Ain't Shady Baby, I'm Hot

8

After about two minutes I started to get cold. Unnaturally cold for being outside. The fishing shirt and shorts doing nothing to cover me up. Thankfully Wheezie let me borrow one of Sarah's oversized hoodies.

I gently pulled the large bundle of cloth from the bag and unfurled it, gently throwing it on. I moved the hood to cover my head as I curled into myself. The material reaching the middle of my thighs and hung past my fingertips.

Honestly, if Sarah didn't want it back, I was gonna keep it.

"You alright over there?" I looked at JJ who was giving me a questioning look.

"Yeah, the wind picked up, I just got cold." I wrapped my hands in the excess fabric.

"Um. Xena, babe, it's not windy." Kie said as she walked over to me, raising a hand up.

"And it's around 80 degrees. I'm not sure how you're cold." Pope added as Kie set the back of her hand on my forehead.

"Well I was really hot earlier..." I trailed off looking up at Kie.

"Um, Xena you're burning." I shook my head.

"No way. I'm fine." Though the sudden sleepiness from earlier made a little more sense. My mouth fell open in a small oh as I remembered how sneezy Wheezie was today. "Oh no." And the way I was extremely hot earlier. "Guys. I think the kid I tutored got me sick." I whined, the sound foreign to the group as I leaned backwards into the support edge of the boat.

"Oh my gosh. I know you're sick, but why the hell did you just sound like a kid. It was-" Kie trailed off letting Pope fill in the silence.

"Cute? Strange?"

"Both?" JJ asked though he came to peer at me too. I groaned tightening my hands in the fabric.

"Yeah, I was gonna say adorable. And the oversized hoodie isn't helping your case." Kie pointed out making me whine and cover my face with the sleeves of the hoodie.

"Oh my." I peered through the fabric to see JJ and Pope blinking at me in amazement.

"Stop staring at me. I'm not a circus monkey. I'm sick." I frowned which didn't help my case.

"Oh gosh. Pope, where is your phone this is adorable blackmail." I glared at the blond as I went to stand and point a finger at him, my too-long of a sleeve making me look like Doopey.

"Don't you fu-" I was cut off by a quick whoop of a siren. All our eyes widening as we looked to see an officer's boat approach us.

"Guys, that's the police." JJ spoke, all of us sobering up. My nose twitched and I let out another sneeze.

"Oh fuck this." I groaned as I went back to my corner where I sat watching the boat move closer. My head slowly beginning to hurt.

Oh this is just great.

"Just act frickin' normal." Kie mumbled as she pushed her hair behind her shoulders. I snorted, yeah, cause me being a sweater bean is normal. Whatever cold Wheezie had was clearly able to spread during our session. Though I was showing symptoms way too quick. Wasn't I?

I was so wrapped up in my head that I missed the police boarding our boat.

"You alright there?" I shook out of it looking up to see Deputy Shoupe checking in on me.

"I'm alright, Deputy, I think I got a head cold from the kid I tutor." I tried to stand up.

"Take it easy now, Ms. Tallen. You just stay seated, it's all good. I barely recognized you under all that cloth." I sat back down, my motions more groggily as I made the cold seem worse than it really was. Karma will definitely bite me in the ass for this one. "Kids, I don't see how bringing one of your friends who is sick all the way out here is gonna help her."

"Oh, Deputy Shoupe, I wanted to come out here and enjoy the sun and the water in a relaxing setting. So far so good. Though I am thinking we need to go back. I definitely need to get some medication and get some sleep." Shoupe gave me a cautious glance but nodded after I gave a weak smile.

"Alright. Well you kids get on out of here. Let us know if y'all see anything on your way out. And Ms. Tallen, you tell Gray the barbecue was delicious." I gave Shoupe a thumbs up.

"He's glad he made enough to give to y'all. It's one of his specialties."

"We'll be on our way out soon, sir."

"Yes, you will." Shoupe's tone changed drastically when he spoke to JJ. A laugh threatening to escape but instead a sneeze piled over.

"Oh come on. This is getting ridiculous." I groaned as I sniffled.

"Don't worry Ms. Tallen, we'll get you back and get you all snug as a bug." I flipped Pope off as the three of them laughed.

"Shut up. John B should be back up by now." I turned looking over the edge as far as I could.

"Oh yeah, shit he's got to be out of air now."

And like he was waiting for the word, John B broke the surface off the water with a gasp.

"Oh, there he is!" JJ laughed.

"Oh, Jesus Christ, don't scare us like that." Pope sighed.

"How'd it go down there?" JJ asked popping up and moving towards the ladder. "Did you find anything?"

I heard loud splashes and a thud before JJ let out a quick laugh.

"Yeah, there we go! That's my boy!"

I stood and grabbed a dry towel as they celebrated and got John B up on the boat.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I ran out of air." I scoffed moving over to the others.

"Sounds like you should have gotten more than a quarter full of air." I mocked throwing the towel at John B.

"Yeah, the cops were up here, but, uh, we took care of 'em." Pope commented.

"Well, Ms. Tallen, took care of them. You kinda missed the show brother." I rolled my eyes.

"Not my intention, but it helps when you're on the good side of the law every once and awhile." I added not looking at anyone as I moved to sit back down.

"Uh, T, why are you wearing a guy's hoodie?" I looked down at the baggy material.

"My tutee got me sick. What do you mean a guy's hoodie?" I frowned lifting the collar of the shirt up like it was gonna tell me a secret.

"Hey, hey guys, bogey, two o'clock." I turned but apparently I whipped my head too fast as I sneezed again. My eyes slamming shut as I braced myself with my hand on the boat.

"Um. Do you recognize that boat?"

"I've never seen it."

I took a second to breathe before I looked up to see what everyone else was seeing, and the sight had my gut clenching.

"Um, someone get on the steering wheel. Now." I hissed as I unzipped my bag digging through it.

"What are they doing out here? The marsh is closed."

"JJ, get the bowline. John B, let's go." I narrowed my eyes on the expensive boat and saw two men in black clothes. "Typically in every movie, the villains wear black- so let's get the fuck out of here." I hissed as I finally had my hand on the cylinder that was wrapped in plastic.

"Don't wait for me. Go." JJ hissed as he yanked up the bowline.

"Into the marsh. Let's go."

"I'm going." John B hissed, "Act natural." A second after he said that I let out another sneeze.

"Bless you."

"Not right now, Pope." I groaned.