────────────── shameless
⨳ 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝟬𝟬𝟳 . . . ꗃ ≀ ▊✹
❛ midsummers is a bummer ! ❜ · ˚.‧ .

✹ . . . LILLA HAD FINALLY SEEN SARAH. IN FACT, SHE was walking with her down the sidewalk in town. It was the next day, and everything was mostly settled after what had happened at the movie screening. At least on Dante and Lilla's front. She wasn't too sure about how Rafe, Topper, Kelce, and the Pogues were feeling about it all. Again, Topper had almost killed one of the Pogues. She didn't really care about how any of them were feeling, actually. She was way more focused on wondering where her best friend had been all day—or rather, who she had been with.

"And then we kissed," Sarah admitted sheepishly.

Lilla's eyes widened as she stopped in her tracks. "What!? You and John B!?" she asked rather loudly, not upset, of course, just shocked. She didn't mean to be loud, but Sarah had caught her off guard. Not only had she explained that the friend she'd been helping had been John Booker Routledge, but she also admitted to helping him when he "yeeted" over a chain and got hurt and then to find something for a treasure hunt he was doing and how they'd gone "undercover" during their adventure. Then she threw the bombshell that they had kissed that morning when they returned.

Sarah shushed her quickly, looking around to make sure no one had heard or was looking at them, and took a step closer. Her eyes met Lilla's, and she grinned like she couldn't hold it in even if she tried. "Yes, we kissed," she repeated, sounding so happy about it. "I actually really like him. Who would've thought?"

Lilla's shock died down just a bit, loving to see her best friend happy. "But what about Topper?" she questioned, her brows furrowing. She watched as Sarah opened her mouth to speak, her smile slightly dimming, and Lilla lifted her hands defensively. "Don't think that I care if you break up with him or not; you know I don't. I think he's a fucking psycho with anger issues. I only ask because aren't you two supposed to go together tonight? You know, for Midsummers."

Sarah sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Yeah. But I don't want to go with him. I don't even want to go at all."

"Really?" Lilla was genuinely surprised. "You've been looking forward to it since last year; what changed?"

"I did," Sarah answered softly, flattening her lips together in an attempt at a smile.

Lilla hummed, then nodded. "Well, I am glad that you're finding yourself, Sarah. Finding what really makes you happy," she said, resting her hand on her best friend's arm just before they started walking again. "Or rather, whom." She smirked, giving her a knowing look. "Even if that is John B. Routledge."

Sarah's smile brightened. "He's not like I thought he'd be."

"Happiness looks good on you, my sunshine girl," Lilla told her, smiling as she leaned slightly closer. Then she straightened out and looked forward. "I'm also glad you're getting away from Topper while you can. Last night was insane. It just shows how unhinged he can be." She found Sara's gaze. "It's actually concerning."

"Explain to me what happened again."

Lilla inhaled deeply before exhaling, focusing forward as they made their way back to her car, which was parked on the street. "So Dante and I went to the movie screening. I went over to the food station to order us something, and I overheard Rafe talking to Kiara. He told her to 'tell her boy that they knew what he did'"—she mocked Rafe's voice—"and even she seemed confused. Once she was gone, I asked him what it was all about, and he told me that it was just a friendly warning."

They stopped at her car, going on either side and getting inside once she unlocked it. When they were in their seats and the doors were closed, Lilla didn't make an effort to start driving, not finished explaining. She turned to Sarah, who was giving her full attention.

"I asked him what they did that was so bad it deserved payback, but he didn't tell," Lilla continued, thinking back to the night before. "After that, we all sat down, and the film started. I thought everything was gonna be fine, but then JJ and Pope got up to piss, and I saw that Rafe, Topper, and Kelce were blocking the bathrooms. They got up and followed Pope and JJ. When I got behind the screen, they were fighting, and Kiara was there. Dante joined in. It was him against Rafe, JJ against Kelce, and Pope against Topper. Kiara tried to jump in, quite literally jumping on Topper's back, but Rafe pulled her off and told both of us to stay out of it." She paused, biting at her lip with nerves. "But Sarah, Topper wasn't just fighting Pope; he was choking him. He was gonna kill him. The only reason he didn't was because Kiara lit the screen on fire, and it scared them off."

Sarah just stared at her for a long and silent moment, seeming to take the information about her boyfriend and brother in. "Whoa," she breathed out, running a hand through her hair as she focused on the dash in front of her. "That's... I hate to say that I'm not surprised."

