⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☽ sarah cameron flirting?? ☾₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆

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the reason i always say "please don't be a ghost reader" this isnt just because i want votes, i mean i do, but ive been writing on this app for 3 almost 4 years and it helps me stay motivated because that means people are reading my stuff. and unlike other people, they have so many views on their books and i know my writing isnt the best but i love to write and it just helps me stay motivated. and i know i unpublish and republish my chapters and i get thats really annoying
【 SEASON EPISODE 1 PART 3 】

the next morning, clara stumbled out of bed, her mind still groggy as she shuffled into the kitchen. her eyes widened in surprise when she saw john b standing there, mid-conversation with sheriff peterkin. her stomach dropped.

"w-what's going on?" clara stammered, flicking her eyes between them, feeling the tension in the air.

"sorry to break in like this, but dcs called," peterkin said, her voice calm but firm. clara and john b exchanged a glance, their silent communication frantic. "they wanted me to check on you two. see how you're doin'." she explained, and clara gulped.

"so, how are you, beside the-" peterkin pointed to john b's black eye.

"oh, no, i'm-i'm great. we're both great," john b stammered, shifting nervously. clara nodded along, trying to hide her own anxiety.

"yeah, fantastic. uh... thanks for coming by?" clara added, confused, not quite sure what to say. john b nudged her in the side with his elbow, his silent plea for her to play along painfully obvious.

peterkin smiled, but there was something knowing behind it. "i'm so glad to hear you say that, john b and clara, but i've heard a few things that worried me." john b tensed, moving to stand closer to the kitchen counter, and clara bit her lip anxiously.

"let me see if i can remember," peterkin continued, glancing around the room before her eyes landed on a photo of uncle teddy on the wall. "oh, yeah. one of the things i heard was that your uncle teddy, your guardian, hasn't been in the state for three months."

clara's heart skipped a beat, and she shot john b a terrified look. john b barely glanced back before lying, his voice firm, "that's false."

clara nodded, but way too quickly. peterkin raised an eyebrow at her overenthusiastic response. "you don't have to say anything. i know it's true. i called the school. they said john b used to be a good student, but now he's failin' all his classes. unlike clara here, who's still got straight a's." peterkin walked over to the table and picked up a rolled-up joint, sniffing it.

clara's eyes widened, and she mentally cursed jj for leaving it there.

john b tried to explain himself, his voice defensive. "no. no, i'm only failing one, and it's history. dude, the teacher's out for me-"

clara shook her head subtly, silently begging him to stop talking, but peterkin pressed on, her voice sharper now. "i also heard there was a fight on the beach yesterday, and a gun was involved."

clara let out a sigh, knowing they were in way over their heads.

"okay. gun? no." john b said, lying again as he walked past peterkin, patting her shoulder like everything was fine. "did i get in a dustup? yes, but was there a gun? no. no way. right, clare bear?"

clara nodded again, her stomach churning with the lies they were piling on. "yeah, just a kook punching john b for defending a friend," she added, trying to sound casual, even though she wasn't even there when it happened.

peterkin studied them for a moment, her expression unreadable. "that's okay. i know who it was. i'll get to him. all i'm worried about right now is makin' sure you're both in a safe home."

john b scoffed, leaning against the kitchen counter. "yeah, super safe. super sound. sturdy, you know?" he knocked on the table for emphasis.

clara shrugged, trying to go along with it. "yep, and uncle t's coming, so..."

peterkin looked between them, her brows furrowed. "that what he told you two?"

"yeah," john b and clara said in unison, trying to sound confident, but clara's heart was racing.

peterkin sighed, clearly not buying it. "if he is coming, i think you should be allowed to stay."

"thank you," john b said quickly, trying to close the conversation.

but peterkin wasn't done. "but if i stick my neck out for you, you have to help me. tit for tat."

john b and clara exchanged another look, clara silently pleading with her brother not to say something stupid.

