Depths

Precious Cargo

The evening shift at the Country Club keeps Harli busy and she barely has time to think about how the others are getting along with their excursion. The dinner crowd keeps her busy, but the rowdy bar crowd keeps her exhausted. She finds herself running back and forth between delivering plates of dinners to tables and taking drinks to tables that were just there for a party. She was more than ready for her shift to be over, but it seemed as though she'd be working a little later than planned this evening with the dinner rush being busier than normal.

Harli pressed on through the long hours and busy rush. She put on a fake smile as she waited tables and delivered drinks to pretentious, rich jerks that never thanked her and barely acknowledged her. If it wasn't for the hefty tip they would leave after getting one too many drinks in them she would probably not be so kind towards them.

When her shift finally ended she raced back to the chateau to wait on her friends. Pulling into the driveway she noted that the HMS Pogue wasn't tied to the dock, indicating that the group was still out on the water. Harli started to get anxious, wondering where her crew could be. Her friends should've been home by now. Trying not to worry she put her Jeep in park and scanned the waters for any sign of the boat in the distance of the marsh. She knew that there was no chance of them getting lost in the marsh. They had all grown up on these waters and could navigate them with their eyes closed.

Maybe they got a late start. She thought to herself as she hopped out of her Jeep and headed inside to wash off from the day of busy and hard work that she had put in. She dropped her backpack by the dresser in her bedroom, grabbing a t-shirt that was lying on her chair and a pair of cotton shorts to change into after her shower.

After a shower and a fresh change of clothes, Harli noticed that the Pogues still hadn't returned. Worry really started to dwell inside of her at that point. She walked down to the dock and sat down, swinging her legs over the edge, feet in the water, as she waited for their return. Finally she sees the boat come into view just a little after dusk and quickly stands to help them tie the boat off as they slide up next to the dock. JJ jumps off the back of the boat and helps as Harli catches the bow of it. John B walks to the edge of the boat and Harli looks up at him, nervous about the outcome of their escapade.

"How'd it go?" Harli questions the brown-eyed boy that now stood in front of her.

"Umm, yeah. Everything was fine." John B answers unconvincingly.

"What aren't you telling me?"

"Nothing. Everything was fine." JJ lies, helping his best friend, eying the t-shirt of the girl in front of him with a slight smirk making its way onto his lips.

"I know when you're lying to me, JJ Maybank."

"We may have ran into a few minor problems." John B replies.

"Dude!" JJ scolds John B before leaning in and whispering. "Deny, deny, deny."

Harli shoots him a narrowed glare, hearing his words to John B. JJ's face remains stoic, refusing to give her any inkling that they had any problems whatsoever.

"You call getting chased though the marsh by two guys with guns a minor problem?!" Pope explodes from behind him, clearly distressed about the situation that had just occurred.

"WHAT?!" Harli glares at John B and JJ, looking them both over to ensure that they've not been hit by bullets.

"Thanks, Pope." JJ gives him a stern look, voice laced with sarcasm.

"She deserves to know what we're getting ourselves into. "Pope states before turning to Harli. "Be glad you chose not to go with us. Shoupe showed up in the marsh while John B was diving. Luckily he left before John B came back up, but he ran out of air before that."