( 𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙏𝙀𝙍 𝙏𝙒𝙀𝙉𝙏𝙔 𝙎𝙀𝙑𝙀𝙉. )
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JAYLENE FELT LIKE HER HEAD WAS ON THE VERGE OF EXPLODING as she boringly flipped through the vogue magazine in her grasp, occasionally glancing up at Rafe Cameron as the boy flicked at the lighter in his grasp before bringing it towards the bong he'd taken multiple hits from.

She would much rather be anywhere but there, but she didn't exactly want to be around Andrea because that meant that she'd have to see her ex-boyfriend. Being around Sarah meant being around Ward Cameron, and since she still wasn't entirely sure who had done what to who on the fishing trip, she didn't want to be around the blonde-haired girl either. And John B. was pissed at her for not believing him. So that left no one else besides Rafe Cameron.

He had been kicked out of his home a couple days ago which resulted in him crashing at the Glissons home that was a few neighborhoods over from where Jaylene lived. She knew that there was no way in hell that the middle-aged couple was aware that Rafe Cameron was crashing at their place, but she didn't really care. She just needed to be anywhere but home right now.

"You used to be a lot more fun before." Rafe spoke as he exhaled the smoke that he'd previously inhaled a couple seconds ago.

"What? I have to do drugs in order to be considered fun now?" She scoffed, tossing the magazine to the side before pulling her body up from the patio furniture so that she could comfortably sit down instead.

"What can I say? You're boring when you're sober." He shrugged his shoulders in response, pushing the empty beer bottles to the side so that he could place the red bong back onto the table.

Jaylene placed the palm of her hand above her heart, pretending to be offended by the insult he'd thrown at her. "I mean, what can I say, rehab changes a person."

Rafe parted his lips to speak, but before he could say anything, the familiar voice that belonged to his youngest sister flooded his ears which caused him to flip the inappropriate magazine over as he tried to hide the bong underneath the table. But she'd seen it anyways which caused her to chuckle in response as he muttered a quick apology.

"Don't worry. I'm not gonna tell anybody." Wheezie assured her older brother as she set her backpack to the side, smiling at Jaylene before walking towards the ledge of the balcony to get a view of the ocean that was noticeable from where she stood.

"Did you want some, or..." He trailed off, receiving a look from Jaylene as she raised her eyebrows up at him.

"Dude, she's thirteen and you're offering her drugs?" Jaylene shook her head in disbelief when she realized how out of it he really was. "Get a fucking grip, Rafe."

Rafe awkwardly looked around for a couple seconds, scratching the back of his neck as he waited for someone else to speak so that he wouldn't have to.

"This is a sweet crib." Wheezie finally spoke up after a couple seconds of awkward silence. "How'd you con the Glissons into letting you crash here?"

"I, uh...I didn't tell them is how, alright?" Rafe stumbled on his words as he tried to tidy up the mess that he'd made on the table. "They're in Sun Valley all summer, so keep a lid on it, please."

"Rafe Cameron breaking the law? Shocker." Jaylene commented, reaching for the bottled orange juice that she'd bought at the gas station before arriving. "What're you doing here anyways, Wheezie? Aren't you a little young to be off on your own?" She changed the subject as she turned her attention towards the thirteen year old girl who had taken a seat on the small couch nearby.

"Well, yeah, but I didn't wanna be home because it turns out that I'm officially the least favorite daughter." Wheezie sadly said as she pressed the palm of her hand against her neck to prop it up. "Sarah and my dad are going to the Bahamas and did they invite me? Nope?"

Jaylene furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as she looked at Wheezie. Something about what she'd just said made her stomach feel uneasy. "The Bahamas? I didn't even know that Sarah was going to the Bahamas."

"Wait. They're—they're going to the Bahama house? In summer?" Rafe questioned, equally as confused as Jaylene was.

"Yeah, I mean, according to Rose, it's "business"." The thirteen year old girl informed him, not at all believing what Rose had told her earlier that day. "I mean, they're all up in some new development, and for some super-secret reason, they're going to the Bahamas."