"what-what does tat mean?" john b asked, his voice clueless.

peterkin stepped closer to them. "let me see, how can you help me? oh, i know. so, a body was found in the marsh yesterday. were you in the marsh yesterday?"

clara's breath hitched, her eyes flickering nervously between john b and peterkin.

"clara wasn't, but yeah, i was. we were fishin' for some drum," john b lied again.

"you catch anything?" peterkin asked, her tone probing.

"nah, we were skunked," john b said casually.

peterkin wasn't convinced. "strange. fishin's usually good after a storm. all sorts of things get stirred up. you come across a wreck yesterday?"

clara felt like the room was closing in on her, her pulse racing as john b answered.

"no."

peterkin sighed in frustration, her patience clearly wearing thin. "you're skimmin' just above the surface, john b. now, down here is foster care, juvie. pretty big drop for smart kids like you two. up here is you and your little friends doing whatever you want. outer banks... or foster care on the mainland."

john b sat down heavily, the weight of the situation sinking in.

"you are one inch above the surface, john b. if i were you, i'd start flappin' my wings. now, you sure you didn't come across a wreck yesterday?"

john b's jaw clenched, but he stayed firm. "yeah. yeah, i'm sure."

clara wanted to scream at him, but she held her tongue, waiting for peterkin to leave.

peterkin knelt down to john b's level, her voice quiet but serious. "it's better if you didn't, you understand? i'm gonna look the other way, as long as you stay out of the marsh."

with that, peterkin straightened up and left the house, leaving the air thick with tension.

the second the door clicked shut, clara whirled on john b. "are you out of your mind?" she hissed, her voice sharp. "you just lied to her face! about everything!"

john b groaned, rubbing his face. "what was i supposed to do, clara? tell her the truth? she'd have us in foster care by the end of the day!"

"maybe it's better than this!" clara snapped, pacing the kitchen. "we're barely keeping our heads above water, and now you've made it worse. lying isn't going to fix anything!"

"what choice do we have, clare bear?" john b shot back, his frustration clear. "we're all we've got. i'm just trying to keep us together."

clara stopped pacing, her fists clenched at her sides. "i know you are, but you're making it harder. one more slip-up, and we're done for."

john b sighed, looking away. "i know. i'm sorry. but i couldn't let her take us away."

clara shook her head, her anger simmering. "just... no more lies, john b. we can't keep doing this."

he nodded, but clara wasn't sure if he truly understood.

everyone sat in john b and clara's backyard, the air thick with tension as jj perched on a table, lazily throwing rocks toward the water. the soft splashes echoed in the silence, a stark contrast to the boiling emotions between the group. john b, clearly uneasy, finally broke the stillness.

"look, i'm callin' it off. all right?" john b said firmly, his tone making it clear he had already made up his mind. beside him, clara nodded, her arms crossed as if she was trying to shield herself from the weight of everything happening.

"peterkin said if we stay out of the marsh, she'll help us with dcs," clara added, her voice more tentative, trying to bring a sense of calm to the chaos brewing.

jj scoffed from his spot on the table, the disbelief obvious in his expression. "and you believed her?"

john b turned to jj, defensive now. "yes, i believe her, jj."

jj's chuckle was dark and humorless. "an actual cop, john b? you believed a cop?"

john b sighed, his frustration spilling over. "all i gotta do is stay out of the marsh for a couple days, and she'll help me out. it doesn't help that your ass was the one shooting a gun," he said, turning the blame back on jj.

jj's face hardened, his jaw clenching as he tossed another rock, this one with more force. "you know what i should've done? just let topper drown your ass," jj retorted, his tone sharp, the words cutting through the air like a blade.

"topper was gonna drown me?" john b's voice cracked with disbelief, his eyes wide as he stared at jj.

