Bad Karma

sixteen

Leilani Elrod

Episode 3. The Forbidden Zone

"His sister! He called me he sister guys, why are we not talking about that!" I groaned again, slumping onto Kie's shoulder. I don't think I'd ever really be over that.

"Gotta hand it you, J, never thought I'd hear you call Lei your sister. Little bit weird, bud." John B agreed.

JJ sighed, "It was a heat of the moment thing, bro! I couldn't say anything else!"

We laughed and I threw another fry at him. We were sat at our usual table at The Wreck, receiving free food from the Carrera's once more. Not like they really needed it or like it did much, I slipped a five behind the counter for them to find later. It's the thought that counts, right?

Kie got up, dancing to the music and pointing at me, using her finger to call me over. I raised my eyebrows at her and stood up, shimming over to her and taking her hands in mine, dancing us around while laughing hysterically. She put her arm up and spun me around a few times and I did the same with her. To anyone else, we probably looked like absolute idiots, but this is what we lived for.

John B got up to join us and I slid over next to Pope, who was hopelessly watching Kie dance, and began lip-singing the lyrics of the song to him, watching as his lips turned upwards. I felt bad for the guy. Pope was never the type of guy to ever make a move, so something told me that we'd all have to get use to this type of thing.

I was pulled away from Pope as a hand grabbed mine, spinning me around a couple times before pulling me to their chest and dancing me around. JJ had now definitely made up for calling me his sister. I would kill to have the look on JJ's face tattooed to the inside of my eyelid so could look at it all the time. I reached up, flipping his backwards hat forward and pushing the bill down to cover his face.

I don't think I could call him just a good friend anymore.

---

"Ew, gross." I scoffed, looking away from the screen. John B had his mouth in front of the camera underwater.

"What's this right here?" JJ reached to touch a button, but Pope slapped his hand away.

"Don't touch that! I'm trying to work out this thing."

JJ pat Pope's shoulder, "God bless geeks, Pope. Truly, man. What would we do without you to control the drone?"

"Be out five-hundred mil." I answered for him, though I knew that it was rhetorical question.

"Technically, it's not a drone. It's an ROV."

"Shut up. Shut up. It's too early for that right now."

"Hey, once we get footage of the wreck, we'll bring it to a lawyer in town and file a formal claim." JB said from the water.

JJ scoffed, "It's such bullshit. Who do we have to do that?"

"Well, there is maritime salvage law." Pope stated, "You can't just go to the ocean floor and scoop a bunch of stuff up."

"I know, I know. It's just lawyers aren't cheap, bro."

"Well, as soon as they see the footage, they'll work for the comp."

"How do you know all that?"

"'Cause my dad said it, like, a million times."

"Yeah, that's fair."

I wasn't ever shocked that Big John found the Royal Merchant, I mean, it was really all that guy lived for, at least, in the time that I knew him.. Before I lived there, Big John was always kind of a mysterious guy. Sure, we hung around the Chateau a lot before he went away and before I moved in, but he was never really around. He was almost always out on his secret meetings that he refused to tell JB and I about or in his office with the door locked.

"This tether is, like, really long." Pope said, pointing to the tether, "In the wrong weather, it could get pushed around."

"Then we'll go at dead calm."

In the distance, thunder rumbled and goosebumps grew on my skin. I stepped closer to JJ. I didn't want to have to leave my friends again because of another freak out, so I pushed it down, ignoring the building nausea I felt.

"At slack tide?"

"So now, we just gotta wait around for the right weather." Pope looked at the sky, "And today is not that day."

I couldn't ignore it anymore, "I'm gonna go inside."

I walked as quickly as I could off the deck and all the way into the house, getting my breathing back together as much as I could as I made my way to the bathroom. I don't think I was going to actually get sick, but I sure felt like I was.

The bathroom door opened, nearly hitting me from where I was sat on the wall. JJ cursed and apologized, asking me if I was okay as he sat down next to me.

"Yep. Nothing too bad right now."

"Have you ever thought about, I don't know, talking about it or something?"

I looked away from him, "I am talking about. Right now."

"Mhm." He hummed, but I knew it was fake, "That's not what I mean, but I'll let it slide."

JJ didn't say much, but he was already cheering my up. Definitely not a good friend. Best friends, maybe..