"See any water?" Kie questioned when they got down into the cellar.

Bali creeped up on JJ slowly before touching his shoulders, "Boo!"

"Son of a-" JJ began loudly in a panic before he was shhed by John B and Pope quickly, "Jesus christ, Bali, what is your problem?"

Bali laughed as pulled her hair up with her bandana, "You're so easy, JJ, so easy."

"Another dead end?" Kie aimed her attitude filled question John B's way.

"There's not even any water on the pipes."

"There's no water here." Pope confirmed. Bali's figure was hidden so well behind JJ's, she took the risk of kissing his shoulder quickly and quietly.

"Know why we didn't find it?" Kie asked with a raise of her eyebrows, "Bad karma."

"Oh, god. Here we go." John B said in disbelief.

"You know, we had a good thing going. And then you decide to rope in Barbie, and now the trails gone dry." she stated in disbelief, getting right in John B's face, "Coincidence? Probably not."

"This is exactly why I didn't wanna tell you about Sarah." John B spoke with a annoyed expression across his face, "What the hells the deal with you two? Your cool with JJ bringing in Bali."

"I just suggested her, not bring." JJ corrected him.

"Nothing, we all like Bali." Kie defended herself quickly.

"Nothing? Is it because I kissed you? Is that the problem?" John B narrowed his eyes at her, earning a slap in the face.

"Damn, felt that one." Bali said with wide eyes.

"Oh!"

"Oh, shit!"

"That echoed."

"Stop treating me like i'm some girl that's obsessed with you instead of your best friend who's actually trying to look out for you." Kie threatened John B over the boys.

"Did you, ugh, hit me?" John B asked her with a raise of his eyebrows.

Kie held up her hand, "Skeeter."

"Skeeter?" John B asked her in disbelief, slapping her back.

"Ugh, John B, excuse you." Bali said in disbelief.

"Oh, hey." JJ was right behind her.

"All right, all right." Pope agreed with the pair.

"Where's your proof?" she asked him with a flare of her nostrils. John B held his hand up and showed the small blood mark of the mosquito.

Kie hit his arm, "Yeah? There was probably one right there."

"There's one right there." John B teased her right back, hitting her shoulder.

"Shh, shh." Pope shhed the pair quickly.

"Today is the day you die."

"It's your funeral."

"There's one right there."

"You see this?"

"You know how this ends."

"Why are there so many mosquitos in a basement?" Pope asked as he slapped every inch of his body.

"Flys go to dead bodies, JJ, if you were about to ask." Bali cut it when she saw his mouth open.

"That wasn't what I was gonna ask." he said after a second.

"Oh yeah? What were you gonna ask?" she asked with a disbelief look, "Go on, tell me."

"I was gonna ask..." JJ trialed off as his mind raced, "What your Onlyfans was and how to qualify for a discount."

"JJ, shut up." Kie called over to him across the basement.

"We were all thinking it." he defended himself.

"Discounts would only go to people that i'd mack on." Bali said as she gave JJ a frown, "Sorry, JJ, you've gotta pay full price."

"Woah, really, Bal? That one hurt." JJ spoke as he put a hand on his heart.

Pope began throwing wood quickly, grabbing the fours attention as John B shhed him, but was ignored.

"Oh shit, those mosquitoes have rabies." Bali said with wide eyes.

"Help me move this." the Hayward boy said as he looked at John B quickly, "Help me move this."

"Okay, just... quiet." John B said, passing Bali his flashlight as they moved one of the boards on the floor. Bali shined John B's flashlight down the dark path, staring down at the long well.

"Well, well, well." Pope made the pun.

"My coordinates are never wrong." Bali said confidently.

"They build this part of the house right over it." Kie spoke out loud as she looked down into the well.

"This is where she hid the bodies." JJ said as he looked at each of them.

"Oh, dude, come on." Pope nudged him.

"No effing way!" Kie yelled in disbelief as she paced the porch, Sarah joining them not too long ago, "You brought her here? So what? She's in on this now?"

There was a silence over the porch before John B spoke up, "When Bali got involved-"

"Bali's my friend, she isn't." Kie said as she looked at Sarah.

"I'm sorry but why do you keep bringing my name up instead of just owning up to you wanting to involve Sarah?" Bali asked John B with a raise of her eyebrows, "It's a genuine question."

"Because it's pretty much the same situation." John B said back as he motioned between the two.

"Egh, not really." JJ pointed out.

"It's completely different." Kie snapped right back with a harsh glare.

"Look, all I care about is her cut comes out of your share." JJ stated as he pointed toward Sarah.

"You know, I don't remember taking a vote." Kie said in disbelief John B's way, "We votes for Bali, didnt we? We, as pogues, all agreed on Bal. Non of us agreed to her, just you. This is our thing. A Pogue thing."

"I gotta say, i'm just a tad uncomfortable with all of this." Pope spoke up, taking Kie's side.

"Thank you!" Kie waved her hand his way.

"When are you not?" John B asked in disbelief.

"I dunno. I rode here on the back of JJ's bike pretty comfortably." Pope said back with wide eyes, nodding toward JJ on his right.

"It's true. Most relaxed i've ever seen him." JJ hummed in response.

