"Bali, get over here!" JJ called as he watched Bali lean over the side of the ferry, "What are you doing?"

"Look for dolphins." she said back with a odd look, taking his hand as he helped her up into the back of the truck.

"My parents are so paranoid of me being a Pogue, like it's the worst thing that could ever happen." Kie huffed in disbelief, sitting on the opposite side of the truck as she nudged Bali's foot, "Wasn't your mom a pogue?"

"Yeah, and she's more judgmental toward you guys then my Kook ass dad." Bali explained as she fished through her bag, "Love my dad."

"I love you dad too." JJ agreed, "But hey, I heard they got good weed at boarding school, though."

"I'm not going to boarding school." Kie scoffed as she shook her head, "They're gonna to kidnap me, tie me up, and throw me in a van."

"I know how to hog tie someone. Want me to hog tie them?" Bali suggested as she pulled her phone out.

"I don't even wanna know how you know how to do that." Kie shook her head, "Did you find your phone?"

"No, dad bought me a new one." Bali shook her head, her old phone still missing from when she lost it a few days ago.

"Well, I say... we cram some herbs in right now." JJ spoke as he held the joint out to Kie, making her take it quickly.

"Hey, Kie, have you tried to hit John B back on the number yet?" Pope spoke up in questioning, looking her way.

"Like twenty million times." she said back.

"That's quite a few times." JJ gave a giggle, fixing his hat that had been on Bals head, "Don't let that fly off, Bal."

Bali hummed, leaning on the side of his leg from where he sat above her.

"Some random lady at a hotel keeps answering." Kie shook her head as she blew smoke out of her mouth.

"Well, until we hear from them again, we gotta try and clear his name." Pope confirmed with a small sigh.

"Oh, I thought we were just on the ferry for no reason." Bali nodded as Pope gave her a look of disbelief, "Thank you for the clarification, Pope."

"What were you and Topper talking about?" JJ asked her, turning his head to blow the smoke far from her face.

"Nothing really. He just misses Sarah and all his friends are being kinda assholes." Bali shrugged as she stretched her legs out infront of her, "I didn't tell him anything."

"Right now this letter is our best shot." Pope spoke up to bring the pair back to the bigger issue.

"Right, stay on task." JJ spoke with a hum, "Thats why I love ya, Pope."

Kie stood up and held the joint his way, "What Pope are you gonna be today?"

Pope gave a moment of hesitation, "I'm good. I'm gonna try and focus."

"Good Pope." Kie confirmed, "Boring Pope."

Bali rolled her eyes as she got off the truck.

"I'll take that." JJ said as he took the joint from Kie, "Roll over, boy."

"Bal." Pope said as he turned to her, "You good?"

"Yup." she said back, heading over toward the end of the Ferry to lean over the edge again, searching for dolphins.

"Guys, I've read this thing like a thousand times. It makes no sense." Kie spoke, riding in the middle as Pope drove, "I mean, the Limbreys own like half of Charleston. What do the Kook kings of Charleston know about a murder on Kildare Island?"

"Why you specifically? That's the other creepy thing." JJ pointed out as he looked down at the envelope.

"Maybe someone from kildare said something." Bali shrugged her shoulders, "Like they know them or something."

The truck began to suddenly smoke, the gas stuttering. Pope groaned, "Oh, come on."

"Pull over. That's a lot of smoke, even for your dads truck." Kie said fast as Pope pulled over quickly.

"It's like at the football games." Bali coughed as she tried to waft it out of her face.

"Pope, I got sensitive lungs, man." JJ announced with a loud cough. Bali removed the bandana around her backpack and held it to JJ's mouth.

"No, no, no." Pope panicked as he got out.

"It's gonna blow up!" Kie announced as she unbuckled quickly.

"It's not gonna blow up. You probably unhooked the radiator, Pope." JJ said as he crawled out after Bali did, "I haven't seen this before. You knocked the entire hubcap off! You might wanna reschedule your meeting tonight, Pope."

"Plan B, we could, public transport." Kie suggested.

"Better for the environment." Bali nodded her head in agreement.

"We could hitchhike. Ride bikes." Kie went on in hopes of making the situation better.

"Yeah, it's the radiator." JJ concluded as he leaned in the hood. Bali rubbed his back as she leaned on him, "Aw, hi Bal."

"My dads gonna kill me." Pope panicked.

"He might." JJ nodded.

"I know a guy out here." Bali said with a sudden gasp, "I took a trip here with my dad. His motorcycle cycle broke down and we took it to him. I've got his number."

"You sure this guy is super legit?" JJ asked as he found Bali out behind the small shop, looking out at the water, "Pope is gonna freak if it's not better by morning."

"He helped us out last time." Bali nodded as she turned to him, "Where is Pope and Kie?"

"Having a moment." JJ waved behind him as he reached for her hand. Bali took it as she began walking closer toward the water, "So, I was thinking."

"About what?" Bali asked, swinging their hands as they walked.

"I wanna go to that family thing with you." JJ spoke as Bali blinked, "The one you invited me to."

"I thought you said you didn't want to because it's not really your crowd?" Bali asked him with a odd look, though she couldn't hide the wide smile on her face.

"Yeah, but, you're kinda my crowd so.." he grinned, nudging her, "I'm just not use to things like this yet."

"My Kook family?" Bali asked with a nod.

"No, just being so open with you." JJ corrected her as they stopped inform of the water, turning to the other, "I keep feeling like we still need to sneak around or something."

Bali nodded her head, "Me too. But, I like it."

"Me too." JJ grinned, pulling her in so her arms went around his waist, "You kinda scared me the other night."

"I know." she whispered, listening to his heart, "Sometimes my head just does this weird thing and I start thinking really crazy and just get really upset."

"I thought it was me." JJ said honestly, "Like you want to break up and it scared the shit outta me."

"No, that's not it. It's never you." Bali shook her head at him, "I don't want us to break up."

"Me neither, duh. Like, that would be so stupid and pointless." JJ shook his head with a laugh.

"Yeah, I mean, I don't wanna live in my beach house unless you're there." Bali agreed with a crazy look, "And it's not like I'm ever gonna want someone else."

"Yeah, like who else would I want?" JJ was next. They were both speaking quickly, bouncing off each other's words nearly immediately as they felt it built up in their chest.

"Right, totally, because you're super perfect for me and I couldn't even see myself with anyone else." Bali nodded quickly, the words on the tip of her tongue.

"Exactly, exactly. Who else would I wanna spend every day with? You're the only one." JJ hummed, knee bouncing anxiously.

"Thats exactly what i'm saying. Like, I wake up every single morning and immediately feel happy because I get to see you." she said back, placing her hands on his knees with a snort.

"Yeah, it's even better now that I get to see you drool everywhere in the mornings now." the blonde spoke, placing his hands on her hands.

"Yeah, and your horrible morning breath." Bali laughed at him as she nodded quickly, "But it doesn't even bother me because you mean literally everything to me and I love you so much."

Finally, the tension building over their words finally broke as she finally said it. JJ smiled widely, because he knew it was coming but he wanted her to say it.

"I love you so much too, Bal." he grinned softly over at her, lacing their hands as he held her eye contact, "You're so good for me, you know?"

"I mean, you make me feel like a completely different person and that's all I wanted before I found you." Bali nodded as her eyes glistened within love and adoration, "I love you, JJ."

"I love you too." he giggled, leaning over and kissing her on the lips. Bali held his face when he did so, holding their kiss as JJ pulled her in by the waist.

•

kylie speaks

literally the ceo
of healthy relationships,
i adore them so much bro
i could sob.