Kiara's POV:

I'm surrounded by darkness as blood rushes to my head from the tight blindfold on me. The smell of salt fills my nostrils, like the ocean, giving me a sense of where I might be.

The taste of blood is on my lips, trickling down the side of my face as a fresh cut opens up on my cheekbone.

I suddenly have my blindfold removed and a bright light shines into my eyes, causing me to squint.

Before I can react, someone punches me in the eye, causing me to jerk back in pain. An evil laugh fills my ears, making me cringe at the pathetic attempt.

As I look up to find the source of the laugh, I am surprised to see a man I hadn't expected to see. Matthew Hart. The big man behind the drugs that get transported from the cities to the OBX.

I've been trying to lose this guy ever since I discovered my dad was in this shady business, so I took it upon myself to clear his name.

The only problem is, my dad doesn't know I know, so perhaps I should be awarded daughter of the year.

'Your dad didn't come through with the cash he promised me last week.' Matthew says as he leans against a nearby desk crossing his arms in frustration.

'You expect him to whip out cash from his ass that quick? Look at the person working extra shifts just to cover him.'' I reply.

Matthew smirks, "You're a good daughter. Too bad Cameron's son didn't deliver the cash on time."

"You know, you remind me of my daughter. Consequently, I'm helping you to keep your dad from discovering you know. Your father gives the best business alongside Ward. Wouldn't wanna lose the friendship."

Laughing, I retort, "If I reminded you of your daughter we would not be here. But you do think with your ass."

I groan as another blow hammers my cut, now bleeding badly. I was hoping to go to the ring tonight, but that is now canceled. "I'll have the money by the end of the month." I try to keep my cool.

The man nods his head, pushing the table away from him. He leans down now facing me. "If I don't get my money, Anna will have to take care of you somewhere else."

He is referring to my father getting arrested, forcing my mother and I to leave the outer banks.

"Coming from a guy who's wife and daughter left him." I say, forming a small smirk.

Matthew punches me and knocks me out, which causes me to land on the floor again as darkness once again engulfs my vision.

~ flashback

A golden orange hue surrounds my vision as I rest my eyes on the shore. The sound of the waves makes my ears tingle as my hands feel the warm sand beneath me.

School was out and summer had just begun.

My first year at school has gone well so far. I have made a new friend, Sarah Cameron, who was the first person to accept me. The Pogues have also accepted me, so you could call me a Pook. Pope's term, that is.

I haven't seen the boys in a while. Sarah and I are having adventures saving sea turtles and getting to know one another. I remember that day so clearly. It was the best day of my life and I wouldn't change anything about it.

When I do see them, they make going to Kildare a lot easier. Even though they are from the Cut, I love them for who they are. And to be honest, I don't give a shit about the Pogue versus Kook thing at all.

Suddenly, a pair of strong arms engulfed me and I giggled in response. He pecked my cheek as he hovered over me, carefully avoiding putting too much weight on either side of me.

While I was running my hand through his soft locks, he nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck. We layed there like that, listening to the waves crash on the beach for a few minutes.

My eyes never had to open to know that it was him. I relaxed under his touch and smiled to myself, wishing we could stay like that forever. "I love your smile." He says. My eyes flutter open and we lock gazes for a few seconds.

Then he leans in closer and nuzzles his nose with mine as we close our eyes. Life was good. We weren't running into trouble or running from it.

"I wanted to come over here to remind you that I love you, Kie."

"Mm?" I respond.

"Kie."

I furrow my eyebrows in slight confusion. He's never said that before.

"Yeah?" I ask, although I did hear him correctly.

"Kiara."

"You heard me."

~Present time~

A sudden feeling of pain causes my eyes to flutter open as I scrunch up in pain.

Behind me, I hear a van accelerating away. It looks like they left me on the side of the road. Matthew always gets what he wants, without feeling the need to reciprocate.

Trying to figure out where I am, I sigh as I scan my surroundings. Pain shoots up in my body as I try to stand.

There is a gym just a few feet away, and I am glad I am not miles away from home. I start limping towards the gym in an effort to get inside before it rains.

After entering the gym from the back exit, I sigh with relief as I have made it in safely. Since this is the Kook side of town, the gyms here are enormous.

I look up at the 5 flights of stairs and groan in frustration because I know that's where the first aid kit is.

There are no elevators here which is the dumbest shit I ever heard, considering how steep the stairs are. I finally make it to the top and head into the medical room to look for the medical kit.

