▶️ RITMO (Bad Boys For Life) - Black Eyed Peas

S A L T W A T E R
R A C E T R A C K

The first thing I felt when I woke up was a killer headache. Holding back a groan, I clumsily reached for the Advil pills I set out on my nightstand.  I grasped the pills and popped one into my mouth. Sitting up, I grabbed my cup of water and took a sip. I did the same with the second pill.

"Never again." I uttered, rubbing my temples.

Last night's memories swiftly resurfaced. My talk with JJ. Having a fun time at the party. The fight. John B being drowned by Topper. JJ firing a gun. I ran my hands down my face and shook my head.

What a night.

A smile grew on my lips. JJ admitted he liked me. Joy tingled throughout my body and my cheeks warmed. He likes me back. Letting out a small squeal, I bit my lip try and contain myself.

I got out of bed and got ready for the day. The crew was going to hang at the Château before noon. With denim shorts and a black cami that had a graphic print of a van and a surfboard.   I slipped my feet into flip flops, opening my bedroom door.

"Mornin'." Lucas yawned, rubbing the sleep out of his eye. His hair was a tangled mess. My little brother groggily walked towards the kitchen. "Good time last night?"

"Don't get me started." I exhaled deeply.

"Mom took an extra shift today. Only has a 2 to 3 hour break between the morning shift she picked up and her regular shift tonight." Lucas sat down at the table.

"Oh...you hanging out with your friend's today?" I asked, already looking around the kitchen to see what I could make for breakfast.

"Yeah, we're going to the beach. Maybe surf some waves." Lucas reached for his orange prescription bottle. He stared at the label with a frown. "I miss eating the good greasy and spicy food."

"I actually need to start cutting back. I think I'm developing an ulcer from all the Takis I eat." I ended up grabbing two oranges from the fruit bowl.

"Still miss it." Lucas sighed.

"How's your stomach feeling?" I placed an orange in front of him.

"Pains becoming a bit more bearable. It's not too painful, more like discomfort unless I eat something I'm not supposed to." Lucas stated, peeling the orange.

"I know it's going to be harder to stick to the diet with the power out and everything." I sat down in the chair next to Lucas. "I'm pretty sure Kie said she will talk to her dad about the left over food they have when they close. She's trying to convince him to give us some for you to eat."

"Tell her I say thank you. She doesn't have to do that." Lucas' cheeks started to tint pink.

"Will do. Be home before Mom, okay? Come look for me if anything comes up." I got up from my seat and ruffled his hair.

"Kay." Lucas nodded.

🌊

I was chilling in the back of the Château under the shed. The arm of the red chair dug into my back. It was uncomfortable, but I was too lazy to move. I had my legs swing over the other arm, kicking them softly. Kie was softly playing the bango drums from her seat. Pope sat across from her, staring at JJ who was throwing rocks at his position sitting on a table.

"I'm callin' it off. Alright." John B walked toward us. His bruised eye was starting to darken into a swirl of blue and purple. "Peterkin said, if I stay out of the marsh, she'll help me with DCS."

"And you believe her?" JJ questioned.

"Yes, I believe her, JJ."

"An actual cop, John B. You believed a cop." JJ threw a rock towards the big tree.

"All I gotta do is stay out of the marsh for a couple of days, and she'll help me out." John B explained himself. He tossed a key into the table in front of Kie. "It doesn't help that your ass was the one shooting a gun."

"You know what I should have done, man? I should have let Topper drown your ass." JJ chucked another rock.

"Topper was gonna drown me?" John B sarcastically asked.

"Sure looked like it."

"Funny."

"Have you looked in a mirror?" JJ pushed himself off the table, walking closer to us.

"Tell me some more. Come on." John B waves his hand.

"Guys. C'mon, let's calm down." I sighed, twisting my body so that my feet can touch the ground.

"They always win, don't they, man? Kooks versus Pogues. They always, always win." JJ punched one of the styrofoam floaters the float line that was strung up. He shook his head and walked away from us. "Goddamn!"

"Look, it's okay!" Kie tried fo calm JJ down.

"No, it's not okay!" JJ spun around. "It is not. They don't want us to go down into the marsh. That means there's something valuable down there, and you know it."

JJ pointed at John B. The orphan teenager averted his gaze away from JJ.

