"she checks out
Mozart while she
does Tae-Bo."
LATER THAT NIGHT, Kie treated them to The Wreck for a reward for accomplishing what their goal had been, even though her parents, aka the owners, didn't like the idea of Kie hanging out with any of them.
As Kie was pulled aside by her father, having some kind of conversation with him, she left everyone else at the table eagerly waiting to see if they could stay at the wreck, or if they were being kicked out and told never to come back.
"These are my friends." Kie looked over at the five of them as they awkwardly waved to the man.
After a few more words, Kie gratefully hugged her father muttering a 'thank you'
Kie walked back over to them with a smile, "Sit down!"
"Ooo!! Yes!!" JJ cheered, rushing to sit into the chair next to Red and Pope.
JJ shot Red a smile before putting his eyes back on his meal as she gazed at the menu.
Kie took a seat at the end of the table while playing along with the games, she scooted her chair closer to Red, "So, I have a question for you."
"I have an answer." Red smiled, knowing what she was going to ask.
"What's going on?" She shot Red a sly smirk as she looked between her and the blonde. "I noticed you two were late to the Twinkie."
"Who told you that?"
"Pope."
Red closed her menu with a smile, "Oh, You know. The usual."
"I hope you're talking about the menu when you say, 'the usual' because something definitely happened." She stated. "And I'm going to figure it out."
"No need for interrogation, Kie Kie." Red marveled. "We just... kissed back in the junkyard."
The girl's jaw dropped as she elbowed the girl, "That's not 'the usual' unless it's happened before, Red!"
"It's not like it's official or anything..." Red glared at the boy, playing fry basketball with John B.
"I think you better tell him that." Kie whispered, getting up from her chair and clutching the back of Red's, then getting up and walking to the dance floor where she called John B to dance with her.
Red moved her shoulders along from her chair, glancing at Pope, who was staring at John B and Kiara with a sad expression.
Oh no, Pope liked Kie.
As an idea popped into Red's brain to try to cheer Pope up, she got out of her chair and danced her way over to where the boy sat and tried to pull him on.
"Oh, God no." Pope acknowledged the girl who had noticed his antics, but she kept going, mouthing the words to the song.
Red pulled Pope out of his seat, Pope pretended not to enjoy her care for him, "C'mon!!"
Red embarrassed her self completely doing stupid dance moves, but it was worth it because it made Pope feel better as he also danced along.
Red moved her head closer to the boy's ear whispering, "Get her back."
Pope shook his head with a wide smile, "I can try."
With those words, Red walked over to where JJ was sitting and sat down next to him. "Hey."
"Hi." JJ beamed. "You're done dancing for today or..."
"Nope." She responded, pulling him up with her and nearly running to the floor next to where Pope now danced with Kie and John B danced solo.
The upbeat song didn't last forever, and soon enough, Red was already on her way home to go to bed as it was 10:30 already and it would quickly be past her curfew.
The door shut quietly when she entered her room, and her dad was still awake, but he didn't need to get on her due to the fact that she had gotten home before 10:45 which had been her recent curfew.
The next morning, Red was enjoying being at home and having a few hours to herself with the exception of her dad.
There had been so much going on in her life such as looking for a treasure that might not even be there, or having a relationship with someone her dad hates.
She deserved some rest.
But, did she get much of it? No, because her phone dinged with a text from JJ.
Red rolled her eyes putting the phone back down, and picked it back up to text her other friend.
Again, she set her phone down, this time going to get her swimsuit and surfboard before going to pick up Bennie, who patiently waited on the doorstep of her house with her board.
"There you are." She giggled, standing up from her spot on the stairs. "What took you so long? Were you getting all hot for JJ?"
"Bentley!" Red nudged the girl's shoulder with a grin.
"What?" She smirked. "I'm just being brutally honest."
Red chuckled, "That's the problem."
As the two girls began walking towards the peer, Bennie threw a question at Red that she didn't know how to answer, "What's going on with Lucas? I heard he's back in town."
"Turns out, he didn't ghost me." Bennie's face curled up into a confused expression. "Some guy cleared all his contacts."
"Oh." Bennie mumbled. "Your not gonna... y'know date him again are you?"
"God no." Red reported. "I kinda like someone else right now."
"Well, that someone was so jealous of Lucas, he stopped by my house last night to bombard me with questions about the two of you." Bennie smirked.
"Really?" Bennie nodded. "Wow, I can't tell if that's creepy or sweet."
