Faded Heart

XXIII. Waves

Following along with the mission was difficult to begin with, but doing so while you're drinking your impending sorrows away was even harder. Being stuck on the boat with three other girls was not my ideal day, but the mission relied on the four of us working out our issues once and for all.

Ashtyn and I did our best to pretend like we weren't getting sacrificed into the elaborate plan that John B and JJ concocted. Both of us were sporting a beer in our hands while we waited for the moment when Pope convinced Kiara to meet us at the boat. Until then, the two of us were taking turns hanging John B and JJ tools from time to time while they pretended to fix the boat. Although it was a ploy to distract Kiara, it just seemed like a way for the boys to make us do something useful for them.

"Is Kie really going to buy into the fact that we're standing here holding tools for the boys?" I ask the brunette girl standing next to me as I reach down to hand JJ another tool which I didn't know the name for. In a real situation I would be telling JJ to get the tools himself. "This seems like something we wouldn't do."

"That's why I've got a beer in my other hand..." Ashtyn mumbles, glancing down at the hatch that Sarah is being kept in. The first part of the plan required the four of us locking her in the hatch while we waited for Kiara. "Should I like... get her some water? She's been awfully quiet in the last ten minutes..."

"I think she'd probably enjoy that beer more than water right now." I sighed, motioning towards the beer in her hand. If Sarah was anything like me, she'd need as much alcohol to get through the day.

Ashtyn nodded, "Yeah, but you and I are going to need all the help we can get to keep our impending headaches at bay."

"Yeah. If I'm going to have to listen to those two argue about their old friendship, I should at least have a buzz while doing it." I agree, reaching down to the cooler to grab another beer and opening it with ease. I wasn't much of a morning drinker, but at this rate I needed it to get through the night.

"Tonight's going to be a shit show..." Ashtyn scoffs, crossing her arms at the thought of all the fighting that we're going to have to go through tonight. Tonight definitely was going to be a shit show, there wasn't any denying that.

"Can't you both be at least a little positive about this?" John groans, leaning against the wood shirtless. I could tell by the look on my friend's face that she was enjoying watching her shirtless boyfriend work on the boat. I don't blame her, if I wasn't so anxious about what was to come I'd probably be paying more attention to my own boyfriend, who was also shirtless.

"Easy for you to say when you're leaving us here to solve your problems. This is going to be a war zone... just wait and see." I reply, shaking my head at the two of them before taking a gulp out of my very bitter beer.

"That's why the weed is going to come in handy." JJ says, looking up at me from the floor while he continues to work on the boat. Like me, the boy seemed preoccupied with other things and didn't really pay too much attention to me this morning. I wish he'd just spend a little more time focusing on me rather than other things, but a girl could only dream of all the attention from their boyfriend.

"I need to start keeping track of how many times you say weed cause I swear... it's been said like thirty times in the last hour." Ashtyn replies, letting out a slight laugh at the mention of the millions of times JJ has mentioned weed in the last two days. It was just another substance I needed at the moment.

Suddenly from the front of the boat, Sarah begins to bang on the door, "Will you just let me out of here?" She yells, continuing to try and make her way out of the hatch.

"Sorry, no can do, Sarah." JJ shouts back, standing up and leaning against the entryway next to me. His bare shoulder brushes against mine, both of us sharing another glance. That's all that has been going on between the two of us today.