"uh... Jj, you're gonna wanna see this" John b simpered.
Inside the safe was a rather large sum of money, and a pistol. All of our eyes glistened with shock and awe at the astonishing sight.
"dude, dude, dude!" Jj exclaimed while toying with the pistol.
"don't play with the gun" I scolded
"this is an SIG Sauer" The blonde added in.
John b and I continued being angered by Jj's stupidity.
"put the gun back jj!" The brunette chided.
Suddenly, John b paused for a moment as his eyes began to widen. I wondered what caught his mind, then i noticed it too.
A tapping sound was heard from a distance.
I scurried to the window once realising where the noise was coming from. The two boys followed behind.
We pulled up the drapes and saw kiara and pope trying to warn us of something.
"shit" John b worried.
"what is it" Both Jj and i shrieked at the same time.
The brunette quickly made his way over to the other window on the other side of the room and looked through its drapes.
"cops" He breathed.
My heart started beating harder and faster, my pupils dilated.
"lilah" Jj called out once noticing my still figure.
I quickly rushed to the now opened window and climbed out of it. Jj followed behind then closed the window before the cops could come in. We stood on the narrow ledge and stayed there, hoping we wouldn't get caught.
Just standing there made my breathing more rapid and shallow. I could feel my pulse pounding in my temples.
Then i felt something caresse my hand, it was jj. He gently put his hand in mine and grasped it tightly. We both glanced at each other with a now calmed expression.
I knew that any of our friends could notice yet I clutched at his weary fingers anyway, letting the warmth and softness of my own hand let him know I was there and that I was alright.
I desperately wanted to hold on but every regretted memory between the two of us flashed through my mind, and i let go.
He looked at me but i was too embarrassed to look back. Then he moved away from me a little. I could feel the fear in my chest waiting to take over, the tension was high and it was easily imaginable how awkward it would be for the two of us once this was all over.
Suddenly, both john b and jj's faces changed as they noticed something odd happening in the room. I was too far from the window to see and too scared to ask either of the two to enlighten me on anything.
As if things couldn't go more out of plan, a gun fell out of Jj's pocket. I watched as it left the fabric, dropping to the ground raucously.
"nice one dingus" I said.
"sorry" Jj grinned.
My lips began curving into a smile.
"if he can joke with me, he's probably not mad" I thought to myself.
I realised that the cops heard the noise the moment pope and kiara began to act nonchalant, faking their moment.
We continued to stand still and i began to breathe slower.
"all right. let's go" A voice muffled from the room.
The three of us let out a sigh of relief once we heard the door close.
"shit" I chuckled.
———————————————————————
"well, that was fun, could've warned us sooner" Jj stated while we were on the way back to the land.
"we would have, except Pope was on the math team" kiara complained.
"the cops took everything like it was a crime scene" John b observed.
"did you guys find anything?" Pope questioned.
"did we find anything? no, i don't think so. Oh, yeah, we did." Jj exclaimed as he took out a gun and some cash from his pockets, holding them out proudly.
"what the hell?"
"dude, what?"
Both pope and kiara shrieked at the sight of the stolen items.
John b on the other hand agreed with jj's actions and began laughing, though he immediately made a poker face the moment kiara turned to look at him.
"i'm gonna lose my merit scholarship" Pope worried.
"hey, shshshshsh, at least you have us right?" Jj assured.
"im living the nightmare"
"just ignore him pope, he's an idiot" I added in.
"oh come on, it's better than the cops having it" Jj defended before taking a seat next to me and throwing his arm over my shoulder.
"still, you shouldn't have taken the money"
Jj let out a scoff and turned to look at the rest of the group, seeking for their approval.
"can't argue with her bro" John b surrendered with a grin.
We finally reached the docks and we were once again met with another crowd.
"what's going on" I turned to look at jj.
He looked back at me with a shake of his head, dumbfounded as i was by the current situation.
He then gently grabbed my arm and pulled me as we followed the rest of the group who were already way ahead.
