CHAPTER TWELVE:
LOOKS THAT KILL
(episode three: the forbidden zone | trigger warning: mentions of violence and sexual assault)

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SEEING AS THEY HAD nothing better to do, Haven and Pope decided to help out Mr Heyward and deliver some groceries to the Kook side of the island. Much to their chagrin, JJ insisted on helping too. Though by some miracle, he stayed focused on the task at hand instead of distracting them. He assisted in loading up Heyward's boat with several plastic bags (thank the lord Kie wasn't around to see them, they would've never made it away from the shop) and then they were on their way, soon noticing that Figure Eight was already cleaned up from the hurricane.

"It doesn't even look like the storm hit there," Pope grumbled from behind the wheel. While he and JJ were sitting inside, Haven was out on the deck making sure the bags were secure, not wanting Mr Heyward to lose any money from a potential tear in the plastic. She knew firsthand from how her own mother used to be; Kooks would dock money if they thought the goods weren't taken care of.

JJ scoffed at Pope's words, muttering, "That's 'cause they got generators, bro. And then they say the juice will be out all Summer at The Cut."

"It's nice to be a Kook."

"Lucky bastards."

Soon enough, they were docking outside the Country Club's jetty and splitting the bags into three different orders. Pope was delivering to the Riley couple who Haven knew worked for Arden's mother, JJ had a bag for the wicked witch of the west herself, Rose Cameron, and Haven had two bags for an elderly woman who lived on the water with more money than she knew what to do with. With more grumbles about Kook privilege, they agreed to meet back at the boat in ten before going their separate ways.

Fortunately, Haven's delivery was quick and easy. One of the lady's maids answered the door and took the groceries without a word, shoving more money than was necessary into Haven's hands before slamming the door in her face. Haven was just beginning to count the notes as she walked back when she quite literally ran into Arden Kim.

"Well, if it isn't Havey-Wavey," the girl in question grinned while Haven frantically gathered the money before it could fly away. "What are you doing out this way? Visiting your mum at work?"

Haven snorted at that. "I'd rather sit down for tea with Rafe Cameron." Arden scrunched up her nose in disgust, the two girls laughing before Haven noticed the picture clutched in her hand, "Hey, did you get to see jellybean?"

Just as Arden went to eagerly reply, there was a pained cry from the direction of the Country Club's golf course. Haven's face paled, her feet instinctively guiding her with a confused Arden following behind. Pope had gone that way, and something in that cry had been awfully familiar.

"Haven, what was that?" Arden asked, though her question was soon answered as they rounded the corner to see Pope on the ground with Rafe and Topper towering over him. "What the fuck?"

They moved on autopilot as Pope pushed himself to his feet. There were broken plastic bags on the floor, groceries strewn around from where Rafe had forced them out of Pope's hands. Both Kook boys were holding golf clubs, though Topper seemed surprised and uncomfortable as Rafe swung at Pope's back, hard.

"Stay down, bitch!"

"Hey," Haven shouted. Her chest felt tight, impossibly so, and she was finally beginning to understand the phrase 'all you can see is red when you're angry.' She wanted to hit something, release that fury, but she fought the urge away as she shoved between Rafe and Pope with a glare. As horrible as they were, she would not be Luke Maybank if she didn't have to be. "Touch him again, asshole. I dare you."

Rafe let out an amused laugh, eyes blown as he looked to Topper for backup. But Topper had gone quiet as he threw his own club away. He didn't want any part of this. With pursed lips, Rafe stepped towards Haven, a smug smirk on his face that Haven just wanted to erase. "And what are you going to do about it, Murphy?"

"She might not do anything, but I'm going to." Rafe barely had time to think before Arden appeared in front of Haven with Topper's discarded golf club in her hands. She let out a screech worthy of a pterodactyl, swinging it at his jaw then a repeated motion between his legs. Rafe's eyes bugged as Haven gasped, unable to move from the shock. She'd never seen Arden so violent before. "Why are you just standing there? Help Pope."

Pope. Fuck, Haven had completely forgotten about him. He was still lying on the ground behind the two girls, groaning as he clutched the side of his bloodied lip. Rafe had gotten him good. She rushed over to his side as he attempted to sit up, holding his head between her hands as she forced his squinted eyes to meet hers.

"Hey, you're okay," she stated. "You're alright, Pope."

