"Watch your back boys."
--☆--☆--☆--
"Wow," Sarah laughed as she looked up at the sky. It was clear that the girl was still getting used to the weed she had ingested earlier that day.
Emerson giggled to herself, at nothing in particular. The world just seemed sort of happy from her view. She was calm and giggly, she wanted to feel like this all the time.
"Hey, guess what?" Sarah asked, causing Emerson to dramatically turn her head to look at Sarah. "Would you rather... have- I was just imagining you like this just now- it was pretty funny," Sarah said before clearing her throat. "Would you ima- would you rather... have nipples for eyes or eyes for nipples?" Sarah asked. Emerson smiled as she began laughing, the different images appearing in her blurry vision. "Imagine you get really old and your nipples- Your boobs get saggy, and your nipples, if they were your eyes, you could see if your shoes were untied," Sarah chuckled. Kiara gave her a look, completely unamused by her ex best friend's joke making Sarah shake her head, trying to act cool.
"Hey, Kiara," Emerson said, grabbing her ex-friend's attention. "I was just... I was just thinking how tomatoes are fruit, right?" She asked but Kiara ignored her so she turned to Sarah who nodded, not knowing the train of thought that Emerson was on. "So, So if that's true then ketchup is a smoothie," Emerson finished then an amazed look appeared on Sarah's face as if she now had to question every moment in her life involving ketchup.
"Is this like your first time smoking or something?" Kiara asked the kooks, clearly not finding any of this funny.
"No," Emerson answered quickly, but it was obvious that it was a lie.
"No," Sarah said at the same time, also lying. "Hey, Kiara..."
"Oh my god," Kiara sighed. "Enough of the 'Hey, Kiara' bullshit!" Both Emerson and Sarah slumped down after Kiara's outburst. Normally Emerson would've had something to say but it was like the weed had taken away any comebacks she had in her mind. Everything was calm and she liked it a little too much. "Why'd you do it?" Kiara asked, but it was obvious neither of the kooks were up for a deep talk about their feelings.
"Why did we do what?" Sarah asked, when Emerson didn't say anything.
"We were best friends," Kiara reminded them. "All three of us," she said this time, solely looking at Emerson, who was trying her best to avoid Kiara's gaze. "We- we stole beers from your dad's fridge," Kiara continued, this time looking at Sarah again. "And made martini's with your mom's supplies," now she looked back at Emerson. "We watched movies together, we cried about boys. And the next thing I know I'm watching Sarah's birthday party happen from Instagram."
"It was one party," Sarah said, trying to reason with Kiara.
"You guys invited everybody except me," Kiara reminded them. "And then you told everybody I was the reason that the party got busted."
"Who else would've done it," Emerson muttered, finally speaking up since her ketchup theory.
"You never asked. You just let the rumor go that I was a rat-"
"You are," Emerson muttered, quiet enough that only Sarah could really hear her.
"You guys were my best friends, and then you ghosted me, and I don't even know why!" Kiara said, now raising her voice in anger. "I mean really what did I do?"
"You know what you did," Emerson said, continuing to gaze off into the distance.
Sarah sighed, ready to give Kiara the honest answer that she had been craving for so long. "You liked me," she said softly.
"What?"
Sarah looked over at Emerson with a sad look on her face. "When... people get... close to me, I feel trapped. And... I bail. And then I blame them for it."
"You never bailed on Emerson," Kiara said.
"I wouldn't let her," Emerson explained, not a hint of sincerity in her voice.
"I'm really sorry..." Sarah said, looking at Kiara. "... and I miss you."
"Well I don't," Emerson interjected.
"Okay, cut the crap Emerson," Kiara said, raising her voice again. "I never did shit to you!"
"Right," Emerson scoffed, thinking about him again.
"What happened with Nick wasn't my fucking fault!" Kiara spat angrily. "You can't blame me for something that I wasn't involved in."
"Wasn't involved in?" Emerson asked with wide eyes. "You told him that I..." Emerson paused to look at Sarah for a moment, there was a reason she never told her best friend the truth.
"That you what?" Kiara asked, being the only one who knew the truth. "Oh..." she gasped as she realized exactly what was happening. "You never told her."
