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꧁ － － － － － － ✧ － － － － － － ꧂
𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲-𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 — 𝑠𝑢𝑛𝑛𝑦
LIFE WAS DIFFERENT after July 16. The gold was gone, John B, Sarah and Kai were gone. Everyone left had to learn to adapt, to adjust. Leilani especially. It was hard to keep going, to learn how to live again. The Pogues sticked together. Pogues for life, always. Leilani wasn't there the afternoon that Kie and Pope spray pained the word 'murders' onto the Cameron wall, and she was glad that she wasn't.
Her rage had come and gone after her time in Hawai'i, and Leilani had resorted to calm. She needed to relax, and she needed to focus on what really mattered. Surfing, and school. Her grades needed to continue to improve so she could go to college, just like Kai always wanted. School came first according to him, even before surfing. Leilani would respect that, but she needed to have a second plan in case either stuation failed her.
But this new attitude was threatening to crumble at any moment, because Pepper, her dolphin, her first rescue, had died of respiratory failure the day after Leilani returned home. Kiara was there with her, and they sat in KMR, crying together. Leilani felt guilty, because she had missed all of the warning signs focusing on the treasure hunt. She wasn't there when Pepper needed her, and she would forever blame herself.
Leilani spent her afternoon the day before the first day of school in her garage, working on her boards. She had won a small surfing competition on her island, the little trophy on her shelf. Leilani was spray painting details onto one of her short boards, her casted wrist behind her back to avoid getting paint on it when JJ drove up to the house on his motorbike, parking in the driveway and walking into the garage. "Hey, you." Leilani smiled gently, abandoning her paint and wrapping her arms around JJ's neck. He made her feel better so easily.
JJ held her waist, his heart pounding and his chest hurting. "Hey." the blonde strained out. He had been having anxiety attacks more recently now, and he didn't want Leilani to know. She didn't need to worry about him.
Pressing a light kiss to his cheek, Leilani noticed her boyfriend's distress. "What's wrong? Something at work?" she asked, noticing he was wearing his uniform he wore as a server at the Island Club.
"Nothing. It's fine." JJ brushed off, fingers playing with Leilani's necklace, his arm wrapped around her middle.
"You can tell me. It's okay." Leilani prodded, pushing his hair from his face. Her mood always brightened when JJ was around. Leilani was naturally energetic and full of sunshine, but JJ provided the extra little spark she needed to ignore everything else and just be in the moment. The sun wasn't shining brightly within Leilani anymore, and it worried all of her friends immensely.
