After summer camp, Kie was fully absorbed into kook life. She no longer talked to the pogues, even though she'd promised JJ she'd never leave them. The pogues missed her, of course—especially JJ, for reasons they all knew.
Tonight, Kie had a kook party to attend—it was Topper's. She texted Bella, her new best friend, to finalize the details.
Kie: Hey Bells, are you going to the party tonight?
Bella: Yeah, you?
Kie: Maybe... I don't have anything to wear, though.
Bella: Of course you do. Can I come over and help you pick something out?
Kie: Yeah, sure!
A while later, there was a knock at the door, and Kie opened it to see Bella standing there. "Heyyy!" Kie greeted, as Bella immediately threw her arms around her in a hug.
"Hey, girl! Let's make you the hottest badass at that party!" Bella grinned, heading straight up to Kie's room. They spent the next hour trying on outfits, laughing, and hyping each other up. Eventually, Kie decided on a red crop top and black jeans, while Bella went with a fitted black dress.
"So, we've got some time. Wanna play 'smash or pass'?" Bella suggested with a mischievous grin.
"Okay, let's do it," Kie replied, laughing.
"Alright. Smash or pass... Rafe," Bella said.
"Who?" Kie asked, furrowing her brow.
"Rafe Cameron... Sarah's brother?" Bella clarified.
"Oh! I didn't even know Sarah had a brother," Kie admitted.
Bella laughed. "Well, I'm taking that as a pass, but for the record, he's hot. Alright, next: JJ Maybank?"
Kie paused. "JJ Maybank? Hmm... I don't know. Pass," she said, her voice nonchalant. Bella raised an eyebrow.
"Pass? He's, like, the hottest pogue," Bella teased, nudging her.
"Okay, maybe smash," Kie blushed. "But just maybe," she added, trying to sound casual.
Meanwhile, at John B's house...
"Alright, let's go over this again—what's the plan for Topper's party?" Pope asked, looking up from his phone as JJ messed with his hair in front of the cracked bathroom mirror.
"Simple," John B said, "we show up, eat their food, and don't get kicked out."
JJ shrugged, messing with his hair one more time. "Yeah, well, Kie might be there, right?" he muttered, trying to sound casual.
"Look, we haven't heard from her in months," Pope said with a sigh. "I don't think she wants anything to do with us anymore. She's deep into the kook life now."
JJ glanced down, a flicker of disappointment crossing his face before he smirked. "Doesn't mean I can't remind her what she's missing," he joked, nudging Pope. But the truth was, Kie not being around still hit him hard. He hoped he'd see her at the party, even if just for a moment.
YOU ARE READING
The locked door (jiara)
RomanceThis story is all about Jiara! I'll be focusing mostly on JJ and Kiara's story, diving deeper into their connection and where things might go for them. Just to clarify, these characters aren't mine, they belong to Outer Banks! But I'll be bringing i...