─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───

"hey, kiara?" marella turned to face the girl on her right. kiara tiredly groaned. the sun had completely set and the girls laid down on the lower deck to get some rest. "don't you start with this too."

marella chuckled, shaking her head. "could you tell me something? about what it was like when i was friends with you guys? anything. it's just— my memory's a little cloudy."

the girl hesitated at her request. she and her friends were under strict orders not to talk about marella's life before her father passed away. it was such a tragedy that it sent the thirteen-year-old into a mental spiral. and once the doctors declared she had some type of amnesia, her mother made sure that no one would try to tamper with it. hoping that she would just live a life with missing memories.

"yeah, sure." kie nodded, feeling like the girl had a right to know. "i mean, i met you guys in like seventh grade, but i'm pretty sure you and pope were friends since... you guys were maybe nine?"

sarah slightly turned over to face them, wanting to hear about the story too. "the two of you were each other's favourite person." kie continued. "until you met a friendship in fifth grade who had a bond like yours — jj and john b."

"friends with pope since fourth, friends with john b and jj in fifth. friends with kie in seventh." marella mouthed, making a mental note of it all. "what else?!" she asked.

kiara began to chuckle to herself. "i remember the first day you asked me to sit with you all at lunch, john b and pope were reminding jj about how he asked you out about a year ago, and you said no."

"you're lying!" marella exclaimed in disbelief. "jj asked me out?!"

"yeah!" kie nodded as sarah laughed. "you hated it everytime they brought it up because you felt so guilty for rejecting him."

"why did i?"

she shrugged. "i'm not too sure."

"now that is something i wish i saw." sarah mumbled. "don't think he ever got over it." kie shrugged. "the rejection, i mean."

"that's why he has it out for me?" marella giggled. "surprisingly, i think i can live with that."

the girls fell into a peaceful silence again, and marella could feel herself drifting off to sleep. the sound of the waves underneath them paired with the warm breeze of the salty air was enough to finally put her mind at ease.

"hey, sarah." kie whispered.

"hey, kiara." sarah muttered.

"promise me that you won't bail on john b." kie spoke. "he's not just... some other guy. and he really, really likes you."

"i won't."

"promise me." kiara said.

"i promise." sarah nodded. the girl sighed. "also, i'm sorry i called the cops." kie said.

"i knew it." sarah giggled. "i knew it, you bitch! i told you, marie! didn't i?!" "she did." marella grumbled as the two of them laughed.

"you—you should've invited me." kie spoke through her chuckles.

"so you called the cops?"

"yes!" kie exclaimed, making sarah laugh harder.

"hey kie... would you like to be the buttercup to our bubbles and blossom?" marella mumbled, barely even awake.

"i would love to be your third powerpuff girl." kie nodded.

"we are complete." marella smiled. she weakly reached over and held both of the girl's hands in one of hers.

─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───

it was finally morning, and the trio of girls were sat on the upper ledge of the boat, their legs dangling over as they waited for the boys to come pick them up. the glow of the sunrise shone on their face, leaving an ethereal radiance on each of them.

their boat began to sail over, slowly, as if they wanted to irritate the girls even more. "uh, oh." pope grinned. he was immediately drawn in by marella's sun-kissed look, almost mesmerised.

"you forget your keys or something?" john b taunted them, his voice booming.

"you need a tow?"

"don't give them the satisfaction of thinking this worked." kie muttered to the two beside her.

"absolutely not." sarah scoffed.

"you gotta admit it was kinda funny." john b grinned.

"john b." kie started.

"ah, what's that?"

"mastermind, huh?" kie questioned. "i'm always planning." the boy smiled.

"some patriarchal bullshit." kie groaned. "yeah, that sucked." sarah agreed.

marella hadn't said anything, she had absolutely no energy, and she wouldn't have any until she was in the comfort of her own home with a cup of coffee.

"you still love us though, right?" jj questioned, tossing kie the rope. "here."

"yeah, whatever." kie rolled her eyes. "hey, you still hate me?" john b asked his girlfriend.

"a little. we're each gonna get you back when you least expect it." sarah threatened.

"watch your back, boys."

"i for one welcome that challenge." pope smiled.

"me too." jj nodded. his eyes shifted to the third girl, still sitting down. "you're awfully quiet this fine morning, river." sarah playfully ruffled her hair. "she needs coffee."

"so, did you guys, you know..." pope started.

"reconcile our differences?" kie questioned, making sarah shake her head. "not even close."

