"YOU'LL MAKE A GREAT HOME HERE." Sierra mumbled to herself as she hung up the adoption papers over her dresser, a small smile on her lips. Once Shoupe had left that night Sierra had cried even more, but after hours of tears soaking her pillow she pulled on some headphones and tried relaxed. Shutting her eyes that had finally stopped producing tears, the only time she did open them was when she glanced at the playlist name. One that only her and JJ knew.

Then the next morning came, the wired headphones tangled themselves around her neck and face as some random song hummed into her ear. Sierra squinted as the beaming sun hit her eyes. She didn't remember leaving the curtains open. It came rushing to her at once, the sound of her washing machine buzzing, the popping of oil on a frying pan, a shuffle of footsteps prancing around the floor.

Sierra silently crawled out of bed, peeking a head out her half open door to peek into the hallway. She had a clear view of the kitchen, but no distinguishable person was the face behind the noise. That was a until a soft curse came and a woman came rushing towards the stove, flipping over a burnt piece of bread. The woman was decorated in small tattoos along her arm, pretty braids that started from her scalp and ended at her waist. It was clear on who the woman was and Sierra smiled softly.

"Auntie?"

The shocked Khloe Ray turned around, gasping at the sight of her niece. "Hey, babygirl, how have you been." She wrapped her arms around Sierra body, kissing her head.

"I'm doin' good." Sierra nodded, furrowing her brows. "But what are you doin' here?"

"Well, after your fathers funeral, god rest his soul, I was told that you would be put in the custody of this nice lady, uh..." Khloe snapped her fingers, staring up at the ceiling in thought. "Susan! Ms. Susan Peterkin said to avoid the hassle of moving you out to Miami to live with me, 'cause god forbid I move back here, she'd be the one to take custody of you."

Sierra nodded, being accustomed to her aunties quickness in speech. "Yeah, I understand that, but..I thought I'd be living with Kiara for a while?"

"Well, yes, that was the plan." Khloe sighed, scooping up the toast with a spatula and placing it on a plate. "But, babygirl, I missed you so much and after all the shit that's gone down, it was best that I just..." The woman hesitated as if she was going to throw up, "Never thought I'd say this, but, I've decided to move back to the OBX."

"Really?" Sierra grinned, placing her hands on her aunties forearms.

"Yes, really." Khloe rolled her eyes, "I will be takin' care of you and all you do, 'cause everybody up in this island is dying one way or another. That's why I left, I'm tellin' you, it's them damn Kooks."

"Amen, auntie." Sierra nodded, beginning her way to the pantry. "Are you getting all your stuff shipped in from Miami?"

"Of course, who do you think I am?" The woman scoffed, "I'm not putting in an ounce of work with this new moving thing, nuh uh."

The conversation was interrupted by the sound of noises outside, the locked door rattling before a quiet curse was heard. Khloe walked towards the door with furrowed brows and swung it open. There, stood JJ Maybank himself, paused mid air with a key in his grip.

"Uh, good morning?"

"What do you want? And I ain't giving you any money." Khloe placed a hand on her hip as Sierra rushed over. "Do you know this white boy?"

"Hold on." Sierra walked outside, closing the door behind her. "What's up?"

"Who was that?"

"My auntie." Sierra stated like it was obvious, "Now, what are you up to?"

"Kie and Pope are waiting, we gotta go on a mission."

"Operation save Johnny is starting now?" Sierra questioned, furrowing her brows.

"The sooner, the better, princess." JJ shrugged, "Let's go."

"Okay, okay, let me get changed." Sierra rushed back into her home, not saying anything before going to get changed in her room.

"So, did you know who that white boy was?"

"Yes, auntie!" Sierra called out, stepping into her shoes hurryingly. "He's my boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" Khloe peeked her head in with furrowed, "How come I didn't know nothin' about this."

"Well, when we got together it was a total power outage and I couldn't text, and then afterward I just sorta forgot." Sierra shrugged, beginning her way to the door before pausing. A old, foreign feeling breaking her steps. "Wait, I can go..right?"

"Just 'cause your in my custody doesn't mean you gotta ask me for permission and shit." The woman chuckled, "Go ahead, babygirl."

Sierra smiled, bidding a quick goodbye before stepping outside. She climbed into Kiara's car, and a sudden tension filled the air. From afar you would never be able to tell that Pope and Kiara were together. The awkward silence that constantly surrounded them, plus the fact that they were on completely opposite sides of the car and not looking at each other, almost as if they were forced to be there.

