THEIR FACES fell as a realisation hit them. John B sighed. "It's not there. Look, just- just pull the drone up."
Scarlett shook her head, turning to look at John B. "This has to be a mistake, right? The gold, it should be there." She ran her fingers through her matted hair. "It- it should be there." Her other hand reached up and clasped her mother's necklace and she could feel herself start to break. "Why, why isn't it there?" Her voice broke as she blinked furiously to stop the tears.
John B walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close to him. "I don't know, Lottie. I don't know." He said softly.
"Look, we can do another pass." Pope suggested, trying to bring some hope to the situation. "Recharge the battery. We can- we can go back down." Kiara just gave him a look full of hopelessness before turning her gaze to John B, who was still comforting a distraught Scarlett.
"We've done it three times. There's nothing there." JJ input, looking over his shoulder at them.
Scarlett shook her head, pulling herself from John B's grip. "What happens now, then?" She asked, wiping her face with her sleeve. "There's got to be something. It can't just have disappeared. Why don't we try it again?" She looked around at the others, a look of desperation covering her face.
"Red, there's nothing there-" JJ told her, his face falling at how desperate and distraught she was.
"Shut up!" Kiara yelled.
"What? It's true!" JJ yelled back at her.
"The gold could be buried." Kiara suggested, looking between John B and Scarlett. "We don't know."
"If it was there, it would've been found on the metal detector, okay?" John B told her. Scarlett raised her hand and patted him on the shoulder, knowing he must be feeling similarly to how she was- he was just better at hiding his feelings. "Somebody beat us to it."
"Or it was never there." JJ muttered. Thunder rumbled in the near distance as he began to drive them back towards the shore.
❤❤❤
Borrowing Heyward's boat that morning and then turning up for a work shift was a bad idea, but Scarlett needed the money and Pope owed it to his father to be there. Upon arriving for their designated shifts, Mr. Heyward ranted at them for- as he put it- stealing his boat. The two tried to excuse it with the lie that they had borrowed it for fishing, but unfortunately Heyward didn't believe them. Instead, he put them straight to work, giving them the most boring jobs he could think of. Even their lunch break was boring. In the afternoon, Scarlett found herself working the tills while Pope worked the outside jobs. The sound of the bell ringing brought her back to the room, ending her day-dream about finding the lost gold. She stood up straight, putting on a fake smile before turning to greet the customer. "Hello, welcome to Heyward's. How may I help you?" Her fake smile turned into one of surprise when she saw who it was. "Oh, hi Joshua. What brings you here this afternoon?"
"Just picking up some bits and pieces for the road. Parents want to move on to the next place." He picked up a few packets of crisps and a couple of magazines, placing them on the counter.
Scarlett nodded, starting to ring up the items. "So, you're leaving?" She asked, disappointed that the hunt for the Royal Merchant had stopped her from being able to hang out with her new friend.
"Yeah," Joshua smiled sadly. "The parents want to visit a bunch of places before fall and before I move for college."
"What college are you planning on going to?" Scarlett asked, ringing up the last of the items.
"Well, my mum wants me to go to school over on the mainland. You know, to be closer to her brother. And I guess, now closer to you." He smiled. "But my dad really wants me to go to college in New York." He shrugged, leaning his elbows on the counter.
"And what about you?" Scarlett asked, bagging up his shopping. "Where do you want to go to college?"
Joshua shrugged, taking a moment to think about his answer. "I guess I haven't thought about it too much. I wouldn't mind living over here. It would be nice to be near family."
Scarlett smiled. "Well, you've already made a friend over in the Outer Banks." She handed him his bag. "And, not to sound like I'm asking for money, but, you're total will be $7.48."
Joshua nodded and handed her a ten dollar bill. "You can keep the change, by the way. I'm sure my parents wont miss three dollars."
Scarlett opened her mouth to thank him, when Pope rushed through the back door. "Lottie, we've got a problem." Scarlett tilted her head at him in confusion. "We need to get JJ, now."