"I know you do. And I understand why you don't wanna go." JJ then pointed towards Pope. "You're the golden boy. You got way too much to risk."

"JJ..." I trailed off.

"Nina, you're little brother is sick. Your family has shitty insurance that covers nada. Your mom is basically working overtime for little extra cash, your dad is in another state to bring in more money." JJ listed, using his fingers to count. I wet my lips and fiddled with my hands. He was right. I knew he was right. He then pointed to Kie. "And you-I mean, you're already rich as fuck anyway. Why would you bother? But, you, me, and Nina, man, we got nothin' to lose! We really don't, alright?"

"JJ." John B softly shook his head.

"He's right, you know." I lightly spoke.

"Of course I am." JJ scoffed.

"Look, my family really needs the money. Now more than ever. My dad got laid off guys. We're broke." I shot up from my seat, my voice cracking.

I ran a shaking hand through my hair. Tears started to pool in my eyes. I quickly blinked them away. Kie let out a gasp, shaking her head. John B momentarily closed his eyes, inhaling sharply at the news. JJ cursed loudly and slapped the post.

"What?" Pope looked at me in shock.

"Lucas' ulcerative colitis...it's looking like his ulcer is getting worse." I informed them. "He's most likely going have to get surgery for it in August and we don't have that kind of money. I need any money I can."

"I'm sorry, Nina...but I can't. You know I can't risk this with the DCS breathing down my back." John B shook his head.

"I know," I gave him a nod and a small smile, "and I understand."

"No. I don't understand. John B, look man. I know it didn't use to be that way for you." JJ continued.

"I don't want to talk about this. I don't want to talk about it."  John B started to walk by JJ, shoving his shoulder against the blonde's.

"So that's it?" JJ grabbed a hold of John B's arm.

"Get out of my way, bro." John B pulled his arm away from JJ.

"John B, listen to me. I have a plan." JJ gripped the rope that tied the styrofoam floats. Kie looked at Pope and I. He glanced at us before walking over to John B. "You got the key to the  Cameron's big boat, right?"

"No."

"There's scuba gear inside, man. We just borrow that," JJ gripped John B's shoulder, "and then go down to the wreck this afternoon, and that is what's gonna save you, man. You don't see rich kids going into foster care, do you?"

John B shook his head. A smile started to grow across JJ's lips. He got him there.

"Let's do this, before I change my mind." John B let out a sigh. "I'll get the gear and then come pick you guys up. Got it?"

"Aye, aye, captain." I saluted him.

🌊

The HMS Pogue was back in the marsh. We were stationed near the boat wreck. John B had brought the scuba gear. I took John B's place at the driver's seat when he got up. Kie started to check the air in the tanks once we stopped the boat. A frown spread across her face.

"This is empty. You took empty tanks?" Kie looked at John B.

"I..." John B trailed off

He sat down next to Kie. John B ran a frustrated hand through his hair. He pushed away the hair out of his eyes. Kie checked the last tank's air meter.

"Okay, this one's a quarter full." Kie sighed, dropping the meter onto her lap. "It's enough for one of us."

"Love it when a plan comes together." JJ gripped the metal railing near the driver's seat.

"Does anybody know how to dive?" Kie asked. The boys looked away from her. "Anybody?"

"Does watching people in movies count?" I quirked a brow. I leaned back into the seat. Everyone gave me an unsatisfied expression. "Then nope."

"It's kind of a Kook sport." JJ stated.

Kie let out a sharp exhale.

"I...read about it." Pope slowly let out.

"Great, Pope read about it, so someone's gonna die." Kie glared at him.

Pope rubbed the back of his neck from the heated gaze.

"Look," JJ started, "y-you our the thing in your mouth and breathe. How hard can it be?"

"Well, if you come up too fast, nitrogen gets into your blood, and you get the bends." Pope informed.

"Bends, like, bend over and..." JJ squatted, placing his hands on his knees. He stuck out his butt. I rolled my eyes at him. A mischievous grin graced his face. He turned around, trying to put his butt near my face. "You know you like this view."

"Gross, JJ!" I pushed him away with a laugh.

"The bends kill you." Pope interrupted, giving JJ a strong look.

"Right." JJ gave a nod, straightening up.

"I can-I can dive." John B stated.

"Yeah, you can dive." JJ nodded at him. "I'm cool with that."

