The locked door (jiara)

12.

Kiara lay sprawled out on her bed, her headphones blasting some indie playlist she'd been hooked on lately. She tapped her pen against the edge of her notebook, pretending she was focusing on homework when, really, her mind was anywhere but on the math problems in front of her. Her phone buzzed on the pillow beside her, lighting up with John B's name. She sighed and hit "answer."

"Hello?" she said, slightly distracted.

"Kie!" John B's voice came through the speaker, full of excitement. "Tomorrow, we're all skipping school. You in?"

She hesitated, already picturing the lecture her parents would give her if they found out. "I don't know... I think my parents would probably kill me if I did."

"Who cares, dude? If we could convince Pope, we can convince you," she heard JJ's voice shout in the background, and despite herself, a smile crept onto her face. Of course, JJ was involved in this.

John B laughed. "Yeah, Kie. Come on, it's not like they're gonna know. You're a pro at sneaking out, anyway."

Kiara rolled her eyes, though she couldn't deny the slight thrill at the idea. "Well... they always end up knowing somehow. It's like they have this sixth sense."

"Live a little, Kie! You only live once!" JJ yelled again, his voice louder this time, probably grabbing the phone from John B.

Kiara bit her lip, her resolve cracking under the weight of JJ's carefree energy. He had a way of making the worst ideas sound like the best ones.

"Alright, fine," she finally said, laughing. "I'll go."

"Woooo!" JJ and John B cheered on the other end of the line like they'd just won the lottery. She could even hear Pope mutter something sarcastic in the background, probably about how he was dragged into this.

"Alright, calm down, guys," she said, shaking her head. "What's the plan?"

"We'll figure it out," John B said casually. "See you in the morning. And don't bail on us!"

"Yeah, yeah," Kiara replied, rolling her eyes again. "Later, idiots." She hung up and tossed her phone onto her nightstand.

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The morning at the Château was peaceful—until the loud, relentless knocking shattered the quiet.

"What the fuck?" JJ muttered, startled awake, sitting up on the couch. His heart raced, not from the knock, but from the remnants of the dream he'd just been pulled from.

John B groaned beside him, dragging himself upright. "What time is it?" he mumbled, stumbling toward the door.

When he opened it, Kiara stood there, arms crossed, a teasing grin on her face. "Took you long enough," she said.

"Why did you have to knock like that?" John B asked, leaning against the doorframe.

Kiara smirked. "I've been out here for ten minutes. You guys were dead to the world."

JJ rubbed his eyes from the couch. "Kie, I was just dreaming about falling in love with a blunt, and you ruined it," he muttered, forcing himself to sound casual. But it wasn't true. Not about the blunt, anyway.

Kiara raised an eyebrow, her grin widening. "Yeah? That's the best you've got?"

"Where's Pope?" she asked, stepping inside and looking around.

"Here!" Pope shouted, popping out from behind the kitchen counter.

All three of them jumped, Kiara letting out a small scream. "Pope, what the hell?!" she yelled, clutching her chest.