SEASON ONE,
CHAPTER 15:
HOTEL WIFI
"Hey, Ly, wanna recreate that scene from titanic?"
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THE SUN SITS high up in the clear blue sky, it's rays continuing to beam down onto the people in the Outer Banks and tan their skin. The beach is filled with individuals aiming to spend time with their friends as they make the most of their teenage lives together. Some are parents trying to spend time with their children before they grow old enough to want to venture off on their own.
One of the group of friends is Delilah's, but they're out in the water on the HMS Pogue again. Swimwear cling to their bodies as they slowly drift along the gentle ripples being created by the passing boats. It's always relaxing to the five whenever they're able to sit around on the boat and do their own thing. The water has always been their favourite place as it's away from the rest of civilisation.
Delilah, as usual, is sitting on the bow of the boat with her feet dangling off of the side and down into the water below. Her body is angled so that her painted toes just about skim the cool surface of the ocean. A smile spreads across the girls face as she stares down at the deep blue water, watching as a few schools of fish swim by the moving boat.
A low whistle suddenly fills the comfortable silence and instantly grabs everyone's attention. They turn towards the sound to see that it had left from JJ's lips, his gaze glued elsewhere. Delilah follows where his eyes are starting to see another boat passing by their own. This time, it holds two teenagers, who appear to be a couple, driving alone in it.
"That's the Malibu 24-MXZ, the worlds finest wakesetter. Number one in luxury, quality, and performance. 200k, easy." JJ states, showing off his knowledge of boats once again.
"We picked the wrong parents." Pope comments.
"Tell me about it." Delilah mutters in agreement.
"I hate to break it to you guys, but that's Topper and his girlfriend." Kie informs.
The boat continues to drive along the water and only edges closer towards the group, revealing that Kiara is correct with it holding the Kooks on board. The two 'perfect little blondes' (as Del would call them) keep their gazes locked ahead of them, in the same direction that they're heading in. Toppers arm stays wrapped around Sarah's waist as they both strike a pose to try prove that they're better than everyone else. Delilah just sticks her middle finger up, using her glare to shoot daggers their way — 'if looks could kill' was a thing, she's sure that the two would drop dead right then and there.
"You don't have to act like you don't see us, you bitch." Kie mumbles under her breath.
The couple eventually pass by as their boat heads in the opposite direction to the Pogues. This allows the two girls to be able to relax once again, rather than get annoyed at their mere presence. Ever since the fight with Sarah Cameron at the beach a couple days ago, Delilah's dislike for the blonde girl only grew stronger. Though, this time, this actually gives her another reason not to like Sarah.
"Hey, Ly, wanna recreate that scene from titanic?" JJ asks.
"On this small boat?" Delilah questions.
JJ nods. "Yeah."
Delilah smiles at him as a warm feeling grows in her stomach that makes her feel thankful for JJ trying to take her mind off of the Kooks. The girl rises to her feet as she remains at the bow of the boat. JJ walks over to Ly where he places his hands upon her hips. Her arms stretch out horizontally.
"I'm flying!" Delilah exclaims as she copies the line Rose had said, but starts laughing instead.
"Spot on." John B tells her.
"We recreating the kiss too, gorgeous?" JJ says, a smirk spreading across his lips.
Delilah looks over the top of her shoulder to look at the blond, the slight feeling of butterflies fluttering in her stomach that she chooses to ignore and brush aside as nothing — she's used to JJ saying flirtatious things like that. Instead, a laugh escapes the girls mouth as the two step down from the bow of the boat and move to sit with the rest of their friends. Delilah leans her back against JJ's legs, allowing the boy to twirl her ginger hair in his fingers.
"Want to braid my hair?" Delilah asks.
"I don't know how to." JJ replies, truthfully.
"Okay, I can teach you." Delilah tells him. "First, make sure there are no knots in my hair."
JJ gently rakes his fingers through her straight hair, trying to be careful not to calm her as he tugs at the knots and rids the hair of them. Then, the boy begins to follow the rest of the instructs that Delilah is giving to him, having her repeat some so that he's able to understand and keep up. The ginger hair is split into three different sections as JJ begins to cross them over and plait them.
The two teenagers are practically in their own little world as they simply talk to one another. Though it's unknown to themselves, any sound from the rest of their friends communicating is blocked out. Neither of the two currently have this wall up where they appear 'tough' to the public. They're mostly known for the trouble that they cause (e.g. fights), or the dark humour Delilah uses to use to cope ever since her father left and her mother stopped caring.
However, the both of them have a soft side to their personalities, which is currently on display right now. Smiles can evidently be seen on their faces, joy and happiness swirling around in their stomachs. JJ appears to be deep in concentration as he continues to try braiding the redheads hair, failing miserably at it. Delilah just sits on the boat as she relaxes to the calming feeling of her hair being played with.