"Thanks for having my back, by the way." Sarah stated as she looked over at Bali.

"What do you want me to say? It's not my mission, I just do coordinates." Bali said as she rose her hands in her own defense.

"Oh, I don't know, take my side maybe." Sarah said back with a look or disbelief.

"Aye, don't put her in the middle of it." JJ stood up for Bali quickly.

"You know we were all extremely comfortable until you brought her." Kie went on as she looked at John B again.

"Stop talking about me like i'm not here!" Sarah spoke fast and annoyed toward Kie.

"Then leave." the taller girl stated.

Sarah scoffed as she looked at John B, "I told you."

"Told him what, exactly? That you're a liar?" Kie asked her with a questionable look.

"No, that you're a shit-talking bitch." Sarah snapped at her fast. JJ and Pope made a similar sound of shock. The trio pulled their spare change from their pockets.

"When have I ever lied to you?"

"You get somebody close to you-"

"I didn't lie about shit!"

"Everybody shut up!" John B yelled over the pair as he stood up quickly, "Kie, you are my best friend, right? And Sarah, you're.."

"Oh no, this is gonna be uncomfortable." Bali mumbled as she tapped her foot.

"Say it." Sarah said softly his way.

"You're my girlfriend." John B said back, soft eyes and not breaking contact.

"Woah, the big G." Bali said with wide eyes.

"Thats new." Pope hummed.

"She's your girlfriend now?" Kie asked in disbelief with a laugh, crossing her arms, "What was all that talk about you were just using her for information?"

"You said that?" Bali asked John B in disbelief, "You're a ass."

"Put your money on her, Pope." JJ said over toward his friend.

"You said you were using me?" Sarah asked John B with a slightly hurt look.

"No." John B stated.

"Yeah, you did."

"Look, love just walked in, okay?" John B spoke up to cut them all off once again, "I didn't expect it. It just-it kind of happened. And i'm not gonna deny it. Right?"

"That's corny." Pope stated.

"I wrote a romance novel and that was even too much for me, John B." Bali said honestly with a nod of her head.

"Why do you have so much to say?" John B asked Bali with a questionable look, "You were literally the same situation."

"Dude, it was literally nothing at all similar to this." Pope defended Bali with a odd look.

"Sure as hell hope no one said they were using me either." Bali crossed her arms as she stood up.

"JJ involved you just like I involved-" John B began before Kie cut in.

"Bali saved our asses from getting caught and literally lead us to the gold way quicker then you or anyone else could have." Kie defended her with a harsh glare, "So kept her name out of your mouth."

"Sarah got us the map, we wouldn't have the coordinates without that." John B defended the blonde.

"Dude, just drop it." JJ said cooley.

"Why can't you just defend your girlfriend without putting me down in the process?" Bali asked him with a glare, clearly getting more worked up then she needed to.

"JJ said you could help us, you did, and now you're involved. It's literally the same thing." John B kept on, going back and forth from looking at Sarah to Bali.

"Yeah, well, JJ wasn't macking on Bali in the process." Pope defended the pair, almost expecting them to agree but neither did. Thankfully, no one questioned it.

"She-" John B began.

"Im out of here, you're being such a dick." Bali said as she grabbed her sandals and looked at John B, "If you didn't want me involved so bad you should have just said something."

"Bal, I didn't mean it like that." John B sighed as she began walking off the porch, "Cmon, you know I wanted you to be involved!"

"So then stop hanging it over my head every chance you get just because you can't grow a pair and stand up for Sarah without pointing out that no one threw a fit when I joined!" Bali yelled back at him before she began storming off toward the docks were her jet ski was.

"Bal! Bal, wait! Bali! Baby, chill, slow down." JJ chased after her, though she'd been walking quickly, "I know you're mad right now-"

"JJ, I really just don't want to talk about it right now." Bali said as she climbed onto her jet ski, "Can we talk later?"

"No, we can't. I just want you to know that all I did was say you could be a big help for us, thats it. They did the rest, I didn't involve you because our thing or anything." JJ explained out of breath as he looked down at her, "You know that right?"

Bali looked up at him, "I know. But i'm tired of him acting like that's what happened."

"I know, and i'm gonna say something." JJ nodded quickly at her words, "I just wanted to check on you before you go all speed demon on me."

Bali cracked a smile as she flicked his ankle from down in the water, "You're a good friend, JJ."

He gave a offended look and placed a hand on his heart, "Damn, a year of hooking up and you just friend zoned me."

"What? Do you want me to call you my boyfriend even though literally no one knows that we're together?" Bali laughed as she started the jet ski.

"Well, no, that would be weird. But I don't want you to not call me your boyfriend either." he explained, getting a crazy look, "Ugh, you know what I mean."

"Do I?" Bali asked with a raise of her eyebrows, "When i'm on vacation and guys hit on me I always tell them my boyfriends name is JJ."

"That's perfect, that's what I meant. See, you knew." JJ said as he pulled his hat off, leaning down to put it on her head, "I'll pick you up in a few hours?"

"See ya, beach bum." Bali said with a final salute before driving off into the water.

•

kylie speaks

ohhh sweet little
pope, if only you knew
that they 200% were
macking.