Chapter 40: I Told You So
The day started like any other. With Kie trying not to murder her roommate, debating her environmental science professor to a standstill—because even when beaten, he would never admit she was right—and then skipping off campus for lunch because the school cafeteria here couldn't grope their way to a decent crawfish boil with both hands and a google search.
It wasn't until she was jogging up the sunny stone steps of her dormitory that it got weird.
"Hi, baby."
She stopped dead. It wasn't the first time somebody had called her baby on those steps—the uniform skirts were irritatingly short and the steps were steep. But this voice was soft, wistful, and not as punchable as the usual. She turned around slowly, registering not just her mom but both parents, standing in front of their SUV.
"What are you doing here?" Her heart dropped, squeezing low and dark. This had all the trappings of a big news visit, and she couldn't think of any good news that'd be big enough for them to drive up for.
Her dad smiled, watching her. "We came to see if you wanted to come home."
Her legs flashed cold, goosebumps tingling all the way up to the hem of her skirt. She couldn't feel her hands. Was this real?
"We miss you, Kiara," her mom burst out, taking two quick steps forward and then pausing as if she'd stopped herself, hovering right on the edge of standing too close. "We never wanted to spend you to spend your last year at home this far away. We were just scared for you! With the arrests, and the expulsions, and this craziness with the Cameron family…I know Rose and she's no less dangerous than Ward was. I wanted you out of there. But the Camerons left the island."
Kie sucked in a breath, her eyes widening.
"Not Sarah," her mom said quickly.
Kie nodded. She knew the emancipation wasn't final yet, so they still could have taken Sarah. She was just surprised John B hadn't texted her about it. He had lips loose enough to sink ten ships, when it came to gossip.
"Anyway, it's not just the Camerons being gone, though that helps. You've proven to us that you can make good choices, and your friends…" She paused. "We just know it's safer for you to come home now." Her voice dropped, a warmth growing in her eyes and Kie's throat closed. It had been so long since her mom had looked at her with anything but anger. She had to glance away, clenching her teeth together. She didn't give a shit. It's not like she was a little kid trotting after her mom's approval.
All that anger just hurt, after a while. Was all. Even if she didn't care. Much.
"I'm proud of you," Anna whispered, venturing up the first stair. "You never wanted to come here and you still left the place better than you found it."
Kie frowned. "You mean getting them to switch out of one-use plastics in the cafeteria?"
That had been easy enough, though she hadn't quit after the fundraiser for reusable plates and silverware. She'd also had to wrangle them into installing super-efficient dishwashers so she wasn't just saving plastic at the expense of a huge hit in water usage.
"And the recycling club, and the changed curriculum for their history program," her dad said.
"They weren't even teaching about the forced labor in the post-Civil War era. As if slavery just ended with the Emancipation Proclamation." She snorted.
She took a breath to fill them in on the dishwasher victory, but then movement caught her eye in the background. Her parents' car was rocking a little on its wheels, like something was trapped inside. She frowned. "Did you guys get a dog?"
They swapped a glance and her dad seemed to be battling a laugh. "Nah, no dog. Like we said, we're proud. We want you to come home, if you'd like. You can also finish out the year here, if you like the school. You've shown us you're responsible enough now that it can be your choice."
"What about the Pogues? What about my relationship with JJ and Pope?" She crossed her arms and glared. "I'm not going to stop seeing them, so don't even try."
"Actually, they've proven themselves to us, too," her mom said, her lips twitching like she was battling the same incomprehensible laugh as Kie's dad. "In fact—"
The SUV door open and the boys piled out, both jockeying to be first so they tripped over each other's legs and had to do a running stumble to catch their balance. Which they both did, with the casual grace of surfers used to waves turning under their feet.
"Guys, you ruined my reveal!"
"Sorry, Anna."
"Sorry, ma'am."
"You were supposed to wait for the cue," she grumbled, but Kie wasn't listening. She'd flown down the stairs, JJ was kissing the hell out of her and Pope was hugging both of them and she was so fucking happy the concrete under her feet felt as buoyant as a trampoline.
She swiped at her cheeks as they untangled themselves, quick so they wouldn't notice the tears that had burst out that made no sense because she was so not in the mood for crying.
"How…but how…" she sputtered. This was like a dream, the cruelest kind that you believed so much that even when you woke up it took so long for it to sink in that no. No, it just hadn't happened.
