𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐃─𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬

𝙨𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙮 𝙨𝙞𝙭.

─☼☼☼─

"𝙃𝙀𝙔," 𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙍𝙇𝙊𝙏𝙏𝙀 𝙎𝘼𝙄𝘿 softly, lowering herself down on the bench next to Sarah. 

The warm air of the Barbados sunset had faded, leaving behind a cool night. Silently, Charlotte passed one of her extra sweaters to Sarah, noting the way the blonde shivered slightly beneath the breeze. 

"Thanks, Char." Sarah mumbled, pulling the sweatshirt overhead. 

It had been hours since they left the port in Barbados, hours since they had left John B behind. 

All they had received from him was a crackled phone call in which he directed them back to Kildare, ensuring he would meet them there. At least he was alive...well, at least he was alive a few hours ago. 

Now, stopped for fuel, Charlotte had a moment to address Sarah alone. Pope and Cleo were off gathering snacks from who the hell knows where, and JJ and Kiara were filling up on fuel. 

The tension on that damn boat was so tight it could have been cut with a knife. Whatever was going on between JJ and Kiara had pulled Pope in, creating some tension filled triangle that Charlotte wanted to steer clear of at all costs. 

So, sitting with Sarah was all she really wanted to do at this point, more than she wanted to be alone. Currently, the Cameron girl was maybe the only one who knew how Charlotte was feeling, and vice versa. 

"You okay?" Charlotte wondered, examining Sarah's features. She knew how hard it was for Sarah to leave John B behind, maybe even harder than it was for her to leave Rafe. 

Shaking her head slightly, Sarah toyed with the strings of the hoodie, "No." She answered honestly before looking to Charlotte. "Are you?"

Charlotte's answer was just the same, "No."

A small and humourless laugh fell from Sarah's lips as she looked up at the starry night, tears coating her eyes. "Did you ever expect us to end up here? A year ago all we were worried about was stupid Kook shit and now..."

"Now we're in over our heads." Charlotte admitted, giving Sarah a sad smile. "Sometimes I miss my old life...my Kook life."

She glanced toward the harbour where the rest of the Pogues were, out of sight, but there. "I'm not sure if I was actually happier, but it felt like it."

Sarah was quiet for a moment before she spoke, "Me too," She confessed. "Everything was so much less complicated then."

Charlotte nodded, recalling the way things had been; when her and Rafe were happy, when her biggest concern was keeping her status as the Kook Prince's girl...Kook Princess, if you will. True enough, things seemed easier back then. But at the same time, she had barely spoken to her sister, even more rarely spoken to the Pogue boys. So maybe back then wasn't better, maybe not at all. 

After a comfortable silence, something sparked in Charlotte's memory. "Oh, that reminds me," She said softly, holding out her wrist to pull off one of the two handmade bracelets that sat there, "Wheeze made this for you."

More tears welled up in Sarah's eyes as she took the bracelet with shaky hands. It was one of those friendship bracelets, the ones often made at camp. Wheezie had given Charlotte one as well, with the promise that they would always have each other.