My struggle to find the kit was prolonged as I looked into every cabinet until I spotted it in the farthest cub-bard from where I was standing. I opened it and found all the essentials I needed to patch me up.  

I head inside and begin cleaning up my wounds. I stare in the mirror as I clean up my wounds. I am trying to figure out how I got here. I know it was due to my father, but why me? Why couldn't he have stayed out of this business?

Starting with the cut on my cheekbone, I dab rubbing alcohol over the wounds and grab the counter as I try to ease the pain, knowing that I must do this in order to avoid infection.

I take my shirt off as I try to clean the wound on my back. As cold air passes through the open bathroom door, I shiver.

Eventually I decide to start with my face since the open cut is the most painful right now. I use more alcohol and finally put a large bandaid on it.

I looked ridiculous but I didn't care. I looked badass so it was somewhat worth it saving my dad's ass. 

It becomes easier to relax and work on my wounds as I think about JJ and Pope and how they are together right now - sleeping safe and sound. I remember Sarah and John B, knowing they're doing just fine up there.

The thought of JJ annoying Pope's dad makes me chuckle. That's something he wouldn't be able to do with his dad because he'd get his ass beat, even if it was a typical father-son exchange. (A/N: (typical father-son exchange as in annoying each other for fun))

I should be with them right now. Instead, I'm off doing shit because my dad can't handle business. I think back to the good old days when Sarah and John B were here.

~Flashback

As we are in the Crain house, I hear JJ say, "This is really scary. I rather be chilling with some Kooks then being in this haunted house."

Sarah says mockingly, "Calm down, JJ, it isn't that scary.". We laugh at their antics. If I didn't know them, I'd mistaken them as siblings.

'I think I found something!' Pope says from another room. John B and Sarah look at each other. 'In their own worlds.' I imagine them getting married soon with the kind of chaotic nature Sarah brings to their relationship.

JJ looks at them and smirks. "And he came up with the rule no pogue on pogue macking." he jokes as he holds my gaze for a minute.

Looking at the couple again, I wonder if Sarah would have accepted it before discovering the truth. She has the tendency to judge before considering the consequences of her actions.

This was one of the first nights we all spent together, with acceptance and unity. It was something I wish could last forever. Maybe other people will see us and start accepting that we can set aside our differences and become friends.

~end of flashback

Finished with my face, I move to my back. I try to reach my back but it isn't reachable. So I try again. I sigh and look in the mirror, realizing that I have to do this.

I pick up the cotton and try to reach it again as fingers wrap around my hand and press it to my wound.

For a split second I am confused because I couldn't even reach the wound a few seconds ago.

As I look up at the mirror, the reflection of ocean blue eyes stare back at me with a riveting gaze.

Rafe is standing behind me securing my wound with his fingers. I am taken aback because I did not think anybody else was here.

His bare chest is just a few inches behind my bare back, putting us close together. (A/N: shirtless because he came from a late night workout so he's also sweaty)

Suddenly, I return to reality, realizing that Rafe Cameron stands behind me. "What the fuck?" I retort as I turn around and grab the cotton ball out of his hand.

Rafe replies with a hint of concern in his voice, "Your wound, let me help you."

Right now, he is the last person I want to see. I push past him and head for the door.

"Leave me alone, Rafe. Go get high or whatever the fuck it is you do."

"What happened to you? Did you get beaten up by those girls after your remarks at school?" Rafe asks, referring to the group of girls at my school who kept bullying me for being a Pogue.

Astonished and hurt by his remarks, I walk over to Rafe sizing him up and point my finger at his chest, "Fuck you, Rafe. They wouldn't stand a chance, crying after a broken nail."

He knows he hit a nerve.

As I turn my back on him, I walk away, not wanting to be in his presence any longer.

I stop, realizing I left my shirt in the bathroom, I silently curse under my breath.

I turn around to find Rafe grabbing my shirt and handing it to me. Before even grasping it, he puts it over my head in a quick motion, touching my skin in the process.

I mutter "fuck" while trying to hide the pain.

Rafe sighs as I begin to limp towards the stairs. "The fuck you gonna go?"

"Away from your presence" I reply.

My first step was blocked by his presence. "I'm not gonna be that asshole who deserts you like this." says Rafe as he towers over me looking behind me, his hands barricade me from taking another step.

"Step away from me." I warn him.

"And where are you going to go? Home? Unless your a good liar, your parents aren't going to be too happy."

He has a point. One wrong move and my dad ends up in jail.

I sigh in defeat as I realize I won't be able to make it all the way down the flight of stairs. Rafe takes action by slinging my arm around his neck to assist me to the bathroom.