"Hey, hon." The Carrera girl mumbled, "Sorry about last night, I know how much you hate it when we yell and fight."

"It's okay." Sierra reassured as Kiara pulled away, Pope was next but he just sat there looking at her with a crooked smile. He was never good with sentimental moments, but Sierra simply held her arms open and approached open. "Bring it in Pope."

—

"This is the north drain, it should've gotten washed into the gully." JJ explained as the four stood beside the drain trying to figure out a plan to retrieve the gun. "So, if it got flushed out from this drain, it would've been pushed out to like..." He pointed towards the murky watered littered with plastic trash.

"Somewhere in this trash."

"Correct."

"Oh my God, people who use plastic should be shot." Kiara rolled her eyes as they scanned the polluted water.

"Okay, personally, I love plastic. Use it every day. Love the stuff." JJ argued as he and Pope collected the trash into a larger bag.

"Hopefully, your recycle it and don't let it flush into the ocean. Unlike Sierra who leaves candy wrappers on the floor." Kiara muttered the last sentence as Sierra's jaw dropped open.

"First of all," Sierra lifted up a finger, "those are the mistakes of my past self, I am a new woman."

"Mmm, okay."

"Well, I knew this conversation will come up at some point so.." Pope lifted a roll of black bags in his hand, "Trash bags."

"Did you just proactively protect the environment?"

"Maybe."

Sierra paused for a moment with furrowed brows as she glanced between the two of them, "If this is y'alls weird ass way of flirting, I think I might be sick."

"Well at least we don't eye-fuck each other every two seconds." Kiara snapped back as the girl went silent and crossed her arms with a loud huff.

After a few minutes of collecting trash, they came to the conclusion that the gun was not within the water, but instead inside the drain. Of course their mission had to become a lot harder, Sierra dropped her arms as they smacked against her legs loudly.

"Well shit."

"Damn it."

"Of course it is."

"Good thing I brought the crow."

"So, are we going to do, like, rock, paper, scissors?" Kiara questioned as Sierra put her arm out and suck on a deep breath. Meanwhile, JJ and Pope worked on opening the drain.

"No." She spoke up, "Gimmie' a hair tie."

Kiara gave the girl the hair tie on her wrist and raised a brow, "Okay?"

"I'm going in."

"Yeah." JJ hummed but paused, "Wait, what, no!"

"Yes!"

"No, in the sewer there's this worm that you get when you're down there. It gets into your blood, and then it has comes out your pecker." He explained as her face contorted into one of disgust, "So hard pass for me and you."

"That's gonna be a no for me too."

"Listen, I get that you guys are pussies, no need to worry, the women can handle this." Sierra spoke softly as she placed a hand on JJ's shoulder, "Beside, you don't make decisions for me, I do."

"W-what, I-I'm not trying to make decisions for you." JJ stuttered with wide eyes, "I just wouldn't be a big fan of a worm...Y'know."

"All right, well you sit down, Kie, let's go." Sierra tied up her hair as Kiara nodded and agreed to help.

"Wait." Pope shouted, "Just be safe."

"Oh, we'll be so safe." Kiara nodded.

"We'll be a safe for you." Sierra added and blew a kiss before she crouched down, her hands and knees connecting with the cold water. "Jesus it stinks."

"No shit, we're in sewer." Kiara groaned as she too joined Sierra inside the drain, her nose scrunched up with disgust.

"Damn, for real, though we were in Walmart."

"Not the time for your sarcasm, Si."

"You guys can just holler if you need anything." JJ called out, "We'll, uh...we'll holler back."

"Very helpful, babe, thank you."

Just a few moments of crawling Sierra senses felt like exploding, the smell made her want to vomit as her skin and clothes was stained with the dirt stuck on the tunnel walls. The same went for Kiara as the teen let out large breaths,

"Do you guys see anything?"

"Yeah, do you see the gun?"

"Nothing." Sierra yelled back, "It's probably at the bottom of the catch basin." They ended up in the center of the sewer, they could fully stand as they climbed out the tunnel. But that didn't help the fact that they had to search the green and trash infested water for the gun, Kiara muttered just insult about people when she saw the soda cans floating all around them.

She then paused and looked at Sierra, "Guys, I think I found something." She reached down deep, the water reaching her shoulder.

"Is it the gun?"

Sierra came by her side as Kiara lifted the object above the water only to see a dead mouse in her hands, quickly she threw away and cringed. "Shit, shit, oh my god, guys there is something dead down here."

