╭ ╮
━━━━  " 📂 "

𝙎 𝙒 𝙄 𝙈

╰ ╯

OLLIE COULD HAVE, PERHAPS, done something that was maybe a little more helpful than helping Sarah Cameron chase birds away from mice. A goddamn hurricane had happened, and all she did was take her sister to Tannyhill, swat birds away with a tennis racket and have a conversation with Ward that her father should have been having with him.

He had sent her away with notes. Sat there, on the porch, and watched as she made notes on the conversation because there was all too much information for her to remember. And all the while Rose had been inside with Miss Lana, making sure the poor woman ate because Ollie was to walk her back over to the Meridan estate so she could ask Steve and his crew if they had seen Scooter Grubbs.

The same Scooter Grubbs who used to beg at the gas station because he couldn't drive the old truck he drove back home. Who used to stumble into the shop at the docks to see if he could buy individual cigarettes. Who Ollie was certain she had seen at the helm of a Grady-White quite literally the other day when she had gone out on Sienna's brother's boat with them for the day.

The same Scooter Grubbs whose whereabouts were unknown by any of the men working on clearing up the mess around Ollie's house. The same Scooter Grubbs who hadn't been seen since helping Sarah secure the Druthers during storm-prepping. The same Scooter Grubbs whose body had been discovered that afternoon by old Corrie on his trawler, blue from the cold of the water.

Someone - and Ollie was pretty sure it was that blond Pogue girl she was certain was called Peeler - had been there when Sheriff Peterkins was taking old Corrie's witness statement, and a picture was already circulating through the groupchats. The phone lines were back up, at the very least they were on Figure Eight, and, well, Ollie had seen the photograph of Scooter Grubb's dead body at least twenty times before she was asked if she was going to the Kegger that evening.

And despite all that happened, despite how odd her life had been since waking up after that party in a guest room at Tannyhill, Ollie couldn't find a good enough reason to say no.

She just wasn't going to drink that much. She couldn't deal with the potential of ending up at the Camerons' again, couldn't deal with waking up anywhere other than her own bed or in Sienna's room... and besides, the Boneyard (the designated beach for all Keggers) wasn't too bad of a walk. It was a Kegger, which meant cheap beer and probably smoking weed. Ollie would be fine. A Kegger wasn't a proper party, it was a Pogue party which meant - and Ollie meant no harm by it, the reality truly was just that they couldn't afford anything but shitty beer.

And as such she got ready, showering off the sheen of sweat from the humidity of the day, drying her hair, carefully tying in tiny plaits that were knotted by clear elastics, smudging eyeliner in her waterline. The hefty decision as to what top to wear and what necklace to pair with it, and should she wear shorts or a skirt - could she wear sneakers with a skirt or did she have to wear shorts?

Ollie always took such care with her appearance before she would drink herself into sickness. It was a torturous ritual she took part in willingly, despite the tremendous effort it took, because she that by the time the night was over, there would be tears leaking from her eyes, her top would somehow be ripped or stained or both and her hair knotted beyond belief. And still, she did it, she enjoyed every second of it, because she would somehow feel more human after completing it, even with the knowledge of what was to come after.

There was a loud beeping noise outside, and that was Ollie's cue to leave. She pulled her bag over her shoulder, phone shoved into the back pocket of her denim shorts and shoes already on, slipping out of her room with ease. She crossed the hallway, hand curled into a fist, and she knocked gently on the door.

"Mhm?"

Ollie opened the door a crack, slipping only her head into the room. "I'm out for the night, Iz." She whispered. Her younger sister's face was lit up by the blue light of her phone. "You and Wheezie back on regular schedule?"

"You know it." Izzy smiled. "Come in when you get back."

"You'll be asleep."

"I know." Izzy nodded.

"Umm..." Ollie looked surprised but nodded regardless. "Yeah, okay. Will do."

"Promise?" Izzy held out her pinkie.

"Promise." Ollie replied and pulled the door closed again, when she made it down the stairs, her dad was stood in the door of his office. He was on the phone, and it looked serious and as such, he couldn't say anything. But all the same he held his arm out and his eldest daughter slotted into his side for a brief hug, before she was dashing out of the front door without so much of a glance back.