"What the hell is going on, Pope?" Scarlett asked, putting the money in the till. "Not that I don't mind leaving half an hour early, but why do we need to get JJ?"
A panicked look had fallen over Pope's face. "They know. They know what we did to the boat."
Scarlett's face fell. If the Kooks knew, then they were definitely done for. "Fuck." She tore off her work apron, leaving it unfolded on the back of her chair. "Fucking hell, this is not good."
Joshua looked between the two friends, visibly confused. "What the hell happened?"
"Um, we got revenge on some guys for beating us up and now we are most certainly dead." Scarlett explained, hurriedly locking the till. "I'm sorry, but I really have to go. I'll see ya 'round, Joshua." She called out, Pope pulling her out of the door.
❤❤❤
The sounds of gunshots could be heard, ringing out through the trees as the two approached the Maybank's residence. It had been a while since Scarlett had visited the place. She and JJ used to hang out there every so often after school, but once his father started to become physically abusive, JJ banned her from entering his house- not wanting her to be in his dad's war path. As Scarlett stepped up to the building, she noticed how very little it had changed.
Pope put a hand on the small of her back, leading her round the back of the house and towards the garden. "I think he's over this way." He lead her into the back garden, dropping his hand back to his side. When the pair rounded the corner, they saw the blonde boy firing bullets at an old teddy bear. "JJ!" Pope yelled, trying to be heard through the protective earmuffs the boy was wearing. "JJ!" Pope yelled again, taking a few steps forward.
"Hey, Blondie!" Scarlett called, successfully gaining his attention. JJ turned to face them, taking the earmuffs off his head.
"They know." Pope told him, getting straight to the point.
"What?"
"The Kooks, they know. They fucking know what we did." Scarlett explained, her face set in dead panic.
JJ dropped the earmuffs to the ground and walked over to them, the gun hanging at his side. "All right, chill, bro. All right? Red, calm down, okay? They don't know shit."
Scarlett rolled her eyes at him. "Topper knows I sunk his boat." Pope said, freaking out.
"How do you know they know?" JJ asked, taking a seat on a lawn chair.
"Because Rafe and Topper posted outside of Heyward's and mad dogged us." Pope ranted, beginning to pace.
"Did you see them, Scar?" JJ asked, looking over to her.
She shook her head. "No, I was inside, working the till. But I trust Pope, on this. Because if he was lying, he wouldn't be all..." She waved her hands around in front of her. "...Panicky."
JJ turned back to Pope. "Will you calm down and get a grip, man? They don't know shit."
"They have cameras. They could've seen me."
"There was no power." JJ reminded them. "How could they have seen you?"
Scarlett 'tutted' at his statement. "They're Kooks. They have- fucking back up generators. They've got all the power. In more ways than one."
Pope paused his pacing for a moment, waving a hand at her to show she had a point. "Exactly. It's Figure Eight. They got generators, like Lottie said." He began pacing again. "They don't give scholarships to kids who vengefully sink boats. It's not a good look on my transcript."
"Enough with the regret, bro!" JJ cried, standing up from the chair. "They caved your face in." He turned around and pointed at Scarlett. "They beat up Red to near death. They hit us, we hit them. It's the law of the jungle."
Scarlett raised her hand slightly. "For the record, the only thing I regret, is not doing worse things to Rafe and Topper."
JJ nodded at her, turning back to face Pope. "That's the spirit. Now, if any Kooks come up to you- this goes for you as well, Scar. If anyone comes up to you and asks if you had anything to do with it, you walk up to 'em, look 'em right in the eye," He stepped forward and put a hand on Pope's shoulder. "And..."
"Deny the living shit out of it." Pope said after a moment.
"That's right. Deny, deny, deny." JJ agreed. "But just for safety, we don't go anywhere without protection." He let go of Pope's shoulder and pointed down at the gun, which was now resting on a tree stump. "Right?" He looked back and forth between Pope and Scarlett.