"Holy fuck, no, no!" Sierra screamed, the two boys at the end tried to somehow communicate with them but they were to freaked up to even listen. "You assholes owe for life!" She was going to yell more insults at them but her ears picked up on a noise coming from behind her. Loud rumbling and gurgling coming from all around them now, more water flooded as it began to rise rapidly. "The water, guys!"

"You need to get out now!" Pope called out as Kiara climbed onto the latter to get higher up, but Sierra stayed behind to search for the gun.

"We don't have time!" She called back as her eyes scanned the everywhere, her feet kicking around to see if she could feel anything under her. It was rising fast so Sierra bit her lips and gave up as she climbed up on the latter, there wasn't very much room for her to, it was already up to her stomach.

"JJ, Pope!" Kiara screamed as she glanced down to towards Sierra, they gave each other terrified glances and watched the water under them, it had reached Sierra's collarbone and was grazing Kiara's legs.

"I can't go up any further." Sierra said as her mind scrambled, there was no smart solution she could think of, the last thing she heard before her head was fully put underwater was JJ. She sunk beneath with the disgusting water, when she tried to open her eyes it stunk so immediately they closed, Sierra was in the water blind not knowing where to go. Luckily she had adapted to holding her breath longer, giving her the advantage to try to escape.

Something hit her thigh, her hands thrashed around to try to grab it and they did, she recognized the shape and she felt a bit relieved. But what didn't help was the slight burn in her lungs, a human can only hold their breath for so long so she kicked  her feet and squinted to try to see just a bit. A circular shape above her with three blurry figures caught her sight, she swam up and practically launched herself out the water.

Loud coughs came from her throat as her whole body reeked of the sewer water she was just in. Her body was dragged out as her head rested against JJ's thigh, her eyes opened once she wiped the water from them.

"Thank god, Sierra." JJ whispered as the girl smile a bit, of course she had to make some type of joke whenever she nearly died.

"Would you still kiss me, even though I probably taste like shit?"

"For the first time in my life, no."

"Oh, well I might as well not give you this." She reached behind her and pulled the gun from her waist band. "Wasn't important anyways."

"Holy shit!" Pope laughed as he grabbed it, the exact gun they were looking for. "Holy shit!"

"Please, please, hold the applause." JJ smiled with wide eyes and instinctively bent down to kiss her lips upside down causing an awkward angle, but it didn't matter. As he pulled back he cringed slightly forgetting the state she was in when he tasted her lips.

"Gross." He muttered as Sierra laughed, finally they had semi-solid evidence to help them with John's case, now all they had to do was give it to the police.

—

A heavy sigh fell from the mans mouth, "So y'all are telling me this is the firearm Rafe Cameron killed Peterkin with?"

"That's exactly what we're telling you, Shoupe."

"In the exact same fire arm that Ward just used to kill Gavin."

"And where's that corpse again?" The officer questioned as he glanced at the two girls, they were filthy and smelled.

"Didn't you look?" Kiara spoke up with furrowed brows.

"I checked the hospital, I went by his house, he was out." He answered.

"No shit, cause he's dead!"

"He was out? Listen to yourself, it makes perfect sense."

"Just because he's not in his damn home, does not mean he was a victim of a homocode." The man interrupted their complaints with a stern tone and an noted glare, day after day he wanted to believe them but the evidence needed to be present.

"What are you taking about."

"You gotta be kidding me." JJ removed his hat and ran a hand shaking with built up angry through his blonde hair.

"Shoupe, could you at least send it in for ballistics, please, this is solid evidence that can prove John's innocence." Sierra begged in a calmer tone as the man sighed heavily, JJ threw his hands up.

"No, he'll probably sit here and was that mustache, is that even real-"

"I'll wax this—"

"JJ, shut up!" Sierra snapped at her boyfriend as he scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Oh, im sorry." The blonde locked sympathy, "Did I hurt his feelings?"

The officer stood up from his sit and walked towards the door, he opened it, calmly turning towards the teens, "Get out, Ive got work to do, y'all are smelling up my office."

"Shit." Pope muttered, an appropriate answer for the situation they were in, the only person that could possibly help them was kicking them out his officer while in a sour mood.

Kiara stood up from the seat with a saddened look, "Did Ward bribe you, this doesn't make any sense." She walked out followed by Sierra who just wanted to shower, JJ always walked out followed with a snarky comment that earned another yell from Shoupe.

"This is the biggest pile of bullshit to exist."

GUYS, I ACTUALLY POSTED...
BUT,  let me tell you about this fine
ass dude that's in my class and there
is potential between us sooo we'll see
what happens because I am obsessed
with him, he's tall af and is on the basketball
team😍