The Least Favorite Cameron

Chapter 12

"Did you hear that?" I asked John B. to see if he heard what sounded like the crew whispering outside our door.

*click*

"Was that the lock?" He asks me as he goes over to the door and jiggle the doorknob but it doesn't budge.

"Shit! We need to get out of here," I say and go over to the window to try and see if there's a latch or something.

"John B, what do we do?" I ask desperately as the panic rises in me.

"Shh it's gonna be okay," He says as he gives my hand a quick squeeze and releases it. He then picks up a piece of boat equipment that appeared to be broken and thrown in here for later repair.

"Stand back and cover your eyes," He says as he raises the piece of metal and I do as he says. I then hear the loud crack as the window shatters.

"Let's go!" He says urgently and takes a towel to brush off the sharp pieces of glass that remained at the bottom of the window frame. John B. is just climbing out when I hear the sound of the door being unlocked and Terrance yelling. We're then sprinting off the dock and into the small town of Nassau.

As we sprint past small food stands and countless people, I'm reminded of the times I used to come here with my family and my dad would take us through the village to buy fruits and other things. I'm pulled from my thoughts when John B. pulls me behind a small building in order to lose the police and Terrance's crew. One memory still remains and that is of the beautiful hotel we used to stay at before we got the house.

"Come on I have a place we can hide," I say as I take his hand and pull him through the small back alley ways so as to not be found.

As they drove to the small high school, Pope, JJ, and Kiara were filled with dread as they longed for John B. to be there with them. Gracie still had to attend the Kook high school with Sarah but her absence still felt all the same. Even though they weren't at the same school, her texts throughout the day put a smile on all the pogue's faces. The blonde boy who always appears full of grit looked deflated and sad as he thought of his best friend who'd been with him for as long as he could remember. JJ and John B. didn't have much but they had each other. He thought of the small brunette who taught him new surf tricks and would always be down to go hang out with him or stir up some trouble if he really needed her too. As Kiara parked the car she pulled the keys from the ignition and looked at the small prayer card she tucked into the dash of the car. It was from Gracie's funeral and had a small prayer that Kiara had never heard of before and a small picture of Gracie taken a few months before she had died. Pope, noticing that Kiara had tears in her eyes, squeezed her hand and ushered her out of the car. Before heading inside JJ took a few swallows from his silver flask and then chucked it back into the car. The three lonely pogues entangled their arms together and walked into the school together.

As John B. and I walked into the hotel I had to remind him to just act like we belonged which he did somewhat successfully. We made it to the rooftop where there were some lawn chairs and laid down feeling the tiredness of our bodies set in.

"You know, right over there, that's my family's house," I say pointing to the coast that had several large houses along it.

"So the gold is there?" He says and I can see the wheels turning in his brain as he thinks of all the ways he could get to the fortune he searched and fought so hard for.

"John B, no" I say flatly.

"It's right there for the taking, Gracie, come on!"

"John B, now that the gold is there, that place is like a fortress, there are cameras and security. You are wanted and right now we're safe because people think we're dead so lets not go storming over there right now," I say and I feel like I'm pleading with a toddler who so desperately wants candy.

"Promise me you won't go there?" I ask him as I cup his face with my hands and try to shake some sense into his beautiful brain.

"I promise" He says in a sad puppy dog voice to which I ignore and lay back down on the chair. I hear what sounds like typing next to me and see that John B. somehow has a phone.

"Before you ask, no I didn't steal it, I'm just borrowing it. I think we need to send a message from beyond the grave," John B. says with a mischievous smirk. He holds up the phone and we snap a quick selfie of the two of us smiling like goofballs at the thought of talking to our best friends.

"Send it!" I said excitedly and kissed him on the cheek.

The pogues all sitting in class not paying attention, except for Pope of course, look embarrassed as their three phones go off at the same time.

"Did you guys get it?" Kiara whispers as she says an anonymous number on her lock screen and the boys nodd.

The three of them open the message and audibly gasp as the faces of their thought to be dead friends stare back at them.

"What the f-f-fudge!" JJ stutters out as their teacher turns to scold him. They then run out of the room mumbling about a family emergency until they are in the small courtyard on the side of the school.

"Is this real?" Kiara asks in disbelief.

"Would be a really sick joke if it wasn't" Pope says in response.

"Say something only John B. would know," JJ says as they all huddle around Kiara's phone.

WTF is this you?

Is JJ there?

I'm here Bree.

Did you pimp my short board? Gracie doesn't think it'll help you nail that 360 she was teaching you

The three pogues all stare in disbelief as the realization of their friends being alive washes over them. They embrace as happy tears spill over their cheeks and JJ whoops and cheers.

"WHOOOO! You can't kill a pogue baby!"