“So don’t be sad when
I’ll be gone.”

RED WOKE UP THE NEXT MORNING in a relatively okay mood. She didn’t really want to go to the party. She wanted to stay in the Outer Banks, celebrating her arrival with her friends, not a bunch of randos she hadn’t seen since birth.

Then again, she didn’t really want to be around Kie and JJ. She was still very hurt by what happened but didn’t show it for them to find out. When the time was right, she’d tell JJ what she saw and he’d have a perfectly good explanation. Or, that’s what Red kept telling herself to avoid a mental breakdown.

But that was what today was for. Red planned to head over to The Chateau, hopefully, talk to the pogues for a bit, then pull JJ aside and ask him what the hell was going on. Then, of course, she had to go to the stupid party.

Shoupe wasn’t particularly thrilled to hear that Red was leaving to see the pogues once again, but just as long as she was back in time, it wasn’t that big of a deal to him.

Red pulled into the dirt area of the Chateau, already getting a glimpse of the pogues gathered out in the shed. John B was missing from the group, probably doing something with his dad.

She walked up to the shed, whistling sharply to make her presence known to the pogues, who turned their heads towards her.

“There she is.” Pope whooped, calling Red over to the empty seat beside where he was sitting, to which Red happily occupied. 

“I was just catching them up on yesterday,” Sarah explained. “So basically I heard Rafe talking to Ward over the phone and he kept on saying, ‘This is my thing’ and we think he was talking about the cross.”

“Totally.” Red agreed, ready to bring some things Rafe had told her to the table. “I asked where the cross was and he didn’t really answer me. But apparently, he was taking care of Ward in Guadeloupe, which is where I’d assume the cross is.”

“He’s coming into Wilmington tonight at 8:00. It’s being shipped by train to Raleigh from there but this is our chance to get it back.”

“Did you get any other information?” Pope asked, Kie leaned forward in her seat, looking down at a piece of white paper with something written in pen on it.

“Sarah got the cargo number.”

“Okay, well that’s a start.”

“I mean, they’re definitely fencing that shit off as we speak so we should probably get a move on.” JJ chimed in, his eyes fixated on the paper Kie held.

“Sarah, have you heard from John B?” 

“No, I mean they’re probably off somewhere with their dad. But the problem is, they have the Twinkie.” 

“Our Transportation.” Pope leaned his head back against the pillar, just about out of ideas. “Red, can you drive us?”

Red scoffed playfully, looking back at her two-door car. “In that? Hell no. We can’t even fit all of us in there, especially not carrying a golden cross. And If I steal one more vehicle from my dad, He’ll crucify me.”

“I could ask Heyward for the truck.”

“Uh… what? Yeah, that’s gonna go well.”

“I know, JJ. But we have no other options.” Pope responded.

“Wait, wait, wait.” Red stopped, everything she’d been informed about clicking in her mind. “You're going to get the cross tonight? Like tonight, tonight?”

“Yeah, she said he’s coming in at 8:00,” Bennie replied, suddenly confused by Red’s antics.

“8:00? Like… p.m?”

“Yes?”

“No, That doesn’t work tonight,” Red stressed, laying her head in her hands. “I have to go to some stupid welcome-home party my dad planned.”

“So what, just don’t go.” JJ compromised. Red wished it was that easy.

“I can’t blow him off tonight, okay? He deserves this, I owe him this.”

“Well, there’s not gonna be another chance that we can go get this thing.” Kie reasoned. “It’s not or never guys, we’re gonna have to do it without her.”

“No. No way. Red’s a pogue, she’s one of us. She’s going.” JJ refused. “Don’t you think we’ve been split up enough?”

“Jay-j, it’s not that big of a deal.”

“Yes, it is that big of a deal, Kiara.”

“How? How is it a big deal?”

“We’re not doing it without her! I’m not doing it without her.”

“Fine! Then don’t, bro!”

“Guys, Kie’s right,” Red spoke up, interrupting the argument JJ and Kie were having. “You have to do it without me. I gotta get out of here by 3:00 anyway, and you’ll be fine!”

“No, we’re not going without you,” JJ argued, putting his hands on both Red’s shoulders and getting her to look at him. Although, it was hard to make eye contact when he’d almost kissed Kie the day before. “If you’re not going, I’m not going.”

“JJ, you have to go,” Red replied it was more of a demand than a request. “I promise it’s not gonna be any different if I am there than if I’m not. Just go get that cross, I’ll be waiting here when you get back, alright?” Red assured, JJ took his hands off Red and placed one arm around her shoulder.

“Fine.”

“Alright then.” Red shrugged. Looking over at Kie. “Kie, be sneaky. Sarah, be safe. Pope, be smart. Charlemagne, Don’t do anything JJ would do. And JJ, don’t do anything I wouldn't do.” With a short peck on the lips, Red pulled away from JJ and walked back to her car.

Once the pogues were sure she was gone, JJ could finally say something. “Did Red seem… different to any of y’all?”

