" He asks quietly. The bravado with which he entered her dorm hours ago is entirely gone, replaced with a nervous and unsure JJ. She can see the anxiety, blatant across his face in the moonlight.

She shrugs, faking nonchalance. "No idea- but she only knew it was me. I won't be taking any of you down with me, so don't worry."

JJ mutters something that sounds like that doesn't help when Pope speaks over him, muffling JJ's words.

"What do you mean? Did someone see you go?" Pope's tone is still hushed but tinged with anxiety. Kiara immediately slips into calming mode.

"It's really nothing- it was just Sarah- she just saw me leave, that's all- but she's pretty like- I mean I'm sure she wouldn't- I dunno. I'll talk to her." The more Kie attempted to reassure, the more she found herself realising there was something to be worried about. Fuck.

Nevertheless, she waves a final goodbye to the boys, who all dramatically blow her kisses, and she steps into the unit. She toes each shoe off as quietly as she can, terrified of alerting any of the girls to her presence.

Leaving her socks on to minimise noise, she slips down the centre of the aisle, making it to her bed in complete silence. It's only as she lifts the cover on her bed to climb in that Sarah's voice sounds out in a harsh whisper. Fucking Sarah.

"Kie. Oi, Kie." She says, and Kiara's nearly one hundred percent sure she won't let up until Kiara responds.

"What?" She whispers back, a little too viciously. But her eyes are tired, and her brain feels so. so. slow. Not to mention her calves are aching from the run.

"Where did you go?" The question is almost innocent in its curiosity, and Kiara can practically see Sarah's wide doe eyes looking at her, wholly interested in her answer. If it wasn't for the darkness of the dorm only showing the outline of Sarah's shape across the room, she'd certainly be looking at that image.

She deliberates - long enough that she hears Sarah draw breath to ask again, spurring her to answer. "Nowhere- I mean. Nowhere like, special. I just-" what's going to get her in the least trouble? "I just couldn't sleep, so I went to sit outside the door to watch the stars." It's both entirely feasible and entirely obviously bullshit. No one is going to believe that Kie spent near on six hours sitting at the front door.

"That's bullshit." Sarah says. Kie has to restrain herself from nodding in complete agreement. That would be counter-productive.

"It's not – you can check. The stars are still there, promise." Kie, in what is most likely going to turn out to be a bad approach, elects to run with the stubborn sarcasm.

Sarah, as predicted, doesn't vibe with it. "Listen Kie. I don't know whether you think I'm stupid, or blind. But I saw that boy come in, and I saw you go out with him. In my books- actually- in Rivers' books, that's a double expulsion being called for." Through the darkness, Kiara sees Sarah tilt her head cockily. Honestly, fuck Sarah Cameron.