"Yeah, I heard that the reason they were so pissed off with Pope was because he messed up Topper's boat—sank it or whatever. But JJ got arrested for it, so I guess it was him. Or he may have just taken the blame. I'm not sure, though." Lilla thought over it in her mind. It didn't make sense for Pope to do something like that, and she hated that it made perfect sense for JJ. But she had a feeling that he wasn't the real culprit since Topper had been so sure it was Pope. He wouldn't do it without reason, though. She didn't know him really well, but she knew he was the most straight-laced out of the Pogues. Rafe, Topper, or Kelce must've done something really bad to him for him to risk going to jail.

"I'm sure they'll explain it to John B.," Sarah said. "He might tell me."

Lilla nodded, staring out her windshield. "I just hope nothing else like that happens," she admitted with a stressed sigh. "Especially if Dante's involved." She looked over at Sarah, who nodded in agreement. "Luckily, our parents understood his reasoning for jumping into the fight. But they were a little upset that his 'beautiful face'"—she used air quotes to reiterate what her mom had said when she and Dante had gotten home and explained everything to their parents—"was all cut and bruised." She let out a light laugh, causing Sarah to smile. "Rafe really did a number on him."

Sarah sighed. "That's my brother for you."

"Dante's not holding a grudge or anything, but I will warn you—I'm going to say my piece with him about it when I see him next." She gave her best friend a knowing look.

"By all means, go right ahead. I'm not stopping you."

Lilla grinned amusedly, causing Sarah to as well. They stared at each other for a moment, and then Lilla turned to her steering wheel. "Alright, let's get home so that we can get ready for this thing tonight." She pressed the start button of her car, causing the engine to start, and then glanced over at her best friend pointedly, already knowing what was coming next.

Sarah groaned, tossing her head back against the headrest and squeezing her eyes shut, clearly not wanting to go. "Do we have to?"

"Yes, Sarah," Lilla replied. "I know you don't want to go, but think about the future. You might regret not going if you don't, even if you have to go with Topper. Just paint on a smile and have as good of a time tonight as you can. I'll be there to rescue you if you need it."

"You sound like my dad," Sarah said with a small smile, rolling her head to the side and watching Lilla look out the front windshield and shift the gear into drive. "He said practically the same thing earlier."

"There you go." Lilla nodded once, looking in each of her mirrors as she began pulling away from the sidewalk and into the road. "You have two people in your corner, waiting and ready for when you need an escape." She pulled out into the road and began driving them back to Figure Eight. "I'm always here for you, Sarah. I mean it."

"I know. I'm always here for you two, Lils."

━━━━━

✹ . . . IT WAS LATER, AND LILLA HAD DROPPED SARAH off at her house so that she could get ready for the evening, and now she was back at her own house, standing in her room with her mom. Her dad and brother were in their rooms, getting ready as well. Both hers and her mom's dresses were lying out on her bed, waiting to be put on as the two of them did their hair and makeup. They always did this—thought of it as their bonding time, even though they were already extremely close.

Lilla didn't have an official date, and it wasn't that big of a deal since she had already debuted when she was sixteen, with her ex-boyfriend as her escort. She had done it a year earlier than the other girls usually did, and that had solely been because she and Aaron had been together for a year at that point, and she thought he was going to be the one she'd marry.

But it turned out he was just another rich douche, and they broke up a bit after that. And she thanked God every day that he had moved away right after that with no plans whatsoever to return to the island.

This year, like last year, she was just going to go with her parents and brother since Dante wasn't escorting anyone. Her mom was in the middle of pinning her hair up while Lilla did her makeup. They were both almost done, having taken turns doing hair and makeup. All they had to do after that was put on their dresses and heels, and then they'd be ready to go. Lilla wasn't extremely excited about this since it was usually boring, but she wanted to be there for Sarah, and it was tradition. A country club tradition that she had only dreamed about when she lived in the Cut. Now that she experienced it, though, she realized that it wasn't as good as it was hyped up to be.

Once she and her mom were done with their makeup and hair, they stood up from the stools, sat in front of Lilla's vanity, and went over to her bed. They both picked up their dresses, and while her mom went into the en suite bathroom to change, Lilla stayed in her room and put on her dress.

Lilla was in a light green dress that had corset boning on the bodice, a simple tie around the waist, and a silky ankle-length skirt with an overlay of tulle. It was decorated with matching green butterflies, and the sleeves were made of straps of tulle and decorated with butterflies as well. It reminded Lilla very much of something a fairy princess would wear, and she loved that. She paired it with a green and white flower crown and white heels. Her eye makeup was also light green to match, and she wore a soft pink, glossy lip.