Finally we were able to make it through the crowd. In front of us was an ambulance and a few paramedics. It looked as though they were wheeling a stretcher with something on it. I began to feel sick once i noticed that what was laying on the stretcher was a dead corpse.
Suddenly my phone buzzed, giving the rest of the group a shock. I apologetically grinned at them before checking my phone.
It was noah calling. I looked up and saw jj glancing at the screen too, my stomach tied into a knot as i saw his frown.
"how do you have signal? towers are down" Pope asked in fret.
I chuckled at his question, uncertain of how to respond then walked away and answered the call, already regretting my action.
"hi"
"hey, so what time do you want me to pick you up?" Noah asked.
I furrowed my eyebrows at his question, not knowing what he was talking about.
Then i remembered. "shit" I thought to myself.
I finally recalled that we were supposed to watch a movie together today.
"uh, in an hour i guess"
"an hour, the movie's gonna start by then" Noah chuckled over the phone.
"can we pick another time, my mom needed my help with the groceries and we're only on our way back" I lied.
"okay, so i'll pick you up in an hour" He confirmed.
"okay" I ended softly.
I went back to the group and noticed the disgusted looks everyone shared.
"what's going on" I worried.
"the corpse, it was scooter's" Kiara faltered.
"scooter grubbs?" I questioned after a moment of disbelief.
The group merely responded with a nod.
"yea he was uh" John b cleared his throat then continued, "he was out during the storm, with a Grady-white boat"
I looked at the group with my eyes widened as i figured out what everyone else already knew, Scooter Grubbs was the alleged owner of the deserted boat that we found.
All of us stood there speechless, the silence hung in the air like the suspended moment before a falling glass shatters to the ground.
"come on let's go" John b announced.
"uh i uh"
All four of them stopped to look at me.
"noah kinda invited me to go watch a movie, it's nonadjustable"
"seriously?" Jj scoffed.
Kiara and Pope on the other hand had supportive looks.
"okay, what time do you think you'll finish?" John be asked nicely.
"probably before 6"
"alright then- you kids have fun" The brunette teased.
"enjoyy" Kiara chimed in.
————————————————————————
I got home and changed into nicer clothes.
This afternoon's incident kept replaying in my head repeatedly.
The way he gently grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. How all my worried and anxious feelings were immediately dispelled by only his touch.
"lilah" I turned my head to see daniel standing by the door.
"noah's here"
I grabbed my stuff and left the house.
"so, what else did you do today?" Noah asked as we were on our way to the theatre.
"uh not much, just went out with my friends this morning"
"huh, with who- or is it whom? sorry i'm just really confused about the whole who and whom thing" He chuckled and so did i.
His laugh was low and reserved, the kind that could make your heart skip a beat.
Noah was handsome from the depth of his eyes to the gentle expressions of his voice.
He had lustrous brown eyes which had flecks of silvery light perform ballets throughout.
His hair was brown and tousled. His face was ethereal and well defined.
I looked over to the steering wheel where his hands were placed on, i could see the veins cording from his finger down to his arms.
He was a beguiling figure, no doubt in that. His aura alone was mesmerising, so alluring that i could stare at him all day.
But he always manages to catch my gaze.
"what's wrong" He asked in a sweet tone.
"nothing" I grinned.
After a 10 minute drive, we arrived. Noah quickly rushed out of the car to open the door for me. I laughed at his kind gesture and held his hand as we walked towards he theatre.
Holding his hand would also make me feel calm, but his touch was one that i was used to, one that i was more fond of. I loved spending time with him,
if only someone else hadn't always interrupted my thoughts.
"do you want anything?" He asked, offering to buy a snack for the movies.
"already ate"
"yea right, you know it's unhealthy to starve yourself"
"i had breakfast" I objected with a titter.
"okay, what'd you have?" He asked, unconvinced.
"a sandwich" I murmured.
Pride began welling in his chest and he let out a small laugh, happy that he knew me well enough to guess my diet right.