Scarlett nodded. Her phone buzzed in her jacket pocket, meaning she had at least a slither of signal. She pulled her phone out and checked the new notifications. She skipped over the ones from Joshua and all the various weather reports, and clicked on the ones from Kiara.
Kie 🗝🐢
Hey, gal. Just texting to ask if you've heard from the others. I know you and Pope are working all afternoon, but John B seems to be M.I.A and JJ never answers his phone unless it's you texting him.
Kie xx
Sent 14:20
Btw, Maisie's mentioned some of her friends are going to the summer series movie night thing tonight and my parents are letting her go with them. Obvs we're babysitting/ keeping an eye out. Do you wanna drag the others along?
Kie xx
Sent 14:22
Scarlett began typing a reply, unable to hold back a smile at Kiara's texts.
No, I've not heard from John B since this morning. (Wonder why he's so M.I.A?) I'm with Thing 1 and Thing 2, will def bring them to yours and we'll go to the summer movies. Will be nice for Maisie to hang out with some friends, and tbh I don't mind babysitting. I'll meet you at yours.
Lottie xx
Delivered 15:35
"By the way," Scarlett said, locking her phone and placing it back in her pocket. "We're going to the movies tonight." The boys gave her a quizzical look. "You might want to bring that," she gestured to JJ's gun, "we're gonna be crossing enemy territory."
❤❤❤
The group turned up at the movie series, each carrying a chair and a bag. Scarlett walked upfront with Maisie, making sure she didn't lose sight of the small girl. "So, do you see your friends anywhere?" The older girl asked, swinging their joint hands.
Maisie nodded. "Yeah, Louisa is over there." She pointed her free hand to a small red-head who sat fairly in the middle of the green with someone who looked to be her mom.
"Okay. You can go say hi, but I want you to stay in my vision. Got it?" Scarlett instructed her, receiving a nod in response. "And when the movie ends, you come find me straight away. Okay?"
Maisie nodded. "Is it alright if I can have some money for some snacks?"
"Uh, yeah. If I had any, I would definitely give you some money." Scarlett smiled sadly.
Kiara reached into her pocket, pulling out a five dollar bill. "There you go, kiddo. Go buy some popcorn, or something." She smiled at the young girl as she handed her the money.
Maisie's face lit up. "Thanks Kie." She grinned, starting to run off towards her friend. "Bye Ettie!" She called over her shoulder.
"Thanks for letting her borrow some money. I'll pay you back when I get my next pay check." Scarlett said, watching her sister join her new friend.
"You don't ever have to pay me back. Ever." Kiara told her. "I'm glad to be able to help you guys out."
Scarlett nodded. "I'm really glad Maisie gets to enjoy this. And I'm really glad that we can hang out with each other and do something that isn't look for lost treasure."
"Me too." Kiara grinned. "That's why I'm so glad that they're still doing this. Keep calm. Carry on. Back to OBX life." They walked a little further across the grass before placing their chairs down and setting up their small area- making sure to be within eyesight of Maisie. "Aren't you glad Lottie and I made you come here?" Kiara asked the boys, sensing anything but positive emotions from them.
"Ecstatic." Pope answered sarcastically.
"My couch was pretty comfy, I'll be honest." JJ muttered.
Scarlett leant her head on his shoulder, tilting her face up slightly so she could see him. "But this'll be fun. A nice distraction from everything."
"Yeah, because being distracted is all we need right now." Pope muttered, taking a seat between JJ and Kiara. "We're out of the green zone, man." He whispered in JJ's ear.
"Dude, tranquilo, okay?" JJ whispered back.
"We're in the middle of Kooklandia." Pope pointed out.
"I hadn't noticed." Scarlett whispered sarcastically.
"This is the last place I wanted to be. It's the last place we should be. And you shouldn't have bought Maisie along with us."
