LXXI. we were girls together

      They stayed on the dock for so long that Dylan lost track of time. At that point she didn't care, she just knew Pope needed her. She'd stop time if it meant she could be by his side forever. Dylan walked him home, their hands interlocked. It was a quiet walk but a comforting one. Her thumb brushed against his skin soothingly. "Are you gonna be okay?" She asked once they reached the shop.

Pope half smiled. "I'll be okay. I'm uh. . ." He briefly looked at the ground. Then, he grabbed her other hand and held them both tightly. "I'm really sorry about tonight, D."

"The on thing you'll never have to do is say sorry to me, Pope Heyward," Dylan didn't skip a beat. She took another step towards him, slipping one of her hands out of his and she brushed it against his cheek. "None of this is your fault and I'm proud of you for being able to stay true to yourself. Not a lot of people can do that. I admire you so much."

Pope's eyes softened. "Thank you," he whispered, the world's holding so much meaning.

She smiled again. Dylan stood on her toes and titled her head, pressing her lips against his. They kissed for a few seconds before she reopened her eyes and pulled away slightly. "If you need anything, call me. I'll come back, I promise." She whispered.

He smiled again. "Okay. I love you."

Dylan smiled with her teeth. "I love you more," she responded and let go of his hands. She grabbed her bike that was leaned against the building. She passed by him and grinned. "Sweet dreams."

"Always about you!" Pope called when she biked away and he heard her laugh from where he stood, making him smile more.

Dylan made her way down the dock, carefully looking around her because it was so dark. Before she could get very far, she stopped, putting her foot on the ground to stop herself and the bike. Dylan took out her phone and saw she didn't have any notifications, not even from John B. It was late and she was sure that her parents were worried about her, but she wouldn't be able to sleep at night unless she went to see if he was okay. So she biked in the other direction.

She was shocked to see the Twinkie parked out back when she got there. Then, she saw John B and JJ sitting on the porch. "Jesus, John B, you know we have phones for a reason?" She outbursted and got off the bike, letting it fall to the ground.

"I'm sorry, DJ," said John B, looking totally defeated.

"Yeah, everybody's sorry these days," she responded, slightly bitter, and she stood in front of them. "Where the hell have you been?"

"Dyl, just. . ." JJ spoke, holding up one of his hands. "Let him explain."

Dylan eyed him for a few seconds. Then, she looked at John B again and raised her eyebrows, waiting for his explanation.

"I'm sorry I didn't answer you. I'm sorry I've been absent. That's my fault. But. . ." John B started to explain and he paused. He gulped before continuing. "My dad, he killed someone tonight. The second person, actually."

Slowly, she dropped her arms. "What?" She said in shock, her eyes growing wide.

"I was with him."

"What do you mean he killed someone?"

"He killed the people that came looking for Denmark's diary. Then Singh showed up, took my dad, and then tried to kill me—" she released a shuddering breath. "—and now they're on their way to South America."

"South America?" She repeated astonishingly. "Wha–Well, what the hell are we gonna do? What does this mean?"

"I don't know, Dylan. We don't know," John B raised his voice slightly, running his hand through his hair. "I-I-I just don't know."

Dylan brought her hands to her mouth, the news rattling her brain. She looked between him and JJ, all three of them falling into silence. She exhaled a deep breath. They just got Big John back. After so long of mourning him, of chasing after the treasure he was so desperate to find, they get him back and now he was gone again. It was sickening.

She sat beside JJ on the porch. The blonde wrapped his arms around them both, their heads falling on each of his shoulders. "We'll figure it out together, alright?"

This is how it was supposed to be. From the beginning, it was them. The three of them against the world. Three innocent kids who found love and comfort within each other, a found family. They were her brothers. The best friends of our childhoods are the loves of our lives, and Dylan was certain she found the love of her lives. "As long as we have each other, we can do anything."

"That's right, DJ." John B.

"We're Pogues. That's what we always do." JJ stated and again, the three of them fell into silence.

Dylan woke up still exhausted but she knew she couldn't sleep anymore. The sun peaked through her open curtains, the bright orange sun illuminating her room. There was a knock at her door. "Come in."

Cleo entered her room, dressed in the pajamas she gave her. "Mornin', Princess."

"Good morning," she said back with a smile. Dylan sat up and leaned her back against the headboard. "I got in so late last night."

"Yeah, your pops was asking where you were," Cleo said and sat on the end of the bed. "Told him you was with Pope and his family. They weren't too worried after that."

