OUTER BANKS SEASON 4 : JJ'S LEGACY

THE FEELING OF REMORSE

(Takes place in the late evening early morning before the previous chapter)

Kiara sat with her legs tucked up to her and her arms wrapped around her knees, chin resting on them. Cleo sat besides her and gazed on at her curly locks. Pope awkwardly watched the tears fall down his best friend's cheeks, skin smooth.

"I just don't get why he'd lie." Kiara sobbed into her knees.

"Because he didn't want us to worry. You know what he's like, Kie. He always plays stuff down and removes important details that we'd always want to know. It's just a JJ thing." Pope explains, calmly as he rubs her back with his hand, sitting the other side of the girl.

"But we're always gonna worry about him. He knows that so there's no point lying because its not gonna prevent anything and it's just gonna cause shit." Kiara protests.

"You're right. We are always gonna worry about that dweeb. But it's 'cause we love him. And he's always doing some dumb shit. But we can't shove him like that, Kie. You know that. You can't physically hurt JJ unless you're John B and that's a fact." Pope continues.

"I know... I shouldn't have done that. I was just really angry and... drunk. I still am. Drunk, I mean. Not angry... as much."

"Wait... why can John B fight with him and not us?" Cleo asks, sincerely.

"Because that's just what they do." Pope answered, leaning back to look at her.

"Boys will be boys." Kiara laughed slightly through her tears.

"I just hope he's okay." Kiara adds after a moment of giggling from the three teens.

"And he is." Cleo tells her, politely and reassuringly.

"He's got the survival instincts of a cockroach." Pope says as he looks at Kie with loving eyes and they both reminisce about the midsummers party back in July when she said this to him to reassure Pope that JJ would be okay.

After a minute of silence and a raised eyebrow in confusion from Cleo, Kiara dries her eyes and puts her legs down.

"I just honestly feel so bad. I need to apologise to him. Like now. And I shouldn't have said all those... things. I shouldn't of said any of it." Kiara meets eyes with Pope and then all three of them know exactly what she's talking about.

"He's... he's not Luke." Kiara finally says, with a lump in her throat.

"No. He's not." Pope adds, slowly.

"And your dad wasn't right about him." Cleo also adds, accent thick and rich.

"No. I... don't know why I said that. I think I just wanted to hurt him." Kiara admits.

Kie plays with her fingers for a moment and then stands up.

"I need to talk to him. But I'm still angry. And I'm tired." Kiara drunkenly slurs."

Pope and Cleo join her standing and they take both sides of her arms.

"Look, it's too late to walk there now and we're close to my dad's place so we'll crash there tonight okay? Is that alright?" Pope asks politely.

When Kiara nods and closes her eyes, Pope and Cleo take her back to the Heyward's.

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HEYOOOO! Okay so I'm sending many apologies for not being active. I have been struggling mentally much more recently and I kind of gave up for a while and I lost motivation to write and had no new ideas. I finally built up enough strength to continue this story! I thought that I would try and even things out with Kiara and her unexpected and kinda far-fetched out burst tbf hahah. So, I thought this chapter I would explore a different perspective which I think is important. ALSO IDK WTF HAPPENED WITH THE LIKE SPACES IN THE TEXT IM ANGRY BUT IMMA TRY FIX IT LOL. I am posting this now and I am going to write another chapter now whilst I have motivation :) Love you all! Make sure you comment to give me ideas, tell me your thoughts, theories and just generally say hi because I love that hahah! P4L