Carson Keller used to think her biggest problem was their rivalry against the Kooks, but that was until buried secrets rose to the surface. Now her biggest problems included a dangerous treasure hunt and a hot-headed teenage boy.
✰ season 1-3 ✰
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IT WAS HARD NOT TO BE ANNOYED ABOUT THE SITUATION, but Carson figured the only way that she was going to get through it was if she just went with it. Having one of JJ's blunts was just going to make that easier.
"It's for the pain," Kiara said.
"At least I don't totally want to kill him now," Carson said. She took a long puff before handing it to Sarah. The blunt immediately made her feel better as she leaned back and extended her legs out so that they were dangling off the ledge.
"Go easy," Kiara said as Sarah inhaled. "It's JJ's cousin's Cripple." Carson smirked in amusement as Sarah started coughing. That was the reaction that she expected.
Once it got dark they moved back down to the front of the boat. Sarah couldn't stop laughing as she looked up at the stars. At that point they were well into being high. Carson and Kiara were just relaxing on the other side, feeling a little less annoyed now.
"Hey, guess what?" Sarah said. "Would you rather have... I was imagining you like this just now, it was pretty funny. Would you- would you rather... have nipples for eyes or eyes for nipples? Imagine if you get really old and your nipples- your boobs get saggy, and your nipples, if they were your eyes, you could see if your shoes were untied." Kiara glanced over at Sarah and just gave her an unamused look.
"Eyes for nipples," Carson said after a second. Sarah smiled at the fact that Carson had actually replied. She had thought the girl had hated her, so she definitely wasn't expecting a response from her. That simple response made it feel like a step in the right direction.
"Is this, like, your first time smoking or something?" Kiara asked.
"No," she mumbled. "Hey, Kiara..."
"Oh my God. Enough of the 'hey, Kiara,' bullshit!" she snapped. "Why'd you do it?"
"Why did I do what?" Sarah said.
"We were best friends," Kiara said. "We- we stole beers from your dad's fridge, we watched movies together, we cried about boys. And the next thing I know, I'm watching your birthday party happen from Instagram."
"It was one party," Sarah said.
"You invited everybody except me," Kiara said. "And then you told everybody I was the reason that the party got busted."
"Okay, well, who else would've called the cops?"
"You never asked," Kiara said. "You just let the rumor go that I was a rat. You were my best friend, and then you ghosted me, and I don't even know why! I mean, really, what did I do?"
"You liked me," Sarah said.
"What?"
"When... people get close to me, I feel trapped," Sarah confessed. "And... I bail. And then I blame them for it. I'm really sorry... and I miss you. Do you think there's a chance that we could be okay again?"
"Honestly, I don't know," Kiara said truthfully.
Carson watched as the two girls began hashing out their issues. She was actually a little surprised that Kiara was actually willing to talk about it. Then again, maybe she just needed answers and this was the perfect time to do it. They were stuck on the boat for the sole reason of solving their issues anyway. Carson just wasn't sure how she was going to do that. She didn't want to tell Sarah the real reason why she had an issue with her because that would be bringing up a lot of shit, but maybe Sarah deserved to know.
"Sarah," Carson said. "There's something you need to know." Kiara looked over at Carson and frowned, knowing what it was that Carson had to say.
"What is it?" Sarah asked in confusion. She had no idea what was coming for her, and Carson actually kind of felt bad about it. She knew how much this was going to change Sarah's perspective on her dad.
"I- I don't really know how exactly to tell you this," she admitted. "And I wasn't even planning on telling you either. But I just know that if I were you, I would want to know."
"Carson, what are you talking about?"
"The reason why I've been acting so hostile towards you lately... I found out that my mom and your dad had an affair 16 years ago," Carson revealed. She wasn't coming right out with the truth but it was clear what she was saying.
"What are you saying right now?" Sarah said. She was in shock by the confession and was finding it hard to wrap her head around it, especially because of the state of mind that she was already in. She didn't want to believe it.
"Ward's my dad," Carson finally said. "We're half-sisters, Sarah."
"What? No. That's not true," Sarah said. "Why are you saying this?"
"Why would I lie about that?" Carson pointed out. "Look, I'm really sorry. I wish it wasn't true, but it is. And I know how hard this must be for you to hear. And you may think that I'm a bitch or whatever it is that you think about me, but I honestly do feel really bad about telling you this. I just thought you deserved to know."
Sarah's eyes were filled with tears as she listened to Carson's words. She didn't know what to think. On one hand, she wanted to believe that her father was still the same good guy that she thought he was, that he had made a mistake many years ago, that he was still loyal to her family that he raised and took care of. But on the other hand, he had betrayed her mom and her by sleeping with another woman and having a child with her, a child that he abandoned and left fatherless. Her conflicting feelings were difficult to process, but as she saw how genuinely sorry and hurt Carson looked about it, she realized that she wasn't the only one who was affected by the truth.
"Carson, I- I don't really know what to say," she said. "I'm so sorry." Carson was actually shocked by this. She expected Sarah to lash out at her and blame her for it, not for her to apologize. "You had to grow up without a dad because I had ours."
"It's not your fault," Carson said. "And it's not my fault either. He's the one who did it, but I took it out on you because it was easier. You were there and I saw how much he cares about you, and it just- it made me feel like I wasn't worth anything to him."
"I forgive you," Sarah said. "And I hope you can forgive me too." Carson nodded. She honestly felt a sense of relief at the fact that they had talked it out and she realized that her problem wasn't even with Sarah. She didn't want to be fighting with the blonde. Neither of them were to blame and it was tiring feeling like it was.
A thought must have popped into Sarah's head because a giant smile suddenly formed on her lips and her eyes widened in excitement. "Holy shit! We're sisters!"