"You're a life saver," Dylan laughed.

"You seen Sarah?"

She furrowed her brows in confusion. "What, she's not here?"

Cleo shook her head. "Just went to check on her. She not in her room. I didn't hear her come in last night either," she explained, leaning against her arm.

Dylan blinked a few times. "That's weird. Why would she say she needs a place to stay but then not stay here?" She wondered rhetorically. Cleo only shrugged. "She's probably around somewhere. Helpfully she'll be back in time for us to get ready for Kie's parent's party."

"Which I'm not going to."

"Of course you're going."

Cleo gave her a look. "A fancy party full of fancy people? Not my scene, girlie."

"Oh, come on. It'll be fine," Dylan insisted and sat up, smiling at her. "And you'll be with me and the girls. We can just stay huddled together. You can borrow one of my dresses—"

She held up her hand. "Yeah, ain't gonna happen."

She chuckled. "Okay, no dress. Don't worry, my mom has a lot of pants suits."

"Good morning, beautiful angels," Ainsley chirped when she walked into the room. "Logan would like for me to announce he's made breakfast and, surprise, smoothies."

Dylan smiled. "Thanks, mom."

"Is Sarah up yet?"

The girls looked at each other. "Uhhh," said Cleo.

"She, uh, went out early meet Kie. They're getting supplies for the party tonight," she lied, clearing her throat. She gave Cleo a look. "Which we are going to."

"Of course you're both going. It's a special night," Ainsley said with another smile. "Cleo, honey, if you need anything to wear, I have a closet full of stuff—"

Cleo caught Dylan's eye again and she shot the girl a wink. Her phone started to ring from her bedside table. When she saw that it was Pope, Dylan took it off the charger and put him on speaker. "Good morning, lover," she sang.

"Oooh," Ainsley sang quietly and left the room, making Cleo laugh.

"I'll be downstairs sucking down one of them smoothies."

Dylan chuckled and she closed the door behind her.

"Morning, baby."

She smiled big and leaned her back against the headboard again. "How are you this morning?"

"I'm good, babe. I'm good," she could hear his smile through the phone. "Uhh, I got something to tell you."

"What's up?"

"I, uh, thought about what you said yesterday. Your yelling got through to me—" she chuckled. "–and you're right, I can't just give up. So I'm going back to school. I start today. On a Saturday."

Dylan blinked multiple times. "Really?" She said and the smile stretched back on her face. "P, I'm so proud of you."

"I know you are. Thank you, D, really. I think this'll be good for me."

"Of course it will be," she said encouragingly. "I hope you have a great day. Done work too hard," she teased.

"Ha ha, very funny," Pope said sarcastically.

Dylan giggled. "You're coming to the party tonight, right? I can't walk around without a handsome man by my side."

She heard him laugh. "We'll see. I gotta get going. I love you."

"I love you, P." Dylan made a kiss noise into her phone before they hung up. She stared at the wall ahead of her. Pope had the courage to go back to school, to further his education, to get his life back on track. Dylan thought about how years ago, she'd lose her mind if she missed one day of school because it would jeopardize her future. Now she missed a whole month, she skipped to go to Charleston, and like Pope, she was messing up her chance to have the future she wanted.

Dylan got out of bed and walked across her room, grabbing her backpack that was in the closet. She unzipped it and took out her laptop, returning to the bed and she opened it, going to her email. She had hundreds of notifications from not checking them in a while, but she quickly found the one she was looking for.

John Jay College of Criminal Justice
to me:

Congratulations, Dylan

You have been eligible to attend John Jay College of Criminal Justice as a student for the Fall 2021 year.

Dylan read the email over and over again, each time her heart racing more. She covered her mouth, inhaling a deep breath.

Dylan hadn't been to a party on the island in god knows how long. Her parents dragged her to many of them, often the Jennings siblings sneaking away to eat the food provided. The last party she remembered was Midsummer and everyone remembered how that ended. Her mom styled her hair in a curly bun, leaving her front pieces out and Dylan found her best dress hidden in the closet, a cross halter neck that reached her ankles. It was form fitting and cut out at the back just to the middle of her back, the pattern floral and different shades of pink. She wore tan platform shoes to appear taller.

After many, many options, Cleo found something to wear that made her comfortable, which was an orange, square neck jumpsuit that reached all the way to the floor. She'd never worn heels so they settled for flats, lucky that her and Ainsley wore the same size. Her mom did her hair into a curly half up, half down style. "You two look beautiful!" Ainsley squeaked once they were all dressed and ready.