"sure looked like it," pope chimed in quietly from his spot nearby, not bothering to meet john b's gaze.

clara, feeling the weight of the conversation, sighed heavily and rubbed her temples, her patience wearing thin. "funny," she muttered under her breath, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

jj stood up abruptly, pacing toward them, his body tense with barely-contained anger. "i mean, have you looked in a mirror lately?" he snapped, his eyes blazing as he glared at john b. "tell me more, come on. they always win, don't they, man? kooks versus pogues. they always, always win!" his voice rose with every word, his frustration exploding as he punched a hanging ball with enough force to make clara flinch.

kiara, sitting beside clara, raised her voice, trying to de-escalate the situation. "look, it's okay!" she said, her voice louder than usual, but jj was already storming toward her, his face twisted in anger.

"no, it's not okay!" jj shouted, his voice cracking with the intensity of his emotions. "it is not! they don't want us to go down into the marsh. that means there's something valuable down there, and you know it, man." he pointed an accusing finger at john b and clara, his eyes wild with desperation. "i know you do. and i understand why you two don't wanna go."

he gestured toward pope, his tone sharp. "you're the golden boy. you got way too much to risk." then he turned to kiara, his voice dripping with bitterness. "and you... i mean, you're already rich as fuck anyway. why would you even bother?"

jj sighed, his shoulders slumping for a moment before his energy surged back. "but you, me, and clare bear... man, we got nothin' to lose!" he yelled, his voice breaking as he turned to face clara and john b again. "we really don't, all right?"

clara, feeling jj's words hit her hard, frowned deeply, her heart sinking as she realized just how lost jj felt. she plopped down beside kiara, her head spinning with the weight of everything happening.

"jj," john b warned, his voice firm but strained, trying to keep things from spiraling further.

jj ignored him, his voice still rising in intensity. "and i know it didn't use to be that way for you," clara said softly, looking at john b with sad eyes, knowing how much had changed for both of them.

john b shut his eyes for a second, clearly trying to push the pain and frustration away. "i don't want to talk about this. i don't want to talk about it," he muttered, his voice low as he tried to walk past jj.

jj blocked his path, his face twisted in disbelief. "so that's it?" he asked, his voice sharp.

"just get out of my way, bro," john b growled, his patience running thin as he shoved past jj.

"john b, listen to me," jj said, grabbing john b's shoulder and pulling him back toward the water, his voice low and urgent. "i have a plan."

john b sighed, clearly not wanting to hear whatever crazy scheme jj had come up with now. "you got the key to cameron's big boat, right?"

john b's eyes widened in disbelief, his jaw dropping. "no," he lied quickly, shaking his head.

"there's scuba gear. we borrow that, and then we go down to the wreck this afternoon, and that is what's gonna save you, man," jj pressed, his voice intense, his eyes locked onto john b's. "you don't see rich kids going into foster care, do you?"

john b hesitated, his gaze flickering between jj and the water, clearly torn. he glanced back at clara, who gave him a small, uncertain shrug. her mind was racing, unsure of what the right move was anymore.

jj raised his brows, his face full of expectation, knowing he had john b cornered. the silence stretched on for what felt like forever before john b finally shook his head, his resolve crumbling. he turned back toward the water, his back to jj, but clara could see it in his posture-jj had convinced him.

as the realization settled in, clara felt a sinking feeling in her gut. there was no turning back now. john b had made up his mind, and they were all going to follow him down this reckless path.

clara arrived at the cameron estate on figure 8, the devastation from the hurricane still evident all around her. broken branches littered the roads, debris piled up along the shoreline, and parts of houses were still under repair. she had been hired to help clean up, and even though the cameron family was rich beyond belief, they still needed all the hands they could get to restore their pristine estate.

as she walked toward the dock where the cameron's boat was usually moored, her phone buzzed in her pocket, but she ignored it for now. she was focused on the job at hand. dragging a rake along the gravel, she began to clear the mess the storm had left behind, her mind drifting in and out of thoughts about john b, jj, and the chaos surrounding the treasure hunt.

just as she started to get into a rhythm, she heard a voice behind her.

"hey, clara!"

clara froze for a moment before turning around, her eyes landing on sarah cameron. sarah looked effortlessly put together despite the storm's aftermath, her blonde hair framing her face perfectly. clara's heart skipped a beat.

