One Stupid Thing

2:6:62

"Ladies and gentlemen, Ward Cameron, king of the Kooks, is going to jail!" JJ announces dramatically. The boys have been celebratory drinking every since we got back to the Chateau. I'm honestly surprised the neighbors haven't filed any noise complaints.

"Goodbye! Goodbye!" John B jokes, cracking himself up. Kiara, Sarah and I stayed out on the porch. I look through the open window and laugh at their nonsense. When I look back, Sarah has a solemn expression on her face, her hand rubbing her temple roughly.

"Do you regret it?" Kiara asks her, noticing this change in behavior.

"No," she replies bluntly. "He deserves all of it... and I know that."

"He's your guys's dad. I get it," Kiara shrugs. "I'm sure it sucks to be in the middle." I glance down and mess with my necklace awkwardly. Personally, I do not feel the same empathy for my father that Sarah does. That man has caused me nothing but pain and suffering since the moment I was born. Does it make me a bad person if I say good riddance?

Sarah's phone starts ringing and she picks it up with a confused look. Her expression quickly changes when she reads the name at the top of the screen. "Sorry," she apologizes, getting up off the couch and walking to the other side of the porch to take the call in private.

"Yeah," Kiara replies, understandingly. The two of us sit in silence as we wait for Sarah to come back. 

"Guys," Sarah says, her eyebrows are knitted together in worry, like something bad happened. "We've gotta go." Kiara and I get up off the couch instantly.

"What is it? What's wrong?" I ask her.

"It's Dad." That's all she has to say for me to know what is going on. I shrug, unsure of what she expects me to do about it.

"Oh shit," Kiara exclaims. I can't tell if it's shock or delight that I detect in her voice. "John B! JJ! Pope! Come on! We have to go!"

The boys hurry out onto the porch, their moods instantly changing as they go from celebrating to action mode. "What? Where are we going?" John B asks.

"Tannyhill," Sarah chokes. We hurry into the Twinkie once more. Sarah had gotten into the passenger seat with no hesitation, as if acting out of habit.

As we drive from the Cut to Figure Eight, at least 10 or more police/SBI vehicles speed by with their lights flashing and sirens blaring. "Shit," Kiara exhales.

"Oh my God. Can you please hurry? We need to be there for Wheezie," Sarah pleads.

"You think I wanna miss this?" John B asks her insensitively. Sarah looks over at him in utter disgust, but he seems to have no remorse for the situation. Rightfully so, but he could at least try to not act so pleased at my father's demise.

John B slams on the breaks, parking the Twinkie on the outside of Tannyhill's grounds. We hurry out of the van and over to the wall, peering over it for any glimpse of what could be going down at my former home.

"Holy shit," Sarah breathes out, reacting to the entourage of squad cars and officers.

"I can't see, bro," JJ complains, pushing Pope out of his way.

"Okay, well, now I can't see."

"Screw it. I'm going over." John B effortlessly scales the concrete wall, landing with a thud on the other side.

"Right behind you," JJ says.

"Help me up," Kie demands, positioning herself in front of JJ with her arms ready to pull her up and over. JJ squats down and cups his hands to give her a foothold. "Yep. Thank you."

"All right. Three, two, one, go." JJ hoists her cleanly over the wall. At the same time, Pope helps Sarah over, before hopping over himself. Then, JJ turns to me, assists me in getting over, and then following behind.

Sarah runs to the front of the pack, leading the way up to the front door where Wheezie and Rose stand. "Wheeze. Wheezie," Sarah greets her, hurrying up to hug our little sister.

"What's going on? Why are the police here again?" she asks her, accepting the embrace. I hurry over and join the hug, wrapping my arms around the two of them. I feel Sarah tremble beneath me.

"Wheezie, listen to us, okay? Go inside. Don't come out," I advise her, bending down to look her in the eye. Wheezie looks from me to Sarah and then back to me. She nods and turns tail, hurrying back into the house before we can see her cry.

"Come on, they went this way," Sarah calls, pointing to the backyard where the Druthers is docked. She sprints off in that direction without a second thought. John B takes the lead, the rest of us following without question. As we get closer to the scene, what seems like hundreds of armed police officers are stationed around the dock, waiting for my father to make a move. Unfortunately for them, he seems to have already taken refuge on the family boat, the My Druthers. "Dad!" Sarah calls out to him. The officers try to stop us as we approach.

"Hey, hey. You gotta let us through," John B pleads.

"That's Sarah and Stella Cameron. Let them through!" Shoupe shouts. They clear the way, letting all six of us travel further down the dock.

"What are you doing here, Sarah?" Ward shouts from the top balcony of the boat.

"Dad! What are you doing?" she calls back.

"Vic, you gotta get them out of here! They can't be here right now!" he begs.

"Just come on in, and you... you... you can talk to her!" Shoupe shouts back.

"Sarah, I'm so sorry, baby. I can't!" I watch as he rummages around, pressing a button that raises the anchor from the water.

"What are you doing?" Sarah cries. "Dad, no, no, no!"

"Ward, this ain't gonna end the way you want it to!" Shoupe tells him. Kildare County boats slowly close in from all sides. "You don't need those kids seeing this." Ward ignores him, climbing down the ladder onto the main deck below.

"Dad, don't leave! Where are you going?" Sarah shouts.

"I love you!" he shouts back.

"Hey! Damn it, Ward!" Shoupe curses angrily. "Turn around and get back here!"

"No! Dad! Please don't leave!" Sarah begs. Once again, Ward ignores her pleas and shuts the door behind him. We all watch from the dock in anticipation.

Then, the boat blows up in a fiery cloud. Everything seems to go by in slow motion as the Druthers burns to a crisp. Glass and other debris scatter into the air, landing in the water below, and extinguishing. I instinctively duck down, but oddly enough, I feel nothing. No remorse. The only thing I feel is shame for not feeling any of the things I should be.

My sister has the exact opposite reaction. She gasps for air. Her whole body seemingly goes into shock. "No. No," she sobs, her voice breaking. "Dad. Dad! No! No!" she sobs, her body giving into the grief.

John B stares at the wreckage with a blank expression. He stands there as my sister breaks down. I can't say that I'm any better. Then I see a flash of yellow out of the corner of my eye. Topper. He runs over to my sister and wraps his arms around her, guiding her to the floor as her legs give way beneath her. The sound of her cries haunt me.

I feel a pair of strong hands wrap around my shoulders, as JJ pulls me back into his chest. I know he is trying to comfort me, but there is no use when I don't feel the need to be comforted. I look up at him and his eyes flick back and forth between mine, searching my gaze.

All I feel is emptiness.

——
Yikes... uh, don't hate my girl Stella for this.