"I think it's pretty sweet."
"Do you?"
"Yeah."
Once they approached the peer where they met up with Pope and JJ, they saw Kie and John B having some quiet conversation in the distance.
"Hey! Save some waves for us!" Yelled JJ, running out into the water alongside the rest of them
"Hey, where've you been?" Kie asked.
They caught some good waves that day, Red thought the tides we're great, yet she had to tutor Bennie in surfing for a good 15 minutes before she could actually catch some.
Nevertheless, after the sun went down the six sat in the hammock and chairs in the backyard of John B, talking about whatever came to their minds.
"You really think it's out there?" Asked Pope. "Like, no BS."
"My father thought it was." John B responded before looking at Bennie. "Our father."
"But do you?" Pope asked.
"After hearing his voice on that tape..." JB took a breath. "I think I do."
"Only one way to find out." Pope and John B did a little hand shake thing.
"Look, we're gonna find it, you know." Kie hoped. "Even JJ believes."
"Totally." JJ smirked. "Wait a minute, are we talking about four mil?"
"It's 400 mil, babe." Red joked.
JJ turned over in the hammock. "I'm gonna dream about shipwrecks." Kie chuckled. "Good night, Bird!"
"Good night, bird shit." John B replied, earning a chuckle from each of them.
Early the next morning, all six of them set out on the boat following where the X on the map was.
"All right JJ, pin it here." John B ordered.
"Roger that, X marks the spot."
Bennie laughed and turned to her brother, "Do you have any idea how cool this actually is? I mean we're treasure hunters, God damn!"
John B snickered. "Alright ladies and gentlemen." He pulled out the camera that would sink down into the ocean. "To going full kook."
Kie began pushing the rope further into the water.
"Alright JJ, we're right over it. 10 seconds northwest." JB reported.
"Got it! 10 seconds northwest."
A red piece of tape signaled Kie that they were now 100 feet down in the water, "100 feet."
Pope quickly jumped, sending JB stammering over, "What, what, what?"
"It's nothing." John B groaned. "Sorry, I thought."
"Don't do that to me, man!" JJ complained.
"My bad, I just thought I saw-" Pope stopped and stood up straight. "Quote the Hobbit, 'Down, Down to Goblin town-
"Down, down you go, my lad." Bennie finished, fist-bumping him. "I frickin love The Hobbit." Red chuckled at the pair's geekiness.
"400 feet!" Kie reported, marking a fourth tally mark with a piece of chalk. "The tide's turning!"
"Hey JJ?" JB asked.
"Yep?"
"10 seconds easy alright, south, southeast."
"Huh?"
"10 seconds easy, south southeast." Red reported, standing next to the boy.
"Copy That."
John B waited a moment before giving him more instructions. "JJ, 20 seconds mid speed, alright? South."
"Copy that, aye aye." JJ turned the wheel. "Come on. Keep the tether outta the prop!"
"I'm trying!" Kie quaked.
"JJ, keep going!" John B commanded.
"John B, is that good?" Asked JJ.
"We're good!" JB responded.
Kie pulled another piece of chalk out, "Okay, 700 feet!"
As a wave hit hard, it lightly shoved JJ against the wall, "Okay..."
The storm cloud grew bigger and bigger as did Red's concern. "Guys..."
"JJ, Hold steady!" John B commanded.
"Okay, 900!"
"JJ, we'll turtle the storm."
"920!"
"Crank it northwest for 10 seconds!" John B shouted. "Pope how are we doing?"
"Almost there..." He responded.
"John B, there's too much current, I'm gonna lose it!" Kie trembled.
"Bennie! Go help Kie, you too Red!" JB suggested, as the girls followed to help Kie with the rope. "South, Southwest, JJ! Hard!" John B's voice was filled with worry. "Half-speed! Steady at this beating, JJ! What do you got Pope? C'mon man, what do you see?"
"Nothing, a whole lot of nothing." Pope responded.
"Well, you should be right above it, brother!"
"Kiara!" Pope asked.
"960!" She continued pulling it down. "970! 980!
"I'm at the bottom!" Pope reported. "I'm at the bottom!"
"Okay, steady here, JJ! Steady here, quartered speed, alright?" John B stammered. "You should be seeing something, man."
"I know, I know!" Pope sighed. "Oh good God..."
"You see anything?" Yelled JJ.
"It's the Royal Merchant."
shorter chapter than usual,
but still good. Here's your
only readers would
understand of the day: