𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐁𝐈𝐃𝐃𝐄𝐍 ᯓ outer banks

chapter ninety-nine

SARAH HAS EVERYONE gather at the Chateau that evening while she goes and picks up John B from the station. Brooklyn is relieved to see her brother and she instantly wraps her arms around him the minute he steps into view, but also punches his arm for being an idiot.

"I have something to share with you guys," Sarah declares. "I can get us down to the Orinoco."

"Are you serious?" Pope asks.

"Okay. How's that gonna happen?" Cleo wonders.

"My dad's gonna let us use the plane," she tells them. Her Dad... Ward Cameron is going to let the kids who tried to get him in prison borrow his plane. Really? "We lay low tonight, then wheels up first thing in the morning."

"Okay, that's a lot of process. Your dad actually helping us," Pope speaks everyone's mind.

"I talked to him. He'll do it," Sarah assures.

"So we trusting Ward now?" Cleo questions.

"Trust Sarah," Kiara says and Brooklyn agrees silently while everyone decides to accept that they're going to have to trust Ward to actually let them have the plane.

"I also just have one more thing to say," she begins. "Since we've gotten back from the island, I've done some things that I regret. A lot." She looks back at John B and then back to the group.

John B speaks when the silence gets too uncomfortable, "I feel... I feel like we've all done a thing or two that we regret." Brooklyn finds Kiara's eyes but she's looking away.

"Poguelandia, guys. It's all I've been able to think about. We were all together on that island, and it was a good thing, and I don't want to ruin a good thing. And I... I just wanna know, are we still all in?" Brooklyn looks between all her friends who stand in front of her and she smiles. "Because I am," Sarah finishes.

"I'm in," Brooklyn says and she closes her arms around Sarah. She holds out her arm for Kiara and she joins them in their hug.

"We pon road!" Cleo cheers and the girls laugh before she's being pulled into them.

"I still can't believe you got that plane," Pope says as he joins the girls, their arms linked.

"Let's go get Big John, all right? What do you say there, shit bird?" JJ asks as he wraps an arm around Pope.

"I think this deserves a woogity," Pope remarks. "How long you gonna pretend you're not coming over here?"

John B laughs and steps over to his friends and they all stand together, wrapped in each other's arms and outside their home. Everything feels normal, everything feels perfect, and Brooklyn feels content, knowing that they were going to get her father soon.

They gather in the living room. Kiara strums her ukulele, Brooklyn listens closely and JJ sits close to her with a beer in hand. Pope and Cleo sit and discuss the plan ahead all while Sarah and John B are in his bedroom, likely talking about what happened the other night.

When Brooklyn is left alone with Kiara, she takes the opportunity to say what's on her mind, "Hey, Kie. You know the whole friendship ending, money stealing situation, that wasn't cool, so I just..."

"What?" Brooklyn doesn't finish her sentence because she notices an orange glow in the kitchen window. "What is that?"

"JJ, get away from the window," she says. "There's a fire!"

Brooklyn pushes Kiara to one side and tells her go get John B and Sarah while JJ grabs Pope and Cleo. They can't escape through the front door so Brooklyn is pushing Kiara and JJ ahead of her to get to the back door before they get trapped in here and burn.