Since it was late enough when they arrived home, the Pogues decided it was best to come back first thing in the morning. In the Carrera household it was quiet. Partially because Kiara's parents were still sleeping after a long night at the Wreck. Partially because there was nothing to say.

But the next morning they still left together. Kiara on her skateboard and Maggie on Kiara's bike, on their way to John B's house. Kiara's bike was dark blue and had a basket attached to the steering wheel. Maggie used to love that bike. She used to say it was the bike of her dreams. Kiara joked about it, but Maggie was weirdly serious about it. At the Academy everyone had identical black bikes without baskets.

Once everyone had gathered at John B's chateau, they walked to their destination. The destination being . . . a drain. Even back at the Academy, Maggie had not done something so gross.

"This is the north drain. It should've gotten washed into the gully," JJ said. "So, if it got flushed out from this drain, it would've been pushed out to, like—" He gestured to the trash bags that blocked the drain.

"Somewhere in this trash." Pope filled in.

"Correct."

Kiara sighed. "Oh, my God. People who use plastic should be shot."

In her peripheral vision, Maggie could see Adriana take out a big black trash bag. She'd probably taken it for Kiara, knowing beforehand how she'd react. Still, she kept it balled in her fist silently.

"Okay, personally, I love plastic. Use it every day. Love the stuff." JJ pestered Kiara. He was pulling a net out of the water.

"Okay, well, hopefully, you recycle it and don't just let it flush into the ocean." Kiara retorted quickly.

Pope opened his backpack. "I thought you'd say something like that, so . . ." He took more trash bags out of his backpack. "Trash bags." When Adriana saw the roll of trash bags in his hand, her eyes dropped and she put the bag in her own hand back in her pocket.

Maggie thought she shouldn't have done that, because judging by Kiara's face, Pope had definitely done something to her in that moment. Her nose scrunched up, and she said. "Did you just proactively protect the environment?"

"Maybe." Kiara smiled to herself at his reaction.

"Okay, guys, what is this?" Adriana said. She sounded like she was holding herself back as well as she could, but her voice betrayed her. Maggie felt rather bad for her. Adriana hadn't chosen this either.

JJ added. "You want us to leave you two alone, or . . ." Pope threw the trash bags against his chest. They bounced off of his shirt, into his hands.

"Just pick up the trash." Pope demanded.

JJ ripped two bags off of the roll. He handed the first to Adriana, then the second to Maggie. His hand lingered on hers for a second too long. His eyes, as well, held pain as he looked at the girl. Maggie could only think that this was a good thing. Distance means safety.

Distance means safety. She had to keep reminding herself that.

After taking all the trash out of the water and into the bags, Pope and JJ pried the drain open with the crowbar JJ had brought.

Meanwhile, Kiara thought about who'd go in. "So, are we gonna do, like, rock, paper, scissors? Or alphabetically? Or, like, the oldest goes?"

The fence in front of the drain was loose remarkably fast. Maggie had expected it to be rusted shut, but they appeared lucky. JJ placed it to the side as he replied to Kiara. "In the sewer, there's this worm that you get when you're down there. It gets into your blood, and then it has to come out your pecker. So, uh . . . that would be a hard pass for me."

"Yeah, that's gonna be a no for me, too." Pope said immediately.

"You guys are full of shit," Maggie told them. "There's no such worm there."

"I get it. You guys are scared," Kiara laughed at them. "It's kind of cute."

The boys were trying to convince her they weren't scared and there was in fact a worm. But Maggie knew if there indeed had been such a rascal down there, JJ would have told her not to go due to safety. Usually.

The girls turned to each other. "Who's gonna go?" Kiara asked the other two.

"I really can't," Adriana said. "I have a lunch with my mom after this, and if I get this outfit home dirty she'll actually kill me." The way she said it, made Kiara and Maggie realise she was genuine. So Adriana got a free pass.

            "I'm having a deja vu from that time in the cemetery," Kiara admitted. She didn't have to say any more. Maggie knew what she meant. That time, at the cemetery, Maggie had convinced Kiara she was injured when really she was afraid of the snakes. Either way, Kiara did it that time. Meaning she'd probably want Maggie to do it this time.

            Maggie rolled her eyes. "Ugh, fine. But you owe me, because this is way worse than the cemetery." Kiara smiled. This was the first conversation that had felt remotely like their previous friendship.

            Maggie got on her knees to continue down the drain when JJ stopped her. "Be careful, you know."

            She looked at him for a few seconds. Trying to figure him out appeared harder for her than it normally was. Her eyes softened. For a minute, the whole world had stopped. Then she started crawling.

            "Just, uh, holler if you need anything, okay? We'll, uh . . . we'll holler back." JJ called after her.

