Shortly after they had agreed on having a pogue-style day, there was food packed, a cooler full of beer, surfboards, towels and anything else they could think of, all packed neatly on the SS Sunshine. It was decided that they'd boat around for a while before settling on a beach somewhere.
Pope drove while Kie sat behind him in the captain's chair, facing the back of the boat where she was conversing with Sarah and Lydia. John B and JJ were immersed in their own conversation. Overall, it was just a good vibe. It felt normal, the salty spray of the ocean, the wind whipping everyone's hair around, the seagulls, the way the sun shined brightly, it felt like home.
Soon enough, they had found a spot away from all the other boaters, and set the anchor down. Kie cranked up her little speaker she had brought, some Marley playing through loudly. She immediately jumped up, grabbing Lydia and Sarah before making her way to the bow of the boat. They started lip-syncing and dancing around, undoubtedly feeling slightly tipsy from the beers they had consumed.
"One love, one heart, let's get together and feel alright" The girls cheered at the end of the song, giving faux bows as if the boys were cheering (which they weren't-- they were just laughing and enjoying how happy their girls were together).
"Okay, okay, I have a song. Hold on" Lydia climbed down from the bow and made her way over to Kie's phone before turning on one of their favorite songs on the "Pogue Style" playlist
(a/n the song is tongue tied by group love if you wanna play it)
"Aw shit!" Sarah laughed, knowing even the boys couldn't resist to jamming out to this song
"TAKE ME TO YOUR BEST FRIENDS HOUSE, I LOVED YOU THEN AND I LOVE YOU NOW" They screamed together before dancing around like no one was around
The boat rocked as they jumped up and down, singing the lyrics and cracking each other up with their cheesy dance moves. The girls especially loved to tease Pope on his horribly awkward and stiff movements but eventually, Kie went over to him and made him loosen up a little bit.
The couples had found each other (even JJ and Lydia had managed to put aside whatever they were feeling to just enjoy the current moment), grooving together during the second verse:
"Don't leave me tongue tied, let's stay up all night, I'll get real high, slumber party, pillow fight, my eyes and your eyes, like peter pan up in the sky, my best friend's house tonight, let's bump the beats till beddy-bye" Lydia and JJ found themselves singing to each other, eyes locked as their bodies just worked together effortlessly
They both knew it was wrong for them to be sharing such an intimate moment and that it would pass, forcing them to go back to the reality that they were facing. But for now, they relished in being together. For JJ, he could see that she truly meant what she was singing but he could also see in her eyes how confused she was and he hated the fact that he caused that. For Lydia, she tried to ignore the guilty feeling bubbling within her, opting to instead focus on the way JJ's eyes sparkled. She loved seeing him happy and she hated that she was causing him so much pain but for some reason, she couldn't forgive him, even if she desperately wanted to.
The song ended, leaving them breathless but happy. Each pogue fell back into their seats while sipping on their beers. Pretty shortly after, they had decided to do some swimming, before heading back towards land so they could surf and make a bonfire.
By the time they had made it back to land, the sun was beginning it's descent towards the horizon, leaving a beautiful sky painted with pink and red hues. It was the perfect time for surfing and they were eager to surf in a different place.
"Honestly, the fact that the water's so clear is definitely trippy" Lydia said to Sarah and Kie after riding out a wave
"It's cool to see what's going on below you but I got distracted" Kie laughed
"Speaking of distracted, Lydia, wanna clue us in on whatever that was on the boat?" Sarah teased slightly
"Ugh don't remind me" Lydia slumped down on her board, putting her head in her hands
"Look, I'm just saying that you guys looked real comfortable" Sarah added
"Lyds we've been telling you that we think he's telling the truth. Just forgive him, it's clear that you both miss each other" Kie sympathized
"I know, I know" Lydia sighed, "I have a confession to make"
Kie and Sarah shared a look, wondering what she possibly could have hidden from them
"Last night, Heather came into my room and confessed to the whole thing with fake tears and everything. She had a couple bruises on her face, I wonder where those came from?" Lydia laughed knowing it was her best friends and the only reason Heather had admitted it was because she was lowkey scared of the three girls
"Don't sit there and act like you wouldn't have beat the shit out of her if you could've" Sarah laughed and Kie just pushed Lydia off her board
"Okay, rude" Lydia said as she resurfaced, rubbing the hair out of her eyes
"Wait, wait, wait. If Heather admitted it, why aren't you over there with your man?" Kie furrowed her eyebrows
Lydia glanced over her shoulder, towards where the boys were catching waves, "To be completely honest, I don't know. There's just something deep down that isn't ready yet. Maybe I'm trying to subconsciously protect myself from any future pain but I don't know and I feel so bad"
"Hey, don't feel bad. You'll forgive him when you're ready. He'll wait for you, he's been saying it since you broke up with him" Sarah comforted
"I'm being an idiot. Ugh. I need to hit more waves, y'all coming?" Lydia asked before paddling back over towards the boys
When it became too dark to surf, the pogues opted for settling in on the beach around a warm fire.
"The last time we sat around a fire together was after Midsummers at Rixon's Cove" John B chuckled at the memory
"I like to block that night out of my head completely, so in my book the last time we sat around a fire was at the boneyard at our 'not-so-incognito' kegger" Kie added
They chuckled at the memories of that night, if only they had known what they were in for back then.
"Do you guys ever think about what life would be like if we gave up on the hunt after we didn't find it in the wreck?" Lydia asked
"I guess we'd just go back to normal life. Sheriff Peterkin would be alive, Sarah would still be a kook princess, we'd still be getting beaten by our parents" JJ shared a look with Lydia before continuing, "Honestly, even with everything that's happened, that life sounds a hell of a lot worse than the one we're living now"
And so, they clinked their bottles together as a cheers, and spent the rest of the night laughing and enjoying the company of one another.
a/n
um a little shorter than I wanted but I hope you guys liked it even though not much happened
I felt like they deserved a minute to just be teenagers again
and the next chapter is a time skip so they're staring their journey home!!
it's gonna be good y'all
xo
Haley
YOU ARE READING
Shells
Romance"You and I both know you haven't been okay in months" "So what? It doesn't matter. Not with all the other things we have to worry about." "See that's the problem Lydia. You don't give a shit about yourself and it's going to end up killing you. You...