“Not really. Unless you count the usual lame history reference where she refers to me and Pope as Pope and Charlemagne, but that’s normal for her.” Bennie shrugged. Red had come up with that nickname during their time on the island because Pope and Bennie were practically attached by the hip. “I don’t mind though, at least I get to be emperor and be above Pope.”

“Actually, no, I have power over you because I made you emperor.”

“Wanna bet, I’ll put you into exile, bitch.”

“Fine, I’ll excommunicate you.”

“I’ll excommunicate you! I’m Emporer for the love of God!”

“You can’t excommunicate the Pope, dumbass.”

“Watch me! And you’re not Pope anymore, you’re in exile. Ha, I win.”

While Pope and Bennie continued arguing over who had power over who, Red was already on her way down to her court to help set everything up for the party.

From party hats to red solo cups, Shoupe had really thought of it all. Only a few people were helping set up the party itself, but Red was pleased to see a few familiar faces of family and close friends of both her father and her mother.

It only took a few hours for everyone there to finish decorating and preparing for the party, but soon, guests would start to arrive and greet Red with hugs and gifts. She’d known these people her entire life, but she still couldn’t help but feel out of place with these kooks and away from the pogues.

Red was surprised to see Rafe Cameron at the party and tried her best to navigate around him to avoid conversation, but she felt his eyes beaming into her from afar. She knew sooner or later that she’d need to exchange an awkward and cold hello to the family, but she wasn’t doing it now.

It seemed that Rafe too was trying his best to stay away from Red, always trying to look busy whenever she came remotely close. Red bet he only came there to spite her.

Red was also noticeably upset about JJ but played it off with a few fake smiles. That was until she needed a moment away, to which she walked off into the beach-themed shed not far out from where the party was hosted.

Resting her arms on the edges of the small table placed in front of a mirror, Red looked up at her reflection. She looked so much different than at the beginning of the summer. She’d changed so much. Instead of her well-kept, flowy blonde hair that stopped at her shoulders no more than 2 months ago, now her hair fell about two inches further, and you could see the split ends from a mile away.

The sound of a door slamming a couple of yards away brought Red’s attention from the mirror and over to the open door to the hall portioned off from the entrance.

It was then that the face of Rafe Cameron appeared, walking in through the doorway. Red was too tired for this.

Instead of walking right past him, the two exchanged extended eye contact for a few seconds before Red broke the eye contact, shaking her head lowly. “What?” She asked, enunciating the t in annoyance.

“Oh, nothing. Just coming in to ask what the hell you did with my boat.” Rafe shrugged, matching her level of annoyance. 

“Don’t worry about it.” Red smiled sarcastically, patting him on the shoulder teasingly. Just as she was about to walk away, Rafe grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her back towards him. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“You tricked me, that’s what,” Rafe spoke through gritted teeth, still not loosening his tight grip on Red. “You got me to trust you, then you tricked me.”

“You have only yourself to blame. Maybe you should have thought about the fact that I would never leave my friends behind. You owed them, and you still can’t let go of the grudge that you don’t deserve to have!”

“Oh, Now I can’t have feelings, is that it?”

“That’s not even remotely close to what I just said!” Red shouted, immediately lowering her voice at the realization of how loud she was. “You can’t have a grudge after you almost drowned Sarah and killed the sheriff. You don’t get that! You have to live the rest of your life with the shitty thing you did, and now, you’ll never get closure!”

“Don’t flip this on me, Shoupe! You lied to me and tricked me into believing that I could trust you with your stupid little ‘we have to have each other’s back’ speech and your pointless game of icebreakers. Then, the cherry on top, you kissed me to push me off my own boat not 2 hours later.”

“Whoa, woah, woah, slow down there, bud. You kissed me. I did not kiss you.” Red defended. “And so what? Do you think a kiss can erase everything you’ve done? I only did that to get the upper hand! The game of icebreakers… and- and the trust, I meant that.” Although Red was lying about the kiss part, she didn’t need Rafe to know the real reason she kissed him back, simply because she didn’t know. Red tore her wrist away from Rafe. “See you around, asshole.”

Red began walking away as Rafe stood in the middle of the hallway. “Yeah, you're really a pogue now you skank.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve been called worse by better, so whatever makes you feel good,” Red replied, walking backward for a moment to flip him off with both hands before slamming the door behind her.

Red let out a heavy sigh as she exited the building, walking back towards the main area and to her father, talking with her uncle Jack and Aunt June.

While June greeted her with a smile and a hug, Jack kept a straight face, not really showing any expression at all. “Oh, Red! It’s so good to see you. How’ve you been?”

“I’ve been good, there’s just so much happening at once.” Red chuckled nervously.

“Gosh, you’ve grown so much. I haven’t seen you since… y’know, Hazel passed.” June spoke, trying not to bring up any harsh memories of Red.

“Yeah, well I’m sure mom would love to hear that you came.” Red smiled. Jack’s straight face instantly turned from expressionless to angry after Red spoke.

“Are you kidding me, Victor?” He turned to Shoupe angrily. June tried to calm him down, but Jack seemed to be getting more angry as she did. 

Shoupe lowered his voice, leaning closer to Jack’s ear, “Jack, not here, please.” Jack instantly stepped back from Shoupe, not listening to him in the slightest. “Please.”

