▶️ High School Lover - Cayucas

S H O O T  Y O U R  S H O T

The next morning, the crew was out at the Château's pier. Pope and JJ were checking the drone's camera footage while the rest of us were under water. John B was swiping his finger against his teeth in front of the drone. He gave two thumbs up before he got out of the way for Kie. She waved at the camera.

I swam by and did the "whatever major loser" sign on my forehead that I learned from Camp Rock. When I felt like I was running out of air, I kicked my legs to go toward the surface.  Kie and John B followed not long after me. I took an inhale of air when I broke the surface. Pope and JJ were looking out toward us, talking about something.

"Technically, it's not a drone." Pope was telling JJ. "It's an ROV."

"Shut up. Shut up," JJ glanced over his shoulder to look at Pope, "it's too early for that right now."

I started to swim towards the metal ladder connected to the pier. Grabbing hold of one of the steps, I started to climb it. Water started to drip down my body, the heat from the sun taking away the coolness the water had provided me. JJ let out a whistle and a wink. I shook my head and stepped onto the pier. JJ chucked a towel my way.

"Thanks." I gave him a nod and wrapped the towel around my shoulders.

"Hey, once we get the footage of the wreck, we'll bring it to a lawyer in town and file a formal claim." John B stated.

"That's such bullshit. Why do we have to do that?" JJ asked, leaning against the wooden railing.

"Well, there is maritime salvage law." Pope walked closer to the railing. "You can't just go to the ocean floor and scoop a bunch of stuff up."

"I forgot about that." I blinked, towel drying my hair.

"I know, I know. It's just lawyers aren't cheap, bro." JJ told John B.

"As soon as they see the footage, they'll work for a comp." John B explained.

"How do you know all of that?" Kie questioned, shaking her head.

"'Cause my dad said it, like, a million times."

"Yeah, that's fair." Kie swam towards the ladder.

"The tether is, like, really long." Pope told us. Kie started to climb the ladder. "In the wrong weather, it could get pushed around."

"Then we'll go at dead calm." John B said.

Thunder rumbled from the distance. I looked towards the distance to see the darkening sky out towards the ocean.

"At slack tide?" Kie stopped climbing the ladder.

"So now, we just gotta wait around for the right weather." Pope  stared at the storm brewing. "And today is not the day."

🌊

Pope, JJ, and I were on the Heyward's boat. Mr. Heyward needed help passing out groceries, so Pope roped JJ and I in. With a sigh, I lowered my sunglasses from the top of my head to the cover my eyes. There was a table that we have been placing the grocery bags on top of on the boat.

"You guys get these groceries over to Figure Eight." Mr. Heyward handed me four bags of groceries from the dock. I pulled a face, grabbing the bags from him. "Nina, wear a happy face when you give those to them. They're like sharks, if they see you're havin' attitude they'll attack."

"Happy face." I gave him a fake grin.

"Get straight back here when you're done." Mr. Heyward shook his head at me with a chuckle. He grabbed some more bags and passed them to Pope. I walked over to the table and set the bags down. "No fishin'."

"Damn." I breathed out.

Mr. Heyward grabbed some more grocery bags. JJ bit back a smirk. He gave me a nudge before walking closer to the edge to get groceries from Pope's dad. JJ held out his arms, waiting to grab more bags.

"I promised delivery by this afternoon. Rich folks don't wanna wait for you lazy sons of..." Mr. Heyward turned to see JJ patiently waiting for the bags. A smile grew on his lips as he gave the bags to JJ. "Aw, JJ, thank you...sons of bitches."

"Right." Pope muttered. "Let's go."

Mr. Heyward gave us a nod before he went back to his store. Pope went to start the boat, leaving JJ and I to make sure the bags are heavy enough to stay still. It wasn't long until we were driving our way to Figure Eight. The three of us were inside the port cabin. We see finally pulling into the part of Figure Eight.

I looked out to check the damage of the upper class. The houses were in tip top shape. There were no loose shingles laying in their grass. There were no branches and trees thrown throughout their yard. If anything, their properties look cleaner than before. I scoffed at the sight. This is so unfair.

"It doesn't even look like the storm hit there." Pope frowned.

"That's because they got generators, bro. Get used to it." JJ played with a fishing knife, twirling it in between his fingers. He glanced over his shoulder to stare at one of the houses. "And then they say the juice will be out all summer at the Cut."

"The joy of being rich, huh?" I grumbled,  crossing my arms.

"Lucky bastards." JJ added. He took off his sunglasses and bit at the temples. "So, how exactly is this going to work?"

"I'll drop you guys off at a dock. While you guys go do a round, I'll go to another dock and do my run. Sound good?" Pope told us.