When she emerged into the warmth of the evening, she was greeted by a sight she hadn't expected. It wasn't Sienna and Elsie, as she had expected, but instead Topper's jeep. Sarah was hanging out of the passenger side window with a grin and raised eyebrows, Topper was driving and Kelce was in the backseat.

"What's going on?" Ollie came to a stop in front of Sarah.

The blonde only shrugged. "You saved mice with me today, thought the least I could do is give you a ride."

"I saved mice because I slept in your guest room when we hadn't spoken for weeks." Ollie rebutted.

"Who cares?" Sarah let out a laugh. "Come on, are you getting in or what? It's just a ride, it's not like we're getting married or something."

"Hot." Kelce nodded approvingly.

"Shut up." The two girls said in unison, and all of a sudden Ollie was pulled open the door to the backseat and climbed in, settling in beside Kelce regardless of his gross comments. Topper made a U-turn, and they were on their way.

Ollie cleared her throat, leaning forward. "How did you convince Sienna and Elsie to let you guys pick me up instead?" She asked, head tilted as Sarah avoided her gaze.

"Didn't have to convince them," Sarah replied, primly. She turned her face towards her. "They screamed a lot, said it was about time and called us both bitches. So, you know, the usual."

"Definitely the usual." Ollie hummed, sitting back in her seat as they approached the bridge off the built-up area of Figure Eight and into the woods. "I don't think we should tell our dads though. That we're talking again."

"Oh, definitely not." Sarah agreed. "God, they'll be unbearable. Besides, who knows, we could fall out just as easily as we started talking again."

"So easily." Ollie waved a hand dismissively. She wouldn't say it, but as much as she seemed happy about it, there was a weird pit in her stomach that she didn't want to address. "Thanks, by the way, Topper, for the other night. You know the whole... dropping me off at Sarah's."

"Don't worry about it." Topper said. "I, er, thought you guys were friends. Thought I was helping out a friend of Sarah's."

Well, that was telling. Ollie sat back in her seat as they approached the track that led them closer down towards the beach. She was more than happy to try to sort things out with Sarah, but there was no chance she would ever like her boyfriend. Plus, Topper and Kelce were friends with Rafe. That was more than telling. But if she was happy and he was nice enough to her, especially now that they had only just begun talking again, Ollie wasn't going to say a word.

They arrived at the Boneyard not seconds later, Topper watching as they got out the car and the lights flashing when he locked it. The party was already in full swing when they pushed their way through the brush and onto the sand, with three distinct groups having formed. The Pogues were by the main hunks of driftwood, sipping from red solo cups and talking to the Tourons.

The tourists, 'chum for the sharks', as she heard one Pogue call them. They were here on vacation, desperate to get away from their pestering parents who had worried themselves sick over the hurricane the night before, just clueless enough for the Pogues to swindle them and convince them of a multitude of things. Easy enough lays, just a night of flirting and they would go back off to wherever they came from without any tough break up or anything. She knew that well enough. It was wrong of her to simply label Tourons as a Pogue sport because she had done the same thing before. Tourons, the lack of complication in a week-long relationship with them, how easy it was to romanticise the thought of a holiday romance. It was simple.

And then there were the Kooks. Ollie, Sarah, Topper, Kelce and their friends. Everyone knew everyone and they kept to themselves. It was a party, nobody was going to pass up a party no matter who was throwing it. Keggers were open invites, and Kooks would drag themselves over to where the Pogues had tapped the keg with their heels digging into the sang and begrudgingly accept the cup from them.

"I'm gonna go get a drink." Ollie announced, turning to face the group she had come with, still slowly making her way towards where people were gathered. "Anyone else want one?"

"Nah, we brought our own." Kelce held up a six pack she hadn't noticed before, as did Topper. "Don't want any of that Pogue shit. Probably gonna poison us or some shit."

Ollie forced herself to not roll her eyes right in front of her. Instead, she turned around and did it instead, weaving inbetween the groups of Tourons and Pogues towards the mass that circled the keg. Topper and Kelce might be assholes but she was supposed to be trying to make things work with Sarah. As annoying as the boys were, Sarah was spending time with them and well... Ollie could probably do with getting her dad off her back about the girl. It was getting to a point when she was truly convinced that the only way to get him off her back about her friends or whatever was to make up with Sarah. He had always liked Sarah.

