"WHY'RE YOU SITTING AT HOME ON THE FLOOR,
WHAT KIND OF PILLS ARE YOU ON?"
- harry styles, as it was

"Shut up." John B groaned, Pope shaking his head rapidly and turning back to the group.

"No, no, guys, I'm serious. There's like a boat down there." He said, sounding half anxious at the thought of him and his friends practically sitting on top of a shipwreck.

"What?" Kiara mumbled, she and John B getting up and looking over the edge of the HMS Pogue, Pope turning and pointing down into the water.

"It's a boat!" He exclaimed. JJ hasn't moved from his spot next to Avery, keeping the makeshift ice pack held on the spot of the Decker's back that was already starting to bruise from the impact. Internally, he was blaming himself for the girl's injury. He had tried the trick before and it had never worked, why he would try it after a hurricane when all the channels were messed up was beyond him, and he felt like an idiot.

"Holy shit, he's right." Kiara said suddenly, Avery lifting her head at the Carrera's words, but JJ grabbed her wrist gently, the brunette turning her head to her friend.

"If you're hurt, you shouldn't go." He mumbled as Kiara and John B were already pulling their bathing suit covers off and jumping into the water, Avery shaking her head and shrugging JJ off her.

"I'm fine." She breathed, already unbuttoning her shorts as JJ gave her a questioning look, Avery only giving him a small smile. The Maybank nodded, jumping in the water himself. Avery followed close behind, but Pope was seemingly struggling with where to put his hat.

"Get your ass in here, Pope!" JJ yelled, he and Avery already treading over to where John B and Kiara were hovering above the sunken boat.

"I'm crippled and moving faster than you, let's go!" Avery shouted, Avery cannonballing into the water about ten feet away from the other pogues, everyone inhaling and swimming down towards the boat. Avery noticed how close JJ was sticking to her as they paddled closer to the bottom of the marsh, the boat slowly coming into view in the murky water.

Avery looked over the boat, which she almost immediately recognized as a Grady-White. The only issue was, she had never seen the boat on the island. She had been boat-scouting with JJ and John B on Figure Eight before, looking at the Catamarans, mega-yachts, and racing boats owned by the rich, all of which were things JJ and John B had only dreams of owning, and she had never seen a Grady-White on the island.

The group all looked around at each other, everyone paddling to the surface, gasping for breath as soon as their heads went above the water. Just as soon as they could breathe again, JJ and John B were laughing gleefully at the sight they had seen on the ocean floor.

"You saw that, right?" JJ asked happily, looking between John B and Avery. "That's a Grady-White, a new one of those is like, five hundred G's, easy."

JJ and John B were the first to pull themselves back into the boat. JJ immediately leaned over the side, grabbing Avery's arm and practically pulling the decker back on board, the bruising on her back only becoming more and more noticeable as time went on, making the blonde grimace.

"Yeah, that's the boat I saw when I surfed the surge." John B said casually, Avery and Kiara immediately turning to look at him.

"You surfed the surge?" Kiara confirmed.

"You didn't invite me?" Avery questioned further, eyebrows raised in offense at the lack of notice the Routledge boy had given her that he was partaking in something so thrilling.

"That's my boy, Pogue style." JJ said, practically beaming with pride as he thumped John B on the shoulder.

"Do we know whose boat that is?" Pope asked, Avery's eyes trailing over to the stern, the girl opening the lid on the anchor holder.

"Not yet, but we can find out." She said casually. what she didn't expect was for JJ's previous chillax demeanor he had had with John B only moments prior to almost immediately dissolve at Avery's suggestion.

"Absolutely not." He deadpanned, but Avery was already standing on the edge of the bow, her eyebrows sewn together in a look of confusion.

"What do you mean no?" She asked. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, I'm not gonna drown."

"Avery, you're hurt." JJ pressed, the Decker rolling her eyes.

"It's barely a scratch, see?" She insisted, but upon turning her back to the Pogues was greeted with exclamations of disgust at the yellow and purple hues that were painting her back, the girl turning back to them with an annoyed look in her face.

"Avery, he's right." John B said, face still contorted into a look of disgust as he appeared to be attempting to give himself a mental power wash. "Not only does that bruise look nasty, but you could actually be hurt."

