{ LIVING THE POGUE LIFE }

{20}

Brie held her board under her arm, jogging alongside JJ and Pope across the beach. They had all promised not to tell Kiara and John B what they had done. It was better that they didnt know, so that they didn't get dragged into it or, knowing those two, judge them for it.

She expected to feel guilty for sinking Topper's boat, but she didn't. Like, not one bit. She was actually happy that she did. He deserved it. She almost wished that they had gone after Rafe and Danny too.

Kiara and John B were sat on their boards, happily floating on the waves. Brie smiled and waved, excited to finally get back surfing.

"Hey!" JJ shouted, "Save some waves for us!"

The three of them threw their boards down, paddling over to them. The water was cold, making goosebumps cover her skin, but Brie liked that. It made a nice difference to the boiling heat of the sun.

Kiara laughed as they came up beside them. "Hey, where've you been?"

"Delivering groceries," JJ said quickly. "All afternoon.

Brie glanced over at him. That was totally suspicious. Pope just looked down at the water, as if he didn't trust himself to even attempt to back up their story. John B and Kiara shrugged, not even bothering to ask questions.

No one spoke anymore about it, which Brie was glad for. The less questions, the less she had to lie.

They must have surfed for hours, because it was starting to turn dusk and her legs and abs began to ache. She held back a little today, becaus of the dull throbbing still prominent against the inside of her skull. Hopefully some sleep would help with that.

Pope, Kiara and John B had all settled down on the shore, sitting facing the water. John B had started a small campfire, which they all sat around happily talking, most likely about the Merchant.

Brie and JJ had stayed in the water, intent on catching the last few waves. Hey, who knew when they would get to go surfing again with all of this treasure hunting?

JJ was clearly struggling out on the water. He was the best surfer out of all of them, and yet today he was only taking the small waves, being particularly careful in his movements.

The bruise on his back and abdomen weren't fully visible yet, but she knew they were there. The cut on his lip was dark and already tinted purple, making his whole face seem paler.

He was taking a quick break when his head suddenly turned, catching her staring. He gave a lopsided smile, his wet hair falling over one side of his face.

She automatically blushed at his smile and paddled over to him, their thighs touching as they each straddled their boards. She glanced down at where their skin touched and then quickly adverted her eyes. Stop it, she told herself.

"How you feeling?" She asked, inspecting his injuries again from up close.

"Like I've been hit with a golf club," he grinned, almost proudly.

She scoffed and laughed at him, gently prodding his arm. "You're such a pain in the ass."

"Yeah," he agreed with a shrug, "But you love it."

"Yeah," she said, her voice more of a whisper now, "I do."

They fell silent, listening to the sound of the waves lapping against their surfboards as they drifted aimlessly. John B, Pope and Kiara waved at them from the shore.

"Hey!" Kiara called out to them, "We're heading back!"

Brie went to shout back when JJ cut her off.