As hard as it was, we had to face the inevitable truth: life moves on. Healing isn't easy, but it demands that we keep going.
Kiara drove us to school, but as we sat in the car, a heavy silence settled over us. She paused before turning off the engine, and her question hung in the air like a heavy cloud. "You guys ready?" her voice soft but tinged with uncertainty.
"Absolutely not," Pope muttered, his gaze fixed on something outside.
Without a word, I opened the passenger door and stepped out of the car, my heart heavy with the weight of everything we had been through. JJ followed suit, taking a swig of beer before joining us, his demeanour tense and guarded.
"Hey, chill out," I said, breaking the tense atmosphere as I glanced at JJ. I wanted to reach out to him, to offer some semblance of comfort, but his walls were up, impenetrable as ever.
"What do you care?" he scoffed, his words biting with a bitterness that cut through the air like a knife.
"What's up with you two?" Kie's voice was gentle, filled with concern as she tried to bridge the gap between us.
But none of us had the words to express the turmoil churning within us, so we simply walked away from the car in silence.
As we approached the school, the weight of the stares from our peers bore down on us. Whispers rippled through the crowd, a cacophony of gossip and speculation swirling around us like a storm.
"I wasn't sure they'd even show up."
"Weren't they in jail?"
"They were wanted by the police!"
I gritted my teeth, my fists clenched at my sides as I fought to keep my composure.
We stopped in front of what looked like a makeshift memorial for John B, the somber atmosphere weighing heavily upon us.
"Everyone's staring at us," Kie's voice trembled with anxiety as she glanced around, her eyes darting nervously from face to face.
"Oh, yeah," JJ's reply was laced with sarcasm as he scanned the crowd, his gaze cold and indifferent. "We're famous," he added, his tone dripping with bitterness.
"What the hell are you looking at?" I snarled, my frustration boiling over as I turned to face the students, my glare daring them to meet my gaze. They quickly dropped their eyes, looking away. "Don't you have something else to do?" I continued, my voice dripping with venom as I addressed them, my anger seething beneath the surface.
"I can't be late to class," Pope interjected hastily, his words a feeble attempt to escape the suffocating atmosphere.
"Hey, hey," Kie stopped him, her hand reaching out to grasp his, her touch a comforting anchor in the storm. "We gotta stick together," she said, her voice firm but filled with a quiet determination.
Pope hesitated for a moment before reaching out to grasp Kiara's hand, a silent agreement passing between them. Kiara then reached out for my hand, her touch warm and reassuring as she silently urged me to join them.
"Stick together," JJ scoffed, his tone dripping with skepticism as he attempted to walk past me. "Whatever."
But I refused to let him go, hooking my arm around his in a silent plea for solidarity. To my surprise, JJ didn't resist, his demeanour softening slightly as we made our way inside the school together, our steps echoing with a quiet determination as we faced whatever challenges lay ahead, united as one.
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
"... And the slave becomes the new ruler. Now, Diocletian splits the sprawling Roman Empire into four separate kingdoms."
YOU ARE READING
Rogue | outer banks
FanfictionAmelia Thornton was born into wealth, her childhood filled with all the luxuries money could buy. But when tragedy struck and her parents were involved in a devastating accident, her family fell apart at the seams. The once-close bond she shared wit...
