GRAVEYARD | Topper Thornton

TRUTH

I stood in Kie's bedroom, my jade green halter dress being secured by the girl. I smoothed out the pleats over my hips before turning to the girl behind me.

"Ready," I asked her. Her mother knocked on the door, coming inside the room. She smiled at the two of us.

"This is disgusting," Kie seethed, looking at the purple silky dress she looked stunning in. I was used to the stupidity and ignorance brought on by figure eight.

"I know. It's just horrible." her mother told her, "I'm asking you to relax and go to a fun party."

"I look like a bourgeoisie pig," Kie said.

"Yeah, you get used to that feeling," I told the girl, stifling a chuckle. Kie's mom pulled out a little flower crown

"Will you please not worry about socioeconomic injustice for one night," her mom asked.

"Mom, people not three miles from here have no power, no running water, and we're going to Midsummers," Kies mom looked at me for help, I shrugged, "I mean she's not wrong. Kooks are pretty tone-deaf."

"Do you know how hard we had to work to get into the Island Club?" Kie's mom pressured.

"Yeah, Mom. How could I forget? You had to grovel for, like, ten years," Kie muttered out to her mom. She wasn't wrong, the island club was super exclusive, only letting in a few families per year and even then the waitlist was intense.

"Twelve, and we also had to cough up a huge chunk of dough, and do you know why we did that," Her mom told her. Sounds about right.

"To keep up with the Joneses?"

"No. So you could have the experiences that I had as a child," As ignorant as kooks are, the life they live and the advantages they have are pretty good. I understand where her mother is coming from but personally, I'd wanna be a pogue now too.

"Honey, do you know what the Island Club is," her mom asked her genuinely.

"A factory farm for debutantes," Kie responded sarcastically.

"It is a nice place, with nice people, where you can do fun stuff," She told her, putting an arm on the girl's shoulder.

"With out-of-touch rich people, while the island sinks slowly into the ocean," Kie rebutted. Yeah, I guess that's kinda right. Her mom gave her a harsh glare, to which I chuckled.

"Okay, I want you to put on your party face, Kie, if you wanna live," I told the girl, patting her cheek then turning and following her mom down the stairs.

Kie and I quickly departed from her parents as we walked around the patio. I quickly saw Pope. I started to run up behind him but was pulled back by Kie.

"Excuse me, sir. Do we have to shuck these ourselves," she asked as I started to giggle behind her, "'cause it might mess up my costume." At this point, Kie was now giggling as Pope turned around, a completely flabbergasted look on his face. His face upturned into a smile as he saw who was before him.

"We wouldn't want that now, would we," he told her as we all laughed.

"That accent was bad," I told them both.

"It was," they responded. I was gonna let it go.

"You ever seen this many Kooks in one place," Kie asked us. I looked around, recognizing most of the faces but didn't want to admit it.

"Yeah," Pope and I muttered back.

"Last year," he told her, "like every year since I was six."

"We're in the lion's den," I looked around at all the familiar faces, some looking at me in shock, others completely ignoring my presence.

"Hey, have you heard from JJ," I turned back into Kie and Pope's conversation.

"No."

"He'll be all right. He's got the survival instincts of a cockroach," Kie said.

"It's all my fault," Pope muttered.

"What's not your fault, Pope," I asked the boy, confusion littered on my face.

"Uh...," Kie looked at me, a look of concern adorning her face.

"You didn't do this, Pope. Topper almost killed you. Remember?" Kie said. I looked between the two, complete shock written across my face. I turned to Pope.

"Is this true," I asked him.

"Harper, it's fine." He grabbed my shoulder, steadying me as I looked for a certain teenage kook.

"No, it's not and now I've gotta kick some kook ass."