One Stupid Thing

3:9:98

17 years of memories now lay in a pile of ash and debris. There is nothing left of the Chateau. It's a miracle that the seven of us made it out alive and with hardly any injuries.

The second that I saw the house in flames it was as if I went into overdrive. Like I unlocked a new gear somehow. From outside, I acted quickly to get everyone out through the window in Big John's study. However, unfortunately for me, as I was helping Cleo down from the windowsill, the wooden planks that had once made up the entirety of the home had shifted and, with my terrible luck, a flaming board struck me across the shoulder blade.

Other than that, no one was hurt, however we are all likely suffering from smoke inhalation and our bodies are covered in ash and soot.

Gathered at the foot of the giant oak, the seven of us stare blankly at the charred remains. "Could've been a faulty electrical wire," Pope reasons.

"I swear I smelled gasoline, guys. I don't think this was an accident," I bring up.

On my right, Kie sighs. "Doesn't matter. Place was all wood. A tinderbox," she says in defeat.

"Thing just went up," Cleo adds. "Boom."

"Verdict's in, bro. Whoever's up there does not like you," JJ tells his friend. Then after realizing how insensitive the comment was, he places a hand on his shoulder. "Sorry." And then tosses a glass beer bottle into the remaining flames, shattering on impact.

Thunderclouds loomed ominously in the distance, promising rain, but without the Chateau, the only possibility of shelter is the roofed deck at the end of the dock.

As we all make our way down the wooden walkway, Pope pulls ahead and heads straight for the HMS Pogue still parked in its usual spot. The rest of us settle ourselves down in silence and all of a sudden, Pope appears at my side holding a wet rag in his hand out to me. "Here," he says. "It's not the best, but it might help a bit."

I take it from him with a soft smile. "Thanks." I lay the towel over my shoulder, wincing slightly as the wet fabric slapped against my raw skin, but the tension disappears at the cool sensation.

"How is it?" I look up in surprise to see JJ already gazing in my direction, his eyes straining against the morning sun. "You're shoulder."

"Oh... it's fine. I've survived worse," I joke. I watch as his gaze rakes down to my exposed abdomen where the scars from the gator attack will always stain my skin. JJ nods knowingly and then turns to lean his elbows on the railing behind him.

"Sarah, when did you say the pilot was getting in?" John B asks.

She whips her head around at the mention of her name. "Probably like an hour? I mean, once he's here, our dad says we can leave whenever we want."

"Okay, well, as much as I would love to ghost my parents again, I can't," Pope pipes up.

"Pope, we're talking El Dorado here," JJ interrupts. "Can you just slip out the back maybe?"

Kiara shakes her head. "Great advice."

"It always worked for me. How to avoid unpleasant circumstances 101. If there's a problem, you don't wanna face it, turn that face and keister around and walk the other way."

My stomach twists at his words and I lower my gaze. He had done exactly that at the anniversary party. Just walked away from everything we had built together. However, he clearly didn't notice the hurt expression displayed across my face.

Pope hops off the railing. "I'm not doing that, okay?"

JJ sighs and averts his gaze. "I just want you to be there, dog."

"I'm gonna be there," the boy assures him. "I'll meet you guys at the airstrip in an hour."

"Yeah, we'll see you there," John B agrees.

"One hour, Pope. Not a second later."

Pope nods firmly at the blonde before turning and walking back up the dock. Cleo follows behind him. "Think you should let me talk, Pope. Think your mom kinda likes me."

"I don't think it's gonna be pleasant for either of us," he huffs in response.

"I'm gonna take a stroll back to the shack," JJ says. "For old time's sake. I always wanted to go to South America. Great surf, cheap weed. See you guys on the tarmac." And with that the boy walks off.

"I guess I'll go pack some stuff and break the news to my parents." Kie gets to her feet and catches up to JJ. I watch as the two of them stop on the dock and share a brief conversation before parting ways. Even though it was such a harmless interaction my gut churns with jealousy. I feel like such a green-eyed monster and I don't even have the right to be.

Sarah's eyes meeting mine snaps me out of my trance. She looks concerned and I can understand why, but her pity only upsets me more. "Um, I should do the same. Get my things together, let Ryan know what's going on." As I get up, John B moves to sit down on the other side of Sarah.

"Okay," my sister replies. "Don't be late."

"I won't." I take my leave, but before I am out of earshot I catch John B's voice carry towards me.

"Is she okay?" he asks Sarah.

"Honestly? I'm not sure."

—

Ryan wasn't exactly thrilled when I told him that I would be going to South America and he was even more reluctant when he found out that it would be on my dad's plane.

"It's just a plane, Ry. He's not actually going to be there," I assure him.

"You should've just asked me. You could've borrowed ours."

"That wasn't an option and you know it. Sarah and I had to do this ourselves. And besides, having an excuse to see him meant that we are one step closer to finding Margaret."

"Yeah, so what about her, Stelly? I thought you wanted to find her and now you're leaving the country," he tells me.

"Look, John B's dad is in actual danger. Margaret can wait."

"You can't just keep everything buried beneath the surface. At least just tell Sarah."

"Ryan, please. I don't have time for this," I groan. "I need to go." I sling my bag over my shoulder. "Are you going to just watch me walk out the door or will you give me a ride?"

"Okay, okay, fine. Let's go." Ryan grabs his keys and follows me out to his truck.

—

Somehow I managed to convince Ryan not to bring me all the way to the airstrip. I wanted to be able to give him a proper goodbye without prying and judging eyes. With a sigh, he pulls over to the side of the road in front of the parking lot and we both exit the truck.

Standing in front of each other, I don't really know what to say to him. It's a relief when he speaks first. "Just... be safe. Please."

"I will. I promise. We Pogues stick together," I assure him.

"Can you trust them? All of them?" he asks me, lowering his voice.

"With my life. Yes."

Ryan nods reluctantly. "You know, I'm gonna miss you, Stelly Belly."

The nickname makes me snort, evaporating all of the seriousness in the air. "I'll be back before you know it." I wrap my arms around his neck and he hugs me back tightly. I feel his warm breath fan my neck. As I pull away from him, I plant a gentle kiss on his cheek. "I'll see you as soon as I get back."

"I'm gonna hold you to that."

"Bye, Ry."

"Goodbye, Stelly." With one last shared smile, I turn and walk towards the tarmac.

——
Okay, so I might've made a little mistake. I totally forgot that Singh's head guard's name is Ryan. So.... I'm going to do my best to differentiate the two but for anyone who might get confused Ryan Caldwell DOES NOT go to South America, so maybe that'll help. I'm so sorry for the confusion. It totally slipped my mind.