When her mom exited the bathroom, Lilla took her in, always finding that her mom radiated beauty like no other. She was dressed in a dark green, strapless, ankle-length dress that had a slit down one of the legs and was scrunched at the top of that slit. She was wearing nude heels and had simple light brown eyeshadow and a light pink lip to go along with it. Her hair fell at her shoulders in soft waves. She looked stunning, just as always.

"You look beautiful, Mama," Lilla told her.

"Thank you, Mija." Her mom smiled, taking a step closer. "So do you."

After that, they went downstairs to meet Lilla's dad and Dante before they piled into their car and headed towards the country club. When they got there, they parked and went inside. Lilla was just standing there, alongside her family, her eyes roaming around all of the familiar faces, but not seeing the particular one that she was in search of. She guessed that Sarah and her family weren't there yet, so she stood next to the door, waiting for them to make their appearance.

It wasn't much longer before they did. Everyone's attention turned to them, applauding with smiles on their faces as they watched the Camerons walk through the open doors. Rose and Ward were arm in arm, grinning brightly, while Sarah and Rafe walked in side by side, the former smiling while the latter looked like he would rather be anywhere else. Rose was wearing a hot pink dress with a slit in the leg and an opening right down the top half and a gold headpiece that was decorated with roses and had big spikes standing up from her head. Ward was wearing one of his fancy tailored suits with a blue bowtie and some kind of metal. Rafe was wearing a baby blue suit with a dark blue bowtie, while Sarah wore a simple white dress with a matching flower crown.

Lilla's eyes only lingered on Rafe for a moment longer than she wanted, though he didn't seem to notice, then she focused her attention on Sarah. But before she could go up to the girl, Topper approached and grabbed his girlfriend's arm to catch her attention. Lilla watched the interaction, noting that Sarah didn't look too interested in the fact that he was holding her hand or talking to her, which didn't come as much of a surprise to Lilla. She watched as the boy pulled her best friend off to the side, nodding for them to go off somewhere.

As Sarah passed by, she gave her a bored look but went with Topper anyway.

Lilla stayed with her family for the beginning of the party, sipping on her drink as she watched the crowd while her parents and Dante mingled with familiar faces. Then she felt a tug on her arm when Sarah stopped by her side and rested her head on her shoulder, having to bend down slightly from the small height difference.

"You alright?" Lilla asked, turning her head to the side a bit to look down at Sarah.

"I wanna go home already," Sarah muttered with a bit of a pout.

Lilla set her drink down on the table next to her and moved so that she was standing in front of the girl and placed her hands on her arms as she stood up straight and focused on her. "We're going to have a good time tonight. Don't let Topper's surely piss-poor attitude get to you." She leaned a bit closer, giving Sarah a pointed look, a small smile playing at her lips. "Okay?"

"Okay," Sarah replied, softly smiling.

Lilla's smile grew wider and more chipper as she stood up straight again. "Good. Now, come on, let's go have some fun." She looped her arm with her best friend's and began walking towards the stairs that led down to the dancefloor. "As much fun as we can, at least."

And that was what they did. Lilla and Sarah went over to some of their other friends, mainly acquaintances at gatherings like this, and Sarah began taking sips of champagne but making it to where her dad or Rose couldn't see. She had the other girls stand in front of her as she bent down and took sips, hiding from peering eyes that might get her in trouble. She was making a show of it, causing the girls to laugh. Lilla knew that Topper was watching them; she could feel the self-pity and annoyance radiating off the boy from where he stood on the deck of the country club.

The sun had already set, the moon was out and bright, and the music was playing loud around them, mixing with the sound of laughter and chatter. Lilla and Sarah began dancing with the other girls, just trying to have a fun time while they could. It made Lilla happy to see a smile on her best friend's face. It made it to where she didn't even notice the eyes on her—ones not belonging to Topper. Rafe had been staring at her the whole night, and she didn't know why. Maybe it was because of what happened in his room, which she tried her best to forget about, or maybe it was because of something else. She didn't know, and, frankly, she didn't care.

Sarah was in the middle of dancing with Lilla and Wheezie, the two older girls holding hands with the younger one as they moved their hips back and forth, when someone approached them. Bright smiles were on their faces, but they slowly fell off Lilla and Sarah's when JJ tapped on Sarah's shoulder. They both focused on him, letting go of Wheezie's hands. The younger didn't seem to notice the Pogue as she turned around and began dancing on her own.