"so what do you want? cookies, other random snacks" I chuckled at this, then allowed him to continue.
"non, tu n'aimes pas ça?" He asked in french.
"non, j'ai juste les cookies"
"you sure?"
"yeah" I replied.
He gave me a sweet smile before walking away to buy the food. I began to feel guilty for allowing him to pay for everything including the movie tickets, but i felt guilty for so many other things too.
We entered the theatre room and watched the film. After the movie ended, Noah sent me home.
"i still hate the ending" He complained, disappointed with the poorly written movie that he was excited about.
"let it go" I said grinning.
"did you have fun today?"
"yea, i really did" I answered truthfully.
He stopped the car and gave me a shy look before leaning in to kiss me. It was brief but every time his lips brushed mine my body would tingle with the feeling of warmth. His kiss was slow and soft, comforting in ways that words could never be.
But as i said, it was brief, like a duty needed to be done. He gently pulled away, giving me the chance to look into his deep eyes for just a second or two, this part of the moment was something that i could never get tired of.
"bye" I whispered.
I entered my room and rested on my bed. The whole day had been so surreal and unique, i wasn't sure if i had the energy to see how it'd end. I got up anyway and changed again.
Everything was a blur to me that i barely remembered leaving my house and was surprised when i found myself back in the chateu with the group.
"im back" I announced.
"finally, i am no longer the only person here with more than one brain cell" Pope complained which made me laugh.
Ignoring Pope's remarks, kiara turned to me with yet another smirk on her face.
"how was it" She asked.
"are you gonna do that every time i go out with him?"
"just this once" She assured.
"it was fun, i had a really good time"
"just so you know, you suck at telling stories" Pope declared with a chuckle.
"dude i know right, come on give us details" kiara frowned.
"fine, we-" Just as I was about to tell my story, John b and jj entered the house with cartons of beers in their hands.
"hey, you're back" John b exclaimed.
Jj's welcoming however was more cold and ignorant, only giving me a quick glance while he was on his way to the kitchen. I could tell he was upset, though the reason why was still uncertain to me. I got up and headed into the kitchen where both john b and jj were in.
"what's up with all the beers" I asked, announcing my presence.
"uh, we decided that the best way to convince people that we don't know anything about the money jj stole, or the deserted grady white is by throwing a party" The brunette explained.
"interesting"
John b tittered at my insincere comment and walked away to prepare for the kegger we were apparently about to have.
"that sounds like a brilliant idea" I said sarcastically to jj once i was sure that the two of us were the only ones left in the room.
"yea well you weren't there to help us plan so you don't really get to judge princess" He responded. Frankly i was a little taken back by his unexpected reply, i could hear the slight frustration in his voice even though he tried to hide it.
"are you mad at me?"
He looked up at me apologetically. I stood still and watched as his deep eyes stared back at mine.
"no" He sighed, "i'm not mad"
"yea it totally didn't seem like it"
"i'm sorry okay, i just- you know what just forget it" He stammered.
"you just what?"
"look it's nothing alright, the point is i'm not mad" He grumbled then morosely walked away, completely disregarding the conversation.
Jj was rather stubborn and self-willed. I've always tried to tolerate his behaviour, though sometimes it can get quite infuriating that i end up failing.
————————————————————
As night fell the blue haze of the day lifted to reveal the stars. The breeze came with that sense of balance, the wisdom to move yet at a steady calm pace.
The boneyard began to lose bare space as more people started joining the party.
From pogues to tourons to kooks, keggers were one of the only things that could maintain the peace between all these people from all these kinds of societies.
All five of us had split up into different groups. Kiara found herself happily talking to a group of people who shared many common interests with her. Pope managed to start and hold a conversation with a few girls, but messed up in the end.
John b was interested in getting to know a pretty touron. Jj on the other hand was busy entertaining any girl he came across.
I was unfortunately dragged into the kook groups.
I never minded the entitled personalities most kooks possessed, i was quite used to that kind of behaviour.
But when i look over to my pogue friends and witness the kind of lifestyle they get to have, i'd be left in awe.