Her mom wore a light pink, one shoulder jumpsuit, the strap going across her chest with pink ruffles. Her hair, which was usually blown out or in a sleek ponytail, was now big and curly around her head.

"See, you look great. You just needed something that was your style," Dylan said and put the back of the earring in Cleo's ear.

She stared at herself in the girl's bathroom mirror, not believing her appearance. "Only you can get me in a fancy suit, Dylan Jennings," she declared.

Dylan smiled. "Kiara, Sarah, and I used to go shopping all the time, then we'd all pile in Sarah's room and have fashion shows." She explained and put the back on the other earring. "One time we stole Kie's mom's high heels and just strutted around her house. That was until I tripped over the carpet and broke my ankle. . .and the heel."

Cleo laughed.

"But Anna wasn't mad. She was just happy we were being girls," Dylan added and smiled lightly. "Now we can all be girls together."

There was a short pause. "I ain't never had anybody to be a girl with."

"Well, now you do."

Their moment ended at the sound of her dad's voice. "Let's go, girls! Anna will literally kill us all if we're late!"

A ton of people were already at the party when they arrived. It was set up beautifully, Mike and Anna always like making a good impression on their friends. Pope had yet to text her back as well as John B and JJ. She hadn't gathered the stomach strength to tell her dad what was happening to Big John, mostly because she didn't know how. It was hard to process herself. She was looking for the right time and tonight definitely wasn't the right time.

Anna smiled widely when she saw them. "Logan, Ainsley!" She beamed and walked through the crowd of people. "Finally, you made it."

"We wouldn't miss it for the world, Anna," said Ainsley and the women kissed each other's cheeks. She smiled at the woman's husband. "Mike."

"Good to see you, Ains," Mike responded and they quickly kissed each other's cheeks as well.

"It's a wonderful party, Anna," Logan told the woman after pecking her cheek politely. He and Mike shook hands. "Hey, Mikey."

"Thanks for coming, man."

Anna looked at Dylan and gasped. "Oh, my gosh, look at you! You're gorgeous," she gushed and kissed her cheek as well.

"Thanks, Mrs. Carerra," she replied with a small laugh.

"Girls, Kiara and Sarah are right over there."

Dylan and Cleo separated from her parents. "You doing okay so far?"

"I guess so. It's only been five minutes, though." Cleo answered. "Wait till the sun goes down."

"Yes, you came!" Kiara sighed of relief upon seeing the two of them. "You guys look amazing."

"Cleo, holy shit," Sarah said with wide eyes and examined the girl's outfit.

"Mother Ainsley has the magic touch." Cleo declared.

"Oh, we know," Kiara claimed.

"Kie, the party looks great," said Dylan and the four of them stood around one of the tables.

"Oh, thanks. Took me literally three hours to get the table set ups exactly how mom wanted them."

"Uhh, DJ, Cleo, there's something I gotta tell you," Sarah brought up, her eyes cutting to Kiara. "Ward's back on the island."

Dylan choked on her own breath. "What?"

"Your father?" Said Cleo.

Sarah nodded slightly. "Yeah. . .I, uh, talked to him earlier today."

"What the hell? Why is he back?" Dylan questioned, still in shock.

"Why do you think, D?" Kiara asked with a raised eyebrow. "The cross, obviously. That and his psychotic son."

She released an exasperated sigh. "I need something to drink. Kie, what's here?"

The girl's looped their arms together. "Lemonade's over here, my love," Kiara said and the girls walked over to the drink table.

Dylan took out her home and saw that Pope had yet to text her back. She got slightly annoyed but tried not to show it. He was sure whatever he was doing was important. Besides, having a girls night didn't sound so bad.

"Where's Pope tonight, DJ?" Cleo asked, taking of drink of her lemonade.

"I really wish I could answer that," she answered with a bittersweet smile. She twirled her straw around in the lemonade. "Knowing him, he's going Denmark research. I wish he was here."

"Aww, she's having boyfriend withdraws," Kiara teased and wrapped her arm around her shoulder.

"Ha ha," she said sarcastically and elbowed her side. "That's a cute top. Where'd you get it?"

As the two of them started talking about each other's outfits, Sarah cursed under her breath. "You didn't tell me Topper was gonna be here," she told them.

The other three simultaneously looked over, seeing Topper arrive with his family. The boy spoofed Sarah and waved at her. "Sorry, my mom invited, like, the whole island," Kiara explained.

"Why does it matter if Topper's here?" Dylan questioned. "I mean, not that I want him to be here."

