Slow Dance

Topper's party was raging when Sarah arrived, people laughing and drinking everywhere. She made her way into the kitchen to get a drink before she went in search of her boyfriend.

She had just taken a sip, when she heard someone yell Topper was on the roof.

Shit, she thought. She hurried up the stairs and out Topper's window.

"Topper!" She called his name nervously. He stood on the ledge, clearly drunk, and turned toward her at the sound of her voice. "What are you doing you maniac?!"

"Hey!" Topper greeted her softly, then invited her to come closer. "Hey come on, come on. You're safe with me alright?"

"Okay," she mumbled taking his outstretched hand. How could she say no to his puppy dog eyes.

"Let's set this down," he muttered as he set down his cup and gave her his undivided attention.

That's when people started chanting Her name. "Sarah! Sarah!"

"Hi guys!" She called out and waved at the people watching them from below. She howled back at them, enjoying the attention.

"Jump! Jump! Jump!" They chanted.

"Alright do you trust me?" Topper asked her seriously.

"Do I have to?" Sarah asked nervously. What is he up to?

"Do you trust me?" Topper asked again, coming closer.

"What are you talk- I don't" Sarah stuttered, not sure how to answer. Topper suddenly picks her up bridal style.

"No, no," she panicked.

"It's okay," Topper mumbled to her.

"Oh my god!" Sarah screamed, scared. What is he doing?!

"You're fine!" Topper tried to sooth her. "You're fine!"

"Topper!" She held onto him tightly.

"You're fine, you're fine!" He repeated, looking into her eyes, then to the cheering crowd below.

"If you don't put me down right now-" Sarah tried to sound stern.

"It's not that far," Topper referred to the pool below.

"Are you kidding me?!" She yelled back at him.

"It's gonna be fine!" He assured her. He shook her in his arms jokingly and she screamed. She wants to kill him. The crowd continued to should for them to jump.

"Topper! I don't like this! Don't" she pleaded.

"You're fine! Look, look," he tried to assure her, as he stepped closer to the edge.

"Do not get any closer to the edge," she demanded.

"It's not that far!" He said, then took the leap from the roof into the pool below. The crowd cheered.

"Oh my god please!!" Sarah screamed and held onto Topper fiercely as they hit the water.

The water was warm and after coming up for air, Sarah felt high from the adrenaline that had rushed through her. She laughed.

Topper grabbed her and pulled her close against his side as he showed her off for their friends. "Can you believe this girl right here?! The coolest chick in the OBX!"

Sarah laughed at his antics and moved to stand in front of him in the water as he smiled at her. "That's what I'm talking about!" He finished.

She continued to giggle as he pulled her in for a hug. "You're crazy!" She said loud enough for him to hear over the loud background. She wrapped her legs around his waist. "Do you know that?!"

He just grinned widely at her, and she's reminded how handsome he is. She gives him a quick kiss then drags him out of the water to rejoin the party.

She sees her brother and her mood is quickly ruined when she sees what he is doing. She decided she was done with the party. She grabs Topper and she tows him upstairs back to the roof to spend time with him away from the drugs that were now being passed around.

Topper followed her lead and soon they were cuddled up under the stars, Sarah pointing out things she learned in her astronomy class.

"You see- right there is the Big Dipper. Right," Sarah looked at a constellation, but Topper pointed at the wrong one so she had to correct him. "No"

"Right," Topper mumbled. Sarah moved his fingers to point at the right stars.

"Right, yes mm hmm." She nodded at him.

"Okay, yup," he encouraged her to continue.

"And then those two stars in the scoop point.." she began.

"To the North Star right?" Topper asked.

"Yeah," she affirmed. "It's the only star that doesn't move. Everything else spins around that."

He chuckled into her hair as his fingers rubbed small circles on her back. "I love that you think about things like that."

She turned to look at him as she touched her fingers to his lips, "You know you have nothing to be jealous of, right?"

"Jealous?" He said innocently. "Topper, what?"

She knew he was trying to shrug it off, but she wasn't blind. She knew he was feeling insecure with her the last couple days. She giggled at him anyway to humor him. "Me, Topper, getting jealous. What are you talking about?"

It was quiet for a second as they gazed into eachother's eyes.

"I promise not to put you in that position," she told him quietly. He kissed her.

Sarah allowed herself to get swept up in Topper's kisses and things heated up pretty quickly. Topper was always a gentleman though and his hands would never stray to anywhere inappropriate without permission.

Sarah decided then she that it was time to take things to the next level. Topper has been really good to her and she wanted to reward him for being a good boyfriend.

She broke the kiss, and looked him in the eye. "What?" He asked, confused.

"Yes," she told him.

"What?" He asked, still not understanding.

She looked down then back at his face, making it obvious what she was referring to.

His eyes widened as he realized what she was saying. His hand ran up and down her leg. "You sure?"

"mm hmm. Positive," she said confidently. Him checking only made her more sure. He kissed her again and they resumed where they left off, this time Topper's hands being a bit braver.

"I love you," Topper mumbled into her neck as he placed a trail of kisses down it.

Her eyes snapped open and she felt herself freeze. Oh god. She wasn't prepared for him to say that. Topper continued ravaging her neck, oblivious to her sudden lack of participation.

She needed to think. She pushed him to get off of her. "Topper, No no no no."

He stopped kissing her neck and looked at her confused, "what?"

"I'm sorry," she muttered as she maneuvered away.

"Hey what?" He asked, confused. He genuinely wanted to understand what was going on with her and she felt even worse.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled again.

"What? Did I.." he asked, and she felt awful that he thought it was anything he did. He'd been perfect. She just needed time to process and think. "Did I do something?"