"That little problem with that douchebag threatening the Wreck?" JJ huffed a cocky breath over his stubby fingernails, then polished them on the front of his shirt with a grin. "Yeah, we took care of that."
"And we really wish you would tell us how you took care of it…" Her dad fussed from the background.
"It wasn't illegal," Pope said, probably not for the first time.
Kie knew exactly how they did it as soon as she met JJ's eyes. That city councilman her mom had been bitching about probably bought coke from Barry. All those Kook assholes did. JJ knew all of Barry's routes, and Pope had a telephoto lens. Quick little blackmail scheme, bada-bing bada-boom. Problem solved.
"Also, we were very impressed by the way Pope handled finding the gold," her mom said.
"I can't believe you guys found the cross when I was out of town," Kie griped.
"Good thing, too, because it fell out of the rafters," Pope said. "If you'd been there, you'd have climbed up there instead of me because you're the better climber."
"Would have squished you like a bug," JJ said cheerfully. "Yay boarding school."
"So wait, you're glad we're treasure hunting now?" Kie turned narrowed eyes on her parents.
"No, treasure hunting is still dangerous, but the way Pope handled it was…very mature."
"Mr. Sun helped prove my lineage and used historical documents to establish provenance of the artifact and that I had the legal right to sell it. So I did," Pope said, then tried out a nervous smile on her. "Surprise!"
"You sold your family's heritage? After all that?"
"To a museum, where it's displayed with the full explanation of its history, both the white side and the black side." He stood up taller. "I mean, what was I going to do with a giant cross? Keep it in the Chateau? This way, people can see what it means."
"We can see it on the way home, if you like," her dad said. "The museum's in Charleston."
"We split the money four ways," Pope said.
"Which he did not have to do, as it belonged to his family," her mom said.
"Plus, now that we can afford lawyers, John B and I are taking Ward's estate to court for the other gold."
"And emotional damages," JJ added. "Lots of those."
"You guys haven't told me anything you've been up to!" Kie threw up her hands. "What the hell?"
"We wanted it all to be a surprise. Especially since I could tell Anna was starting to waver on the whole boarding school thing…"
"You're not as smart as you think you are, Maybank, don't get cocky." She pointed a warning finger at him, which only brightened his grin.
"Anyway, I thought it'd be fun to tell you everything all at once," JJ said. "We got the gold—well, some gold even if it's not the original shipwreck gold, and now we get to bring you home. So all the good newses at once." He slung an arm around her, and he was grinning so bright that Pope couldn't seem to look away from his face and it made Kie's whole body feel full to bursting, just watching them. She could come home. To having this every day.
"We put your share of the money in an account for you," her dad said. "Since they wanted to keep it a surprise."
"They put it in the market," JJ said. "A money market or a market mutual, I forget."
"You put my money in the stock market?" Kie screetched. "The stock market is basically throwing gasoline on the fire of the evilest forces of capitalism on the planet, incentivizing corporations who keep wages low in favor of putting every fraction of a cent back in the pocket of the one percenters and you put my money—"
"We put it in a mutual fund for solar panels over parking lots," her dad interrupted mildly while her mom snickered and mouthed told you so at him. "Ten percent is still liquid in the bank for you to draw on at will."
"And we helped the boys with theirs," Anna said.
"Did you know you can get banks to give you interest?" JJ said. "Like those bit—those jerks have to pay you because you're so rich."
"It's not really a bank at the level we're investing, JJ," Pope explained. "It's more stock increases and dividends than interest and also it's more like a private enterprise—"
"Whatever, Pope. They're paying me, that's all I care about. Plus, I got plenty of dough still in cold hard cash which means…" He rattled off a finger-drum roll on Kie's shoulder.
"JJ bought a car," Pope said as Kie and JJ both yelled, "BLACK DIRT BIKE!" in unison.
"Oh," JJ said. "He's right. I bought a car, too. I mean, when you got more boyfriends and girlfriends than you can fit on a bike, you gotta make adjustments to your lifestyle." He grinned, beaming brighter than she'd ever seen him. Pope was definitely staring.
Kie snorted. "You're ridiculous. I can't wait to ride on the black dirt bike, though. Is it fast?"
"So fast I may never recover from riding on it once," Pope said, looking a little queasy.
"One accident," Kie's mom threatened. "Just one motorcycle accident and I swear to God you're all going to boarding school."
Pope perked up. "Really? Because the college acceptance rate to the Ivy Leagues is significantly higher here."
"No, just no." Kie started herding him toward the car. "The surf conditions are crap here, Pope, don't even. And it's Kooky as fuck. We're going home to the OBX."