"She's fine. Besides, they won't do anything with all these people around. Everything's gonna be fine." Scarlett replied.
"No, it isn't."
"Shut up, Pope." JJ hissed.
"Lottie, wanna go on a drinks run with me?" Kiara asked, standing up from her chair.
She nodded, standing up. "Abso-fucking-lutely. Let's go." The two made their way across the grass, joining the back of the queue.
"So, what was all that whispering about?" Kiara asked, resting her hands in her pockets.
"Pope being batshit paranoid." Scarlett answered, her gaze elsewhere as she watched Maisie from a distance.
"So, the usual, then?" Kiara questioned, laughing slightly. She nudged her elbow gently into Scarlett's arm. "Maisie will be fine. She's with her friends- and a responsible looking adult. You don't need to watch over her like some creepy ghost."
"I am not-" Scarlett started to retort, but cut herself off once she realised they were at the front of the queue.
"Hey, uh... can we get four Pepsis, please?" Kiara asked. She turned back to Scarlett as the man at the counter sorted out the drinks. "So, have you and JJ had your private boat lessons yet?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Nope. Honestly, it was probably a joke. You know, some of that flirty banter we always have." She laughed slightly, picking up two of the drinks as Kiara payed the man.
"Right..." Kiara said, picking up the other drinks. "Because the only thing between the two of you is just meaningless flirty banter." She gave her friend a knowing look before turning around and stepping in the direction of the crowd of people.
"You know what I mean." Scarlett laughed.
"Hey, Kie." A familiar voice called out, stopping the two girls in their tracks. They turned around to see Rafe standing behind them. He nodded at Scarlett, acting as if he hadn't tried to kill her the day before. "How are you?"
"Oh, I'm wonderful. Thanks. Have to say, I've never felt better." Scarlett answered, putting on a fake, sweet voice.
"I'm fine." Kiara answered, obviously confused as to what he wanted.
Rafe nodded. "Good, good. Um... Tell your boy that we know what he did." He stared intimidatingly at Scarlett. Fear shot through her veins. Pope was 100% correct. The Kooks knew. How much they knew, she was unsure of. But they knew that Pope had been the one to sink the boat.
Kiara shrugged, not understanding. "Sorry, which boy are you talking about?"
"Uh, he'll know. I'm sure your sweet pal Lottie knows too." He stood there, just staring at them until Kiara pulled Scarlett away from him.
"What the hell was that about?" Kiara asked, her head snapping to look at Scarlett.
"No idea." She lied, walking behind the girl and glancing over her shoulder every so often. They walked back over to the boys and took their respected seats, passing out the drinks.
"Just saw Rafe, and he said, and I quote, 'Tell your boy that we know what he did.' What is that? Because, Lottie, apparently, doesn't know. Even though Rafe said she would." Kiara said, having imitated Rafe's voice. "And I'm pretty sure that Lottie was lying."
"I-" Scarlett started to form an excuse, but Kiara cut her off.
"You're a bad liar. But it's not your fault. You just have a tell."
"Yeah, you're nose scrunches up when you're lying." JJ informed her.
"Oh." Was all that Scarlett could say.
"Well, where is he?" JJ asked. "You know, Rafe. The 'big, bad wolf'."
"Right there." Kiara told them, pointing to the back of the crowd.
Both Pope and JJ turned around in their seats to see Rafe, Topper and Kelce standing at the back by the trees. "Great, the whole death squad." Pope muttered.
"Don't stare, bro." JJ told him, tugging the back of his shirt. "Just warning you, bro. If they corner me, if they come at Red again, I'm coming out swinging, okay? Slice and dicin'. I'm on the edge right now."
"Wait. What do you mean, 'come at Red again'?" Kiara asked. "Lottie, did they attack you, again?"
"Uh, they might've gotten a couple of punches in the other day." Scarlett shrugged.
"And if that doesn't work," JJ added, "I got this right here." He held up his backpack, which contained the gun.
