WC: 2,052
John B tapped the camera as Pope tried to figure out how to work the drone.
JJ started to mess with the buttons, "What's this right here?"
"Don't touch that," Pope slapped his hand away. "I'm trying to work out this thing."
Kiara and John B were in the water with the drone.
JJ said, "God bless geeks, Pope. Truly man. What would we do without you to control the drones?"
"Technically it's not a drone, it's an ROV."
"Shut up. Shut up. It's too early for that right now."
"And well I don't really know how to. She should be here soon to show me."
"She?" JJ asked.
A Jeep pulled into the driveway.
JJ's head snapped over to it and then back to Pope, "Is that Bella? What the hell man?"
"Sorry, she knows how to work it. I don't."
JJ just huffed and leaned against the railing as Bella started walking up.
"Hey," she awkwardly said. "Um Pope-" she gently whispered to him, "You didn't tell me they would all be here."
"Sorry," he just shrugged.
She sighed and gave them a polite smile.
John B and Kiara both came up to the surface, and realized who was here. Neither one of them said anything as Pope started asking her a bunch of questions.
After about 20 minutes of Bella explaining and showing the controls to Pope, she realized something was off.
"What is it?" Pope asked.
Bella tilted her head back and forth, "It's slow."
"Slow?" JJ asked. "So?"
"Well see here-" she pointed at the screen. "That's the timer for how long it should take a dive set a certain depth. I've been comparing it and they don't match up."
"How do we fix that?"
"Mmm could be the fans, something caught in them."
"Is it important? Couldn't we just leave it?" JJ asked.
"Well depending on how deep the dive is could double your time searching. And with deeper waters you don't really want to risk that." She took off her shirt and shoes. "Give me a sec and I'll see what's up." She dove into the water.
JJ muttered quietly, "That was hot."
Pope laughed having heard him.
"Shut up Pope."
"And I thought you were still mad at her."
"I am. Kinda."
"Mmhmm."
"Shut up Pope."
John B and Kiara were underwater and watched as Bella inspected the drone, before finding the fan that she needed and grabbed a string of seaweed out without hesitating.
She swam back up to the surface and shouted, "Got it! Should be good now but..." She swam to the ladder and started to climb, "You'll want to keep track of how many feet you send down the tether. And keep an eye on the time." She got out and wrung her hair out quickly. "Think you got it covered?"
Pope kinda nodded, "For the most part. Thanks."
"Ya of course." She quickly looked at the others, before looking back at Pope, "If you need to run a few more test runs I would. If worse comes to worse I could always help you but I think you've got it down."
"Thank you, Bella, seriously," Pope said.
"Yeah. Um, good luck with the dive. I'll head out now." She grabbed her things and made her way back to her Jeep.
JJ watched as she walked away, a conflicting look on his face.
John B spoke up once she had driven away, "Hey, once we get footage of the wreck, we'll bring it to a lawyer in town and file a formal claim."
"See it's such bullshit. Why do we have to do that?" JJ asked.
Pope explained, "Well there is maritime salvage law. You can't just go to the ocean floor and scoop a bunch of stuff up."
"I know, I know. It's just lawyers aren't cheap bro."
John B said, "Well as soon as they see the footage, they'll work for a comp."
"How do you know all that?" Kiara asked.
"'Cause my dad said it, like a million times."
"Ok, that's fair."
Pope started looking at the machine, "This tether is like, really long. In the wrong weather, this thing could get pushed around."
"Then we'll go at dead calm," John B said.
Thunder starts to rumble.
"At slack tide?" Kiara asked.
"So now we just gotta wait around for the right weather," Pope said. "And today is not that day."
Thunder starts to roll in some more.
☀️
Bella thanked Heyward as he put the last bit of the care package supplies in her Jeep.
Pope saw the two and hid out of the way so they couldn't see him.
"How many are you up to now?" Heyward asked.
That's really what made Pope curious.
"Um, I think around 60. I'm hoping to maybe make some smaller ones for those who I haven't been able to get to."
"Man and no one's found out yet still?" Heyward laughed.
Bella did too, "Well it helps that all of these are non-perishables. And I only do a few a night. Keeps attention from being drawn ya know?"
Pope furrowed his brows, not sure what they were talking about.
"Mmm smart. I heard a few people talking about the one you gave out before the hurricane. Kept Mrs. Roberts from having to replace everything she had just bought."
It clicked for Pope after that. There had been care packages given to a lot of people around the Cut. The one before the storm had large reusable ice packs that people could put in their fridges and freezers to keep everything cool while the power was out.
He had no idea Bella was the one behind those. No one did. Or at least no one was supposed to.
☀️
"You boys get these groceries over to Figure Eight." Heyward was handing them bags to put on the boat. "Get straight back here when you're done. No fishin'. I promised delivery by this afternoon. Rich folks don't wanna wait for you lazy sons of..." JJ had both hands out waiting for the next bags, "Oh JJ, thank you. Sons of bitches."
"Right," Pope said.
Pope is driving the boat, "Doesn't even look like the storm hit there."
"That's because they got generators, bro." JJ said. "Get used to it. And then they say the juice will be out all summer at the Cut."
"It's nice to be a kook."
"Lucky bastards."
Bella had shut her car door, looked up at the country club, and sighed. She hated going to lunch there, but her mom insisted and Sebastian didn't have any argument to change her mind so there she was walking up the hill to find them as they took a break golfing to meet her for lunch.
Pope was carrying supplies up that same hill when she saw him.