"uh, hey sarah," clara greeted, trying to keep her cool as she stood up straight, tossing her rake aside for the moment.

sarah gave her a curious look, walking closer. "so, do you know why john b was taking tanks off the boat this morning? i saw him and jj messing around with them earlier. kinda looked like they were up to something," sarah said, raising an eyebrow.

clara's heart rate quickened. she knew exactly why john b had taken the scuba tanks, but she couldn't say that. sarah was smart-too smart-and clara couldn't risk her finding out what they were planning. she swallowed hard and plastered on the most innocent look she could manage.

"oh, um, no, i'm not really sure," clara lied, her voice wavering slightly. "i think they were just... you know, cleaning up or something? maybe doing some maintenance on the boat?" clara's eyes darted away nervously, but she tried to hold her ground.

sarah gave her a long, suspicious look, as if she could see right through clara's lie, but then she smiled and shrugged. "hmm, interesting. guess i'll have to ask him myself later." sarah's smile lingered a little too long, and clara felt a strange tension in the air.

just then, clara noticed wheezie, sarah's younger stepsister, lurking not too far away, watching them closely with a curious expression. clara tried not to let it distract her, but sarah's next move made her forget about wheezie altogether.

sarah stepped closer, her eyes glinting with mischief. "you know, clara, i've always admired how hard you work. it's kinda impressive." her voice had taken on a flirtatious tone, and clara's cheeks immediately heated up.

"uh, thanks," clara mumbled, trying to keep her cool, but she could feel herself blushing. sarah's eyes never left hers, and the closeness between them felt... different.

"maybe we could hang out sometime? it's been so long. after all this storm stuff clears up," sarah said, her voice smooth as silk. she gave clara a playful smile before turning on her heel and walking away, her hips swaying just slightly as she moved.

clara stood there, frozen in place, her face flushed with heat. she blinked, trying to process what had just happened. did sarah cameron just flirt with her? clara shook her head, trying to push the thought away. she had work to do, and she couldn't let herself get distracted by... whatever that was.

picking up the rake again, clara tried to focus on the task at hand. her mind raced, but she forced herself to keep clearing the debris, one pile at a time.

her phone buzzed in her pocket again, and this time she pulled it out, relieved for the distraction. it was a text from kiara.

"clara, you need to come home now! something big just happened at the marsh. we found the boat, but some creepy guys followed us, and guns went off!!"

clara's eyes widened in panic as she read the message. her heart thudded in her chest, and she could barely think straight. guns? creepy guys? this was way bigger than anything they had anticipated.

without wasting another second, clara ran back toward the main house, her feet kicking up dust as she frantically searched for ward cameron. she found him standing on the dock, overseeing some repairs.

"mr. cameron, i'm so sorry, but i have to go!" clara blurted out, her voice shaking with urgency. "it's a... a family emergency. i-i need to leave right now."

ward turned to look at her, surprised but calm. "family emergency? oh, no worries, clara. take care of what you need to. we'll finish up here without you."

"thank you! thank you so much!" clara called over her shoulder as she sprinted back to where she had parked her bike, her heart racing faster than it ever had before.

clara darted home on her bike, the wheels kicking up dirt as she sped through the streets, her heart racing faster than her legs could pedal. the sun was setting, casting long shadows across the road, but she barely noticed. her mind was spinning with kiara's text-something big had happened at the marsh, guns went off, and creepy guys had followed them. she couldn't believe it. her friends were in serious danger, and she wasn't there.

she skidded to a stop in front of the chateau, practically tossing her bike to the ground. without a second thought, she ran through the front door, her feet pounding against the wooden floors as she sprinted toward the back. she could hear faint voices coming from the dock, and adrenaline surged through her body. bursting through the back door, clara didn't slow down until she reached the water's edge.

there, standing by the dock, were jj, pope, kiara, and john b, all looking disheveled and shaken but alive. relief flooded through her as she stumbled to a stop, panting heavily.

