𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗲:𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁

                                    

                                          
Esmeralda Lopez had always thought herself if somewhat of a tough girl. She stuck a knife of wit into those who deserved it, could throw a nasty punch while also being able to patch up a broken nose faster than most people in her entire town could do. Esmeralda had never truly bragged about any of this however, for it wasn't exactly anything to be proud of. She hadn't asked to grow up tough, or have to fight for everything that she owned. In all honesty, Esme would've much rather grown up in a much more peaceful environment, far away from her mother and only with her father that would nourish her with the love she had been deprived of for so long.
But Mario Lopez was gone now, and Esme was all alone once more. Well, not exactly alone. There was her friends, her best friends, the pouges. They had her back when nobody else did, giving her a sense of solace she thought she would never be able to have again. In a way, they healed a part of Esme. Especially Pope, the love of her life. She had never been one to throw that term around loosely, for love wasn't something she hadn't found herself really getting behind. Pope had always been different however. He was her daylight, showing her that love didn't have to be black and white, instead golden. Love with Pope would always be golden.
In the middle of their romance, they had gotten caught up in a treasure hunt in an attempt to locate John B's father. Yet while doing so John B got accused of murder and "died" along with Sarah, they had found the cross, just to loose it, just to find it again only to loose it all. Then they had located Big John, which Esme was ecstatic about, for he was the second closest thing she had for a father. Well so much for that, for he died right before Esme could truly even process the fact that Big John was back. It was almost as if every adult that entered Esme's life either died or left. Mario, Natalia, Ricky. Luna was the only one left, though Esme still believed that she was cursed in some sort of wicked way, for there was a chance Luna may not ever wake up from her coma again. She had tried her hardest not to think of it, for if she did she felt as if she would loose the last bit of sanity she had left. 
But how could Esme not? It was all her fault anyway. If she hadn't gotten herself involved in a situation she had no business being in, then Luna wouldn't be fighting for her life in a hospital bed. Or maybe she had woken up, and was in a state of confusion due to the fact Esme was no where to be found. Either way, whichever outcome it was, none of them didn't leave her with a sense of tortuous dread. 
Soon after locating all of the gold, the Pouges were on their way back home. Of course, that hadn't been the easiest task in the world, the group being forced to hitchhike on some random boat with some not so nice men steering the ship. Esme couldn't even count the amount of times she almost had to fight men off for trying to take a peek at her when using the bathroom. That, plus the anxiety, was a horrendous combination to have. She wished she was normal, that way none of this would even be happening in the first place. 
"Thought I might find you up here." Pope greeted, his hand on Esme's shoulder almost giving her a heart attack. The Lopez girl jumped back, her fists no longer balled up into fists once she saw that it was only the love of her life. He would never hurt her, or  intentionally scare her. He was too good for that. Esme slowly lowered down her guard and stared ahead at the ocean once more, which she had spent three hours doing. At first she had been locked down at the bottom of the ship with John B, her arms aching from the amount of time they had been wrapped around him to stop her tears. Then she had been with JJ, who hadn't been any help. Finally, realizing that company was the last thing she needed, Esme found herself on the top of the ship. For once there weren't any crew members watching her every move, or asking her questions about where she had come from. 
"Your intuitions were correct," Esme hummed, having yet to make eye contact with Pope as she chewed on the inside of her cheek. She felt so fucking guilty. It was consuming her, eating her up from the inside out. She didn't know if she could survive going back to Kildare, not after everything she's done. "Then again, you did know me for basically my entire life."