"Make it quick. I have business to take care of." I say.

As Rafe hoists me on the counter, he inspects my injuries. I watch him while his tongue pokes out a bit, as he furrows his eyebrows in concentration. He looks at me and says, "I'll treat your back wounds."

He slowly starts to remove my shirt but I stop him. He shuts his eyes in irritation. "Kie, if you really want it to be as painless as it can be, quit being a bitch."

Knowing he's right, wanting to get this over with I do not say a word.

He begins with my ribs and starts rubbing beta-dine on the bruises. I grab the counters, biting done on my lips in pain, "hurry the fuck up."

"Calm your tits", Rafe spits in annoyance.

He finishes up on the bruises and tilts my chin upwards to him. He gently massages beta-dine onto my eye. "Close your eyes." Rafe orders. I do as he orders. He finishes up the bruises on my left eye.

~

In anger, I took a right jab at the punching bag and moved my hips to the rhythm of my swings. I hit the bag harder and harder.

The last two days have been surreal. I kicked the bag in an attempt to free myself of the weight on my shoulders.

School started back up and I did not want to go back. That's where I met Sarah. The rest is history.

"You good there, Kie?" JJ asks as he enters the Chateau with Pope. I smile and answer, "Couldn't be better." He notices I'm lying but shrugs it off.

The bus is coming soon, but we don't have to go today, we can always ditch." JJ suggests.

Pope and I chuckle together. "Not in a million years, if I miss even a day, that's an issue with my scholarship," he explains.

'You've got to let loose every once in a while, Pope. You're turning into a kook,' JJ mocked. Pope scrunched his face in disgust. 'Don't set the mood today, JJ.' Pope replies.

"Only in bed," JJ winks. I roll my eyes and walk past the boys to the door. The bus is at the corner, so I tell the boys to get ready.

The moment we get on the bus, every eye turns to us and there are whispers. I sigh and plop down in the back of the bus. "We've got this." I say.

As we approach school, the stares and whispers intensify. I link arms with Pope and JJ as we enter.

Lunch time rolls around and we begin to make our way to the cafeteria. Topper and Kelce are sitting with the jocks, basically the popular table. Their loud voices make others stare at them.

"I do not understand how people can keep going with their lives after two students in their school die," scoffs JJ.

As I look at Topper, you can see in his eyes that he was hurting. He has a good heart, just overly obsessed with Sarah.

Having located a table in the back, we begin eating. A hand slams on the table, catching our attention.

"Look at you guys. Moping around like John B was the world." Kelce says.

Then JJ rose, about to square up in Kelce's face. "Yeah? Wouldn't you do the same for Sarah too?" JJ asks. "He took care of Sarah. Something you obviously didn't think twice about. Now they are BOTH gone."

It knocked Kelce off his game and he poked his index finger into JJ's chest saying, "That's funny, coming from a bitch with no mommy." Kelce's voice was full of venom.

Keeping his head tilted, Kelce pouts, "did I touch a nerve? Or did Daddy also leave you?" he asks.

JJ swings at Kelce without a second to spare, causing an uproar. Students gathered around as JJ and Kelce exchanged punches. Pope attempted to interfere while Topper jumped in the way.

"Hey man, you don't want to do this," Topper says trying to keep Pope from stopping the fight. "Yeah? And what are you trying to do to help?" Pope replies.

Topper puts his hand in surrender. "I know how you feel, but I'm sick of this Pogue vs. Kook thing. Shit has to stop."

Kelce holds JJ in a headlock while punching him in the gut, JJ groans in pain and tries to defend himself.

"Fuck this shit. Don't be a pussy." I say as I dive in to stop the fight. I grab Kelce and try to push him away with all my strength.

Taking a punch from Kelce in the gut, I fell to my knees in pain. Matthew punched the same area. "I'm gonna kill you!" JJ retorts and lunges for Kelce, but his arm is grabbed by some jocks.

After getting back up from my knees, I grab Kelce by the collar. Kelce is shocked at the aggressiveness and tries to squirm out of my grasp. I punch him in the face. Kelce groans in response and is about to punch when someone grabs his fist and drags him away.

I wave him goodbye with a pout on my lips, asking, "What? Didn't Daddy teach you how to fight a girl?" Kelce glares back at me as he is dragged away.

CHAPTER 444444 BABAAYYYY ALDKSDKKSKSKSKS I hope you liked this one :)) I can't believe I forgot that they went to two completely different schools 😂 😭 So I may not change it and keep it in 👀