𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟔

CHAPTER SIX all eyes on me

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"JOHN B, WHAT the fuck?" Kie screamed, pulling us out of the water.

I couldn't help but laugh as I watched the entire party stop due to my antics. Some people had even taken out their phones to start recording, which I enjoyed that much more. My feet dragged along the sand, barely walking in a straight line as a result of the alcohol I had consumed.

"What part of 'don't get into shit' did you not understand, Jesus Christ." Pope ran over, with JJ close behind him.

"We didn't do anything necessarily wrong, right, JB?" I turned to face him, noticing a slight look of regret on his face.

"Y'all are boring me, I need another drink." I rolled my eyes.

"I'll, erm, supervise her." JJ started, before being pulled back by Kie. "Nope? Ok."

"Pope, grab her. We're going home."

"This shit again? I have legs for a reason, I can walk."

"Yeah, to the drinks table? Not on my watch."

Despite my ulterior motives, I decided to let Pope drag me to where mine and John B's clothes were placed. My body was screaming at me for another drink, but I had to be sneaky about it if I was to ever get even another sip of alcohol under Kiara's supervision.

"Shorts on, now." she bent down to grab the material, placing it at my feet so I could put my clothes back on with ease.

The second I stepped into the shorts, Kie immediately started pulling them up, rushing to provide me coverage from the several phone flashlights pointing in my direction. In the meantime, Pope had picked my flannel up from the sand, resting it on my shoulders so that the fabric was fully covering my chest.

Whilst the pair were distracted with putting on my clothes, I looked over at JJ, who had a red solo cup in his hand. I was still planning on getting one final drink, despite what Kiara and Pope thought.

"Get me one, please." I mouthed in his direction, causing him to raise his eyebrow in confusion.

"What?" he said out-loud, blowing my cover.

"Hm?" Kie looked up at him.

"I was just tryna tell JJ that I was thirsty and would like a cup of water, please?" I signalled to him, hoping he understood the message I was trying to convey.

"Ohh, right on it."

"JJ comes back with your water and we're leaving, understood?"

"Yes, mom." I mocked, making myself chuckle.

The blonde boy came sprinting back, the extra solo cup now in his hand. He had a mischievous grin painted across his face, making it clear for me that he had indeed got me what I wanted.

"John B, you good?" Kie asked him, noticing how quiet he was.

"Yeah, we going?"

"Cami?" she looked back at me.

"Fine, let's go."

At the sound of my words, Kiara linked her arm with mine and pulled me through the crowd, flipping off anyone who pointed a camera in my direction. I wasn't even that bothered by them, in fact, I wanted the attention.

It pissed Rafe off, and pissing him off made me happy.

Win-win situation, if you ask me.

"Pogue whore." some Kook girl muttered.

"Suck my dick." I spat back, causing Kie to pull me faster.

I took a sip from the plastic cup JJ gave me, the taste of straight vodka making my throat burn. Although the drink was potent, I managed to keep a straight face, making sure no one had caught on.

Since I hadn't bothered to put on my shoes, my bare feet grazed the pebbles on the dirt clearing, a much more uncomfortable feeling compared to that of walking on sand. However, this signified that we were getting closer to The Twinkie, and Kiara could finally stop dragging me.

A fairly loud beep sounded as JJ unlocked the van, heading straight for the driver's seat.

"Nope. You are not driving." Pope pulled the collar of his shirt, replacing him behind the wheel.

I crawled through the side door, ensuring not to spill the contents of my cup whilst I sat down. The harsh burn returned to my throat as I emptied half of the drink into my system, attempting to keep my drunken high running for as long as possible.

"Pope, can you even drive?" John B questioned, out of serious concern for his beloved vehicle.

"Better than JJ can with the amount of booze he drank."

While the boys kept bickering, I took my free hand and pulled out a cigarette. I let the stick rest in between my lips as I searched for my lighter, quickly realising that I had lost it.

"Fuck." I sighed under my breath. "Psst, JB, got a light?"

Kiara quickly interrupted me by snatching the cigarette from my mouth, tucking it into her pocket.

"No. John B, don't you dare."

"Here." JJ passed me his juul. "Let the girl breathe, Kie."

"Thank you." I exaggerated, shocked that someone finally had my back.

I inhaled the mango-flavoured smoke, feeling it go down much smoother compared to the tobacco I was used to. After blowing the cloud of smoke out of the window, I took another long drag before passing the small device back.

"Y'all have fun today?" I resumed conversation, trying to avoid awkward silence.

"Yeah, actually, I did. Before someone decided to make-out in the middle of the fucking ocean."

"Never mind." I exhaled, not wanting to have to hear any more of Kie's snarky comments.

The rest of the car ride was filled with silence, apart from the occasional complaint for Pope's driving skills- or lack thereof. I rested my head on the window, watching each house pass by as we pulled into Figure 8.

No matter how much I loved the Pogue life, I had always dreamt of owning a house here one day. Ever since I was a little girl, I'd make my mom's boyfriend at the time drive me up here just to stare in awe at the houses. I knew I wouldn't make it into Figure 8 by simply waiting tables at The Wreck, but nothing stopped me from dreaming.

All I could do was dream, knowing once I'd wake up I'd have to live the same, exhausting life.

The van pulled into the Carrera residence's driveway, snapping me out of my daze. Once Pope had switched the engine off, JJ pulled the door open, allowing me to stumble onto the concrete. I didn't notice how much I had actually drank until I got onto my feet, barely keeping myself standing.

"Kiara!" Mrs Carrera ran out onto the porch, her voice ridden with stress. "Oh, you brought company."

"Hi Mom." she smiled half-heartedly.

"Get inside, I've been worried sick."

Walking up the driveway seemed like walking a marathon. The task of staying on my feet was hard enough, but now that I felt Mrs Carrera's eyes piercing through me, I had to do so whilst trying to act as sober as possible.

My hands held onto the porch railing with a deathly grip, relying on the wood to help me up the steps to Kie's front door. I felt every single drop of alcohol hit my system, the extra addition of JJ's vodka not proving to be any more useful.

"Oh, Camille. Mike will want to speak to you in the morning. He mentioned something about a customer complaint he received earlier tonight, just warning you."

I stared back at the woman, trying to understand what she meant by 'customer complaint'. With the state that I was in, the last thing I wanted to do was worry about work. I brushed her words off for the time being, focusing all my attention on getting inside the house without breaking something.

After what felt like eternity, my feet reached the living room, giving out the second I got close to the couch. I felt my body sink into the cushion, providing much more comfort than my bed ever could. Closing my eyes, all I wanted to do was doze off and forget tonight ever happened. From Rafe, to the alcohol, to John B, I wanted to erase it all.

Regardless, my mind couldn't help but think about him.

All of the party's events rushed back to my brain; the way he pathetically tried to choke me, his insults, his face when John B and I kissed—

And his threat.

That asshole reported me.

Of course.