"Yeah, yeah." Pope agreed. "So, we just gotta stay in the group. They can't come get us in the group."
"Like a school of fish."
"Stay in the school. Can't leave the school." Pope muttered.
"I'm sorry, JJ..." Kiara said, turning to look at him. "Please tell me that you did not bring a gun here. JJ, there are kids. Hell, mini Lottie is here!"
"No!" JJ defended, although lying. "Kie, I didn't bring the gun. Everything's fine, okay? Maisie's completely safe."
"Wow, thank you. That's really convincing. I love that, JJ." Kiara's tone was full of sarcasm. She leaned forward to address Scarlett. "Lottie, I'm just telling you, you're dating an idiot."
"I know." Scarlett agreed, patting JJ's leg. "I know I am."
"Founding principle, you guys. No secrets amongst Pogues." Kiara pointed out. "JJ, you and Lottie already broke that rule. Do you really need to break it again?"
"They also broke the macking rule..." Pope pointed out.
Kiara shook her head at him. "What is Rafe talking about?"
"Kie," Pope leaned forward slightly in his chair, "it might go down tonight." He whispered to her.
"What does that mean? 'Might go down tonight.' What did y'all do?"
Scarlett opened her mouth to answer but JJ held his hand over her lips, stopping her from talking. "Deny, deny, deny." He hissed to Pope.
❤❤❤
The sun had now set, as it was a few hours later. Maisie had left with her friend, having told Scarlett she would be going on a sleepover. Scarlett was pleased that Maisie was no longer at the movies for two reasons. One; it meant she had less worry when it came to the presence of Rafe and JJ's gun. And two; she wouldn't have to sit through the more 'teen rated' movies. Scarlett moved closer to JJ, resting her head on his shoulder. She wasn't really paying attention to the film, so she wasn't too annoyed when Pope began to whisper with JJ.
"What?" JJ whispered back to Pope.
"Gotta take a piss." Pope whispered, shaking JJ's arm that wasn't snaked around Scarlett's waist.
"Dude, too much information." Scarlett giggled, looking at the boy from the corner of her eye.
"Hold it." JJ told him.
"I can't hold it. I drank too much soda."
"It's too exposed." JJ said. "They'll totally see us."
"I gotta go." Pope complained. The boys looked over their shoulders to see Rafe, Topper and Kelce sitting a few rows behind their group. "They're blocking the bathrooms."
"Come here. I know where." JJ whispered. "Scar, I'm sorry, but you're gonna have to move for a bit."
"Understandable." She whispered, shifting in her seat so that she was now sitting upright. The two boys stood up from their chairs and began walking away.
"Hey, where y'all going?" Kiara asked, turning her gaze away from the film.
"We gotta wring it out." JJ told her, crouching slightly so as to not block the view of those sitting behind them.
"You gonna hold it for each other?" Kiara sarcastically asked.
"You two go to the bathroom together all the time." Pope pointed out. "How's this different?"
"Girls go to the bathroom in packs for safety." Scarlett told them.
"This is the same thing." JJ whispered, turning around and leading Pope away. The girls watched as they walked over to the edge of the green, disappearing behind a tree. They were gone a few minutes, and when Scarlett looked back over at the tree, she saw some figures disappearing behind the projector screen.
"Something's happening." She whispered, leaning across the chairs to talk to Kiara. "Should we go over there?"
"They should be okay." Kiara whispered back. "But if they're not back in like, two minutes- or are making their way back- we'll go check."
Scarlett nodded. "Sounds like a plan."
The girls waited a few moments longer. Scarlett kept her eyes trained on the screen, although her mind wandered and she could barely focus. A sinking feeling erupted in her stomach and she snapped her head towards Kiara, grabbing hold of the girl's hand. "We need to go. I don't- I don't think they're okay."
