"Charleston?" Joey paced around Toppers house, on the phone with Kie. "She can free John B?"

"That's what she says." Kie nodded.

JJ laughed. "That's what she said-"

"Stop." Pope cut in. "Jo, why aren't you at school?"

"Ugh, just wasn't feeling it today." she said back, looking around the empty house. "So, are we gonna go?"

"Yeah, we are." Pope said confidently in return. "We need an inside woman though."

Joey laughed slightly. "Is that me?"

"That's you, JoJo." JJ confirmed with a hum.

"Look, all you have to do is pose as a party member." Kie spoke on the other line. "The house across the street from Limbrey is having this Kook party thing. They do it ever year, my parents usually go, so does Sarah's. I'm assuming that's how Limbrey knows Ward."

"How am I suppose to get invited to that?" Joey asked in disbelief. "I'm not a fancy lady."

"You are the fanciest lady." Pope defended her.

"You can use my card to get yourself in. They scan it at the door." Kie cut in. "You can ride there with us, it'll be perfect."

"What do I do when I get there?" Joey frowned her eyebrows, picking at the cinnamon rolls Topper left out before going to school.

"Just keep an eye on us." Pope agreed. "Ask around, do whatever you can. Neighbors know people better then we realize."

"Okay, but-" Joey stopped, staring at the fridge with a blink. "You said it's a Kook thing?"

"Yeah, it's the man that owns the Country Clubs vacation home." Kie agreed. "It's an auction party, everyone goes."

"Well, not everyone." JJ pointed out.

"Kie." Joey smiled as she stared at the paper on the fridge. "I think I have a smarter way to get there."

"I'm surprised you wanted to come." Topper spoke, fixing his bow tie as they rode on the ferry together. "It doesn't seem like your thing."

"It's not. I hate everything about this." Joey nodded, crossing her legs in his front seat. "Parties. Rich people. People in general. Auctions. Dressing up. And ferries."

Topper hummed. "Anything you do like?"

Joey inhaled, leaning her head on the seat as she looked his way. "In general or about this Kook party?"

"Either." he shrugged.

"I hate most things." Joey looked over at him again with a minor snort. "Can I say the things I hate?"

"Go ahead." he encouraged her.

"Big crowds. People that constantly have to talk. The smell of paint. Horror movies. The taste of oranges. Over priced hair salons." she listed on, Topper listened as Joey hadn't missed a beat. "Graphic sex scenes. Phone passwords. Being on hold. Customer survive. Books that feel the need to include very detailed prologues. Movies that have no plot to them. Anything grape flavored. And my birthday."

"Your birthday?" Topper laughed slightly. "Why would you hate that?"

"I don't know how to act." she shrugged in return. "I'm happy, but it's hard to show it on my face, and everyone assumes i'm just being rude."

"Okay, sure." he nodded in understanding. "Do you at least like getting a cake?"

"No, i'm more of a pie person." she shook her head, meeting his eye as the ferry continued to float. "What sort of thing do you hate?"

Topper inhaled with a lip bite before nodded his head. "When it's really cold at night."

Joey snorted. "That's it?"

"When stuff is too spicy to enjoy eating. Getting paint in my hands." he listed on, having to think a lot harder then she had. "Dancing. Not being able to get a beer top off the bottle. Cold crawfish. Coughing in public."

"Oh, yeah. Coughing in public is the worst." Joey cringed with a gross look. "When other people do it I just wanna get outta there as soon as possible."

"Yeah, I figured that out." he tried not to laugh. "Seems like you hate a lot of things."

"I do. Most things, actually." she nodded, looking away from the window with a half grin his way. "But, I don't hate hating things with you."

Topper gave her a grin. "So, what sort of things do you love then?"

Joey inhaled, because like he was with things he hated, she had to think about this one. "When things are clean. Onion rings. Menus that show exactly what's in the food. Milk free ice cream. Flowers. Mr.Moony. Cold weather. Golf carts."

"Woah, that's more then I was expecting from you." the blonde clapped his hands together, mocking her as Joey slapped his hands. "Don't forget jalapeño poppers."

"So, true." the Findlay girl agreed, taking a sip of the water she brought with her. "I know you love golfing, and getting up early to go fishing, snap maps, and bothering me when i'm in the shower."

"So, true." he mocked her in return. "But, you know, I like other stuff too."

"Oh, yeah?" Joey gave a look of disbelief. "Like being a Kook?"

"Yes, and jalapeño poppers." Topper hummed as Joey held back a grin. "I do really like going fishing early in the morning, though."

"I know you do, drives me insane." Joey rolled her eyes. "I'd see you all the time when i'd have to go in for an early shift at the flower shop. Just floating down the canal. I wanted to go over there and smack you right off it."

"Oh, wow." Topper hummed. "Well, all the power to you."

The ferry came to a hault. "What now?"

"Now we go do all the things you hate." he hummed with a tight lipped smile. "Ready?"

Joey inhaled. "Sure."

She sent a text to Kie, letting her know she was headed to the house now.

"What do they even auction off here?" Joey looked around at the ridiculously large house as she looked up at the tall ceilings. "Holy shit, this place is massive."

"I know, right?" Topper agreed, fixing his bow tie again. "And usually paintings, sometimes really ancient antiques."

"For what?" Joey moved out of the way as people passed, all laughing and sipping cocktails.

"I don't really know. To pass down, maybe." he suggested, getting two glasses of champagne and giving her one. "So, just as terrible as you imagined?"

"Oh, for sure." Joey hummed, sipping the drink. "But, you not being a total jackass in public definitely has helped."

