SHOOTING STARS ✰ jj maybank

002. SISTER SLEEPOVER

Scarlett entered the house and quickly ran into the kitchen, grabbing a piece of gum to chew on so her father or Rose wouldn't be able to smell the alcohol that lingered within her breath.

"Hey, sweetie. When did you get home?" Ward smiled as he walked down the stairs, looking up from his magazine and walking into the kitchen by his daughter.

"I got home, like, a minute ago." She hugged her father.

"Who were you out with? The Pogues?" Ward already knew the answer. Scarlett hated this question. Almost every time she comes home from hanging out with her friends, she gets a new lecture about how they are no good.

"Yes, Dad. The Pogues. I had a lot of fun." She stared at him, watching his expression slightly falter as she talked about the good time she had.

"They are going to hurt you. I'm telling you now. Hang out with Rafe and his friends. They won't hurt you." Ward looked through the fridge, pulling out some supplies to make himself a sandwich.

"Dad, they won't hurt me. I know them. Trust me on this. Who knows, maybe Rafe could be the one to hurt me. You never know what could happen." She pointed at her father and he furrowed his brows.

"Rafe would never hurt you, don't be silly. He's a good kid." Scarlett responded to her father's words by simply rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Where's Sarah?" The blonde girl attempted to change the topic of conversation quickly.

"She is out on the Druthers. Scooter Grubs is helping her latch the cabin. Could you go out there and help?" Ward questioned, taking a bite out of the sandwich that he had made for himself.

"Yeah, sure." She began to walk away before her father's words stopped her.

"You know all I want is to keep you safe, right? I can't lose my little girl." Scarlett knew by the tone in her father's voice that he meant it.

"You won't lose me, Dad. I promise. They keep me safe. You don't have to worry." She smiled and walked back over to him, wrapping Ward in a big hug.

"I love you, kid." He kissed the top of her head.

"I love you too, dad." She then ran out to the backyard and began her way to the Druthers.

Scarlett and her father have a really good relationship. The only thing they argue about is Scarlett being friends with the Pogues, but other than that, they never fight. They always have movie nights together and go out to lunch. Scarlett loves her father so much and he loves her to the moon and back.

As Scarlett was wandering down the pier, she stopped and pulled her phone out to take a picture of the beautiful sunset. The sky was painted all different shades of pink, yellow, orange, and red all mixed. It looked like those perfect sunsets that artists use as inspiration to paint their canvases.

Once she took a nice picture, she shoved her phone back into the pocket in her jean shorts and continued her way to the Druthers.

Once she entered, she wandered her way over to the Cabin where she found her sister and Scooter Grubbs.

"Star!" Sarah exclaimed when she noticed her sister. She quickly ran up to her, giving her a big hug. She hadn't seen her sister all day, which was very unusual for them.

Star is a nickname that Sarah made up for Scarlett. It was the day that their father had taught them everything about shooting stars. The girls were in kindergarten at this time. The two girls were fascinated by the idea of shooting stars, so that night they laid a blanket out in their backyard and laid on it, not taking their eyes away from the sky. They waited and waited, only blinking when necessary, when finally a bright star went flying past them.