Seawater Cowboy ✸ Outer Banks

it's all fun and games until someone wounds up dead

CHAPTER 4. it's all fun and games until someone wounds up dead

When they arrived at the boat, Kiara and Pope seemed anxious to leave the place. The trio jumped on the HMS Pogue and JJ smirked at them, wiggling his eyebrows. John B stirred the boat and the blonde put his arm around Mirabel.

"Well, that was fun." JJ said.

Mirabel raised her eyebrows and looked at him. "Fun? We almost got caught by the police, you got that thing in your possession now and that place was definitely haunted."

JJ laughed. "Exactly. Fun." He pronounced slowly. "Could have warned us sooner, though."

John B rolled his eyes when Mirabel smiled and shook her head. Kiara smirked.

"We would have, but Pope was on the Math team."

JJ stared at Pope in disbelief. "You were on the Math team?"

"How can you not know that?" Mirabel looked proud. "I went to the competitions. It was actually pretty fun."

The blonde boy glanced between the duo. "Oh, that was fun?"

JJ could not help but feel jealous. Pope and Mirabel had a very close relationship, they had a connection most in the group didn't have or understood. Pope and Mirabel didn't really have much in common but they got each other.

Pope smiled at her with gratefulness shining in his eyes. He cleared his throat when JJ's eyes stayed in him, watching as he blushed. "Moving on. They took everything like it was a crime scene. Did you find anything?"

"Maybe because it was a crime scene." Kiara closed her eyes at Mirabel's words.

"Did we find anything?" JJ looked crazy as he fake pondered, eyebrows furrowed as if in deep thought. "No, I don't think so." He started digging in his pockets and John B shook his head, already knowing what he was searching for. "Oh, yeah, we did."

Mirabel sighed when everyone started freaking out as JJ peacefully held the iconic gun and a wad of cash.

"What the hell!"

"Wait, what?"

Kiara seemed to be on the verge of tears so Mirabel stood up and went to her side to hug her waist. Kie put her arms around her and looked at the boys in shock.

JJ shrugged his shoulders as he looked around. "Chill, it's fine."

"Why would you take that from a crime scene?" Pope's voice was high with worry.

"Better than the cops having it!"

Kiara whispered a soft "You serious?" and held Mirabel closer to her body. Her curls brushed against her shoulders and created a pleasant ticklish feeling which helped Mirabel calm down as the scene in front of her unfolded in succession.

"I'm gonna lose my merit scholarship." Pope freaked out and put his arms behind his head, making his biceps flex.

JJ stood and walked slowly towards him, moving the illicit gun close to Pope's full lips. Mirabel widened her eyes at the scene. "Sht, sht, sht." He shushed him and the group fell silent. "At least you have us, right?"

"I'm living a nightmare." Pope finished and sat down next to the leader. JJ looked at Mirabel and raised the wad of cash, waving it in front of his face fanning himself and winked at her. She licked her lips and focused on the gun, his hand clenching as he held it.