A Chapter| Chapter Fifteen

"Do you feel any movement across your skin?" Lila whispered over to Pope, trailing close behind him as she held her arms out.

"We're suppose to be looking for water." he scolded her with a knowing look as Lila nodded.

"Duh, I know this, but do you feel any movement?" she repeated herself as Pope went to speak up before John B cut in.

"Hey, psst! Hey, come on. It's the only place we haven't looked." John B said, finding a hole that lead to the bottom of the house.

"Hell yes, ghost here we come." Lila cheered as she jogged over and running in quickly.

"Lila, wait." Kie said as she followed after, the boys not too far behind.

"Someone definitely died here." Lila said as she looked around at the low ceiling, the many boards on the ground.

"How can you tell?" JJ asked, his eyes wide with panic as Lila faced him.

"Feel the chill, feel the chill." she repeated with a wicked laugh as John B jumped and shhed her loudly.

"See any water?" Kie asked as she looked around at the bare room, swatting mosquitoes away as Lila slapped one on her arm.

"There's not even water on the pipes." JJ pointed out as he felt the dry and old pipes.

"There's not water here." Pope concluded with a huff his friends way.

"Not a dropamino." JJ added in as he looked around.

"No ghost either, just tiny vampire losers." Lila agreed as she slapped another mosquito away, her arm already beginning to welp slightly.

"Know why we didn't find it? Bad karma." Kie said with a judging look as John B sighed loudly.

"Oh, god, here we go." he grumbled while putting a hand on his head.

"You know, we had a good thing going. And then you decide to rope in Barbie, now the trails gone dry. Coincidence? Probably not." Kie said with a shake of her head, a annoyed and sarcastic look on her face.

"I don't see anyone complaining about Lila? She's latched onto Rafe now." John B said as Lila looked his way.

"Excuse me-" she began but was cut off.

"Lila didn't involve him on our thing like you did, leave her out of it." Kie defended the girl quickly, a warm and soft feelings forming in Lilas stomach.

"This is exactly why I didn't want to tell you about Sarah. What the hells the deal? What's going on with you two?" John B asked with a glare as he walked closer.

"Nothing!" Kie shot back annoyed and defensively.

"Nothing? Is it because I kissed you? Is that it?" John B asked her with a roll of his eyes, Lila was about to jump in and defend the girl before Kie handled it herself by slapped the taller boy across the face. The remaining trio all gasped as they shared their own words within the small circle.

"Oh shit!"

"Damn!"

"That echoed man."

"That was badass."

"Stop treating me like i'm some girl that's obsessed with you instead of your best friend who's actually trying to look out for you." Kie said to him with a knowing look, making her point as John B looked at her in shock.

"Did you, uh... hit me?" he asked her in disbelief.

"Skeeter." Kie said as she held up her hand, seeing the small blood from the mosquito on her hand.

"Skeeter?" John B asked in disbelief before hitting Kie across the face as well.

"Woah, excuse you?" Lila asked as she raised her eyebrows, her voice deepening to a intimidating ring as she took a step forward.

"Okay-"

"All right, no-"

"Where's your proof?" Kie asked him with a glare, watching John B hold up his hand to reveal the dead mosquito.

"There's probably one right there." Kie said as she hit his arm quickly.

"Yeah? One right there." John B added in as he slapped Kies arm back.

"On your forehead."

"You're dead."

"Hey, Pope, skeeter!" Lila said loudly as she backhanded him, making him hold his face.

"Lila, what the hell?" he asked her as JJ couldn't help but laugh and pat the girl on the back.

"Why are there so many mosquitoes in a basement?" Pope spoke up as Kie and John B continued to goof off with each other.

"Dude, I know, seriously. Tiny vampire bastards just leave me alone." JJ added in to Popes words, slapping the few away.

"JJ." Lila gasped was she hit his arm.

"Lila." he mocked her, hitting her arm back with the same dramatic gasp.

"What if the ghost are the mosquitoes?" she asked with wide eyes as he faked a gasp just to make her feel good about herself, agreeing with her as Lila grinned and looked closer at the mosquitoes.

"I just found Mrs.Crains voodoo doll, guys." JJ spoke up as Pope continued to look around, Lila trying to dance with the mosquitos.

"Oh shit." Kie said with a small laugh.

"Can we leave? Cause this is-" JJ began before the sound of something hitting water hit their ears.

