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"Belle, how could you?!" Sarah shouted, her voice thick with disbelief as she processed the betrayal. The truth hit her hard—Belle had helped John B, JJ, and Pope trap her and Kie in a boat, leaving them stranded while they went off for their own adventure.
"Sorry, Sarah," Belle muttered, guilt heavy on her face, but there was no taking back what had already happened. She felt torn between her loyalty to her friends and the consequences of their prank.
"There's food in the cabin, and JJ rolled a blunt for you guys!" Pope called out from the driver's seat, trying to lighten the mood. He was just as uncomfortable with the tension as anyone, but he hoped a little humor could ease the situation.
"Hydroponic!" JJ added enthusiastically, pulling Belle closer to him with a grin that only made Sarah's fury grow.
"Get back here!!!" Kie yelled desperately, her voice rising with panic as Pope started the boat, gradually pulling them further away from the two girls.
Belle couldn't help it; she laughed. Watching Sarah, usually the composed one, leap into the water and frantically swim after them was too much to resist.
"Love you guys!" Pope yelled back, his voice dripping with mischief as they sped off, leaving the two girls behind.
Belle turned toward JJ, her laughter fading into a soft smile. "So, you're finally free from your usual cloud of smoke?" she asked, teasing but affectionate.
"Yeah, apparently it's bad for you. Sarah says you hate it," he said, glancing at her nervously, as if unsure how she'd react.
Belle smiled at him, her expression soft and warm. "I don't hate it... I just think it's not the best for you," she replied, her voice genuine and caring.
Pope and John B exchanged eye rolls at the growing chemistry between Belle and JJ, but neither of them said anything. It was clear—something was happening between them, and it was hard to ignore.
The next day, after retrieving Sarah and Kie and letting the tension die down, the focus shifted back to what had really brought them all together: the gold hunt. The drama with Sarah and Kie was just a temporary distraction. The real stakes were still out there, and they couldn't afford to lose sight of what mattered most.
As the group regrouped, the dynamic had shifted. They were still dealing with the fallout of their prank on Sarah and Kie, but the adventure was far from over. It was time to get back to the hunt—and to figure out just where Belle, JJ, and the rest of them stood with each other now.
