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CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: ' the storm '
The three teens looked around at what seemed like 30 cop cars, multiple deputies and FBI agents, and all their equipment. "Follow Plumb to that tent." Shoupe orders. "Right to your left here."
"Right here." Plumb points to the seats.
"Sit down. Don't move. We got a lot to talk about." Shoupe tells them. "Keep an eye on these kids."
"I'm scared." Hayley whispers to the brunette beside her.
"So am I." Kie grabs her hand. "Everything will be okay, though."
"Yeah?" Hayley questions.
"Yeah." Kie gives her a reassuring smile.
The brunette looked to her left as JJ put her arm around her. "You're scared." He points out to which she lets out a defeated sigh. "It's written all over your body language. Don't worry, I got you."
"You always do." She rolls her eyes, leaning into his side. "Do you think he'll get away?"
"I know he will." JJ reassures her. "You look tired."
"I am." She laughs. "Hopefully all this BS will be over and we can go to my bed and sleep for 2 days straight."
"That long?" JJ fakes exaggeration.
"Shut up." She rolls her eyes as she laughs.
The teens had sat there for what felt like hours waiting on any news from John B. Things began to get pretty hectic and the teens assumed that John B got spotted, and finally Shoupe came back, causing the teens to immediately stand up and approach him.
"Did you find them?" Pope questions.
"No." Shoupe shakes his head, causing the group to smile.
"So, they got away?" Kie says hopeful, but the look on Shoupe's face said otherwise.
"We, uh... we lost them." He says. "I'm sorry."
"Sorry?" Hayley questions, tears brimming in her eyes. "W-What do you mean— What do you mean you're sorry?"
"You lost them?" Pope questions. "What do you mean you lost them? Like—Like, they're gone? What are you talking about?"
"They took an open boat into a tropical depression, Pope." Shoupe states.
"They?" Hayley breathes heavily. "Who's they?"
"Sarah." Kie's voice cracked, and the tears immediately left Hayley's eyes. "So they're dead?"
"We don't know." Shoupe shakes his head.
"You drove them straight through the storm, man!" JJ shouts. "Are you kidding me? Come here!" He grabs onto Shoupe. "I'm gonna kill you!"
"JJ!" Hayley shouts as she cries. "JJ, stop! Please. Hey, let go of him!"
"He didn't kill anyone, and you know it!" Everything was falling apart.
Kie was comforting Pope, JJ was fighting the officers, and Hayley felt absolutely sick. Her cousin and best friend were dead. She began to hyperventilate as tears streamed down her face. She didn't know what to do. It was falling apart.
"It's falling apart." Hayley muttered as she began to freak out. "Everything's falling apart."
"Hayley." Shoupe grabbed the girl just before she collapsed.
"Don't touch her!" JJ pushed Shoupe away, grabbing the girl for himself. "This is your fault!"
Hayley gripped JJ's shirt tightly as she cried into his chest. She was praying this was all just a bad nightmare and she was gonna wake up any second now, but she knew it wasn't a nightmare when Kie and Pope's parents walked in.
The families hugged as JJ and Hayley stood off to the side, hugging each other. Heyward turned towards the teens, opening his arms to allow them in the hug, but the call of their names caused them to stop.
"Hayley! JJ!" Melissa shouted.
"Mom." Hayley cried as the woman rushed over to them, hugging them as tightly as she could. "I'm so sorry, Mom."
"Don't apologize." Melissa shushed her daughter.
"They didn't make it." Even JJ was crying, and Melissa was comforting him all the same.
"Shh. Shh. It's okay." She spoke in a quiet tone, but she was crying too. "I got—" Her voice cracked, but she quickly regained some composure. "I got you guys."
Pope and Kie looked at the couple and they all hugged each other, but it didn't feel the same without the two missing— dead— Pogues.
Author's note: The end of Act 1... I hope you guys enjoyed, and thank you to everyone who's been here since the beginning! Act 2 will be up soon!
