𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐀𝐓 𝐒𝐄𝐀; jj maybank

xi. best friend thing.

   "Well, there is maritime salvage law. You can't just go to the ocean floor snd scoop a bunch of stuff up," Pope explains, leaning next to JJ on the wooden railing.

   "I know, I know. It's just lawyers aren't cheap, bro,"

Oakley leans on JJ's other side, flipping her damp hair over her left shoulder and leaning her chin on her palm.

   "I mean, if I convince my dad, maybe it could be a courtesy of the house," she shrugs, "No promises, though. You all know how he is,"

   "Well, as soon as he— or any lawyer sees the footage they'll work for a comp," John B interjects.

Oakley's eyes widen at the amount of information.

   "How do you know all of that?" Kie asks him.

   "'Cause my dad said it, like, a million times," he replies and Oakley sighs tiredly.

   "Yeah, that's fair," Kie says in a breathy tone as she swims towards the staircase.

   "This tether is, like, really long. In the wrong weather, this thing could get pushed around," Pope informs.

Oakley and JJ simultaneously look up at the sky, noticing the dark, giant clouds that near the Outer Banks, roaring and rumbling in their theatrical arrival.

   "Then we'll go at dead calm," John B says simply.

Everyone joins the two blue-eyed teens by looking up.

   "At slack tide?" Kie asks, stopping at the top of the stairs.

   "So now, we just gotta wait around for the right weather," Pope says and Oakley nods.

   "Sounds boring," she says curtly, blinking the drops that hang from her thick, curled lashes.

   "And today is not that day," Pope adds as they all look back up at the sky when a thunder booms above them.

Oakley groans audibly and wrings her hair.

   "Well, what do we do now?" She says, squeezing both of her boobs to get rid of the water in her bikini top.

JJ steals a glimpse of her chest as his blue eyes struggle to stay focused on her face. His mouth falls ajar and his gaze goes stiff as it balances between her upper body and her face.

   "I gotta deliver some groceries. My dad's gonna kill me if I don't, I've been off duty for way too long," Pope says, grabbing his things.

"I'll come along," Oakley shrugs as she turns around and grabs her towel.

She raises the cloth to dry her hair, making her body stretch and her ribs pop as JJ takes her whole figure in. Her dipped waist, her curved butt, her thighs, her chest, her collarbone. He is so utterly, soberly in need of her it's starting to feel unhealthy.

"I'll join you guys," JJ adds, ripping his gaze off her once she puts the towel down and slides a sleeveless white tee that looks much like his and a baggy pair of jean shorts that go down to half her thigh.

She pulls out the four necklaces from under the tee and slides her feet into her vans, drying the last bits of water drops from her calves and looking up again to find the boys staring at her with limp jaws.

"This is awkward. Would you look at your sister like that?"

They all snap awake and look away with awkward noises and nervous head-scratching. Kie rolls her eyes and walks next to her best friend, saying in her ear.

"Don't get too intimate,"

Oakley playfully shoves the girl as she giggles, walking away and raising her hands in mock surrender.