Eventually, JJ lets out a loud sigh of frustration as he gives up on trying to braid. He then lets go of the ginger hair and reaches up to ruffle his own blond hai before reaching out and getting rid of the failed attempt from Delilah's hair. The girl simply laughs at him as she knows he tries his best.
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A rusty campervan, which contains five teenagers inside of it, pulls up in front of a four-star hotel. The vehicle itself almost makes it known that Pogues are arriving to a place filled with a bunch of Kooks. The only reason why the group is at the fancy building is purely for the strong wifi connection, aiming to do a little research about the map that Big John had left his son for his work to be continued.
"Keep a look out. We're behind enemy line." JJ tells them as he pulls the gun out from the glovebox in front of him.
"Yo, come on, man. We're not doing this. Just put it back." John B demands.
"What? You can never be too careful." JJ argues, trying to persuade them. "What do you think, Ly?"
"Ye—" Delilah begins.
"No, don't even ask her. You know the answer to that already." Kie states, interrupting the boy. "And I'm gonna throw that thing in the ocean so that neither of you can suggest bringing it with us."
"Yeah, and bringing a weapon into a four-star hotel will likely cause more problems than they will solve them." Pope adds.
John B leans forwards and snatches the gun out of JJ's hand, shoving it back into the glovebox where it was before. This only receives a hard glare from JJ himself, annoyed that he's not allowed to bring the weapon along with them. The blond boy reaches out and grabs his work badge for the hotel so that they're able to enter the place with ease.
Clambering out of the campervan, the teenagers make their way out of the parking lot and towards the hotel. They specifically follow behind JJ since he knows the building the best out of everyone else in the group. Everyone walks past the front desk and make their way towards the kitchen where all the employed cooks are just doing their jobs.
"Mama L, good to see you." JJ politely greets as they pass an elderly woman.
JJ reaches out towards a plate of food in an attempt to grab himself a handful of the fries, only for his hand to be slapped away by the same elderly woman he greeted. Delilah goes to copy his actions and do it herself, but Pope is quick to pull her away from the food before she can even try it. Meanwhile, John B stares down at the tasty dishes with wide eyes as he decides not to act on his hunger to stay respectful.
The group continue walking through the rest of the kitchen where they eventually make it out and enter an empty hallway of the hotel. JJ glances around the area to ensure that the coast is clear before sneaking them into the computer room. Pope is the first out of the five to sprint over to the cabled devices with excitement in his step, throwing himself down into a chair and switching it on. The rest of them surround his chair with their eyes gazing down at the screen.
Coordinates are typed into the computer as John B reads them out loud. Soon enough, a globe appears onto the screen with a single red marker to show the location that they plan to head to. Pope zooms into it so that they're able to get an even clearer view of where exactly the Royal Merchant resides.
"Shit, it's on the high side. It's only 900 feet." John B informs.
JJ shrugs. "That's not too deep."
"Is that doable or something?" Kie asks, trying to understand what they're talking about.
"Yeah, totally doable." JJ replies, completely misjudging the depth of the sunken ship.
"Okay, will we be taking your personal submarine then?" Pope asks, sarcasm laced in his voice.
"Yeah, care to enlighten us on how you would do this, Mr Dive Master?" John B adds.
"The salvage yard." JJ tells them.
Delilah's brows furrow. What?"
"They've got a drone that can drop 1,000. It has a 360 camera and everything. It's for deep dives and stuff. It's exactly what we need." JJ explains.
"And can your dad get his grimy little hands on that?" John B questions.
"Well, my dads 'grimy little hands' got his ass fired. Turns out the salvage captain frowns on showing up shitfaced, I guess." JJ replies, trying to make the situation lighthearted. "But the drone's there. It's in the impound yard out back."
"How much did you say was on the Royal Merchant again?" Kie asks.
"500 million." John B replies.
"It's time to get me my money." Delilah comments.
The redhead straightens her posture before heading towards the door in an attempt to leave the hotel. Her friends all follow closely behind her so that they can get this plan situated as soon as they possibly can. However, Pope pushes his body between them and blocks the door to prevent them from leaving.
"Bitch, move out of my way." Delilah demands. "I'm trying to get rich here!"
"Del, come on." Pope pleas as he casts a glance at the others. "Can't we do anything legal for money?"
Delilah shakes her head. "Nope."
"With JJ and Red as our friends? No way." John B replies.
"You know, I don't know if you're judging us or just trying to state facts anymore." Delilah comments.
Knowing that he won't win the argument, Pope sighs before moving his body away from the door and allowing them to leave. The teenagers all sprint out of the room and make their way through the four-star hotel in order to get outside to their vehicle. A few staff members yell at them along the way, but they don't pay attention to it, too excited at the thought of getting 500 million on their hands.