༄ 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝖾𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍𝖾𝖾𝗇 ༄

THALIA WOUND UP with Kiara, JJ and Pope. She was rather high, so she didn't really recall agreeing to go to a summer movie with them near the beach, but she was there, holding a chair as she walked between a stressed JJ and an even more stressed Pope. Of course, Kiara was pissed that Thalia was there, but harsh words from Pope silenced her.

        "I'm so glad that they're still doing this. Keep calm. Carry on. Back to OBX life. You know? Aren't you glad I made you come?" Kie said to the boys. They only came because they had kidnapped Thalia and forced her to go with them.

        "Ecstatic." Pope said without energy, walking beside Thalia. She had the hood of her sweatshirt pulled up over her head, red hair braided over her shoulders, eyes glazed over.

        "My couch was pretty comfy, I'll be honest." JJ said as they found a spot, beginning to set up their chairs.

        Pope looked around at the crowd of people. "We're out of the green zone, man." he said in a harsh whisper.

        "Dude, tranquilo, okay?" JJ said, trying to calm Pope down.

        "We're in the middle of Kooklandia. This is the last place I wanted to be." Pope spoke, taking his backpack off.

        Thalia noticed Kiara getting confused at what they were talking about. "Shut up, Pope. I mean it." she nudged him and he nodded, growing silent instantly.

        Kiara went to grab drinks, and when she came back, she was upset. "Just saw your douchebag cousin, Thalia, and he said, and I quote, 'Tell your boy that we know what he did.'" Kie spoke in disdain, sitting down.

        "Who, Rafe?" Thalia asked, furrowing her brows.

        "Yeah. What is that?" Kie said, wanting to know what Rafe was talking about, but they couldn't tell her.

        JJ tried to act casual. "Where is he?" he questioned calmly.

        Kie looked behind the group. "Right there."

        Quickly, Pope whipped his head around, and Thalia sighed when she saw Rafe standing with Topper and Kelce. Rafe's face fell when he locked eyes with his little cousin sitting with Pogues. "Great, the whole death squad." Pope sighed.

        "Don't stare, bro." JJ forcibly turned Pope's head around.

        Thalia turned around, releasing a breath. "I gotta deal with him. I'll be right back," she said before standing up and walking over to Rafe, Topper and Kelce. "Your lives are so pathetic that you're still stalking him for no reason?" the redhead snapped when she reached the three boys.

        Now, Thalia was barely above five foot two, so she looked ridiculous staring up at the three, all of them over six feet tall, but she didn't care. "You're the pathetic one, hanging out with those criminals." Topper retorted, trying to get under Thalia's skin.

        She rolled her eyes. "You're irrelevant," Thalia turned back to Rafe. "Please leave me alone. He didn't do anything, and I don't know why you all of the sudden care who I hang out with." the redhead said to her cousin, trying to get him to understand that he didn't control her.

        "He's a criminal, Thally. That's why. You shouldn't be hanging around with him." Rafe said, and Thalia's eyes widened.

        "He's a criminal? So am I, and so are you, you dumb fuck." Thalia reminded Rafe, absolutely appalled by his idiocy.

        Topper sighed. "We know Pope did it, Thalia. If I were you, I'd just go home before something bad happens." he said sharply, and Thalia narrowed her eyes at him.

        But she didn't want to make anything worse, so she turned and left, rushing back to the Pogues who were in deep conversation. "So, it might go down tonight." Thalia said, sitting down in her chair between Pope and JJ.

        Pope and JJ's eyes were wide with terror. "What does that mean? 'Might go down tonight.' What did y'all do?" Kie asked, clearly having received no answers from Pope and JJ.

        Pope looked at Thalia and JJ, but they shook their heads in perfect unison. "Deny, deny, deny." JJ whispered, and Pope nodded curtly. Thalia looked up at him. Her father had taught her that mentality.

        As the movie played and the sun set, Thalia found herself exhausted, ready to fall asleep. She didn't intend to actually pass out, but the weed was setting in, on top of the other drugs she had taken. Without knowing it, Thalia's head had dipped onto Pope's shoulder, and he froze, too scared to even move.

        When Pope and JJ got up and left, Thalia woke up, her neck sore. "Where are they going?" Thalia asked Kiara, rubbing at her eyes as she came down from her high.