Kiara nodded and the two girls stood from their chairs, beginning to make their way towards the screen. "I'll take the left, you take the right." She told Scarlett. The closer she got to the screen, the more yelling and clashing of fists hitting skin, she could hear. Scarlett rounded the corner and stood still- out of complete shock. Fear over took her body as she watched Kelce grab JJ, leaving him defenceless to Rafe's punches. A few metres away, she could see Topper and Pope punching each other, though it seemed like Topper- once again- had the upper hand. "Let go of him, Topper!" Kiara yelled, running round the corner and hitting him in the back with JJ's backpack. "Fascist asshole!" She glanced over to Scarlett, catching her eye. "Lottie, do something!"
Scarlett blinked, snapping out of her dazed state. She rushed forward, wrapping her arms around Kelce and trying to pull him off of JJ. "You asshole, let go! You really think two-on-one is fair? Go pick on someone your own size, dickhead!" She screamed.
"You wanna get this one, Rafe?" Kelce choked out, struggling for air as Scarlett wrapped her arms even tighter around his neck- hoping he would let go of JJ.
Rafe nodded and circled around them, approaching Scarlett. He ripped her arms from around Kelce, forcefully shoving her backwards. "You should watch what you're doing, little girl. Wouldn't wanna have to teach you another lesson." He sneered.
"Don't you dare touch her!" JJ screamed, pushing Kelce off of himself.
"I've got this." Scarlett told him, her voice calm despite her anxiety. She held up a hand to him, signalling to him that he should stay back. She looked over Rafe's shoulder to see Kiara jumping onto Topper's back in an attempt to keep him from going after Pope. "I fucking dare you to even try, Rafe." Scarlett spat. "Don't think I won't try to end you." She took a threatening step forward, her hands curling into fists.
Rafe stepped forward, now standing almost an inch away from her. "I'll hit you so hard, you'll wish you'd I'd killed you yesterday."
Scarlett leaned up on her tiptoes and pursed her lips, spitting directly in his face. She threw her arm out and punched him, her hand landing right on his jaw. "Leave my friends alone, dickhead!"
Rafe snapped his head back towards her, his eyes glazed over in anger. "You'll pay for that, you bitch." He threw a punch at her stomach, missing as Scarlett dodged out of the way. She jumped to the side, barely missing his fist. She kicked her leg out, her foot colliding with his ribs. Rafe let out a groan of pain, grabbing her arm as she went to throw another punch, twisting her arm so her whole body twisted round with it. With her back now to him, Scarlett could see JJ struggling to land a punch on Kelce as the pair fought.
Scarlett let out a groan of pain as Rafe's fingers wrapped around her hair, violently yanking her head backwards. "Get the fuck off me!" She yelled, trying to free herself from his deathly strong grip.
"Not until you pay, you whore, and get the hell off our side of our island." Rafe sneered, pulling on her hair even harder.
Despite the pain, Scarlett managed to let out a chuckle. "Easier said then done, dude. I live over here now." She laughed, choking slightly as the grip on her hair grew even tighter. "You know what, I'm one of you now." She joked, knowing full well she'd rather be poor and live on the cut than be a rich asshole like Rafe and his friends. She felt the anger resonate in Rafe, and before she could register what was happening, she felt herself flying face first into the grass. She landed with a 'thump' and rolled onto her back, rubbing her right arm- which had been badly twisted.
Rafe stormed over to her, crouching down as he leaned over her body. His hands wrapped around her neck, cutting off her air supply. "You will never be one of us." He growled out, ignoring as Scarlett began trying to gasp for air, her hands desperately hitting at his. "You'll never belong here. Understand, slut?" Despite the pain, Scarlett managed to grin- which seemed to piss off Rafe even more. "You think this is funny, do you?!" He yelled, raising the upper part of her body off the ground before slamming it into the dirt. "You think me beating the shit out of you is funny?" He repeated the movement, smirking as Scarlett groaned in pain.
"Yeah, yeah I do." She croaked out. "I find it hilarious that you're beating up a girl half your size. What a man you are." The next few moments happened very quickly. Rafe took one hand off her throat, before forcefully bashing her face in until it was covered in blood.
