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Estrella definitely shouldn't have been walking this far considering the stitches in her leg, but she was. She figured that if her mom did actually kick her out, she should at least be able to have her things. She was hoping that her mom had a change of heart and she wouldn't be a homeless 16 year old.
Luckily, she wasn't alone.
"Are you sure you want me here ?" Charlotte asks, "I know this can be kind of personal."
Estrella turns to her, "No, um, worst case scenario I get yelled at. It's nothing that hasn't happened before."
Charlotte nods as they approach the house. Estrella's heart drops at the bags sitting on the porch. She continues walking up the driveway before going up the steps. Wincing slightly as she finally makes it onto the porch.
She recognized the suitcase her mom bought her when they made their first trip off of the island. She also noticed a few other bags she had purchased over the years.
She steps over to her things finally realizing that her mother had probably cleaned her entire room out. Tears begin to gather in her eyes as she stands there. Her situation finally settles in. Her mom kicked her out. She had no where to go. No one to call. No family on the island besides her mom. She was stuck.
"She really did it." She mumbles. Charlotte's heart breaks as she watches Estrella look over her things.
She sniffles as she turns and begins to descend down the steps of the porch making her way to the backyard. Charlotte following behind her. Going a little slower than usual, but making it there. She digs in her pocket and pulls out her keys. She steps up to her shed.
She inserts the key and unlocks it before opening the door. Thankfully, nothing had been touched. Everything remaining the same as she had left it. Charlotte looks around at all the surfboards on the walls and the art supplies sitting on a desk in the corner.
"Do you make surfboards ?" She asks as she approaches one sitting in the corner
"Yeah." She chuckles, "Well, I paint them."
"These are amazing." Charlotte gushes, "Do you sell them ?"
"Yeah, that's actually why I'm in here." Estrella says. Charlotte turns as Estrella digs in a box on her desk. Estrella turns to her holding a stash of money up, "If she's gonna kick me out, I'll at least have something."
Charlotte smiles with a small nod, "Smart."
"Yeah." Estrella laughs, "Now, let's just hope John B is okay with me staying at his place."
"If not, then you won't be alone." Charlotte says, "I'm still here."
"You can go home any time you want, you know ?" Estrella says stepping closer, "You don't have to go through all of this with us."
"Yeah, but in these past two days, you guys have shown me more about what it means to actually care for someone than my own family has. If I were still there, my grandmother or uncle wouldn't have even looked in my direction." Charlotte says, "The lengths you guys have gone to for John B is amazing."
"It's what we do." Estrella shrugs, "It's what we've always done."
"Exactly." Charlotte chuckles, "Some people would kill for the bond you guys have."
Estrella smiles as she looks down. She puts the money she has in her pocket before looking up. "Come on. You can help me carry all this stuff to John B's."
Charlotte laughs as the two make their way out of the shed.
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Estrella opens the door to the porch. Groaning as she pulls the suitcase onto the porch. Charlotte comes up behind her with a few other bags. Estrella opens the front door and the two enter the living room.
"Estrella ?" Pope says
"Hey." She says as she drops her bags
"You okay ?"
"Yeah, but I'm definitely out now, so."
"Same here." Kie says
"Twins." Estrella jokes, "What are you two doing ?"
Pope smiles, "I found it."
"Found what ?" Pope holds up a key. Estrella frowns before her eyes widen. "Oh my god."
"You found the key ?" Charlotte exclaims
"Yes." Pope says, "Now, turn off the lights."
"Turn off the lights ? For what ?"
"Just trust him." Kie says before scooting over
"Okay." Charlotte says as Estrella sits in between Pope and Kie. Charlotte turns the light off before sitting beside Kie. Pope hands Kie the key before turning on his light. He places a couch cushion on his lap as Kie holds the key up. Estrella backs up slightly as he hits the cushion sending dust everywhere.
Her brows furrow as she notices words in the dust.
Path to the tomb begins in the island room
"What the hell does that mean ?" Estrella says
"Pope thinks it has something to do with Denmark Tanny." Kie says
"Do we know what the island room is ?" Charlotte asks
"No, but I'm sure we can figure it out." Pope says
Estrella turns to him, "Pope you are a fucking genius, dude."
Pope smiles as Estrella holds her hand up. He happily gives her a high five. She digs in her pocket as her phone vibrates.
Jay
SOS! 4th and Seneca
Hurry please
"Shit." Estrella says standing up
"What ?" Pope says
"It's JJ."
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JJ sat with his head in his hands. His plan to help John B backfired and now he was stuck in the back of an ambulance with police following behind him. Ready to arrest him as soon as he made it wherever the driver was taking him.
