𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐒 ━━ SARAH CAMERON

51

"WHAT'S GOING ON?"

"What do you mean?" Kaden returned JJ's concerned expression with a confused one of his own.

"You know what I mean." JJ rolled his eyes. "You're. . . sulking. You look sad. Which is bad because we're about to go crash some boring Kook party. I can't have you looking like that when we show them what real fun looks like."

"I'm not sulking." Kaden shoved his hands into his pockets, staring out at the water. "I'm fine."

"Bro, you're literally standing there like some sad cartoon character. Don't tell me you're fine."

Pope looked up from the cooler he was shoving into the van. "He's right. You've been off all day. Barely saying a word. It's noticeable."

Kaden dragged his sneaker against the dirt, watching it carve a shallow line. Part of him wanted to shrug it off again, play it cool. That was easier. But the knot in his chest had been building for days, and JJ wasn't wrong—he was sulking. Hiding it wasn't working anymore.

Maybe he should just say it. Rip the bandage off. They deserved to know.

He glanced at them—JJ leaning against the van door, smirking like he already knew; Pope with his hands still gripping the cooler handles, waiting; Kiara tying her hair back in a messy knot, eyes darting between them; John B wiping his palms on his shorts, brows furrowed.

Those were his friends. He loved them. They didn't deserve this. With a loud exhale, he let it out. "Alright," Kaden muttered. He shoved his hands deeper in his pockets, the words heavy in his mouth. "I've got something to tell you."

That got their attention. The little motions stilled. The air tightened.

"I'm leaving," he said finally. "Tomorrow. With Blake."

For a moment, no one said anything. Just the faint sound of the waves.

John B was the first to speak. "Leaving. . . as in leaving?"

Kaden nodded once.

Pope straightened up, cooler forgotten. "Tomorrow? You mean tomorrow tomorrow?"

JJ's smirk slipped. "Hold up. You're telling us now? Like—'by the way, guys, peace out forever'—twenty-four hours before you bounce?"

Kiara's jaw dropped. "Kaden, what the hell? Why?" she asked, voice sharp, not hiding the sting underneath. "Why now? Why like this?"

Their questions tumbled over each other, all of them talking at once—confused, hurt, demanding explanations.

Kaden lowered his gaze to the dirt again. "My. . . parents want Blake with them. I can't let him go alone."

That line dropped heavier than he expected. The group froze, eyes cutting to each other, waiting for someone to say the thing they were all thinking.

"Go where alone?" Pope, Kiara, and John B asked at the same time—just as JJ tilted his head, brows furrowing. "Your parents are alive?"

The words landed like a punch. Kaden swallowed hard, forcing himself to meet their eyes. "Yep. They live in New York."

A beat of silence, then Kiara let out a sharp, disbelieving laugh. She shook her head, the sound dry as sandpaper. "New York? New York?" She repeated it like it was a joke that tasted bitter in her mouth.

JJ's eyes went wide. "Hold on. You're telling us. . . all this time, your parents are sitting pretty up in New York? The big city—New York?" He jabbed a finger at Kaden, incredulous. "Do you know how insane that sounds right now? You're standing here acting like one of us, but your parents—dude, that's rich people central."

John B's mouth hung open. "Wait. So what, your parents are just. . . what? Rich?"

"I guess so." Kaden's jaw tightened. "But it's not like that."

John B let out another short, humorless laugh, shaking his head. "Not like that? Come on, man. You've been with us—living like us—this whole time. And now you drop the fact that you're a rich kid on us like it's nothing? Do you even get how that sounds?"

Pope frowned, voice quieter but sharp. "So. . . if your parents are alive, and they live in New York— why are you here? Why live with your grandfather instead of them?"

"Some shit happened," Kaden forced out the words. An explanation he felt they needed but they didn't need details. "My grandfather and I needed to get away. And this place is great. I like it here. Sorry I never told you."

Silence lingered. The air still carried the sting of his confession, but beneath it something else began to stir—understanding.

Kiara crossed her arms, studying him for a long moment before finally sighing. "K. . . . look. You should've just told us. But—honestly? We don't care where your parents live. New York, Mars, whatever. You're still one of us."

Pope nodded. "Yeah. Even though you've been playing pretend—" he shot his friend a small glare at the last words. "I like that you did. Otherwise you would've been one of the Kooks right now."

JJ tilted his head, grin creeping back in, softer this time. "Exactly. I mean, dude. . . you fought with us, drank with us, ran from cops with us. That's pogue as hell, no matter what. And it suits you."

John B let out a slow breath, the hard edge in his expression easing. He stepped closer, clapping a hand on Kaden's shoulder. "You're family, man. That doesn't change. Won't ever change no matter how many zeroes you got in your bank account."

Kaden blinked, throat tightening. He hadn't expected that—he'd braced himself for anger, for them to shove him away. Instead, they were pulling him closer. Which made it worse. Because now he had to leave.

"Thanks," he muttered, voice low. He meant it, but the word felt too small compared to the ache in his chest.

JJ gave him a look, sharp but lopsided. "Don't thank us, dumbass. Just don't disappear without saying goodbye. That's the only thing we'll actually hate you for."

Kiara nodded, her arms still folded, though her face had softened. "Seriously. If you leave tomorrow, then tonight—you're not sulking. You're not hiding. You're with us. Got it?"

Kaden's lips twitched into a half-smile. "Got it."

"Good." Pope shoved the cooler the rest of the way into the van with a grunt. "Because we're still crashing that party. You don't get to wiggle out of it now."

"Yeah," JJ grinned, bumping his shoulder into Kaden's. "One last hurrah before you go live in your shiny Manhattan penthouse or whatever."

Kaden shook his head, a real smile breaking through this time as he repeated the same words from earlier. "It's not like that."

"Sure, sure," JJ teased, climbing into the passenger seat. "Just don't forget us when you're sipping lattes with Wall Street bros."

John B shot Kaden a steady glance as he slid into the driver's seat. "We'll figure it out, okay? It sucks you're leaving, but this isn't goodbye yet."

Kaden held that look for a second, then nodded. "Yeah. Not yet."

"Do you have to leave though?"

"Yep." He answered, a certain amount of sadness in his tone. "I'll visit."

"Hey—" JJ cut in, brows raised. "What about Sarah?"

That was a good question. But he didn't have the answer to that. What about Sarah? He hadn't heard from her since what went down in his house yesterday. He knew she was either ignoring him or she needed time to process what she saw— and found out. He couldn't just leave without clearing things up with her. He decided he'd do that before leaving. He only hoped she'd be willing to listen.