"Honestly, the hardest part is gonna be security, all right? So most of the guys are gonna be at the rail yard." JJ explains as I look out onto the waves while the boat were on is smoothly transporting us to Wilmington.
We're plotting for our second attempt at taking the cross back from the Cameron's.
"You guys are getting ahead of yourself, as usual. We have no way to transport the cross. What you think, on JJ's motorcycle?" Cleo says, the only other smart person in the group other than me, of course.
"That's not my fault." JJ plays with his hat.
I kick my feet up. "What're our options?"
"Oh my god." Sarah holds her hands up to her mouth as she slowly places her elbows on the table we're sat at.
Everyone looks to her. "What?"
She exhales, glancing to her left.
We all turn, un-discreetly to where she's looking.
I blink when I see Topper, and alongside him is Tanner.
"Welp." I can't help but giggle. "Haven't seen them guys in a hot minute."
"Why are they everywhere?" Kiara shrugs.
I can see JJ death staring Tanner, it's a bit too obvious.
"But.. I bet you they have ways to transport the cross." Pope smirks.
Everyone now looks at me and Sarah, who are sitting next to eachother.
"No."
"Absolutely not."
"Yes." Pope nods.
"Sarah can, I'm not." I hold my hands up.
"No, no question. Not doing it." Sarah crosses her arms.
"It's our last resort, please." Cleo holds her hands together.
"What would John B think?" Sarah asks.
"I think John B would completely understand." Pope smiles. "It's the treasure, he'll let it slide."
"I'm not flirting with Topper for that, no." Sarah leans back.
Pope rolls his eyes, looking at me.
I was about to speak when he interrupts me. "You don't have anyone to be cheating on, and Tanner has a truck."
I clench my jaw.
"Topper.. he might be more reliable.." JJ finally says after going silent through this whole Tanner, Topper situation.
I raise my eyebrow.
"Why don't you both try it out, then we'll have two options if they both say yes, the more the merrier." Kie shrugs.
I see JJ getting all nonchalant and looking away, clearly he cares. I could use this as a fantastic opportunity to piss him off and get revenge.
"Fine." I nod. "Sarah and I'll flirt our way to a ride."
"Darla!" Sarah chokes.
"It's fine, Sar. It's for Pope and his heirloom." It's for me and my revenge, actually.
We stand up together.
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"I just.. I cant believe you're alive." Tanner laughs, staring at me like I'm a historical artefact that moved.
I look down.
"How.. how are you? I mean, are you good.. are you..."
I was about to say yes immediately by default, but remember I'm supposed to be a damsel in distress. "You know, Tanner.. things have been real bad lately." I nod, forcing a few watery eye episodes.
"Yeah? Bad how?" He eagerly asks, wanting every detail so he can try make my life better. He's always been a problem solving guy.. but he still manages to be so bad at that job.
I don't really know how to explain, looking over at the group that are on the deck downstairs.
They all use the 'elaborate' motion with her arms, encouraging me to trauma dump some more.
I hesitate. "We've been.. after this family heirloom of Pope's, which is why we were gone, And we ended up losing it." I begin to choke on forced tears. "Uh, unbelievably, we may be able to get it back tonight. So that's one upside."
He blinks, trying to understand what I'm getting at here. "What part do I play in that?"
I purse my lips together. "You'd want to help?"
"Of course, of course I would, Darla." Tanner laughs.
I shake my head, looking out onto the sea. "I couldn't ask you.. ask you to do that."
"No, seriously, Darl." He tries getting my attention again.
"Tanner, If I ask you, knowing the person you are... you're a giver. And that's great about you, but I wouldn't want to take advantage of that." I sigh.
He grabs my shoulder. "Anything you need."
I look up, I seriously don't want to ask this.
"Darla..you know Ill do anything, I've been like that since we first met and you know.. it's just the way I was raised.."
"I need your truck." I spit out.
His arm slowly lowers from my shoulder.
"My.. my dads truck?"
I swallow.
"By god, he'd literally kill me." He rubs his forehead. "He's like.. super anal about it."
My eyes widen when he says the word 'anal'. I really do not understand that context of that, not like I want to, but I just repeat it.
"So are we? We're super..." I choke on a little bit of laughter. "We're super anal."
He sighs, gripping the railing as I stare at him with hope.
He looks back at me. "We ended off.. on .. not the best terms."
I bite my gum, nodding a little and looking to the side.
He exhales. "Why do I feel like I'm gonna regret this?"
A huge smile paints across my face as I throw myself onto him for a giant hug.
He falls back, but catches himself.
I look at the others who are on the deck below us, nodding.
I see them all smiley and holding up their thumbs, except JJ.
Mission make him jealous accomplished.
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"Let's go with Topper." JJ immediately decides after both Sarah and I got transportation for the cross.
I stand, jaw agape.
