"What is happening?" Bali asked as she jumped into the truck, JJ taking off immediately, "Did they try and kill you, Pope?"

"It's a long story but they definitely aren't good people." he explained, holding on tight as JJ drove, "Turn right! Turn right!"

As he did, the truck nearly collided with two figured, making them run out of the way.

"Was that a dog on that guy head?" Bali asked in disbelief with wide eyes, holding onto the door tightly as JJ swerved.

"Get out the road!" the blonde boy shouted out the window, "That was evasive driving technique right there, y'all. Are you impressed, Bal?"

"Yes." she said back, making Kie look at her in disbelief, "No."

"Where are we going?" Pope asked, looking at Renfield as he followed not too far behind. JJ turned into a alley, the truck starting to smoke suddenly and slow down.

"I knew I should have brought my nunchucks." Bali spoke as she hoped out of the car.

"Why do you have nunchucks?" Kie asked in disbelief, following out with her.

"It was a present for my fifteenth birthday." Bali said back, grabbing her bag of books.

"You said he fixed the carburetor!" JJ explained Popes way, "Bal, I thought he was the real deal?"

"He was!" she rose her hands in defense.

"What now, Mario?" Kie asked him.

"Number one rule. Never trust mechanics!" the Maybank boy panicked as Renfield pulled up behind them, "We gotta go around."

Bali encouraged him to run before her, following close behind while Pope and Kie did the same.

"Guys, I think he had a gun!" Kie yelled as she jogged close behind quickly.

"Get down." JJ yelled as they ducked.

"This way." Bali spoke, grabbing the back of JJ's shirt and pulling him down the alley, Pope and Kie close after.

"Where are we going?" Kie shouted up toward Bali.

"He's not gonna shot at us with a bunch of people around!" Bali explained as they sprinted down the side walk, Bali and JJ colliding with the delivery man as his boxes went everywhere, "Oh my- we're sorry, Delivery Man!"

"Sorry about that!" JJ called over his shoulder, running close to Bali as she lead them down yet another small alley, "Bal, it would be nice to know where we're going now?"

"Into town, it's rig-" Bali began as they ran out of the alley, gasping as she nearly collide with a electric bike, "Sor-"

She stopped when her eyes met Sarah Cameron's, a spread of chills running across her body as her eyes went wide. John B was with her, smiles spreading across their faces as it felt as though time was paused for a second.

"Get in! Get in!" John B explained quickly as Kie jumped into the back with Sarah.

"Sar." Bali smiled, sitting in her lap.

"Bal." Sarah grinned as she hugged her tightly, "I missed you so much."

Bali laughed, holding onto her best friend as if she was seconds from loosing her again. Bali didn't let go, keeping her arms around Sarah's shoulders as John B began to peddle and JJ and Pope pushing from the back.

"He's behind us!" JJ yelled, making it up the small hill before jumping in.

"See ya later, alligator!" John B called over his shoulder as he peddled, having it come easy on him because they were going down hill. Bali let go of Sarah to lean forward, leaning over John B's shoulder and kissing him on the cheek, "It's good to see you, Bal."

"Thanks for taking care of her." Bali said to him, "It's good to see you too."

Catching up on the boat was the best time any of them have had in the time they spent apart. They spent the whole night talking, floating from Charleston back to OBX. Sarah walked toward Bali near the front of the boat when the sun began to rise, "What are you doing up here?"

"Look." Bali said, waiting a second until the fish jumped from a few feet away. Sarah laughed as Bali cracked a grin, "Sarah?"

"Yeah?" the blonde asked, looking over at her.

"I really, really though I lost you." Bali admitted, her voice broke slightly as here eyes watered.

Sarah gave a sad look, swinging a arm around her, "Not me. You couldn't loose me."

"I don't ever want that to happen again." Bali spoke as she laid her head onto her shoulder. The situation felt all too familiar. It reminded Bali of when she woke up in the hospital after she over dosed, Sarah there and immediately panicking and saying how she thought she'd lost her. Bali never knew what she was feeling until Shoupe said that they'd lost her out in the storm.