“Don’t you think the girl is old enough to know who her own mother is?” Jack spoke, loud enough for Red to hear. Shoupe looked over at Red’s confused face.

“W-What is he talking about?” Red asked, letting out a chuckle of confusion. Shoupe turned his head towards the ground, not acknowledging the question his daughter had asked. “Dad?”

Shoupe looked over at her, but before he could speak Jack cut back in. “If you don’t do it, Vic, I’ll do it for you.” Jack threatened, earning fiery eyes from Shoupe. “Go on, tell her.”

Red’s confusion instantly turned to concern when she saw the guilt on her dad’s face. Jack scoffed, ready for her to find out even if Shoupe didn’t tell her first. “Your mother is still alive.”

“What? No, my mom killed herself. I saw her.” Red explained, half resentful. What was going on? She turned to Shoupe, who still hadn’t said a word. “That’s my mom.” Red looked over at Jack, who once she met his eye shook his head. “That’s my mom, right?”

Shoupe finally approached her, laying his hands on her shoulders and looking her in the eye. He looked so guilty. So full of regret. “No.” Red’s face fell, it felt like her life was falling apart in front of her eyes.

“No?” She spoke, her voice cracking as she fought the words out of her mouth whilst trying to keep the tears in her eyes. “What do you mean, no?”

“Red, I can explain everything.”

“Yeah, I would fucking hope so!” Red shouted, taking a step back from her father angrily. “You’ve been lying to me my whole life!”

“Red, I know. Just follow me. I can explain.” Shoupe tried to calm her down. Red took a second of silence, looking around the venue and taking a few deep breaths. “Okay?”

“Okay,” Red replied quietly, allowing Shoupe to wrap an arm around her and walk her out to the car. She slammed her door, immediately turning to her father, who put the car in the ignition and began driving.

After a few minutes, the car came to a stop at a place Red had never been before. It looked like a storage place, likely where Shoupe had been storing her entire life.

Shoupe looked at Red, making sure she was following into the dark alley. He flashed his phone flashlight at the numbers until landing on the number 535 and digging in his pocket for the keys. Once he’d found them, he bent down, and with the help of his daughter, pulled the door open.

Victor and Red stood there for a moment before Shoupe walked into the small room and flipped the light on. Inside the room were tons of boxes. Victor walked in further, moving a few things out of the way before grabbing two boxes and sitting down on the floor with Red.

“Reding, before you see any of this, I need to tell you everything.” Shoupe sighed. He didn’t expect to have this conversation with her until a while later, but thanks to Jack, he was doing it now. Red nodded hesitantly, preparing herself for the absolute worst. “So…” He dug into one of the boxes, pulling out a picture of a woman with short blonde hair, about the same color as Red.

“Is this-”

“Your mama.” Shoupe cut her off. “Yeah, that’s her.”

Red traced the picture with her finger. “She’s beautiful…” She spoke, almost tearing up. “How is she?” Red was barely able to finish her sentence before choking up and looking back over at Shoupe.

“She’s good. She uh- lives down in Charleston, with your Papa. Her name is Eleanor.” Shoupe replied. “Look, Red. We were two dumb kids. She was a pogue, I was a kook. One night, we’d only been dating for say two weeks. And we uh…” Shoupe looked over at Red, not really wanting to finish his sentence. Red nodded in understanding, signaling to him that she understood what he was getting at. “Well, then, one day she told me she was pregnant.”

“What’d you do?” Red sniffled, not being able to hold back her tears anymore.

“I… I was nervous, but I didn’t give up on you.” Shoupe explained. “Then, well, I met Hazel and it was like Ellie didn’t really matter anymore. But you did. Eleanor just… couldn’t keep you. She was a complete stone fox, and she was only 18 having to take care of her siblings. She wasn’t cut out for being a parent, and she couldn’t afford it.” Shoupe took a breath. “So, once you were born… We went to court and because of her living situation, I won full custody. And I- I completely cut her out of your life and Hazel became your mom.”

“Is that why you hate pogues so much?” Red asked, genuinely curious as she put two and two together.

Shoupe nodded hesitantly. “Yeah, yeah that’s why I didn’t want you around them. Because I didn’t want what happened to Eleanor to happen to you.”

Red sat in silence, trying to process everything going on. She opened the box in front of her, revealing medical records from her mom, her birth certificate, and everything she always wondered about lay in those two boxes.

Red looked up for the first time in a couple of minutes, finally speaking up. “I want to see her.” As she spoke, Shoupe let out a heavy breath, knowing that he was obligated to say yes. He nodded his head slowly.

“Yeah- Yeah, we can set something up.” Shoupe looked over at Red and her tear-stained face. He wrapped his arms around her and she leaned into his side, still holding a picture of her and her mom in the hospital bed the day she was born.

After a few more hours of going through boxes, and Victor sharing stories about Eleanor, the pair finally left the storage until, eventually made their way home. 

and things just got a whole
lot more complicated.

this chapter was ROUGH for
red lmao like girl can't catch
a break.

anyway new chapter out
in a few minutes :)