"JJ?" Sarah and Lilla spoke in unison, confusion clear in their faces.

"Yep," he replied, dancing along with the music. He turned around so that his back was to them and looked at them over his shoulder, lifting up a piece of folded paper.

Sarah's brows furrowed even deeper. "What?"

"I got a, uh, note from Vlad," he told her, turning his body to face hers.

Lilla took a second to note the cuts and bruises on his face as Sarah took the note from him, and she wondered if all of them were from his fight at the movie screening. She didn't think they'd gotten him that bad, seeing as their focus had been more on Pope.

"From..." Sarah began, but JJ just shushed her, placing his finger against his lips.

"Yeah," he replied, putting his back to hers.

They both looked at each other over their shoulders, and Sarah smiled. "From Vlad?"

JJ moved again, still dancing like he was trying to blend in. And it was then that Lilla realized he was dressed in a waiter's outfit, and she wondered if that's how he'd gotten in since he wasn't a part of the club. "Yeah."

"Okay," Sarah laughed lightly, turning to face Lilla again.

"Just read the note," JJ said.

Lilla felt Sarah's hand fall on her arm as she began to pull her away. The shorter girl was focused on her best friend for a second, confused by the whole interaction, and then glanced over at JJ again, only to find Rafe clamping his hand down on the boy's shoulder and turning him around to face him. Kelce was there too, standing by Rafe's side in a pink suit and black bowtie, seeming to be matching Rafe. How cute, she thought. Her mouth fell open a bit, knowing that nothing good was going to come of that, but she was too far away with Sarah to do anything without causing a scene.

Sarah opened the note and read it as Lilla watched the boys talk to JJ. Then she lifted her head and looked around before settling her eyes on the girl beside her. "Uh, Lils," she began, her voice low so that no one could overhear. Lilla turned to her with raised brows and hummed questioningly. "I'm gonna go," she continued, lifting up the note for the girl to see.

          Meet me at bag drop
                                     Vlad

Lilla read the note and then met Sarah's eyes, seeing her smile. "I'll cover for you if anyone asks."

Sarah pecked a kiss on her cheek. "Thank you."

"Good luck," Lilla whispered just before Sarah began to walk away, looking around to make sure no one was watching her besides Lilla. Once she was gone, Lilla turned her focus back on the boys, seeing Rafe still talking to JJ.

"Oh, yeah?" Rafe said as Lilla moved closer to them. "Hey, guys," he turned to his friends, waving them over, "JJ's gonna serve us some hors d'oeuvres." He turned back to the Maybank boy as a group of Kooks started to approach. Lilla stayed back a bit, though he didn't even notice her. They then began backing JJ into the country club. "Right?"

"Well, here are the hors d'oeuvres," JJ replied, looking at and pointing to one of the tables as he walked backwards.

Rafe nodded. "Okay."

"I'll be right back, okay?" JJ focused on them again.

"We're actually gonna follow you in here just to make sure," Rafe admitted as they got closer and closer to the doors. Then they picked up their pace as JJ swung open one of the doors and ran inside, with them hot on his trail.

"Shit," Lilla cursed before following them inside. She watched as Rafe and the others chased JJ through the country club, hearing some gasps come from the rich folk around them who were probably questioning why such barbaric behavior was going on at Midsummers. She didn't run after them, not really being able to in her dress and heels; she just slowly followed, watching to see where they went. She knew that she shouldn't get involved; it only caused her issues when she did, but she was tired of Rafe, Kelce, Topper—the latter, surprisingly, not with them at the moment—and the other Kook boys wailing on JJ and the other Pogues.

They eventually dipped into the men's locker room, and, to save her eyes from needing to be bleached because of what she might see in there, Lilla decided to stick outside. She stood at the door once all of the boys had piled in, only wanting to intervene when she absolutely needed to, though she wasn't sure if they'd even listen to her if or when she did.

"Hey, man, what are you doin' in the locker room, huh?" She heard Rafe ask. Then she heard some grunts as if someone had been pushed, and she was sure it was JJ. Some others spat some profanity and not very nice things to the Pogue, and then she listened as JJ continued to grunt like he was fighting off someone. "Hold him still. What—what do you think? A four iron, right?" Rafe continued, and Lilla rolled her eyes at his golf jokes. "Alright, keep his head still. I'm gonna line this up."

"Very Rafe of you, Rafe," JJ retorted, though his voice didn't sound right, like he was struggling to breathe, and Lilla knew that one of them no doubt had him in a chokehold so that they could torment him easily. "Five on one?"

"Okay, if you could please stop talking?" Rafe went on. "It's very disrespectful when I'm trying to hit a ball, alright? Okay, learn your etiquette, my friend."

Lilla continued to listen as they (mostly Rafe) continued to taunt JJ. She rolled her eyes at most every one of his jokes, though she was sure she would've found them a bit funny under any other circumstances. But when he was being an asshole to someone he'd already gotten "payback" on, she found it ridiculous.

"Your face looks really bad. Starting to look like your dad a lot more," Rafe told him. It sounded like someone spit, and she was sure it was JJ based on the reactions from the other boys—the laughs and Rafe saying, "Oh, shit," with a hint of amusement in his tone.

Someone cleared their throat, and Lilla stiffened, realizing it had come from behind her. She stood up straight from where she had her ear pressed against the door and turned around. Her eyes caught onto the gruffy-looking security man dressed in a sharp suit, and she tried her best to be nonchalant as she leaned against the wall. She offered him an awkward smile as he looked at her with a bored look. She held her smile as she scratched the back of her head, watching as he opened the door of the locker room and entered.

"Alright. It was—" Rafe's voice caught her ears again as the door opened.

The security guard flickered the lights as the door closed again, and Lilla dropped her smile as she began to listen again. "Gentlemen!" the man said, catching all of their attention. She knew he had because they all fell silent. Then it sounded like someone was shoved. JJ, no doubt by whoever had been holding him. "Is there a problem here, guys?"

"Pardon me, officer," JJ began, seeming slightly out of breath. "No, there's not an issue. I just—" He seemed to not know where he was going with his words as Lilla pressed her ear against the door, listening closely. "Actually, yes. No, there is an issue." He seemed stressed, and Lilla didn't blame him—he'd already been arrested once that week. "Uh, we got a criminal trespass in progress here. Beep! Call it in, right? Blatant disrespect for private property."

"Yeah," she heard Rafe mutter.

"I'm in violation of all kinds of shit, sir, but these young gentlemen—"

"Don't touch my shit," Kelce said.

"—uh, caught me, sir, and they're about to take me away," JJ continued. "And that's what you should do—escort me out of here. You got me."

"Come on," the security guard told him.

"Alright. Fix that tie, son," JJ went on, still cracking jokes as his voice grew louder, like he was getting closer to the door. "Ah, you're lookin' spiffy, too. You Powerpuff Girls have fun."

"Tell Kiara she looks pretty hot for a Pogue," Rafe called out, causing Lilla's brows to furrow.

There were some more grunts, like JJ was breaking from the hold of the guard, and then there was some shuffling, like they were fighting.

"Hey! Stop it. Come here! Let's go!" the guard told him, surely pulling JJ away from the others. The shuffling continued, but it eventually stopped as the man seemed to get ahold of JJ.

"You think I'm afraid of you, man?" JJ asked, his question seemingly directed at Rafe.

"Come on!" the guard continued.

"Hey, safe travels back to the Cut!" Rafe added, causing Lilla to roll her eyes.

"This ain't over!" JJ called back as the door opened. Then he turned to walk out with the guard, having no choice in the matter, and he ran right into Lilla just as she began to stand up straight.

"Hey, hey, it was really nice seein' you again, JJ!"

Lilla fell to the floor, her butt hitting the ground hard. "Shit," she cursed under breath, placing her elbows and forearms down so that her head wouldn't hit the ground. Talk about embarrassing. She winced in pain, already knowing that her ass was going to be sore once she stood.

JJ and the guard just stared down at her on the ground, the boy's face looking a little surprised at the sight of her. "Oh, shit. I'm sorry, Lilla. Didn't see ya there."

"It's fine," she replied, a bit grumbly.

"Come on," the guard ushered JJ, guiding him away from the girl.

"What?" JJ looked back at him. "You're just gonna leave her there, not even help?" He gestured to Lilla on the ground and continued to walk, having no choice as the man pushed him with each step he took. "Whoa, not a gentleman in the slightest, officer."

Lilla rolled her eyes at his joke, finding a bit of amusement in them as she watched JJ be guided to the doors of the country club. Then her amusement died when the locker room doors opened and Rafe walked out, looking down at her on the ground. She simply stared up at him in boredom, noting his smirk.

"Hey, Lils," he said kindly, squatting down next to her. "You alright? I don't know if you noticed"—he tucked some of her hair behind her ear, causing her to swat his hand away—"but we had a crazy Pogue on the loose in here."