Jaylene listened to every single word that Wheezie said about this sudden trip to the Bahamas along with everything else that Rafe said about Sarah not knowing half the shit that he knows about business. That made her feel even more uneasy as she slowly began to realize that John B. wasn't delusional. He wasn't making up anything. Ward must've been trying to make a run for it before he could be placed behind bars for the crime he'd commit a few months ago. And she knew that the gold had to be involved in some sort of way. It had to be.

"Hey, Wheezie." She quickly cut in before Rafe could continue throwing his little temper-tantrum. "What else do you know? Do you know when they leave?"

"Well, my dad and Sarah were packing the car when I left, so I'm guessing that they'll leave in a couple hours or so." Wheezie shrugged, wondering why Jaylene was so curious about this, but she didn't hesitate to try and help the girl out with any information she needed. A part of her assumed that it must've been because Jaylene and Sarah had recently formed some sort of friendship, but another part of her believed that it was something completely different.

Jaylene quickly stood up from her seat, grabbing her phone from the back pocket of her denim shorts to check the time. "I gotta go. Thanks, Wheezie." She flashed the girl a thankful look as she frantically picked up her belongings before stuffing them into the small backpack she'd brought with her. "And Rafe, don't throw your life down the gutter like I almost did. Get your fucking shit together before it's too late. Your little sister shouldn't have to see you like this."

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LAYING COMFORTABLY ON HIS BACK by the dock located nearby his home, John B. sighed.

He had hardly gotten any sleep the previous night after leaving Jaylene's home, and to make everything worse, earlier that morning, he discovered that Ward Cameron had taken every single block of gold that had previously been located underneath the Crain residence. But what else could he possibly expect from the man who had killed his father, right?

"So, you and Jaylene lasted...what? A day together?" Kiara finally spoke up after a couple minutes of complete silence, causing the Routledge boy to shoot her a look in return.  "That sucks. But what can I say, I did warn you not to get too involved with her. She's a great person and all, but she's still a Rosewood."

"I mean, it's not like I expected some sort of happy ending or anything." He muttered, throwing his head back in frustration as he thought about yesterday. God, that was such a horrible day. "I expected her to believe me, you know? I didn't expect her to side with Ward Cameron."

"Did she flat out say that she believed Ward and not you?" Kiara curiously questioned.

"No, but she might as well have." The brunette-haired boy said, pausing for a brief moment before continuing to speak. "Maybe it's for the best. I mean, you're probably right. Our worlds shouldn't clash together."

"I think that you're wrong about that." JJ finally butt into the conversation as a cloud of smoke fell from his lips.

  After storming off with the twenty-five thousand dollars the other day, he'd tried to use that money to pay for the restitution of the boat that Pope had sunk, but after a brutal interaction with his abusive father, he made the ultimate decision to purchase a bunch of unnecessary items instead, such as: a hot tub, a backup generator, LED lights. Sure Kiara and Pope were pissed when they found out, but once they noticed the bruises on the body that belonged to the Maybank boy, they convinced themselves that it wasn't a big deal and that they would figure out another way to make up for the money that had been thrown down the drain. Thus resulted in the group of pogues reuniting and putting the past behind them.

Confused, John B. quickly sat up as he whipped his head in the direction of two familiar figures as they rushed towards him and his two friends.

It was Pope and Jaylene.

The odd combination quickly caused John B. to stand to his feet, the confused look remaining on his face.

Since Pope was struggling to reach his friends due to the fact that he'd ran the entire way there, Jaylene practically shoved his body away from her as she ran towards the Routledge boy, immediately wrapping her arms around him which nearly caused him to stumble back into the water, but his quick reflexes managed to kick in as he hugged her back. Although, the confusion was still there considering the fact that Jaylene was calling him delusional the previous day.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for not believing you." She muttered into his shoulder as she wrapped her arms around his waist, a sense of comfort rushing through both their bodies as they held that embrace. "You were right. You were right about him, John B. The gold—"

"He took it. Ward took the gold. Every single bar." John B. quickly cut her off at the mention of the gold, clearly upset that he'd beaten them to it.