"Look who it is." As she emerged out into the small clearing, her eyes landed on the two boys stood behind the keg, shuffling a stack of solo cups. John B slapped JJ on the shoulder pushing it forward. "Nice to see you again, princess." JJ continued in a hum.

"JJ." Ollie replied plainly. "Didn't realise you guys were throwing this thing." She said, eyebrows raised as she glanced around. "Wouldn't have thought many people would be out tonight after the Hurricane."

"Well you know, a Kegger is a Kegger." John B pulled a cup from the sleeve and handed it over to JJ. "I'm gonna... just go talk to Kie."

"Very subtle." Ollie watched as he disappeared into the crowd. "Something you gotta tell me, Maybank?"

"You know... I couldn't tell you." JJ shrugged, filling the cup to the brim with the foamy beer. He was looking up at her with a smirk. "A Kegger is a Kegger. The night goes where the night goes."

"Very vague, and very, very obvious." Ollie glanced back over her shoulder to where Sarah, Topper and Kelce had settled. Some other Kooks had started up a fire and they were sharing around cans. "You know, JJ, I seem to remember the last time a Kegger happened a certain promise was made..."

"John B's my brother." JJ waved a hand dismissively, picking up the cup balanced against the metal rim at the top of the keg and began to fill it up. "I have no secrets from him. Zilch. Nada. None."

"Nada?" Ollie repeated. "Really?"

"Zilch." JJ replied. He pushed blonde messy hair back off his face, took a sip of his drink. "And... you know, if you ever get bored with your Kook friends you're welcome to come slum it with me."

"And slumming it would entail...?" The corner of Ollie's lips were beginning to turn upwards. "Just you know... the casual sex or smoking weed, both in the back of you guys' van?"

"The Twinkie?"

"Sure, the Twinkie." Ollie folded her arms across her chest. "So, is it casual sex or smoking in the Twinkie?"

"Whatever you want, princess." 

"Hmmm..." Ollie pursed her lips, head tilted as she presumed a somewhat thoughtful expression. "I suppose I'd better think it over with my Kook friends."

JJ all but rolled his eyes at the suggestion. "Whenever you make up your mind, princess." He reached for her cup and filled it once more.

"I know where to find you." Ollie took her drink and tipped it towards him in an almost cheers before turning on her heel and beginning to make her way back to the Kooks. It wasn't as far this time, given their decision to join their friends around the campfire. Topper and Sarah had gone off somewhere; seconds later when she looked out at the beach the blonde girl was climbing to the top of an old washed-up buoy, much to Topper's chagrin.

As she took her seat, Ollie felt eyes on her. Kiara; who had decided not to even attempt to hide that she not happy about either of their presence on the beach. She hadn't been happy about what happened between Ollie and JJ either. It was at the end of the summer before, she had just gotten back from the Hamptons, there was a Kegger for someone's birthday... or one was thrown in an attempt to cheer up John B after his dad went missing or both and the rest was history. She had woken up in John B's house, and when JJ offered to at least drive her back into town, following her out onto the porch, Kiara had glared at her all the way and she was pretty sure had ripped into JJ as soon as she left.

Ollie was, and she could only ever admit it to herself, entirely jealous of the Pogues. She had the nice house, the money, the seemingly endless second chances at life, and for those things she knew she was beyond lucky. But there was just something about the way they lived, without a care in the world, a prioritisation of friendship above all else. And maybe she could have used the whole hooking up with JJ thing to get in there, to do exactly as Kiara had and become friends with them regardless of who she was and where she had been born. But Ollie was far too scared for that.

"Looking a little lost there, Ollie." A girl's voice said and when Ollie realised that she was being spoken to she came back to reality with a start, the buoy upon which her gaze once rested now being desolate; Topper and Sarah were slowly walking towards the group, hand in hand, and Sienna was grinning almost maniacally beside her.

"What?" Ollie leant slightly backwards away from her. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing..." Sienna replied, slipping her arm into the crook of her elbow. "Just might've heard from somewhere that you and Sarah came together."

"You heard?"

"Down the grapevine, somewhere."

"Was the grapevine Sarah?" Ollie's eyebrows raised. Sienna frowned at this; she had not expected to be found out so soon. "Why is it everyone's secret wet dream for me and Sarah to be friends?" She asked.