The boy just whimpered, hands reaching out to hold her wrists in search of some kind of comfort. She was more than happy to oblige when behind them, Arden and Rafe were yelling at each other, but Haven paid them no mind until she heard Topper joining in and the sound of a hand smacking someone across the face. She spun around in time to watch Arden stumble back in shock, Rafe grinning madly while Topper covered his face with his hands.

That was it. Haven had tried to behave, but she couldn't stand it anymore. She lurched forward to grab the golf club Rafe had dropped to hurt Arden (how low would he stoop if he could hit a pregnant woman without hesitation?) and then, despite Pope half-heartedly calling her back, she circled Rafe to slam the club into his back with a war cry.

"Don't." Hit. "Ever." Hit. "Touch." Hit. "My friends." Hit. "Again."

She was screaming, her throat hurting, but she wanted Rafe to feel a fraction of the pain he'd just put her friends through. How it didn't phase him, she wasn't sure, but he was up on his feet with Topper shoving him back after a stunned moment.

"You watch your back, bitch," he snarled. "I'll tell Kelce you said hi."

He was gone before she could respond. Her anger, so ferocious only a second before, was long gone as she sunk to her knees. She couldn't believe she just did that. And the worst, most terrifying thing was, she didn't regret it. Hell, she wanted to follow after Rafe with that golf club and knock his teeth out so he could never mention that name to her again.

"Haven." Arden crawled over to her with a bright red hand-print on her cheek. "Haven, check on Pope."

And with all the strength she could manage, she forced herself to stand up again, brush the sand off her dress, and make her way over to where Pope now stood with blood staining his teeth. He grabbed her shoulders when she got close enough, hugging her so tight she was barely able to breathe, but she didn't mind. All thoughts of hurting Rafe again had been erased from her mind, as if he'd known they were there haunting her and wanted to take the weight of them away, even for just a second. Arden soon joined them, patting them both on the back as they stepped away to look at her.

"Those weren't for you..." he trailed off, pointing down at the ruined groceries with a frown. His dad was going to be so angry with him.

Arden just sighed. "They weren't, but I'll cover the cost of whatever he destroyed. Who were they for?"

When Pope didn't reply, Haven nudged his arm gently. "The Riley's."

She nodded, deep in thought. "It should be alright. They work for my mum. I can take care of it."

It seemed that Pope was finally getting his wits back. Before she could say anything else, he gasped and reached out to push up her jaw, eyes locked on the irritated mark Rafe had made on her skin.

"Arden..."

"I'm fine, dude. You should take a look at yourself," she insisted, but Pope paid her no attention as he continued to frown at the bruise. "You know, we should be thanking Haven here," she added, bounding away from him to give the girl in question a hug and a nudge into the limelight. "Don't you think so, Pope? She had quite the go at that fucker for hurting you."

Arden beamed as Haven blushed and Pope stammered out a nervous 'thank you.' A job well done, she thought to herself. And in true Haven fashion, she was quick to brush his gratitude away and suggest they head back to the boat.

The day they returned to the Country Club would be too damn soon.

Somehow, they beat JJ back to the boat. Arden did her best to fill the silence with chatter about her recent sonogram, showing off the picture to Pope in an attempt to bring up his spirits. It worked for a minute or two, but then the trio were forced into silence as he took up his spot behind the steering wheel and Haven curled up in the corner with Arden coming to sit at her feet. There was nothing in the world that could distract them from what had just happened.

"Guys, you are not going to believe what just happened to me," JJ exclaimed when he returned. He didn't even notice Arden as he hopped onto the deck, Pope immediately pulling away so they could get the fuck out of Figure Eight. "When I say count me in on all these grocery deliveries, Pope, I mean it."

When he didn't say anything, JJ frowned and looked around. He first noticed Haven, just as quiet and withdrawn, then Arden sitting there with her hair awkwardly splayed over her face.

"Uh, what happened?" he asked, slowly turning back to Pope. "What's up with you? Bro, are you good?" He leaned forward, and that's when he saw the bruises. "Yo, what happened to your face, dude?" He winced as JJ lifted his hat, pushing his hand away as the blonde cursed and spun around to look at the girls.

"JJ, don't—" Haven sighed as he attentively looked her over.

"No," he cut her off, glaring as he moved to push Arden's hair off her face. "Fucking hell, who did this?"

"Rafe and Topper jumped me. They said no pogues on their side of the island."

