Now or Never ⇀ John B Routledge [1]

xxviii. nights like this

The bitter taste of alcohol hit Ashtyn's taste buds as she finished off her second beer of the afternoon, handing John B pliers so he could pull the spark plugs from the boat. Kiara and Pope would arrive any minute and in order to make this plan run smoothly, they needed to get this done.

"Is Kie really going to buy into the fact that we're just standing here holding tools for the boys?" Emerson was skeptical, glancing toward Ashtyn as she handed JJ a screwdriver. "This seems like something we wouldn't do. If anything, you'd be the one working on the engine, not dumb and dumber."

Ashtyn reached into their ice filled cooler, pulling out another PBR. "That's why I've got a beer in my other hand at all times." Her blue eyes dart to the wooden hatch as Sarah punched it again, frowning at the reminder that her best friend was currently held captive down there. "Should I like... get her a water? She's been down there awhile."

"I think she'd enjoy that beer more than water right now." Emerson kneeled down to get a better look at what the boys' were doing to the internal engine. "Please don't ruin Heywards boat. He's already pissed at Pope for ditching Midsummers."

The duo brushed Emerson off, causing Ashtyn to roll her eyes and focus back on their original conversation. "It's obvious we're gonna need all the help we can get tonight. My headache is already building."

"If I have to listen to those two argue about the past all night, I'm going to need a good buzz while doing so." The tan girl leaned down to grab her own beer from the cooler.

Ashtyn tipped her can back, taking a swig before shaking her head at the taste. "Tonight is going to be a shit show..."

"Can't the two of you be a little optimistic? For all you know, this could be the best night of your lives." John muttered, wiping sweat from his forehead and pointing a wrench in their direction.

Ashtyn smirked at the boy, enjoying the way the sun made his shirtless torso glisten. She always found it attractive when guys did manual labor, so this was heaven on earth for her.

"That's easy for you to say JB," Emerson frowned, "You're leaving us here to solve your problems. This is going to be a warzone, just wait and see."

JJ finally looked up, tossing the plugs into a nearby bag before pushing his wild blonde hair out of his face. "That's where the weed comes in."

"I really need to start keeping track of how many times you say weed in a day JJ I swear..." Ashtyn shook her head, taking another swig of beer into her mouth. "It's been like thirty times in the last hour alone."

Banging from below deck caused the four teens to end their playful banter and divert their attention to the wooden hatch, wondering if Sarah was hurt. "Will you let me out of here already?"

"Sorry," JJ yelled back, "No can do Sarah Cameron."

She let out an audible groan before smacking her fist against the wood again. "I swear, when I get out of here I'm going to kill all of you. Then, I'm going to kill Luke because you're his friends."