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𝙄𝙏 𝙒𝘼𝙎𝙉'𝙏 𝙇𝙊𝙉𝙂 before the Twinkie finally pulled into the lot.

Its headlights illuminated Charlotte's car as she sat up, letting out a small sigh of relief. "About time." She muttered to no one but herself as she threw open her car door and stepped out.

Still in her ridiculous dress and heels, Charlotte felt like an idiot as she stood in the parking lot of the Hawk's Nest.

The winds outside had begun to pick up, bolts of lighting streaking through the air as thunder rumbled from somewhere over the water.

The engine to the Twinkie was killed, and through the window Charlotte could see the four Pogues, but no one got out yet.

Begrudgingly, Charlotte stomped toward them desperate to see what the hold up was.

Just as she reached the vehicle, the door slid open and John B stepped out, his eyes lighting up for a moment when he spotted the eldest Carrera girl. "Charley? What are you doing here?"

Charlotte looked past him where the other three still sat in the van, Kiara with a particularly pissed off expression on her face. When she looked back to John B, he was giving her a tight-lipped smile. "I drove Sarah here." She explained, jabbing a thumb over her shoulder. "She's waiting for you."

He tried to hide the smile that quickly overtook his lips at the mention of Sarah Cameron, but Charlotte easily spotted it.

She rose her brows, amused with the situation. "We need to talk later." She grinned as she stepped around him toward the Twinkie.

John B feigned confusion. "About?"

Charlotte winked as she grabbed onto the frame of the vehicle. "I think you know."

John B was letting out a laugh as a hand gripped onto Charlotte from inside the Twinkie, pulling her into the sweltering hot car. "You drove her here?" Kiara snapped before Charlotte even had a chance to gain her bearings.

She had fallen into JJ when she was pulled into the van, and he was looking down at her with a look of suggestion. "Hey, Charley."

The dark haired girl scoffed, pushing herself off of him before directing her anger at her little sister. "Would you relax?"

Kiara clenched her jaw as she tightly crossed her arms across her chest. "I thought that when you and Rafe broke up you would finally see what a conniving bitch she is."

Charlotte forced herself not to roll her eyes. "We're still caught up on this drama?"

"Yes!" Kie snapped in exasperation. "Aren't big sister's suppose to take their little sister's sides? Not fraternize with the enemy at every chance they get! You're being a really shitty sister. I hope you know that."

JJ and Pope were sharing uncomfortable looks as the two sisters stared each other down. It was evident that whatever was going to be said next was not going to be good by any means.

"I'm being a shitty sister because I drove her here? Get a grip, Kiara."

Kiara looked about ready to strangle Charlotte. "You've been a shitty sister for years. Always picking the Kooks over us─over me. And what an idiot I've been. Because I really thought that this summer was going to be different. I thought that finally you'd come to your senses and realized where you really belonged. But the minute you had a chance to weasel your way back into the Cameron family and Kook life, you were taking it. That's why you didn't leave with us tonight, wasn't it? You were with Rafe...playing pretend in your fancy dress and pretty hair."

Kiara paused for a moment, regarding her sister with a certain disgust. "You're as bad as everyone else over there. We were fun until something better came along, is that it? And now we're just trash at your feet again?John B's fallen for it too. Which I'm sure you're just ecstatic about. One more pawn in your little game at rising to the top, eh Char?"

Everything Kiara just said was so unexpected that the car had fallen deathly silent. Pope looked like he wanted to be literally anywhere else, while JJ looked slightly angry.

Charlotte on the other hand, sat with her back straight and her chin pointed upward. Silent for a moment, she digested every harsh thing her sister had just thrown at her. She didn't speak right away, because yes she had been with Rafe tonight, but there was no way she was going to admit that right now.

Because Kiara didn't understand Charlotte's twisted life over on Figure Eight. She didn't understand the feelings of conflict and guilt that her sister felt every day of her life.

She didn't understand the way Charlotte partly hated herself every time she saw Kiara leave the house to head over to The Cut and she didn't go with her. Kiara didn't understand how lost Charlotte felt sometimes.

The youngest Carrera was proud in the choice she had made to be a Pogue. She wore the name with pride and honour, refusing to fall victim to the luxuries of the Figure Eight that were placed in front of her constantly. She knew who she was and she was confident in that.

That was exactly what Charlotte lacked. She had never been truly confident in who she was. She acted like it, but it was never really true.

Even with a life that seemed so perfect, Charlotte felt like she was drowning. She had everything she could have ever wanted...so why did it sometimes feel like she had nothing?

"You're not trash." Charlotte finally spoke, her voice cracking slightly. She didn't want to cry, but the words her sister threw at her hurt. "And I'm not using you...any of you."

Her eyes had flickered toward Pope and JJ for a moment before they refocused on Kiara. "You're my sister, Kiara. I'd never pick someone over you. But you don't get to control who I'm friends with. I'm sorry your Kook year didn't pan out like you wanted it to, but you don't get to act like you understand my life, because you don't. Not at all. I'm lost right now, Kie. And what I don't need is you making me feel even shittier about myself. So thank you for your excellent input. It's really appreciated."

Kiara didn't back down. "See? This is what I mean, Charlotte! Are you too good to actually argue with me now? Or are you just going to keep patronizing me like I'm some idiot. I understand your life perfectly fine. I've been there for it for the last sixteen years. I lived the same life as you...I just made the better decision in the end."

A clap of thunder sounded overhead as the car plunged into silence once again.

Charlotte wasn't exactly sure what had happened to set her sister off, but she knew everything Kiara had spewed out had been brewing for a long time. She had resented Charlotte for years, and it had finally come to a head.

