✯ North Star ✯

Part 13

I sit at the counter top at my house watching as everyone gets ready for midsummers. The biggest fanciest kook party there is.
"You're not dressed?" Wheezie asks me
"No I'm not going" I say
"I mean it's Midsummers. You've been talking about Midsummers since last year. You even have a date remember?" Wheezie tells me
"Yes I remember." I tell her
"Stella says she's not going." Whezzie tells mom
"The hell she isn't. Your father is being coronated as Guardian of Knights of the Rhododendron. You're going." She tells me
"Is that today? You've only mentioned it like a million times." I roll my eyes
"Your daughter says she's not going." Mom tells dad
"Um..." he sighs
"She's definitely off Topper" Wheezie tells him
"I've been off topper" I mumble
"Wheezie please. Go. Thank you very much" dad tells her and she walks off
"What's goin' on?" He asks
"I just... I know yall said that who thing about wanting me to get with topper but I just don't think he's my splinter bean" I tell him
"I don't know exactly what that means, but it sounds to me like you should probably drop him maybe huh?" Dad says
"I've been trying to for months" I laugh
"Maybe just not tonight though. Maybe you could I don't know..." Dad starts to say
"I just don't want to go with him" I tell him
"I know I know. What if you just paste on a smile and you go and we have a good time all right? And you deal with him mañana? Please" Ward asks
"Fine." I smile getting up to go get ready
"So you and John b huh?" Sarah asks me the moment I walk into my room
I just smile at her my cheeks turning a slight pink
"I'll get your hair ready while you spill" she tells me

We arrive at the party and I go find kie
"This is disgusting right?" I ask her
"Definitely disgusting." She agrees

"Excuse me sir." Kie says as we walk up to pope
"Do we have to shuck these ourselves? 'Cause it might mess up my costume." I tell him
"We wouldn't want that now would we?" Pope laughs
"That was a really bad accent" I tell him
"It was. It really was" Kie agrees with me
"You ever seen this many Kooks in one place?" Kie asks
"Yeah. Last year" Pope says
"We're in the lion's den" I say
"Hey have you heard from JJ?" Pope asks.
"What happened with JJ?" I ask them
"JJ and Pope sunk topper boat" kie says
"What?" I ask
"And JJ got arrested for it" Kie adds
"I'm going to guess that why topper won't stop staring at me right now" I ask
"Probably." Pope says
"It's all my fault" Pope says
"Uh... You didn't do this Pope. Topper almost killed you. Remember?" Kie tells him
"Ok I was gone for literally a day and I miss all of this" I say
"Here come Lord Capital" Kie says as my mom and dad walk through the door
"She's gonna poke somebody's eye out with that" Pope says
"Already almost did with me" I say

I look to see topper telling me to come over to him
"Alright I'll be back in a minute" I sigh
"Good luck" kie says
"Thanks imma need it" I say walking off
"Hey. I waited on you. We said we would walk in together" Topper tells me
"Yeah well I came with my family and then I saw Kie and pope so..." I say trailing off.
"Can we talk for a sec?" He asks and leads me out of the crowd
"How's it goin'?" He asks
"It's good." I smile
"It's good?" Topper asks me
"How are you?" I ask him
"I'm... I'm all right. You look beautiful" Topper say
"Thank you." I say putting on a fake smile
"Hey where were you yesterday?" Topper asks me
"I was out of town" I say
"Out of town" Topper repeats me
"Mm-hm." I nod
"Where did you go?" Topper asks
"Chapel Hill" I say
"Chapel Hill. What with your family or..."
Topper trails off hoping I would answer
"No" I tell him
"No?" Topper asks me
"A friend" I tell him
"A friend. A friend. What friend?" Topper asks
"What does it matter?" I ask him
"What friend? It matters. Was this like a girlfriend? Or... No or was it... was it a guy?
Was it a guy?" Topper asks me
"Oh my gosh. I'm not having this conversation now" I say walking away
"Who was he? Who was it stella?" Topper asks me as I keep walking

Sarah thankfully came to my rescue giving me a glass of wine
"You're amazing" I tell her
"I know now come on let's dance" she smiles
We were dancing when I feel someone tap my shoulder I turn to see JJ withs a bunch of cuts on his face.
"JJ? What? What happened to your face?" I ask him
"It's my dad. You know? Has that right jab. He can really just snap sometimes" JJ says
"That looks like a lot more than a jab JJ" I say
"It's nothin' that hasn't happened before." He tells me then gives me a piece of paper
"I got a uh note from Vlad." He tells me
"He fill you in?" I ask
"Definitely" he says
I walk off and read the note
"Meet me at the bag drop - Vlad." It says