"Since when can you dive?" Kie questioned John B.

"Never. He can't dive." I scoffed out, crossing my arms.

"I'll do it." John B shot me a glare. He brought up his legs to his seat. His arms around around his knees. "It's fine."

"Let me do some calculations real quick." Pope got up from his spot.

"You serious?" Kie exasperated.

She stared at John B unamused. John B simply gave her a shrug. Kie rolled her eyes and pushed herself off her seat. Pope had managed to find a piece of paper and a pencil.

"That boat's about 30 feet down, right?" Pope quickly drew a boat. He then made a straight line going down. John B muttered an "okay" as he paid close attention. I rolled my eyes, not liking this idea. "So it will take 25 minutes at that depth. Twenty-five which means you need to make your safety stop at about...ten feet. Alright? For two minutes?"

Kie stood near the edge of the boat. She took off over shirt, leaving her bathing suit on. I gave her a curious look.

"Yeah, yeah." John B nodded. "Ten feet, two minutes. Got it."

Kie took fisted her shirt. She jumped into the water.  The loud splash grabbed the boys' attention. Kie quickly dove under water.

"Uh..." John B trailed off.

"What was that about?" Pope questioned.

"I don't know, but I liked it. A lot." JJ muttered. I sent him a glare, jealously coursing in my chest. He sent me a playful wink. Holding back a scoff, I turned away from him. "Oh, come on."

"Don't talk to me." I crossed my arms.

"Nina, Nina, come on." JJ wrapped his arms around my upper body.

"No." I shook my head and tried to get out of his grip.

"There's no need to be jealous." JJ whispered into my ear.

Shivers ran down my spine at the proximity. I could feel his warm breath at the base of my neck. My face started to warm and it wasn't because of the humidity. John B cleared his throat.

"Uh, so..." JJ quickly pulled away, rubbing the back of his neck.

"All righty." Pope averted his eyes from us.

JJ pulled something out of his pockets. I bit the inside of my cheek, feeling John B's questioning stare. I glanced at him. John B gave me a raised brow, his eyes flickering between JJ and I.

"Yeah, uh, when you-when you're down there." JJ stepped towards John B and held up a key of sorts. I released a sigh of relief. He took John B's attention away from me."You look for the cargo hold. You stick this thing inside and twist and pull, okay?"

"Stick in, twist, pull." John B repeated, grabbing the key.

The long haired boy stood up from his seat. John B grabbed the scuba gear, shrugging on the tank straps.

"Yeah." JJ nodded. "My dad moved weight back in the day."

"Who didn't?" Pope asked rhetorically.

"Hey!" Kie called out from the water. We all turned to see her. "I tied my t-shirt to the anchor chain about ten feet down. It's where you need to do your safety stop."

"Cool." John B fastened the strap of the tank.

"Keep an eye on this." Pope held the air timer. He pointed to the time. "You need to make sure you have enough air to decompress."

"Okay, how much do I need?"

"Unclear." Ppr hesitantly told John B. "Breathe as little as possible."

"Are you sure about this, John B?" I nervously bit at my lip.

"Someone's gotta do it." He shrugged.

"Zen. Think Zen, you know?" JJ imitated breathing through the scuba mask.

"Yeah. Got it." John B stepped onto the ledge of the boat.

I handed him the breathing mask. He sent me a thankful smile before pulling the mask over to his face. Kie finally pulled herself up onto the boat.

"Hey, if we get caught in the marsh, we're basically screwed, so..." Pope shrugged. "Better get a move in it."

"Be careful." I warned him, the nerves biting at my stomach.

"Copy that." John B said. Kie walked to him. She kissed his cheek, causing his eyes to widen. "Diver down?"

"Diver down." Kie confirmed, stepping back.

John B pulled down the mask. Pope glanced at JJ and I. I shrugged in response. Kie told us she didn't like him. I trust her to be truthful about her feelings. John B jumped into the water.

"Diver down." Pope sighed.

John B gave us a salute. I released a chuckle and saluted him back. Holding the air timer, he pressed the side button. He let himself sink below the surface.

"Alright." Pope walked towards the back of the boat.

"See ya, dude." JJ did a two finger salute.

"Now we wait." I sat back down on the driver's seat.

