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— can't stop thinking about you and me cause I'm too whipped.
THE POGUES WERE all gathered on the boat in the marsh, which was a typical summer day for them. Jo had stripped down to her bikini and was sitting on the bow with a beer in her hand. Kie was sat nearby while the boys all lounged around at the other end of the boat. Jo leaned back and closed her eyes, letting the sun warm her skin.
"Ah, this is the life," she sighed in content.
"Hell yeah," Kie chorused. She raised her beer up to clink it with Jo's. "Cheers."
They both took long swigs and then moved to join the rest of the group in the middle of the boat. Pope was leant against the side while John B and JJ were having a thumb war. Jo plopped down next to Pope and watched the other two in amusement.
"Dude, you're totally cheating," John B complained.
"Bro, what? How the hell am I cheating?" JJ argued. "It's friggin thumb wars."
"You're JJ," Pope spoke up. "You always find a way to cheat."
John B glanced from Pope to JJ and shrugged in agreement. Jo just watched the scene unfold with a smirk on her lips.
"He's not wrong," Kie added.
JJ scoffed and turned to Jo, who raised her hands up in surrender. "Don't look at me."
"You're supposed to be on my side!" JJ whined. "I'm your boyfriend."
"Boyfriend or not, that doesn't change the fact that you do always find a way to cheat," Jo giggled as she took a sip of her beer.
"Fuck all y'all," JJ huffed. Jo knew he didn't actually mean it, though. He said things like this all the time.
"Alright, well, I'm hot," Jo announced. She set her beer beside Pope and returned to the bow,, turning around to look at her friends. "Let's swim!"
"I'll second that," John B said as he pulled his shirt off.
"I'm sorry, what was that?" Jo asked. She cupped her hand around her ear and smirked at her brother. "Did you just agree with me?"
"Call the news station, bro," JJ teased.
"Yeah, yeah," John B said. "Don't get used to it."
He rolled his eyes as he climbed up to the bow and shoved Jo off. She shrieked in slight surprise as she fell into the water and her head went under. Once she resurfaced, she flipped John B off.
"Rude!" She yelled as she climbed back onto the boat. "Your turn!" Jo shoved John B into the water and laughed loudly.
JJ wrapped his arms around her waist and tucked his chin on her shoulder. "I wish you'd man-handle me like that," he whispered.
"Dude, that's so gross," Pope groaned. "Especially because she just pushed her brother in."
Jo smirked as she turned around to face JJ. "Yeah, ew," she mimicked.
JJ rolled his eyes as Jo backed away from him and jumped back up to the bow again. She spread her arms out on either side of her in a dramatic way.
"Alright, ladies and germs! Watch the great Jo Routledge try her most dangerous feat yet!"
"Do a flip!" Pope yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth. Kiara cheered in agreement as John B pulled himself back onto the boat.
"Oh, I'll do more than that," Jo hummed.
She backed up until she was at the very edge of the bow and prepared herself to jump. JJ just watched with baited breath as Jo did a backflip into the water. Everyone cheered at the sound of the splash, but after several seconds JJ heard no evidence of Jo resurfacing. He hurried to the edge of the boat and peered into the water, feeling his heart rate spike when there was no sign of her.
"Guys," he called. "Guys, she isn't coming back up!"
"Oh, she's fine," John B sighed. "Probably just being dramatic."
Kie joined JJ at the edge of the boat and peered down. She frowned slightly and bit her lip. "You sure?" She asked John B. "It's been a long time."
"She can hold her breath the longest," Pope reasoned. "Maybe she's just trying to fuck with you."
JJ was hearing all of his friends' words, but they weren't registering in his head. The only thing that was registering was the sheer panic spreading throughout his body.
"Screw this," he muttered. JJ pulled his shirt off and kicked off his shoes as he prepared to jump in after Jo. Just as he was about to jump, her head popped up above the surface.
"Holy shit, are you okay?" JJ cried. "Are you hurt?"
Jo just grinned and shook her head. "Nope. Just liked the view down there."
JJ sighed deeply and rolled his eyes. He gripped the edge of the boat tightly as he gave Jo a harmless glare and she giggled at him.
"Gotcha!" She called as she swam over to the ladder.
"Told you," Pope hummed.
"Dude," John B spoke up, "you are so whipped."
"Oh yeah," Kie agreed.
The amusement was obvious on all of their faces as Jo hopped back into the boat and sauntered over to JJ. "Did I scare you?" She asked sweetly.
"Yes!" JJ shouted in slight aggravation. "Jo, you can't do shit like that."
"Aw, c'mon," Pope pouted. "You know that's her style."
Jo twirled around and grinned at JJ innocently. Her dazzling smile and mischievous eyes made it so hard to be angry at her. JJ knew he wasn't, really. He was only peeved that Jo had made him look like a sissy in front of the other guys. He knew they'd never let this go now. But then again, maybe that wasn't such a bad thing. Now he could use it to be excessively touchy all over Jo and make them even more uncomfortable.
"You really got him wrapped around your fat little finger," John B commented.
"That she does," JJ hummed. He gripped Jo's hips and pulled her close to him.
"Hey," she pouted. "My fingers aren't fat."
"Of course not," JJ chuckled.
He pulled out a blunt from his pocket and held it out towards Jo. Her face lit up as JJ wiggled his eyebrows and the brunette tossed him a lighter. He grinned at her and lit the blunt, taking a long drag before handing it to Jo. She inhaled deeply and exhaled the smoke, closing her eyes as she felt the marijuana flowing through her veins. The other Pogues just watched on silently; whether it was more from disgust or disbelief about how infatuated the couple was with each other, they weren't sure.
"Are you guys gonna, like, fuck right here?" Pope asked dryly. "Because it sure looks like it."
"Yeah, quit it with the foreplay," John B piped up. He held a smirk on his face as Jo's cheeks twinged pink.
"Foreplay?" She scoffed, scowling at her brother. "Please."
"Come on, bro," JJ chuckled. "As if we'd do anything in front of you guys."
"Better not," Kiara hummed. "Your obsessiveness with each other is more than enough."
"Well, what can I say?" JJ said in a mocking tone. He grinned down at Jo as he pulled her closer to him, purposefully to gross out the other. "I'm whipped."