"It's not..." The two girls had simply known each other for too long for that weak of a lie. "It's... I don't know how to word this without sounding like a total bitch." Sienna said.

"You're not gonna hurt my feelings," Ollie said, forcing herself to take a sip of her drink. "Seriously. At this point, it'll hurt my feelings more if you don't just say it."

Sienna adjusted her position on the log upon which they were sat, avoiding eye contact. "It's just that... and I'm sure you've noticed this too... that... well, you're like a sister to me and Elsie, we'd trust you with our lives, but..."

"You've always been a pair." Ollie finished off the thought. She couldn't pretend like she hadn't noticed, she wasn't stupid nor oblivious. "And me being friends with Sarah makes us a pair."

Sienna glanced nervously up at her, away from the fire. "Yeah." She confirmed the thought. "We're still gonna hang out though, it's not gonna change, it's just always seemed that you and Sarah just got each other."

Yeah. They did. That was the whole problem.

"You're right," Ollie replied drily. "Don't worry about it, Sienna, seriously, it's no big deal." She got to her feet, draining the last dregs from her cup. "I'm gonna go get another drink."

She didn't hear whatever Sienna was trying to say as she carefully made her away from the group of Kooks gathered around the campfire. JJ had disappeared in the time Ollie had partaken in that wonderful, wonderful conversation and just left John B hanging around the keg, in the middle of flirting with a brunette Touron.

"Is it a self-serve free-for-all now or are you guys still playing host?" Ollie asked as she approached. "Genuinely asking, before you start going all Kook versus Pogue on me."

"I wouldn't." John B claimed, excusing himself.

"JJ would."

"Sure he would, but I'm not JJ." John B held up the spout and in response, Ollie held out her cup. "Hey - cool necklace." He said. "What is that?"

"This?" Ollie glanced down, thumb running over the chain around her neck. "Oh, it's some family heirloom - it's a key."

"A key?" John B repeated. "It's tiny."

"It'll be for someone's diary or something." Ollie waved it away dismissively. "Something on my mom's side, it's the eldest daughter thing, I guess. I'll see you for another refill soon?"

"Why, Kooks driving you crazy?" John B's eyebrows rose.

"Thought you said you wouldn't go all 'Kooks versus Pogues' on me?" Ollie shook her head with mock disappointment and disappeared back into the crowd.

⎈

"Hey, Sarah! Sarah!"

Ollie looked from what was probably one too many red solo cups of beer. She wasn't drunk, no, just a little tipsy - she never got drunk off of beer, especially not whatever shit John B and his friends had managed to get for that evening. She had been sat with Sarah, giggling about something or the other in that fashion that mirrored how they once did, and Topper had come up to them and the blonde had excused herself.

And now Sarah and Topper were stopped in front of JJ, the latter already looking angry.

"Can I interest you in a tasty Milwaukee beverage?" JJ offered Sarah, who shook her head and said something that Ollie couldn't quite hear; the cracking of the campfire in front of her, warming her face, combined with the obnoxiously loud jeering of Kooks was giving her a headache.

"Come on," JJ always spoke loud enough for anyone to hear, and Ollie wobbled to her face, struggling past the group of girls beside her. Sienna and Elsie looked up at her, confused. "Is it not fancy enough for you?"

"No, no, we were just leaving," Sarah said, brushing hair out of her eyes and pulling Topper's hand away from them.

But Ollie knew full well that Topper had never really gotten the idea of intelligence, or when not to try and start a fight. "Hey, you know what?" Topper said. "I'll take it. I'll... thank you, man, I appreciate it." He sounded drunk, like stumbling his way home, vomiting in the bushes drunk. At least Ollie thought so, although she wasn't too sure Sarah did. She couldn't see any remaining, filled cans of the beer Topped brought anyway, and she could've sworn she saw a flask being passed between him and Kelce.

"That's nice, Topper, but I didn't ask you," JJ replied, a sort of grim enjoyment filling his tone at the arguing. "Now, if you said pretty please, maybe, but you didn't."

"Oh," Topper scoffed. "Pretty please."

"Yeah, Sarah," JJ held out the cup. "You can have it." Ollie was weaving past Tourons, who were all watching, amused as Sarah shook her head again and still, he held out the cup, until:

"She doesn't want it, bro." Topper stepped forward and hit the cup upwards, the beer inside splashing all over and the plastic falling to the ground. And then JJ shoved him, fists curled in his shirt to push him down to the ground.

