JJ gave a cat call as Bali stepped into the hot tub, the green bikini catching his attention. Bali hit his arm, swimming into his side and curling in while the others joined close after. JJ stood up with Pope and John B, knocking their beer cans together before shot gunning it together. Bali cheered, clapping for them.

"Whoo!" John B yelled out, arms thrown in the air.

Nearly a hour passed in the cats ass, though Bali noticed it went by so much quicker here. She had never felt so alive and happy in these moments, though her knew her mom and dad would probably through the biggest fit out there when her and JJ went home. Pope announcing he had a free style took her mind off it, "I never made good grades in school. When I get out, I act like a fool. They say I come in the party and cause a commotion. I'm smooth, yeah, they call me lotion."

"I'd sign you Pope, absolutely." Bali laughed as she sat on the edge of the hot tub, the beer can in her hand, "But you're gonna have a little comp."

"Uh oh!" JJ announced as Bali shrugged dramatically, throwing her hands up, "Is she gonna give it to us?"

"I'm just saying you're gonna have to watch your back." Bali spoke toward Pope as a grin spread across her lips, "Because those bars really lack."

"Oh shit!" Kie laughed suddenly at Bali's subtle rhyme.

"Give it to us, Bal, cmon." John B encouraged as Sarah laughed by his side.

"I have a lot of money and average size brows." Bali shook her head as Pope gave her a beat, "Yeah, stay back or I'll send you some cows."

Sarah laughed loudly at her words as she nodded, "She won."

"She won." Pope agreed, "Sending me some cows."

"A rap god we have." JJ laughed, placing the empty beer cans, glued together, on top of her head, "We shall crown her the winner!"

Bali took a fake bow as they pogues clapped for her.

"Cmon, JJ, don't make us look weak." Bali called later on when they got out, JJ and Pope standing before the fire and attempting to hit the others shoulder before they had the chance to move, "You're making it look like I carry the relationship."

"Shut up, Bal." JJ giggled, backing up as Pope hit his shoulder, sweeping his legs from under him, "You've got new technique."

"Yeah, JJ completely lost." Sarah said from where she was next to Bali, sitting close together.

"When did you learn to wrestle?" JJ questioned Pope, laying on the ground.

"I dunno." Pope exhaled as he caught his breath, "I'm done, i'm out of here. He's all yours."

"Aw, cmon lover." Bali said, leaning down to help JJ up. As they pair sat back down, JJ in Bali's lap as she held him, Kie stood up and followed close after Pope, "Oh?"

"Way to be discreet!" JJ called, adjusting in Bali's lap better and leaning back against her chest.

"I leave and this is what happens?" John B asked in disbelief, "And this?"

"This has been happening, dude." Bali shook his head his way, "For quite some time now."

"Do you guys, like, never argue?" Sarah asked curiously, "Since I am so in the dark about my best friends secret boyfriend."

"Not really, we're pretty good together." Bali said back with a shake of her head, "Only ever when he leaves the freaking toilet seat up."

"She acts like it's so hard to pull it down." JJ spoke up in his defense.

"So you agree, It's not hard to pull it down." Bali said, looking up and rubbing his hips slightly, "You do it to just make me mad."

"I do do it just to make you mad, absolutely." he agreed, turning in her lap more to look at her better, the feeling of her hands rubbing across his skin giving JJ butterflies in his stomach, "But you still love me, don't you?"

"Aw, yes, of course." Bali grinned as she puckered her lips, encouraging him to lean back and peak her on the lips.

"You guys are gross." Sarah shook her head, "How does this even work?"

"Well, I kissed her first. After that we just do it all the t-" JJ began to explain  how kissing worked.

"I mean, how did you guys even end up together. Both of you, completely opposite." Sarah laughed honestly.

"Yeah, i'm also curious." John B said honestly as he sipped the rest of his beer, "It made zero sense until now."

"Well he snuck me alcohol and then pretended to hang out in the lobby on his work days." Bali nodded her head, rubbing tender circles on JJ's lower back, "Then gave a super awkward hello."

"Extremely awkward." JJ agreed, "But so precious. And then I asked what her only fans was."

"Then proceeded to kiss me and act like it never happened." the girl agreed, her wet curls bouncing slightly when she nodded.

"Then she totally breaks my heart and says we need to stop this because summer is over and we won't see each other that much." JJ faked a cry, putting a hand on his heart, "Then we just so happen to run into each other at The Wreck. Both of you were there, by the way."

"Then he breaks into the girls bathroom, kisses me, and we've been together ever since then." Bali finished the story off with a scrunch of her face, "Makes a pretty wack story."

"This all happened in one day?" Sarah asked with wide eyes.

