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After a long night of celebrating Annabelle stepped inside the fancy marble shower, letting the perfectly adjusted water drip over her bare skin.

She stepped out and wrapped a towel around herself from the towel warmer. She stood in front of the mirror for a moment, her eyes trailing over the few scattered scars from the vase that her father had thrown her way. Most of them had faded, but the once that still marked her skin were left as a constant reminder of what hell hole she had left behind her.

The bathroom door creaked open and Rafe's figure lingered in the doorway for a moment, his gaze soaking in the sight of her before stepping inside. He came up behind her, pressing his chest to her back as his arms locked around her waist.

"Hey, beautiful." He whispered, his lips tickling her ear. Annabelle smiled at him in the mirror, his tall frame practically enveloping hers. "Topper just called. He wants me to join him and the guys at the country club."

Annabelle hummed in response. Her own plans for the day were uncertain. The only thing she knew for sure was her meeting with CBS and Tessa. The anticipation thrummed beneath her skin, tangled with nerves. What if Tessa felt abandoned? What if she was angry? So much time had passed, and Annabelle couldn't shake the guilt of not being there. She missed her more than anything, she needed to know if she was okay.

Other than the meeting she had no plans. What do you do after finding a shit tone of gold?

The girl breathed out and leaned against him. She couldn't help but feel guilty for hiding the whole gold thing from him. She knew she would have to say it eventually she just wasn't sure when it was the right time. There was something gnawing at her, restricting her from giving him the full truth. After his reaction the other day she couldn't help but feel like she was tip-toeing around him, hoping not to cause another outburst from him.

Her arms wrapped over the boy's that rested around her waist. The proximity of his body and his gentle touch eased her in ways no one else had done in her whole life. Every moment with him, even the small ones like that, felt exciting and heartwarming in every possible way.

Rafe must have felt the shift in her energy because his hold on her tightened slightly, grounding her. "You sure you'll be alright today?" he asked, watching her closely in the mirror. His voice was steady, but there was something else woven into it—concern.

"Yeah, I think I'm going to meet the pouges." She responded. Rafe's muscles tensed, only so slightly that it was barely noticeable but Annabelle didn't miss it. He had never been subtle about his hatred for her friends—especially not after learning that John B had taken his place in Chapel Hill. That betrayal still burned, and she knew even mentioning them stirred something in him.

Rafe cleared his throat and nodded. "I'm still driving you to the meeting with CBS, right?"

Her smile returned, softer now. "Yeah, if it's not too much trouble."

"Never." He murmured, his lips brushing against her ear. "I want to be there for you."

Annabelle let out a slow breath, her body melting further into his. She didn't have to say it, but she appreciated that, more than she could put into words.

"How are you feeling about it?" he asked, his voice quieter now, more careful.

The girl shrugged. "Excited to see her. Scared that she'll think I abandoned her."

Rafe turned her in his arms, his hands coming up to cup her face, thumbs stroking gently over her cheeks. "Hey," he said, his voice firm but gentle. "She's your sister. She knows how much you love her. She'll understand that you've been trying."

Annabelle swallowed, leaning into his touch. "I hope so."

Rafe pressed a slow, lingering kiss to her forehead, his lips warm and reassuring. "She will." His arms tightened around her again, holding her against him as if he could shield her from the weight of it all. "I'll come pick you up at 3, alright? Just text me where you're at and we do this together."

A small, relieved sigh left her as she buried her face into his chest, his scent—cologne and something uniquely Rafe—wrapping around her like a comfort she didn't know she needed. And in that moment, with his arms around her, she almost believed that everything really would be okay.

•❃°•°❀°•°❃•

Annabelle, Kiara, and Sarah huddled over the makeshift map, a chaotic mess of stick figures with silly faces, exaggerated arrows, and scribbled notes that barely made sense.

"Who drew this?" Sarah asked, squinting at what was supposed to be a depiction of the well.

"Who do you think?" Annabelle snickered, glancing up just as JJ strolled toward them, hands stuffed deep into his pockets.

"Ladies, this better work." He tossed the three gold bars on the van floor. "We can't pawn this if there's a giant wheat symbol on it."

Annabelle reached behind her seat and pulled out the blowtorch. "It's gonna work."

