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I glanced up at Pope, confusion swirling in my mind, before shifting my gaze to the murky water below. I squinted, trying to make sense of what he was seeing.
"Shut up. What?" John B exclaimed from behind me, disbelief evident in his voice.
"No way," Kie chimed in, equally skeptical.
"Guys, I'm serious! There's a boat down there. For real," Pope insisted, his voice rising with urgency as he pointed into the depths.
I stood up beside Pope, joining John B and Kie as we focused on the spot he was indicating. Our eyes widened in unison as the outline of a boat slowly came into view, barely discernible in the water.
"Holy shit," I breathed, the reality of the situation hitting me hard.
"He's right, let's go!" Kie shouted, determinedly removing her denim shorts. I followed her lead, tossing mine aside as we both dove into the water, with John B jumping in right after us. We broke the surface, gasping for air.
"You think there's a dead body down there?" Pope called from the boat, tossing his cap aside and diving in as JJ yelled, "Get your ass in here, Pope!"
We swam beneath the surface, inching closer to the unmistakable shape of a sunken boat. I glided near the driver's seat, the others gathering around as I strained to see if there were any clues about who the boat belonged to.
After a moment, I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I turned to see JJ signaling for us to resurface. I took one last glance at the boat before following him and the rest back up.
As we broke through the water, a chorus of gasps filled the air, our hearts racing from the thrill and fear of the unknown.
"You guys saw that, right?" JJ asked, a disbelieving laugh escaping his lips.
"Yeah, I did," I breathed out in disbelief, turning to look at Kie, who was completely speechless.
"That's a Grady-White. A new one of those goes for, like, five hundred grand, easy," JJ explained as we all started making our way back to the HMS Pogue. We climbed back onto the boat, soaked from head to toe. I was the first on board, passing out towels to everyone one by one while wrapping myself up in one too.
"That's a primo rig," JJ added.
John B sat down, nodding slowly, still in shock. "Yeah, yeah. That's the boat I spotted when I surfed the surge. Maybe it hit the jetty or something."
Kiara and I exchanged wide-eyed glances, the tension thick in the air as I turned my gaze to John B. I couldn't help but slap him on the arm, my annoyance bubbling over.
"Are you out of your mind?! I didn't even hear you leave last night, John B! It's so dangerous to surf the surge!" My irritation morphed into disappointment, the weight of reality crashing down.