"but we're... willing to work together." sarah explained. "you know what? that's victory." john b shrugged.

"yep, wiggedy-wiggedy-wiggedy!" jj grinned, him and pope wiggling their fingers together. "you know why? hydroponic."

"don't say that." pope groaned, putting his hand out. marella gladly took it and allowed him to guide her onto the boat. "i mean, he's not wrong." marella shrugged. "the blunt worked wonders."

jj began repeatedly to smack pope's back with glee. "i told you guys. my cousin works miracles." he then properly looked at marella. "didn't know you smoked."

she just shrugged, sitting down on the deck. "i do many things you're unaware of."

"oh yeah? like—"

"all right, shut up." john b silenced him. "you guys ready to jack someone up?"

"here." pope spoke. he reached over into one of the cooler bags and pulled out a travel mug. he saw marella give him a sceptical look before he opened it and her eyes brightened with glee.

"thank you so much!" she grinned, affectionately placing her hand on his knee as she took the mug of vanilla iced coffee.

"we've got a big day ahead of us." pope shrugged. "need you at your best."

"you're the best." marella whispered to him, placing the metal straw in between her lips.

─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───

for the next part of their plan, it had to be dark outside as they checked out the well in miss crain's house. marella wasn't a hundred percent sure of the plan and why they were breaking and entering but she didn't question it. the six were holed up in the chateau, waiting for evening time. they were all doing their own thing around the house while marella and pope laid on john b's bed.

"i mean i dated kelce for like a week." marella explained. "a week?" pope laughed.

"yeah, rafe found out and he absolutely lost it." marella admitted. pope quickly sat up from his comfortable position. "are you sure there's nothing going on with you and rafe?"

"i'm certain. i did kind of have a crush on him when i was younger. but that was when he was just sarah's nice older brother." marella admitted. "he for some reason believes he has this duty to protect me. i'm not sure who appointed him, but it doesn't really help that my mom thinks he's some knight in shining armour."

"i did see her grinning as you came down the stairs at midsummers." pope said. marella sighed. "bet she was imagining it was my wedding."

pope laughed, shaking his head at her. "oh, definitely." they sat in silence for a moment. "everything okay with your mom? i mean, like your family. like, your life at home."

"she just hates it that i spend time with you guys." marella explained. "been giving me longer hours to fill up my time. but my beautiful siblings cover for me when i'm absent."

"you're a really good sister." pope told her. "i mean, you always have been. i remember when we would take them both on walks."

"the park, the shops, the beach." marella grinned as she pictured it. it was weird, she never thought about it until pope had mentioned it. "they miss you, you know... i remember how we would look after them while my mom worked at that diner, and we pretended that we were their parents."

pope was genuinely surprised. "you remember that?"

"i mean, i didn't think about it before." marella explained, scanning the room as she spoke. "but when you mentioned it, it—it was like i never forgot."

"that's good." pope nodded as he began to smile. "that—that's really good."

"is that... me?" marella questioned, her eyes fixated on a picture frame on the desk.

"what?"

the girl stood up, making her way over. she picked up the wooden frame and saw a black and white image of her and john b. the two were at least ten or eleven years old, sat on the porch of john b's chateau. and marella was kissing his cheek as he displayed a toothy smile. it genuinely felt like her head was throbbing as she was mentally brought back to the moment the image was taken.

"this was his birthday." marella breathed out. "big john had a barbecue out back and invited all of our families."

"yeah." pope nodded in utter shock. her mind was unravelling in front of him and he was fascinated.

"i didn't realise we were such good friends." marella frowned. "you guys were great friends." pope corrected her. "and you can always go back to how it was then."

"it's gonna take time." marella shook her head, gently placing the frame back. "but i want to remember. i want to remember everything."

an hour later, jj walked past the bedroom for the fifth time. he peeked in through the ajar door and could see the two practically cuddled up together. he groaned, walking away and over to where kiara was sitting, her phone in her hand.

"what's up?" kie questioned.

"they're all over each other in there." jj explained, dramatically pointing to the door. "they're having a nap." kie stated, "and you should be too."

"he's ahead of the game." jj sighed. "what do i do?"

"you stop being such an idiot and either leave her alone, or ask her out." kie shrugged. "and they've been best friends for years, of course he's going to be closer with her."

"you're right... i just have to catch her when she's alone and butter her up." jj spoke out. "great, thanks kie."

"you're a moron." kie shook her head.

⎯ ❃ jania speaks!
so many things i love about this chapter!! the girls being together, pope and marella scene and her remembering things 🥹🥹