3 | ROYAL MERCHANT

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The next morning, the blaring of a car horn pierced the quiet of Avery's neighborhood, dragging her from her sleep

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The next morning, the blaring of a car horn pierced the quiet of Avery's neighborhood, dragging her from her sleep. She groaned, rolling over in bed, pulling her pillow over her head to drown out the noise. But the honking persisted, a relentless symphony of irritation that urged her to get up.

Groggy and disoriented, Avery finally swung her legs over the side of the bed, rubbing her eyes as she stumbled to the window. She blinked a few times, hoping the bright sun would help shake off the sleep. As she pulled back the curtains, the sight of the Twinkie parked in her driveway jolted her fully awake. A rush of regret washed over her - why had she let John B drive her home the night before?

With a quick gasp, she rushed out of the house, her heart pounding as she approached the vehicle. She barely got to open her mouth to ask what the hell they were doing before JJ Maybank's voice called out from the passenger seat, his head hanging out the window like an eager dog. "Cute pjs, princess."

She rolled her eyes, suppressing a smile despite the annoyance. "What are you guys doing waking up to whole of Figure 8?"

"Oh, I thought the rich worked at this time." JJ shot back with mock innocence, earning a nudge from John B.

"We were going to test out the drone and wanted to know if you wanted to join us." John B explained, his casual tone at odds with the excitement glimmering in his eyes.

"He wanted to know, I didn't." Maybank added, leaning further to catch her gaze, a smirk still dancing on his lips.

"Uh," She cleared her throat, hesitating as she looked down at her mismatched pajamas - suddenly acutely aware of how unprepared she was. "Sure, yeah. Let me get changed, yeah?"

She dashed back inside, adrenaline kicking in as she passed her parents, who wore matching frowns of disapproval. Their gaze fell on the Twinkie, and she braced herself for the inevitable interrogation. She knew JJ would not hesitate to lay on the horn again if she didn't hurry.

"Who's car is that?" Her father questioned, his tone sharp. He knew it wasn't one of her Kook friends' car.

"John B's." She answered honestly, knowing lying was futile - her father could see John B's familiar face through the window.

"And why is he here?" He pressed.

Avery exhaled, trying to keep her tone casual. "We met at the Kegger the other day, and he's cool."

"Is that all we're getting?" Veronica chimed in, arching an eyebrow skeptically. As far as she knew, her friends would never hang out with Pogues - why would she?

"Yup." Avery replied, popping the 'p' defiantly before retreating upstairs, desperate to escape their scrutiny.

Once in the Twinkie, Avery settled onto the floor, trying to ignore JJ's relentless comments about her house, the way it looked untouched by the hurricane. He wasn't wrong : her neighborhood seemed to be a different world from where the Pogues lived.

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