"Pope, what was that?" Lila asked, her and him being the only ones that heard it. Pope ignored her, handing her his flashlight as he began to yank at the boards.

"Hey, Pope!" JJ scolded him as John B shhed him loudly.

"Help me move this." Pope demanded as he looked at his friends.

"Okay... just quiet." the brunette boy said as he bend to help pull the boards up like Pope insisted.

"She's probably right up stairs." Kie said with a knowing look as the five moved the boards.

"Want me to dive down there?" Lila asked as she looked down at the dark well. Kie grabbed her arm as a no, holding onto her just incase Lila decided she saw a ghost and jump down.

"Well, well, well." Pope joked as he shined his flashlight down.

"That was a good dad joke." John B mumbled as he also stared down.

"They build this part of the house right over it." Kie said in realization, catching JJ's attention as he looked toward her.

"This is where she hid the bodies." the blonde boy said as Pope scolded him.

"Imagine the spirits down there... can I please go?" she begged while looked down, clutching her video camera.

"No." the four answered all together as Lila sighed.

"So... we found water." Pope smirked John B's way.

"We're gonna need a really big rope." the curly haired boy said in amazement.

"No effing way!" Kie announced loudly as John B brought Sarah over to the cut with them.

"You brought her here? So what? She's in on this now?" Kie asked as she looked at John B with a glare. Lila took awakened glances between her two girlfriends, finding it best if she stayed sitting between JJ and Pope with her legs thrown in the blondes lap.

"Look, all I care about is her cut comes off your share." JJ announced as he looked at John B knowingly.

"Kie, maybe we can just sort this out, maturely?" Lila suggested as the girl glared her way.

"Of course you'd take her side, considering you're sleeping with her brother and all, who's to know you're not on their side." Kie shot at her as Lilas face flushed in embarrassment as her eyes held pain. It hurt to have Kie not only accuse her of picking sides but for her to yell at her.

"I'm not on anyone's side, you're both my friends, I just don't want it to effect all of us!" Lila said back, sitting up some as Kie rolled her eyes and looked at John B again.

"You know, I don't remember taking a vote! This is our thing! A pogue thing!" Kie yelled angrily at John B. Lila once again felt the sudden hit of out of place and insecurity. She knew they treated her as a pogue since she arrived here, but who's to say Kie didn't think deep down Lila wasn't apart of them.

"I got to say, i'm just a tad uncomfortable with all this." Pope spoke up knowingly as Lila held herself back from nodding, putting herself in his shoes.

"When are you not uncomfortable?" John B shot are him annoyed, Kie already being enough to deal with.

"Well I dunno I rode here on the back of JJ's bike pretty comfortably." Pope said with a wave of his hands, JJ nodded as he drummed his fingers on Lilas knee with a knowing look.

"It's true. Most relaxed i've ever seen him." JJ nodded in agreement as John B looked away.

"You know we were all extremely comfortable until you brought her. All of us!" Kie said as Lila wanted to smile, there it was, the reassurance that she was one of them and that Kie loved her deep down despite their endless arguing.

"Stop talking about me like i'm not here!" Sarah yelled at Kie, finally standing up for herself.

"Then leave!" Kie shot back as Lila sighed.

"Listen, can I say something?" the blonde spoke up as Kie looked at her.

"I know you two have a rocky past... but we need to focus on what's important here. Kie's apart of this no matter what, she has been from the start. And Sarah helped us out a lot, without her we would have never known what we know now." Lila spoke to no one in particular, attempting to be the peacekeeper during all of this.

"That's easy for you to say, Lila, she hasn't sunk her teeth into you yet." Kie said with a knowing look as Sarah scoffed and looked John B's way.

"I told you." she said with a knowing look.

"Told him what, exactly? That you're liar?" Kie asked her, ready to list on before Sarah cut her off.

"No, that you're a shit-talking bitch!" the blonde shot back as Lilas mouth fell open, JJ pulled out a ten from his pocket as he made a bet on Kie.

"Oh, yeah?"

"When have I ever lied to you?"

"Oh I don't know, get someone close to you-"

"I didn't lie about shit!"

"Everybody shut up!" John B yelled loudly, stopping the two girls from bickering loudly at the other.

"Kie, you are my best friend, right?" John B asked as Kie shrugged, clearly to worked up to be soft right now.

