turquoise

~ three ~

"Should we go get him?" Pope asks, just as John B breaks through to the surface, gasping for air.

"Oh my god, that took forever!"

"Any dead bodies?"

"Looting potential?"

"No, but I found a motel key," my brother answers, holding it up.

If that doesn't sum up our friend group dynamic for you, I don't know what will.

We decide to follow Kiara's plan of going to report the boat in hopes of getting a finder's fee but none of us could get a word in with all the shouting coming from distressed locals. Some we looking for compensation for lost items, some were trying to find pets, and others were just arguing for the hell of it.

"Well, that went well," Pope said as we walked away from the screaming to regroup so we would be able to hear one another better.

"What's the plan?"

"I know how we're gonna find the guy who owns the boat," John B tells us, but Pope is quick to try and shut him down.

"No, no. We don't know whose room that is. It could be anyone."

"I'm in," JJ shrugs.

"Come on," Kie tries to reason with him, "I'll be lookout."

JJ follows her out and so does John B after giving Pope a quick pat on the shoulder and reassuring him he'll only be an accomplice. Pope sighs and looks at me but I just shrug my shoulders and grin at him.

"Finder's fee, remember?"

*:･ﾟ✧.

The motel got hit hard.

"Doesn't look like the type of place someone with a Grady-White would stay," JB says skeptically.

"No, this looks like a place someone with a Grady-White would get killed," Pope agrees.

JJ makes a ridiculous crackling sound with his mouth as if he's talking on some sort of radio and Kiara laughs at him.

"This is your captain speaking. HMS Pogue comin' in for landing."

He jumps off the boat with a whoop and starts to tie it off as the rest of us decide who's going in and who's staying behind as lookout. Unsurprisingly, Pope calls staying back and Kie agrees to stick with him, mumbling something about him getting lonely. Yeah, right. I know bullshit when I hear it.

John B switches the engine off and jumps off the boat, stumbling a little, and I follow close behind. JJ holds out a hand to help me down but I don't take it. I'm not nearly as clumsy as my oaf of an older brother is, thankfully.

"Alright, then," JJ frowns when I don't accept his help, "here goes nothin', I guess."

"Hey," Pope calls after us as we turn and start to walk toward the motel.

"Yeah?"

"Don't let him do anything stupid," he gestures to JJ and the blonde frowns before assuring him that we will.

"I'm not making any promises," I tell Pope, but I give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek before we go. He looks more nervous than ever and I feel bad that he's getting dragged along for all of this because he clearly doesn't want to be here.

JJ tugs on my hand and I let him pull me forward back on our way toward the ruined building. I look up at him to point out that we have to wait for John B but decide against it when I catch a glimpse of his expression. It's something like a mixture of disgust and annoyance.

JB's still back by the boat with Kiara and she's telling him to be careful, which is strange, but I decide not to dwell on it too much and return my attention to JJ.