"Oh, my pleasure." Topper placed a hand on his heart, holding his arm out. "Wanna go get our seats?"

Joey linked their arms, walking close as they headed deeper into the house, passing the golden staircase and heading into a smaller room. Joey had expected the auctions to be large with many people, but this one seemed sacred to only certain guest. "What's makes us so special?"

"Well, we're taking my parents place." Topper nodded his head. "They were suppose to come, but couldn't make it."

"What's so special about your parents?" she went on, trying not to stare at all the expensive people around her. It hadn't accrued to her that she had looked just as expensive in Toppers moms royal blue dress and all her golden jewelry.

"My mom did a surgery on the owner of this house, saved his life." Topper nodded his head, heading toward the man that was scanning their tickets.

"Your moms a doctor?" Joey was taken off guard. "I thought she was a business woman."

"Nope, doctor." he hummed. "One of the best, that's why she usually isn't home."

He handed the ticket over, having his mother and fathers name scanned on the left side. The man gave a smile. "Enjoy the auction, Mr and Mrs Thornton."

Joey choked on her champagne, Topper holding back a laugh, taking the ticket and pulling her into the house. "Tyler and Jannette decided to make a comeback?"

"Guess so." Joey came down from her choking, setting her champagne down as they took their seats.

Topper leaned over, bc the room was so quiet. "See that painting?"

Joey followed his point, nodding her head. "That's the cross of Santo Domingo."

"That's in the Dominican Republic, right?" she crossed a leg over the other.

"Yeah, I don't know if that's where the cross originally came from, though." Topper shook his head, setting his champagne down. "When the owner of this house got out of the hospital, I was going through a phase of thinking I wanted to be a doctor too and was doing all these questioners after surgery to make sure he was okay, and wouldn't stroke out or anything, you know?"

"Sure." Joey hummed. "That's when he told you?"

"Yeah, he said a few of his neighbors have been on the search for it for years." he confirmed, Joeys heart sunk. "I don't know what's so special about it, but by the way he talked, they clearly want it really bad."

"Right." Joey hummed, her head racing. "Like...what else did he say about his neighbors?"

"Just that they've been searching for someone who might know where some key is, I don't know. It sounded like a bunch of non sense to me." Topper spoke honestly. "Probably just some old tail that a bunch of old people choose to believe so their lives don't feel so boring."

"Oh, yeah." Joey hummed, letting his arm go. "I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?" he looked up at her in questioning.

"Bathroom." she gave a tight lipped smile, feeling her phone buzzing in the dress pocket.

"Do you need me to come with you?" he frowned his eyebrows.

"No, no." Joey forced a smile. "I saw it on the way in."

Topper let her go, Joey hurrying down the hallway as her heels clicked on the expensive floors, answered the phone. "Kie?"

"Joey!" JJ yelled. "You gotta put it in gear and save us."

"What happened?" Joey gapped in a panic.

"Try...kills us!" JJ stumbled over his words, out of breath as he was clearly running. "Get a boat and meet us at the Fairrige Dock!"

"A boat? Where the fuck am I suppose to get a boat?" Joey spoke in disbelief as she looked around.

"Just do it!" JJ yelled, hanging up. Joey huffed in disbelief, looking for any near by boat rentals on her phone. She hurried outside to get a better signal, being met with the backyard.

Along with a Chaparral 307 SSX right in the water.

"Shit." she cursed, looking back at the house and to the boat again. "You're a terrible person. You're an absolute terrible person, Josephine."

She hurried back inside, heading up the staircase and finding the only locked door. Using her bobby pin, she picked the lock and was welcomed into a large bedroom with messy sheets and ties everywhere. Joey hurried to the nightstand, looking at the few sets of keys. House. Car. Another car. Jet ski.

Boat.

"Yes." Joey mumbled, hurrying back down the stairs. She paused, looking into the auction room and seeing Topper. Guilt hit her all at once, frowning as she pulled her phone out. Any other day, she's stay, and they'd have the time of their lives.

To Topper: i'm sorry, I promise i'll make it up to you and explain everything.❤️

She hurried out back, getting into the boat and untying it from the dock. Starting it up, Joey was thankful it hadn't been loud as she drove away from the house, still feeling guilt and just hoping Topper would understand, that's he'd forgive her. Joey hurried to the location JJ encouraging to her to go, following the signs near the docks as she made a turn.

Joey blinked in disbelief. "John B?"

"Hey! Joey!" Pope yelled from the dock, waving her over. "Over here!"

"John B!" Joey yelled out. "What the hell!"

"Jo!" John B cheered. "Come to save us?"

"What the hell are you doing here? Both of you!" She let go of the steering wheel, coming up by the side of the docks with a bright grin. "John B!"

"Joey!" he yelled in return, holding his hands out for her to jump off the boat and hug him tightly. "Oh, holy shit!"

"I'm so happy you're alive." she hugged him tightly in relief. "Holy shit."

"Holy shit." he agreed, laughing. "Why are you so dressed up?"

"Long story." she held onto him a second long before letting go. "I also stole this boat."

"You stole it?" Kie gapped.

"Hey, Sarah." Joey hugged the Cameron girl. "Okay, we gotta go."

"Yes, we do!" Pope yelled as he got them all on the boat again.

"Holy shit." Joey grinned at John B as she got back on the wheel. "Woo!"

"Woo!" the pogues all cheered.

•

kylie speaks

i was grinning this entire
chapter except that one
part about jo having to
leave top...that little reunion
with jb and joey almost made
me cry.