𝐂𝐑𝐔𝐄𝐋 𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐑 | outerbanks²

𝟢𝟢𝟫，FACE TO FACE WITH DEATH

CRUEL SUMMER
009 | face to face with death

THE PLAN WAS SET.

━━ the group had spent the last few hours focusing on how exactly the gun retrieval would go down: exhausting all possible outcomes. The only thing that was yet to be decided was the pogue that would be entering the sewer to retrieve this gun.

But before that, School. Renee and Pope having both persuaded JJ and Kiara that morning to not skip as for both the sake of their college transcripts and the normality that was currently impossible to fit into each of their lives.

So as they sat in their various classrooms in their different schools during last period. With the promise of JJ meeting her outside afterwards.

Renee in history with Jaylee to the left of her and other students who still served her with bazar looks surrounding her otherwise. The lesson was almost over and as good as her attendance would be that day — she couldn't think of anything but last night, Gavin, but more specifically — Ward killing Gavin.

The memory had engraved its self so much in Renee's mind she was finding impossible to think of anything else. Her heart was beating at a fast pace regularly, her eyes scanning the room for anything remotely dangerous.

She was scared permanently. Of anything and everyone. Her actions skittish at every slight movement that anyone would make.

" psst." Jaylee nudged her foot against the blondes ankle, the gaze shooting towards the soft smile of the girl sat next to her. Renee let herself relax momentarily as Jaylee furrowed her eyebrows at her.

" are you ok?" she asked in a low whisper, Renee nodded — a lie and a unbelievably one at that " yeah, just had a bad night."

Jaylee nodded, momentarily moving her ring covered fingers to sit over Renee's hand still unconvinced when she pulled her hand away and she turned back to her work not wanting to pry further, and Renee to the lack of it that sat in her note book and her pen that still had the cap on it.

Home. She wanted to go home. Not the chateau or to JJ's empty home that she occasionally crashed at since his father was imprisoned or Kiara's or the blow up mattress at popes. Home, her home — Thornbury House on Figure Eight.

The months after John b and Sarah 'died' — her house  had actually felt like a home, her mom and brother would take care of her — and on the downer days sit with her, as she cried they would hold her until she was ready to let go. The time of mourning everyone distanced, even JJ didn't see Renee that often, what he did she wasn't sure but knowing JJ she didn't want to know.

Kiara went vigilante and Pope was the peace keeper, talking to everyone making sure they were too off of the rails. But for weeks Renee didn't leave the house, it was her safe haven now. Too many bad things had occurred at the chateau for it to take the first place position after that summer.

But she just wanted to go home, shower off all the fictional grime she had imagined crawled on her body — wrap herself up in a blanket weather aside and watch something that allowed her to escape, just for a while at least.

A crashing sound. It was fast and too similar to a gunshot for Renee to let it pass by — Renee's throat let out a scratchy yelp, staggering up from her desk as pure terror extruded itself out of her body language — a sheen of sweat already glistening on her forehead. All eyes turned to look at her if they weren't already.

Her shaking hand clasped around her throat as shaky delayed breaths left her mouth in pants. Her chest hurt, and head ached and it was spiralling. She was spiralling — it was a panic attack.