𝐂𝐑𝐔𝐄𝐋 𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐑 - kiara carrera¹

𝒍𝒙𝒊𝒊. 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒚 𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒔

"AND STILL, NO ARRESTS IN THE SHOOTING DEATH OF SHERIFF SUSAN PETERKIN, AND A SERIAL KILLER'S THIRD STRIKE FOR DEPUTY GARY LEWIS."

Tatum's head shot up at the words of the radio man. Not because they were now officially calling her a serial killer - growing up, she knew that would happen one day anyway - though she was pretty upset they didn't give her a cool name. Maybe they needed more time to make some creative ideas...maybe she had to give herself a name. What about - No. She was letting her mind trail off again. Deputy Gary Lewis. Shit.

"My dad's gonna be the only father figure that baby will have," she whispered in fear. Gary was the police officer. The one whose wife had a scandalous affair with local criminal, Nathan Quinn. The one whose wife was having a whole freaking baby with Nathan Quinn. Tatum's dad.

When Tatum heads the news about the next Quinn child, obviously she was excited to have a younger sibling. However, she needed to set up some precautions before it was born, because she wished her older brothers had done it for her. Since the baby's step-dad would be a cop, she always assumed he'd be the one to take the child out of her dad's grasp and let it live a better life. Now, Tatum had murdered that cop, and put her baby brother/sister's whole existence in danger. Because the Quinn family was dangerous.

Kiara switched off the radio before it went on to say how bad John B and Tatum where, holding her light girlfriend to her chest in comfort. She didn't know exactly what Tate was feeling right now - nobody did - but her friends were prepared for any kind of outburst. And this time, they were going to help her through it, because Thomas wasn't able to anymore.

"I'm fucking crazy," Tatum mumbled to herself. She had heard her name being whispered with that exact adjective a million times. She knew her reputation around this island. She knew that was what was expected of her. When she had breakdowns, she would sometimes imagine herself as crazy, or tell people she was. But she had never told herself she was that word. Never. She never actually believed it. Until now. But still, there was not a single drop of guilt in her blood. "When they lock me up, I'll get help. I promise."

Kiara shook her head, turning around to hold her girl's hands and squeezed them with the same amount of warmth she always brought to Tatum when she touched her. "You are not getting locked up, Tate," she told her in a soft but firm voice. "I'm not going to let anyone take you." She glanced at the gloomy boy sitting at the front beside JJ, who actually didn't kill anyone. "Either of you."

Last night, they barely escaped the swarms of police searching for the town's newest serial killer and her accused cop-killer friend. It took a while for any of them to get to sleep, apart from Tatum, who was unbothered by any of it at that time, because they were all filled with so much worry. Kiara and her girlfriend were spread out together in the what Tate liked to call 'the booty seats', Pope was laid across the three middle seats, and the other two boys were at the front with one reclined chair each.

"Let's game this out," said JJ from the front, his cap covering his face. "Maybe you guys can help, being the smart ones and all, but..." As he sighed, Pope and Kiara perked their heads up because obviously he was talking about them. However, the usually genius boy was still high as a kite, and enjoying the reckless activities he'd been recently participating in. JJ sighed again. "...who are the cops going to believe? Ward Cameron or us?" Kiara wrapped her arms tightly around Tatum's waist before she began overthinking and potentially killed another person to feel better. Kie still wasn't too sure about what was going on with her girlfriend, but she really did mean it when she promised herself she'd be there this time. JJ went on anyway, oblivious to the mass waves of anxiety he was sending through the car: "So the accuser is a bigshot developer, kind of lord of the island, got the governor on speed dial kind of person, and the accusers...are John B, who is...pretty much a homeless 16-year-old boy at the moment. Oh, and Tatum Quinn, who actually committed the crimes she was accused of...and is a literal Quinn."

"I mean, I could always lie at court tomorrow and tell them I killed Peterkin, too," the girl spoke up. When everyone sent her disbelieving looks, she shrugged carelessly. "I'm already getting locked up for three murders - four will give me more prison credit - and there is no way JB could handle juvie, nevermind actual jail, which we'll obviously be going to because our 'crimes' are so bad they can put us on a fitness trial."

"Thanks for the encouragement, Tate," the non-murderous boy said sarcastically, "but there's no way you're doing that."

"Yeah, and neither of you are going to jail," Kiara said again, more expression in her voice this time, because she couldn't even think about it. It felt like forever the two girls had been together, but it had only actually been three days. And three days was nothing on the lifetime they could have together. A lifetime they wouldn't have if Tatum was sitting in a cell for the rest of it. And John B - John B actually didn't do anything. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, trying to save his girlfriend from her psychotic family. And Tatum was right - he would never survive jail. He was too sweet. And what was the pouges without their leader? Without JB, they would all fall apart. They needed him.

"Shit," muttered Pope, rubbing his temples tiredly.

"Okay, man," JJ spoke up again, looking from John B beside him to the back of the car where Tatum was resting. "Yucatan, all right? I'm saying that's the only option." At everyone's annoyed looks, he raised his voice as he asked, "What other options do you have?"

"Enough with the Mexico bullshit," said John B, bored of hearing JJ's big Yucatan speech every day since they were seven. "All right, Sarah will bail me out."

"She did witness the whole thing," Kie pointed out, her arms still wrapped around her girlfriend as they laid across the back of the car, tangled into each other with much-needed comfort.

"Thank you."

Pope shook his head and turned around to face the two girls at the back. "And she's gonna snitch on her brother?" he asked skeptically.

While smoking his regular morning joint, JJ nodded in agreement, sitting up to look at his friend, who was completely adamant that his girlfriend would get him out of this mess. "Not happening, bro, okay? And even if she did, what about Tatum?" he told him truthfully. "We've gotta get both of you off the island."

"The ferry," Pope jumped into the conversation with smart enthusiasm. Although he was completely out of character the night before, he knew exactly what was going on, and he couldn't live a life without the two of his closest friends. He lost Thomas, he couldn't lose JB and Tate, too. "It's the only way."

"Yeah, exit the stage left while you still can, okay?" added JJ, his upbeat energy increasing as the plan began to come together. "Before the entire island is on lockdown."

Sirens.

Police.

Random people.

Everyone was looking for the southside delinquents.

"Guys, just get down," hissed Kiara as a cop car sped past, straddling Tatum to the floor before she cluelessly went to look out the window.

"Sarah's not a pouge, John B," Pope declared after a moment of laying low while the police went away.

"Yeah. You can't stay here, man," added JJ.

Tatum and Kiara shared a look, a sad one. There was a time - only a few days ago - where Tate dreamed of getting away from this island. But now, she was only just releasing how much the shitty place meant to her. The people there. The places she grew up in. She held up the box of her brother's ashes and shut her eyes for a moment. He didn't get his escape. It wasn't fair.

A/n: editing this chapter confused me so much to the point where i stopped halfway through. this is probably the worst one ive written but im too lazy to go back and do it again

so if you didn't understand a thing, which you probably didn't, the police are all looking for tatum and jb, the cop tatum killed was her unborn sibling's stepdad, and she's pretty sure shes a psychopath :) 👍👍