XLI. glory from above

      Friendship is like a river. Calm and peaceful but also rocky and terrifying. You have to find strength in yourself to continue but at the end of the day, it's the best time of your life. You don't even remember the scraps on your knees or the how tired you get from the swimming and all you can focus on is how great you feel being in the water. Friendship to Dylan was everything and she loved being in the water. 

The more you love your friends, the more their features start to blur until all you remember is a pair of warm, welcoming eyes and laughter that feels like home. The Pogues were six people but they shared one heart. They beat for each other. They were there for each other. And theyThey were together again. The rockiness was no more. All there was, was peace.

Dylan felt like she could breathe again as she stumbled on the boat with her friends. She couldn't stop smiling. She couldn't stop laughing. Every piece of darkness that was inside of her vanished and now, everything was clear. 

"Welcome home, guys." JJ announced when they came in view of the Chateau.

Dylan smiled and turned her head at Sarah, receiving a smile from her. She laid her head against her shoulder and Dylan smiled even wider, putting one of her hands on the back of her head.

Parking the My Druthers by the dock, the group climbed out of the boat. "Gotta be honest, not exactly looking forward to check in at home." Kiara dreaded.

Dylan groaned when she remembered that she would have to go home at some point. "I'm surprised my parents haven't sent a search party by now."

"I asked predict unpleasantries at the Heyward household after I left the truck in Charleston," Pope agreed and he cringed at the thought of having to come clean to his dad. He looked at his girlfriend. "Maybe we can get them all together and tell them at once."

She hummed and grabbed his hand. "That might work.  My mom's never mad when you're around."

Kiara rolled her eyes. "Glad you have that option."

"Nobody knows we're here, right?" JJ questioned. "And you guys aren't gonna get into any more trouble for showing up 12 hours later."

The three of them looked at each other. Dylan titled her head to the side, deciding that he did have a point.

"Am I right, or am I wrong?"

Pope pursed his lips in defeat. "I mean, you're not wrong—"

"So that means we have 12 hours to do whatever we want!" He declared with a mischievous smile. The rest of the group looked unsure. "Huh? A little phone fellowship. How does that sound?"

"Let the shit hit the fan tomorrow," John B asserted with a grin. He looked behind him at his best friend.  "What do you say, DJ?"

She hummed once again. "I don't see why not." She stated and leaned her head on Pope's arm.

"Yeah!" JJ cheered. 

"The cops could be looking for us. It could be really  stupid." Sarah inserted her thoughts from where she was sitting on the railing of the dock. She was hesitant,  of course. Why wouldn't she be?

The blonde of the group made his way over to her.  "Sarah Cameron, you've heard of my philosophy, right?" He poked fun.

"No."

"Stupid things have good outcomes all the time." The Pogues recited to themselves silently while JJ said it aloud, for they grew up with the boy, and his antics didn't faze them anymore. He clapped his hands. "Who's with me? Let's get some beer!"

Smiling brightly, Dylan released Pope's arm and went to follow him. She stopped by John B and bumped her hip with his, playfully grinning. He smiled back and wrapped his arm around her, bringing her close to him. They both felt like they were home.

Dylan finished downing her third can of beer and threw it aimlessly somewhere on the ground. She whooped loudly as she watched the boys chug theirs and she waved her fist in the air. "C'mon, baby!" She said to Pope.

The boy threw his can down and the three of them cheered together while JJ the beer in his can in the air.   Sarah wouldn't control her laughter and she fell into Dylan's side, making her laugh even harder and she grabbed her arm to steady them.

JJ turned the speaker up as loud as it could go. The fairly lights he had set up around the backyard were brightly lit along with the all the lights around the hot tub. It was full on chaos but that's who they were. They were the Pogues and they knew how to have fun. They were their own paradise. 

"Are we getting in or what?" Dylan shouted over the music and she pulled her top off, revealing the white bra she was wearing.

A string of oo's came from them all. "Damn, Pope, how the hell did you pull her?" Kiara loudly commented.

It sent them into fits of laughter. Pope only responded by grabbing the girl's hand and pulling her towards him. He planted his lips on hers.