"We heard them shouting from my delivery," Haven added quietly. There was no point keeping it from him now, not when Pope was crying and Arden looked close to joining him. "Rafe hit Arden, and he probably would've gone for me too if I didn't hit first."

The silence was deafening. Haven knew that if JJ could have it his way, they'd turn the boat around and he'd teach Rafe and Topper a lesson. But none of them, least of all Pope, wanted to go back there, so revenge had to be found in other ways.

"What are you gonna do?"

As it so happened, Pope had a plan. He drove them around to where Topper lived, parking just a few metres out from where his speedboat floated beside their pristine jetty. Arden groaned at the sight and buried her head into Haven's side. There was determination there, no matter how stupid the idea was. They were going to sink Topper's boat.

"2020 Malibu, 24-MXC," Pope quoted JJ from all those days ago when they first saw the infamous boat. "The world's finest wakesetter. Number one in quality, luxury and performance."

"This is war, Pope," JJ sneered. "They hit us, we hit them."

And so the plan began. Pope discarded his shirt while JJ approached the girls with a handful of neckties. He passed one of Pope's to Haven before putting on his own, then forcing another over Arden's head. That way, if someone was to walk past and see them vandalising some fucking expensive property, they'd be harder to recognise.

"Has Pope gone already?" Haven asked, though her question was soon answered by a splash as the boy in question dived off the boat and began swimming over to the Thornton jetty. "Nevermind."

As Arden and JJ talked about the recent sonogram, she left them to their privacy and made her way out onto the deck to watch Pope pull the plug from the bottom of Topper's boat. It slowly began to sink as he swam back, the sun beating down on them as he clambered up the ladder.

"You feel any better?" she asked as he came up to her, playfully shaking water droplets from his hair onto her despite her protests.

"Very," he smirked, holding up the plug for her and now JJ to see as he dragged Arden over to them.

"Wow, you actually did it," he exclaimed. "I'm so proud of you right now. Holy crap."

"And now that's out of the way," Arden said. "Can we get out of here? If I have to spend another minute near Topper's grimy house, I might vomit."

"Good," JJ huffed. "In fact, let's get you on land so you can vomit in Mrs Thornton's rose bushes."

Haven snorted. "Sinking a boat is one thing, morning sickness in the roses is just unfair."

"Guys, listen for a second," Pope interrupted with all traces of amusement gone. "You can't tell anybody."

"Well, obviously," Arden rolled her eyes. "Then we'd go down with you."

"I'm serious. Not Kie, not John B, nobody."

"My lips are sealed," JJ grinned at him.

And so they were sworn to secrecy.

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"HEY, SAVE SOME WAVES for us," JJ shouted as the four of them made their way onto the sandy shores of the beach.

After returning Heyward's boat back to the shop and successfully evading any questions about the trip, they took off to the beach to meet up with John B and Kie. Pope was in a much better mood, promising Haven that he was going to teach her how to surf as he nabbed one of his spare boards from the shop. As much as she dreaded the idea, she went along with it just to keep the smile on his face. Arden, though, was having a much harder time just thinking of going anywhere near the water.

"Come on, Ard," JJ rolled his eyes as the girl stood stubbornly at the edge of the water, waves washing over to her feet and sending her jolting back in terror. "A little bun in the oven can hardly affect your surfing skills."

"Yeah, Arden, show us what you got," Haven cheered as JJ pulled her out further.

"Haven, I swear to—" Arden cut herself off with a screech as the water began to circle over her bump. Everyone paused, frowning at her while Haven had to hold onto her knees so she wouldn't collapse from laughter. At least she wasn't angry anymore.

"Uh, princess," JJ drawled. "What the fuck was that?"

"Ard..." Kie called out in concern as she and John B waded over. They'd heard her scream all the way out where the water was over their heads. "What's wrong?"

Arden took a deep breath before blurting out, "I'm terrified I'm going to drown my child if I go any further."

Haven was laughing so hard she could barely breathe. It wasn't the first time that Arden had admitted this fear to her, but it was completely different seeing it in action. She was genuinely afraid which Haven supposed wasn't funny, but her wide eyes like a deer in the headlights definitely were.

"It was so bad at the beginning that she flat out refused to take a shower," she told the others as they stared at Arden in disbelief.

"That's what your maternal instincts have developed into?" Kie scoffed. "Ard, we live on a fucking island."

"I know that," she cried out, though even she grinned as they all burst into laughter.

What a good end to a hectic day, if Haven did say so herself.