I decided long ago that that was the kind of life i wanted to live, but was i being ungrateful?
"lilah, where are you going?" My friends called out while they watched me absentmindedly walk over to the other side of the boneyard.
"ah, princess kook has finally returned to her pogue life" Jj announced as i neared them.
"why is sarah here?" kie asked in a serious tone.
"topper" i gently put.
"so she's with topper now"
"watch her cheat on him in a few weeks john b" Kiara responded, making the three boys laugh.
"this party's going great huh" Pope commented.
Everyone contentedly agreed.
"want a drink?" Jj kindly offered, to which i declined.
"look i'm sorry okay" He said once he was sure everyone else was distracted.
"can you just tell me why you were mad in the first place"
He let out a sigh, reluctant to continue.
"does he know"
"who" I asked.
"noah, does he know.......about that night" Jj stammered.
I stood there in silence for a moment, recalling everything i remembered about that night, that regretful night.
"no of course not"
"well..don't you think he has the right to know, about us" He blurted.
Everything that happened flashed through my mind, no matter how drunk i was that night, it still happened.
"what" I said seriously.
It seemed like jj was about to say something, but his mouth closed immediately as something behind me caught his attention.
I turned my head to see noah approaching us. He had a drink in his hand and a sweet smile on his face. Just looking at him instantly made me feel better.
"hi"
"hey, i've been looking all over for you" He said to me before gently placing his arm around my waist, bringing us closer to each other. Then he unexpectedly pulled me in for a kiss, right in front of jj.
Jj let out a scoff and walked away. The feeling of guilt began to eat and pester me.
The things that Jj said relentlessly wondered around my mind. I can't undo what i'd done. I could make amends in subtle ways, but in the end confession should be the only answer.
"you okay?" Noah asked with his eyes stared deep into mine.
"yea" I lied.
We stepped into our own world and let the words slip past our lips only for the two of us to hear. Our conversations were comfortable and deep. We were both elevated by each other's presence while we walked along the beach.
The crowd and the sound of the party faded away, scarcely murmuring in my ear.
Minutes passed and his hand was still in mine. I'd gaze at him, noticing his occasional smiles and the light in his eyes.
Then, there was a loud bang. Our senses sharpened with adrenaline as we heard the same bang again. Cool air whispered past our ears along with the sound of screams coming from the party.
Noah and i quickly ran back to the boneyard, finding it to be empty. Only a few figures left standing in shock and regret.
Part of me already had a hunch of what happened, but i begged to be proved otherwise.
Unfortunately, my thoughts were the truth. I could finally tell who the silhouettes embodied. It was my friends, and one of them was holding a gun.
I stepped closer to them, still astonished and confused by the entire situation. Just a few feet away from me was john b laid on the ground with a bruised face.
"what happened" I furiously looked at the group.
"you're so stupid, you're gonna jeopardise everything" Pope screamed at the blonde figure.
"jj what did you do" I shrieked at jj, looking at the gun he firmly grasped.
Noah was still standing behind, shocked by the event.
"he held a gun to topper's head" Kiara shouted.
"what why did you do that"
"topper was going to drown john b, okay? i saved his life, where were you during all this?" He yelled.
"why does that even matter? you were the one who fucking messed up, as always" I screamed back, loudening my voice at the last two words.
Jj let out a breath, his shoulders rested down. I could tell he was taken back, i could tell that everyone felt that way.
"im- i'm sorry, i didn't mean that" I blurted out in regret.
Jj brutally threw the gun to the ground and left the boneyard without hesitation. Everyone stood there in silence, nonplussed by every unfortunate incident that occurred in just one day.
"come on lilah, let's go" Noah invited, clearing the silence.
Noah sent me home and i got into the house stained with guilt and despair. Tomorrow I'd have to go back to the chateu and face everything.
what a day, I thought to myself.
added a little drama!! its quite obvious now that something happened between the two lovebirds in the past, something you'll find out about more later in the story