Ma belle- JJ Maybank

The Heist

Freya practically leaps out of her skin as the thunder rattles her house like an overexcited toddler with a drum set. The rain pelts down like it's on a mission to scrub the Earth thoroughly. But amidst this cacophony, Freya finds herself in a storm of her own thoughts. Where are her friends? All she got from them was a vague promise of meeting tomorrow.

Inhaling the earthy scent of the rain-soaked air, Freya ponders her next move. Is it time to tiptoe back into her old self, cautiously testing the waters while keeping her guard up? Or should she cannonball straight into the deep end, embracing her former self with all the gusto of a kid on a Slip 'N Slide?

But then it hits her like a lightning bolt—literally, the thunder's still rumbling outside—that sinking feeling that maybe her friends only want her around for the thrill-seeking escapades, the kind that ends with adrenaline highs and maybe a few broken bones. Cue the onslaught of doubts: Am I just a sidekick in their adventure saga?

Determined to silence the cacophony in her mind, Freya retreats to her cozy bed, letting the symphony of raindrops serenade her into a restless sleep.

🌷🌷🌷

The next day found the four Pogues embarking on a peculiar sewer safari. Freya, still in the dark about the whole situation, tagged along as the gang's resident mystery unraveler. All she knew was there was a murder, a tossed gun, and now, an underground treasure hunt to pin the crime on Ward and Rafe Cameron.

" This is the north drain. I should've gotten washed up into the gully." The four approaches the drain. Freya wrinkled her nose at the putrid odor.

Freya interjected, trying to make sense of the grim surroundings. "So, if it got flushed out from this drain, it would have been pushed out to, like...".

"Somewhere in this trash," Pope observed.

"Correct."

Kie sighed, eyeing the mess disdainfully."Oh my God. People who use plastic should be shot." Pope glanced at her, the tension palpable. Freya sensed the atmosphere shift. Last she checked, they were taking things slow because of John B. and Sarah's escapades. Now that the cat was out of the bag and they weren't dead, why the sudden awkwardness?

JJ, ever the joker, pulled out a plastic bag from the murky water. "Okay, personally, I love plastic. Use it every day. Love the stuff."

Kie shot him a glare. "Hopefully, you recycle it and don't let it flush into the ocean."

" I thought you'd say something like that, so... trash bags," Pope interjected, brandishing black trash bags.

Kie looked at him in surprise." Did you just proactively protect the environment?"

" Maybe," Pope teased, sharing a smile with Kie.

"You want us to leave you two alone, or what's going on? Cause Freya and I can just go make out over behind that tree if you want."

Freya smirked at JJ's suggestion, then grabbed the trash bags from Pope, tossing them at JJ. "Just pick up the trash," she said, chuckling, her cheeks flushing.

With the trash cleared, they focused on the task at hand. JJ wiped the sweat from his brow." Ah. Well, that was fun."

"If it's not in the trash, then it's gotta be in the storm drain."