MARLBORO NIGHTS [JJ MAYBANK]

holy handgun

"YOU GUYS SAW THAT?"

JJ had that wild look in his eyes again, a grin stretched across his mouth as they pumped their arms and legs to stay afloat. They had just swam down to inspect the sunken boat, and found something pretty interesting. The boys were laughing, and Karolina honestly just couldn't believe it. "That was a Grady-White!" exclaimed JJ as they all began to make their way back to the HMS Pogue. "A new one of those is like 500 Gs, easy."

JJ was still reeling as they all clambered back inside. "That's a primo rig."

John B looked at Pope, nodding. "That's the boat I saw when I surfed the surge. Maybe it hit the jetty or something." Karolina perked, looking up from where she squeezed the water from her hair. "You guys surfed the surge? Without me?" John B gave her a sorry smile, and JJ clapped his shoulder, "That's my boy. Pogue style."

Kiara scowled, though, muttering under her breath as John B stood. "Wait, wait, do we even know whose boat that is?" questioned Pope, squinting into the sun that shined over JJ's shoulders. Karolina swung her legs back over the edge, setting her feet flat on the boat's bottom, as John B opened up a hatch. "No, but we're about to find out." JJ was the one to frown now: "Dude, its too deep."

"Oh, for the weak and feeble, JJ." John B produced a small anchor with a rope tied in a loop to the top. The blonde boy snorted. "Well, I'm not resuscitating you. I'm just making that clear up front," he promised, crossing his arms. Karolina stepped up next to them, watching as John B readied the mechanism. "As if you could. Singing Stayin' Alive while doing CPR only works if you sing it right," she jeered, crossing her arms in the same manner.

"Thats fine," chirped JB, hooking the rope around his neck. Kiara looked concerned; Pope gave him a fake salute. "Diver down, fool."

"Diver down."

"Yeah he is," JJ laughed, pushing John B into the water. Kiara glared at him. "Really JJ?"

JJ shrugged with a grin and they all kneeled at the edge of the boat, peering over where their friend disappeared into the murky water. John B was gone a long time, longer than should've been humanly possible. "Should we go get him?" Pope asked, glancing at his friends nervously.

Not a second later, John B emerged, coughing water from his nose. Karolina gave a sigh of relied, subconsciously touching JJ's shoulder, as Kiara groaned, "Oh my God, that took forever." Pope placed a hand over his heart: "Ah, jeez... Any dead bodies?"

"Looting potential?" called JJ. John be shook the wet hair from his eyes. "No, no..." He held up a little metal object, with a yellow tag hanging from it. "I found this motel key."

"A key." Pope looked disappointed, as they all did. JJ heaved the anchor back onto the deck, grunting, "Great, we salvaged a motel key."

"Guys, we should report the wreck to the coast guard," Kie said, once John B had gotten back on and the boat was zooming away across the water. Karolina nodded in agreement, sliding her denim shorts up her legs once she was finally dry enough to get them on. "She's right, maybe we'll get a finder's fee."

JJ shook a fist in the air. "Yeah, and not work all summer. Thanks, Agatha, ya batch."

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The coast guard's tent was packed with concerned citizens asking about the power, looking for lost pets, anything imaginable as aftermath of the hurricane. Pope, Kiara, and Karolina opted for waiting outside while JJ and John B tried to report the boat and emerged unsuccessful. "That went well," grumbled Pope, sticking his hands in his pockets, "So what's the plan?"