"Oh shit!" JJ shouted gleefully while John B and Sarah doubled over from how hard they were laughing.

Dylan's smiled against his lips and wrapped her arms loosely around his neck. They were on the verge of being drunk but she still felt the millions of butterflies inside whenever she was near him. A feeling of nirvana sizzled in her bones and she didn't ever want the feeling to go away.

At her loud request, the Pogues stripped their clothes and climbed into the hot tub. Dylan held a lit blunt between her fingers and she sat on the edge of tub with her legs warm in the bubbling water. Her head was in the clouds and it was the best feeling.

"I never made good grades in school. When I get out, I act like a fool. . ." Pope started to rap. "They say I come in the party and cause a commotion. I'm smooth, yeah, call me lotion!"

They couldn't control their laughter and Dylan cheered. "That's my baby!" She boasted and took another drag of the blunt.

John B snatched it from her and took the liberty of taking a hit.

"Just like the good Lord intended." JJ grinned blissfully, his arms rested on the back of the Cat's Ass.

Pope swam over and turned his back around so that it was facing his girlfriend and he leaned into her. He stood between her legs and Dylan wrapped her arms around him. She pressed her lips again his cheek. 

While the others watched in amusement as Pope and JJ wrestled each other, Dylan looked over and saw John B standing in front of his now craved tree. The gleefulness she was feeling dimmed. She glanced at her friends, seeing that they were distracted, and she took her legs out of the water.

John B felt her presence without even looking at her.  He stared at the tree with glistened eyes. His arms were crossed to keep them from shaking. "That was my favorite tree, too." He slipped out.

Dylan chuckled sadly. "I know. That's why I told them to do it here," she mentioned and looked up at him,  seeing the sadness written all over his face.

He grew a smile. It was small but it was heartfelt. Looking back at the tree, he saw a folded piece of paper rested against the bark. He bent down and retrieved it. "What's this?"  He voiced.

She shrugged and locked her hands together behind her back. "It was my, uh. . . My final words to you." She swallowed harshly to keep from crying. "Y'know, when I thought you were dead."

John B's eyes cut to her briefly and he opened the note. She watched him read it, his lips moving slightly,  and the sadness came back — his face fell drastically.  When he got to the last sentence, his face turned red.  "I should've stayed." He whispered with a crack in his voice.

Her eyes watered. "I would've went with you."

Holding the note tightly in his hand, John B turned to her and enveloped her into his arms. He felt hers circle him and he buried his face into her wet hair. "I'm so sorry. I'll never do that to you again." He cried.

Dylan's lips trembled against his skin. "You better not or you'll be dead for real." She tried to joke but the truth was, she was hurting. He was real and he was in front of her, but the thought of losing him forever was her worst nightmare. John B was her other brother.  He was her person.

He chuckled slightly at the joke and it caused him to hug her tighter. "Can I come see the family soon?" He whispered like a little boy wishing on a star.

"We'll be waiting for you." She promised.

A third presence showed up; the final missing piece of the puzzle. "Jesus, I thought this was supposed to be a happy night." JJ jested.

Dylan laughed and she pulled away from John B. Her eyes and face were red from crying. "It's always a happy night. You know that."

He nodded. "Of course I do." He looked away from her and to John B. Instantly, both of their faces changed.'"I freaking missed you man." 

They wrapped each other into a tight, long awaited hug. Dylan stood to the side and let them have their moment but she smiled. John B pulled away from him slightly and opened his arms to her. She walked into them and they enveloped each other. It was the same hug they gave each other when they were kids. For a moment, Dylan thought she would never find her old self again, but with John B and JJ, that young girl would never be lost.

JJ sniffled. "Okay, okay, Jesus," he said and pulled out of the hug. He wiped his tear stained face. "Enough with the circle jerk. Y'all are turning me into a pussy."

"You did that to yourself when you screamed after the class scorpion crawled up your leg in the fifth grade."

John B bursted out laughing and JJ narrowed his eyes at the girl. He tugged at the end of her wet curls,  causing her to punch him in the arm.

