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"Could've been a faulty electrical wire." Pope says as they watched the last of the fire burn out. The Chateau was almost completely gone. The teens sat by the tree in silence.
"Place was all wood. A tinderbox." Kie says
"Thing just went up. Boom." Cleo mutters
"Verdict's in, bro. Whoever's up there does not like you." JJ says. Estrella turns to him with a sullen expression, "Sorry."
•••
Estrella looked up as thunder rumbled above them. The teens moved to the dock by the Chateau.
"Sarah, when did you say the pilot was getting in?" John B asks
"Probably like an hour?" She says, "I mean, once he's here, my 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 says
"Pope, we're talking El Dorado here. Can you just slip out the back maybe?" JJ says
"Great advice." Kie nods sarcastically
"It always worked for me." JJ shrugs, "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."
"I'm not doing that, okay?" Pope says
JJ sighs, "I just want you to be there, dog."
"I'm gonna be there. I'll meet you at the airstrip in an hour?" Pope says looking to Estrella who nods.
"Yeah, we'll see you there." John B says
"One hour, Pope. Not a second later." JJ calls out as he and Cleo walk down the dock
"I should probably go, too." Estrella says standing, "Told my mom I'd be back last night."
"That's gonna go over well." John B says
"Yup." Estrella sighs
"I'm gonna take a stroll back to the shack. For old time's sake." JJ says, "I always wanted to go to South America. Great surf, cheap weed."
"Yeah." John B says
"See you guys on the tarmac." JJ calls out as he walks down the dock
Estrella smiles to the others and walks down the dock after JJ, "Hey, Jay, wait." The boy stops and turns as she stops beside him, "Hey. Um... Just, uh, last night, you were... you were saying something before the fire."
JJ looks away before looking at her again, "I'll tell you what. I'll tell you on the plane." Estrella scoffs playfully, "Just to make sure you get on."