They all crowded around as JJ flicked the torch on, the bright blue flame licking at the metal. Annabelle watched closely, arms crossed, until he turned to her with a proud smile on his lips.

He lifted his goggles from his head and held out the blowtorch to her. "Wanna give it a go?"

Annabelle teasingly lifted her brows and took it from his hands. "Oh, you trust me with that?"

"Not even a little bit," JJ deadpanned, carefully adjusting the goggles over her head.

She grinned at him, something deeply wrong flickering in her chest at his gentle touch. "Smart, because I was totally about to set your hair on fire." She chuckled and lit the blowtorch, masking whatever she had just felt with a playful and friendly tone.

"Joke's on you, this masterpiece is flame-resistant." JJ ran a hand through his messy hair before stepping back.

"Not with all that product," She scoffed, her gaze flickering up at his hair. "God, let that mess breathe." She joked and the boy mirrored her smile and she looked away quickly, trying to avoid whatever was making her heart beat just a little faster.

•❃°•°❀°•°❃•

"Hell of a job melting it down, Dr Frankenstein," JJ said, examining the half-melted piece of gold that rested in the small piece of cloth in his hands.

"Like you could've done it better, Goldilocks." Annabelle shot back as they jumped out of the van. They had parked in front of the Pawn Shop, located in one of the many sketchy areas in Outer Banks.

"I was doing a better job, until you came-" JJ began.

"Pweh, yeah right." Annabelle scoffed in his face, making exaggerated mocking noises.

"I took a welding class," The blonde defended himself to which she giggled.

"Right, right. When the hell did you-?"

"Hey, hey, shhh." John B stepped between them. "Could we maybe not act like a married couple in public? Just this once?"

Annabelle's grin faltered just slightly but quickly made a fake reappearance when JJ smirked at her over the boy's shoulder before the blonde boy looked at John B. "Easy for you to say. You're not the one that had to pawn this piece of shit." It was true, Annabelle and JJ had gotten the task of trying to pawn it for whatever reason.

"Oh, you're a piece of shit," Annabelle muttered under her breath.

"How did we get this job anyway?" JJ asked, turning to the front door of the shop.

"Cause you two are the best liars." Pope simply shrugged.

With that, the bell above the pawn shop door jingled as JJ led the way inside. Annabelle followed closely, the rest of the group dispersing around the shop like they weren't totally up to something sketchy.

"Afternoon, ma'am." He greeted the woman behind the counter, whose expression tightened with skepticism. Her gaze traveled between the faces of the pouges before meeting JJ's, immediately skeptical.

"Afternoon," she said slowly, eyes narrowing.

Annabelle, not one to waste time, leaned on the counter with easy confidence. "I see you buy gold."

"That's what the sign says, don't it?" The woman eyed Annabelle up and down, clearly unimpressed.

JJ caught the way her gaze lingered a little too long on Annabelle, his jaw tightening before looking back at the pawnbroker. "Well, I sure hope you buy a lot of it because I'm about to blow your mind." He said and heaved his backpack up on the counter.

"I ain't got much mind left to blow so have at it." She placed a hand on her hip, looking bored already.

JJ grinned and placed the piece of gold in front of her. "How about them gold apples?"

The woman's eyes moved between the two teens in front of her, chuckling dryly at them as she clearly thought it was some prank. "That ain't real."

Annabelle crossed her arms. "Why don't you pick it up and see for yourself?"

JJ glanced down at her, just briefly, a proud grin spreading over his face. The two then looked at the woman who hesitated before grabbing the piece and immediately shifting its weight between her hands. Her lips pressed together, suddenly a lot more interested.

"Let's get some light on that," JJ suggested as she reached for a small magnifier.

After a moment of examination, she smirked. "Spray-painted tungsten."

"Spray-painted tungsten? Really?" JJ scoffed.

"Why don't you see how soft it is?" Annabelle added smoothly, her firm expression unwavering.

The woman eyed her, almost like she was amused by the confidence. "You mind?" she asked, already reaching for her tools. "Do you mind?" She asked, reaching for her instruments.

"No, go for it" Annabelle huffed and watched her. She used the tools to peck at the gold bar, the results clearly not what she had expected. Annabelle couldn't help but feel the sides of her mouth twitch up into a grin, sending JJ a quick glance. His eyes lingered on her, a triumphant smile playing on his face before looking down at the lady.