"Alright, I'm done. I'm out of here!" Pope announced to the group. He stumbled slightly to the right, the buzz in him taking over. Catching the sight of his brown eyed girl, he held out his hand. "C'mon, babe."

A joyful smirk appeared on her face and she patted the boy's on the arm before making her way to him. Multiple oo'hs from them as their hands linked together.

"Way to be discreet!" JJ shouted their way.

"Tell me the details!" Kiara added after him, holding up the blunt she was smoking.

Pope flipped them off and Dylan went bright red but she couldn't help but laugh. The buzz in her head came back through the giggling and she clutched his hand tighter in hers. "Where are you going?" She asked.

"Hmm, I dunno. Wherever you want." He responded and she could tell that he was tipsy. His cheeks were flushed bright red.

She thought to herself for a second. Looking over her shoulder, she saw and heard her friends circling around the hot tub again. She looked back at Pope to see that he was already staring at her. One of his hands reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear, his fingers lingering in the side of her face. The look he was giving her made her feel nervous. "Walk on the beach?" She suggested, looking at him through her eye lashes.

He didn't respond with words and only smiled. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and they made their way down to the docks.

Dylan didn't know if it was the moonlight or the fact that she had multiple beers and weed in her system, but she couldn't stop staring at Pope. They took a long walk by the water, hand and hand, until they decided to get more beers from the boat. Now, they were laid on a beach towel by a fire that Pope started. It was a peaceful night. The first moment of peace either of them felt sense what happened to John B and Sarah. To her, it was perfect.

"I saw you talking to John B back there. Are you okay?" He asked her in a light tone of voice, the same tone he always used with her.

She turned her head slightly but was still looking at the stars. "Yeah, I'm okay. It just feels strange, you know? Thinking he was dead and now he's back. Both of them."

Pope nodded. "Yeah, I get it. I know it's harder for you, though. He's like your brother. I'm sorry you've had to go through this shit."

Smiling, she turned her head fully and looked at him. "You're so sweet." She said and shifted so that she was lying on her side. "You've always been so sweet."

He smiled shyly. "You're the sweet one."

"No, that's definitely you, Pope Heyward," she declared and caressed her fingers against the bare skin of his arm. "I've always loved that about you."

He blushed red. "What're you sweet talking me for?" He teased and they laughed.

"Because I love you," she answered wholeheartedly. A look glistened in her pretty brown eyes. "You're the love of my life."

Pope felt like his heart would explode. "And you're mine." He responded with love written on his face.

Dylan leaned forward and pressed her lips softly against his. Her eyes fluttered shut as they moved against one another.

Pope cupped her face in his hand and closed his eyes as well. Instead of pulling away, he shifted on the towel until the upper half of his body was hovered over her. His hands got lost in her wild curls. He loved feeling this way. He loved being in love with her. "I love you."  He whispered against her mouth.

"I love you." She whispered back and closed the gap between them again.

Her hands curled around his neck until they gripped the hair in the nape of his neck. She consciously moved her hands downward until they were placed on the lower part of his back. She pressed her fingers into his skin.

Pope took the movement as a sign and he pulled away slightly. He took one look at the beautiful girl below him and curled his hands around her face again. "D-Do you want—" he didn't want to sound like a child.  He wanted her to know how serious he was. "We don't have to do anything you don't want to do."

His words made her heart beat quicker and quicker and she smiled. "I trust you," was her response.

Their lips captured each other's again and Pope shifted himself again until he was now completely over her.  He lowered himself between her legs and one of hands moved off her face and it cupped the back of thigh. He moved her leg upward so that it was around him.  Neither of them were experienced with intimacy. The farthest they took it was heavy make out sessions and even then, Dylan knew she wasn't ready yet and Pope respected that.

But right now, in the very moment, she knew she loved him and that she trusted him to take care of her like he should. Her body relaxed under his and she shakily sighed when his lips moved off of hers and down to her neck. It was the perfect moment she dreamed of. They were together like they always wanted to be, under the moon and stars, and Dylan couldn't be happier.