"Ladies and gentlemen, Ward Cameron, king of the Kooks, is going to jail!" JJ cheered.
Grace wrapped her arm around Sarah's shoulder.
JJ, Pope and John B were in the Chateau drinking an assortment of alcohol and celebrating loudly.
The girls were out on the porch, Kie and Grace trying to comfort Sarah.
"Do you regret it?" Kie asked.
"No. He deserves all of it, and I know that."
"He's your dad. I get it. I'm sure it sucks to be in the middle."
"Are you okay, Gracie?" Sarah turned to her sister.
She took a deep breath, "I'm getting there."
Sarah's phone rang, cutting off their conversation. "Sorry."
Kie nodded as Sarah got up and left to take the call.
"I tried to kill Ward," Grace spoke up.
Kie whipped her head towards Grace, "What?"
"I didn't but...I just... I feel like I'm losing my mind," her voice came out choked near the end.
Kie got up from her seat quickly and wrapped her arms around Grace in a tight hug.
"Guys," Sarah's urgent tone made the girls pull apart. "They're arresting Ward."
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Sirens wailed and cop cars sped through the intersection in front of the Twinkie.
"Oh my God. Can you please hurry? I need to be there for Wheezie," Sarah asked John B who was in the driver's seat.
"You think I wanna miss this?" he replied sarcastically.
Grace furrowed her brows at Kie who shared a similar expression.
The second the Twinkie stopped the teens all piled out and made their way to the stone wall.
"I can't see, bro," JJ complained while shoving Pope.
"Okay, well, now I can't see," Pope grumbled.
Grace ignored their complaining and stayed close to Sarah's side.
"Screw it. I'm going over," John B announced while hoisting himself over the wall.
Pope climbed over after John B and JJ stayed behind to give the girls a boost.
He helped Kie and Sarah up first but paused before Grace could take her turn.
"You don't have to go. I'll wait out here with you," JJ suggested worriedly.
"You gonna give me a boost or not?" Grace asked without addressing his concern.
JJ shook off his worry before sticking his hand back out and mumbling, "Yes ma'am."
Grace hurried after Sarah without waiting for JJ to catch up and watched as her half-sisters hugged each other.
"Go inside. Don't come out," Sarah instructed while holding Wheezie by her shoulders at an arms' length.
Wheezie was quick to listen and head back into the house, Sarah stared after her little sister.
Grace grabbed Sarah's hand, snapping her out of her stare. She tilted her head in the directions of the docks with a sad smile on her face.
"You ready?"
Sarah bit her lip, "Do I have a choice?"
The two sisters took off running towards the docks, the rest of the Pogues following closely behind.
"That's Sarah and Grace Cameron. Let them through!" Shoupe ordered as they approached.
"What are you doing here, girls?" Ward shouted from his spot on the top of the Druthers.
"Dad! What are you doing?" Sarah shouted back.
"Vic, you gotta get them out of here! They can't be here right now!" Ward continued yelling.
Grace tightened her grip on her sister's hand as they stared up at their dad. The rest of the Pogues stood around them. JJ was a couple feet away from Grace, ready in case she needed him but knowing that she wanted to be there for Sarah.
"Just come on in and you...you...you can talk to them!" Shoupe yelled.
"Sarah, I'm so sorry, baby. I can't!"
They watched as the anchor began to raise.
"What are you doing? Dad, no, no, no, no!" Sarah yelled.
"Dad! Please, come back to the dock," Grace screamed with her sister.
JJ felt his heart sink. He hadn't heard Grace call Ward dad since before that Christmas when she was 13. He knew she probably still did to him but she never did around her friends unless it was sarcastic. Now she was screaming it and he could tell it wasn't for show. She was pleading.
"Ward, this ain't gonna end the way you want it to!" Shoupe yelled.
A couple police boats came cruising in from various directions.
Grace could see her sister's breathing grow shakier.
"You don't want your daughters seeing this!" Shoupe continued.
Ward ignored him and began climbing down the boat's ladder.
"Dad, don't leave! Where are you going?" Sarah shouted.
Grace's hand went still and it dropped Sarah's. Her eyes were glued to Ward and much like her sister, she had tears welling in her eyes.
"I love you!" Ward yelled before getting into the boat.
"Turn around and get back here!" Shoupe ordered in vain.
"Please don't leave!" Grace screamed as Sarah continued calling for her father.
As the police boats neared, the girls and Shoupe went silent, ready to watch the scene unfold, whether it be a chase or arrest.
Instead Grace felt a wall of heat. It was the heat that processed first then the sound of a deafening bang and shattering glass. Then, finally, the visuals.
It had exploded. The boat had exploded. It started at the bow then looked like it came from the cabin, blowing it apart from the inside out.
The Druthers was surrounded in a puff of black smoke and had flames billowing out, scraps of metal, plastic and dust rained down through the air.
Sarah gasped and cried.
Grace stared at the remnants in disbelief, silent tears pouring down her cheeks.
"Dad! Dad!" Sarah sobbed out.
Grace's crying grew heavier and breathing shakier.
"No," Grace shook her head, trying to snap out of whatever sick nightmare this was. "No! Please! Dad!"
She didn't even like the man, she hated him. He'd caused her so much pain and disappointment for basically her entire life. He'd killed her mother. She'd lost Ward as a father figure a long time ago.
But now, she was actually and fully losing her dad for good. There was well and truly no going back, ever again.
The way in which he died was so gruesome it made her legs feel weak.
Grace let out a sob as she stared at the wreckage. She felt her heart racing. She could smell the burning plastic and metal and feel the heat even from a distance.
Grace looked over to see Sarah collapsed on the deck. She wanted to comfort her sister but she couldn't find it in herself, not after what they'd just witnessed.
Grace's body wracked with another sob. Tears clouded her vision making the water, boat, fire and smoke all meld into a jumbled mess of blue, orange and black.
Suddenly she felt arms wrap around her.
"Hey, hey, it's okay. You're okay."
JJ gently coaxed her face away from the boat and into his chest.
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YOU ARE READING
𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞 - JJ Maybank
FanfictionGrace Cameron was a Pogue. Always has been. Sure her dad and half-siblings were the Kookiest a Kook could get but her mom had grown up on the Cut so she did too. Her friend group vowed to have a good time all the time but when a boat goes down in th...