"Yeah. Who's up first?" I asked.

"Uh, I think it's the Harringtons." Pope adjusted just cap.

"Alright. I'll do the first one." I started to head to the table.

"You're not going alone." JJ scoffed.

"What? I thought we were all doing runs?" I turned to look at the boys with furrowed brows.

"We are, but you're not going alone to a Kook's den." JJ shook his head.

"I'll be fine." I rolled my eyes at them.

"It's better to be safe, than sorry. You either go with JJ or I. Otherwise, you're staying in this boat." Pope crossed his arms, perking a brow.

"Are we seriously doing this right now? I can handle spoiled rich Kooks." I grabbed a bag.

"Nina, honestly, it's safer if you go with one of us. That way we can protect you." JJ stated.

"But-"

"Go with JJ." Pope fought a sly smirk. I narrowed my eyes at him. "That way you two can keep each other in check."

"Wait, are you saying she's keeping an eye on me?" JJ pointed to me.

"Yup! You two can talk things out." Pope hinted.

"I can't believe- I, Pope!" I huffed out.

"Here's the first stop. I'll be back to pick you guys up." Pope beamed, taking out a piece of paper. He handed to me. "There's the address. Oh, and uh, this is so payback from the other night."

Pope patted my shoulder before going towards JJ. The former was whispering to JJ. It seemed like pep talk...or a warning of what not to do to the Kooks. I sighed, and hopped onto the pier. Pope and JJ handed me some of the grocery bags.

"Just wait for me here if you guys finish before me. The Harringtons may have you go inside to stock up. Either way, be nice." Pope informed us.

"Got it."

"We're not children." JJ rolled his eyes and he jumped onto the pier with some bags. "We won't mess this up."

"See you guys in a bit." Pope saluted with a smirk.

"Alright, let's get this over with." I grumbled.

Pope drove off. The both of us started to walk down the pier. Whoever the Harringtons are, they asked for a lot of food. At the end of the pier was a white two story house. Two big oak trees were in the backyard with a hammock strung.

"Holy shit. Look at this place." JJ gaped at the view.

"Is-is that a water fountain?" I breathed out in shock. The three tier water fountain seemed to have fish in bottom tier. At the top was a statue of an angel playing a harp. "They're living your Kook dream life."

"They get generators, they get to be rich, they have the law wrapped around their blinged pinky. Yet, we're dealing with all of this life crap." JJ grumbled.

"Let's just finish this run." I sighed, as we walked around the house to the front door.

Talk it out.

Pope's words popped into my head. I mentally scoffed at him. Easier said then done. One things I've noticed since Kie and Pope found out about my crush, was that I was starting to be awkward around him. Now more than ever.

Make your move.

I was starting to feel as if Pope and Kie had planned this. Wouldn't surprise me if they had. If anything, they were the ones meddling in my love life.

"You've been quiet." JJ told me.

"I don't know what you're talking about? I've talked this entire time." I stepped onto the stone foot path that led to the front door.

"Yeah, but you're not starting the conversation. You're just jumping in. What's wrong?" JJ paused in front of me.

"Nothings wrong." I lied.

"Nina, don't bullshit me. Seriously, why have you been acting weird." JJ raised a brow.

"Can we not talk about this right now?" I muttered under my breath.

I stepped around JJ and made my way into the porch. JJ grumbled incoherently as he walked up the steps. He wore a scowl. I quickly knocked on the door to keep myself from spilling my guts to JJ. Butterflies started to flutter in my stomach.

"Don't forget to your wear your happy face." I poked JJ's cheek.

"Happy." JJ gave me a sarcastic smile.

"More genuine, please."

"You're not wearing yours." JJ shot back.

"I am, too. See?" I plastered a fake smile onto my face.

"That's not a happy face." JJ scoffed.

"Okay, you know what..." I trailed off when Kie's advice popped into my mind.

"What?" JJ furrowed his brows. Biting my lip, I debated if I should go for it. My stomach did a flip as my palms started to sweat. "Nina?"

I took a deep breath in and went for it. JJ froze in shock when my lips pecked his. I quickly pulled away, turning my face away to hide the redness of my cheeks. From the corner of my eye, I could see a smile grow on JJ's lips.

"Hello?" The front door swung open. JJ and I turned to see a women in her late 50's. She smiled at us. "Oh! You must be from Heyward. Come in, come in."

"Uh, thank you." I cleared my throat. I exchanged a look with JJ. "You have a beautiful home, Mrs. Harrington."

"Please, call me Dawn." She waved us in.

"Where do you want us to set this?" JJ asked.

"Oh, the counter in the kitchen is fine. My husband, Steve, can put them up." Dawn flicked her wrist.

"You sure? We can put them up if you want." I told her.

