When a shy girl from Figure Eight suddenly gets whisked into a dangerous treasure hunt involving four pogues known for their knack for trouble, she finds herself navigating not only the troubled waters of adventure but also the complexities of frien...
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Sydney's knee bounced as she perched on the edge of her bed, fingers gripping the hem of her shorts. The argument with her dad still rang in her ears, sharp and stinging. He had made himself clear—she wasn't to see them anymore. No more Pogues.
She knew she was meant to listen, but she really didn't want too.
She had stormed off to her room half an hour ago, swapping whatever she'd been wearing for a plain T-shirt and jean shorts—something easy to move in. Now, she just had to go through with it.
Her eyes flicked to the window, the weight of what she was about to do pressing against her ribs. She had never snuck out before. Not really. Maybe once, when she was twelve, just to sit on the porch past curfew—a small, quiet screw-you to her dad. But this? Climbing out of a second-story window? This was something else entirely.
Her palms were already clammy. Every instinct screamed that this was reckless, that getting caught would make her life hell. Her dad didn't forgive easily. But another voice—louder, stronger—cut through the doubt.
The gold.
If it was real, it would change everything. She couldn't even wrap her head around the fact that if they went out today, checked out the coordinates, and found the gold—everything would change. The thought made her stomach tighten even more.
But she knew this wasn't just for her, but for all of them. That's what kept her moving, the thought of how badly the Pogues needed this—how badly John B needed this. And if the gold wasn't there? Well, at least she'd finally crossed sneaking out off her list of things she'd never done before this summer.
Her phone buzzed. She snatched it up from the nightstand, her heart already racing. A text from Kie lit up the screen: at your dock. hurry.
Sydney chewed the inside of her cheek. She could still turn back. Crawl into bed, pretend none of this was happening, and keep playing the perfect Kook daughter. But then what? Spend the rest of her life wondering what could have been? No. That wasn't an option.
Exhaling slowly, she stood and moved to the window. Lifting the sash carefully, she winced as it creaked, her heart hammering.
The morning air hit her face, cool and thick with salt from the ocean. The cicadas hummed, a slow, droning buzz against the distant cry of seagulls. Below, the porch and yard stretched empty, bathed in the soft glow of sun.Her stomach squirmed. It looked a lot higher from out here.
Heights.
Another thing on her very, very long list of fears.
She swallowed hard. If Pope and JJ could climb up this exact window, then she could climb down. Right? Then again, JJ seemed like the kind of guy who had plenty of experience sneaking into places. She rolled her eyes at herself. She really wasn't helping put her mind to ease. If Pope could do it, so could she.