"Told me what?" Sarah asked, as she sat up slightly, looking at Emerson.
"Your best friend hooked up with your boyfriend," Kiara revealed, "or I guess your ex-boyfriend, now."
"You hooked up with Topper?"
"No! No, I didn't," Emerson said quickly as she looked over at Sarah. The one thing she and Topper had managed to keep hidden from the Cameron girl was finally coming out, and Emerson didn't know what to do.
"Please I fucking saw you," Kiara scoffed.
"No, you fucking jumped to conclusions," Emerson replied.
"Right," Kiara nodded. "Because when you see two people walking out of a quiet room readjusting their clothes it isn't because they hooked up."
"I- I," Emerson hesitated, making her seem guilty of the act Kiara had just exposed her for. "I didn't do it. Why is that so hard for you to understand?" Emerson asked, looking at her ex-best friend.
"Oh please! You just can't admit the truth," Kiara said. "And I know for a fact that Topper's harbored this secret crush on you for ages."
Emerson scoffed, shaking her head at Kiara. "What's the truth then Kiara? Since according to you I've been lying about something you shouldn't even be involved in!"
"The truth is that you were heartbroken about Nick breaking up with you and you decided the best way to get back at him was to hook up with his best friend," Kiara interjected.
"Did you decide that was the truth before or after you stuck your tongue down his throat," Emerson spat.
Kiara scoffed, shaking her head at the accusation. Of course Kiara never actually hooked up with Nick, but she happily let everyone believe that she did. It wasn't her best moment, and it certainly cost her a friend, but in the moment it felt like a power move. Emerson had ruined Kiara's life and knowing that she caused her even half that pain brought Kiara a sense of pride.
"At least when he was with me it wasn't a revenge plan!"
"That's not what fucking happened Kiara!" Emerson shouted. The volume of her voice actually seemed to make Kiara sink down slightly, especially when she saw tears forming in Emerson's eyes. "I loved Nick, with everything inside of me. I loved him so much that even the idea of being hurt that same way again scares the shit out of me," She began to explain. "We broke up, and I felt like I couldn't breathe. But I did not seek out Topper as a revenge plan," She told them as a tear fell onto her cheek, which she quickly wiped away. "You were supposed to be my best friend, you were supposed to be on my side, but you weren't. You stabbed me in the back when my whole world was falling apart."
"Emerson I didn't..."
"Then a week after Sarah's birthday he moved away... he didn't even say goodbye, he was just gone," Emerson said, turning to Kiara. "It was my idea to not invite you to the party," Emerson confessed, "not Sarah's." Emerson looked at Sarah, hopeful that her best friend wasn't mad at her for keeping that secret for so long. "I was mad at you for telling him, so if you want to blame someone blame me."
"I should've talked to you," Kiara realized.
"Yeah, you should've," Emerson, for once, agreed with Kiara.
"Emerson," Kiara said softly, hoping that the brunette would look at her. Both girls were silent for a second until Emerson found the courage to actually look Kiara in the eye. "I didn't hook up with him."
"Then why would you-"
"You and Sarah ditched me... I guess I was the one with the revenge plan," Kiara explained. "I'm really sorry."
"I'm sorry, for taking Sarah away from you. You didn't deserve that," Emerson apologized.
"Oh and I'm also sorry for not believing you," Kiara said then for the first time in a while the two girls smiled at each other. "But you have to admit the whole thing with Topper was a little weird."
"I was sad, Topper made me feel... better."
"Did you and Topper..." Sarah tried to ask her. Emerson looked over at her with a knowing look.
"What Topper and I had was a momentary lapse of judgment," Emerson informed her. "But it didn't take place at that party... it happened two
months after Nick left. It was a revenge plan, he didn't even know about it."
"I knew there was something weird between you two," Sarah commented. "He was always so freaking protective over you, it's kinda weird."
"Sarah, I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Emerson said, looking at her best friend. "I was embarrassed and heartbroken, not that that's a good enough excuse."