"Wow, Would you look at that?" He breathed.

The woman lifted her hand. "Hold your horses." She muttered. "We ain't got to the acid test yet."

"Ooh, the acid test." JJ whooped and glanced around at his friends. "My favorite, guys." He nudged Annabelle, who barely managed to suppress a laugh.

The woman dropped a bit of acid onto the metal, watching intently, her expression twisting in shock as she was slowly being proven wrong by the teens. "Well, it ain't plated and it ain't painted. Looks like someone melted it down through."

Annabelle swallowed hard, her mind racing for a believable excuse, but JJ beat her to it.

"My mom," He said. "She had all this jewelry lying around the house, and she thought it was best to melt it down. To 'consolidate' it."

The pawnbroker looked hesitant. She turned around and placed the gold on one of the weight scales. "Seven pounds?" She huffed. "That's a lot of earrings."

"To be honest ma'am.." JJ cleared his throat, his voice coming out a fake mellow tone. "It's really hard to see my mom fall apart with Alzheimer's."

Annabelle bit her lip, trying to contain her grin hearing him. The woman in front of them scanned him, unimpressed by the sad boy. She excused herself and walked off into a back room.

"Alzheimers? Really?" Annabelle turned to JJ, whispering through a grin, once the woman was out of earshot and he grinned down at her.

•❃°•°❀°•°❃•

The pawnbroker had returned with an offer of seventy thousand. However, the money was conveniently in a warehouse in the middle of nowhere, but the teens didn't waste any time heading there.

The group now sat in the Twinkie, rolling over the cracked roads that stretched endlessly into nothing. Annabelle glanced out at the blur of abandoned houses and overgrown forests outside the car, sending an unsettling sensation up her spine. She leaned back, resting against Kiara's shoulder, fiddling with the edge of her shirt, feeling the faint smell of Rafe's cologne etched into the fabric.

"So, they keep money out here?" Pope questioned, his eyes trailing over the knocked-over trash cans and wrecked houses that they passed.

"That's what she said," Kiara breathed, her unease creeping into her voice.

"That's what she said." JJ chuckled, earning a few hard glares from his friends.

"Stop," Pope groaned at him, his smile faltering.

"I've never even heard of Resurrection Drive," Sarah piped up from the passenger seat.

"Cause you're rich," JJ scoffed.

"I've never heard of it either," Annabelle spoke. "Neither have you."

"Thank you," Sarah breathed.

Annabelle felt Kiara shift slightly, her gaze plastered on the trees and bushed outside. "There's nothing but weeds back here."

The tension in the car grew. Everyone was on edge, all of them feeling uneasy with the situation and their surroundings.

JJ tried to keep the mood light. "All right just cause it's just weeds doesn't mean it's like..." he was cut off by the sound of sirens whooping behind them. Annabelle shot up, seeing the car behind them through the back window, her heart dropping as she noticed the correlating red and blue lights flashing from the car.

"Cops? Out here?!" Her hands shot into her pockets, fingers grazing the blunts that rested tucked away in them.

"God, are you kidding me!" JJ groaned as he rushed to hide the gold.

"What do we do?" Sarah panicked.

"Stash that," John B told the blonde boy, who wrapped the melted gold bar in a rag, but as he dug through his backpack, John B's hand shot out to stop him. "Did you bring a gun, JJ?"

JJ shot him a glare, offended. "No, okay?" He shoved John B's hand off. "Everyone told me to leave it back at the place."

Annabelle exhaled deeply relieved. She sent a glance over her shoulder, watching the car door open and she felt the panic creep up her spine. If the cops caught her with drugs, they'd do a deep dive into her family situation and either force her back to her father or to some foster care.

In a moment of pure desperation, she tugged JJ's backpack over to her and tossed the drugs into it. The second she did, everyone around her in the car stiffened and went quiet as she awkwardly pushed the backpack back to JJ.

"What?" She huffed, feeling their stares burn into her. JJ blinked up at her, his two worried eyes scanning her face before returning his focus to hide his own drugs. But after seeing Annabelle's drugs after he'd been told she quit, realization gnawed at him.

