GLITCH.
010| the bends?
RENEE STOOD ON THE EDGE OF THE HMS POGUE.
━━ hands placed securely on her hips, eyes lingering over the small amount of the sunken boat she could just managed to see as the sun even dared to shine on it. She let a sigh surpass her lips, not liking what they were doing at all and visibly against it.
JJ's eyes were kept fixated on the back of the girls body, Pope and John B making snide comments about him, most ending with the punchline along the lines of if his jaw were to drop any lower they would all be able to see the drawl collecting in his mouth.
" this is empty..you took empty tanks?" Kiara quizzed John B as he thumped down beside her, Renee scoffed lowly and turned her head back.
Her eyes caught on JJ's stare, who forced his eyes to tear away from her to save himself the embarrassment of having to explain why he was in fact staring at her.
" so you stole from your boss for nothi-" Renee went to criticise the brunette boy who sat close by to her, before being cut off by her other brunette curly haired best friend.
" this ones a quarter full." Kiara informed them sarcastically, her eyes staring down John B as she shook her head.
" it's enough for one of us." The brunette grumbled, as her eyes pondered around the boat for any takers who knew how to dive.
Renee turned herself to face her friends, but hands still firmly placed on her hips.
" love it when a plan comes together." Pope joked but kept his voice solemn, making a chuckle fall from the blonde girls lips.
" does anybody know how to dive?" Kiara asked, turning her head to look at Renee, who just shrugged her shoulders.
Kiara panned her eyes around to the boys, all who pointed at one another, fully aware they hadn't learnt how to dive.
" anybody?" Kiara spoke up again, this time her voice tenser.
"it's kind of a kook sport." JJ spoke after a few moments of awkward silence passed them.
Everyone's eyes fell onto the only one of them who could be classified as a kook amongst them, Renee felt her friends eyes burn into her skin as she moved her hands from their current position to cross over her chest.
"I-I don't know how to dive if that's what all your beady eyes are staring at me for!" she snapped, her voice slightly defensive as she shook her head.
Her eyes once again met JJ's, who sent her a small smile before the rest of the groups attention turned back to Pope as he spoke.
" I...read about it." he spoke up, Renee suppressed her wide smile with a nod before turning her body back to look into the water.
" great, Pope's read about it so someone's gonna die." Kiara's sarcasm drenched tone was enough to make each boy roll their eyes.
" bit dramatic Kie." Renee mumbled, earning a slap on her leg from her best friend.
" Look, y-you put the thing in your mouth and breathe. How hard can it be?" JJ asked dumbfounded. Renee turned her head squinting her eyes and furrowing her eyebrows at the boy who just shrugged his shoulders at her expression.
" well if come up too fast, nitrogen gets into your blood and you get the bends." Pope's words earnt a immature snicker from JJ.
" bends as in...bend over and-" JJ imitated, his hands grasping onto the metal pole; his body arching downwards, Renee rolled her eyes although unable to stop a small smile curving on the edges of her lips.
" oh my god-" Renee chuckled girlishly, shaking her head before turning back.
" the bends kill you." Pope informed the boy who seemed to be making a mockery out of the severity of the situation.
the blonde boy awkwardly shuffled to move himself back to normal position, faking a cough and using his hands to reposition his backwards facing cap.
"r-right." JJ mumbled, a slight red tint brushing over his cheeks at the rare occasion he would feel embarrassment.
" I can- I can dive." John b stuttered, unconvinced by his own words as he hesitated to speak them.
" yeah, you can dive. I'm cool with that." JJ nodded, giving his unasked for approval.
" since when can you dive?" Kiara asked what was on both her and Renee's mind.
" yeah- I'm with Kie. Did you not just hear about the whole deadly bends thing?" renee quizzed the boy, who just shrugged his shoulders.
" I'll do it, it's fine." John B told them finally in an urgency, knowing nobody else was going to volunteer.
Kiara and Renee both shared a sigh and a slight disappointing feeling burrowing in her stomach of nervousness as it was clear John B had no idea what he was doing.
" let me do some calculations real quick?" Pope sighed, reaching for the map they had never used which sat in the cup holder by the wheel.
" are you serious?" Renee asked John b, kicking her foot against his lower back to grab his attention away from Kiara who was giving him the same lecture.
" so that boat's about, thirty feet down." pope informed the group, sketching something on the canvas he had made out of the piece of paper.