"I was literally just swimming, I'll be fine." Avery said nonchalantly, taking another step towards the edge of the boat.

"Avery Richelle-" JJ started, but she had already jumped off the boat. Immediately, the weight of the anchor pulled the brunette to the bottom of the ocean, her feet hitting muddy sand as she dropped the piece of metal, treading the water over to the Grady-White nestled on the sea floor.

Her feet kicked up the grains of sand under her feet as Avery gently kicked off the ground to push herself forward into the boat. Upon looking under the steering console, Avery felt the cold metal of a key slip into her fingers. The Decker was quick to grab it, pulling herself out of the boat and paddling to the surface, gasping for air as soon as she broke the surface.

"Took you long enough." JJ grumbled as Avery paddled over to the boat, taking the Maybank's hand and letting him pull her onto the boat.

"Did you find anything?" John B asked, avery holding up the key on a yellow tag.

"A motel key." She breathed, sitting down on the bow and reaching into her cooler, surprised that JJ had brought water, but still not protesting.

"A key?" Pope asked.

"No, Pope, my grandfather's ashes- yes, a key." Avery deadpanned, taking a drink from her water bottle. "I figured being the intellectual you are, you'd put two and two together and realize we can find out whose boat that is when we go to the room."

"Guys, we should report that wreck to the Coast Guard. Maybe we'll get a finders fee!" Kiara exclaimed as John B revved the boat out of the marsh.

"Yeah, and not work all summer!" JJ added. "Thanks, Agatha, ya batch!"

"What'd they say?" Avery asked. She had waited at the boat with Pope and Kiara while JJ and John B went to try and talk to the Coast Guard, but the two were returning with solemn looking faces.

"They wouldn't even talk to us- check out this sweet pen I stole for you!" JJ exclaimed, reaching into his pocket and grabbing the small blue and white piece of plastic and holding it out to Avery, the Decker giggling a little at the gesture.

"They were worried about this lady and her diabetic dog." John B said bluntly.

"So what im hearing is we're going to that motel." Avery deadpanned.

"I'm in." JJ said flatly, holding his hand up and looking at Avery, the girl tossing the key to the Maybank.

"Come on, we'll be lookout!" Kiara exclaimed to Pope.

"You have got to start living a little!" Avery told Pope exasperatedly, following JJ towards the HMS Pogue, Kiara and John B right behind her.

"Finders fee." John B reminded his friend. "And, hey, at least you'll only be an accomplice."

"Man..." Pope trailed off, but still followed after his friends as they climbed back onto the boat.

"Come on, Bubba." John B taunted.

"This is real adventurous for you, Poppyseed." Avery added to John B's mocking, Pope rolling his eyes at his brunette friend as she leaned against the console of the boat.

"Oh, shove it." He mumbled, knocking Avery gently on the shoulder, the Decker smirking at him and she reached into her bag that was tucked behind Kiara's cooler, reaching in and grabbing a packet of gum, taking a couple of sticks out, holding the packet towards JJ who grabbed one of the silver-wrapped sticks.

"Thanks." He mumbled, putting the blue sugar-coated substance in his mouth and looking to see if Kiara was watching before tossing his wrapper into the water, Avery stifling a laugh at the Maybank's antics, but she still wasn't surprised, none the less.

"So are we gonna go to this motel or not?" John B asked, JJ talking the key out of his pocket and passing it to Avery, who looked at the worn out logo on the yellow tag.

"Never been." she said bluntly, passing the key over to John B.

"I have." He replied in the same tone, pocketing the key and starting the boat again. "Also, can you buy me some gas tonight?" He asked Avery, the Decker rolling her eyes dramatically, but smiling at her friend.

"I guess." She said, snapping her gum and leaning over towards JJ. "Damn freeloaders."

"This place looks like the crack house down the street." Avery deadpanned as she looked at the motel in front of them. The roof had multiple tarps on it that were close to falling off, trees and debris scattered across the ground. It looked like the damage on the rest of island, but multiplied by about ten times.

"I thought the chateau looked bad." JJ added bluntly.

"This place is a shitshow." John B stated as the boat cruised closer to the motel.

"Motel or meth lab?" Kiara asked from behind Avery.

"You be the judge." Pope mumbled.

"This looks like the type of place I'd be mugged." Avery said nonchalantly.

