{ LIVING THE POGUE LIFE }

{5}

~~~~

"Yep," Pope confirmed, throwing himself down on the sofa beside JJ, "After you came back inside, she finished off the whole yard by herself and then just threw herself off the dock."

"She's fucking nuts, man," JJ shook his head and let out a chuckle as he lit up a spliff, "Shes gone swimming in that freezing water by herself? We'll be lucky if we ever see her again."

He tried to mask his urge to run and find her. She would freeze if she was in there too long, and God only knows what Agatha blew into the water last night. There was always random oil spills and tree branches in the Marsh after a storm, especially one as bad as Storm Agatha. That being said, what he really wanted to do was go swimming with her, but maybe she wanted to be alone for a while.

"I'm glad my dad hired her," Kiara said suddenly, "I mean, she's a perfect Pogue. An environmentalist and hardcore feminist? I've got myself a strong best friend right there. Super into reading, so she and Pope can be nerds together. Practically John B's new sister, what with her living here and all. And a flirting challenge for JJ. Shes an all round win."

A flirting challenge? JJ scoffed. Yeah right.

"An all round win, huh?" Brie smirked as she walked through the door, her long hair and white bikini dripping with water. "Well, I am honoured."

JJ quickly adverted his gaze to the floor, trying to get the image of Brie in a bikini out of head. Did she always have to look so goddamn perfect?

"Brie!" Kiara cried, standing up and spinning her around, "What the fuck did you do to yourself?"

JJ's head snapped up, throwing down the half-smoked blunt onto the table as he rushed over to her. Brie's side was covered in a red welt, skin blistering painfully. He knew damn well that it wasn't there last night.

"Shit, Brie," he said, reaching out to her and putting a hand gently on her back, "What is that? Does it hurt?"

She winced in response as she peered down at herself, hissing when she saw the damage. "Fucking powerline was severed in the storm. I didnt see it in the water."

"In the water?" Pope yelled, eyes wide, "You could have died! Technically, you should be dead."

JJ tugged at his hair as he raked a hand through in frustration. She could have died? I mean, what the fuck?

"Oh, fuck," John B muttered, grabbing the first aid kit from the kitchen, "Get on the counter, Brie. Let's get that cleaned up."

"It doesn't even hurt," she insisted, brushing past JJ and hopping up onto the counter. JJ stared at her, mentally noting every time she screwed her eyes shut when she moved.

"Yeah, sure it doesn't; that would be the adrenaline talking," Pope said, sarcastically, "You should be dead, never mind being able to swim all the way back. How are you even conscious?"

"I don't know," she hissed, hanging her legs off the side as she sat. John B began pulling things out of the first aid kit. "I passed out for maybe a few minutes, woke up at the bottom of the water."

"You fucking what?" JJ shouted, anger bubbling dangerously, "What the fuck, Brie?"

Kiara and Pope shared a nervous glance. John B stepped towards JJ, putting a hand on his chest in an attempt to calm him down, giving him a stern look. JJ huffed in a deep breath and tore his gaze away from Brie, who looked completely shocked at his response.

JJ shocked himself. He didnt know why he was so angry. But something in him sent out a surge of protectivness. The thought of her being so careless as to go swimming right after a storm really pissed him off.