We sat quietly on board the ship. A few minutes have passed since John B dove. I had my feet up in the dash, my arm resting over my eyes. The faint sound of police sirens broke me out from my nap. I let out a groan, sinking deeper into my seat.

"Shit. JJ." Pope let out.

"Guys, that's the police." JJ tapped my shoulder.

I brought my arm away from my eyes. Sitting up, I twisted my body to see the police boat coming toward us. The siren was growing louder the closer they got. I quickly dropped my feet from the dash and looked at my friends.

"Shit."

"Oh, you gotta be kidding me." Pope groaned out.

"Yep. That's the police." JJ confirmed.

"Just act freakin' normal." Kie flipped her hair over her shoulder and straightened her posture.

"Yeah," I let out a snort, "'cause that's normal."

"Shut up." Kie shot me a glare.

The boat pulled up next to us. A final siren went off, before it stopped. There were two officers on board.

"Evening, officers." Pope greeted.

"Evening." Officer Shoupe sent us a nod. The other officer gave us the same greeting. Officer Shoupe held out a rope toward us. "Here."

"JJ," Pope grabbed their rope and handed it to our blonde friend, "tie this off."

JJ did what he was told. He sent me a nervous glance. Once he secured the rope, he made his way toward us again. JJ leaned against the metal railing.

"How you kids doing'?" Officer Shoupe took off his sunglasses. "You know the marsh is closed?"

"No."

"No. Wow."

Kie and I remained quiet. My palms were starting to sweat. I'm letting the boys handle this.

"I didn't know that." JJ scratched the back of his head.

"Why-why is it closed?" Pope questioned.

"Well," Officer Shoupe glanced at the other officer, "we're conducting a search out here. Boat went down."

"Oh."

"Seen anything?" Officer Shoupe asked.

"No."

"No boats. No."

I shifted nervously in my seat. Playing it off, I swung one leg over the other. Pope momentarily glance at me before switching it to the water. I held back a shaky sigh. The cops are most likely not believing us.

"Where's you friend you always hang with?" Officer Shoupe asked. "He here?"

"Not today." I shook my head.

"He's working." Kie sent the officer a smile.

"Hm. I'm gonna check your little boat out." Officer Shoupe started to board the HMS Pogue.

The three of us closest to Officer Shoupe stood up from our positions. Kie remained sitting on top of the hold that held the life jackets and boat tools.

"Yeah." JJ stepped away, waving his hand for the cop to come aboard.

"Yeah, hop aboard." Pope nervously patted the driver's seat. "You wanna check-uh, check her out."

"Thank you." Officer Shoupe started to scope the back of the boat.

JJ grabbed a hold of my wrist. He lead me to go stand next to Kie. Pope followed right after us. It wasn't long until Officer Shoupe came to inspect the are we were currently standing. We got out of his way.

"Uh, you got another one of these?" Officer Shoupe held up an orange life jacket.

"Yes, sir." I quickly nodded.

"Yeah."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Of course, it's, uh... it's in the hold." JJ pointed the where Kie had been seating. 

"Yeah."

"Show him." Kie quickly stood up, waving towards the hold.

"Okay." JJ uttered. He stepped towards the hold, passing by Kie. Opening the hold, JJ took out an orange life jacket. He held it up for the officers to see. "Here we go."

"Alright." Officer Shoupe nodded.

"Yeah." JJ placed the life jacket back in the hold and closed the hatch.

Officer Shoupe looked at us. I swallowed nervously and he analyzed us one by one. After he studied Kie, his eyes flitted to me. I sent him a small smile. He suspects us of something and he isn't wrong. Officer Shoupe walked on the ledge of the boat, is the railing from the police boat to balance himself.

"Uh..."

"Be careful."

"Be careful right there. You don't want to slip." Pope warned.

Officer Shoupe stood at the end of the boat. He slipped his sunglasses back on, looking into the water. I internally cursed. He might be able to see John B or the boat wreck or both. I bit the inside of my cheek and exchanged a look with Kie.

"Alright." Officer Shoupe turned to face us.

"Alright." The boys repeated.

"Beautiful day, ain't it?" Officer Shoupe started to make his way back to his boat.

"Sure is." JJ nodded.

"Very beautiful." I fake a smile.

"Very."

"Let us know if you see anything in your way out." Officer Shoupe boarded the police boat, starting to untie the rope.