"oh my god! are you guys okay?!" clara gasped, her voice coming out in short breaths as she tried to catch her breath.

jj, hands on his hips, turned to her, still catching his own breath. "yeah, we're good now, but it was freakin' insane, clare bear. you had to be there," he said, his voice shaky but trying to play it cool. clara's eyes shifted to john b, who was clutching something tightly in his hands-a worn-looking bag, heavy and bulging with something mysterious.

"what did you find?" clara asked, eyeing the bag with a mix of curiosity and dread, her mind racing with possibilities.

"what do you guys think it is?" kiara chimed in, her voice tense but laced with excitement as her eyes followed john b's hands.

john b, his fingers trembling slightly, started to unzip the bag, his focus intense as he fumbled with the zipper. "gotta be money, right?" he suggested, though his voice didn't carry much confidence.

"that, or a couple of keys with street value in the low-to mid-mils!" jj joked, flashing a wild grin at john b. he was clearly trying to lighten the mood, but clara wasn't in the mood for jokes. she shot him a look, her brows furrowed.

"seriously, jj?" she muttered, exasperated. this was too serious for his usual antics.

pope groaned, clearly tired of the back-and-forth. "can we please just open the bag?" he snapped, his voice sharper than usual. everyone turned to look at him, a little taken aback by his tone. clara raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at her lips.

"angry much?" clara teased, nudging him gently with her elbow, trying to break the tension that hung thick in the air.

jj nodded in agreement, his own expression lightening just a bit. "jesus, pope," he chuckled, shaking his head. "you okay, man?"

kiara chuckled too, shaking her head. "wow, pope. that's a rare outburst of emotion from you."

"wow, pope. that's new," john b muttered under his breath, but he didn't stop what he was doing, his focus back on the bag. his fingers finally grasped the zipper, and he yanked it open, pulling out a small, weathered canister. clara's heart thudded in her chest as everyone leaned in, watching with bated breath.

"okay, you guys are literally killing me with anticipation," clara blurted out, her voice cracking under the pressure. "just open it already!"

pope, still tense, added, "we almost died for this." his words were sharp, filled with an undercurrent of bitterness as he stared at the canister in john b's hands.

john b carefully twisted the top off the canister and shook it, the sound of something clanking inside making everyone flinch. a small, rusted compass tumbled into his hand, and for a moment, everyone froze. the air around them seemed to still as they stared at the compass, unsure of what to make of it.

"oh, wow. yup," pope said dryly, breaking the silence with his usual sarcasm. clara let out an exasperated sigh, running her hands through her hair as disbelief flooded her system.

"that's about right," she muttered, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "good job, everybody. we found a compass." her words hung in the air as jj took off his hat, squinting at the small object in john b's hand.

"dude, what? it's not worth anything," jj said, confusion etched across his face as he tried to make sense of it.

clara stepped closer, her eyes narrowing as she focused on the compass. something about it tugged at the edges of her memory, a familiar weight that made her stomach drop. she had seen this compass before. her eyes widened slightly as realization hit her like a tidal wave.

john b was still staring at the compass, his face pale, his eyes wide with disbelief. "this was my father's," he whispered, his voice trembling as he ran his thumb over the worn edges of the compass. a soft, broken laugh escaped his lips, but there was no humor in it. only shock and something much deeper-grief, maybe.

clara's heart skipped a beat as memories of john b's dad flooded her mind-days spent wandering the marsh, listening to his stories about treasure and mystery, the way he'd always carried that compass, like it was more important than anything else. it all clicked into place.

"holy shit," clara whispered under her breath, her voice barely audible over the sound of the waves lapping against the dock.

ASH SPEAKS!

ugh i need it to be episode 4 already🤧

are we okay with me writing in lowercase?? or do we prefer uppercase?? let me know!

PLEASE DONT BE A GHOST READER!
COMMENT AND VOTE! IT HELPS US WRITERS STAY MOTIVATED:)