"No, no, no, no." John B was trying to pull JJ away and somehow managed to, dragging him backwards towards the water.

"Dirty Pogues!" Topper spat and that was it. John B swivelled around to push him towards the crowd, as they all began to catch onto what was happening.

"No - no, John B," Pope began hurriedly. "We're supposed to be incognito remember? He said. Ollie's eyes flickered over to him, albeit only for a brief moment. What an odd thing to say.

"Babe, babe, babe, babe-" Sarah's panicked repetition was fruitless and Topper ignored her, deciding it best to react instead, drawing his arm back and swiftly landing the first punch to a gasp from the crowds. John B fell down into the lapping waves, struggling to get up, and failed as Topper kicked him back. 

"Hey, John B!" The Kook taunted. "Don't make me drown you like your old man, all right?" And he kicked him again, back down into the sea.

"Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!" The crowd chanted relentlessly behind them.

And as Topper roused the crowd, he made the mistake of turning his back and John B stumbled to his feet, tackling him down into the waves with him.

"Topper, stop!" Sarah yelled, and Ollie had to dart to her side to pull her back when the two boys stumbled way too close to her, almost knocking her down. "Topper!"

John B and Topper wrestled, the pair landing punches in the others' ribs before finally the latter managed to free himself from John B's headlock, the two separating for a moment before they squared up to another as if it was some professional fight, wagering their bets and landing punches when they thought they could, scoring points as opposed to a beat down like Ollie and the onlookers knew it to be.

John B managed to launch Topper down into the water. When the Kook managed to get to his feet, it returned to the back and forth before Topper threw John B back down into the water. But this time was different. It was no longer punches and kicks and whatever the hell boys did when they fought it was

"Topper, stop!" Kie yelled.

"He's drowning him!" Pope gasped out, voice croaky. "Topper's drowning him."

"Topper!" Ollie shouted out. Sarah was shaking at her side, too shocked to be able to say anything that could ever help. "Topper, fucking stop! Let him go!"

But it was too late. The sound of the gun safety click was enough to make everyone shut up. Topper froze. Everyone froze. Nobody knew what to do, and in that brief moment, the chaos on the beach stopped.

"Yeah." JJ nodded. "You know what that is. Your move, broski."

"Come on!" Pope called out. There was a shake to his voice. "Chill, dude!"

"JJ!" Ollie shouted, when she seemed to realise what was going on. "JJ! Stop!"

"Put the gun down!" Sarah pleaded.

"We're good." Topper gasped out. "We're good." JJ pulled the gun back from the skin of Topper's neck and the Kook fell to the ground.

"Kie!" Sarah shouted. "Can you check your psycho friend, please?"

"Okay, everyone, listen up!" JJ yelled out, spinning around to face the crowd. "Get the hell off our side of the island." And his words were punctuated with two shots, loud and echoing into the night as shrieks from those who remained, and hadn't shot off at the first sight of the gun, joined them.

"Ollie!" She didn't realise she had been stood, frozen at the scene - JJ wobbling away, gun in hands and Kie and Pope pulling John B from the water - until Sarah was pulling on her arm, and a terrified-looking Topper was dragging the both of them, running over the sandy beach until they reached their car, piling in.

"Should you really be driving?" Ollie asked as Topper fumbled to put the keys in the ignition.

"Whatever, bro - that shit doesn't matter, we need to get the fuck out of here, bro." Kelce beat his hands against the back of Topper's seat, and that was all the incentive Topper needed to go. He began haphazardly reversing back up the track, only turning when he got a chance to and thankfully (because Ollie stood by her previous statement in that Topper should not be driving whatsoever), the rest of the road was relatively straight.

Kelce's house was on the way to Tannyhill, which was clearly their intended destination, and thank god because Ollie couldn't stand his shouting, asking what the fuck had just happened and his claim that that 'dirty Pogue was gonna get exactly what was coming for him'. Certainly, she believed that JJ had done massively wrong with pulling a gun on Topper and she wasn't even going to try and excuse his behaviour - just because she had slept with him once did not have to mean that she blindly lost all conviction and morality - but the idea of revenge was... unbecoming to say the least.