"Will do. Will do." Pope sent him an awkward salute.

"We'll be gone soon, sir." JJ told the officers.

"Yes, you will."

The officers started to drive their boat away. The four of us stare at them. They would take turns glancing over their shoulders to look at us. Once they were further away, we ran towards the edge of the boat.

"He's definitely out of air." Pope noted.

"No, shit." I bit my lip, searching the water for John B.

Someone's head popped up from the water. I jumped at the motion, causing my heart to beat erratically. The person was John B. He quickly pulled the mask up and placed it on the top of his head. John B took deep breaths of air. I let out a sigh of relief.

"There he is!" JJ pointed towards him.

"Oh, God! Jesus Christ!" Pope breathed out a chuckle. "Don't scare us like that."

"We were starting to think you ran out of air and drowned." I placed a hand over my heart to try and calm to harsh beating.

"How did it go down there?" JJ questioned.

John B gave us an okay sign, too busy trying to fill his lungs with oxygen. He started to swim towards the boat. JJ went to the end of the boat our friend was headed. The rest of us followed suit.

"Did you find anything?"

"Did I find anything?" John B breathed out with a smile, swinging a bag onto the boat.

"Yeah!" JJ beamed, grabbing the bag. John B let out a cough, the water falling from the back entering his mouth. "There we go! That's my boy!"

"Jeez."

"Dude!"

"You okay?" Kie asked.

"Yeah." John B panted, squinting an eye closed to keep water coming into his eye. "I ran out of air."

"You scared the shit out of me." Kie told him.

"You never doing that again, you idiot." I helped pulled John B up into the boat.

"Nice to know you care." He let out a huff and patted my shoulder.

"Yeah, the cops were up here, but um...took care of 'em." Pope filled him in.

"My bad." John B sat down on the floor and started to take off the gear.

"You're all good."

"Yeah," JJ spoke after Pope, "you kind of missed the show, brother."

"You guys?" Kie nudged my arm. She pointed behind us. I turned to see a boat making its way toward us. "Guys, bogey, two o'clock."

"I can't see who they are." I blocked the sun with my hand to try and see who was on the oncoming boat.

"What?" JJ looked behind us.

"Do you recognize the boat?" Pope made his way to the driver's seat.

"I've never seen it." Kie replied. "What are they doing here? The marsh is closed."

"I don't know, but let's not stick around and find out." JJ making his way to get the bowline.

"JJ, get the bowline." John B instructed.

"Yeah."

"Should we wait on them?" Pope looked to John B.

"Hell no." I shot Pope an incredulous look.

"No, we're not going to wait on them. Go get the stern." John B waved Pope off. Pope went to go do as he was told. "Go.

"Are you joking?" Kie shook her head. "JJ, hurry up."

The boat was getting closer. I stared at it, finally able to see who was on the boat. Two men. Never seen them before.

"I don't recognize them." I shook my head.

John B sat down on the drivers seat. He turned the boat on.

"Guys, don't wait for me. Go." JJ was pulling up the bowline as fast as he could.

"Let's go!" Kie shouted.

"I don't like this." John B told us.

"You and me both." I frowned, stepping closer to the group.

"Are they coming for us?" JJ glanced over his shoulder to look.

"Maybe they're fishing." Pope hoped.

"I don't think they're fishing." I said.

"Go, go, go, go!" JJ brought all of the bowline and the anchor onboard.

John B shifted the gear. Finally, our boat was moving. Slowly, but surely, we were moving. We all grouped close to John B. I kept glancing over my shoulder to keep an eye on the other boat.

"Go into the marsh." Pope suggested, pointing ahead.

"Let's go!"

"I'm going." John B snapped at Kie.

"Act natural." Pope muttered. "Act natural."

"Hey, guys, they're following us." Kie warned with wide eyes.

"Are they speeding up?" I gasped, wrapping my hand around the metal railing.

"Oh, this can't be good." Pope turned to stare at the boat.

"Shit."

"Dude. You gotta go faster." JJ told John B.

"I'm going!"

"Gun it!"

John B picked up the speed. I tightened my grip on the metal. Water was spraying at our faces. If we weren't currently in a chase, I would have enjoyed the cool water. I glanced back to see the boat still following after us. One of the men brought up a shot gun.

