𝓢𝓔𝓒𝓡𝓔𝓣𝓢 𝓑𝓔𝓣𝓦𝓔𝓔𝓝 𝓣𝓦𝓘𝓝𝓢 // 𝒪𝐵𝒳 𝒪𝒩𝐸

𝟎𝟑𝟕: 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦.

Saylor decided to help Pope make the deliveries as she wasn't sure where she stood with the blonde at the minute. Pope had more bags to carry anyway. "So, how's the scholarship essay going?" She asked as she turned so she was walking backwards in front of him so she can face him.

Pope laughed and shook his head earning a confused head tilt from the girl. "Your amazing you know that."

"Er, if your about to confess your love for me P I gotta let you know that my love for you is strictly platonic. Twin flame shit you know. All though you are incredibly sweet and good looking anyone would be stupid to turn you down. I mean your like - " The Routledge girl rambled nearly tripping over as rock as she was still walking backwards. Pope caught her just before she fell. His cheeks were slightly rosy from the compliments she had given him and he smiled widely at her.

"I'm not in love with you Saylor." He clarified.

She gripped her hand on her heart dramatically. "Could have let me down gently Pope. It's your turn to compliment me now" she joked.

He rolled his eyes before speaking. "You have so much shit going on in your own life but are constantly worried about me and my scholarship. Sometimes I feel like your the only one that cares" he admitted. It's true, Saylor had only been back a few days and had asked him about his interview and cared about how their actions could affect his chances more than the other had in the entire 2 years she was away.

"They care Pope. They have just been to caught up in their own lives at the minute. I mean, John B with dad and the gold, JJ with his shitty father and then Kie with her parents. I guess they just forget sometimes" she shrugged.

He knew her reply was supposed to comfort and reassure him but instead it angered him. He wasn't angry for himself, he was angry for her. " Ok but what about you?" He huffed

"What about me?"

"When do you get to deal with all your shit? When are they gonna stop being to busy with theirs to realise you need them? It's not fair on you Saylor. You carry the world on your shoulders and more" Pope let out a deep breath as he finished his rant. The next thing he knew he had hands wrapped tightly around his chest and Saylors head in the crook of his neck. He responded swiftly by hugging her back tightly.

"Thank you." She whispered. Saylor had never felt so understood before, so seen. Not since Rafe. Stepping back and smiling up at him she opened her mouth to speak before getting cut of by a voice that haunts her nightmares.

"Hey, this looks cosy." Rafe taunted eyeing the pair. Popes hands resting on his girls lower back "what's up? how much for one of those beers?"

"They're not for sale." Pope replied pushing his best friend to stand behind him hating the fact that Rafe was even looking at her. He grabbed her hand entwining their fingers as he tried moving past them.

"Oh, wait, wait, wait. You can just give us one, then, right?" Rafe stood blocking their path. Growing more angry at the sight of their linked hands.

"Or you can order one, like everybody else." Saylor spat moving to stand next to Pope, finally bucking the courage to speak to him.

He ignored the girl he 'loved' and carried on taunting the Pogue. "You're not listening. You've got so many, bro, and we've got nothing." That's when Saylor noticed Topper stood cautiously behind Rafe. She blocked out Rafe and Popes conversation as she shook her head at the blonde Kook having a conversation with him using her eyes. He knew what she was saying and he ducked his head ashamed.

"What the hell? You owe me for that!" Pope yelled cutting through the air pulling Saylor back to reality. She saw the groceries spilled all over the floor and groaned.

"Dude, I don't owe you shit, Pogue." The Kook king spat aggressively taking a step towards the Heyward boy. Saylor immediatley stepped in front of him causing Rafe to pause and Popes eyes to widen.

"Don't fucking touch him" she ordered darkly. Staring daggers into him. His heart was telling him to stop but the sight of her in another's arms, holding his hand made the jealousy to over powering to fight. He grabbed her wrist tightly but not enough to cause her pain. It was never his intention to bring the girl pain. It just seemed to happen. He pushed her over to Topper who lightly held her telling her to not get involved.

"Get your dirty hands off her!" Pope yelled launching himself at the kook but quickly being overpowered. Everything turned to white noise as she shook violently trying to escape Toppers grasp to help her best friend who was currently being beat to a pulp. Her heart broke seeing him in pain, and broke once more when she remembered who was inflicting it. The boy that held her as she cried, the boy cleaned her wounds, the boy that promised to protect her, the boy who once held her heart. She realised he was gone, nothing but a heartless monster left in his place.

"Top please let me go! RAFE STOP" She begged.

"I'm not letting you get hurt Lor I'm sorry." Genuine guilt lacing his voice. "RAFE HES HAD ENOUGH MAN"

"Stay off Figure Eight, Pogue." He turned on his heels to see his best friend holding the girl he loved as tears rolled uncontrollably down her face. His stomach dropped. He was so blinded my rage he completely forgot she was there, that she was watching. "Princess-" he began to apologise.

Was he actually sorry for what he did?

No.

Was he sorry she saw?

Yes.

"What happened to you" she croaked finally being released from Toppers hold. "Your just like them" she spoke as she walked quickly past him to reach the bleeding boy on the floor.

That hurt him more than anything else she could have said. She saw him the same way she saw her mother, the same way he saw his dad. His face faltered but quickly recovered patting Toppers shoulder pushing him slightly to leave.

Topper went to speak to his new friend but stopped when he saw her holding Popes head to her chest repeatedly apologising. He walked away with the kook king nothing but guilt riddling his body.

"I'm so sorry p, I should- I should have done more. I should have stopped him." She hyperventilated whilst helping him stand up.

"It's not your fault S, are you hurt?" He asked her scanning her wrists to see if there were any marks left from where Rafe had grabbed her.

"Me? What no, I'm fine." The brunette rushed out confused as to why he was asking how she was when he just got beaten the shit out of.

"If your good, I'm good." He nodded. Truth be told he wasn't good. Not in the slightest but he didn't want to admit that. "Let's get back to the boat"

˚ ◌༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ꕥ