Jaylene rapidly shook her head as she placed her hands on his shoulders. "No, listen to me." She began to explain, thinking about the short details that Wheezie had told her. "Ward is taking his plane out of here tonight. Either he's trying to make a run for it now that you found out that he's the one who killed your dad, or he's trying to get that gold off of the island as soon as possible."

"Is that even possible? Wouldn't the gold weigh the plane down?" Kiara furrowed her eyebrows as she shot Jaylene a confused look.

"No, she's right." Pope placed his hands on his knees, struggling to catch his breath from all the running he'd done to get there. Sweat dripped from his forehead and the clear liquid stained his button down shirt as he loudly panted. "Look, before I had my interview, my dad said he was going down to the private airstrip to cut palms for Cameron's big plane. Because it was too heavy, it needed a longer landing strip to take off." He explained, pausing for a brief second to take in a deep breath before continuing. "And the only thing that's heavy enough to weigh it down would be...."

"The gold." JJ answered, quickly standing up when he realized that Jaylene and Pope were actually right about this.

They still had a shot.

"If you really want that gold, you have to act quick, John B." Jaylene began speaking again when she realized that Pope was back to trying to catch his breath. "It's set to take off to the Bahamas tonight. That only gives you a few more hours."

"We can't give up now." Kiara excitingly spoke as the adrenaline rushed through her veins. Knowing they still had a chance made her feel extremely overwhelmed.

"What's the plan, big man?" JJ piped in, tossing the remaining bit of the joint onto the ground before stepping on it to put it out.

John B stood in silence for a couple seconds, completely stunned at the revelation that there was still a shot. But once he regained his composure, a mischievous smile planted itself on his lips as parted them to speak. "We're gonna steal that shit back."

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AFTER WHAT FELT LIKE A NEVER-ENDING CAR RIDE, the Volkswagen van came to a stop just a couple feet away from the wired fence that was used as a barrier to prevent people from getting to the airstrip where the large plane was located.

Quickly, everyone stepped out of the van before rushing towards the fence to get a better view of the boxes that were being loaded into the Cameron plane. Since they were stood so far away, it was difficult to actually make out everything that was going on. The only person who was able to observe from afar was John B, thanks to the binoculars in his grasp.

But from afar, Jaylene was able to notice a Black Range Rover pull up. She automatically recognized the car and realized that it was Ward and Sarah. And she also realized that she'd completely forgotten to mention that Sarah was going on this trip too. So everyone was more than shocked when John B. informed them that the blonde-haired kook was there too.

Jaylene snatched the binoculars from John B's grasp when he failed to inform them what was going on, so the Rosewood girl quickly took over, observing the father-daughter duo. Everything seemed to be running smoothly at first, but after a couple seconds, things went south, causing Jaylene to hold the binoculars out for anyone to grab as she parted her lips to speak. "We have to help her. That plane can't take off."

"What?" Kiara questioned, grabbing the binoculars to get a closer look, quickly growing concerned when she realized how roughly Ward was handling his daughter.

When John B. noticed that everyone was too busy observing from a far, he gently grasped Jaylene's wrist, leading her towards the van which caused her to flash him a confused look, but nonetheless, she got into the passenger seat with the Routledge boy sat in the drivers seat.

"You trust me?" He turned to look at her, firmly gripping the steering wheel with both hands, his knuckles turning white in the process.

"Right now? Not really." Jaylene shook her head, unsure as to what he was about to do, but her question was soon answered when he pressed his foot against the accelerator, causing her breath to hitch in her throat at the sudden action as she squeezed her eyes shut, preparing herself for the impact.

And when it came, her heart sped up as she held on for dear life. Since her attention was focused on making it out of this alive, she couldn't even hear the shouts from Pope, Kiara, and JJ as the van collided with the wired fence, instantly cracking the windshield on impact as a gasp escaped from Jaylene's lips.

