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Estrella Cruz wasn't someone that people knew much about. They knew that her mom ran a catering business for Figure 8. They also knew that she hung around a certain group of kids that were known for causing trouble.
The pogues.
JJ and John B meeting first in the third grade and quickly becoming best friends. Estrella met Pope in fifth grade when Pope spilled his drink all over her when some kids were making fun of him. She wanted to be upset with him, but he made it really hard with his apologies. He apologized everyday for the rest of the school year and has stuck since then. He became the one person Estrella could always count on.
Estrella and Pope met John B and JJ the next year in one of their classes. Quickly becoming friends when JJ tried a pick up line on Estrella. She thought it was the cringiest thing ever, but it became something that she looked forward to hearing whenever she walked in class everyday.
Kiara became a part of the group in ninth grade. Estrella incredibly happy that there was finally a girl she could complain to about the boys. The group has stuck together ever since. All of them bouncing stupid ideas off of each other no matter what they were. Pope desperately tried to talk them out of them, but ultimately ended up in the middle of it all.
Estrella never thought that she would end up with people she cared about so much and that cared about her just the same. She wouldn't trade them for the world.
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Estrella had found an interest in making surfboards a couple of years ago. She had convinced her mom to her help with building her own shed since she kept complaining about Estrella working in the house. So, that's what the girl was doing. Finishing up a design on a board she recently put together.
"Estrella !"
The girl turns to look towards her shed door. She set her brush down and got up before walking outside. She smiles when she sees the pogues sitting in a boat at her dock.
"There she is !" JJ shouts
"What are you guys doing ?" She says as she walks closer
"We're going out to the marsh, you coming ?" John B smiles
"You guys do realize that a hurricane just happened right ?"
"Come on, Star. You gotta come. Today's a free day." JJ smiles. Estrella's smile softens as JJ raises his brows at her. She rolls her eyes before she shrugs, "Fine."
"Yes." Kiara beams. JJ holds his hand out to Estrella. She takes it and carefully steps on the boat. As she steps on, she goes to let go of JJ's hand, but he had other plans. She looks up at him with confusion written on her face. She pushes him away playfully as he smirks down at her.
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The group now sat in the boat. Pope driving it toward the marsh as they all drank beers and told jokes to each other. Kie and Estrella now sat in their bikini tops. JJ being the only boy with his shirt off.
"Bet you can't do this." JJ says as Kie and Estrella laugh at John B. He and Kie clinking bottles as JJ stood up.
"Tell the world. A party trick."
"Terrifying." Kie says
"Hey, Pope. Can you go a little faster ?" JJ says as he stands up on the bow
"Here we go. I'm movin'." John B says moving back by Pope.
"Doesn't work." Pope says as he goes a little faster
"We've tried this like 6,000 times."
Estrella and Kie move to the side of the boat.
"JJ, it's not gonna work." Estrella groans
"I got this. It's gonna work, Star. Trust me." He says as he steadies himself. He tilts his head back and pours the beer in his mouth. Obviously, the trick doesn't go as planned and the beer goes everywhere.
"Oh my god, you're getting beer in my hair !" Kie says
"JJ," Estrella says as she turns away
"Oh, my God. All right. All right !" Pope says
"All right, you're done." John B shakes his head
"All right, stop !" Pope says before he stops the boat. Everyone falls forward along with JJ who flips into the water. John B ends up at Estrella's feet.
"Holy shit." Estrella says holding onto the edge of the boat
"Jesus, Pope !" Kie says
JJ groans as he comes up out of the water.
"You okay, Jay ?" Estrella says looking over
"I think my heels touched the back of my head." He strains
"Kie, you okay ?" John B asks
"I'm all right." She says sitting up
"Estrella ?"
"I'm good."
"Pope, what did you do ?" JJ says
"Sandbar. The channel changed."
"No shit." JJ says swimming to the boat
"Ugh, this is probably gonna mess this whole place up." John B says as Pope goes to stand on the bow.
"Hey, I saved the beer, though."
"Congrats, JJ." John B sighs
Estrella looks up as Pope looks beyond JJ. "Guys... I think there's a boat down there."
"Shut up. What ?" John B says
"No way." Kie says as Estrella gets up and stands by Pope. JJ looks to his side before looking up at Estrella.
"No, no, guys. I'm serious. There's like a boat down there. For real." Pope says
"Dude, he's not kidding." Estrella says as she sees the white boat.
"Guys... is this..." Kie and John B stand up beside them and look into the water.
"It's a boat !" Pope points
"Holy shit, he's right. Let's go." Kie says taking off her shorts. Estrella follows behind her doing the same. John B rushes to take his shirt off as Pope continues looking in the water.
"You think there's a dead body down there ?" He asks before Estrella and John B jump in. JJ already started swimming toward where Pope was pointing. Kie follows behind them as Pope takes his hat and shirt off. "Guys, wait up !"
"Get your ass in here !" JJ yells
"Come on !" John B says before Pope jumps in. They all swim down toward the boat. All checking it out before they use it to push themselves back toward the surface. They all come up around the same time.
"You guys saw that ?" JJ says
"Yeah."
"Yeah, I did."
"Yeah."
"What the..." They all laugh before swimming back toward the boat
"That's a Grady-White." JJ says, "A new one of those is like 500 Gs, easy."
They use the edge of the boat to pull themselves up. JJ gets on and helps Estrella in.
"That's a primo rig." He says
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's the boat I saw when I surfed the surge. Maybe it hit the jetty or something." John B says
"You surfed the surge ?" Kie asks with furrowed brows
"Of course he did." Estrella says rolling her eyes playfully
"Yeah. That's my boy. Pogue style." JJ smiles
"What the heck ?"
"Wait, wait. Do we know whose boat that is ?" Pope says as JJ and Estrella look over the edge of the boat.
"No, but we're about to find out." John B says
"Dude, it's too deep."
"Oh, for the weak and feeble, JJ." He says pulling out an anchor
"Well, I'm not resuscitating you. I'm just making that clear up front."
"That's fine." John B mutters standing up with the anchor and standing on the bow with JJ
"John B." Kie says
"What ?" He chuckles
"He'll be fine, Kie." Estrella sighs
"Diver down, fool." Pope says
John B takes a deep breath. "Diver down."
"Yeah, he is." JJ says before pushing John B in.
The teens sit there for a couple of minutes waiting for John B to come back up.
"Should we go get him ?" Pope asks. As soon as he says this, John B comes up.
"Oh, my God. That took forever !"
"Ah, jeez."
"Any dead bodies ?"
"Looting potential ?" JJ says as he pulls the anchor up
"No. No. I found this motel key." John B says holding it up.
"A key, John B." Estrella says
"A key."
"Yes, a key, Pope." He says as he pulls himself onto the boat
"Great ! We salvaged a motel key." JJ says
"Guys, we should report the wreck to the coast guard. Maybe we'll get a finder's fee." Kie says as they start the boat and take off.
"Yeah, and not work all summer. Thanks, Agatha, ya batch." JJ says.
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ʜɪɪɪ ! ɪ'ᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴡᴀɴᴛɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴡʀɪᴛᴇ ᴀɴ ᴏʙx sᴛᴏʀʏ ғᴏʀ ᴀᴡʜɪʟᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ғɪɴᴀʟʟʏ ɢᴏᴛ ᴛᴏ ɪᴛ. ʜᴏᴘᴇғᴜʟʟʏ ʏᴏᴜ ɢᴜʏs ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ <3