Depths

Agatha, ya betch!

The morning sun broke through the blinds in Harli's bedroom, waking her from her deep sleep. She stretched out in her bed to realize that she was alone. A faint hint of mint and Axe body wash lingered on her extra pillow. She remembers JJ laying with her the night before just before she fell asleep. He must've gotten up some time in the night and moved back to the pullout couch in the living room. Despite the fact that Harli and JJ have shared a bed plenty of times during their lives, whether it be for neither one being able to sleep at night or one or the other waking from a nightmare, it was probably best that John B didn't find them in the same bed. Accusations would run wild when the fact was, they were just very close friends. Besides, there was the rule.

 Harli rose from her bed, rubbing her eyes slightly. She could hear voices outside of her bedroom window and peeped out to see John B clearing debris from their boat, the HMS Pogue, while JJ stood off to the side watching him. She doubted DCS would be making their visit today in the aftermath of the storm that rolled through last night. She quickly ran to her dresser, pulling out a striped bikini set and throwing it on. Pulling on a pair of denim shorts and a mint green tank over top she ran out of the bedroom door and to the front yard just in time to hear John B telling JJ that today was meant for fishing.

The boys turned their heads towards the green eyed girl as she emerged from the back porch into the yard. Filling her in on the plans for the day, and then dispersing to each get ready the boys returned inside to change clothes and get their things. Harli grabbed her sunglasses and backpack from her room and waited for the boys down at the dock- allowing them to pull the boat back into the water. Soon the three set off through the marsh to pick up their first mate, Pope.

 Rolling through the marsh revealed the aftermath of Hurricane Agatha. She sure did leave a reckoning in her wake. Despite the tree that had been uprooted in the back yard, the Routledge kids had minimal damage to their property. The same wasn't said for many of their neighbors as they watched them clean debris and patch up homes.

"I sure hope Guffey's boat didn't sink. They don't have insurance." JJ observes from his spot standing beside his captain, John B.

"Oh man." John B observes the damage around him. "Hi, Miss Amy! Ya'll get through it?"

"We're still here! You kids alright?"

"We're good! Thanks, Miss Amy!" Harli yells back as they ride passed and on up the marsh.

"She totally looked at me." JJ smirks.

"I saw it." John B plays along.

"You wish." Harli mumbles from behind them.

"Don't be jealous, Cupcake. There's still plenty of me to go around." Harli rolls her eyes harshly at the boy that turned to face her now, then back towards the neighborhood in front of him. "Dude, look at this place." JJ whistles a sad tune.

"Agatha, what did you do?"

"Hard-core. Phew." JJ observes more of the damage. "Hurricane surge. Yeah, we'll be cleaning this all summer."

"That is my nightmare." John B sighs as the boat rolls up towards Heyward's store to see Pope standing out hosing the debris from the dock. "Well, look who we have here." John B calls out in a goofy voice as the boat floats up next to the dock slowly. "We have a safety meeting, attendance mandatory."

"I can't." Pope explains. "My Pops got me on lockdown."

"You're dad's a pussy, over." JJ covers his mouth, talking into his shoulder, make a static noise at the end as if talking through a walkie talkie.

"Oh I heard that, you little bastard!" Heyward walks down the dock towards his son, eyeing the boat lingering in front of his dock.

"Hi, Mr. Heyward. Do you need me to come in today?" Harli asks from her position in the back of the boat.