JJ stood, lifting his seat and shoving the bag into the hidden compartment. The air inside the van was thick—not just with fear, but something unspoken. Something worse. Something that made Annabelle's heart race with guilt.

"We good?" Kiara finally asked and JJ nodded, tapping his seat quickly.

The group of friends turned their heads at the sound of a gun cocking. Annabelle's breath got caught in her throat seeing that the cop was in fact not a cop, but a man, with half his face covered with a mask and his gun aimed at John Bs face.

"Why don't I go ahead and see them hands in the air?" He barked. The group sat paralyzed in fear, too stunned at the sight of a shotgun raised at them to move a muscle. "All calls hands up in the air now!"

Annabelle flinched at the command, slowly raising her trembling hands. Her wide eyes found JJ's, fear flickering between them. He tried to send her a reassuring look, but his face was just as pale, his muscles stiff with terror and something raw, angry.

The man jabbed the gun toward John B. "You first, now!"

John B hesitated, then reached for the car door. His hands were steady, but his eyes weren't. He climbed out, keeping his arms raised.

"Let them out!" The man motioned at the group in the back of the van, using his shotgun. John B stepped around the van, his arms raised and eyes plastered on the man as he pushed the door open for the five in the back to step out.

Sarah was first, her trembling figure slowly stepping outside followed by Pope and Kiara. Annabelle braced herself, her heart pounding. She cast one helplessly pleading look at JJ before she climbed out, her hands trembling in the air.

The man's eyes met hers and despite his mask covering most of his features, she still froze upon the realization of who was behind the mask. Barry. The realization must have hit him, too, because his eyes dragged over her slowly before a smirk curled under his mask.

"Look who we got here," He let out a muffled chuckle and Annabelle huffed, preparing for what he was about to say. "You're Rafe's girl."

The air instantly went thick, suffocating the group with the words that just left Barry's mouth. They lingered in the air for a moment of silence, almost like a bomb waiting to detonate and when it did, it made Annabelle's stomach turn. Everyone's heads snapped in the girl's direction, their eyes boring holes into her skin as she stared straight at Barry who hid an amused grin under his mask.

"What?" Kiara breathed.

"Bells, wha-" JJ's voice was low but laced with something thick, something raw.

Barry stepped forward. "Sorry, Pouge. Did I just spill your little secret?"

Annabelle's pulse roared in her ears. She felt the weight of JJ's gaze on her, her chest tightening.

"What the fuck," Kiara muttered under her breath, almost too quiet but Annabelle heard it and it burned. She didn't dare to meet her gaze or any of the other ones.

"Get down," Barry spoke up again, motioning his gun toward the group, who all hesitantly kneeled to the ground, laying down flat on their stomachs- everyone except for JJ whose gaze was permanently plastered on Annabelle. The girl had climbed to her knees when she finally looked up at JJ, tears threatening to crawl into her sight. The boy stared down at her, his jaw tensed and his eyes hurt.

"I told you to get down!" Barry shouted at the blonde boy and Annabelle breathed out a quiet please, barely above a whisper but JJ didn't move a muscle. Barry stepped forward, pushing the end of his gun into JJ's chest. The boy folded forward, letting out a strained breath at the force of Barry's gun. "Get on the ground before I blow your God damn head off!"

Once he finally got down, Annabelle let out a breath that she didn't even know she had been holding in. The group of friends lined up, lying flat on the ground as Barry pointed his gun at them. Annabelle stared up the barrel, her chest tightening.

"Put your head down, pretty!" Barry shouted, nudging his weapon closer to her face causing the girl to flinch back, quickly turning her head down, letting a single tear fall. She shakily clasped her hands on the back of her head, her heart banging inside her chest.

Barry prowled toward the van, rummaging through the back for the gold.

"Annabelle..." Kiara turned her head slightly to look at her. "Is he-"

Before the girl could answer, movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention. She watched as John B slowly crept to a stance as Sarah desperately clutched his arm

"No, no, no...." She pleaded.

"John B, don't be a hero man," Pope whispered but the boy simply just placed his finger over his lips to hush him as he carefully crouched to Barry's car, climbing into the backseat.

Only moments later, Barry walked out with the gold bar in his hand and his shotgun in the other. Annabelle held her breath, praying with everything inside of her that he wouldn't notice John Bs disappearance.