"I'm sure, sweetheart. You two lovebirds can follow me." Dawn sent us a sly smile and walked down a hallway.

"Do you think she saw the kiss?" I blushed.

"She better pay up for the show." JJ muttered towards me, quickly following after the older woman.

"JJ!"

We followed after Dawn down a hallway. It held picture frames and newspaper clippings from when she was younger. One of the bigger frames had a teenage Dawn in the middle of two teenage boys. The one of the right appeared to be a sibling or a relative. The end of the hallway led to a white kitchen.

"Do you want any drinks to go?" Dawn went to her fridge.

"No ma'am, we're good." I gave her a soft smile.

"What type of drinks do you have?" JJ set the bags on the island counter.

"Sodas and water." Dawn told him.

"Soda sounds great." JJ gave her a grin. Dawn grabbed two cans of Dr. Pepper and hands them to us. "Was kind of expecting Coke, but this will do. Thanks."

"JJ." I gave him a look. "Thank you, Dawn."

"No problem, sweetheart. Never really liked Coke after they remade it. My husband and I stay away from it." Dawn walked over to us.

"Alright...well, we better go. We have other runs to do. Thanks for the cool beverage." JJ held up his drink.

"Wait, before you go." Dawn stepped toward the island where her purse was. She opened it and pulled something out. "Here."

"Oh, we're good. We-we don't need-"

"Take the money. I insist." Dawn handed us a bill that was folded. "The hurricane did some damage to the island. Use it wisely."

"Thank you." JJ told her, unfolding the bill. His eyes almost bulged out of his head. "Are you serious? Dawn...this is a hundred bucks!"

"What? We can't take this." I unfolded my cash to see the same thing.

"Take it. I'm rich as it is, it won't dent my bank. Besides, you two deserve it." Dawn patted out shoulders.

"We just brought you groceries." JJ gaped.

"In the hot sun after a hurricane hit our island not too long ago. Go on now, I'm sure you're other customers need their groceries too. Have a good day."

JJ and I were speechless. We gave her a wave before we walked out of her house. As we made it to the pier, that's when it hit us. We each got a hundred dollars.

"Oh my gosh...a hundred bucks." I chuckled out, a grin growing on my face.

I hugged JJ out of pure joy. He wrapped his arms around my waist and twirled. I let out a laugh.

"A hundred bucks, baby!" JJ glanced down at my lips. "You know, you still owe me that non-drunk kiss."

"I kissed you earlier." I bit my lip.

"That doesn't count." JJ smirked.

"Then shut up and kiss me if you really want it." I raised a brow.

He really wanted it. JJ crashed his lips against mine. The softness of his lips surprised me. With the heat, mine were chapped and most likely sunburned. Insecurity started to creep into my mind. He probably doesn't want to kiss me anymore.

JJ pulled me closer to him. He rested a hand in my hip. Our chests were pressed together as I parted my lips in surprise. My hands trailed to the nape of his neck to play with his blonde hair.

"Um, Pope's probably waiting for us." I pulled away, panting for air.

"He can wait a little longer." JJ murmured against my lips.

Our lips connected once again. The feeling of pure bliss and butterflies fluttering in my stomach was something I could get used to.

"We better go." I breathed out.

"Yeah." JJ nodded with a grin.

We slowly pulled apart from each other. It was as if the first kiss triggered a magnetic force between us. I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear as we walked. A familiar boat pulled up at the end of the pier.

"Pope! Dude, you are not going to believe what just happened to us, man!" JJ yelled as we ran down the pier with giant grins. "Whoo! That was the best one hundred bucks I've ever made!"

JJ and I got on the fishing boat. Pope was quiet as he started to drive the boat. He was started blankly ahead. I frowned. He would have gotten excited for us.

"When I say count me in on all these grocery deliveries, Pope, I mean it." JJ sat down in the chair next to our friend. "What's up with you? Bro, you good?"

"Pope? Everything go okay for you? Did something happen?" I stepped towards him in concern.

"Yo, what happened to your face, dude?" JJ stood up from his seat and made his way to Pope.

He gently pulled Pope's cap up to reveal a cut and a developing bruise on Pope's temple. I gasped in shock. Pope quickly tugged the cap down. He turned to face us, revealing another bruise at the corner of his mouth.

"Jesus! What happened?"

"Rafe and Topper jumped me. They said no Pogues on their side of the island." Pope told us.

"Shit, Pope." I ran a hand through my hair. I went to go look for the first aid kit. "Did you clean it properly?"

"I'm fine, Nina." Pope told me.

"No, you're not!" I turned back around to face him. Pope and JJ blinked in surprise. "You're hurt. Fucking Rafe and Topper beat you, Pope. That's not okay!"

