SUNBURN | JOHN B ROUTLEDGE

012

"This is empty. You took empty tanks?" Kie confusingly asked, looking over at Gabriella and John B as idiots. "Okay, this one's a quarter full. It's enough for one of us."

Gabriella asked, "Does anybody know how to dive?" JJ shook his head, silently saying no while the rest of the Pogues sat silently. "Anybody?"

"It's kind of a Kook sport." JJ said. Gabriella did feel slightly embarrassed for asking that question.

"I... read about it."

"Great, Pope read about it, so someone's gonna die." Kiara rolled her eyes.

JJ volunteered to dive, "Look, you put the thing in your mouth and breathe. How hard could it be?"

"If you come up too fast, nitrogen gets into your blood, and you get the bends."

JJ bent over, sticking his ass out, "Bends like, bend over and..." He simply couldn't help himself but make a sexual innuendo.

"The bends kill you." Pope was blunt.

Gabriella looked around at them, debating whether she should offer to scuba down. The issue was that she didn't know how to dive or simply where to look for 'hidden clues' on the boat. She would be no use and would just have wasted the air.

"I can- I can dive. I'll do it. It's fine." John B stood up.

Kiara and Gabriella exchanged bewildered glances, their confusion evident as they watched John B prepare for the dive. Pope was explaining the calculations and the details of the dive to John B. John B nodded, his focus intense as he absorbed the information.

As Pope finished his explanation, Gabriella took off her red shirt, unveiling her black bikini top that was underneath and jumped into the water. As she jumped in, the boys, and Kiara, all turned their heads, slightly confused but slightly attracted.

"What was that about?" Kiara asked. She glanced over at John B who mouth had dropped open and staring out into the ocean where Gabriella jumped in.

"I don't know, but I liked it. A lot." JJ said.

John B cleared his throat and shook of the feeling of adoration of her and resumed listening to Pope.

"Hey! I tied my T-shirt to the anchor chain about ten feet down. It's where you need to do your safety stop." Gabriella called out while she was swimming back onto the boat. John B found it harder and harder to ignore the feeling inside his stomach. He turned to look at her, surprise in his eyes. The sunlight cast a soft glow on her face, highlighting the determination and concern etched into her features. Gabriella had gone into the water herself, despite her not being that experienced compared to the other Pogues, to make sure he had a clear marker for his safety stop. It was a small, simple act, but it resonated with him.

As Gabriella climbed back onto the boat she overheard Pope, "Breathe as little as possible."

John B quickly put on his scuba gear jumping into the ocean, "Diver down." The water closed over his head, and the cool embrace surrounded him. As John B descended, the T-shirt came into view, gently swaying with the current.

Panic began to grab Gabriella by the throat and in her chest when she heard the police siren. "Fuck." Kiara, JJ and Pope looked behind to see Shoupe on the police boat, making a direct bee-line towards them. The Pogues stood on the deck of the HMS Pogue, their faces masks of forced nonchalance. Kiara fiddled with a rope, Pope adjusted the outboard motor, and JJ casually leaned against the railing, trying to hide the tension that knotted his shoulders. Gabriella glanced nervously at the water, where John B was submerged with limited air, her heart pounding in her chest.