"Holy shit!" I cried out, using my other hand to reach over and slap JJ's arm. "They have a gun. They have a shot gun!"

A shot echoed throughout the marsh. I let out a string of curses, ducking down. Everyone else lowered themselves closer to the floor.

"What the..."

"Holy shit! Guys!" Kie's voice wavered.

"John B, get down!" JJ placed a hand on our driver and tugged him down.

Another shot was fired at us. I squeezed my eyes tightly. My shaking hands placed themselves over my head. We're dead. We're not coming out of this alive.

"We're going to die." Pope voiced my thoughts.

I pressed myself closer to the floor. My mind was racing, thoughts scattering. We're going to die unless we do something. Bang! My breathing hitched in the back of my throat.

"We need to stop them from trailing us!" I cried out.

"How?" JJ looked at me with wide eyes.

"I don't know! Something!" I dropped my hands in exasperation. "Anything to make the propellers get stuck or tangled."

"Casting net? Would that work?" Kie looked at me.

"Yeah...actually, yeah." I quickly nodded my head.

"Shit! Pope, move." Kie shot up and went towards the front of the boat.

She grabbed the casting net. When she picked it up, I noted it was still tied down. Kie fumbled with it to try and untie it. Another bullet whizzed by us.

"Get down, Kie!" John B crouched lower.

Kie finally undid the tie. She walked towards the end of the boat with the casting net in hand. I flinched at the loud bang is the gun. Kie spread out the net and threw it into the water with a grunt. The boat lurched to a stop.

"Did it work?" I slowly stood to my feet. The other boat was at a full stop. "It worked, right?"

We all stared at the two men struggling to get the boat to work. John B was putting a big distance between us and them. The man carrying the gun aimed it at us. He shot the gun. John B turned to boat to the side to avoid it.

"Kie...you did it." I let out a laugh, rushing over to hug her.

"You thought of it!" Kie wrapped her arms around me.

"Teamwork then." I let out a cheer.

"Oh my God! Whoo!" JJ hollered with a pump of his fist. John B chuckled, readjusting his cap. "Booyeah! Pogue life, baby! See you guys!"

"That was insane!" Kie looked at everyone with a grin.

A few minutes later, John B pulled the boat up near his pier. He didn't want to open the duffel bag he snatched from the wreck until we were at his place safe and sound. Pope got off first, tying it down. The rest of us followed John B in excitement.

John B sent under the part of the pier that had a small roof on top. He set the bag down, kneeling beside it. We circled around him. JJ hopped on top of the railing of the pier.

"What do you guys think it is?" Kie asked, leaning against the wooden railing.

"Gotta be money, right?"

"Imagine if it was gold?" I smacked Pope's arm in excitement.

"Doubt it." Pope crushed my dream.

"That," JJ glanced at John B with a large grin, "or a couple of keys with street value to the low- to the mid-mils."

"Can we just open the bag?" Pope exclaimed.

"Wow, Pope." John B looked at him in mild shock. He stopped mid-zip. "That's a rare outburst of emotion."

"Okay. You guys are literally killing me with anticipation." Pope quickly defended himself.

"We believe you, Pope." I shot him a wink.

"Open the bag." Pope nudged John B.

"Jeez."

"We almost died over this." Pope pointed towards the duffel bag with a scowl.

John B finally opened the duffel bag. Everyone quieted, staring in anticipation. He grabbed a smaller drawstring bag and quickly tugged away the string. John B pulled out a silver metal canister. With a quick twist, he unscrewed the top of the canister.

He peered inside. John B flipped the canister over his open palm. An antique compass fell into his hand. John B stared at it in awe. He flipped it open.

"Oh, wow." Pope was the first to make a comment. He started to pace. "Yup. That's about right. Good job, everybody. We found a compass."

"Pope." I sent him a scolding look.

Kie turned away in disappointment. JJ hopped off the railing. He placed his hands on top of his head. John B was still staring at the compass.

"What?"

"Dude, what?" JJ dropped his hands from the top of his head. "It's not worth it."

"This was my father's." John B breathed out a smile.

First episode is finally done! Phew, this chapter was a long one. Hope y'all liked it.

Rewatching this show for the third time (I know sad, huh?) but I realized how much of a character development each of the Pogues had.

Who's you're fave character from the show?

I have a huge soft spot for JJ, but I would have to say John B