" so it'll take twenty five minutes at most at that depth." Pope continued, occasionally flickering his eyes up to John B to make sure he wasn't drifting in and out of the conversation.
" twenty-five." John b mumbled, repeating what pope had just said.
" that means; you have to make your safety stop at about...ten feet?" pope hesitated on speaking the final few words, not totally confident in his words unlike his friends who knew he was the smartest out of all of them by far.
" alright, for two minutes?" Pope flickered his eyes up to John b who just nodded and hummed as a response.
Renee mumbled a groan, barely audible by JohnB's and pope's conversation. Unclipping her dungarees to pull over her shirt. The rest of the material falling off of her waist as her hands digging into the material of her shirt. JJ's jaw couldn't help but fall, his eyes clung desperately onto the girl as she pulled the shirt off her body, leaving her in her bikini.
the blonde girl stepped out of the material. Stepping forward and held the shirt tightly in her grip before jumping off the bow of the boat.
Everyone's eyes turned, furrowing their eyebrows whilst John b let out a confused noise at the splash in the water.
"Uhhh.." the brunette flickered between where Renee was standing last and Kiara who just shrugged her shoulders, not knowing what had just happened and why it had either.
" what just happened?" Pope questioned the rest of them.
" I-I don't know but I liked it, a lot." JJ spoke honestly, his comment earned a harsh snack of Kiara's hand to his chest.
" oww-" the boy moaned, whilst Kiara just shook her head.
" grow a pair JJ and just ask her out." Kiara warned him, growing tedious of all the crude comments JJ had made about Renee since she was warmly welcomed into their group, more so because she was her best friend.
" so um-" pope changed the conversation, John b nodded his head to changing the subject, knowing from first hand experience how protective Kie could get over her blonde best friend.
"Yeah..when you uh-" JJ began but stuttered on his words, still being a little bit thrown off from what Kiara had said to him.
" when you're down there, you look for the cargo hold." He pulled the little key from his pocket and dangled infront John b.
" you stick this thing in it, and twist and pull okay?" he told his friend, imitating twisting the key to open the cargo hold.
Renee resurfaced, gasping for air. Her hands running over the top of her head to slick her hair down behind her ears.
" you're such a drama queen." Kiara called out to her, earning the rising of Renee's middle finger along with a large grin on her lips. " oh don't act like you don't love it."
" yeah my dad used to pull some weight back in the day." JJ grumbled, flickering his eyes between the two boys.
" who didn't?" Pope remarked, moving his body past JJ.
" hey Jb!" she called out from the water, cupping her hands on each side of the mouth hoping her voice would come out louder.
All the boys' head clocked to the girl and she cheekily grinned and waved at that. JJ faltered a smile at the cheery look of her.
" I tied my shirt to the chain about ten feet down, that's where you need to make the safety stop, okay?" she stared him down to make sure he was listening to what he was saying.
Renee continued to swim her way to the back of the boat, Kiara's eyes following her as she did so.
JJ used his hand to grab the lemon printed towel that poked out from Renee's bag. He unfolded it before hobbling over to the opposite end compared to where his friends were.
Renee felt shudders hit her skin whilst clinging onto the metal bars of the ladder to pull herself up.
she had pushed her hair back into a high ponytail after realising she had a scrunchie belonging to Kiara on her wrist the entire time.
" come here." JJ sighed, swaddling her in the towel. She chuckled as the boys arms wrapped around from behind her. She felt her heart beat fasten as their bodies collided and especially when JJ held her in his grip.
" awe, what a gentleman you are JJ." she awed turning her head back slightly to look at him as he just smirked smugly. Kiara faked a gag which caught both of the blondes attention.
Renee widened her eyes, silently scolding her friend and JJ pulled a 'Renee' his response being the representation of his middle finger.
But as they turned, her skin shuddered at the kiss he pressed to her neck. Renee whipped her head around to look at him " JJ." she scolded midst a whisper.
" you need enough air to decompress" Pope told John B, pointing at the little screen timer that John B now held in his hand.
Renee made her way over, meaning she pulled jj along with her who still looped his arms around her waist.
" okay, how much do I need?" the floppy haired brunette inquired, Pope grumbled lowly not being sure himself.
" unclear, breathe as little as possible." as the words left Popes mouth, a sarcastic and unpleasant grin sat on JohnB's lips.