Pope stated silent. He fixed his gaze back towards the water. I let out a shaky breath to try and control my emotions.

"What you gonna do?" JJ asked with a clenched jaw.

Pope looked at us with a scowl. Anger was flashing in his eyes. I've never seen Pope react like this. He's usually the level headed one from us. A few minutes later, we were a little ways from Topper's fancy boat.

"2020 Malibu, 24-MXC. The world's finest wakesetter. Number one in quality, luxury, and performance." Pope glared at the boat.

"This is war, Pope. They hit us, we hit them." JJ stated.

Pope started to unbutton his shirt and took it off. He wasn't thinking straight. Anger, humiliation, and revenge was clouding his judgment. I knew he was going to regret this later. JJ pulled up his bandana to cover most of his face.

"Pope, think this through. This can affect your scholarship." I warned him.

"He's fine. Security cameras aren't working and they're not here." JJ said. "Let's do it."

"Pope." I grabbed his arm.

"What, Nina? I'm tired of being pushed around by the Kooks. I'm doing this." Pope yanked his arm from my grasp.

He dove into the water. JJ slipped on his sunglasses and kept an eye out for our friend. Pope resurfaced about half way towards the other boat. He swam the rest of the way to the boat. When Pope climbed aboard Topper's boat, JJ started to set up the metal ladder for Pope to climb after he was finished.

"This is so stupid." I pinched my lower lip anxiously.

"He'll be fine." JJ picked up Pope's shirt and tossed it at me. "Cover your face."

"I thought there wasn't any cameras?" I looked at him with wide eyes.

"It's Kook territory. Better safe than sorry." JJ shrugged.

I sighed, using the shirt to hover in front of my face. I was mostly using it to protect me from the sun's heat. It wasn't long until Pope came back. He climbed the ladder and held up the plug from Topper's boat.

"Wow, you did it." JJ beamed, lowering his bandana from his face. He took off his sunglasses and hung them from the front of his shirt. "I am so proud of you right now."

"Well, I'm not." I remarked, crossing my arms.

"Ignore her." JJ flicked his wrist at me.

"Holy crap." Pope stepped onto the boat. "JJ? Nina?

"Yeah?"

"What?"

"You can't tell anybody." Pope shook his head. "Nina? No one."

"Fine. Wasn't going to anyways." I grumbled.

"Oh, no, yeah. Totally, dude." JJ nodded.

"No, I'm serious, dude. Not Kie, not John B, nobody." Pope told us.

"Yup, my lips are sealed." JJ held up his hands. He reached for the plug. "Give me that. Give me that."

JJ walked to the edge of the boat and threw the plug out into the water. Pope jogged to the driver's seat. I sighed, shaking my head. I'm friends with idiots.

"Okay! Let's get out of here."

Once everything was calmed down and we were finished with the run Mr. Heyward wanted us to do, we went to the beach. We were dressed in our swimming gear and surfboards in hand. The three of us were supposed to meet Kie and John B at our spot at the beach to surf almost thirty minutes ago. The two were already in the water, sitting on their boards. The three of us started to run towards them.

"Hey! Save some waves for us!" JJ called out.

"Hey! Where you've been?" Kie asked.

"Been helping Pope's dad. Took longer than expected." I shrugged, running into the water.

I laid on my board and paddled towards the bigger waves. Once a wave was coming, I hopped on top. The wave rose as I twisted my hips to move the board. I rode the wave, my board on top of it. 

We continued to surf for about two hours. Once we were tired and hungry, we went to the Château. I had prepared a quick meal cut of veggies, some hummus, and chips. John B decided to make tuna salad to go along with it. We ate outside on the hammocks. The sun has gone down by the time we finished eating.

"You really think it's out there? Like no bullshit." Pope questioned.

"My father thought it was." John B stated.

"But do you?"

"After heading his voice on that tape...I think I do." John B replied to Pope.

"Only one way to find out." Pope and John B did a handshake.

"The Royal Merchant is out there somewhere." I placed my hands under my head. The stars were slowly starting to come out. "Someone's gotta find it eventually."

"We're gonna find it. Even JJ believes." Kie spoke up, letting out a yawn.

"Oh, my God, JJ, do you really believe?" John B retorted.

"Totally." JJ responded. "Wait. Are we talking about four mil?"

"Four hundred mil." Both Pope and Kie told him.

"Jinx." Kie muttered, a smile growing on her lips.

"I'm gonna dream about shipwrecks." JJ adjusted his head on the hammock before he closed his eyes. "Goodnight, Bird."

"Good night, bird shit."

Did you guys catch the Easter eggs from my other fanfic Whats's Your Damage? 😏

So...they kissed. What do you guys think about that?