"Shouldn't we pack your stuff, honey?" her dad asked.
"Ugh," she groaned. "I guess. Maybe with all of us we can get it in the car before my stupid roommate gets home from class." She turned toward the stairs.
Her dad locked the car and they all came along, JJ and Pope jostling each other and laughing their way up the stairs, stealing kisses and at least one furtive grope. Kie hung back, slipping her arm around her mom's waist for a quick side hug, her skin prickling as she averted her eyes.
"Thanks," she mumbled. "For um, helping the guys. With their money and the jobs, and all that stuff. JJ talks about you sort of all the time lately."
Both her mom's arms came around her and hugged her hard. "You were right, baby. They're…kind of great. Both of them. All the Pogues, actually. Though they do break a lot of stuff. And they're loud, my god."
Kie burst out in a laugh that eased her tight throat. She let her mom go and swiped at her cheek under the cover of fussing with her hair. "I know, right? They're the worst."
Kie was so caught up in the whirlwind of packing that she was stuffing armfuls of unfolded bedding into the back of the SUV before something occurred to her. She turned to her dad, who added the last suitcase and closed the hatch.
"Hey…where's John B? Did he and Sarah know you were coming to bring me home and the little twerp didn't even want to come?"
"They're coming. He and Sarah supposed to be following us, but he's not been fantastic at learning the in-dash nav system of his new BMW," JJ said. "It projects a holographic 3D map and he gets really excited and then the driving…it's not so good."
Pope was busy texting. "Yeah, they might have crashed. Again."
"The airbags in this beemer," JJ told her, and kissed the tips of his fingertips in exaggerated awe. "Work like a dream, you wouldn't even believe. I barely even bled."
"YOU WHAT?" Kie exploded.
"He was only in the hospital for like an hour," her mom comforted her. "We didn't want to worry you, that time."
"That time?" Kie stopped, refusing to go another step inside as she stopped and glared at her family. "How many other times have my boyfriends been in the hospital since I've been gone?"
A few students passing them on the sidewalk stopped at the blast of her voice and stared until she gave them the death glare and they hurried away.
"Well, Pope hasn't been at all! So there's that."
"Also, we all have health insurance now, so it's no big deal," Pope said.
"Pope, the big deal part of going to the ER was never the cost," Kie said. "Just FYI."
"You only say that because you've always been on your parents' health insurance. If you'd seen the bills for no insurance—" His phone dinged, and he looked down. "So the wreck wasn't that bad and they're on their way again, but the 3D map keeps glitching to 2D and now they're lost."
Kie scoffed and JJ laughed.
"Should we wait for John B to swallow his man pride and get around to actually asking for directions? Or just start home?"
"Home," Pope said.
JJ slung his arm around Kie's shoulders as her parents went to wait for them in the car.
"The black dirt bike…" she said wonderingly. "I can't believe you really got it, after all this time."
"And the gold, and a car, and a fat-ass bank account. I'm not even going to tell you about the new boat until you're home to see, Kie, but your dad and Big Heyward and I tricked it out so sweet…"
"Surprise her!" Pope barked. "Damn it, JJ, you're spoilering again."
"Anyway, so I bought a boat," JJ said. "Not a sailboat though, because fuck that. I want some pony-power running my boats. Oh, and I also picked up the three properties surrounding the Chateau."
"What? JJ, do you have a penny left?"
He frowned. "Well, I didn't want you to have to pay for a place for all of us with your share. Anyway, when you have the two hottest people on the island, I figure you gotta keep them in style."
She snorted. "You're ridiculous."
"Aww…you missed me!" He jostled her playfully and she ducked her head.
"A little."
Pope laughed. "Wow, and you even got her to admit it. Though we really did get better at Zoom—" He cut himself off before he said "sex" where her parents might overhear.
"Also," JJ leaned closer and whispered, very very quietly. "You were right."
"What?" she trumpeted. "Ooh, I gotta enjoy this moment. What was I right about now?"
JJ glanced around, but her parents were waiting in the car with the tinted windows rolled up, and it was just them and Pope. He looked back at her. "It's just like you said, that one night. I'm happier now than I thought I'd ever get to be."
Her eyes glistened and this time she didn't bother to brush the tears away. Instead, she glowed as Pope's arms encircled her from behind and her hands slipped down to cover his.
"I definitely told you so," Kie said. "But I guess I should have told me so, too."
The End