Renee began chuckling whilst the blonde behind her began to reassure his friend.
" Zen, think zen you know," JJ let go of Renee who then couldn't deny the small falter in her smile which went unnoticed by the others.
Renee began to imitate breathing through the mask, lifting one of her hands to cover her lips. JJ nodded in agreement with what the girl was doing and began doing it himself.
" can you two shut up, you sound like Darth Vader having a panic attack." Kiara snapped at the two of them who couldn't help but be amused with what they were doing.
" yeah..thanks guys I got it." he assured them, giving them yet another reason to stop.
Renee chuckled to herself, lowering her hand back down and peeling the towel off of her body and placing balled up back in her bag.
"If we get caught out here in the marsh, we're basically screwed so-" pope started before he was cut off by Renee who just looked at the brunette, still slightly confused on why he was still going to be one diving.
" don't take too long asshat." She pretended to blow him a kiss, JJ felt his grin falter before faking a cough and turning his head away, a slightly tingle of jealously in his actions.
" wow, I can feel the love from here renee." John b squinted his eyes as his sarcastic tone practically drenched his words. Renee grinned widely as she pushed her mop of wet hair back to rest on JJ's shirt.
" in a nicer way, get a move on." Pope told John B, who just nodded.
JJ slung his arm around Renee's shoulders, she shuffled to rest her head on his shoulder which he had no problem accepting.
they all watched eagle eyed as Kiara pressed her lips to John B's cheek — it was not quick either, the intimate contact lingered for a few seconds before she pulled away.
Renee opened her mouth to gasped, only for JJ's hand to cover her lips with the palm of his hand.
Renee squirmed slightly, turning her head to look at jj as he shared the same shocked reaction.
" when the fuck was that a thing?" She questioned, breathlessly; knowing kiara hadn't said anything to her about any potential feelings she possessed for John B.
JJ shakes his head and shrugs his shoulders, staring deeper into darkened blue eyes, although the sun glistened majestically in them.
" I didn't think it was a thing?" JJ grumbled, trying to keep his voice low for only renee to be able to hear what he was saying.
they both clocked their heads back, John B stood stunned as the rest of the pogues after Kiara pulled her lips away from his skin.
" diver down?" was all he stomached to say, making the brunette giggle as she nodded.
" diver down." She repeated, John b awkwardly nodding his head as Kie stepped back and off the bow of the boat.
Almost immediately, Renee swung under JJ's arm and grabbed her brunette friends wrist. Kiara's head turned as she eyed up her friend who looked confused but yet intrigued.
John B didn't hesitate to step of the edge, falling into the water which submerged him for a few seconds before he popped back up, looking at his four friends who wanted to watch him slowly float down.
" diver down." He told them, lifting two fingers to his head and swiftly saluting to the ones on the boat.
Renee watched as John B pressed the button and slowly began sinking to the floor of the marsh, where the reck was.
" yeah, see you bud." JJ saluted him back, eyeing up both the girls as Renee led them to the end of the boat.
" ok- ok, what the hell was that?" Renee lowered her voice as she sat down, forcing her best friend down with her.
" what was what?" Kiara asked, Renee tutted and rolled her eyes.
" Kie, you just kissed John B." she uttered the word kissed almost silently so the nosey boys didn't know exactly what they were talking about, although they had a heavy guess.
" pfft- I did not!" she scoffed, furrowing her eyebrows whilst Renee nodded her head.
" yes, you did Kie-" the blonde was cut off by the brunette scoffing. " I watched you kiss him!"
" on the cheek, I kissed him on the cheek." Kiara couldn't believe how over the top her friend was being, especially when she knew the array of more scandalous things she had done with boys.
" I know it's not exactly macking, but it's John B ." renee told her, Kiara scoffed as she shook her head.
" he's my best friend, it meant exactly the same as it did when you kissed JJ's cheek yesterday." she brought up that kiss which made Renee's turn darker with a rouge red.
it really didn't mean the same. The opposite in fact.
the sound of whooping sirens alarmed the blonde as she whipped her head to look in the direction the sound was coming from.
" JJ- cops!" Popes voice was alarmed, the boy turned his head to look at the small boat sailing towards them at a fast speed,
" just in case you were wondering." Renee mumbled to the three others,
" I'm still only bailing Pope out by the way." Renee repeated her words from earlier.