Carefree || JJ Maybank

Chapter Ninety-Two

When Mr. and Mrs. Heyward came home, they asked for Pope. But Cleo, JJ, and Everleigh made up a poor excuse as to where he was.

"I appreciate the help, you three." Mrs. Heyward smiles at the three teens who were helping to clean her supplies.

"I ain't missing Mrs. Heyward's cooking." JJ joke, wiping down a table.

She smiles at them with the sweetest smile they'd ever seen. Mrs. Heyward always took any of the Pogues in when they needed anything and they were all so grateful for her to the point she didn't even understand. "Unlike my derelict son. He's usually here by now."

"I'm sure he'll be back any second, Mrs. Heyward." Cleo tells her, hoping that Pope hears her calling.

JJ sneaks over to the grill, trying to take a piece of food but Mrs. Heyward smacks his hand. Everleigh laughs at him before standing next to Mrs. Heyward. Of course she let Everleigh take a piece. She pretended to eat it before rushing over to JJ, the food burning her fingertips as she held the food up to his mouth. He took it from his girlfriend using his teeth, then licking her fingertips. Everleigh cringes and joking pushes his head back, wiping her hand on his shirt.

Then, Heyward's enters the deck, a serious and concerned look on his face. "Any of y'all moved the pistol from in there?" He immediately asks, making everyone's head shoot in his direction. "The one I keep under the register?" He pauses for a little while. "JJ?"

"Woah." Everleigh immediately steps infront of JJ, looking Heyward in the eye. "He didn't touch it, alright? It wasn't him." She defends him, and JJ fights of a proud smile.

"Yeah? Well somebody did." Heyward argues back, staring a hole through Everleigh. "Cause it's gone." The group all pleads innocent. "You see? I... Dang it. I gotta find it." Heyward yells as he walks back inside.

Mrs. Heyward is quick to follow behind him. "Alright, I'm sure it's somewhere. Heyward, I'm sure it's somewhere."

Once the Heyward's are out of earshot, Everleigh is first to speak up. "Pope." She speaks quietly.

"It's him." Cleo agrees, looking at the couple.

JJ nods and looks at the Heyward's who were rummaging around for the gun. "Yeah, he's going after Rafe. We'll check Tannyhill."

Cleo looks at JJ, "I'll take the marina."

They ran to the Cameron household, and they searched the entire property. Internally, Everleigh was praying that Rafe wasn't there, so that JJ didn't do anything stupid, but after JJ called it off, they began to walk home.

"Hopefully Cleo found him." Everleigh tells JJ as they walk hand in hand up a dark street. "I don't really know that he would do anything if he had the chance to though."

"Pope's a good kid, Ev." JJ tells her, looking around the area they were in. "He'll be alright. We'll just hang at the chateau. He will come home eventually."

"Actually." Everleigh stops him just as they're about to get out of Figure Eight. "I owe Kiara a visit." She tells him. He goes to speak but she stops him. "I know that you're gonna try to stop me, but I promise I won't kill her."

She smiles at him and when he turns look at her, he smiles too, "Come home afterwards, princess." He tells her, earning a nod. He leans down to place a kiss on the top of her head, but she stands on her tippy toes, letting their lips connect. "I love you."

"I love you too." She squeezes his hand and turns back into Figure Eight, walking towards Kiara's house.

She knew the Carreras wouldn't be too happy to see her, but the goal was to not be seen. She was going to get inside, but not how they'd expect her to.

Once she got to the tall house, she went around the side, looking at Kiara's window which was on the second floor. She takes a deep breath, knowing that she hadn't climbed the wall in a while. But, it had to be done. She planted her foot in the first window ledge, pulling herself up. She continued to climb using the windows until she could see into Kiara's room. She tapped on the window, and when Kiara looked up, her eyes rolled.

She made her way over, opening the window for Everleigh. "What?" She asks her blandly.

"I'd love to answer your question, Kie. But can I answer it when I'm not hanging from the side of your house?" She asks, hooking her arm in Kiara's window.

Kiara looks at her door and then back at Everleigh. She hesitantly nods and runs to lock her door while Everleigh climbs in. She stands awkwardly, brushing the dirt from off of her clothes.

Kiara looks at her, silently questioning why she was still standing.

"Right." Everleigh whispers to herself, sitting at the bottom of Kiara's bed cross legged. "Look, Ki..."

"I'm sorry, Ev." Kiara stops her. "The lecture you gave me got to my head, I promise." She pauses and looks at Everleigh who was listening with slight confusion. "I shouldn't have gotten that close to JJ. And I totally believe you if you tell me that you'll ruin my life because I'll be honest, you scare the shit out of me when you're mad."

Everleigh chuckles, "Yeah, you were definitely on my shit list." Everleigh smiles, playing with an end of a blanket with her fingers. "Look, Kie, I trust you. And I trust that you're not gonna get in the way of me and JJ."

"You're my best friend, Ev." Kiara says quietly with a smile. "I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you and you know that. So, I'm sorry, and I hope you'll forgive me."

Everleigh nods, hearing Kie's parents move around downstairs. "We're Pogues." Everleigh simply mentions. "How could I not forgive you?" She smiles. She opens her arms and Kiara hugs her while they both sigh with relief.

But, they're quick to pull apart when Kiara's mom and dad start to make their way upstairs. Everleigh got up to run, climbing out the window and saluting Kie before lowering her head beneath the bottom.

When she finally made it to the ground, she took a good look at the house before running off of the property and up the street. She ran until she made it to the Cut, finally taking a break to walk back to the chateau.

She let her mind wonder as she made her way back home. But her thoughts were quickly taken from her when she saw the Twinkie sitting out front of the house. Everleigh started to run again, making her way to the front porch. She didn't even notice her dad wasn't around.

She saw JJ with his arm around John B. "Aw, look at you two. I didn't know JJ was cheating on me with my own brother."

"Shut up." John B smiles, standing up and putting his sister in a headlock. "He was mine in the first place."

She pulled her head free and went behind him, jumping up onto his back. "Stay jealous, hun. He's all mine now."

"Will you two quit fighting over me?" JJ smiles, watching to two sibling wrestle. "I've already made my choice of who I want to be with." They both stop, waiting for JJ to answer. "Jennifer Lopez."

"Oh, grow up." John B groans, finally getting Everleigh off of his back.

Everleigh laughs, "Yeah, grow up. JLo is mine."

JJ shook his head running towards Everleigh and picking her up over his shoulder. She screamed and laughed as she moved her hair out of her face. He smacked her butt and walked inside. "No, she can't have my place." He says proudly.

"Goodnight, assholes." John B shouts to them.

Everleigh props herself up using JJ's back and she flips him off. Her brother just smiled and shook his head as the door shut behind the two.