Everything happened fast. One minute she was shouting at Sarah and letting her know that she would be okay, and the next, her entire life was flashing before her eyes as John B. swiftly turned the steering wheel, making them and the van a target for the plane as it made its way towards them.

Jaylene thought that this was it. This was how her life ended. So she reached for John B's hand, squeezing it tightly as she shut her eyes for the second time.

But when she didn't feel anything, she grew confused, quickly opening her eyes again where she noticed that the plane had managed to stop just in time, sparing them their lives.

When she realized that they were okay, Jaylene let out a sigh of relief, pushing the passenger door open as John B. did the same. But she quickly rushed towards Sarah Cameron, engulfing the girl into a hug.

"Holy shit, are you okay?" Jaylene asked, clearly concerned for the girl and her well-being after watching Ward mishandle his own daughter.

"Yeah. I think so." Sarah nodded, pulling away from the embrace as she swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. "Are you?"

"Hey, get away from her!" Ward shouted at Jaylene, rushing towards Sarah to try and get her back on the plane, but his daughter backed away from him, scared out of her mind.

"No. No, you stay away from me!" Sarah pointed a very stern finger at her father, clearly terrified of the man. She'd never seen him like this.

As Jaylene stared back and forth at the two, she easily picked up the sound of police sirens. And it sounded like they were headed in their direction which caused her to loudly gulp down the pool of saliva that was resting in her mouth.

"This doesn't change anything! It doesn't!" Ward's voice went up a volume as the police car got closer and closer to them.

"You gotta get out of here." Jaylene realized as she gently tapped John B's arm, recalling the previous day when Ward walked into the police station. He probably filed a report on John B, and her guess was they they were here to arrest the 16 year old boy.

A couple seconds passed of complete and utter silence, no one muttering a single word as they watched Sheriff Peterkin step out of the vehicle before heading in their direction.

"Susan, I told you he lost his goddamn mind." Ward let out a sigh of relief, assuming that she was there to arrest the Routledge boy, who he claimed had shot him with a spear on the fishing trip yesterday.

"Put your hands on your head." She ordered, stepping closer to the group, an intimidating look planted on her face.

"I'd do what she said." Ward slightly laughed as he briefly turned to look at John B, causing Jaylene to shoot the older man a disgusted look. She always thought he was better than this, but she was clearly wrong.

"She's talking to you, Ward." John B. motioned towards the older woman as she pulled her gun out, pointing it in the direction of Ward Cameron as he turned around to face her, confused.

"You're under arrest for the murder
of "Big John" Routledge. And for aiding and abetting in the attempted murder of Marleen Harrington." She firmly gripped onto the gun, keeping it steady. "Put your hands on your head." She repeated, this time more sternly.

When those words left Peterkins' mouth, Jaylene was sure that she was about to pass out. A wave of shock engulfed her entire body at the revelation that had just been made. She'd known that Lorelei had switched the pills, but she never put too much thought into how she'd managed to pull it off without anyone finding out. That's what Ward must've been in charge of.

"What?" Sarah's eyes widened in shock as she watched sheriff Peterkin walk closer to her father. This was the first time she was learning this information about him. She thought that he wanted to get off of the island for another reason. She didn't wanna believe it, but when she deeply analyzed it, it all made sense.

"Are you kidding me, Sue?" Ward scoffed, unable to believe what was happening right now. He knew that he was guilty of everything he was being accused of, but he wasn't about to admit it.

"Put your hands on your head!" This time she shouted, hands trembling as she walked closer to him.

"Jaylene." John B. quietly whispered, interlocking their hands together to try and comfort the girl who had just received some extremely shocking news that she never expected.

"What did she do to you? What did she fucking do to you?" Jaylene grew defensive as she tried to walk over to the guilty man who had dropped to his knees after sheriff Peterkin ordered him to.

But before she could make it far, she was pulled back by her boyfriend,