❁ • 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 • ❁ a pope heyward fanfic

𝟷𝟷 ❁ 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚓𝚊𝚒𝚕

warning • self harm

Kayanna leaned on the side of the boat across from Kiara as the Pogues drifted past a fancy boat.

"You guys see that?" JJ whistled. "That's the Malibu 24-MXZ, the worlds finest wakesetter. Number one in luxury, quality, and performance. 200k, easy."

"We picked the wrong parents." Pope sighed as he looked at the boat. "Oh— Kay— I'm sorry— I didn't mean—" he started when he realized what he'd said could have upset her.

"No, you're right," Kay laughed softly, a pain in her eyes. "We definitely picked the wrong parents."

"I hate to break it to you guys, but that's Topper and his girlfriend." Kie said as the boats passed and the two looked at the Pogues condescendingly. Kay noticed how she didn't say Sarah's name. Power move. "You don't have to pretend like you don't see us, bitch."

"Yeah, what happened to your parents anyways?" JJ asked the question everyone was wondering.

"JJ!" Kie scolded him with a glare.

"Umm, well..." Kay started.

"You don't need to say anything, Kayanna, don't worry about it."

"No it's okay... they... died." She spoke, glancing up from her bracelets. Kie, Pope, and JJ all shared the same look of pity, but it was John B who looked at her differently. Understandingly. His eyes held the same unspoken pain Kayanna's did and in that moment they finally understood each other. Or rather, John B finally understood Kayanna.

Although Kayanna had somewhat lied to them, she justified it by thinking: her father was dead... to her. What he didn't realize when he pulled that trigger was that he destroyed more than her mother's priceless life. He destroyed his relationship with his daughter.

She remembered when he had called her a few years ago. It was the middle of the night when Miss Char, the woman in charge of her group home at the time, had woken her from her sleep.

"Kayanna," she said, shaking the girls shoulders softly. "Kayanna, there's someone on the phone for you."

She rolled out of bed, basically still asleep until the phone was in her hand and she heard the voice on the other end. "Kayanna?" He spoke softly. The softness in his voice was enough to make anyone think he was incapable of murder. He couldn't hurt a fly. But that was a lie.

"Dad?" The fourteen year old had choked out.

"Kayanna, sweetheart, I'm going to come get you!"

"What?" Her voice was raspy with sleep, as tears began pooling in her eyes.

"It's okay, I'll be there in the morning and things will be just the way they were."

The only sound from Kayanna was her uneven breathing as she tried to take in the words being thrown at her. Her head began to ache. "No." She spoke, beginning to control her voice. "You shot her."

There was silence on the other end for a moment.

"Kayanna... you don't know the whole story." He said softly but sternly.

"Then tell me." She spoke strongly. "Tell me why you killed my mom."

"Kayanna, it was an accident... I didn't—"

"No it wasn't. Tell me why." Her head pounded.

There was silence again.

"I... was seeing another woman." He began.  "I had been... for a while. Your mother found out. She... she threatened... to divorce me and to take you away. She threatened to tell the company. She said she'd get everything taken away from me. I just, I didn't see a way out and I—I—I didn't mean to pull the trigger, I just meant to scare her. It was an accident I swear." His words came out quick, as if he was trying to convince more than just Kayanna.