"Topper may be a little more trustworthy." Pope shrugs.
"You're just saying that cause you got in a... altercation with him." I turn to JJ, knowing there's no more reason as to why.
"What does altercation even mean?" He mutters under a short breath.
"What! I just did all that for nothing?" I groan.
"We did say the more the merrier, and anyway, just tell him you don't need him anymore.. maybe he'll feel a little relief." Kie nods.
I rub my forehead. "I hate every single one of you for making me hug my ex boyfriend."
"Whoopsie!" Cleo snickers.
I stomp away to Tanner at the bar.
"Darl, you're.. you're back." He laughs.
I smile. "Good news!"
He tilts his head.
"We don't need your dads truck anymore, hurrah!" I shake my hands in the air.
He stops for a second. "Oh."
"So.. uh. Yeah. I really, really appreciate the help, but it's all good now!" I pat his shoulder, trying to get away from the situation.
"Who is bringing you, then?" He shrugs.
I see him getting almost offended that we'd choose someone else over him, so I lie a little to save that. "Kie's dad is willing to let her have the truck, we wanted to keep you out trouble."
He crosses his arms. "I highly doubt that."
I groan. "An old friend is offering his service, all right?" I say. "I'm sorry that we chose him, over you. But take it as a compliment that we would rather him be arrested than you." I stand up to leave.
"JJ didn't want me to be apart of it, did he?" He suddenly says as I'm turned around.
I roll my eyes before switching attitude to shock as I turn around. "What! No!"
"Mhm."
"Tanner, JJ is over the past. It's all a faded memory, you know?" I smile.
He sets his glass of tequila down. "Yeah, sure it is."
"It's true!" I say as he orders a new drink, flicking through this bills. "He's forgotten all about every grudge he's holding against you."
"Is he your boyfriend, now? 'Cause you seem to be defending him an awful lot." He barely acknowledges me as he speaks.
I clench my jaw. "Does every guy I know have to be my 'boyfriend' to you?"
"It's the way you defend them all so much that they could be your husband." He says as the bartender rings up his second drink.
I look up to the sky. "Oh, so now I can't defend my childhood best friend? Because he's a boy? Talk about sexism."
"You and your sexism, and your misogyny. It's always been like that with you." He scoffs, swigging his second drink.
I become extremely infuriated by that last statement. "You know what? You're right. None of us chose you because you're just a cunt and a pain in the ass to work with. That's one thing you got right in your entire life, Tanner. Congrats to that."
His eyes show not a lot of care for the conversation as I show huge concern. He begins to laugh a little. "Bye Darla."
"You know what? Fuck you, fuck you Tanner! You look like your a baby of an incest relationship you rodent!" I yell.
People in the bar turn to look.
"Why don't you go blow JJ or something? Or, no, is it Rafe this week?" He turns to me while still on the stool.
"Rafe? What are you babbling on about." I laugh when I hear him mention that name.
"I was told about you and his meet-up back at Bahamas." He shrugs, sipping away at his fresh glass. "Seems a bit like a blowjob opportunity to me."
"You're disgusting." I gag, turning now.
"Bye Darla." He chuckles with smugness.
"Don't you have a pussy whipping appointment with your cousin?" I ask as I walk away.
"With your cousin, actually." He follows on.
"Well to jail for you, cause the only cousin I know is seven years of age you fucking perv!"
"She's a real lady, isn't she?" He turns to the people around him.
I storm back to the group in a major huff, JJ notices this and immediately looks towards me, ignoring all else. "What?"
I cross my arms, I'm mad at a lot of people right now. JJ, Tanner, my dad. I have a lot of hating to be done. So If the people I'm hating could stop interacting with me, it'd make the situation a whole lot easier to handle.
I rub my hands against my face, tuning my calmness.
"Darl? You good?" Kie acknowledges me, brushing my hair gently behind my left ear as she looks at me with concern.
"Tanners just so..." I hold my hands out, in search for the best words to describe him, but there is no words to describe him. He's just a selfless human. With no heart or soul.
"I knew it. If we went with Tanner, he'd end up pissing you off, Darla." Pope speaks from the other end, nodding and almost patting himself on the back for trusting his instincts.
"You'll live." JJ shrugs, I can tell he's trying to match my energy, so I may as-well give him the same back but ten times heavier.
Just as I'm about to clap back, Cleo kindly interrupts. "Yeah, uh.. Is Tanner the floppy haired looking gorilla with bad bushy eyebrows?"
I widen my eyes, aware now that he's back for more shit stirring. I creak my head around slowly, coming face to face with him.
"Can we talk?" He has his arms crossed, and looking around at the intimidating group who death stare back at him. "Alone."
I rub my forehead, gaining a headache from his presence. "What could you possibly want now?"
"You embarrassed me in front of a lot of very rich people, unlike the group you have going for you here. And yes, maybe you're used to them ways, but it's so bad for me and they'll a tell my father about it." He rants, staring now down at me.