"All right, y'all just stay like that, and I won't have to make shoot Country Clubs whore in the head." He said. "Don't move a muscle!"

Annabelle let out a hushed whimper, her body trembling against the leafy ground.

Suddenly, the group lifted their head at the sound of rattling and struggling inside the car further down the road. They pushed off the ground, seeing John B fight against Barry's grip on the gun before finally tugging it out of his hands.

"Guys! I got the gun!" He shouted and threw himself out of the car. Within a second JJ was on his feet, sprinting at them with the rest of his friends right behind him. The blonde boy pushed Barry off John B but the man swung back. JJ rolled to the ground just as Kiara attempted to punch Barry but he was stronger and pushed her away with ease.

Annabelle rushed up to him, somehow managing to avoid his curled fist, and pushed his weight against the car before elbowing him on the nose just as John B slammed the butt of the gun into Barry's ribs causing him to double over and collapse on the ground.

"I got the gold!" Pope exclaimed, rushing from the passenger seat of the car.

Barry groaned in pain, leaning against the vehicle as the group gathered around him, glaring him down. John B revealed Barry's face by pulling down the mask. Blood seeped from his nose and he grunted as he pushed his fingers to stop the flow.

"I know this piece of shit." JJ spat. "He sells coke to my dad."

"Listen, I wasn't gonna hurt any of y'all. Not after seeing that Rafe's girl was with ya'll okay? He'd kill-" Barry was cut off by JJ lunged forward but before he could do anything stupid, Pope and John B held him back.

JJ's eyes were shooting daggers down on the man, his chest heaving before he averted his gaze up on Annabelle. The girl stood with her arms wrapped around her for a sense of comfort.

"Tell me it's not true." JJ's voice was firm but the words still sounded more like a plea.

Annabelle's throat was dry. No words would come. She inhaled a shaky breath, her heart clenching at the way he stared at her, the way his words hung heavy in the air. The silence broke something within them, shattering something between them.

JJ took a step forward, his eyes raking her face, searching and begging for any signs of denial but they never showed. "Tell me he's lying."

Annabelle's face twisted with emotion, her arms wrapping tighter around herself. "I can't.." She tasted the bitter taste of her words on her tongue, watching the whole group around her stiffen, their expression shifting completely.

Sarah scoffed at her, the noise echoing in the silence. JJ didn't blink, his eyes never leaving the girl as her words stabbed at him brutally. His face twitched and his brows furrowed. Anger pules over his features along with something more raw, broken, disappointed maybe.

"Damn, stuck a nerve," Barry chuckled, wincing as he shifted. "Rafe and Miss Pouge princess over here have been all wrapped up together for a while now-"

"Shut up," JJ said, his eyes not leaving the brunette girl in front of him.

"Living together, ain't that right?" Barry continued.

"Shut up," JJ repeated.

"Walked in on her moaning his nam-"

"Shut up!" JJ slammed the gun against Barry's face, the man folding forward, groaning upon the impact.

JJ shuffled through Barry's pockets before snatching out his ID. He scanned it for a moment before walking toward the van. "We got one last stop." He muttered and tightened his grip on the barrel of the gun.

Annabelle stared up at him, a cold gust of wind brushing against her skin as he paced past her without looking her way. His eyes were narrowed, burning.

"Let's go see where this son of a bitch lives."

The group exchanged a few hesitant glances before following the Maybank boy to the car. Annabelle stalled, still frozen in place at the scene that had just unfolded. The secret was out and the looks on her friend's faces burned in the back of her head.

"I'm gonna remember this shit," Barry groaned out through gritted teeth. Annabelle turned to look down at him as he held his hand to his face, blood trickling from his nose. "Ya'll are gonna pay for this! Or maybe I'll pay Country Club a visit."

Annabelle's eyes were shooting daggers down on Barry at the mention of Rafe. "You wouldn't dare." Her voice was hoarse. "You're his little bitch now, remember?" She let out a humorless scoff in his face. "But if you do, make sure you don't leave out the detail where a girl broke your nose."

Annabelle stormed toward the Twinkie, leaving Barry to shift uncomfortably against the side of his car.

𝟒𝟐𝟏𝟒 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬
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𝐀/𝐍
the lie is out....
y'all are not ready for what I've got planned