Not being in that situation was the best thing Charlotte could do for herself in that moment. So, without so much as a word, she pulled herself out of the Twinkie and slammed the door shut behind her.

Running a hand through her hair and ripping the flowers from her braids in frustration, Charlotte could hear more arguing from inside the vehicle. This time it was JJ and Kiara.

The yelling ceased when the door slid open once again and JJ stepped into the stormy night.

Out of all three of the boys, Charlotte had always been closest with JJ. She wasn't sure what it was, but the two of them just clicked as friends. 

She glanced over at him, quickly wiping her tears before staring straight ahead. "You shouldn't be out here, J. She's going to charge you with treason for talking to me."

JJ let out a soft laugh as he stood next to Charlotte, turning his head to watch her. "What she said isn't true, Charley. We know who you really are."

"But what if it is true?" Charlotte wondered. "She's right. Where have I been the last four years? I've been up to my neck in Kook life. Acting like that's exactly where I belonged. And then this summer you all took me back like I never abandoned you guys in the first place."

JJ watched her for a moment with a gentle expression. "You didn't abandon us. You lived your life. And you can lie all you want, but I know you were happy over there. And that's okay...that's allowed. You're allowed to want to live like a Kook...but just remember you're part Pogue...always. Can't go full Kook on us yet."

Charlotte let out a teary laugh. For all the dumb shit JJ said, he always seemed to have just as many good things to say.

"I can't entirely give up my life over there....not yet."

"You don't have to." JJ assured. "But you can come back to us. You can take on this mission with us and it'll be like old times."

"Kiara probably doesn't want me anywhere near you guys at this point." She muttered with a small shrug. "Everything has just gone to shit this summer."

JJ slung an arm over Charlotte's shoulder, pulling him toward her. "Kiara isn't the only Pogue who gets a say in the matter. And you two will make up...you always do."

Which was true. Charlotte and Kiara had had their fair share of arguments over the years, but they always made amends almost as fast as they argued. 

After giving JJ a forced smile, Charlotte decided she wanted to change the subject. "What are we doing here, anyway?"

He grinned. "The money is here...on the island. We just have to find out where."

Her eyes lit up. "That's what the map Sarah has is for?"

"Precisely."

"Oh my God. This is─"

Charlotte cut herself off when a scream tore through the night. It was largely masked by the howling wind, but a remnant of a plea for help still carried through the trees.

"What was that?" She questioned, quickly untangling herself from JJ as the two of them turned toward the tree line. 

The scream came again, this time louder. "SOMEBODY HELP ME!"

"That's Sarah." Charlotte breathed, her heart hammering in her chest. 

JJ turned toward the Twinkie. "We gotta get the other two─"

The words had barely left his mouth by the time Charlotte was taking off toward the Hawk's Nest where Sarah and John B had been. 

"Charley, just wait!" JJ pleaded, unsure of what they were about to walk in to. 

Charlotte ignored him, knowing the other three would catch up in a matter of seconds. If someone was hurt, she needed to get there as soon as possible. 

The wind nipped at her face as she pressed on. Lighting still cracked in the sky overhead, providing an ominous feel to the already heavy night. 

As she rounded the corner, her wild eyes landed on two figures. One was laid on the ground, the other hunched over them as their body shook with sobs. 

"Sarah!"

Upon Charlotte's yell, the hunched over figure sat up and turned toward her. Sarah Cameron had tears streaking down her cheeks as she clutched onto the other figure who appeared to be unconscious. 

The other figure was John B, and Charlotte felt like she was going to be sick. 

"What happened?" She demanded, pushing aside her own worries to try and assess the situation. 

As she knelt down across from Sarah, the younger girl simply let out a sob as she shook her head. 

"Sarah." Charlotte pressed.

Thumping footsteps could be heard as the other three teens finally reached them. JJ and Pope arrived first, Kiara close behind them.

"Sarah, what happened?" Pope questioned, his voice laced with evident worry.

Finally, Sarah seemed to find her words. "He fell." She cried. "Topper shoved him."

Charlotte's stomach twisted in a knot as she looked over her shoulder, expecting to see Topper looming over them looking for another fight. 

JJ was doing the same thing, jaw clenched in anger. "Where the hell is he?"

"Please, please, please get help." Sarah sobbed. "I don't care who. Just call someone."

Charlotte looked to the two younger boys. "Pope, my cellphone is in my car. Go grab it and call 911. He needs an ambulance. We can't move him on our own."

Pope's eyes were wide as he nodded, and within seconds he was taking off toward where they had left the vehicles. 

"John B, stay with me." Sarah begged, pushing the hair from his face. "Please don't leave me."

As Sarah leaned down to press a kiss to his lips, Charlotte couldn't help but look toward her younger sister. When she did, she could see a look of betrayal playing on her face. 

There wasn't time for that drama...not right now. 

Tearing her eyes from her sister, Charlotte refocused them on Sarah. "Is he breathing?" She questioned, her hand shooting out to feel for his pulse. 

Sarah nodded, not letting go of him. "I─I think so."

When Charlotte felt his pulse, she let out a small sigh of relief. "Okay." She breathed. "Okay. Good."

"POPE, COME ON!" JJ screamed. "HURRY!"

When Pope finally got back, he had the ambulance en route and it seemed that everything would be okay. 

But Charlotte couldn't shake the awful feeling she had looming over her. In the past two weeks, the Kooks had tried to kill the Pogues three different times. Things had never gotten out of hand like this before, and it terrified her.

It seemed things were only going to get worse. 

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