"Well, don't embarrass yourself even more, and turn around to leave." I stand up, holding my hand out in the direction in which I'd like him to exit from.
He rolls his eyes. "You're missing the point."
"Tanner, the point has been taken in. Go." I say with stern intent. He stares back at me, clenched jaw. He's probably brewing a lot of shitty answers to that, but knows not to dare to say them.
"She said go." I hear JJ croak from behind me, I turn to him, he's closer than he was before.
"Oh, JJ. Great to see you man. When's the last time? The bonfire?" He scratches his chin as he recalls. "Ah, of course. When I beat you to a crumb and sent you running."
"I wasn't running from you." JJ laughs back, in awe that he'd have that much ego to believe that JJ'd run from him. JJ runs from no one. Not even his own father. He doesn't like to act weak, which is a weakness for him. I've always tried to get his soft spot, and I've succeeded each time. I just wish he'd show it to others more often.
"Oh yeah? Then why'd you run off?" He uncrosses his arms, awaiting JJ's response eagerly.
I look to JJ once more, I know why he ran. He ran for me. And I know he remembers that night, very clearly. The night he kissed me and told me he loved me. And what made him suddenly change his mind?
His jaw clenches hard as his eyes flicker back and forth between Tanner and I.
"Right." Tanner laughs, making me roll my eyes that they may aswell be stuck at this point.
"I ran for Darl. You didn't." JJ finally exhales.
Tanner pokes his cheek gum with his tongue. "All right."
"Leave, Tanner." Sarah says from the corner of the table, we're all fed up of his shit at this point.
"You think you're tough and cool cause you're the one who ran after the girl, hm?" Tanner ignores the complaints he's receiving from the rest of the group, and focusing on the topic that's been brought up.
He steps away from me, facing JJ now. Which is a god awful idea. Never face JJ with bad intentions, it'll only end up with a black eye and a busted lip.
"And.. you think you could get away without me knocking you out? No. Why don't we finish it off right here?" Tanner cracks his knuckles loud enough for the passengers of this boat to turn and watch.
"And you say Darla was embarrassing you, huh?" JJ laughs and looks away for a moment, before focusing back on Tanner.
I cross my arms. "You're so fucking immature, Tanner. Leave."
"You shut up while I'm talking." He holds his hand up in my face. And I can only get images of him from my father. Now that he's said this, he's always going to remind me of my father. And how my father never respected me, just as he doesn't.
Suddenly, I hear a thump, and Tanner on the floor. "Don't you ever speak to her like that." I look back up at JJ, glancing down to his hand balled in a fist, he's shaking it after the force of the punch hurt his knuckles. I decide to interfere before anyone happens.
"JJ, go." I walk to him, standing over Tanner, who wasn't expecting the punch and is nod in a state of shock and also pain.
He looks at me with pure confusion. "What do you mean, go?"
"I mean, go, all of you go! Take a fucking break or something."
"Yeah, JJ. Come on." Pope grabs JJ's shoulder.
He pushes it off without taking his eyes off me. "You're really gonna let him talk down to you like that?"
"No, but if you stay here any longer, we'll all get in serious shit." I say. "Can we talk about it later, please?"
He looks at Tanner, holding his head and sitting up slowly from the floor.
I notice him rising.
"What the hell is going on here!" Toppers voice interferes and he runs to see what's happening.
I look at Topper. "Just an accident, he'll be fine. Just go Top." I turn to the others. "And you aswell!"
JJ stares at me as the rest drag him away quickly. I exhale as I watch him disappear off into the boat.
"What's going on, Darla?" Topper kneels down beside Tanner, who's groaning and hunched over.
"He hit his head when he slipped on spilled wine." I quickly lie. The crowd around us is mostly elders or families. So they'll stay out of it all. "Can you help me bring him to the bathroom?"
"Tan, buddy. You good?" Topper asks loudly to Tanner who looks up at us.
"Yeah, what happened." I hold my heart with relief that he doesn't remember. I order Topper to help him up quickly.
"You tripped, it's all good. You'll be fine." I smile, aiding Topper by throwing his arm around my shoulder.
"I got it from here, Darl. Thanks." Topper holds out his thumb.
I let go of him, watching as they walk away. I turn around to the audience who witnessed the entire thing. I become a little flustered. "Uh, please don't tell anyone you saw any of this."
They all look around at each other, not accepting my plead.
"My friend, the blonde one, he has some issues bsck at home and sometimes he can't control his impulses." I shakily explain, hoping they'll buy it.
They all turn back to me.
"We don't have the money to be paying for charges, so if we all keep it a secret, we can all move forward with our lives and live happily ever after." I nod. "Yeah?"
The people nod one after another, and I quickly escape. "Much appreciated! Thanks!"
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