"Doesn't look like the type of place someone with a Grady-White would stay." John B added.

"No, looks like the type of place someone with a Grady-White would get killed." Pope replied seriously.

"Helpful, thank you." Avery whispered, JJ stepping up onto the bow again. "Don't ry doing party tricks again, I can't survive that fall again."

JJ flipped the Decker off before turning back towards the shore, opening the hold in the stern. "This is your captain speaking, HMS Pogue coming in for landing." He spoke into his shoulder like a walkie talkie again, whooping loudly and jumping off the boat when it hit the shore, tying the bowline off.

"We good?" John B called.

"Yeah, we're good!" JJ replied, John B passing the key to Avery who followed him off the boat to where JJ was standing.

"Hey!" Pope called, Avery and John B turning to him, but Pope was looking at Avery. "Don't let them do anything stupid."

"Oh, we won't." JJ assured calmly.

"I can't promise you anything." Avery replied, shrugging.

"Yeah, I know." Pope mumbled. Kiara walked up to John B, grabbing his arm.

"Be careful." She said, smiling at him. John B smiled back, muttering something under his breath. Avery and JJ looked between each other, the trio starting towards the motel.

"What's with all these mattresses?" John B asked, looking around the motel at the mattresses leaned against pillars and the railings of the second floor.

"After hurricane they have to ditch 'em cause they're all moldy." JJ explained shortly.

"How do you remember that and not my birthday?" Avery asked, JJ shrugging.

"I read it in a book somewhere." He mumbled, John B raising his eyebrows at him as they started up the set of stairs to the second floor of the motel.

"That's a lie." He said bluntly, Avery smiling at JJ's offended demeanor.

"What, you think I don't read?" He scoffed.

"I know you don't read." Avery deadpanned. JJ seemed over the conversation being negative towards him, so he shifted to be walking behind John B, massaging the boy's shoulders.

"Just be so careful, John B." He slurred, Avery stifling a laugh at JJ's antics, John B leaning his head back and rolling his eyes, clearly annoyed. "Dude, what was that all about?"

"I don't know, maybe she wants us to be careful?" John B suggested.

"Eversince she heard you being threatened with exile, she's just been like- be so careful John B." JJ said, massaging John B's shoulders again while doing a horrible imitation of Kiara. "Just give me that John D already- like when are you gonna swoop on that?"

"Never say that again." Avery said, attempting to be serious but laughing as she said it.

"Agreed." John B replied disgustingly. "And you know the rule, no Pogue-on-Pogue macking."

"So what am I supposed to do? Date Rafe?" Avery asked, gagging as she said it.

"Besides, you're the one who's always hitting on her!" John B exclaimed to JJ.

"Yeah, and? I hit on Avery too." He said, the Decker nodding.

"It's true." she mumbled.

"And of course I'm hitting on them, they're both super hot, rich, hippie chicks slumming with us." JJ said before he could even process that Avery was right there. All three of them stopped, Avery and John B slowly turning to JJ, jaws agape.

"Pardon?" Avery asked, eyebrows raised. JJ's cheeks were turning pinker by the second, the Maybank boy looking between his friends with wide eyes. "Wanna run that by me again?"

"I- uh- I-" JJ stuttered, John B looking between the two with a wide smile and his eyebrows raised.

"Well well well." He said bluntly, starting to walk down the walkway to the motel, turning momentarily back to JJ and Avery. "I'll give you guys a minute."

Avery turned to JJ, a smirk painting her face as she looked up at him.

"Ave, I-"

"Don't." She stopped him, looking the blonde up and down. "I've never thought you were bad yourself."

JJ's jaw fell slightly, Avery motioning for him to follow her to where John B was leaned against the wall by a motel door.

"This us?" Avery asked.

"Two -twenty nine." He said, grinning from ear to ear as he looked between JJ and Avery.

"Dude, don't even." JJ groaned, John B shrugging as though he didn't understand what JJ was saying.

"I can't just be happy?" He asked obliviously, JJ rolling his eyes and stepping up to the door, knocking on it rhythmically, John B nodding his head a little to the beat JJ had made when knocking on the wood.

"Housekeeping!" JJ exclaimed in a high-pitched voice, Avery rolling her eyes. She pulled the key out of her pocket, unlocking the door and holding it open.

