𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐞〚𝚙𝚘𝚙𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚢𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍 〛

Chapter 19

Delilah stared blankly at the bathroom wall, letting Kiara's gentle movements calm her down.

"It's frustrating, isn't it?" she softly said, curling her friend's blonde hair. "To know how unfairly people are treated and not being able to do anything?"

The girl sighed, the sound sad and hollow. "I hate it."

"You can't hold the weight of all our problems on your shoulders, Del," continued Kiara. "What you did today, that was more than we could ever do."

"It doesn't feel enough."

"There are things we cannot control."

The tone of voice she used caused a smile to tug at Delilah's lips. Kiara was the sister she always wanted. She stared at herself in the mirror, curls bouncing on her shoulders as her friend fixed the last strands.

"All done!" exclaimed Kiara, making her turn around to examine the results. "Gorgeous." She smirked. "I daresay a certain someone is going to be all over you."

Delilah gasped, shoving her friend playfully. "Shut up, Kie."

Despite the tease, Delilah was able to keep her cheeks from reddening. She tried not to think about who Kiara was talking about. 

The taller girl wrapped her arm around Delilah's shoulders, standing in front of the mirror. For girls that didn't particularly enjoy wearing dresses, they looked good. Kiara's mother had spent days in order to find the dress she wanted her daughter to wear, much to her dismay. 

At least, she had a good sense of style. The shimmering purple silk hung from her shoulders with straps, nicely hugging her hips. The flower crown she wore held back her hairs, leaving just a few curls to frame her face. 

Delilah was grateful for the dress her aunt had let her borrow. Another advantage of being the same size as Elise. The white dress was mostly lace, with a loose skirt ending around her knees and allowing her to move freely.

Kiara sighed. "This is disgusting."

"We look like bourgeois pigs, don't we?" grimaced the blonde girl.

She pursed her lips. "If I were to tell Mom that, she wouldn't understand."

Delilah squeezed her friend's hand in understanding.

Kiara shook her head, dismissing the annoyance from her features. "Enough of that, time to go."

Taking a deep breath, they shared a look, knowing they would have to support each other through an evening filled with haughty kooks and stiff smiles. Realizing that the moment could not be delayed forever, Delilah pushed open the door separating her bathroom from her bedroom. 

JJ was sprawled onto her couch, staring blankly at the ceiling while Pope sat on a nearby chair, nervously watching his friend. The sound of the opening door snapped them out of their dazed state of mind, making them both look up.

A teasing smile appeared on JJ lips, his first smile since the police station. "Aren't we lucky to see you girls all dressed up."

Kiara rolled her eyes and Delilah laughed lightly, glancing towards Pope, who had still not spoken a word. His expression was soft, his eyes locked on her and a dreamy smile on his lips. JJ coughed loudly, startling him out of his contemplation.

"You really do look like an angel," finally whispered Pope, blushing like mad.

She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, suddenly feeling shy.

Smirking, Kiara playfully shoved her forward. "Come on, kids. We're going to be late."

..............................

"Oh God," muttered Delilah, arriving in front of the beach club. "I didn't think there would be this many people."

Kiara leaned against her shoulder, sighing dramatically. "Welcome to hell, the Kook attraction of the year."

"Sounds lovely. Shall we?"

Delilah offered her arm to the curly haired girl, who laughed. "Gladly."

Entering the house, which was packed to the brim with Kooks wearing expensive clothes, Delilah couldn't help but glance around, trying to find a few familiar faces.

"Didn't Pope say he had to work tonight?" she asked as innocently as possible.

Kiara plopped down on the nearest empty couch. "Yeah, he's probably outside at the barbecue."

"I'll go get us some drinks," said the blonde girl, thinking she'd better take the opportunity to examine the nearest exits and other useful corridors.

With the amount of people standing around and talking, the task proved rather difficult. She received a few curious stares, but a simple glance at her aunt Elise, standing by the patio door, was enough to stop the questions from spilling. 

Delilah smiled as she passed Sarah, who looked like she'd rather be anywhere but here. Her furtive glances around led her to believe she was avoiding someone.

"Hey. Hey, Sarah. I waited on you."

Delilah gritted her teeth, recognising Topper's voice.

"Yeah, well, I came with my parents," shrugged Sarah, looking away.

Topper awkwardly shifted. "Can we talk for a sec?"

He led her outside, and Delilah could see how reluctant Sarah was. Her protective instincts kicking in, the blonde girl thought it best to follow them. Blocked by several people, she plastered on a cheerful smile and apologized, squeezing through the crowd. 

Leaning against the rail outside, she sipped her glass of punch, watching the couple's discussion from the corner of her eye. Toppe was getting agitated, waving his hands around while Sarah refused to look at him.

"What does it matter?" she asked.

"What friend?" insisted her boyfriend. "It matters. Was it, like, a girlfriend?"

Sarah did not answer, pressing her lips together tightly.

"No, was it... was it a guy?" Jealousy seeped into Topper's tone like poison.

"I'm not having this conversation right now," snapped Sarah, her patience wearing thin.

Topper grabbed her arm. "Who was it? Who was it, Sarah?"

That was enough. Delilah pushed herself away from the wall, determined to give Topper a piece of her mind. But someone beat her to it.

"Hey, Topper, man. I'd let go of her, if I were you," said a cool voice.

Topper flinched back, letting go of Sarah. "Oh...um, I..."

Taking the opportunity, Sarah pushed passed him, losing herself in a sea of Kooks. Topper rubbed his face, sighing in frustration. 

Still observing the scene from afar, Delilah stiffened as Rafe stepped out of the shadows, dressed in a blue suit that went quite well with his eyes. He ignored Topper, leaning against the railing and glancing around, catching her eyes. 

She tilted her head to the side, daring him to come closer. When he didn't, she turned away, her feet leading her to where she knew Pope would be. 

A/N Hehe, guess who was able to get an update before her one-week limit? That's right, me! Aren't y'all proud?

On another topic, Midsummers is here. What's your favourite episode?

Thanks for reading!

-Aella