            Maggie didn't reply, but knowing he said that gave her a little more certainty. The scent was excruciating. Wading through piss and shit and possible even grosser things did nothing good for the smells. Maggie was glad she'd decided to wear long pants. They may have been linen, but simply the knowledge that something was covering her knees was satisfactory enough.

            "Maggie, you find anything yet?" Pope's voice sounded. Maggie was too focused on what happened in front of her to reply. But Pope wanted an answer. "Maggie! You there?"

            She sighed. "I've barely made it in 20 feet, so no!"

            "It's probably at the bottom of the catch basin." Pope said.

            "Then why are you bothering me?" She called back. Maggie knew it could be interpreted as rude, but really, she just wanted to be able to focus so she could get out as fast as she could.

            She continued crawling until she reached the catch basin. Shutting her eyes tight and holding her breath, Maggie let herself fall in, holding herself to the ladder. She felt numerous things swimming around her that only made her close her eyes tighter. "Ew!" She shouted.

"What's wrong?" JJ instantly asked.

"Something was just killed here," Maggie's frantic voice doubled her English accent. "And I'm not talking about my dignity!" She screamed some more, trying to wade the dead thing away by pushing it away from herself with the water.

Through the screaming, Adriana yelled. "What about the gun? Do you see the gun?"

"Kiara, I swear to God, you're going to take my shifts for months!" Was all Maggie replied with. She was too focused on keeping the water around her empty. Then she mentally facepalmed. She was supposed to find one thing. The gun.

Gun. Gun. Gun.

Maggie had her hands around her, trying to feel for something hard, even though it was taking ten years off her life expectancy. Then, all of a sudden, the water felt different. Maggie turned around to see that the water was gurgling, and coming at her faster than she could comprehend. It arose slowly, but still she would drown within minutes.

"Guys! Something's happening!" She yelled. Then the speed of the water picked up even more. Maggie added. "Someone's turned on the water!"

"Get out of there! Now!" JJ screamed back. Concern laced his voice.

The water forced Maggie to take a step onto the ladder. "I can't!" For a moment, Maggie had forgotten all about her plan to be distant. She hadn't been this scared for her life since the day her father died. And she had been scared then.

The water came at her so fast, it shot up in the drain. Maggie climbed up the ladder. She hoped the lid could come off just like that, but she was afraid it would be either locked or too heavy. Either way, it was worth a shot.

Maggie climbed as far up as she could, setting her shoulder against the lid. She tried to push the lid upwards with all of her bodyweight, but still it was not enough. Maggie couldn't help but feel angry with herself. What if she died here, and she would have done nothing of the things she said she'd do to Daniel Berger. She would kill herself for that.

Maggie heard four voices calling her name. They weren't far now. "Guys, I'm here!" She shouted. Luckily they had heard her. Four heads appeared through the thin slashes in the lid. The water came up to her shoulders now.

The four friends tried pulling on the lid, but they also found that it would not budge. Maggie called out for JJ, but there was little she could do. Goosebumps rose on her neck, where the water hit her bare skin.

"We're gonna get you outta there, okay?" JJ tried to assure her, but his voice sounded panicked. He took his pocket knife out of one of the many pockets of his trousers and started attempting to open the lid like that.

Until it broke.

Maggie had a realisation. She remembered a lesson she'd had when she was very young. Because it's so easy, so how did she forget! Everything is lighter when it is under water. She inhaled deeply, pulling her head under the water. JJ and Pope pulled on the lid while Kiara and Adriana stood around them, encouraging them. The lid was too small to be pulled on by four people.

When the water wiped out the street was when they finally were able to pull the lid. Maggie placed both hands on either side of the street and pulled herself up. She let herself fall on her back on the street, not caring that she she would get dirty anymore. She was already drowned in sewage water anyway. How much more dirty can one person get?

Breathing heavily, she laid there on her back for a couple seconds. "Gave me a real scare there, Mags. You good?"

She didn't move anything besides her arm, giving JJ a thumbs up. When she let her arm fall down again, it splashed the water right in Maggie's face. "I'm going to take such a warm shower when I get back, bloody hell." She said.

Maggie forced herself to sit upright. "Oh! Almost forgot," She took the gun they had been searching for out of her waistband and handed it over to JJ. "I found something."

JJ's smile that very moment pierced Maggie's heart. He looked like a little kid, without troubles. He looked . . . happy. Maggie hated herself for melting by just looking at him. She hadn't been raised to go this weak over a boy.

Not just any boy, though. JJ Maybank.

JJ fucking Maybank.

I told myself, "Yeah, I'm going to post a lot of Cruel Summer chapters in summer." FIRST OF ALL, it does NOT feel like summer here. We get rain like everyday and I don't want to say it's cold, but IT'S COLD. Also, I am still proud. This is my first chapter since I'm back from Africa. 💪