She hated it, the Pogues versus Kooks thing, and something about this told her it was only going to get worse from here. A fucking gun. JJ had pulled a gun.

"Shit, I forgot you were back there." She hadn't noticed, but Topper had already pulled up outside Tannyhill. He turned around in his seat, looking back at her with some kind of disappointment. Sarah's silhouette appeared next to him.

"Shit, sorry, Ollie." She sounded genuinely surprised. "We should've dropped you home first."

"It's fine." Ollie reached for the door handle and pushed it open. "I can walk."

"You can't walk - I..." Sarah was falling out of the car after her. She glanced over her shoulder, where stopper was getting out of the car and lowered her voice for a brief moment. "After what happened, I think he should stay here... but you can stay in the guest room or something. Daddy'll understand, you're always welcome here."

"It's not..." Ollie shook her head, feet already walking her backwards. "It's not that I don't want to, I just absolutely cannot wake up in your house again."

"What?" Sarah blinked, looking confused. "I thought that... I thought everything was fine, I just..."

"It's not about you." Ollie said. "Promise, not about you. I just... I'm fully sober, I can walk, I can get myself home."

"If she wants to walk back then..." Topper began, hands shoved in his pockets, and Ollie got the distinct impression that he was taking Sarah's offer of him staying her as a chance for other things. "But if you want her to stay," he shrugged.

"You had a gun pulled on you, Top." Sarah faced him fully, now, instead of trying to balance conversation with the both of you. "I just... I don't think it's safe for Ollie to be walking-"

"What's going on?" They all looked up at the same time. Somehow, in Ollie's attempt to get away from the couple for the night and get home, and Sarah's convictions to get her to stay, they hadn't notice the door into Tannyhill open and Rafe was standing there. "Someone, er, someone say something about a gun?"

"That fucking insane Pogue - what's his name... what's his name...?" Topper snapped his fingers in the girls' direction, awaiting some answer.

"JJ." Ollie replied, quietly.

"Yeah - JJ - that fucking psycho started a fight because Sarah didn't want some beer and pulled a gun on me. Safety off and everything. He's fucking insane." Topper began pacing before them, hands raised to his head as if the reality was only just setting in.

Ollie didn't think it helpful to mention that Topper had almost drowned John B. It wasn't an excuse for what JJ did, but seriously? If there was no other way to pull off the guy trying to drown your best friend... Ollie shook her head slowly, and when her eyes flickered up she saw Sarah watching her with the same expression.

"Freaking Pogues, man." Rafe ran a hand through his hair. His eyes were wide and he was wearing the same shirt as Ollie had seen him in earlier... except it was far more wrinkled, he was completely less put together than he had been before. "We're gonna get him back, man. We're gonna get him." His accusatory finger jabbed into Topper's chest.

"Can you two stop with the whole revenge, psychopath thing?" Sarah rolled her eyes, before turning back to Ollie. "Just stay in our guest room. It's fine, nobody will care."

"I care." Ollie protested and was trying to begin the journey already, stepping slowly backwards away from the group. "I'm sober, it's not exactly far, and I promised my sister I'd be back. Keep looking at me like that all you want Topper, if I want to make promises with my sister I will."

"Hey, hey." Topper held up his hands in mock surrender, something all these Kooks did so often. "Make all the promises you want."

"Rafe can walk you." Sarah said, all too happy. Rafe didn't look even half as smiley about the idea as his sister did. "Right, Rafe? You'll walk Ollie back home."

"I mean-"

"I don't need walking home by some wannabe frat boy."

"Real nice of you, Ol." Rafe shook his head. "Real nice. Just when I was gonna offer and all. But you know, you go off when a freaking Pogue is walking around with a gun."

Ollie glared at him. Topper was waiting impatiently on the stairs, arms folded like he owned the place or something. Sarah looked almost mystified at the interaction and attempted a smile when she met Ollie's eyes.

"You can deal with him for, like, five minutes if it means you get home safe, right?" She asked, tucking hair behind her ears.

The girl rolled her eyes. "Fine." She finally accepted her fate; Sarah wasn't going to take no for an answer and she should've known by now that protesting any wish of the princess was bound to end up exactly how Sarah planned it to be. There was no getting out of it once she had decided. Her gaze landed on Rafe. "Well, are you going to stand there like a dickhead or walk me home?"

