CHAPTER ELEVEN
a friend is someone that knows you as you are,
understands where you have been,
accepted what you have become,
and still, gently allows you
to grow.
BAMBI ROUTLEDGE COULDNT SEE straight, she had drank so much that the girl was much more drunk than she was supposed to be and although she knew she was going to have a pounding headache in the morning, she was going to make tonight a good night.
still, with all the wind that had blown in her face and the time that had passed since she had her makeup and hair done, she looked gorgeous and anyone who just looked at her would agree.
once thing she hated about the whole outfit was the throbbing pain coming from her feet, the heels that she was wearing had been irritating for so long that she was desperate to take them off.
her head was pressed against JJ's shoulder, her eyes closed as the smell of burning wood filled her nose. John B had brought everyone here for some reason and she was waiting until he got to the point to start any conversation.
"hey, guys. so, like my dads already gonna kill me. so what's this mandatory meeting about?" Pope asked John B, taking a seat on the log.
JJ already knew, he also knew that John B was the one that wanted to tell everyone, "might as well tell him, man, before we're gaffed."
"you ready for this?" John B asked everyone, building it up, "so, the gold never went down with the royal merchant."
Poor was quick to shoot the idea down, already thinking it was over, "oh, please not again with this."
"no, all right, wait. hear him out, all right?" JJ defended his friend.
"it's been here the whole time." he revealed, making Bambi open her eyes and look at him, "it's on the island."
"does that mean i can make my weed den?" Bambi asked, keeping her head on JJ's shoulder.
Pope was quick to cut in, "I'd like to voice my scepticism."
"i'm sure you would Pope." John B agreed, walking over to his backpack, "but can i please present you with my evidence, sir?"
"proceed."
opening his backpack, John B took a piece of paper out, "all right. so, in my backpack, i have a letter from Denmark Tanny."
"who the hells that?" kie asked.
"Denmark Tanny was a slave that survived the Royal Merchant wreck. check this out." he handed the paper to her.
"okay, slaves weren't mentioned as crew members on the ship, but my dad, he found the complete manifest. that was his big discovery. so Tanny used the gold from the merchant to buy his freedom."
Kiara whistled, signalling to Bambi to grab the paper and look at it, once she was done, she passed it to JJ and laid her head back on his shoulder.
"after that, he bought his farm." he finished, "drumroll please because that farm is.."
Kiara created a drumroll, "Tannyhill."
"tannyhill?"
"yeah, so after that he used his money to free even more slaves, and then, he sold a shit ton of rice, which pisses off all of the white planters and then they decide to lynch him." he carried on.
"he used his money to save more people? how nice." Bambi hummed.
"so on the day they were coming to get him, he writes a letter to his son as a farewell, and in the last line of that letter, he leaves a coded letter about where to find the gold," he told them.
Kiara bit her lip, excited to see where this is going, "where?"
"harvest the wheat in parcel nine, near the water." he read out, using his brain to remember, "except..there's no wheat. you see, wheat is code for gold. check this out."
he walked over to Pope, showing him the paper, "the gold is in parcel nine, near the water."
"and near the water is my access to making my very own weed den." Bambi smiled, taking her head off JJ's shoulder since she was now wide awake.
"now, all we need is an original survey map of the property, and we've found the gold." John B explained, putting his arms out.
"okay, so this might have a small chance of being actually true." Pope grinned.
JJ stood up, walking over to John B and lifting him up, "hello! fire! you're near the fire. you're gonna burn."
"i'm so proud of you right now," JJ told the boy.
"thank you, that's really sweet of you." John B placed his hand on his cheek.
Bambi attempted to stand up but was quickly discouraged when she felt like she was in no control of her body, causing JJ to walk over to her and help her sit back down, earning a small smile from her.
"okay, what's the plan?" Pope asked.
"so, Sarah Cameron's coming tonight, she'll bring an original survey map-"
Kiara cut off John B, "hold on, Sarah? why Sarah?"
"this is gonna be good." JJ chuckled.
"you've got a kook involved in all of this?" Bambi scoffed, looking at her brother, "you could have chosen anyone on this island but you choose the rich, petty kook princess?"
"um, she got me into the archives in Chapel Hill yesterday, and that's where i got the letter." John B explained but it didn't help.
"you were in Chapel Hill with Sarah Cameron?" Kiara repeated.
"yeah, um-"
"he was mackin' on her." JJ interrupted.
"please tell me he's joking." Bambi glared at her brother, hoping it was all a big joke.
"i wasn't macking on her." John B denied.
"he was totally macking on Sarah Cameron." JJ shook his head.
"i wasn't macking on her, okay? i was using her for access." John B made up an excuse.
"there was access all right," JJ muttered.
"did you tell her about the treasure?" Kiara asked, already upset that he was even involved with the girl.
"i was just trying to get in the archives." John B defended himself.
"so that's a yes?" Bambi raised an eyebrow.
both girls were angry and it's not because of the fact that he went somewhere with a kook but because he chose to go with Sarah Cameron.
the girl whose brother jumped both JJ and Pope, the girl whose boyfriend got into a fistfight with John B and punched Bambi.