"I forgive you E," Sarah told her with a small smile. There was absolutely no way Sarah was about to end her friendship with Emerson over someone like Topper Thornton. "Do you think there's a chance that we could be okay again?" Sarah asked, as she picked up Emerson's hand, telling her that she was in no way mad about the Topper thing.
"Honestly... I don't know," The Carrera girl admitted. All three girls wore the same expression, it was like their hearts had been ripped out and shredded into pieces right in front of them.
None of them said much as they got out some of the cushions and blankets for them to sleep. It was like they were all trying to think but no conclusions had been made. The three of them laid down to sleep. Sarah on one side, Emerson in the middle, and Kiara on the other side. The two kooks had their eyes closed as they tried to sleep, but Kiara looked up at the sky thinking to herself.
"Hey, Sarah," Kiara whispered in a soft tone.
"Hey, Kiara."
"Promise me that you won't bail on John B," She requested, her eyes still focusing on the stars above her. "He's not just... some other guy. And he really, really likes you."
"I won't."
"Promise me,"
"I promise," Sarah replied.
"Hey Emerson," Kiara whispered, now moving onto the kook beside her.
"I'm not with JJ," Emerson replied. "You don't need to give me a lecture."
"We all know that's not true," Kiara said, softly. "I know that being with him scares you, especially after Nick, but JJ won't leave you. He won't hurt you."
"He will Kiara," Emerson said, turning her head to look at Kiara. "He's... for lack of a better word, a fuckboy. We all know that."
"You don't think he's ready?"
"No, I don't. And I push him to be in a relationship then he'll leave."
Kiara let out a sigh, because she knew that Emerson was right. JJ wasn't ready to be someone's boyfriend. "I think he likes you Emerson, like actually likes you." There was silence for a moment, a silence that made Kiara and Sarah confused. "Do you like him?"
"JJ is the first person I've actually liked since Nick," Emerson admitted, tears appearing in her eyes. Kiara reached forward, putting her hand over Emerson's. "I thought what we had was real, not just a one night event. I thought I had finally moved on from Nick. But when we went to the Chateau and I found out what he said-"
"I ruined it, didn't I?" Kiara asked, genuinely sorry for what she had done.
"It just brought up old feelings," Emerson whispered.
"Can I ask you something?" Kiara asked, and Emerson nodded hesitantly. "Why did you and Nick break up? I don't think you ever told me."
Emerson sighed, finally really to admit the truth. She had kept to herself because she thought it would be easier to forget if no one else knew about it. Turns out keeping it in all this time has done more harm than good.
"You both know that my mom has been obsessed with the idea of me and Rafe together since the minute I was born," Emerson began and both girls nodded knowingly. "Because of that she never really liked Nick. She thought he wasn't good enough," Emerson added, causing Sarah to scoff. "Nick tried his best to ignore her glares and her condescending comments, but it was hard for him. He wanted her to like him, but she just loved Rafe."
"Still don't understand it," Sarah commented.
"That makes two of us," Kiara agreed.
Emerson gave them a small smile before continuing. "Basically my mom would try to sabotage our relationship any chance she got. She would invite Rafe over when Nick was supposed to come for dinner, she would compare the two of them all the time. And she would tell Nick how nice of a couple Rafe and I would be after our eventual break up."
"Damn," Kiara whispered, "I forgot how controlling your mother is."
"Tell me about it," Emerson said, shaking her head at the thought of her mother. "Anyways Nick came over one day to surprise me with dinner and a movie," Emerson continued, smiling at the thought of the boy she once loved with her whole heart. "When he got to my house he overheard me and my mom arguing about the Rafe thing. She ordered me to break up with Nick so I could fulfill my future with Rafe," She scoffed. "I wanted to get her to leave me alone so I told her that I'd..."
"Oh no..." Sarah breathed out, seeing where this was going.
"Anyways he heard me, so instead of getting dinner and a movie, we argued," Emerson continued. "He said he didn't know how to be in a relationship where he was constantly competing with someone. I knew he was right, he didn't deserve it, he deserved better. So we broke up."
"Emerson, I'm so sorry," Kiara said. Emerson shrugged her shoulders, trying to persuade the girls that she was over it. "Is that why you're afraid of dating JJ? Because you think your mom will ruin it?" Emerson nodded and suddenly everything made sense.