"No," she told him firmly as she retied her swimsuit top.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Just um- I just feel a little buzzed," she lied and it sound d pathetic even to her.

"So what? So that was just.." he asked, hurt in his voice. "That was just some- a mistake or.."

"Topper, please don't get mad right now," she pleaded. She can't do this right now.

"What? No, no. I'm not mad, I'm just- just trying to figure you out," he replied, fake laughter creeping into his tone. "Cause one minute you're all over me and then the next minute I'm in lockdown. So I'm just trying to figure out, are you into this or not?"

It was a fair question that she really didn't have the answer to. She cradled her head in her hands as she tried to answer. She didn't want to hurt anyone. "Here's the thing. I guess it just happened so fast, and I don't.. it was just a lot."

"Alright whatever," Topper said angrily. He stormed off. She knew he was hurt.

"Shit," she mumbled to herself. After a few minutes to collect her thoughts, she decided to find him and try to talk to him about how she was feeling. She walked downstairs, but froze when she saw him sat with her brother, snoring a lime of cocaine.

She left the party and went home, no longer feeling the need to talk at the moment.

In another part of town, the Twinkie just pulled up to The Wreck to drop off Kie with hopes that Kie's dad would spare some food for the hungry teens.

"Stealing drones make you hungry," Kie said as they piled out of the Twinkie.

"What I would do to a beer and shrimp and grits right now," JJ agreed wistfully.

"It would not be pretty," Pope added his two cents and they all followed behind Kie into the restaurant. Kie beelined to her dad behind the counter, while the other three sauntered to stand by a table.

"Hey dad," Kie greeted her dad.

"Hey," Mr. C greeted back with a smile.

"How'd we do?" Kie asked, conversationally.

"Didn't turn it over once," Mr. C replied.

"It's probably just bad luck because of the storm," Kie assured. They'd been walking toward the end of the counter, and once there she hugged her dad properly. The Pogues watched with hopeful faces, hunger at the forefront of their minds.

"Yeah, I'll be sure to tell the banks that," Mr. C's voice rumbled from his chest.

"I guess now is not the best time to ask for free food for me and my friends?" Kie asked hopefully, letting go of her dad to smile up at him sweetly.

Mr. C sighed the looked at her friends who stood awkwardly by a table, looking down to avoid eye contact. They definitely could have attempted to blend in better, Kie thinks. "Look at them, they're greedy pelicans. I thought I told you to stop hanging around them."

"So hungry," John B whined to Pope and JJ, but his voice was loud enough for Kie and her dad to hear. She had no idea if that was on purpose, but she mentally smacks him upside the head.

"Well, everybody at the kook academy hates me, dad," Kie replied and it's mostly true. She doesn't fit in at her school and most kids there don't like her because of events that played out because of that kook bitch Sarah Cameron.

"Cause you never gave them a chance," Mr. C stressed.

"I did give them a chance," Kie replied stubbornly, wishing her father could just accept her for who she is. "They got all stuck up. They care more about shoes than surfing. What am I supposed to do with that?"

Her dad sighed and she could tell he was giving in so she looked back at her friends who waved at her and added, "These are my friends."

Her dad chuckled and she knew he'd crumbled. "Look, well I-I got, I gotta throw it out. Might as well take it."

She threw herself at him in another hug. She knew that was hard for him. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome," he said. He let her go and started toward the kitchen. "I'll bring it out."

Kie turned towards the Pogues and told them to sit down as they cheered quietly at her success.

Her dad brought out the food for them and the friends laughed and joked as they scarfed it down. JJ and John B eating so much, she thought their bellies might burst. Who knew when their next full meal would be, Kie thought sadly. With that thought, she decided to turn up the music and invoke her friends into dancing. John B is always the easiest so she started with him, knowing the other two would join in after.

She made eye contact with John B and signaled him to dance with her. She saw John B''s eyes flicker to JJ. A pang of sadness briefly swept through her at that, but she shook it off. She could see JJ's eyes narrow in jealousy as John B joined her in dancing. She's sure they look silly, but she doesn't care.

JJ watches only for a minute before she's unable to take it anymore and joins them in their dancing, just as Kie predicted. Pope on the other hand took longer, and Kie left JJ and John B alone to sit with Pope. She felt like they weren't really focused on her anymore anyway, eyes only for each other. How are they not together yet, Kie wonders. Either they're both stupid or too stubborn. Probably both.

Pope watched her as she watched John B and JJ, who were no longer dancing like an 80s movie and were now swaying slowly. She could see their mouths moving, but had no idea what they were saying. It must've been something funny though because they kept laughing every few minutes.

Kie wants her friends to be happy, but her heart stings but then warms a bit as she watches them together. She wants that. And she doesn't even mean John B specifically, she just wants to be loved, but not yet. What John B and JJ have are skirting around is scary and she thinks she's not ready for something to that level. She's too young and she wants to experience things before she settles.

That revelation gives Kie the closure she needed to put her feelings for John B to rest for good and move on. Funny, how a single moment could be so revealing.

She turns to Pope who's been quietly watching her and she throws a french fry at him. He looks at her fake mad and it's war.

One day she'll want what John B and JJ have, but for now she's happy and content with this. Friendship. Independence. Experiencing everything life has to offer. And she knows there is much still to come that will help her grow and get ready for that future she's not ready for yet.

The rest of the evening is stress free and she enjoys every moment with her friends, unaware of battle of emotions Pope was sorting through. Pope who also had a revelation and was unable to stop looking at how beautiful Kie was. Her kind and wild spirit enthralling him. He only wished he had a sign that she might return his feelings so he might be brave enough to tell her.

He settled for just enjoying her company and to figure that out another day.