¥showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks¥
In which Jackie Routledge and her group of friends from the south side of Outer Banks try to have the summer of their lives, but end up it being filled with mystery, tragedy, risks, adventure...
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{Worry}
"Uh, Pope, you're driving way too fast," Sarah said, her voice laced with nervousness.
"Pope, last to judge, but I think you should slow down a bit," JJ added, glancing at him with concern. But Pope didn't seem to care, howling with excitement as he pushed the pedal to the metal.
"Oh God," I muttered, feeling the frustration rise. "This is definitely going to delay our arrival at the cross. We need to get there!" Pope shouted, speeding up even more.
"Why did we let him drive again?" I asked, furrowing my brow in confusion.
"Because I said I'd rip your ears off," Pope replied, grinning like a maniac.
"You did," Kie said flatly.
"I was joking about that, by the way," Pope added, his grin widening.
I nodded, trying to ignore the panic building up inside me as I sat on JJ's lap—there wasn't enough room anywhere else. "Really funny joke," I said, my smile strained.
"Hey, how ya feeling, buddy? How you doing?" Sarah asked in an attempt to keep things calm, though her nervousness was obvious, especially given Pope's reckless driving.
"Uh, fantastic," Pope exclaimed, flinging his hands around dramatically. "I don't know what JJ's cousin gave me, but I am moving," he added, his voice full of excitement.
"We couldn't tell," Kie muttered sarcastically.
"Okay, well... um, you're going really fast right now," John B spoke up, his voice tight with unease. But Pope just giggled and pushed the speedometer even higher.
I squeezed my eyes shut, gripping the handle of the door so tightly my fingers were turning white. The car swerved dangerously into the wrong lane, barely missing an oncoming car.
"I don't know if you know this, but there are oak trees all along the road," John B said, his voice full of panic. "They're like six inches off the road."
"Whoa, whoa!" I started to panic, my heart racing.
"We're not gonna get to the cross if we're dead, Pope!" JJ shouted, his hands white-knuckled on the seat as he glanced at me, his face full of worry.
"We're not gonna die. It's our divine right to get that cross!" Pope exclaimed with a manic grin.
"Pope, watch out!" John B screamed as the car spun out of control, crashing into a tree. JJ's arms tightened around me just as the impact jolted the car. I instinctively wrapped my arms around my stomach to protect the baby, but my head slammed against the window with a sickening thud.
Everything happened so fast.
A sharp groan of pain escaped me as I placed my hand on my forehead. I looked down and saw blood on my palm. "Shit!" I cursed, my mind spinning as we all scrambled to get out of the car.