She glared at him with a scowl. "I'm fine, Rafe."

"You sure?" he quirked a brow.

"Sure am," she replied, looking away from him as she felt his eyes burning into her face. She sat up while he continued to watch her, and she continued to ignore him. She was trying not to think about what had happened in his room—or rather, what had almost happened. "Just fell down. It wasn't JJ's fault," she added. "He wouldn't have even been in there, and I wouldn't have even been standing at the door if you weren't being such an asshole."

"I'm the asshole?" He raised his brows in surprise, chuckling lightly.

Her eyes found his. "Yes. You're still going after JJ even though you already got your payback or whatever the fuck you wanted. Wasn't the beating at the movie screening enough? Dante's face still hurts, by the way."

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that. He wasn't supposed to be involved," Rafe admitted.

"Yet you still wailed on him?"

"He got in the way."

Lilla scoffed, rolling her eyes as she looked away. "You're just proving my point, Rafe," she told him, finally making a move to stand up. She began to walk away, brushing past him as he stood too.

"Lilla..."

She whipped around to face him again, her annoyance peaking, especially because her ass really did hurt badly. "What?" she asked him, her frustration clear as she raised her brows.

He smirked. "You look beautiful."

That caught Lilla off guard, and her mouth opened and closed once as she stared at him in a bit of shock. "Beautiful?" She crossed her arms over her chest, stepping closer. "But not hot like you think Kiara does?"

He also opened his mouth to speak, now knowing for certain that she'd been eavesdropping on the conversation. Then he let out a soft chuckle as his open mouth turned into a smirk, and he ran his tongue along the bottom of his teeth, showcasing his annoyingly hot smile. He closed his mouth, the smirk still present as he tilted his head to the side, looking over her face. "I just said that to mess with JJ. You know that, right?" He moved closer to her, coming to stand in front of her, which made her have to tilt her head up to stare at him, not as much as usual since she was wearing heels. Again, he raised both of his hands and tucked some of her hair behind her ears before leaning in. "Do you want me to say you look hot?" he lowered his voice as he whispered against her ear.

Lilla squeezed her eyes shut, her body growing a little tense at his closeness. Then she pulled back to look at him, hating that her eyes fell to his lips as his did the same to hers. "No," she said matter-of-factly, their gazes meeting again. She raised her chin proudly. "I was just reminding you that you called Kiara hot."

"I said she looks hot for a Pogue; there's a difference."

Lilla rolled her eyes. He clearly didn't realize she, too, had once been a Pogue. "It doesn't matter. I'm going back to the party." She took a step back, pushing him away from her, causing his hands to drop to his sides as his eyes stayed trained on her. She turned around and began towards the doors again as he watched her every movement.

"Hey, Lilla," he called out from behind her. "You look hot tonight."

She didn't look at him as she held up her middle finger, letting him see it. She ignored his chuckle and the tingles that it sent throughout her body as she opened the door and stepped back outside, only to come across the scene that was happening.

"I'm a member of this club," Kiara stated from where she stood between her parents on the back deck of the country club, watching as JJ was being dragged by the guard. Lilla was surprised that they were still there, seeing as she and Rafe had been talking for a minute or so. JJ must've been holding them up.

A second later, just as Lilla approached the railing, JJ pushed the guard away from him, causing him to fall into a table and knock some glasses off while others gasped around them. "Sorry about that," JJ told him, causing Lilla to fight off a laugh. That man had been a total douche, not helping her up after JJ had accidentally knocked her down. "Hey, mandatory power hour at Rixon's, Kie," the blonde boy said to his best friend, pointing at her. "Pope," he turned to the boy that was working with his dad, "you as well, alright?" He continued to walk backward, raising his arms in the air. "Rixon's cove. Let's roll." He pointed at Kiara again, and Lilla focused on her. "Alright, Kie, come on." He clapped one of his hands to the wrist of the other arm. "Workers of the world unite." He pointed in the air. "Throw off your chains!"

Lilla watched as Kiara's parents tried to reason with her, but their daughter walked off before they could do much to stop her. She followed Kiara with her eyes, seeing the girl walk off the deck and go towards her friends. Then she saw JJ talking with John B. as Kiara rushed over to them, and, finally, Pope dropped his apron and followed them. They laughed as they made their escape, and Lilla felt a smile turn up the corners of her mouth. Her eyes floated around the crowd of gobsmacked country club members until they landed on Sarah, who was standing in front of Ward and watching the escape too, but with a hint of happiness on her face. She almost seemed like she was longing to be a part of the escape with them.