"Pope! Hey, you need some help?" Bella asked.
"Oh um ya actually-"
She took the bags from him to make it easier for him to carry the beer cans.
"Thanks."
"'Course."
Pope looked at her, "Why are you here?"
"Oh my stepdad loves to golf, my mom loves the alcohol they serve, so I'm meeting them for lunch. Full kook shit I know."
Pope laughed at that.
Rafe was walking off the course towards them, "Hey what's up man?" He looked at her, "Bitch."
"Asshole," Bella replied.
He turned back to Pope, and stopped him from walking away, "Hey, how much for one of those beers?"
"They're not for sale."
"Oh, wait, wait, wait. You can just give us one, then right?"
"Or you can order one, like everybody else."
"Rafe, piss off," Bella scoffed.
"Listen, wait, wait, wait. You're not listening to me. Um... You've got so many bro, and we've got nothing."
Topper shrugged, "Got nothin'."
Pope tried again, "They're not even mine. They're already paid for."
"Already paid for?" Rafe asked looking into the bags.
"What the hell?"
"You probably stole 'em right?"
"Rafe, fuck off and leave him alone," Bella grabbed his arm and made him remove it from Pope.
"Listen here bitch-"
"Don't call her that," Pope cut in.
Rafe ripped open the bag and dropped a bunch of stuff.
"What the hell? You owe me for that!"
Rafe hit the rest of the bag away, and then hit the one out of Bella's hand making her start to get angry.
"Dude, I don't owe you shit, Pouge." Rafe got in Pope's face making him shove the older boy away.
"Topper get your coked out friend and get out of here," Bella snarled.
"Hey, come on man!" Topper egged him on, "We just want one of these beers! Just give us one of these-"
He tried to take the case away from Pope.
Bella was getting in Rafe's way of getting to Pope again, which was making him angry.
"You guys are freaking crazy!" Pope yelled trying to get out of Topper's hold.
"Give us a beer, man!" Topper managed to get the beers out of Pope's grip and he fell to the ground. "Shit!"
"Pope!" Bella rushed to him and helped him stand. "Alright asshole one and two. Fuck off. You got your beers in the most douchewad way you could now fuck off."
"Shit, my bad man," Topper chuckles as Pope groans a bit standing with Bella's help.
Pope grunts and swings at Rafe but he dodges.
"Ah fuck," Bella tries to get in between them. "Pope don't. They are just assholes, don't give them what they want."
"What's that bitch?" Rafe swears at her. "We take what we want." He hits Pope with the golf club making her gasp.
He goes to swing again but Bella steps in and takes the hit instead. She groans in pain but puts herself in between Rafe and Pope again.
Topper sees this, "Hey! Rafe, Rafe! Come on, man!"
"Stay down, bitch!" Rafe yells.
"Hey! Let's go! Let's go, man! You just hit her! Let's go man!"
"What man?" Rafe goes towards them again.
Topper shoves him away, "Knock it off, Rafe! Come on!"
Rafe screams and swings the club again.
Bella gasps and puts herself over Pope so he wouldn't get hit. But he just hits the ground next to them.
"Ha-ha!" Rafe screams.
Topper yells, "Time to- Knock it off! Seriously knock it off! Rafe, listen. Come on, man."
Rafe hovers over the two of them and tries to get Pope's attention.
"Get your hands off him!" Bella slaps Rafe's hand away.
He grabs her around the throat and shoves her aside, making her cough and sputter.
"Just let him go!" Topper said looking from Bella to Rafe.
"We don't want you here. Got that?" Rafe hovered over Pope.
"Look at me, let him go man!"
"Stay off Figure Eight, Pouge. See ya!" He got to Bella as she was standing. "Bitch." He spit at her. "Top! Let's go!"
She just glared and turned her back rushing over to Pope. "Pope? Pope!"
He just groaned in response.
Bella looked up at Topper, "Be careful of your friends Topper. Coked-out assholes will do this to anyone."
"Hey! Let's go!" Rafe yells. "Come on."
Topper grabs his club and runs away, "Shit."
"Hey, you want a beer?" Rafe laughs.
Topper and Rafe both go back to golfing.
"They're gone." Bella pulled out her backpack. "Here stay still." She poured a bit of water over the cut on his head, blocking his eye, to clean it. She pulled out of butterfly strip and placed it over his wound once it stopped bleeding.
"Can you sit up?" She asked.
He nodded and did, but groaned doing so.
"Ok, I don't think you have any broken bones, thankfully. Here take some painkillers really quick." She handed a few over to him and the water.
"Thanks." He took them.
She stood up and held out her hand. He grabbed it and they both stood.
Pope started dusting off the sand that he was covered in, and Bella was doing the same to herself. She noticed a sizable bruise on her the left side of her ribs but the skin wasn't broken thankfully.
"Ah shit, that already looks bad," Pope said seeing it.
Bella waved it off, "It's fine. It'll heal. I didn't get hit as hard as you did. Are you ok?"
"No. Why do they have to be such assholes?"
She sighed, "I honestly couldn't tell you."
Pope just sighed and started walking back towards the boat.
"Do you need any help?"
"No. No, I'm ok. I just want to go back to the boat."
Bella nodded, "Right right. Um, do you want me to tell anyone about this?"
"No, no, god please don't."
"I won't. I doubt they'd actually do anything, but-" she shrugged. "Still wanted to offer in case you wanted a witness."
"I'll see you around BW." Pope walked away from her.
She gave him a sad smile, "Bye Pope."
☀️