Pope shifted uncomfortably in his seat, fidgeting with his empty soda cup. "I gotta use the bathroom," he muttered, glancing nervously around.
"Hold it, dude," JJ whispered back, his eyes darting toward Topper and Rafe, who were still lingering nearby.
"I can't," Pope hissed. "I drank too much soda. I'm about to explode."
JJ sighed, rubbing his temples. "Fine, but I'm not letting you go alone." He stood up and stretched, keeping his tone casual. "Let's go find a tree."
As the two boys started walking away, Kiara noticed and called out, "Where are you guys going?"
Pope turned back, trying to look nonchalant. "Bathroom."
Kiara raised an eyebrow, watching JJ follow closely behind Pope. John B chuckled. "What, are you two gonna hold it for each other?"
JJ grinned, playing along. "That's exactly what we're gonna do!" he called back, making everyone laugh as they disappeared into the trees.
Minutes ticked by, and as the movie droned on, Heather couldn't help but glance back toward where Topper and Rafe had been sitting. But now, only Tyler and Kelce remained, looking equally confused.
"Hmm, that's weird," Heather mumbled to herself, watching Tyler as he looked around for the others.
"What's weird?" Sarah asked, leaning comfortably against John B.
Heather started to piece things together, a knot forming in her stomach. "Oh shit," she whispered under her breath, sitting up quickly.
"What's going on?" John B asked, noticing her sudden change in demeanor.
"I think JJ and Pope are in trouble," she said, her voice filled with urgency as she slipped her shoes back on.
"What do you mean?" John B asked, already following her as she stood up.
Heather didn't answer. She quickly walked over to Tyler, who looked startled by her approach. "Tyler, where did Rafe and Topper go?" she demanded.
"They went to the bathroom," Tyler said, looking confused by her question.
Heather didn't waste another second. She turned to John B and started running into the park woods, her heart racing. John B and Tyler followed close behind, their footsteps crunching on the gravel.
Suddenly, the sound of grunts echoed through the trees, and before Heather could react, a body was thrown into her, knocking her to the ground.
"Ahh!" she screamed, the weight of the person pinning her down.
"Heather, you good?" a familiar voice asked.
She looked up and saw JJ sprawled over her. "JJ, are you okay?" she asked, catching her breath.
JJ, wincing from the fall but still in good spirits, smirked. "I'm still in one piece, aren't I?"
Before Heather could respond, Rafe appeared, charging at JJ again, his fists clenched.
"Hey! Hey! Calm down!" Tyler yelled, rushing forward to intervene.
"What the fuck is going on here?!" John B shouted, scanning the scene. His eyes landed on Pope, who was being choked out by Topper, pressed against a tree, his face turning red.
"Topper!!!" Heather screamed, springing into action. Without thinking, she launched herself onto Topper's back, kicking him with all her strength in an attempt to break his hold on Pope.
Topper grunted as her kicks connected, and after a few moments, his grip loosened, allowing Pope to gasp for air and stumble free. JJ and John B rushed to grab Pope, pulling him away from the fight.
But Heather wasn't done yet. She clung to Topper's back, pounding her fists against his shoulders in a desperate attempt to keep him from going after her friends again.
"Get off me!" Topper snarled, his voice filled with rage.
"Not until you back off!" Heather yelled, tightening her grip.
Topper, fed up, violently shrugged her off, sending her crashing to the ground. She yelped as she hit the hard gravel, a sharp pain shooting through her leg. Heather winced, looking down to see a long scrape running from her knee down to her shin, blood starting to pool around the wound.
"Heather!" Rafe's voice cut through the chaos, and she looked up to see him rushing toward her. He knelt down beside her, concern written all over his face. "Are you okay?"
Heather glared at him, her anger boiling over. "Get away from me!" she snapped, pulling herself up to her feet despite the burning pain in her leg.
Rafe took a step back, looking both hurt and frustrated. His eyes flicked down to her injured leg. "You're bleeding—"
"I don't care!" Heather spat back, clenching her fists as the pain became more unbearable. "Fuck," she cursed under her breath, wincing as she tried to put weight on her injured leg.
Tyler hurried over, worry creasing his brow. "Hey, are you alright?" he asked, his voice soft with concern.
Heather shot him a look. "Do I look alright?" she snapped, her frustration evident.
Before Tyler could respond, a loud voice rang out from the direction of the park. "Hey! What's going on back there?"
Heather's eyes widened, and she turned to see a park security guard making his way toward them.
"Shit!" Heather hissed. Without thinking, she tried to run, but the sharp pain in her leg made it nearly impossible to move quickly. She gritted her teeth, pushing through the pain as Tyler and Rafe stuck close to her, keeping pace.
"Hey, slow down," Tyler said, his hand on her arm, trying to steady her as they all ran.
"I can't," Heather muttered, her face scrunched up in pain. "It hurts too much."
Tyler glanced down at her bleeding leg, concern deepening in his eyes. "You need to get that checked out."
Rafe, who had been quiet up until now, spoke up. "I have a first aid kit at home."
Heather rolled her eyes, her frustration with Rafe reaching new heights. "Of course, you do," she muttered sarcastically.
Tyler glanced between them, sensing the tension. "Alright, Rafe, you bring her to your car. I'll grab our stuff."
Heather wanted to protest, but the pain in her leg left her no choice. Annoyed at the situation, she reluctantly leaned on Rafe for support as they started walking toward his car.
As they moved through the park, the silence between them was thick. Finally, Rafe broke it. "I'm sorry, alright?" he said quietly.
Heather didn't respond. She kept her eyes forward, focusing on each painful step, ignoring his attempt at an apology.
YOU ARE READING
The Lines We've Crossed
Fanfiction"You're not so little anymore," Rafe told Heather as he stood beside her in the kitchen. "Is that why you keep looking at me like that?" Heather asked her brother's best friend, who only ever viewed her as his best friend's younger sister and nothi...