Lilla was sure she was.

Sarah and the Pogues were a lot more similar than most realized, even the girl herself. She was a free spirit, not afraid to break the rules or take risks, much like they were. She was just born into a Kook family, but so was Kiara; the only difference was that Sarah actually enjoyed some of the Kook princess benefits she had.

Lilla felt someone staring at her, and she already knew that it was Rafe, so it was no surprise to her that their eyes met when she looked over, dropping her smile. He smirked at her, holding his glass in his hand, and dragged his eyes down her body. She rolled her eyes at his confidence, looking away from him as she crossed her arms over her chest. This caused his smirk to deepen and a light chuckle to escape him as he lifted his glass to his mouth and took a sip of whatever he was drinking, looking away from her.

She just sighed and dropped her hands to her sides before she began walking down the steps and towards Sarah. When she came up beside her best friend, their eyes caught each other. Lilla offered a small smile, which Sarah returned. "I'm bored of this," Lilla admitted, holding onto Sarah's arm as their shoulders brushed.

"Me too." Sarah paused, looking around to see her dad talking with Rose. Then she turned her whole body to face Lilla's, leaning in to whisper in her ear. "I'm gonna meet John B. later and tell my dad that I'm staying at your house. So can you cover for me if he checks in?" she asked, bringing her face into view.

"Yeah." Lilla nodded, trying her best to ignore the pit of worry in her stomach. She wasn't sure what it was about, but it was very clear to her. She offered Sarah a flat-lipped smile, which the girl returned, hers a lot brighter. "Just be careful."

"I will."

━━━━━

✹ . . . LATER THAT NIGHT, LILLA AND HER FAMILY HAD just arrived home, all completely exhausted from the eventful night. Lilla and her mother pulled off their heels as soon as they stepped inside of their home, feeling the immediate relief of no longer having to wear them. They all said their goodnights and then headed towards their rooms. But before Lilla could get into hers or Dante could get into his, she felt something weighing on her mind and knew that Sarah would be busy with John B. Plus, it wasn't something she really wanted to talk about with her best friend.

"Dante," Lilla said softly, turning around quickly to face her brother's back. She watched him turn around to face her with a questioning look and raised brows. She messed with her fingers, which were holding the back straps of her heels. "Can I talk to you about something?"

"Yeah, sure," he replied, moving away from his door and over to hers.

They walked into her room, and Dante closed the door behind them as Lilla went over to her bed and sat down. He joined her a second later, his eyes focused on the side of her face as he waited for her to go on with what she wanted to talk about. Lilla was focused ahead, staring at nothing in particular as she sent her heels down on the floor beside her aching feet. Then she settled her hands in her lap and sighed before taking off her flower crown and running a hand through her hair.

"I thought about kissing Rafe tonight... again," she admitted.

Dante's brows furrowed. "Ew... him? Of all people?" He sounded disgusted. "Look, I don't dislike the guy, but I thought you did. He doesn't seem your type at all." He paused as he turned forward, thinking about the idea of his sister dating her best friend's brother. He couldn't picture it working out at all. Then her words crossed his mind again, and he faced her quickly with wide eyes and a confused look on his face. "Wait... Again!? You kissed him before?"

"No, Dante," she assured quickly, facing him with an almost frustrated look. "I thought about kissing him again. I had thought about it before, and I thought about it again tonight when I was talking to him. I have not kissed Rafe. Ever." She wasn't lying; they hadn't actually kissed before.

"Oh." He nodded. "Do you like him?"

"I did before when I was like twelve," she confessed, her expression relaxing as they both faced forward. She let out a sigh, glancing down at her hands, where she picked at the skin around her fingers due to her nerves. "I don't know about now. I don't think I do, and it's not like I'm scared about Sarah being mad at me for it or anything if I did. I just... I don't know." She tossed her hands up. "He's Rafe Cameron, you know. He's an arrogant little asshole and someone that I certainly don't see myself being with romantically or otherwise. But I can't help but feel... an attraction towards him? I don't know how to describe it. I'm really confused."

"That's a tough one, Lils."

"I know."