Bambi couldn't describe how annoyed she was and if she wasn't drunk, she was sure she would have got up and walked away.
"i left out key details." John B added.
"what? you let a kook in on our secret?" Kiara frowned, "what about pogue life? what about the t-shirt company, bro?"
"i was just using her for information."
"why don't i believe you." Bambi scoffed, shaking her head and sucking her teeth.
"i'm trying to make us filthy rich here." John B sighed, "okay, so that we can pay off a boat, or send you to autopsy school to study dead bodies."
"you forgot my weed den," Bambi added.
John B turned the idea down, "you are not turning the chateau into a weed den."
"that's okay. i'll buy my own house somewhere far away from you and your precious true love, Sarah Cameron." she rolled her eyes.
"do i look like the type of person to fall for Sarah Cameron?" John B asked everyone.
"do you want us to answer that?"
"look, you don't know her yet. i do!" Kiara tried to make her point, "you can't trust her!"
"her brother did hit me in the back of the head with a golf club." Pope shrugged.
"Rafe and Sarah are two completely different human beings." John B replied.
"raised the same though."
"what did she do to you, exactly?" JJ asked Kiara, a question everyone was waiting to know the answer to.
"she's like a—like a spitting cobra. first, she blinds you and then—" Kie tried to describe.
"this is a bad analogy." pope ruled out.
Kiara was growing impatient with her friends not listening, "listen to me! whatever we get, she's gonna try to take."
BAMBI HAD SOBERED UP A LITTLE AFTER she had gotten into the Twinkie with the help of JJ. she currently had her head on his lap as she looked up at the roof, lost in thought.
"penny for your thoughts?" JJ whispered to her, looking down at her.
"John Bs a dick." she replied, taking a deep breath in and crossing her arms, "macking with a kook, out of any person he could have chosen."
JJ agreed with her, he had to because she was his best friend and he didn't want to let her down. also because usually, she was never wrong and he trusted her.
"not the first person i would have picked for him either but it is what it is." he sighed, stroking her hair with his hand.
just as their pair was about to get up and out of the van to meet Sarah, John B stopped them all, "yo, uh, so, i think i'm gonna do this one by myself tonight."
Bambi lifted her head off JJ's lap and sat up, looking at her twin brother, "don't tell me your fucking serious."
"i just don't want to scare her with the peanut gallery." he raised his hands.
"anything for sweet Sarah." she mimicked.
"i just don't understand why we're involving her at all," Kiara complained.
"Kie, we're not involving her, okay." he chuckled, "it's just, uh, like a business meeting."
JJ imitated an action making Pope laugh and Bambi push his head, "a business meeting? is that all you could come up with?"
"look, once we got what we need, we cut her loose, all right? plus we need the map." he ruled out, but still, the girls weren't convinced.
"promise us nothing is happening between you two." Kiara stared at him.
"nothing is happening, kie."
"if i found out you just broke a promise, i'm not going to be happy." Bambi bit her lip, leaning against the window.
"this isn't about you and this isn't about us, this is about her." Kiara told him, "she's gonna get inside your head, dude, just promise us nothings happening between you guys."
John B looked at both Bambi and Kiara, taking a deep breath in, "i promise."
"that was really believable."
"one hundred percent believable."
"anyways, um, i'm gonna take care of business." he finally finished the conversation, getting out of the van and walking away.
as soon as he was gone, Bambi sighed and took out all the things she needed to make a joint, "if any of youse complain about me smoking in the van, go stand outside."
Kiara looked at the two boys, "what's your opinion on this?"
"look at it this way, if bambs doesn't like something or someone, neither do i. that's how best friends work." JJ shrugged.
"thanks, J." Bambi gave him a soft smile.
Kiara then turned to Pope who raised his arms in the air, "i don't know what she's like, for all i know she could be nothing like, Rafe."
"if they're raised the same, they turn out the same." Bambi made it clear.
"you and John B were raised together, are you guys the same?" Pope raised an eyebrow.
"bullshit. whilst i was sneaking out to smoke weed with JJ, he was nicely tucked into bed with a kiss on his head." Bambi revealed.
her and John B had a completely different childhood in her eyes. yeah, maybe to some people it wasn't all that different but to her, it was and that's why she is the way she is.
"how did the security manage to catch you before?" Pope asked JJ.
"So basically, Rafe and Kelce followed me-"
"do you guys hear that?" Kiara interrupted, telling the pogues to be quiet.
the group shut up for a second and not long after, they heard somebody shouting for help, "no i definitely heard that."
Bambi recognised Sarah's voice, it wasn't hard to figure out she was in distress either and with John B with her, that made Bambi worry.
taking her heels off, the girl opened the Twinkie door and sprinted out of it, towards Sarah's shouting so she could find out what happened.
"Bambs, wait!" JJ called behind her, trying his hardest to keep up with how fast she was running which was very fast for a smoker.
once Bambi saw Sarah, it wasn't long until she realised who she was hovering over and tears started to immediately prick her eyes.