He thought the plan would've worked. All John B had to do was be on time. Unfortunately, he wasn't.
All JJ could think about was Estrella. How worried the girl was before he left. Trying to get him to promise that he wouldn't end up in this situation. JJ knew there was a possibility that this would happen which is why he wouldn't make the promise. He didn't want to lie to her anymore.
But now, he was wishing he would've just listened to her.
JJ groans as he flies forward into the other side of the ambulance. He looks up as the driver starts yelling.
"Go ! Get out of the way ! Go !"
"Sorry !" JJ's eyes widen as he recognizes Kie's voice. "I'm so sorry."
"Move !" The man yells. JJ takes the opportunity to open the side door and jump out. "Get your car out of the road."
"She just got her license." Pope says
"It was an accident." Kie says. Estrella sighs as she sees JJ running across the grass.
"Move your car now !" He yells. Kie gives him a wave before she drives off.
"Kie, he's gonna go around." Estrella says
"I know. I know." She breathes as she makes her way around the corner.
"He's right there." Charlotte says as JJ runs out from the trees. Kie stops the car.
"Come on !" Pope says
"Open the door ! Open the door !" Kie says. JJ jumps in as Estrella opens the door. He hurries to
close it behind himself, "Go ! Go ! Go !"
"Okay." Kie says stepping on the gas. JJ pants as he sits back in his seat. "I'm seriously not even gonna ask."
"Look, I busted the wrong guy out of jail." JJ says as Kie turns to him, "Sue me."
Kie turns back in her seat with furrowed brows, "What ?"
"At least I was trying." JJ says
"Why are you always doing such stupid shit ?"
"Well, I'm gonna end up in jail anyway, so..." JJ mutters. He finally looks over to Estrella. Her eyes sad as she looks back at him, "so why does it matter ?"
"You okay, man ?" Pope asks
"Yeah." He sighs before tilting his head back, "Just a doozy of a day."
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Estrella hears the door open to the Château. She was sat on the couch on the patio. It was very late at night. Pope had gone home and Kie and Charlotte were asleep in the house. She knew the only other person that could've been coming outside was JJ.
"Everything alright ?" JJ asks
"Yeah." She mumbles, "Just couldn't sleep."
"Wanna smoke ?" He asks. The girl looks at him, "That always helps."
She turns away, "No."
"You sure ?" He asks sitting beside her, "You've never turned it down before."
JJ notices the look in Estrella's eyes as she looks over at him. He's seen it many times before and he hates it every single time. "What ?"
"Why would you do that ?"
"Do what ?"
"You know what, JJ." She sighs, "The whole thing with the ambulance. If we wouldn't have gotten there in time you'd be in jail."
"Yeah, but you guys made it, so does it really matter ?"
"Of course it matters." She scoffs, "JJ, that was incredibly stupid. You could've ended up in jail."
"So what ?" He says, "That's where everyone thinks I'm gonna end up anyway."
"It doesn't mean you have to." She says, "You're not your dad, JJ. You don't have to go down that path. You're your own person."
"It's in my blood, Estrella." He says, "It's what happens to all of us."
"I don't want that to happen to you." She says softly. JJ's brows furrow slightly, "You're so much better than that."
JJ shakes his head, "I'm not. You see where I ended up tonight."
"That's because you want to help John B. You just have to start going about it the right way."
"I'm not Pope." He says, "You can't get me to always do the right thing. I'm not like him. This is how I help. This is the way my brain works. I can't change that and I don't want to."
Estrella looks down. Her hand rubbing at the wrap she had on her thigh, "I just don't want you to get hurt, JJ."
A silence settles over the two. Estrella's heart beating hard in her chest as she thought over what could've happened tonight. The thought of almost losing JJ kept creeping its way to the front of her mind. As JJ looked at her, he could tell she was overthinking.
"Estrella." He says softly. She looks over at him, "I'm sorry. I don't mean to make you worry or anything like that. I'm just trying to do what I think is best. And it may not seem like the best thing to everybody else, but it's the way I think. I can't just sit back and watch this happen. Especially knowing that he didn't do anything."
He leans in closer to her, "I can't promise that I'm not gonna do something stupid. Because I probably will, but I can promise you that I'm gonna come back to you."
"You can't promise that, JJ."
"I can." He nods, "And I will. Because at least now I know that I have somebody who cares about me to come back to."
"Pope and Kie care about you, too." She says
"You know what I meant." He mutters
Estrella's eyes flutter back and forth between his. He looks down at her lips. His eyes lingering before they flicker back up into her eyes. Estrella watches as he stands up and goes back into the Château.
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