"It won't." Sarah promised, keeping her close under her arm the whole time.

"Anyone else starving? We need to grab some sort of breakfast." JJ spoke up as John B drove the boat the the closest dock.

"What I would do for some garlic dip right now." Bali said as she stood up, taking JJ's hat off and putting it backwards on his head. JJ grinned up at her, holding his hand out and helping her off the boat.

"We're gonna find some food." Sarah promised as she went after Bal, Kie next.

"Wow, you good?" Sarah asked when Bali got tangled in a vine, "Did that vine just wrap around you?"

"Magic." Bali said, untangling it around her, "I'd kill for some AC right now. As privileged as that sounds."

"And a shower." Sarah said honestly, "Your outdoor shower, the water pressure ugh, I miss."

"Jackpot!" Kie yelled, hoisting a watermelon into the air.

"Wait, do you wanna know a secret to this?" Bali asked, walking over and taking it from her, "A drug dealer taught me this, stand back."

"Oh god." Kie mumbled as she backed up with Sarah.

"Fire in the hole!" Bali yelled, chunking the water melon onto the ground.

"Bali!" Kie explained as the watermelon hit the ground, "Did it break?"

"Did it break?" Bali scoffed, mocking her words and she lifted the watermelon and showed the crack down the middle, "What I tell you?"

"If there is one good thing to learn from a drug dealer." Sarah laughed as she helped pull the rest of it in half, the three sitting down with a long sigh, tearing into it.

"Do you remember when my dad said if we swallowed the seeds that watermelon would grow in our guts?" Bali asked Sarah with a laugh, "Why were we that gullible?"

"Because we were seven." Sarah laughed, putting a piece in her mouth, "And your dad is an incredible liar."

"You really got married?" Kie asked Sarah with a raise of her brows.

"It wasn't exactly legal but yeah." Sarah flushed.

"I can't believe you. All those wedding planning nights down the drain." Bali shook her head, whipping the juice off her mouth, "Though, back then John B wasn't who you were getting married to. I recall it being Zac Efron."

"At least I didn't wanna get married to your dads boss like you." Sarah defended herself.

"Your dads boss?" Kie asked in disbelief.

"He was a handsome business man." Bali rose her hands in defense.

"Am I crazy or is there definitely something going on with you and Pope?" Sarah rose her eyebrows toward Kie.

"Maybe." Kie gave a smirk, putting another piece of watermelon into her mouth.

"That's not a no." Sarah teased.

"It's not a no." Kie agreed, avoiding eye contact as she grinned.

"And you!" Sarah explained as she turned, pushing Bali off the small log, "How could you keep JJ a secret from me?"

"Ow!" Bali explained from where she was on the ground.

"A whole year too." Kie added in, "She deserved that."

"Hello? Explain." Sarah said, throwing a chunk of watermelon at her face as it landed on her forehead.

"We just weren't sure back then." Bali explained with a shrug, taking the water melon off her head, "Plus, if my mom found out back then it would have been a disaster and by the time things were normal, you road off into a tropical storm."

"That was a horrible excuse but i'll let it slide." Sarah waved her off, "At least he isn't a business man that is twice your age."

"That's true. Unless he is living another life and undercover." Bali explained, getting up on a log.

"So your first crush ever was a man twice your age?" Kie asked, holding back her laugh.

"Oh no, my very first crush was Rafe. Grade one, age seven." Bali explained with a shake of her head, "I was convinced we were gonna get married but then he pushed me off the diving board in the back yard and I couldn't swim. Hated him after that until eight years later."

"Sounds like him." Kie snorted.

"He shot me in the Bahamas." Sarah said suddenly as their eyes turned her way, "Rafe. I saw him and my dad, then he shot me aiming for John B."

•

kylie speaks

babies, my favorite
platonic soulmates
omfg. so happy to have
them back!