"is he okay? what happened?" Bambi asked the girl, making it up to them first.
"i don't know what to do, he needs help." she sobbed, holding his head, "topper shoved him."
"where the hell is he?" JJ asked, reaching them.
"oh, please, please, please get help. i don't care who, just call someone." Sarah begged, worried for John B because he wasn't moving.
Bambi looked down at her brother and the girl and it was clear that he had already broken his promise when she kissed him.
Pope had gone to get help and since Bambi didn't like the situation she was in at all, she looked at JJ and Kiara, "i'm gonna go help Pope, i'll be right back."
"Bambi-" JJ tried to stop her but the girl had already taken off and all you could hear was the mix of her heavy footsteps and Sarah's sobs.
THE CHATEAU WAS QUITE AS BAMBI paced around inside of it, alone. After John B was taken to hospital, the girl had to return home as it was too risky in case DCS came.
JJ, Kiara and Pope had gone to the hospital to find out if he would be okay and promised to report the news straight back to Bambi as soon as they found out.
now she had to play the waiting game.
the girl had smoked around seven joints since she had arrived home to try and calm her nerves. she hadn't even changed out of her dress.
as soon as she heard the chateau door slam, the girl rushed over to it, knowing that it would be the pogues, "is he okay?"
the pogues looked at her distressed face as she took a drag of her joint, bouncing her leg, "he's okay, just has a broken wrist and a concussion."
Bambi nodded at Kiara and walked over to the couch, taking a seat on it, "is anything happening to Topper or has Sarah not told on him."
"i don't know," Pope replied.
Bambi looked down at the floor for a second, thinking of any major questions that she needed answering before it was too late.
"DCS?" she looked back at the pogues again.
"about that.." Kiara trailed on, knowing that as soon as they say what they were told, she probably wouldn't take it well.
"Sarah said that ward is looking to take him in to get foster care off of his back, and because he helped her," JJ revealed, walking over to her and taking a seat beside her.
"fuck." Bambi muttered, looking around the room, "so i can turn this place into a crack den?"
the pogues were quiet, they knew that she wasn't going to break down in front of them and they also knew that she was hiding what she felt.
"we can stay here tonight if you want, so you're not lonely." Kiara offered, joining her and JJ on the couch, Pope following.
"yeah, sure." the brunette smiled softly, taking a deep breath in before taking another pull of her joint and then passing it to JJ.
"that fucker broke his promise," Bambi spoke, staring into space as the image of Sarah kissing John B stayed inside of his mind.
"staying in the same house as the girl he's macking on? he's a lucky man." JJ nodded his head, earning a look from Pope.
"he's fallen in love with a kook and instead of choosing one we don't know or one we at least tolerate, he decided to choose the one we hate with a burning passion." Kiara sighed.
"at least we all hate her together." Bambi shrugged, turning to Pope when she saw him make a face, "i don't care if you liked her or not, Pope because now you don't like her."
"what happens if i choose to like her?" Pope asked, making Bambi gasp.
"you choose to like her and you choose to make me have to hire a hitman 'cause that will make John B think it's okay and i can't afford a kook in the friend group," Bambi revealed.
Bambi sighed before lifting herself up and getting off of the coach, walking towards her room, "i'm going to change out of this dress."
the girl walked into her room and opened her drawer, looking for her favourite and most comfiest pair of pyjamas. She always wore a certain pair when she wasn't feeling herself and today was one of those days.
after changing, the girl looked in the small square mirror that she had nailed to her wall. she took the hair tie out of her hair, letting it drop past her shoulders with a slight wave.
her makeup had practically been wiped off already because of how much she had worried and rubbed her eyes, the mascara created a thick like underneath her eyes.
taking a cotton pad and soaking it with a bottle of water she had on her draw, the girl wiped off the mascara, leaving her face looking clean.
before the girl could leave her room, she heard three light knocks on the door, followed by a voice, "Bambs?"
the girl walked over to her door and opened it, letting the boy in as she walked back inside her room, sitting on her bed, "are you okay?"
JJ sighed, following her and taking a seat beside her, "i think i should be the one asking you that."
Bambi immediately knew what he meant. he was on about John B and the girl realised that she wasn't as best at hiding her feelings as she thought. especially around JJ.
"im okay, just a little stressed and annoyed that he fucking lied to me," she admitted, going into her weed box and grabbing everything.
"he probably didn't want you to get mad," JJ replied, watching as she started grinding all her things and putting it into the skin.
"well i would have found out eventually anyway, he's my twin fucking brother, plus, i would be less mad about it if he didn't lie about it." she sighed, getting the skin in between her fingers and rolling it.
"would you though?" JJ raised an eyebrow, earning a head push from the girl.
"maybe not but either way, it's better than him lying to me." Bambi shrugged, finishing the roll and tying it at the top, "I'm gonna see if Kiara needs some, you coming?"
"right behind you."
ELLIE SPEAKS¡
i'm in Poland!!!
arrived at two in the fucking morning and couldn't sleep cause i couldn't smoke a joint like a normally do☹️