"Ladies first." She said shortly, motioning for JJ and John B to step through the door, John B flipping her off as he walked past the Decker, who pulled the key out of the lock and stepped inside the motel, shutting the door behind her and locking it again.

"Where the hell did that come from?" Avery asked John B, who was holding up a flashlight. JJ had one too. "Why don't I get a flashlight?"

"Use your phone." John B gritted, Avery rolling her eyes and taking her phone out of her pocket, turning the flashlight on and shining it around the room.

"I found a jacket!" JJ exclaimed. "no name on the jacket- it's a nice jacket though."

"Definitely over fifty, he's got New Balances." John B said dryly, holding up one of the sneakers he had found in a duffel bag."

"You find anything?" JJ asked Avery.

"Nope." She replied, popping the 'p' loudly as she reached into the drawer of a bedside table. "Scratch that, I found a Bible."

"We're looking for personal possessions." John B mumbled annoyedly.

"Y'all don't wanna hear about-"

"I've had one too many missionaries at my door this week, don't even." JJ cut the Decker off abruptly, Avery's shoulders sagging as she set the book back in the drawer, shutting it with her foot.

"Coffee." John B commented in a fake British accent as he shined his flashlight on the dresser in front of the bed.

"Standard." JJ replied in the same accent. "Tissues, for when-"

"Stop talking." Avery cut him off, JJnodding abruptly and walking into the bathroom, Avery hearing him "ooh" in excitement after a few seconds.

"You find something?" She asked.

"Yeah, a really nice Dopp kit you guys won't let me steal." JJ replied bitterly.

"Yeah, because we're not stealing shit." John B deadpanned. JJ walked out of the bathroom a couple moments later, walking over to another bedside table Avery hadn't looked at.

"Hey, check this out." JJ said, pointing at the coordinates on a map laying across the table. "Maybe this is where they were fishing?"

"It's ff the continental shelf." John B said simply. "It's a big swell, no one fishes there."

"Dumbass." Avery mumbled, not missing the glare JJ shot her. John B was currently bent down in front of the dresser, punching random buttons on a safe.

"Look at Stephen Hawking over here go!" Avery praised sarcastically.

"One- one- one... two!" John B mumbled under his breath, the light flashing red as the safe door jammed.

"Punching shit at random, that'll definitely work." JJ said sarcastically. John B stood up suddenly, walking over to the map and grabbing a sticky note that Avery hadn't even noticed. He went back to the safe while JJ continued to ponder over what the coordinates could be. John B punched the numbers into the safe, Avery leaning down next to him and resting her hands on her knees as John B pulled the safe door open, revealing a black handgun, multiple stacks of cash, and a yellow envelope.

"Holy shit." she whispered, staring at the blueish-green bills stacked side by side around the safe, practically lining the sides of it.

"Uh... JJ?" John B called, the Maybank turning back to where he and Avery were still staring into the safe. "You're onna want to see this."

John B held up a wad of the cash, which was enough to make JJ bolt over to the safe, shoving John B out of the way to look inside. As soon as he saw it and before Avery could stop him, his hand was wrapped around the handle of the black gun.

"Dude, dude, dude!" JJ exclaimed giddily.

"I hope you know we have to take that now that he's touched it." Avery told John B, who was currently trying to wrestle the gun out of JJ's hands.

"Put the gun down!" John B gritted.

"This is a 'Sig Sauer' dude!" jj exclaimed happily. "this is a 'Spendy Gatt', bro!" He added, before pretending to fire the gun like he was on an episode of Criminal Minds.

"We are not stealing anything." John B gritted.

"We have to take the money and the gun now that you guys have practically covered them in your prints." Avery said bluntly, grabbing a couple of the tissues from the box on top of the dresser and running some water on them, ringing them out and wiping down the front of the safe. She took a couple more, using them to dry the surface and went back to the bathroom, tossing all of them into the toilet and flushing it.

"Just take a picture of me." JJ pleaded with John B.

"You want us to take a picture of you?" John B confirmed. "Are you trying to make our own incriminating evidence?"

JJ, who was previously posed with the gun for John B to take his picture, let his arms fall to his sides. Something hit the window that was above the bedside table.