"Jesus, I've just agreed to walk you home whilst there's the danger of some psycho with a gun and you're still being an ungrateful bitch." Rafe followed behind her by a few paces, as the door into Tannyhill was closed carefully behind the pair they left behind, and Ollie began to make her way home.

"You didn't agree to anything," Ollie sniped, giving a certain degree of effort to ensure that she remained in front of him, "your sister coerced your agreement to her request and thus, I don't have to be any part grateful to you."

"Couldn't just be a bit grateful? Like, half a part or some shit?" Rafe grumbled.

"Why should I be? I don't want you to walk me home." Ollie replied, crossing her arms over her front and pushing forward. It might have been in the midst of summer, but something about it all sent a chill through her body. "I don't need you to walk me home," she corrected, "I'm completely sober, I'm not with Topper - who is the only person who might actually get shot around here - and my house is like five minutes away."

Rafe didn't reply to that. Not immediately anyway. He was still a couple paces behind Ollie, who was walking at the speed of a woman on a mission, and considering the tenor of their recent conversations, he almost couldn't be bothered to keep up the argument. Almost. It was considerably fun, after all. 

"You know what, Ol?" Rafe called out after her. "You're right."

"I know I am." Ollie snapped automatically before she paused, and glanced back at him for the first time, "but why are you saying that?"

"I don't want to walk you home. The last thing I want to do is walk you home. You're annoying, I think you're a bitch, you think I'm a 'wannabe frat boy'," he cleared his throat, definitely not appreciative of the given nickname, "but there's some psycho Pogue out there with a gun, right? Right? So on the off chance that he comes round here, wouldn't you rather have someone witness your death?" 

"My death?" Ollie scoffed, deciding that even if she wasn't rushing off, she was near enough home now that any pace would do. Realising that whilst she might not be drunk, the adrenaline that had been pounding through her body in time with her heartbeat was now running out; she certainly did not have the energy to try and run away from her supposed babysitter. "Please, if-"

"Right, right, you think I'd get shot?" Rafe rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Ol. You might think you're fucking invincible or some shit, but we all gotta keep the princess happy right?" 

She had slowed down just enough for him to properly catch up and was now glaring at him. Over his shoulder, the light in old Mrs Kaminsky's living room was on, and the curtains were twitching. Nosy old bag. "I might not be happy about this whole thing, but Sarah just wanted me to be safe." Ollie told him.

"Please, you couldn't even stand being in the same room as her until this morning." Rafe replied as he trailed after her

Her eyebrows knitted together as she came to a stop. "I have enough fucking problems without having to fight off the fact that Sarah wants to be friends again. If she offered, I'm not gonna say no." Ollie retorted.

"What problems?" He mocked, taking a step closer to her. "The UV index isn't high enough to tan? Oh no, Daddy won't buy me a new pair of shoes?" Rafe towered over her, face shadowed and silhouette outlined by the streetlamp somewhere behind him.

"As if you can talk, where'd you get the dirtbike money from, huh?" She retorted. "You don't get to talk to me about Daddy's money when your form of income is either stealing from Ward or dealing." 

"I'm not a dealer, Ollie." Rafe hissed. "How many times do I have to fucking say it?" 

"Oh, so you weren't just getting back from Barry's when we got there?" Ollie's head tilted. "You don't think I fucking recognise it, Rafe? What you do at parties might not be any of my business, I might just be too busy drinking into oblivion, but seriously?" 

"What?" He faltered briefly, chest heaving up and down. 

"We both have fucking problems, okay?" In a moment that Ollie could perhaps only define as a stupid, stupid mistake, she reached up and brushed her thumb under his nose. It might have been because she was looking for it, but the white powder was obvious to her. He stared at her, gaze flickering over to the tip of her thumb under the street light and back to her, looking up at her. 

"Ollie." He said her name almost like it was a warning. 

"We all have fucking problems, Rafe." With nowhere else, she reached out and wiped it on the shoulder of his shirt. "Thanks for walking me back, I guess." She added, slipping away from him for the final few feet before she made it back to the perimeter of the Meridan property, without so much of a glance back. 

And with an ache of nervousness in her stomach, she unlocked her front door and disappeared inside.