They fell in silence for a little bit as they both stared at the wall in front of them. She was so confused. Like she had told Dante, she wasn't sure what she was feeling or how to describe it. Yes, okay, she found Rafe attractive, and partly not even because of his looks, which were heaven sent; how could she not? But she wasn't sure if it was an I-need-to-be-fucked kind of attraction or if it was genuine, like she wanted to date him or not. He wasn't the dating type in her mind, though; that had been part of the reason why she'd never given him the letter she wrote when she was twelve. He was also her best friend's older brother and seemed not remotely interested in her, and she chickened out at the last second. But he'd almost kissed her too in his room, and he'd come onto her after that, which had made her stomach flutter and her heart race.

"I think you should get some rest and not worry about it too much," Dante told her softly, placing his hand on her shoulder. "If it happens, it happens. Don't let your own doubts or anyone else's judgment get in the way of that, even if the dude needs to take a chill pill sometimes and stop using his fists as an act of revenge. I'm sure Sarah won't care, and you can't help who you like, Lils."

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "When did you become a wise one, Obi-Wan?"

"I've always been this way, young padawan," he replied.

"I'm older than you; I'll have you know."

"So you're Qui-Gon Jinn, then?" He raised his brows questioningly, getting a hum and a nod in response. "See, that doesn't seem right to me. I think you're more of a Yoda, you know, ancient and wrinkly?"

Lilla gave him a bored look. "Very funny. And Yoda was more than just ancient and wrinkly; he was one of the most powerful Jedi Masters ever, so..." She shrugged, obviously knowing she had the upper hand in this conversation.

"Whatever, you dork," Dante lightly laughed, standing up from the bed and gently pushing her head away from him, causing her to smile. "Get some sleep and stop worrying." He made his way over to her door. "Everything will be fine."

"Thank you, Mr. Optimist," she partially joked.

"You're welcome, worry wart."

And with that, Dante opened the door and left her room, closing it gently behind him. Lilla stared at the door for a moment, thinking over his words, before she sighed and looked down at her hands. She knew he was right. What happens, happens, and she shouldn't worry too much about it. But she definitely wasn't going to be actively pursuing Rafe by any means unless it was to get that stupid letter back from him, which she would do, even if she had to physically fight him for it. She wasn't necessarily worried about him having it, but she didn't want to chance someone else getting ahold of it. It was embarrassing, and she didn't want anyone to know about it besides the few that already did.

She got up from her bed, making her way to her bathroom. In there, she got ready for bed, took off her makeup and dress, set the latter on the chair in her room, and took a shower. Then she stepped out, wrapped herself in a towel, and went back into her room, where she got dressed. She did the rest of her nightly routine and finally laid down in her comfortable bed and plugged in her phone. It didn't take her long before she passed out and was sound asleep, trying not to let anything cloud her mind.

Her slumber didn't last long, however, because about an hour and a half later, her phone was ringing and she was groggily waking up. With squinted eyes, still half asleep, Lilla looked over to her nightstand, feeling around for her phone. She finally grabbed it after a second of aimlessly slamming her hand down on the woodtop and unplugged it as she looked at the screen. The brightness made her eyes hurt as she squinted them even harder. Barely, she could make out Sarah's name at the top of her screen, paired with the selfie of them smiling on the beach.

She swiped her thumb over her screen to answer the call and then put it in her ear. "Hello?" she said into the phone, her voice a bit raspy with sleep. The other end of the call remained silent for a long moment before she heard sobs breaking through. She quickly sat up on her bed, now more awake than before. "Sarah, is everything okay?"

More sobs broke through before Sarah finally began speaking. "T-Topper pushed... he pushed John B. off of the Hawk's Nest," she confessed, struggling to speak with how hard she was crying. Her voice was so full of emotion, it made Lilla's heart heavy. "The Pogues were there, so we got him the ambulance out there pretty quick, but Lilla... I'm scared. It was a long fall."

"Do you need me to come to the hospital?" Lilla asked, already pushing away her sheets and blanket and getting out of bed. She was going whether Sarah said yes or not.

"Yes, please," Sarah sobbed as Lilla grabbed her shoes.

"I'm on my way."

✹ . . . ella's thoughts ! · ˚.‧ .
this one is dedicated to winter (gerty) and emma (emmer) bc they've been bullying me to update (not really) 😔 also, we'll ignore how i wrote this chapter back in september lmao; i've been procrastinating with the editing.

i've started planning act two teehee

neways, i hope you enjoyed! and tysm for 5K reads on this fic!

make sure to comment and vote 🫶🏻

kisses.

━━━━━━━━━━━━ 𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗦𝗦
𝗔 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬 . . . © -lostgardens,     2024

word count.  7495. written.  9.13-19.24. published.  12.30.24.