"She ruins every good thing I have in my life," Emerson told them. "But somehow she still manages to manipulate her way into my mind and control me like I'm a goddamn puppet."
"Screw what your mother thinks," Sarah said with a sudden surge of energy. "Date JJ, show your mother that she has no power over you."
"It's not that simple Sarah, you know that," Emerson reminded her with a laugh. "If I start dating a pogue, no offense," She added looking at Kiara who just waved her hand dismissively. "She'll kick me out."
"Then you move in with me," Sarah told her. "You practically live at my house, anyways," She laughed.
Emerson sighed, shaking her head at her friend's enthusiasm. "We should sleep."
"Fine," Sarah groaned before laying back down dramatically. Clearly she was still feeling some of the hydroponic from earlier. Emerson and Kiara laughed as they both laid back down.
"Oh and Sarah," Emerson whispered, ready to admit the real thing she's been hiding from her best friend. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the thing with Topper."
"It's okay," Sarah told her as she reached her hand over, placing it on top of Emerson's hand.
"Also, I'm sorry I called the cops," Kiara announced after a minute of silence.
Sarah and Emerson both broke out into laughter as they turned their heads to look at Kiara. "I knew it, you bitch," Sarah laughed.
"You should've invited me," Kiara told them with a smile.
"So you called the cops?"
As the girls laughed together suddenly it was like no time had passed at all. They were back in the 9th grade, tipsy from all beers they consumed, and everything was as it should be.
--☆--☆--☆--☆--☆--☆--
"Uh oh!" Pope shouted as he and the rest of the boys came up beside Hayward's boat. The sun had just started to rise over the marsh, the sky a bright orange color.
"You forget your keys or somethin'" John B asked them with a smile. "You need a tow!"
"Don't give them the satisfaction of thinking this worked," Kiara said under her breath so the boys wouldn't hear her.
"Absolutely not," Sarah agreed.
"Never in a million years," Emerson muttered.
"You gotta admit- it was kinda funny," John B said as he pulled his sunglasses down.
"John B. Mastermind, huh?" Kiara scoffed.
"I'm always planning," He said proudly.
"Some patriarchal bullshit," Kiara muttered as she tied the two boats together.
"Yeah that sucked," Sarah added.
"You still love us though, right?" JJ teased his glance finding Emerson as he sent her a cheeky smile.
Emerson smiled sweetly at him only to shake her head. "Definitely not," she said but her smile and the look in her eyes said something else entirely.
"You still hate me?" John B asked as he looked up at Sarah.
She folded her arms across her chest, "A little," she said with a smirk. "We're going to get you back when you least expect it."
"Watch your back boys," Kiara added.
"Cause we're comin' for you," Emerson finished. All three girls having the same proud smirk on their face.
"I, for one, welcome the challenge," Pope said
"Me too," JJ agreed.
"So, did you guys, you know..." Pope started to asked the girls.
"Reconcile our differences?" Kiara finished for him.
"Mm-mm," Sarah and Emerson hummed as they shook their heads.
"Not even close," Kiara added.
"But we're..." she looked to the two girls on her left, "...willing to work together."
"You know what? That's a victory," John B said happily.
"Woogity, woogity, woogity," Pope smiled as he did the secret pogue handshake with JJ, who was behind him.
"Know why?" JJ asked, "Hydroponic," he said, answering his own question while Sarah shot a quick wink to the girls next to her.
"Don't say that," Pope told him.
"All right, shut up," John B told the two boys, trying to stop an argument before it started. "You guys ready to jack someone up?"
"Hell yeah," Emerson smiled as she took JJ's hand, letting him help her into the boat.
"Hi," He smiled.
"Hi," She smiled back.
The four others on the boat all shared a disgusted look as they tried to hide their laughs from the lovestruck teens. Sarah quickly gave Kiara a fist bump as their plan to finally get JJ and Emerson together officially began.
author's note: two chapters in two hours, boy am I productive today. Please vote if you liked this chapter and feel free to leave a comment I absolutely love reading them!
(edited)