"And Sarah, you're my-" John B began before cutting himself off, Sarah looked at him knowingly.

"Say it." she said with a small smile.

"You're my girlfriend." he grinned with a small chuckle as Lila gaged loudly, getting their attention.

"Okay, can you two not get all Nicolas Sparks on us right now? It's really gross and unrealistic." Lila said as Sarah gave her a look.

"She's your girlfriend now?" Kie asked with a scoff as Lila hummed.

"Yeah forgive me, John B, but weren't you just saying how you were using her?" Lila asked as Sarah frowned her eyebrows.

"Stay out of it Lila, you're literally dating Rafe Cameron." John B said back as Kie raised her eyebrows.

"But she didn't involve him, did she?" the tall girl defended her friend as Lila sighed, the guilt of her love for Rafe hitting her once again.

"You said you were using me?" Sarah asked John B in disbelief as he ran a hand through his hair.

"No." John B said softly.

"Yeah, you do." the other four all shot back.

"Look, love just walked in, okay? I didn't expect it just- it kinda happened. I'm not gonna deny it, right? Besides, no ones saying shit to Lila when her boyfriend beat the shit out of both of you!" John B said, looking at the trio all sat together.

"Would you stop turning the tables back on me?" Lila asked defensively as she stood up.

"Why? It's all true, isn't it?" he asked her as Lila scoffed.

"Yeah, it is true. Yes Rafe beat Pope with a golf club, yes he beat JJ up at the movie, yes he's a ass to Kie, and yes! For the love of god yes, he's my boyfriend! I know I messed up with that, I know I should have listened to you from the begging about him. All of us here have admitted their feelings about Rafe and I, right? Right?!" Lila asked loudly with a looked, looking at everyone as they all nodded.

"He's my brother, and he's not good for you." Sarah admits as Lila nodded.

"Don't you think I know that by now? Don't you think i've experienced it? But you of all people, John B, should know you can't help it when you fall for someone. You wanna preach about how it just happened but then try and throw the blame on me and make everyone mad at me? That's the most hypocritical thing i've ever heard!" Lila yelled at the boy, guilt in his eyes as he looked at her, trying to find the words.

"When you wanna stop using my choices against me, give me a call. Until then, leave me alone." Lila said, over the topic as she hurried down the steps and walked off.

"Great! So you just destroyed the only girlfriend I have!" Kie yelled as him, just another reason to be angry as she considered going after Lila.

The knock on Lilas front door that night made her shut the book she'd been reading. The knock was quiet, like they knew her moms where sleeping. Lilas feet hit the cold floor as she walked to the door, making sure to unlock the door as quiet at possible. When she pulled it open she was immediately met with a teary eyes Rafe, his nose twitching slightly as he held back his pain.

"Rafe, hey, what's wrong?" she asked worried, pulling him into the small guest house as she shut the door behind her.

"My uh, my dad." he said, rubbing his eyes to hide his tears, not wanting to look like a pussy around Lila out of all people.

"What he did? Hey, look at me." Lila said, reaching up to grab his face and whip the few tears.

"Can we sit down?" he asked, looking away ashamed as Lila nodded, taking his hand and leading him to the couch. Rafes footsteps were loud, Lila was thankful for the fan going in her Moms room or they'd surely wake up.

"What happened?" the blonde asked as the two sat closer then ever on the loveseat, Rafes hands immediately taking one of hers as Lila rubbed small circles on his cheek.

"I ugh, I'm in really bad dept with Barry, my drug dealer. And I- I was looking for stuff to sale so he'd leave me alone and my Dad- he just- he caught me and went to pay Barry back and then told me I couldn't come home." Rafe pauses within each sentence, scared he'd start to cry infront of her when that was the last thing he wanted to do. Lila put her pointer finger under his chin, making him look at her as a few tears slipped from his eyes.

"I'm sorry, babe. You can stay with me as long as you want to. I'll even wake up early with you for golfing." Lila spoke with a soft smile, cradling his face in her hands, bumping his nose with hers.

"I'm crazy about you." he admits in a low voice, a grin forming on his face as Lila held back a small giggle.

"I'd go full Nicolas Sparks for you." she admits as he was the one to laugh now, shaking his head slightly.

"What?" Rafe questioned confused but gave her no time to answer, kissing her deeply as Lila smiled in between the kiss.

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super sorry this took so long!