"It doesn't matter. I'll keep him away," Kiara stated.

Cleo watched the boy start to head their way. "Uhhh, might wanna act on that. Man's coming this way," she announced.

Their heads turn in the same direction. "Oh, god," Dylan scoffed and rolled her eyes.

Kiara grimaced. "Oh, great. Well, uh, we're just gonna go over there."

"Please don't." Sarah begged.

"We don't go far."

"Say the word and we'll come back," Cleo promised as they began walking away.

"I'm confused right now," Dylan mentioned.

Kiara put her hand on her back. "Just walk this way, honey."

They didn't walk far, maybe a foot or two. Dylan couldn't help but study how uncomfortable Sarah was as Topper talked to her. She played with her earring, a nervous tick that she was familiar with. She backed away ever so slightly when he got close to her, her eyes darted everywhere. She tried to be polite but it was obvious she was uneasy.

"What you thinking, girlie?" Cleo asked her.

"Just my detective brain on overdrive."

"Like always," Kiara chimed and smiled, her eyes squinting from the sun.

"Hey, Kie!" Topper called out. "How are you?"

Kiara awkwardly looked over her shoulder. "Oh, hey. Didn't even see you, bro," she cringed.

"Uhhh, did you do the decorations? They're beautiful."

"This is so uncomfortable," Cleo muttered. "I'm gonna go see what your mother's doing. She seems like a partier." She said to Dylan and walked away from them.

"Mhm. Party city."

"Oh," Topper muttered and grinned in Dylan's direction. "Hey, DJ. You look great tonight."

She smiled timidly, really wishing Pope was with her. "Thanks, Top," she muttered and fiddled with the collar of her dress.

He gave up on the conversation after that. "Bye, Kie. Bye, DJ." He saluted before walking back to his family.

The girls walked back to stand with Sarah. "At least he kept it short."

"Are you okay? You look like you want to vomit."

Sarah stared Dylan in the eyes, gulping. "Dylan, there's—"

"Speech! Speech! Speech!" Their conversation was cut short by Logan's loud chanting.

Mike laughed and stood on the stage with Anna below him, ready to give a speech. "Thanks, Logan. . . I just wanna say a few words, and, uh, I'm not much into giving speeches, but I do want to say thank you for coming out, and thank you for your support after a rough few months. . .I want to say thank you to our daughter for being here,"

Kiara smiled shyly. Dylan grinned and bumped her hip with hers.

"Hey, we love you."

"Love you, too," Kiara replied as the party people applauded again.

"But most of all. . ." Mike continued and looked to his wife. He smiled and held out his hand. "Come here."

Anna laughed and took his hand, standing on stage with him.

"Awww," Ainsley gushed and wrapped her arms around Logan.

"Thank you, Anna. . .for fifteen years, for making this restaurant a symbol of our life. I love you."

"Figure Eight, the cut, everyone's together here. One island. So, thank you for putting up with us."

Logan pretended to wipe away tears. "Wow, that was good. Took me back to senior prom night."

"What, when you accidentally spilt punch all over my shoes?" Ainsley questioned.

"Key word in that sentence being accident," he stated and leaned over, getting close to her face and she giggled, the married couple kissing. "I think I'm gonna go dance with our daughter."

"And I'll dance with our son," she compromised and they went different directions.

Logan smiled at his daughter. "Hi, sweetheart."

"Hi, daddy," she laughed and met him in the middle.

"Are you having fun?" He asked and took her by the hand, spinning her around.

"Oh yeah, a fabulous time," Dylan answered and they started to sway side to side. "Feels like every party you've ever taken me to."

"Hey, this one's important. We're celebrating friends," Logan stated and looked over, seeing Mike and Anna with Kiara. "Friends and family are the most important thing there is in this world."

The way he said it made her feel concerned. "Is everything, okay?"

He blew air out of his nose. "Yeah, it's just. . ." He took a short pause. "I thought Big John being back would make me feel the way I used to. He's always been my greatest friend. But he's different now. Like he actually died and came back a different person."

Guilt pooled in her stomach. Dylan frowned, wanting to spill out everything she knew, but how could she do it now? This was Mike and Anna'd party and it would crush her father. She couldn't see him like that again. It was too hard the first time. "I think it'll just take some time to get back in the groove of things, dad. It's been a year. But I promise that everything will be okay."

Logan smiled gently. "I hope so. I love you, kiddo."

"I love you, too." She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and frowned, the guilt increasing.