jj sat by the hospital bed, eventually getting his time with his girlfriend. he examined every inch of her face. the cut above her eyebrow, the cut on her jaw, the bruise on her left eye, the dried blood under her mouth and on her lip.

she was hooked up to oxygen and a drip. he hated seeing her like this, it made him feel helpless. he was so angry at himself for giving into the stupid tasks topper had assigned. he was angry at topper. he was dead, and that frustrated him more because meilani wouldn't get the justice she deserved for nearly being murdered. it didn't make sense in jjs mind. out of everyone in the outerbanks, she was the target? why not him?

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after an hour of jj being in the room, alone, the pogues, sarah, rafe and the haywoods came back in.

"she's still not up?" cayman stared at his little sister. "nope, nothing." kiara walked towards the head of the bed. "i-why did we give into this?" she stuttered. kai placed a hand on her shoulder, "it's okay sweetheart, you guys didn't know. all you wanted to do was protect rafe and lani."

after a couple of minutes, movement began to happen from the bed. the frail girls eyes fluttered open as she adjusted to the light.

she looked around, dazed. "wh-where am i?" she said, slightly slurring her words. the nurse took rubbing alcohol and cleaned the cuts on her face. "the hospital sweetheart, you were involved in an accident."

meilani was confused. luckily she knew the people around her but just had no recollection of what had happened to her and why she was hooked up to so many machines.

she gripped jjs hand. "you're here" she smiled. "of course i'm here bub, i was so worried about you" he kissed her palm.

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"so can someone please explain to me what happened again?" meilani was in shock. she had heard the story three times over and still couldn't comprehend that she went through that. one thing was left out though, topper was dead and she was spared.

"lani, we know you don't remember but what we're telling you is true. rafe was with you" john looked at the pale girl, concerned for her. "i know alright? i know rafe was there i remember the beginning, but topper? wait where is he? did he get caught?" the balayage girl felt her head spinning, it was all too much.

the group looked around at eachother. "wh-what are, what are you guys doing? wha-what's going on? why are you looking at eachother like that? h-he got away didn't he! dammit! i-" meilani was hyperventilating. she wasn't feeling well at all, she was so overwhelmed.

suddenly, after an awkward silence and many exchanged looks, everyone left the room except cayman and kai. "wait! what's going on? w-why are you leaving!" the girl called out. "lani luana, baby" the fathers voice spoke, placing his hand on her forehead. "no! stop babying me! i'm fine, tell me what's wrong. why is everyone freaking over topper!" she swatted his hand away, staring at her brother.

"meilani, topper, uhm-" "spit it out!"

"toppers dead."

meilanis face fell. she couldn't believe what she had just heard. she was sweating and her mind was spinning. her ears began to ring and all of a sudden she was out like a light.

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"he's fucking dead" she repeated for the seventh time within a silence of ten minutes. jj gripped her hand. "meilani, we know you're frustrated, we all are. but you need to focus on yourself, alright?" john spoke whilst leaning behind sarah and wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"yeah i am frustrated! he didn't get to fix himself! o-or get to live his life! he won't grow up with the rest of us or graduate or get married and have kids! that was taken from him because he wasn't given a chance and he didn't believe in himself!" her eyes welled up as she talked about the broken boy. "he didn't get what i have."

rafe walked to the bed and sat beside the girl. "he was a broken boy and yeah he didn't give himself a chance, but meilani, he wouldn't let us help him. we could've tried and tried and tried but nothing, not one thing would've changed his mind in that moment. you were so lucky haywood, so, so lucky. so right now, you have to fix yourself and live your life to the fullest. you were given another shot."

she took in every word that her friend was saying. from this day forward, she would live and love everyday like it was going to be her very last.

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