CHAPTER FIFTEEN: YOU'RE A SHIT-TALKING BITCH

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"no effing way!" kie shouted. john b had brought kook princess here to our meeting.

"this is gonna go well," i whispered up to jj as my head rested on his lap, and he played with my hair.

"you brought her here? so what? she's in on this now?" kie raged, watching as her enemy was let in on the pogue's secret treausure hunt. john b looked at us, looking for some kind of reassurance.

"i dunno," pope shrugged, wanting to stay out of it. i remained silent, wanting to do the same.

"look, all i care about is her cut comes out of your share," jj pointed to them.

"maybe while we're at it, we should combine yours and elsie's," john b retaliated.

"what the hell, john b? i'm a fucking pogue here too. when it comes to this, jj and i are not a 2 for 1 deal. how dumb are you?" i snapped, earning a surprised glance from my boyfriend and the other boys at my assertiveness.

"you know, i don't remember taking a vote," kie mentioned, "this is our thing. a pogue thing." i gotta admit, kie was being a bit harsh. i don't know what sarah did that was so bad, but perhaps she should cut her a break?

"i gotta say, i'm just a tad uncomfortable with all of this," pope spoke up.

"thank you!"

"when are you not uncomfortable?" john b got all defensive.

"i don't know. i rode here on the back of jj's bike pretty comfortably," he stood up for himself.

"it's true. most relaxed i've ever seen him," jj admitted, causing me to let out a light chuckle.

"that's cute guys," john b mumbled sassily. he was really the asshole in this situation.

"you know, we were all extremely comfortable until you brought her," kie said.

"stop talking about me like i'm not here!" sarah then snapped, causing my head to look in their direction as opposed to up at the ceiling.

"then leave," kie blurted.

"i told you," sarah turned to john b and scoffed.

"told him what, exactly. that you're a liar?" kie interrogated the blonde girl.

"no, that you're a shit-talking bitch," sarah replied nastily. i felt jj reach in his pocket and pull out money to place a bet with pope.

"my money's on kie," jj spoke lowly so that only the three of us could hear.

"yeah, kie's got that rage. sarah's just got daddy's money," i giggled, jj agreeing with me.

"everybody shut up!" john b yelled, causing us all to go quiet, "kie, you are my best friend, right? and sarah.... you're.... you're my......" he paused.

"say it," sarah mouthed.

"you're my girlfriend," he stated simply, causing all of us to eye each other.

"oh, that's new," pope let out.

"she's your girlfriend now? what was all that talk about, you were just using her for information? get a map, cut her loose." kie brought up. oh shit.

"you said you were using me?" sarah asked quietly.

"no," he responded.

"yeah, you did. you did say those things."

"john b, i may not be best friends with her or anything like that," i sat up from jj's lap, "but i told you this before. girls don't like being used, doesn't matter who they are. okay?"

"thanks, elsie," sarah smiled slightly, her appreciating what i said. believe me, kie was my best friend and i was going to stand by her, but i felt bad for sarah. it wasn't her fault she was dragged into this.

"look, love just walked in, okay?" john b tried to reason as i readjusted my position so i was sitting, my legs on jj's lap, and my head against his chest so i could hear his heartbeat. he wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me in.

"oh, vomit," kie gave a disgusted look at john b.

"i didn't expect it. it just kind of happened. and i'm not gonna deny it. right?" he explained.

"please never act like that," i whispered to jj as we heard john b's nasty statement.

pope's face turned to a sour expression, "oh, that's corny."

"look, cut the bullshit john b. if she's in, i'm out," kie decided.

john b looked away, "kie, i'm not doing this! i can't!" she wanted him to choose between his best friend and sarah, his girlfriend apparently. i could tell this was tearing her apart.

"i'm very interested actually, me or her?"

"both," john b replied simply.

"ooh."

"went for the hail mary," jj whistled as kie stormed out, pissed off.

"it'll be cool right?" sarah turned to john b, "i'm gonna leave. gonna let y'all chat. let me know."

"i'd just like to say, you handled that beautifully," jj announced.

"j, don't lie to him. john b, this is on you," i huffed, frustrated with the entire thing.

-

-

"what'd she say?" john b threw pope a water bottle as he came back from talking with kie.

he stopped in his tracks, "that you're an idiot."

"it's a no-brainer, you're picking kie," jj grabbed two beers out of the fridge and handed me one.

"is that even a question?" i responded, accepting the beer jj gave me.

"look, i can't make a decision," john b countered.

"so what? we're just dead in the water because you're pussy-whipped? we can't do this without kie, and you know it," jj threw the beer cap.

"and i can't do it without sarah. okay? they both have to be in on it," john b shrugged.

"good luck with that jb. i know kie, and i know for a fact that she isn't going to change her mind," i sat down in between jj and pope.

"you know what? i know this is my fault, alright?" the brunette hopped off of the counter, "but it's our problem. i've got a plan, and you shitheads are gonna help me out."

-

-

"hell no!" the tone of my voice raised at john b's proposal to us. "your plan is great, john b, but there is one flaw. i am not going on a boat with kiara and sarah. i'm not the one who has issues with them."

"elsie, you're a girl too. you might need to be the mediator," he replied.

"dude, i'm not like them!" i tried convincing him, becoming infuriated, "i'm the tough one, remember?"

"you've gotta help."

"well listen closely john booker routledge," my petite figure got closer to him as i placed an accusing finger on his chest,"if you continue to imply that i'm going on that boat with them, i'll tell kiara about the whole thing. then, your plan will go up in flames."

"okay, elsie!" he backed away, slightly intimidated, "whatever."

-

-

"what happened?" kiara asked jj, john b, and i, who were pretending to fix some non-existent issue with the boat. this was all a part of our plan.

"uh, the alternator's not alternating anymore," jj answered, fiddling with the screwdriver.

"it's not charged."

"did you check the plugs?" kie questioned.

"uh, no, no. you should check em," jj handed kiara the tools as all stood up and moved out of her way.

"yeah, give it a whirl," john b added as we gave her some space.

"you guys are useless."

"sorry about that. come on, come on!" john b signaled as we all dove off of the boat quickly. i winced at the pain of my foot coming into contact with the water, but nonetheless, i persisted until i reached the boat that the boys were getting on to.

"are you serious?" sarah screamed, having been let out of the small compartment.

"get your asses back here!"

"we can't- not until you two figure it out," john b yelled back as the boys and i snickered. jj grabbed my hand and helped pull me out of the water. he put me down as my brow furrowed, my foot throbbing.

"you okay angel?" he held me steady.

"yeah," i smiled cheerfully, not wanting to be a bother.

"i will kill every single one of you!" kiara shouted once again.

"y-you can't just leave!"

"there's food in the cabin, and jj rolled a blunt!" pope enthusiastically said.

"hydroponic!" the blonde boy added.

"guys, look. blondie's gonna try and swim to us," i took notice of sarah taking off her clothes that were covering her bathing suit.

"wait!" sarah carefully got into the water.

"godspeed!" pope exclaimed.

"john b, you asshole!" sarah attempted to swim towards us.

"love you guys, bye!"

"thank you for not leaving me on that boat with those two," i said to john b.

"no problem," he simply responded.

"you think this is gonna work?" pope inquired.

"i hope so."

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{1468 words}
okay so i finally have an uploading schedule with this book🙈 i'll be posting a chapter around this time every other night!!
ally