"Vlad. Hi." I smile running up to him in a hug
"Wow. Um... You look um... beautiful." He says
"Why thank you" I smile
"Why are you here?" I ask him after a few seconds
"Oh right. Because I gotta tell you something." He says
"Yeah?" I ask
"I found... the gold" John B tells me
"You found it?" I ask
"Yeah. And you're not gonna believe where it is" John B says
"Where?" I ask him
"It's at Tannyhill" John B tells me
"Wait. What?" I ask shocked
"I got the letter translated. Okay? There was this coded message and I... I need the plat map. You know what a plat map is?" John B asks me
"Yeah" I nod my head
"It's like a blueprint of Tannyhill. It's got all the information on it. It's in your dad's office. If I get in I can find the gold..." John B starts to rant
"JB. I said I know what a plat map is" I cut him off
"Okay that's fine" John B says and I pull him into a kiss
"Hey stella, is that you?" Topper asks
"Get down!" I say as I push John B to the floor.
"Shit! Um... you've gotta get outta here." I tell him
"Meet at the Hawk's Nest at midnight. Bring the map." He tells me
I nod my head as he crawls off
"Hey." I say walking up to topper
"Stella what are you doin' out here?" Topper asks me
"Oh um... I had hid some vodka somewhere over here yesterday" I tell him
"Oh really?" Topper asks
"Yeah couldn't find it though. I think someone took it" I tell him
"Is that who you were talkin' to over there?"
Topper asks me
"Huh? I wasn't talking to anyone." I act dumb
"Was I just seein' things? I thought like I don't know I was watching you have a conversation over there. Just..." Topper starts to say
"I was talking to people from the party" I tell him
"Hey what's... what's goin' on?" Topper asks me
"What's goin' on?" I ask
"I just feel like... I just feel like you've been a little off tonight" Topper tells me and I look at him dumb founded
"No I'm fine" I say starting to walk off
"No you good?" Topper asks me
"I'm fine Topper" I tell him
"Seriously. Seriously." Topper says grabbing my wrist.
"God!" I yell not ready for it
"I don't wanna make a scene. Don't make a scene" Topper shushes me
"I'm not" I tell him taking his hands off
"Just tell me what the hell is goin' on. Just tell me the truth" Topper asks me
"I am telling you the truth" I tell him
"Tell me... No. Cut the shit. Just tell me the truth" Topper tells me
"Okay fine you want the truth. I can't handle the constant interrogation okay?" I tell him
"Just..." Topper starts to say but I just walk off
But as I'm walking I see JJ getting pulled by security guards
"Look... look man I can walk myself. I got legs. Can you see that brother? I really appreciate what you did back there. Let me just walk out by myself. Mr. Dunleavy I see you got your drink. Good that's really nice of you." JJ says picking up the glass
"I'm actually gonna down that. It's okay everybody! Do not panic. Leave it to the men and women in uniform. Let's hear it for them.
Rose! You look like Lady Liberty. It's good to see you again. Hey buddy, can I have one of those?" JJ asks
"Let go of him! You can't boot him!" Kie yells
"Excuse me ma'am?" The guy asks
"I invited him here" Kie says
"Kiara stop it." Her mom says
"I'm a member of this club" Kie explains to him
"Sorry about that." The man says
"Hey mandatory power hour at Rixon's Kie. Pope, you as well all right? Rixon's Cove. Storm let's roll. All right, Kie, come on. Workers of the world unite. Throw off your chains!" JJ yells
"Colonel." JJ salutes john b
"Captain." John B salutes back
"Mission accomplished" JJ says
Kie ignores her parents running off with them
"Come on Pope!" Kie yells
"Don't do this. Don't do this! Where the hell do you think you're goin'?" Heyward asks pope
"Later losers!" JJ yells
And I just stand there smiling my ass off knowing those our my friends
"That's living right there?" Sarah says next to me
"Yeah, and I think I'll be all in soon" I smile

-this is the dress Stella wore to midsummers-

(But longer with gold jewelry and a flower head band like Sarah but with blue flowers)