"Take your hands off her!" JJ screamed, having finally got away from Kelce. He glanced over to Pope, checking on his state, before marching over to Rafe and yanking him backwards- shoving him into the grass. "Don't you fucking touch her!"
Scarlett pushed herself up onto her elbows, her head reeling and blood covering up most of her vision. "You know, Rafe," she coughed out, voice completely hoarse. "You may be a rich Daddy's boy. But you'll never be a man. Because, men don't beat up 'little girls'." She coughed and lifted a hand to wipe the blood from her lips. "I hope you're able to live with the fact that you are a horrible person."
JJ moved to step forward, throwing another punch at Rafe. "You touch her again and I'll end you, man. I'll fucking end you." He threw one last punch before wiping his hands on his shirt and turning around. He walked over to Scarlett, helping her off the ground. She barely had the chance to warn him before Rafe grabbed him from behind, shoving him into Kelce- who held his hands behind his back.
"No, Rafe-" Scarlett coughed. "Stop! You're hurting him!" She yelled, her heart breaking as she watched Rafe begin to repeatedly punch JJ in both the stomach and the face. "Rafe, stop!" She screamed, not caring that her vocal chords felt like they were ripping apart. She stumbled forward, yanking on the back of Rafe's shirt to try and pull him away from JJ. "Let him go, Kelce!" She yelled, glaring at the boy. Rafe paused his beating of JJ for a moment to shove Scarlett into the dirt for a second time. She landed on her back, rolling onto her side. Her eyes landed on Pope- who was being choked by Topper. "Take your filthy hands off him, Topper." She cried, pushing herself off the ground. Her eyes landed on Kiara, who was searching through JJ's bag. Their eyes locked and Scarlett could see the lighter in her friend's hand. A single nod was all she need to do to encourage Kiara to follow through with her make-shift plan.
Scarlett stood up straight, ignoring the excoriating pain in her ribs, and stumbled over to Topper. She moved behind him, pulling against his arms to try and free Pope from his grip. "Come on! Got something you wanna say?" Topper yelled, choking Pope as he tried to get the truth of his boat's damage.
"Oi, dickwad! Lay off him!" Scarlett cried, yanking firmly on Topper's arms. "It wasn't him! It was me!" Topper took one arm away from Pope's neck, using it to reach out and grab Scarlett. "Stop! You're going to kill him! Please, let him go! He didn't do shit to your stupid boat! I did, I sunk the fucking thing!" She screamed. Pope managed to push himself away from Topper, breathing heavily as his lungs fought for air.
"Lottie, what the hell are you doing?" He asked, leaning over and resting his hands on his knees.
"Saving your life." She replied, shoving Topper backwards. "I sunk your boat!" She yelled. "I confess! So, are you gonna try to kill me like you did to Pope? Act like a shitty version of the justice system?" She screamed, shoving him backwards again. "Or, are you just gonna let me get away with my crime?" She spat.
"Red-" JJ called out, doubling over as Rafe landed another punch on his ribs. "Stop being stupid! Get the hell out of here!" He groaned in pain as Rafe's fist landed on his face.
Topper- who was still riled up with anger- swooped forward and grabbed the girl, holding her in tight headlock. "You know what you've cost me, you little brat? That boat was expensive and you're gonna pay for its damages."
Scarlett laughed. "As if. You think I have that much money?" She groaned in pain as Topper threw her to the ground. Her head collided with the stand of the screen, just as Kiara lit it alight with JJ's lighter. The sounds of people screaming could be heard as the flames engulfed the movie screen. Kelce and Rafe were quick to let JJ go, running off with Topper so as to not be caught. Kiara helped Scarlett to her feet and the pair- along with the two boys- moved quickly out of sight, making their way back to Kiara's car.
❤❤❤
⁎⁎⁎
Edited: 19/01/2021