"What was that?" JJ asked, Avery using her index finger to push one of the blinds down only to see Kiara and Pope jumping up and down on the other side. She pulled them open, yanking the window open as well and sticking her head out. However, the two immediately motioned for her to be quiet and pointed at the other window.

"What is it?" JJ asked.

"Check the other window." Avery whispered, John B looking through the blinds.

"Cops." He whispered. JJ almost immediately tried to run for the bathroom, but Avery grabbed him by the arm, clamping her free hand over his mouth.

"They'll heck the bathroom, go out the window." She whisper-shouted, nodding her head towards the window she had opened. John B climbed out first, followed by JJ who held a hand out for avery to help her through. John B shut the window behind her, the trio moving to climb down, but the door to the motel room shut.

"Shit." JJ whispered, attempting to press himself against the wall, but he and Avery's feet were tangled.

"JJ!" Avery whisper-shouted, attempting to step to the side. Her foot hit the slanted part of the ledge, twisting and causing her to lose her balance. Her thighs slid across shingles as she slid off the edge of the roof, biting back the scream of pain she wanted to let out as she hit the dirt below the edge.

Avery quickly scrambled away from the ledge, giving a very concerned JJ and John B a thumbs up as Pope ran over, looping an arm under Avery's shoulders and pulling her to her feet, blood running down the back of her leg where she had scraped it across the shingles.

"You just can't catch a break today." The Heyward breathed as he helped Avery into the boat, the girl limping on her twisted ankle.

"I'm also hanging out with walking disaster magnets." Avery breathed, gritting her teeth in pain.

As if on cue, a loud noise behind her made Avery turn. JJ and John B had pressed themselves closer to the wall, Shoupe looking both ways through the window before pulling the blinds again, he and a female deputy Avery had never seen before walking out the door of the motel room.

JJ and John B climbed down from the ledge, JJ picking something up before running over to the boat where Avery had one of her white towels pressed against the back of her thigh, having accepted the fact it would have to be thrown away when she got home.

"Are you okay?" JJ asked, clearly panicked as he looked avery over.

"I'm fine." she gritted.

"Your ankle's swelling." John B told her bluntly, Avery looking down at her foot to see that her ankle had, in fact, began to swell.

"Well, shit." She deadpanned. "Guess that isn't good."

"Avery, you need to see a doctor." Pope deadpanned, Avery shaking her head.

"Just make me another ice pack, I'll be fine." She told JJ, who inhaled deeply, chewing on his bottom lip as he walked over to Avery's cooler where her other towel was still folded. He made her another ice pack while John B, Kiara, and Pope all started a conversation.

"Put your foot up here." JJ mumbled to Avery, pulling the cooler over and propping Avery's leg onto it. He untied the laces of her shoe, pulling it off so she just had her sock on, and put the makeshift ice pack on top of her swollen ankle.

"Thanks." Avery whispered to JJ, who's eyes were filled with guilt when he turned to the Decker. "JJ, it's not your fault."

"No, it is." He said firmly. "Both times you got hurt today are my fault."

"JJ, I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time." Avery assured, but JJ shook his head.

"No, Ave, you weren't. I was-"

"JJ." Avery said firmly, the Maybank looking up at her with anxious eyes. "It's ot your fault."

"But you still got hurt." He mumbled, moving the ice pack to the other side of Avery's ankle.

"I'll survive." She whispered, smiling at him reassuringly. "Please don't beat yourself up over this, I'll be fine in a couple days, if even that."

JJ didn't say anything, just wordlessly sat down and moved across the floor of the boat so he was sitting next to Avery's chair, leaning his head against the cushion Avery was sitting on.

kens speaks 🪐

me and avery 🤝 falling bc of random shit

anywho this is the last update of 2023 unless i get hella motivation and write tidal tonight.

i cannot go into the new year without giving a shoutout to harringtonssss

mara's book summertime sadness was one of the best obx fics i had read and i left a ton of comments on. her name has made many appearances in my books, and is even the name of two of my ocs in 'waves' and 'tidal'

we send tiktoks to each other, rant abt obx, send spoilers for upcoming chapters, hate on characters together, and she's the reason multiple of my books exist

so thank you to mara for being one of, if not my favorite person on this app. i can't wait to see what 2024 brings for our random rants and events we make into cannon.

also she has a book up that is our favorite comments and quotes from our books this year, definitely go read it, we're pretty funny.