        "Bathroom," Kiara answered without interest, not even looking at Thalia. "Do you like Pope, or something?' the brunette questioned.

        Thalia's brows furrowed while she wiped at her nose. "No. Why would you think that?" she asked. Of course Thalia thought of Pope as a friend, but she didn't like him in that way. Not at all.

        "Then why are you always hanging around my friends? They're mine, Thalia, not yours." Kiara sneered, and Thalia rolled her eyes.

        "I'm not trying to take your friends, Kie. I just like hanging out with them." Thalia answered and Kiara scoffed, rolling her eyes.

        Nervous because the boys hadn't come back yet, Kie looked behind her. "Where's Rafe?" Kie asked, and Thalia turned to see that Rafe, Kelce and Topper were gone.

        Thalia's face fell. "Oh, shit." she said with the realization that if JJ and Pope hadn't come back yet, and Rafe, Topper and Kelce were missing, then something bad was happening.

        Without any care to the other people watching the movie, Thalia lept from her seat and rushed over to where she had seen Pope and JJ disappear to with Kiara behind her, the brunette holding JJ's bag. When the two girls got there, JJ was being held by Kelce and pummeled by Rafe, while Topper was punching Pope again and again.

        "Let go of him, Topper! Fascist asshole!" Kiara yelled at Topper, hitting him with JJ's bag, like it would do anything.

        Topper ripped the bag from Kie's grip and focused on Pope again. Thalia, on the other hand, had no idea what to do. Sure, the Pogues were her friends, but Rafe was family. Thalia didn't like it, but getting involved was not going to be helpful for anyone. Kie hopped onto Topper's back and Thalia sighed as Rafe stepped away from JJ to take Kiara off of Topper, tossing her onto the ground.

        "Oh, Jesus." Thalia sighed as Pope made sure Kie was okay.

        Rafe may have practically been her brother, but he had thrown a girl. So, Thalia punched him in the nose. "Really? You're on their side?" Rafe said, holding his face.

        Thalia shrugged, and Rafe didn't want to waste energy on Thalia, so he went back to punching JJ. Thalia didn't know what she could do. Going against Rafe to help JJ would mean misery, and going against Topper to help Pope would probably get her attacked. So while Kie crawled towards JJ's bag, rummaging through it, Thalia made a decision.

        Everything happened quickly. First, she saw Pope being choked as Topper had him in a headlock. Then, her fist was in Topper's face. After that, she was sporting a bloody nose from Topper's advances. Topper tried to get Pope to admit he had sunken his boat, but Pope was too concerned with Thalia leant over, blood gushing painfully from her nose.

        Finally, Kiara had set the movie screen on fire. "Topper, let him go!" Thalia shouted, Pope choking, unable to breathe.

        In fear of the fire, Topper finally pushed Pope away, and he landed on the ground in front of Thalia, breathing heavily. "Kelce, let go of JJ!" Kie shouted as Thalia sunk to her knees, putting her hand on Pope's face, forcing him to look at her while he coughed.

        "Don't come home tonight, Thalia!" Rafe warned his cousin as he and his friends began to walk away. In response, Thalia just lifted up her middle finger at him, too worried about Pope.

        "Can you breathe? You good?" Thalia asked Pope, Kie with JJ.

        Pope nodded, still wheezing. She helped him stand up, observing his bruised and bloodied face. "You okay, Pope?" Kie asked the boy as he put his hat back over his head.

        "You're a freakin' idiot." Pope panted, eyeing the blood on Thalia's face.

        "I saved your ass. Come on." Kie said with a light smile.

        Thalia inhaled deeply. "You okay, JJ?" she asked, knowing he had taken a beating.

        JJ nodded. "Where'd you learn to punch like that?" he wondered as they began to leave. He gave the redhead a bandana he had, bunching it up and pushing it under her nose, allowing her to hold it there while they walked, Pope and Kie in front of them.

        Thalia couldn't very well say she had taught herself to fight so she could fend off her father's attacks. "Ward. When Rafe and I were little." Thalia lied, and JJ clearly knew this was a lie, but he didn't say anything.

        They were all in rough shape. Kie got behind the wheel of her car with JJ up front. Pope and Thalia got in the back, and when Kie arrived at Pope's house, he asked her if she wanted to come in, and she said yes. So, with hidden smiles, JJ and Kie drove away, hoping something would come from that evening.

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