"No!" the pair yelled on sync. John B's eyes set on a tree, the P4L and his name engraved on the middle. JJ kissed Bali's head and followed after him.

"You seem really good for him." Sarah spoke up when the pair walked off, "He seems just so happy when you're around."

"JJ's had it rough." Bali said honestly. fixing bed bikini strap that fell, "Those little moments of happiness is what he deserves."

"How'd you keep it such a secret so long?" Sarah questioned honestly, genuinely having no clue how the two people that couldn't keep a secret, managed to.

"Because if everyone knew, it could have really messed our relationship up." Bali said honestly with a nod of her head, "I didn't wanna loose him. JJ is so much better then-"

She stopped herself suddenly, because she remembered the situation.

"Then Conner." Sarah finished for her, "I heard he went missing?"

"Yeah, it's been almost two weeks." Bali nodded her head with a shrug, "I found-"

But she stopped talking, because the last thing she wanted to do was put the sudden news she heard at the bookstore onto Sarah already. Bali knew deep down, if she told any of the pogues, they wouldn't really care. Sarah and Pope hated Conner for all he did to Bali, Kie hated him for trying to make a move on her then proceeded to call her a whore for rejecting him, John B hated him for a pointless fight they got into on the beach once, and JJ hated him for taking advantage of the girl he loved most. Though non of them truly hated him more then Bali, yet she was the one that couldn't let it go if he was leaving clues on what happened and were he was.

"Found what?" Sarah asked curiously.

"Found a sudden thirst." Bali said with a hum, standing to her feet, "I'm gonna go grab a Grape Soda.

Sarah watched her escape into the chateau.

Bali didn't necessarily lie to Sarah, she indeed did want a grape soda. So bad she decided to down it in the kitchen, take another, down that one, and then have the urge to pee. After she did her business, her mind wondered to John B's cabinets in the bathroom. She couldn't help but feel nosy, looking through the small cabinet and drawers.

"Gross." she commented, seeing the open box of condoms. She smelt his tooth paste, not minding the minty scent it gave off. She stumbled across Advil, seeing as through it hadn't been opened. It was so John B of him, too hardheaded to actually take one. Bali then opened the shower, stepping in and grabbing the Two In One shampoo and conditioner he used. Bali shook her head, knowing it had been so bad for your hair but he'd use it anyways. JJ use to do the same until Bali bought him different kinds and they both saw a improvement in his hair after just one use.

A loud gun shot from outside made her jump, the bottle dropping out of her hand suddenly as it echoed in the bathroom. Bali crawled out of the shower, planning on leaving it how she found it before but was in a hurry. She didn't stop to think about how she could possible be shot, only worrying about if Sarah, John B, or god forbid JJ were hurt.

"Rafe?"

The Cameron boy spun around to see her standing in the doorway, a pair of denim shorts and a familiar sage green bikini top, gun in his hand, Berry not too far behind.

"Look who it is!" Berry spoke her way with a grin, "Indonesia showin up now, is she?"

"What the hell are you doing?" Bali questioned Rafe, ignoring Berry, stepping off the porch and found the pogues weren't near.

"What the hell are you doing? Where's John B?" he asked her back with a shake of his head.

Bali was quick thinking, she wasn't always, but she'd picked up on the habit, "Dead, i'm pretty sure."

Berry gave a loud laugh.

"Kelce said he saw you with him and Sarah getting beer." Rafe shook his head at her, "What are you even doing here?"

"I had a fight with my mom and crashed here for the night." she lied to him with a stupid look, "Kelce is probably lying. I was with JJ and Kie earlier. I don't wanna talk about John B and Sarah."

"Oh shit." Berry said as he saw her eyes watered.

"She was my best friend, you know!" Bali explained, starting to fake cry, "And now she's dead? This isn't fair."

"Ah shit, nope, I can't deal." Berry shook his head violently at her tears.

"Bal, chill, chill." Rafe explained, putting the gun away and walking over to her. JJ, in the tree, glared and was tempted to jump down but Sarah gave him a knowing look, a beg for him to trust her, "She isn't dead."

"What?" Bali asked, whipping the fake tears as she looked at him, "What are you-"

"We saw them in the Bahamas." Rafe shook his head as Bali stopped her crying, "And if they're here then we need to find them, do you understand? So I won't go to jail."

Bali hesitated before she nodded, "We better start looking then."

"Oh shit!" Barry repeated himself with a laugh. Bali was doing everything possible to get both of them away from here, and if that meant being on their side for the time being, then she'd do it.

"Yeah." Rafe gave her a grin, "Cmon then."

Bali nodded, leaving and getting into Rafe truck with the pair.

To: JJ Maybank
From: Bali Pandaros.

Trust me on this one. I'll be back. Love you.
-Bal.

•

kylie speaks

ah shit.